March 30th, 1999; Novi Grad, Sokovia…
The old man disappeared as a bomb exploded.
Danica shrieked in terror, clutching her mother's skirt as everyone in the street ran screaming. "Mama, what's going on?" she asked, trembling as another explosion boomed farther away.
"Stay down, sweetheart!" her mother said, dropping her purse. She gripped Danica by the shoulders and ran back the way they just came. The city was filled by the sounds of terrified screams and the thunderclaps of bombs and mortar shells. Ahead, a car swerved to avoid a man with three children, crashing through a storefront. "Stay close to me, Danica!"
The ten year-old could only whimper and cry as they ran for their lives. A chunk of stone from one of the buildings fell onto a parked car, crushing it and setting off the alarm.
Someone pushed past them, knocking Danica and her mother to the wet, snowy ground. Just as they got to their feet, a missile screamed through the air before impacting against the building directly above them. It exploded in a blinding flash of light, and Danica covered her ears as a shrill ringing drowned out all other sounds. The building wavered for a moment, then started to tilt towards them. Her mother grabbed her by the hand and pulled her along.
Stones and broken shards of windows rained down from above, and the building ripped free from its shattered foundations. It fell down, obscuring the sun as it threatened to crush them like insects under a boot.
Present day, 2013; HYDRA Research Base…
Danica shot out of bed, gasping. Drenched in sweat, her heart thudded in her chest. The echoes of the traumatic memory bounced around her skull like razor blades. She hadn't thought about her mother in years, but every so often a memory would creep into her dreams. She held her knees to her chest, humming a lullaby to herself. Whenever Danica had gotten scared as a child, her mother would sing it to her. The reminder, as always, drove a sharp spike of regret through her heart.
But it was better to focus on the pain, to remember her mother, rather than forget she existed.
Danica shivered, the cell around her cold and lonely. At least it gave her a place to sleep at night. Being underground like this made her restless, and most nights her chest ached. Bad memories. She hadn't had a real home in years, forced to live in bombed out buildings and relief centres. Sokovia had a long, bloody history. It seemed like every major war in Europe for the last 500 years had raged across its soil at one point. Danica's people were strong and proud, used to weathering chaos and bloodshed.
"Dany?" a voice called from across the room.
Danica wiped the sweat from her forehead, then crept over to the sealed glass door of her cell. The fact she could see out of it gave her comfort. If it had been metal, then she would've felt trapped like a rodent. Tight spaces often made her feel like the walls were closing in. The base where they were housed was extensive, but she and the others had been blindfolded on their way here. Over a dozen other cells lined the walls, most of them empty. She focused on the one directly across from hers. Wanda stood there, a warm smile on her face. She wore the same kind of plain grey jumpsuit Danica did, and her dark hair hung past her shoulders.
"Are you okay?" Wanda asked, her brow creased with concern.
"Fine," Danica replied, perhaps a little too quickly. "Just…bad dreams."
"Do you want to talk about it?"
She thought about it for a moment, then said, "No. I'll be fine."
Wanda nodded, looking at the empty cells. "They took Gregor for testing last night. He never came back."
Danica nodded gravely. For so long, she and her fellow Sokovians had fought against foreign intervention and rampant militarism which bled their country. But they were a mob of angry civilians against billion-dollar corporations and entire countries' armed forces. A hopeless fight if there ever was one. But they'd fought it, nonetheless. Riots and protests had become Danica's passion. A short time ago, she and Wanda –along with several others– were approached by a man representing a powerful organization called HYDRA. He told them his organization had the means to give them power, real power, enough to take the fight to their enemies.
Everyone had jumped on the opportunity. Danica had felt weak and helpless for so long, and the prospect of affecting real change was too good to ignore. They weren't given many details, only that the fortunate ones would gain extraordinary powers. So, over a period of weeks, Danica had been subjected to countless medical exams and physical as well as psychological fitness tests. Then, the scientists started taking people. One by one, the others were taken away and never seen again. Whenever they asked about their friends, Danica and Wanda were given the same answer every time:
"They failed the test. Your chance will come." So, they remained in their cells, waiting to see if HYDRA would deliver on its promises.
