TRIGGER WARNING! MENTION OF RAPE!
During her fall she screamed out loud and saw the trees coming closer, fast. Julia squeezed her eyes closed, waiting for the plunge as she went through the high tops of the trees. But then she sensed a rope around her ankle and it stopped her fall. She felt herself bouncing up and down. When she opened her eyes she saw she was some yards away from the ground. Julia looked up at her feet and saw a web was tangled around her ankle.
"Are you okay?" she heard a voice from behind her.
Julia looked to see where the voice was coming from and saw Spiderman hanging upside down, with the help of his spider webs.
"Are you hurt?" he asked worriedly.
Julia kept silenced as she gazed at the red-blue masked figure. She even wondered on which side he would be.
"Can I trust you?" she asked suspiciously.
"Yeah, you can. Shall I take you down safely?"
Julia nodded, but still was suspicious. Spiderman went closer to her and wrapped his arm around her. She winced as a burning pain occurred on her upper back.
"Are you sure you're okay?"
"Yeah." Julia groaned.
Then he noticed the burn on her back. It didn't look good as it was an almost second degree burn.
"You're burned," he almost panicked.
"Iron Man did that. Can you please put me on the ground?"
"Okay. Hold me tight," he advised and Julia followed his word.
He ripped the spider webs from her ankle, quickly shot a new string and slid her slowly to the ground. When she got her feet on the ground she looked at him, scared. Spiderman wondered why she was staring at him.
"Something wrong?"
"I think I remember you," Julia said.
"Uhm, yeah. We've met before," he said while he rubbed the back of his neck.
Julia squeezed her eyes as she heard something familiar in his voice.
"Who are you?"
"I'm Spiderman."
Julia walked closer to him, shaking her head, not really believing what he said.
"No. WHO are you?"
Sweat broke out of his pores as he held up his hands in defense while she was coming closer. In a quick movement, Julia tried to rip off his mask. In his turn he quickly grabbed her wrist and held it firmly. They were both amazed at their own fast reactions. Carefully she placed a foot behind his foot and pushed him, making him trip and fall. She got on top of him quickly and was able to grab his mask. She lifted it and a piece of his chin appeared. Then Spiderman shot a web over her face. She went off him and pulled at the sticky substance to get it off her face.
"Get it off me! I can't breathe," she panicked.
Spiderman felt sorry and helped her remove the webs. Once her face was clear she was taking deep breaths. She looked at him and saw a piece of his bare throat.
"You okay now?" Spiderman asked worriedly.
Julia nodded while gazing at his flesh. Behind them they heard a man laughing. They looked up at the laughter.
"The Madame is still right. You're weak," Lex chuckled while hanging upside down on a tree, almost completely mummified in spider webs.
"Will you please be quiet?" he asked, and he shot a web that covered Lex's mouth. "Thank you."
Spiderman sighed and glanced at his feet. He found it hard, what he wanted to say next.
"Listen, I have to tell you something first. It's about your father," he started with a shaky voice. "Iron Man was chasing him and your father's car got into an accident." He took a deep breath and continued. "The car exploded and killed your father. I'm so sorry for telling you this."
After he put his gaze back on Julia, she quickly grabbed his throat with her bare hand. Her fingers could touch the revealed skin and her powers started to suck out his energy. Spiderman screamed out his pain. In her turn, Julia yelled as images flashed painfully through her mind of a brunette teenage boy, she could see in her mind.
He was making webs in a jar, and hugged her while she was crying in a school canteen. Also flashes of the Spiderman and herself standing on a roof of a villa and a fight in a bathroom between them.
She released him and the memories faded away.
"Peter?" she whispered while panting.
Panic rose in Spiderman's guts.
"How…I mean…huh?"
"Are you…"
Spiderman quickly shot another web at Lex, covering his eyes. Then he removed his mask to reveal his identity. Julia's eyes widened in shock as she backed away from him.
"What the hell, Peter?"
