"Hello, Miss Harper," the menacing doctor said in a strongly accented voice, his tone dark and ominous as he grinned at the teenage girl in front of him.
Danielle stayed still, frozen and wide eyed like a deer caught in a car's headlights. She was too numb to move, but her heart and mind were going at a hundred miles an hour. He knew who she was. This man, this man with the means of accomplishing something terrible and unknown, knew who she was.
The possibilities of what he was capable of with something as simple as her true identity came to Danielle's mind: he could threaten her friends, her school he could expose her to the public, turn her into the UN – or worse, HYDRA. Was he HYDRA? If so, what was he doing here? What was his purpose for finding the Winter Soldier?
After a few moments of petrified silence, Danielle managed to bring herself to say a few words. "I... That's not my name," she exclaimed in a weak and timid tone.
The man chuckled. "Of course..." he said, dragging out his reply. "Would you prefer it if I called you by your true name, then? Eris?"
Danielle flinched, her palms growing sweaty as her knees began to wobble. This couldn't be happening- how was this happening?! "What do you want from me?" The young girl asked, trying to make her voice sound strong and confident but only turning out to sound like a pouting child.
"It's simple really," the man explained. "I want something you have... Information."
"I don't-"
"You do," he cut her off swiftly. "The USB drive that's residing in your pocket right now..."
Danielle's heart sank. She refrained from touching the small USB drive in her pocket out of habit whenever she thought about it, knowing it would give her away. But, he already knew about it. How did he know about it?
The man smirked at her shocked and confused expressions crossing her face. "You're wondering how I know about it, considering the only two people who could possibly know about it is you and your deceased mother."
Danielle's eyes widened. "How did you-"
"I'd been watching her for months. Long before you even knew she was alive," he explained. "I found out about your mother's extensive research project on HYDRA through a few sources using some rather... unmentionable methods I'm not particularly proud of." Danielle shuddered at his dark tone of voice. "It took a lot of will power not to steal away the USB before she was disposed of, but I have patience... and a promise to uphold."
"Miss Harper," the mysterious man continued, his eyes boring into hers as he took a step forward. There was a cold, dead look in his eyes. But, when Danielle looked closer, she could see a light, a light she often used to see in her own eyes a long time ago. The light of burning rage, fury, and grief. He was mourning, and he wanted revenge. But revenge on who? "I don't want to harm you... So, please, give me the drive so nobody else gets hurts."
Danielle didn't try to stop her hand from sliding into her pocket and clutching at the drive with a clenched fist.
The man clenched his jaw and glared at her response. He had hoped for this to go a bit easier. "Very well then," he said, pulling out a large looking knife from off one of the corpses lying on the ground Danielle and finally noticed. "I was hoping you would be more compliant, Danielle. But... I was prepared," he exclaimed. "I'm always prepared."
Danielle turned towards him, her fists clenched and her eyes narrowed, ready to fight to tooth and nail. She would risk her life, as stubborn as she was, to protect one of the most valuable things she owned and one of the most dangerous things she owned.
But just before the man could lunge at Danielle, a small voice came from her left.
"Hey!"
They both turned at the sound, and Danielle was shocked to find Sam lying on the ground, struggling to pull himself up. The man standing across from Danielle then dashed, rushing out the way she had come in, leaving her and Sam behind.
Once the pilot was up and on his feet, he pushed through the pain he felt throughout his entire body to go check on Danielle after he had seen that doctor man threatening her. "You okay?" He asked, giving her a once-over to make sure she hadn't been harmed during the altercation.
Danielle, still unsure of how to even make a coherent sentence after what she had just experienced, could only nod in response, her finger slitly tracing the USB drive in her pocket as a reminder that it was still there, that she was still there, safe.
Sam let out a sigh of relief before looking back at where the man had run off. He couldn't let him get away. "Stay here," he ordered her before running off, leaving her alone.
Danielle was beginning to sense a pattern between adults and ordering her to stay put during dangerous situations. If she hadn't listened the first time, she definitely wasn't going to listen any other time.
And with that, she was running off again, out of the East Wing and back to where Sharon had left her. But in the way, tracking her way back through the re-lit hallways (Danielle figured the power must've been restored), she was running and running and running, until she ran right into the arms of the last person she expected to.
"Oh, no you don't," a familiar scolding voice stated as two hands gripped her arms to hold her in place. When she looked up to see who it was that was stopping her from going after the man that tried to attack her and Sam, she immediately cringed. "You're coming with me," her brother said in a firm tone, holding her arm in an iron grip as he pulled her off down some hallway. Oh, she was definitely in for it now.
