Big Dreams and Evil Plans

Liberty's POV

"On your mark… get set… go!" I exclaim. And with that, Sam takes off running, trying to run a lap around my backyard as quickly as he can. He arrives back soon, barely out of breath, and I prepare to time Noah. Before long, it is my turn to run a lap, and Sam times me. "Nice job," Sam says, patting me on the back as I reach the finish. "Glad my girlfriend isn't a wimp."

"Thanks," I reply softly. With all the bad news these past few days, it's nice to know Sam cares about me.

Trying not to show the others how emotional I am, I look down at the times. My lap was the fastest, then Sam's. Having super-soldier speed sure comes in handy. Joe usually places third, but he isn't here, so Noah is the next fastest, then Laura, then Anne. The three of them would have been much faster if they used their powers, of course, but I wanted them to work out their legs, not their powers.

"Alright, let's take a quick breather in-between exercises to discuss the hooded villain. I was hoping Joe would be here to tell us if he figured out why the hoodie looked familiar to him, but since he's late, we might as well get started." It figures Joe would be late when it's really important for him not to be late. Laura is usually the worst offender for being late, but Joe is a close second.

"Actually, I'm getting worried about Joe," Laura says anxiously. "I texted him to ask if he wanted my mom to give us a ride, but he never responded. I figured he was on his way already, but since he's not here, now I'm starting to wonder. What if something happened to him?"

"That is suspicious," I agree. "The villain might have realized Joe was onto him, or Joe might just be running late. I say everyone should try calling him, and if he doesn't respond or show up here in ten minutes, we should look for him."

"Ok," Laura agrees nervously, the rest of our teammates agreeing as well.

We spend the next ten minutes alternating between calling Joe and running through an obstacle course, and at the end of ten minutes, Joe still hasn't been seen or heard from.

"Joe, where are you?" Laura whispers.

Joe's POV

When I wake up, it is dark. As the events from earlier rush back to me, I worry that I've been laying on the kitchen floor all day while James gets into all sorts of trouble. Then I look around, and realize that I'm not in my kitchen, but in a cage in a dimly lit room!

"Ah, you have awakened," a voice says. Suddenly, lights turn on, and I am forced to squint for a few seconds before my eyes adjust to the light to reveal an elderly man in a lab coat looking at me from outside the cage. "Joe Barton, son of Hawkeye and Mockingbird," he says, pacing around a bit and revealing a Hydra logo on his sleeve.

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MY BROTHER?!" I yell, furious that James is a part of Hydra.

"Why don't you ask him?" the scientist says, stepping aside so that I can see James enter the room.

"JAMES! WHAT THE HELL?! WHY ARE YOU WORKING FOR HYDRA?!" I yell.

"The better question is, why are you working for S.H.I.E.L.D.?" James retorts. "They've known how to give people superpowers for a long time now, but they're too chicken. Hydra gives good people superpowers. They're where it's at!"

"Why do you even need superpowers?!" I exclaim. "Our parents have been teaching us spy skills and archery our whole lives. At least, they would have kept teaching you if you didn't ask to stop. I've managed to become a superhero with just those skills and a little tech knowledge. Why don't you focus on what you're good at instead of getting random powers?"

James sighs. "In case you forgot, you're the only one good at archery. The only thing I'm good at is spying on people and keeping secrets, which is why I was able to steal your guys's powers. I overhear you saying you'll be power training at Liberty's house and I think 'Great! I'll be there to snag some powers.'"

"But James, it's Hydra!" I exclaim, wishing I was outside the cage so I could knock some sense into his stupid head. "As in, the people who work for Red Skull, the superVILLAIN!"

James makes a face. "Yeah, I wasn't sure if I should work with them at first, but Doctor Kraus here is pretty chill. The worst thing is just having to come test my powers at annoying times when I'd rather be with my girlfriend, so that isn't too bad."

I stare at my brother in disbelief. "James, you just stole Pym Particles and beat up my girlfriend!" I exclaim. "Why, if I wasn't in this cage…."

"So?!" James exclaims, his tone of voice turning defensive. "If that's what it takes to be a hero, then that's what I'm going to do! I'm already beating you and all five of your friends in fights. With one or two more powers, I'll be the most powerful hero ever!"

"Why do you need powers? You already have good grades, you know how to talk to girls, and you're athletic. Why not just be a firefighter or something and be a hero that way?"

"Because anyone who's athletic and has training can be a firefighter. I don't want to be anyone. I want to be the best! But you," he sneers, "you seem content to be a boring sidekick, just like dad!"

"Dad isn't a sidekick!" I exclaim.

"Oh yeah? How many kids have you seen dress up like Hawkeye for Halloween? How many say they want to be like Hawkeye when they grow up? That's right, none! Everyone wants to be the suave Iron Man, or the bad-ass Thor, or the just Captain America, or even the Hulk, because he always wins fights. No one wants to be the stupid archer who belongs in Medieval England, who is way off on some rooftop somewhere missing out on most of the fight. If I kept training with dad, that's all I'd ever be. And that's all you are, which is why you can't stop me, and why your girlfriend keeps rescuing you instead of the other way around!"

I am stunned. The things he's saying… they're kind of true, especially the part about me not being able to protect Laura. "Teaming up with Hydra isn't right," I say quietly. I sound like a broken record at this point, but I don't know what else to say.

"Once I have all my powers, I'll make everything right!" James exclaims. "Later, looser!" he says, teleporting out of the room.

Once again, I am alone with the scientist named Doctor Kraus. I am torn between yelling at him to let me out of the cage and begging him to stop experimenting on my brother, but before I can decide, he leaves the room. Soon I hear him talking to James, although they're too far away for me to hear much of their conversation. Then I hear one of them dialing a phone, and I can't help but shudder at whatever evil plans may be about to unfold.

Liberty's POV

I am just about to call Joe's parents and ask if they know what's going on, when Laura's phone rings. She looks at the caller ID, then smiles. "Joe, where have you been?" she asks, relief in her voice. Then her look changes to one of horror! "Ok," she whispers. "Ok," then, with shaking hands, she lowers the phone.

"What happened?" I ask, instantly on guard.

"It was the hooded villain. He said… he said he captured Sarah, and if we want her back, we have to meet him at some building with the address he texted me."

"WHAT?!" Sam yells. "I'LL KILL HIM!"

"What did his voice sound like?" I ask, fighting back my own panic. "Did his voice sound familiar?"

"No," Laura hiccups. "I mean, I don't know! He was using some voice filter thingie, so he sounded like Darth Vader, only not as menacing, so maybe like Kylo Ren or something, or maybe—"

"I get the idea," I say, not cutting her off to be rude this time, but because, in a situation like this, there is no time to waste. "Did he say anything about capturing Joe?"

"No, but he probably did," Laura says, whimpering.

"Let me see the address," I say, giving her something to do besides whimper. With a shaking hand, Laura hands me her phone. "That's not far from here," I say, looking at the address. "Alright, here's what we're going to do…."

AN: Is Hydra an acronym? Like, should it be H.Y.D.R.A.? I don't know.

Anyways, here you got to see James's motives, which hopefully aren't too boring and make sense. Let me know what you think!