"Don't tell anyone," he begged with a quiet voice.
Julia rushed her hands through her hair as she couldn't believe who was hiding in that suit.
"Are you…?"
"Yeah, I'm an Avenger."
"How come I have never seen you in the compound?" she asked confused when the panic level in her body reduced.
"I still live at Aunt May's house in Queens. Mr. Stark, who is Iron Man, is also an Avenger but lives in his Stark Tower in the city. And then there's Hawkeye, who lives on a farm in Missouri with his wife and kids but stays in the compound for a night when a mission is done. Then he goes back to his home the next day." Peter explained. "His real name is Clint Barton, by the way."
He watched her while she picked up her leather glove and put it on.
"So, what happened?"
Julia sighed as she looked at her hands. She finds it hard to tell what happened to her.
"Remember we had to search for crystals in his villa?" she started while memories slowly went into her mind.
Peter nodded. He did remember it. It was traumatic to see her covered in rocks and then finding out she was missing.
"I got in contact with it a few days before we had that ambush by HYDRA in our villa."
"But you also were in contact with it during the ambush," Peter reminded her.
Julia nodded.
"I have learned from Mr. Stark these crystals can give you powers. So anything special you can do now?" Peter wondered.
Julia didn't know where to start, because she didn't want to scare him off. She turned around and took a few steps away from him. Peter noticed the burns on her back were gone.
"Julia? The burns on your back. It's gone."
"That's because I touched you," Julia started to explain. "I can heal from wounds when I touch somebody, skin to skin. Sometimes I have memories of the person I'm touching. "
She went silent for a few seconds.
"I remembered you were making webs for Halloween," she continued.
She looked over her shoulder to meet his gaze.
"But I guess it wasn't for Halloween, huh?"
Peter felt embarrassed.
"No, it wasn't," he admitted.
She turned around to face him better.
"But there is more about my powers. I can absorb the life out of somebody when I hold them too long, skin to skin. You should be lucky I didn't kill you with my powers."
"Did you…?"
Memories of her killing HYDRA soldiers with her powers faded in and out of her head. She started to feel embarrassed.
"In several memories I did see myself killing and hurting people," she sighed. "But I don't know if it was really me because HYDRA can remove my memories and change me into another person. Although some memories are coming back since I've been in some kind of memory restore machine from SHIELD."
Peter could see the regrets in her expression when she spoke.
"So….my so-called father is dead now?" she asked.
Peter nodded. Julia just gazed away from him. He noticed she had no sorrow for the man who raised her.
Then Iron Man interrupted Peter through his comms.
"Kid, could you find the Living Dead Girl?"
He laid a finger on his ear to speak into the comms.
"Uhm…No Mr. Stark, I'm still looking for her," he lied to protect Julia.
He sighed as he put his mask back on.
"I have to go," he said softly. "I'm sorry."
Julia just nodded but Peter could see she was inside her own mind. Gently he laid a hand on her shoulder, that made her look up at him.
"Will you be okay?" he asked worriedly.
"Yeah, yeah. I'll be fine," she reassured him.
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah, just go. Do what you need to do and don't worry about me," she said while she shrugged her shoulders.
He nodded, shot a web and flew away. Julia looked at him as he made his way, like a Tarzan. When Spiderman was out of her view, she looked at Lex who was still hanging upside down, covered in webs. She searched for a rock with a sharp edge. When she found one she climbed into the tree and started to bang with the rock on the web. After a few bangs it started to shred and before she knew it, the rope broke and Lex fell down on the ground. She heard his muffled scream. Julia jumped out of the tree and landed next to him.
"Sorry," she apologized to him.
With her gloved fingers she tried to peel off the webs off his face. She got irritated when it didn't go fast enough, in her opinion. Finally she freed one eye and he looked angry at her.
"Hey, I said sorry."
"Need help?" she heard a woman.
Julia looked up scared at the direction the voice was coming from but got relieved when she saw it was Natasha. Natasha took out a knife out of her belt and started to cut the webs off Lex.