"Don't worry," Pietro, Wanda's twin, said from the cell beside his sister's. He sat against the wall, bouncing his knees. Patience had never been his strong suit, and he tended to fidget. Like a hamster high on caffeine. "We will succeed. We always do. Remember when we dropped a bucket of paint on that orphanage administrator that confiscated our toys?"
Danica arched a disapproving eyebrow at him. "I remember you talking me into doing that, then getting caught when one of the other kids saw paint on my shirt."
He shrugged. "And who was it that broke into his office and snuck you out of that piss pot?" Pietro smirked, giving her an 'I told you so' look that was simultaneously infuriating and adorable. She felt herself blush, forced to look away. Though she'd never admit it, she had had a crush on him since they were teenagers. But admitting it would only fuel his ego. He could be so insufferable at times, while also being wonderfully sweet.
"We always were stronger together," Wanda added.
Danica nodded. After the death of her mother and brother, Wanda and Pietro were the only family she'd ever known. They survived hardship after hardship with nothing but sheer will and determination. She took another look at the empty cells. They were the only ones left; three, out of the original twenty. Maybe that's how it should have been. Just the three of them against the world.
They settled in as the hours ticked by, passing time with conversation and jokes. Danica was on the verge of falling asleep again when the sounds of footsteps echoed from down the hall. She, Wanda, and Pietro all stood as one of the HYDRA scientists and half a dozen soldiers stepped into view. The scientist, a balding man of middle-age, held a terminal with a holographic interface. Far more advanced than anything Danica or her friends had seen.
He stood in front of Wanda's cell, holding up a scanner in his other hand. Some sort of biological data appeared on the terminal. After a moment, he made a satisfied hum, then moved to scan Pietro. Another hum, then he stepped over to Danica's cell.
This time, the results of his scanner made his eyebrows raise slightly. "We'll take this one first," he said. One of the soldiers held a bracelet to a reader on the wall next to her cell. The reader beeped, and the door slid open. Danica did not resist as two of the soldiers ushered her out. She looked at Wanda and Pietro, nodding and giving them an encouraging smile. "See you soon", she mouthed as the scientist led her out of the cell block.
They walked through high-ceilinged hallways, passing by several rooms filled with more soldiers or scientists. None of the people they encountered said a word, each projecting an air of indifference or hostility. The silence made Danica's skin prickle, and she eventually asked, "What will the tests be about?"
The scientist glanced back at her, but said nothing. Their escort –all grizzled mercenaries by the look of them– did nothing but stare forward. They each held large, deadly looking assault rifles and wore thick body armour. Danica guessed whoever they worked for had large amounts of money to fund such an operation. It reminded her of Tony Stark, the arrogant billionaire whose weapons had devastated her home for decades. One of his company's missiles had killed Wanda and Pietro's parents. Another had taken her mother. Now he pranced around the planet in a suit of high-tech armour, never caring how much suffering he inflicted all for his own glory.
Danica clenched her fists, cursing Stark and others like him. Whatever HYDRA may have been, it was giving her and her friends the power to fight their oppressors. That would be worth any price.
She asked a few more questions along the way, but the scientist remained annoyingly silent. Eventually they entered a large laboratory of some kind. Computer terminals and tables full of complicated-looking equipment lined the walls of the square room. Other scientists and technicians were huddled in groups, comparing notes or working the equipment. In the centre of the room was a chair, much like the kind Danica and the others had sat in for their medical exams. Various bits were added to this one, though, such as needles connected to tubes and monitors of varying sizes.
Two men stood by the chair, having a whispered conversation. One of them wore a monocle on his right eye and a military uniform, while the other man, Doctor List, wore a long lab coat. The latter had administered all the various tests.
All of the conversation died when Danica and her escort entered, every pair of eyes focusing on her. She suddenly felt vulnerable and nervous.