—
Jack had just finished up his part in filling out a lengthy report on the incident in Bucharest when he got the alright to head back to the Joint Task Force Headquarters, like he was initially supposed to.
He was tired, exhausted, and pretty upset after learning about Steve and Sam trying to stop the Task Force from arresting the criminal who had assassinated dozens and killed even more during the bombing, not to mention trained his mother to be a murderous assassin. It was safe to say that by the time the young man got to JTF HQ, he was pissed.
And it just got better when he arrived to a complete mess. The guards and other agents were scrambling about, people all alike were being evacuated out of the building, there were choppers circling the joint, and to add on to the good news, his sister was inside where a crazy assassin was now loose.
Jack had dashed inside after finding that fun little fact, despite a group of agents trying to stop him. He had been running through hallway to hallway until he just so happened to spot a short brunette wearing a 1975 band t-shirt with a black skirt and Vans dashing down a hallway, her eyes darting every which way – a clear sign she was looking for something, or as Jack saw it, looking for trouble.
Without a second thought, he stated to rush after her, running down another hallway and cutting her off just around a corner, letting her bump right into him. "Oh, no you don't," he said, gripping her by her arms as he steadied her from falling before dragging her through some more of the complicated building and finally arriving at what looked to be the main area.
Agents all alike were rushing around, people on cell phones, computer screens, radios, and intercoms, shouting orders and demanding video footage of things. It was all very hectic.
As soon Jack and Danielle entered the room, Jack caught sight of Natasha, Tony, and Sharon entering a small, glass-encased office. Immediately, Jack saw Sharon throw her hands up in exasperation as she glanced around the room. "Where's Danielle? I told her to stay put," she exclaimed.
"Well," Jack spoke up, dragging his teenage sister in by the arm as he entered. "Obviously, she didn't listen." Once they were inside, Jack pulled a chair up from the table and sat Danielle down and hoped she Wuld know better than to try and leave her seat.
"Where did you go?" Sharon demanded of the teenager. "I asked you to stay put and you ran off. Where?"
Danielle shrunk in her seat, her eyes downcast and her hands clenched into fists at the edge of her seat as if she were waiting for the chair to eat her up and never spit her back out.
Jack, slowly losing his patience and gaining more anger to fuel his temper, slammed his palm down onto the table prompting his sister to jump in her chair slightly. "Answer the damn question, Danielle," he demanded angrily. "Where did you go?"
Danielle hesitated for a moment, looking at everyone in the room, from Sharon, to Tony, to Natasha, and then back to her brother, before finally answering, "I went to go look for Steve and Sam after they ran off."
Tony, who had been paying minimal attention a few feet away, snapped his head up. "Did you see where they went?" Danielle shook her head. It wasn't a lie. She wasn't sure where Steve had gone when she arrived at that holding room, but she had seen Sam dash after that man that knew about who she was and the USB and her Mom. Some more things she couldn't tell her brother, or anyone for that matter. It was just easier to deny anything.
"And I don't suppose you have any idea where they went."
Everyone spun around at the sound of Secretary Ross entering. Sharon stood at attention while Danielle stiffened n her seat. He looked beyond pissed, but as if he were restraining himself in the slightest as he turned to Sharon. "You're dismissed, Agent Carter," he told her gruffly.
The blonde nodded, but before she left the small conference room, she gave one last fleeting glance to Danielle. Danielle pleaded silently for her not to leave her alone in that room, afraid of what was to come, but she also knew Sharon had no choice. Ross was her boss's boss's boss and she was already in deep trouble for having sheltered Danielle for so long without telling anyone about who she really was. Phrases like 'treason' had been thrown around once or twice, but neither Dani or Sharon had been paying attention all too much due to the funeral and the bombing and now this... Whatever this was.
As soon as Sharon had left, Secretary Ross turned back to the group, still waiting for a response to his earlier statement. Tony was the one who answered.
"We will," he assured the Secretary of State. "GSG-9's got the borders covered, recons flying 24/7. They'll get a hit, we'll handle it." Danielle glanced up at the billionaire. Who was 'we'? She hoped he was talking about just him, Natasha, and Jack, but from the way it looked like he scanned the room with his eyes, it somehow included her. What was she now, a government tool? Just like Tony was now pretending to be? Or Jack, or Natasha? She didn't sign those Accords, but just because Jack did it didn't mean she agreed with them. So, why should she fight their battles?