"They are after you," Natasha warned.
"I…" Julia said but got cut off when a large arrow pierced through her chest.
"Julia!" Natasha called out as she saw her being pulled away.
Julia screamed out her pain as she collapsed on the ground. Natasha looked up at the other side of the thin chains and saw it was Clint.
"Clint, no! Don't do this!"
"It's for our safety," he snarled at Natasha when he pulled Julia closer to him. "She belongs in the jail of SHIELD."
Then a small metal disc appeared on his arm. It spread out tiny wires and electrocuted Clint. He shrieked as he fell on the ground.
Julia rolled onto her side, broke the arrow on her back and pulled it out through her chest, while she gritted her teeth in pain. She looked at a dazed Clint as she was taking painful breaths. She dragged herself to him and took off a glove.
"Julia, don't!" she heard Natasha but it was too late.
Julia laid her bare hand on his bare arm and felt his energy rushing into her body. Clint screamed out his pain while Julia kept on gritting her teeth. She looked up shocked as she saw a memory of him and Natasha sharing a kiss in a restaurant. She didn't know if it was her or her alter who saw this. Julia released him when Natasha approached her. The former spy helped the teen with getting on her feet. Clint was still almost knocked out on the ground.
"You're a couple?" Julia questioned, confused as she was wobbly on her feet.
"We're friends," Natasha replied as she held Julia steady.
Julia was confused.
"But I had a memory of both of you sharing an intimate kiss in a restaurant."
"It's complicated," the former spy admitted. She saw Julia was still bleeding. "You're still bleeding."
Natasha laid a hand on Julia's chest and back wound and put on pressure to prevent more bleeding. The teenager groaned in pain.
"I'll be okay. I can touch other people. But not you. Not the other Avengers." Julia looked at a still dazed Clint. "And not him anymore."
"Listen. I am letting you go to HYDRA." Natasha looked at Lex who is now free from the webs. "At the edge of the woods there is a black Audi Q7." Lex was looking confused and suspicious. "Trust me. In the trunk there is a first aid box, I want you to take care of her wounds before you go. Now leave."
"Nat, before we go I have to admit something. I'm a sick person."
Natasha's stomach dropped as the teen finished her sentence.
"I have this sick feeling towards all of you and it's not good," Julia said. Her voice was filled with pain, physically and mentally.
"Sweetheart, what are you trying to say?" Natasha asked worried as she still put pressure on the wounds.
Tears welled up in the teen's eyes. She started to feel nauseous and her body began to tremble.
"I love you and I love Bucky. I love Sam, Steve and Wanda. The Sir had taught me love is a sickness," she stuttered after she swallowed upcoming bile. "I'm sorry."
Natasha saw the teenager's cheeks glowing bright red and sweat appeared on her forehead.
"You have a high fever. Go as fast as you can back to HYDRA, so you can…" She sighed. "…so you can be cured."
When Natasha finished her say, Lex took turn to pressure Julia's wounds and immediately left. In the background Natasha heard a moaning and groaning Clint. Slowly he was standing up. When he was standing he saw Julia and Lex walking away. He took out his phone and tapped at the screen. Natasha looked curiously at him.
"Zhelaniye," FRIDAY's voice said out loud from his phone. "Chetvertyy."
When Julia heard the words she immediately froze in place. Fear builds up in her veins.
"No," Julia whispered as a pain emerged in her head.
"Bol."
Lex smiled as he recognized it.
"Not again," the teen groaned.
Julia grabbed her head and screamed out her sudden pain while she fell on her knees. Natasha felt it was something wrong and jumped on Clint to take away his phone.
"Otorvannost."
Half an hour earlier...
Sam saw Julia falling towards the trees as he had a fight with Iron Man in mid-air. He tried to follow her fall but the Iron Man grabbed his wing and threw him far away. Iron Man saw the helicopter still flying on its automatic pilot. He flew towards it to stop its flight. Suddenly a giant grey-red robot appeared, caught the helicopter and pinched it into pieces. Iron Man stopped immediately and gazed at it in shock.