Reaching into her pocket, she wrapped her fingers around her brother's medal. It had been awarded for valour, and was one of Sokovia's greatest honours. Her brother's commanding officer, Colonel Zemo, had delivered it personally to the group home she'd been living in at the time. "Your brother was a hero, right to the end," he told her, squeezing her shoulder before walking away. A silver star with the Sokovian coat of arms –an eagle with a crown over its head– was all she had left of her brother. In the years since, it had become a font of strength, something that helped her face her fears.
Doctor List gestured to the scientist who had escorted Danica. He walked out, while the half dozen soldiers took positions around the room. "Welcome, child," the doctor greeted, his face neutral. "Come, sit."
Danica did as instructed, glancing at all the other people present. The chair felt hard and uncomfortable, but she didn't complain. Comfort was a luxury denied to her since childhood. The man with the monocle stood off to the side, staring at her while technicians fitted electrodes to her head and chest. Doctor List swabbed the crook of her elbow with alcohol, then inserted a needle. Danica looked away, queasy at the sight of needles. Whatever he injected, it burned as it slithered through her veins.
"Subject 18, preparing for enhancement procedure," Doctor List said as one of his aides jotted down notes. He avoided eye contact, normal behaviour for him. Maybe he didn't socialize well, or perhaps he wanted to maintain any and all emotional distance from his patients. "Subject is female, age 24. Subject is in fit physical condition, but shows signs of slight malnutrition. Genetic markers suggest favourable result of procedure, but given the failures of Subjects 1 through 17, this is not a guarantee."
He gestured to one of the soldiers, who left the lab before returning a minute later. The soldier wheeled in a metal cart upon which rested a strange object. It looked like a scepter, ornate with a curved blade at the tip. In the centre of the blade was a brilliant blue gem which had a haunting glow. Danica couldn't take her eyes off it, feeling a strange pull as they wheeled the cart in front of her.
As two of the technicians connected tubes and electrodes from Danica to the scepter, Doctor List continued speaking. "Subject 18 will now undergo enhancement procedure. Previous subjects perished within 20 seconds of exposure, so that will be our benchmark of success."
20 seconds? Danica blinked, her breaths becoming shallow and quick. Her heart pounded in her chest. She thought of all those empty cells, the men and women who disappeared after their tests. She thought of Wanda and Pietro, scared at the thought of never seeing them again.
"We will now begin exposure," Doctor List announced. He took several steps back, as did everyone else, then flipped the switch of a machine propped against the wall. Everyone put on safety goggles, except for the man with the monocle.
The gem in the scepter began to spark with ribbons of energy, screeching like knives on rusted metal. The sparks became bigger and bigger, and soon it glowed like a miniature sun. Danica squeezed her eyes shut, but that didn't stop the intensity of the glow. Then, her entire body seized as a burst of raw agony tore through from the top of her skull to the bottoms of her feet. She opened her mouth to scream, but no noise came out. Her fingers gripped the armrests of the chair so hard she feared her knuckles would break apart.
"Eight seconds of exposure," Doctor List said, almost having to shout over the screeching gem. Only eight seconds? It felt more like eight hours. The pain ran back and forth, up and down every part of her body. "Ten seconds." She tasted blood in her mouth, belatedly realizing she'd bitten her tongue. "Eleven seconds." Danica jerked in the chair, gripped by a seizure so intense she felt her wrists spraining. "Twelve seconds." Darkness crept into her vision, inviting her to let go and be at peace forever. A part of her wanted to accept, having grown tired of living in fear and misery.
Just then, she felt something, like a hand caressing her cheek. A voice seemed to whisper in her ear, "You will survive this, child." Her mind addled by sheer torture as her body threatened to tear itself apart, Danica thought she recognized her mother's presence. The soft, maternal touch reinvigorated her, fanning the flames of her spirit. She refused to die here. This was a challenge she would overcome, by all the blood of her Sokovian brothers and sisters.