"You don't get it, Stark, it's not yours to handle," the Secretary replied flatly. "It's clear that you can't be objective. I'm putting Special Ops on this." At that statement, Danielle's blood ran cold. Special ops? She'd heard of all these terms flying around about 'recon', 'GSG-9's', and the 'Task Force', but 'Special Ops' was one she recognized. They were the badasses, as Sam had put it. The people they sent in for those 'shadow operations' that weren't supposed to exist. And if they were being sent after Steve, Sam, and Steve's friend – some very public figures – it could only mean that they were being sent not to detain, but to eliminate. And knowing Steve, he wouldn't go out without a fight which would only end in more casualties.
Across the table from Danielle, Natasha was having the same thoughts. Worried for her friends and teammates, she spoke up on the matter. "And what happens when the shooting starts?" She prompted. "What, do you kill Steve Rogers?"
"If we're provoked," the Secretary answered in a cold tone, turning to face them with a pointed look that told them he wasn't messing around anymore. Danielle felt a shiver go down her spine. This man was willing to kill Steve because he was now missing from custody and possibly harboring a man believed to have bombed the UN and escaped the Task Force headquarters. Danielle had been at fault for the bomb in Lagos... What were the punishments for her? Arrest? Or, in Steve's case, death?
"Barnes would've been eliminated-" Danielle shuddered at the Secretary's use of words. "-in Romania if it wasn't for Rogers," he exclaimed as he turned towards Tony who was falling down into a seat out of exhaustion and stress. "There are dead people who would be alive now. Feel free to check my math."
"All due respect, you're not gonna solve this with boys and bullets, Ross," Tony exclaimed. "You gotta let us bring them in."
"And how will that end any differently from the last time?" Ross prompted.
"Because this time I won't be wearing Loafers and a silk shirt," the billionaire stated firmly. Dani knew what he was referencing and she knew what it meant for them. Steve wasn't going to just turn himself in. Whatever he was doing, whatever he was planning, he was going to get it done, or at least try to. But with Tony trying to stop him, in full Ironman armor, suited up and ready for a fight, there was no way this was going to end pretty.
"And, I presume you won't be the only one," Ross replied, Danielle could practically hear the hidden meaning behind his tone of voice. Sure enough, when she glanced up, the Secretary's eyes were in her... expectantly. It all hit her like a freight train then. He wanted her powers. He wanted her as an 'Asset', to work for the government like a damn puppet on their strings. This was exactly as she feared. True, it wasn't HYDRA using her as a weapon, but it was the international governments using her instead... And that almost made the situation worse.
"Absolutely not." Jack surprised everyone in the room by speaking out against Ross. "She's a kid, she's not some missile you point and fire."
"May I remind you, Mr. Harper, that your sister has technically signed and agreed to the terms of the Accords on your permission," Ross explained. "Meaning if she were to decline her request to be sent to attain Captain Rogers, there will be consequences..." He said in a low, almost threatening voice.
Danielle sat stiff in her chair. What was she going to do? Follow his instructions? Do as she was told? Suit up to try and stop Steve? She could do all of those things... But they would never stop coming for her, trying to get her to do things she didn't want to with her powers. It wouldn't stop here. It would be an endless cycle of being called and beckoned by people she didn't trust to do the jobs no one else could. She would go back to doing just like HYDRA had planned for her to do.
She had to get out of this, and she had to get out of this fast.
Jack, on the other hand, wasn't too sure.
Consequences...
The word echoed in his mind for a few moments. He could almost see the horrific scenes of his sister being handcuffed and thrown into some sort of prison. And what was the alternative? Letting her suit up to try and stop Steve? As much as Jack respected Steve, he knew whatever the guy was doing was wrong, but he couldn't say the same for Danielle.
She admired Steve, cared for him, and was nearly attached by the hip in the first few months of their time on the Avengers team. He could tell that whatever spell Steve seemed to delude most everyone he came in contact with to have them believe he was perfect was now poisoning his sister into the same delusion. Today was the day that it would come to light that Captain America wasn't so perfect and that he wasn't the best option for Danielle to look up to.
As much as Jack cared for Steve too, he wasn't about to choose him over his sister's safety. Whether she liked it or not...
"72 hours," Jack abruptly replied, prompting everyone to give him confused glances. "72 hours and we'll get you Steve, Barnes, and Sam," he explained. Danielle stared at him incredulously from out of the corner of her eye. He didn't dare to look at her in fear that he would see the betrayal and the hurt. He felt guilt weighing him down, but in the end, he knew that she would be safe. She didn't know that yet. But he did, he was sure of it... he had to be.