"Where did you come from?"
"None of your business," Ant-Man answered and reached out to grab Iron Man.
Iron Man flew away from his grabby hand, but he was slightly too slow. Ant-Man grabbed him by the ankles. Ant-Man shrank into human size while holding him. On the ground he held Iron Man down by gripping his arms tight. Sam landed in front of them.
"Good work, Tic-tac," he complimented Scott.
Wanda, Steve and Bucky ran to meet them.
"Where the hell did you come from?" Bucky wondered.
"I heard the shooting while I was cleaning your room. Got my suit, shrunk myself and jumped on the guy, waiting for the perfect moment for the big surprise," Scott explained. "It almost got out of hand when he encountered the ladies, but I had my plan and it worked!"
While Scott was sharing his plan, Sam looked into the woods. He was worried about Julia and had regrets he couldn't save her. He felt a gentle hand on his shoulder. Sam saw it was Wanda, giving him a reassured smile. He understood the smile and then knew Julia was okay.
"You did well," Steve acknowledged after Scott finished telling them.
"You're making big mistakes," Tony snarled at the Captain after he lifted up the mask of his suit.
"I'm sorry, I know you mean good but this is complicated," Steve said.
"What's so complicated? She's a part of HYDRA!" Tony snarled, upset and confused.
"She's a victim, Tony. Just like what Bucky was," Steve explained. "Also this is a part of my plan to save her."
"This is your plan? To save her? Well this plan sucks and I'm going to stop her!"
Tony was able to break free from Scott, and shot up into the sky. Scott quickly shraunk down to ant size and jumped on Sam, who flew up to follow Tony. When Sam got close, Scott could jump on Tony, and crawled into his suit. Quickly he pulled at some cables and managed to disconnect them.
"What the…" Tony wondered as his suit started to shut down and fell out of the sky. "FRIDAY?" he panicked.
"Suit system offline, reboot not possible," his AI announced.
Sam was able to catch him in midair.
"We're going to the compound where Steve will explain everything," Sam announced and flew off with Tony in his arms.
Steve, Bucky and Wanda looked into the sky and saw how Sam dragged Tony towards their facility. Bucky got nervous and Steve noticed.
"You okay?"
Bucky shook his head. He laid a finger on his comms.
"Nat? Could you find Julia?" he asked worried.
"I can see her from a distance. The HYDRA agent is mummified in something that looks like spider webs and she's trying to set him free. I'm going to help her."
"Is she alright?"
"As far as I can see, she's okay. I'll let you know. I promise," Natasha reported.
Bucky released a relieved sigh when they started walking towards the facility. Thoughts about her went through his mind. Is she really okay? Is she wounded?
"Natasha said she's okay, Bucky," Steve reminded him.
"I know. But still…" He sighed. "I'm worried."
"I know, Bucky. We all are."
"And she feels the same towards you. But she's scared," Wanda remarked. "Very scared."
Suddenly he punched a tree with his metal fist. The tree trunk splintered.
"Bucky, stop it!" Steve called out. "Try to control your anger."
Then they heard a scream echo through the woods. Bucky recognized the voice immediately, and ran off into the woods.
"Bucky, wait!"
Steve wanted to run after him but Wanda stopped him.
"It will be fine. We'll meet them in the compound," she reassured The Captain.
Bucky was running as fast as he could, although he didn't know where to go. Then he heard her screaming again; this time it was close. He made a left turn and ran up a small hill. In a distance she saw Natasha and Clint having a fight. Further away he saw Julia kneeling in the dirt, grabbing her head. In front of her was Lex.
"Doma," FRIDAY's voice spoke.
"Make it stop!" Julia screamed out her pain, followed by a laugh from Lex.
"Behold! The Destroyer of Lives will appear!" the HYDRA agent called out.