"35 seconds!" Doctor List announced triumphantly.
The agony ended in an instant as the glow returned to normal. All the machines powered down, but Danica barely paid any attention to them. She opened her eyes, blinking rapidly as they darted around the room. The scepter was wheeled out of the lab in a hurry. She shivered uncontrollably, pain blooming from her bloodied tongue and sprained wrists.
Doctor List held her eyelids open and shone a penlight in her eyes. It blazed like fire, causing her to blink as she tried to look away. "Subject 18 has survived after 35 seconds of exposure to the scepter's energies. Pupillary response is elevated, and subject's eye colour has changed."
What? Her eye colour…changed?
"Put her back in her cell," the man with the monocle said. His voice sounded smooth, but with a hint of menace and power. "We will start to evaluate her abilities tomorrow."
"Yes, Herr Strucker," Doctor List replied.
"The first success of many, I'm sure. In this new, terrifying age, humanity deserves the miracles we intend to deliver."
Without further discussion, two soldiers hauled Danica to her feet. Almost immediately, she collapsed, prompting them to drag her back to the cell block by her arms. She tried to speak, but only incoherent babbles came out. Her eyes were still sensitive to light, so she kept them closed. Every cell in her body seemed to vibrate in the wake of the procedure, and Danica couldn't stop shaking.
The first sign they were back in the cell block was Wanda's distant voice. "Dany? Dany, what's wrong?" She sounded muffled, as if speaking through water.
"What did you to do her?" Pietro demanded, kicking his cell door.
The soldiers opened Danica's cell, tossing her on the bed. She grunted, unable to stop shaking. The memory of sleeping in an alley in the middle of winter, huddled together with Wanda and Pietro –nothing but a threadbare blanket covering their ten year-old selves– came to mind. One soldier held her down, his grip making her wince, while the other tied her down with straps.
"What happened to her?" Wanda asked as they closed the cell door behind them.
"She passed," one of them said with gruff indifference. "Your turn will be soon." They walked out, leaving the three of them alone in their confines.
Danica lost track of time, strapped to her bed so tight she couldn't move. Days seemed to pass as she shivered and vibrated from the procedure. It almost felt like some kind of god had shaken her like a toy to see if something would come loose. She tried to think of her mother, imagining her heart-shaped face as she sang the familiar lullaby. But the words were jumbled, and the image faded. Finally, after crossing an ocean of confusion and freezing cold, Danica opened her eyes.
She tried to speak, but her throat felt dry and cracked. Her tongue ached. Wetting her lips, she managed to croak, "W-Wanda? Pietro?"
"Dany!" It was Pietro, his voice full of relief. "So good that you're awake."
Danica started to get out of bed, but discovered she couldn't move. Someone had strapped her down. She could still move her head, though, and craned her neck enough to see Pietro standing in his cell staring at her. "How long was I…?"
"The better part of a day," he replied. "You were babbling, shaking like you were freezing. Then you got quiet, and we thought…" He didn't finish that sentence. "But when we heard you breathing, we knew you were sleeping."
"Where's Wanda?" she asked, noticing her friend's absence.
Pietro's expression darkened. "They took her for testing ten minutes ago." Danica flashed back to the chair, and the strange scepter with the glowing gem. "What was it…What was it like?" he asked, his voice cracking. She knew him well enough to see how concerned he was for his sister. They'd taken care of each other for years, but Pietro, being the older twin, often became protective and considered it his job to look after Wanda.
"She's strong," Danica said, rather than outline the procedure. He would be facing it soon enough, and the details would only stress him further. "We both know that. We were chosen for a reason, and I'm sure she will make it through just like I did."
Predictably, he didn't appear to calm down. Instead, he paced in his cell, snapping his fingers and smacking his lips. It got to the point where Danica told him to stop three separate times, but he was so wound up he couldn't stop. A few minutes later, footsteps echoed from the hall. Pietro pressed himself against his glass cell door, and Danica craned her neck to get a good look. The soldiers brought Wanda in. She rolled her head back absently, muttering something as if lost in a trance or an intense dream. Scarlet energy wafted up from her eyes and fingers like smoke. They opened Wanda's cell, strapped her to her bed, closed it, then left.