"36 hours," Ross corrected him gruffly before he began to leave the room. "Barnes..." he began to list off. "Rogers... Wilson!"
"Thank you, sir!" Tony called back just as he left.
The room was silent and still. Jack half-expected his sister to snap or try to attack him, but instead, she jumped up from her seat and dashed out of the room. Jack didn't try to stop her. He didn't feel the need to, knowing she couldn't leave the building or would try to. She just needed a moment to understand why he was doing what he was doing.
Jack ran a hand down his face in exhaustion before turning back to Tony, finally taking full notice of the billionaire's injuries. His face was littered in cuts and large purple splotches. "You look like you got your ass handed to," the young man remarked.
Tony rolled his eyes at the kid's antics, leaning back in his chair as he began to rub his pained chest. "My left arm is numb, is that normal?"
Jack chuckled to try and take away the stress of his situation with his stress, but the moment was fleeting and it just faded away into a grimace. Natasha, who was sitting at the table still, stood up and placed a hand on Jack's shoulder comfortingly. "She'll come around. You both will be alright..." Jack grunted in response, but didn't meet her eyes. Natasha then turned to Tony. "You alright?"
Tony nodded. "Always." The room fell silent, the only sound to be heard was Tony's eventual sigh. "36 hours, geez."
"We are seriously understaffed," the redhead remarked. "I doubt Danielle's going to actually help much, meaning it's really just us three trying to get Steve, Sam, and Barnes."
"Oh, yeah," Tony agreed. "It'd be great if we had a Hulk right about now. Any shot?"
Jack and Natasha chuckled at the light-hearted joke. Natasha shook her head and replied, "No, but do you really think he'd be on our side?"
"Probably not, considering I did some reading and found out our pal Thaddeus Thunderbolt over there," Jack said, glancing over in the direction of Secretary Ross. "Really has it out for Banner. Doubt they'd be buddy-buddy."
Natasha nodded and hummed in agreement while Tony looked up at Jack in confusion. "Wait a second, you read? As in a book?"
Jack glared at the billionaire. "Shut up," he grumbled.
"I have an idea," Natasha piped up.
"So do I," Tony replied.
"Me, too," Jack added.
"Where's yours?" Tony asked the younger man.
"The Compound," he answered, turning to Natasha. "Yours?"
Natasha glanced curiously between the two men and replied, "Downstairs... Where's yours?" She asked, both Jack and her staring at Tony questioningly. What could he possibly have up his sleeve?
Tony smirked in delight and mischief. If only they knew...
"Hey, where's Danielle?" Natasha abruptly asked, catching both of the men's attention. "She's been gone for a while now..."
Jack groaned out loud. "God dammit..."
—
A/N: I planned on releasing this early as a celebratory chapter because the TV Spot trailer came out for Endgame (WHICH I AM PUMED FOR)l but it would've only been a few hours early and felt it would've been irrelevant. So, here's the chapter now. Hope you like it.
Next chapter– PETER MOTHERFUCKING PARKER. We've all missed Peter, I've missed writing Peter. And now, we get Peter. And lots of him from this point on.
Summary? Well, let's see. Zemo knows about Danielle, Alice, and the USB Drive - which says something, Jack and Dani are still feuding, Sharon is in trouble, Ross is using Danielle and she hates her brother, Jack is an idiot, Natasha is going to try and recruit T'Challa, Jack has to try and hunt down Danielle as well as try and recruit Wanda and Vision to help, and Tony is about go get our boi Petey. It's all about to become one giant twisted mess from this point on. Strap in, get ready my guys.
Chapter Song: Even If It Hurts by Sam Tinnesz.
Reviews:
: I hope it was interesting enough. Sorry about the short interaction, but we did learn why Zemo wanted her. You hit the nail right in the head with that guess. And, yeah. She almost fought her way out of it, but then Sam interrupted the, and Zemo skeeted out of there. Wuss. Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Thanks for reviewing!
amrawo: Glsd you liked it. And, yes! Peter will be here next chapter and after that and after that. And we'll just be seeing lots of Peter. Save for a few chapters in between. But, he will be here. Hope you enjoy it! Thank you for the review!
Pollyyatesx: Here is another update. Hope you enjoy it. xx
Incorrect Quote of the Chapter:
Dani: Mr. Secretary, I'm not trying to bribe you, but would you like the other half of this Cosmic Brownie?
Ross: ... dear God...
Ross: THIS CHILD GOES FREE!