Bucky's eyes widened as he watched the scene, and it broke his heart. He looked around to find where the voice of FRIDAY was coming from. He knew he had to act fast.
Another Russian word took his attention.
"Vozrodivshiysya."
Another painful scream from Julia.
Bucky kept on searching, frantically. He knew that when her words were done, a catastrophe would happen. He just didn't know how many words were left, so he had to act quickly.
A few feet from the fighting duo he saw a small device in the dirt. Bucky jumped at it, took it in his metal hand and he squeezed it till it shattered into pieces. After he broke it he walked towards Lex and Julia and saw the teenager trying to stand up. But she sank down on her legs and fell back on the ground.
A devious smile came on the HYDRA agent's lips. Out of the pocket of his pants he took out a slightly burned blue notebook. Bucky stood still in shock. He remembered a similar book that Vasily Karpov has used to trigger the Winter Soldier inside of him, but this version was a lot smaller.
Lex opened the notebook as he started to read out loud, he knew he was close to awake the Destroyer of Lives inside of her. Just a few words were left and it was done. His eyes were focused on the written letters.
"Nikto."
"No please," Julia begged weakly in a groan as the pain in her head welled up again. "No more."
"Me..."
But his word got cut off by a punch on his face with a metal fist. Lex fell in the dirt and dropped the notebook. Bucky picked the small book up and put it in a pocket of his suit. Then he grabbed Lex by the collar of his coat.
"You should be glad my friend has a plan because if it were up to me I would have killed you already," he growled at him.
Bucky dropped him before he went to Julia. He looked at her in fear as he saw the blood weakly dripping from Julia's chest.
"Oh my god," he whispered when he knelt next to her. She was panting in pain with closed eyes. "Julia? Julia, open your eyes," he begged.
She was in too much pain to give a reaction.
"Listen. I know you don't want to, but I have to do this." With his flesh hand he reached to her face. "I'm sorry," he apologized as he laid his hand on her skin.
Slowly his energy faded out. He felt it was different compared the last time she touched him and it confused him. No pain, no burning feeling inside of him. The wound in Julia's chest slowly closed, her hot skin cooled down and the red brightness in her cheeks faded away. She blinked her eyes and Bucky could see the green color of them. She was herself, which made him feel relief. He released her as she gazed confused at him.
"You touched me?"
Bucky nodded.
"Why?" she wondered as she slowly sat up.
"Because I hate to see you suffering," he admitted.
He stood up and pulled her gently back on her feet. Then roughly he pulled up Lex, who still laid on the ground, back on his feet.
"You better keep her in one piece or else…" Bucky warned the agent.
He glanced back at Julia and cupped her cheek with his metal hand.
"You have to go now. Be careful. I love you."
He embraced her and Julia nearly broke in tears as she heard his heart beating in her ear.
"How can you love me while I'm such a sick person?" she blurted out as she fought against her tears.
She gently pushed herself off him and ran away. Lex gave Bucky an evil look as he passed by to follow Julia. Together they went deeper into the forest, leaving Bucky in confusion about Julia's comment. He glanced over his shoulder and saw Clint on top of Natasha. They were still fighting.
In the dirt Bucky noticed a broken, bloody arrow. Anger boiled in his veins as he made the connection between Julia's wound and the arrow. Quickly he went to them and took Clint in a chokehold with his flesh arm.
"Hey!"
"Shut up and come to the compound!" Bucky snarled as he dragged him to the facility, followed by Natasha.
Lex and Julia arrived at the car. The door of the driver's seat was already open and Lex got into the car. On the other side, Julia got in the car as well. In front of her seat she noticed an orange stuffed animal. She picked it up and remembered she had seen it in Bucky's room. She held it tight against her chest. Tears welled up in her eyes as she hugged the bear and could smell Bucky's scent.
"Why the hell are you crying?"
"I don't know," she sobbed. "Just go, okay."
Lex shook his head in annoyance, started the car, and drove off.
After an hour and a half of driving, Lex glanced back and forth between Julia and the highway. She was still holding the teddy bear, while she gazed out of the window. Bushes and trees were passing by.
"What's so special about that bear?" he sighed, annoyed.
"It's a gift from them," Julia mumbled.
"You know what it means when somebody gives you a gift?"
Julia looked confused at him.
"It means they love you and you know what love means?" Lex continued.
Julia closed her eyes and held the bear tighter. She remembered what Daniel Whitehall told her.
"The Sir told me love is a sickness." A tear rolled down Julia's cheek. "I guess I have infected them with my disorder."
"Or they have infected you," Lex chuckled. "So…" He looked at the stuffed animal. "Before the sickness spreads…" He suddenly grabbed the bear out of Julia's arms and threw it from the window of the driver's side. "…we have to get rid of the source."
"NO!"
From the back window she saw the bear rolling over the quiet highway. Before Lex knew it, Julia opened the door and jumped out of the moving car. She rolled a few times over the asphalt, got on her feet and ran to the fallen bear. Lex stopped the car with shrieking tires and got out. Luckily for them the whole highway was empty.
"Hey!" Lex yelled. Julia looked at him as she held the bear close to her chest. "What the hell, bitch?"
Julia just stared in fear at him as he got closer to her at a jogging pace. He grabbed her arm roughly and dragged her back to the car.
"You're hurting me!"
"Good!"
Julia kicked him against the ankles, making Lex trip and nearly fall. Julia managed to break free from his grip, made a run for it and jumped over a low fence. A few yards away was self-storage building, separated from her by a higher fence. In a distance she heard a dog barking. Before she could reach the higher fence, her body went into a sudden cramp. She fell forward and landed in the grass.
"Ha! You really think you could escape, huh?" Lex grabbed the stuffed animal out of her arms and threw it over the higher fence. "Well, think again!"
A German Shepherd came running barking and attacked the bear, which he ripped into pieces. Julia saw it all happening but couldn't scream or take other action. She felt her body getting limp again, but remained laying in the grass panting for air. Lex lifts her up by grabbing the back of her shirt. Suddenly, the noise of a gunshot filled the air.
"What's going on here?" a man yelled with a thick New Jersey accent.
Lex looked up and saw an armed man with the dog, now leashed.
"Sorry, my Schizophrenic sister jumped out of the car and had to chase her."
"Is she alright?" the man now asked worried. "Need any help?"
"Oh, just a slight epileptic seizure at the moment but we will do fine. I'll carry her to the car to give her medication."
"Okay. Just a few miles ahead is a medical center, if you need any medical help."
"Thank you for your concern," Lex called out and walked back to the car while he carried a very dazed Julia in bridal style.
Once he got to the car, he roughly placed Julia back in the passenger's seat and fastened her seatbelt. He looked over his shoulder after he closed the door. He saw the man and the dog still standing and watching suspiciously. He waved at them as he walked to the driver's seat. He stepped in and leaned closer to a dazed Julia.
"You better listen to me now!" he snarled. "I am going to hand you over to Whitehall to receive my reward." He showed her a one-button-remote control, the same as Wanda had destroyed. "And if you stop obeying me, I'll make sure to arrange some preparation before the Madame will torture you till death. You hear me?"
Julia could only nod. Then Lex started the car and drove off.
After another hour and half of driving, they arrived at the HYDRA facility. Lex parked the car in a secret garage. They both stepped out and entered the facility. After a while of walking they entered a basement. Julia stopped as she remembered the area while she looked around. She saw the awful machine she had woken up in many times, not remembering anything after being in there. Her heart felt squeezed by the fear.
Then Julia saw a familiar man standing in the back of the area, surrounded by guards. With his hands on his back he walked over to her and Lex, followed by the security. The strange feeling in her stomach appeared again and a smile of relief came on her lips. She couldn't believe he was there, her savior. She made a sudden move towards him. The guards aimed their weapons at her, which made her stop in shock. Slowly, Whitehall was coming closer to her. His eyes were stern behind the round glasses. Julia had never seen him like this and it scared her.
"What's wrong?" she asked, confused. "Aren't you happy to see me?"
"Mr. Calla, you will receive your reward in a minute," Whitehall told Lex, as he ignored Julia.
A big grin appeared on Lex's face. He could not restrain himself from rubbing his hands. Two guards came from Whitehall's behind. They walked to Lex and obstructed him.
"Hey? What the…?" Lex called out, not knowing why this was happening.
"Now. Take his life," Whitehall ordered when he stood in front of Julia.
"Who? Me?" Julia said, perplexed.
Whitehall nodded. Julia turned around and glanced at Lex. She was afraid to touch him, afraid the nasty memories between them will haunt her. She looked back at HYDRA's powerful man.
"I can't," Julia stuttered in fear.
"Why not?"
"I'm scared," she admitted. "Scared to remember what he did to me."
Whitehall laid his bare hands on her shoulders. A small smile came on his lips.
"One of the keys to happiness is a bad memory," he shared. Julia just stared confused at him. "Go on. Touch him."
Julia felt the hesitation in her body but she listened to him. She turned back and moved to be next to Lex. She removed a glove and reached out her hand. All of a sudden Lex jumped up and started kicking with his legs. The two guards were able to get him on the floor. One of them placed his shin against his shoulders to restrain him better.
"Let me go!" Lex yelled.
Julia started to back off from him. Suddenly she felt two hands on her shoulders, which pushed her forward. Anxiety built up in her body as this gave her a familiar memory, done by her so-called father.
"No! No, don't!" She quickly turned around and buried her forehead into the chest of the person who held her. "Don't make me do this," she begged as she started to cry.
"Don't you want to be happy, my precious?"
"Yes," she answered softly with a tremble in her voice.
"Happiness can be found in the darkness," Whitehall stated. "So you know where to go now to find your happiness?"
Julia released him and looked at him. She nodded when she knew what he meant. Then she turned around and walked back to Lex, who was still restrained by the guards. She knelt in front of him.
"Don't," he groaned.
Julia squeezed her eyes shut in fear and laid her hand on his cheek. His energy rushed into her when her skin touched his. Lex screamed out his pain while Julia tried her best not to. She released him after a moment and took her head in her hands. Painful memories of the rape between them appeared in her mind.
"I need to stop," she pleaded in a moan.
"No, keep on going," Whitehall demanded. "Remember where your happiness is."
Julia saw Lex pale with blue lips but still breathing. His eyes were almost empty.
"You're almost there. Take it all of his life so you can survive and find your happiness," she heard Whitehall.
In disfavor she laid her hand on his skin again and the painful ritual and memories started again. After a moment a small electric shock appeared and with a shriek Julia let go. She held her head again, clenching her jaw to restrain screaming as memories of her rape flashed through her mind. A guard checked Lex's pulse.
"He's dead, Sir," he announced.
Then Julia screamed and burst into tears. Whitehall knelt next to her and stroked her back.
"There, there. Let it all out," he soothed. "You did it all well. You're getting better."
"It feels so wrong," Julia sobbed.
"Don't worry. That feeling will pass by. Now stand up."
She got back on her feet, while tears streamed over her cheeks.
"I feel like a monster. Why do I feel like this, Sir?" she asked confused while she wiped the tears of her cheeks.
"Everybody has a monster inside their soul. With some people it comes out, with some people it won't," Whitehall huffed with a smile. "But your monster is a gift to HYDRA. We need it and we need you as well, my precious. Just make sure nothing will get in your way. SHIELD, The Avengers, nobody."
Out of the blue Madame HYDRA showed up. Whitehall and Julia looked up at her as she started reporting.
"The next subject is restrained. You can start with the Faustus method now."
"Good," Whitehall responded, and left the area.
Julia looked confused at the Madame as she was dressed in a black pencil dress. Usually she wore her green army uniform.
"What's going on here?" Julia asked, confused. "Why are you dressed like that?"
The Madame went closer to Julia as she gazed at her from head to toe. She circled around her like a lioness around her prey.
"Mission report," she demanded as she ignored Julia's questions.
"The mission failed, as far as I can remember. I was captured by SHIELD who showed me memories. I couldn't believe they're mine. Also I was at The Avengers compound temporarily," the teenager reported.
"Could you kill The Avengers?" The Madame asked as she kept on circling.
Julia bit her bottom lip to hide her anxiety. She shook her head. Suddenly The Madame slapped Julia in the face.
"You pathetic cow! You've been there and did nothing?"
"I don't know what happened in my head, I just couldn't do anything!" Julia panicked, scared for what the Madame is going to do next.
"How could you? You are a disgrace to HYDRA! Prepare to be punished!" She marched away from the teen and faced her again. "Give her the inhibitor collar!"
One of the guards came out with a collar in his hands. Julia immediately recognized the thing from the time she was with The Avengers, being held hostage by Alexander Pierce. She flinched backwards as the guard came closer.
"No please," she begged. "I'll do better from now on."
She walked into the arms of the two guards who had held Lex down, and got caught. Julia fought to get out of their grip while the men held her firmly. She swayed an arm that made a guard flying across the area. Then she swayed to the other side and the second guard smacked on the ground. In shock she looked at the dazed guard, not knowing how strong she was. Amazed, she looked at her hands. Small memories of her, banging on a metal door and leaving dents, came into her mind.
The guard quickly placed the collar around her neck and locked it. Tiny green lights on the collar went on as a sign it was activated. Julia wanted to test her strength again and wanted to pull off the collar but an electric shock from the collar overwhelmed her body. She screamed out her pain and fell on her knees. She was panting in pain as she heard Madame HYDRA laughing and yelling.
"Take the subject to the Memory Suppressing Machine!"
Guards took Julia by the arms, dragged her to the machine she feared, and threw her into the seat. With a dazed glance Julia looked at the Madame while the guards locked her in the grips.
"I'm not a subject. My name is Julia," she snarled.
The Madame came closer to be face to face.
"You're nothing but HYDRA's subject," she chuckled.
A scientist entered the area.
"Madame, I am ready for the Destroyer of Lives," he announced with a Russian accent.
"Good, Rudolf. Wipe her and start the project again."
Rudolf, the scientist, went to the control panel and pushed some buttons. Above her head Julia saw two mechanical devices coming towards the sides of her head. She squeezed her eyes shut and clenched her jaw as it placed around her head. She knew what was going to happen.
"My name is Julia Berger," she whispered to herself a few times.
At the control panel, Rudolf pressed at some buttons. Madame HYDRA looked over his shoulders. She saw how Rudolf set the power level on fifty percent when he lowered a lever and pushed a button. Electricity rushed through Julia's body as she screamed in agony. She panted as the first shock was finished.
"My name is Julia Berger," she quietly moaned.
Another shock followed and she could still say her name. Even after a third shock.
"Set it on seventy-five percent," the Madame ordered.
Rudolf pulled a little bit on the lever and pushed the button. More electricity went through Julia as she screamed louder. When the shock was over, Julia was very dazed.
"My name is Julia," she stuttered weakly, a few times.
Madame HYDRA was amazed by her strength.
"How is this even possible?"
Another shock went off, this time a few seconds longer. After it was finished, Julia's body quivered. Sweat was dripping out of her pores while she could barely open her eyes.
"I'm Jul," she muttered as she almost choked in her breath.
"Set it on one-hundred percent!" The Madame demanded Rudolf.
"But Madame, it will kill her."
"Just do it!"
He obeyed and set the power level on one-hundred percent. With a slight hesitation he pushed the button again. This time Julia screamed out her life. The shock finished, and Julia went limp in the chair. The Madame went over to her and grabbed the teen's jaw to make her face her.
Julia was unconscious but still breathing.