"Wanda," Pietro said. "Wanda, can you hear me? Please, I need to know you're okay."
She didn't respond, lost in the aftereffects of the procedure. He kept trying to talk to her, but it became clear his sister couldn't speak in her current state. An hour later, the soldiers came and took Pietro out of his cell. When he came back, he spasmed much like Danica had, unable to stay still.
Once he lay strapped in his bed, the three of them were left alone for the rest of the night.
The following morning, their straps were removed and they were given a meal. One of the reasons they'd agreed to the tests was for a bed and warm food. Danica had almost forgotten what it felt like to not go to bed starving. As she ate, she inspected herself. Nothing felt different than before, except for a sense of…anticipation. As if her body were a coiled spring, ready to release itself at any moment. HYDRA promised them power, but neglected to say just what sort of power. Danica thought of Tony Stark and his costumed, idiotic friends. They traveled all over the world, dispensing their narrow idea of justice on those who were better left alone.
They imposed their will because they had power and wealth and influence. No matter the cost, she would take all the power HYDRA could give her, and use it to knock down the so-called 'Avengers' and all other enemies down from their pedestals. The world had never needed gods or rulers, just ordinary people living their lives peacefully. A hero wasn't some cape-wearing twit; rather, someone who stood for what was right, fought for it, even dying for it if need be. People like her brother.
An hour later, the soldiers took Danica first for training.
They led her into a room roughly the same size as the lab, empty except for floor mats. Doctor List, along with the man he'd referred to as Herr Strucker, stood in the centre of the room, as well as three men in dark uniforms with hard features. As she laid eyes on them, Danica felt something. She saw their bodies, but also something underneath. They seemed to glow with thousands of tendrils of light spider-webbing through every part. The glow looked different in each of them, sometimes brighter and sometimes in different configurations. A strange sight, and a strange feeling. She felt like she could reach out and touch those energies within any of them.
"Welcome, child," Doctor List greeted. He gestured to one of his aides, who placed a white mesh cap covered in electrodes over her head. "Today we begin the process of discovering what gifts you possess. The process will be rigorous, but in the end we will know exactly how special you are."
His words were spoken without real affection, yet Danica couldn't help but feel proud. She, of all the others apart from her friends, had been strong enough to survive. She was destined for greatness.
On a whim, Danica decided to act on her strange feeling. She looked at Doctor List, who stood directly in front of her, and reached out to the energy within him. Without physically touching him, she blinked and connected with the network of tendrils. Something flashed within her. At once, Danica's mind exploded with awareness. Thoughts and ideas that she'd never have in 1,000 years came and went. Formulas and theories, about herself and the scepter, played out like watching a film. They came so easily, when before she'd struggled with science and biology in school.
"You chose us based on our genetic markers," she said, speaking before Doctor List could continue. "All of us were born with rare mutagenic properties in our RNA nucleotides, which made us suitable for exposure to such high levels of gamma radiation. But the others' nervous systems were too fragile for the mutation process, and their electrochemical responses induced cerebral overload and hemorrhage."
Doctor List shared a stunned glance with Herr Strucker. The latter took a step forward, eyes narrowed. "Interesting," he said, stroking his chin. "Has this subject shown any propensity for advanced biology and physics?"
"No, Herr Strucker," the doctor replied. "Our intelligence told us she never passed basic levels in public education, and she's never shown any inclination for advanced fields."
"So, increased intelligence, then?"
"It would appear so."
"A bit…underwhelming, if I'm being honest. But we work with what we have."
As Doctor List examined the readings on a tablet, Danica looked at one of the three men in dark uniforms. Their inner patterns were quite different from the doctor's. Picking one at random, she blinked and copied him. Almost immediately, the myriad of brilliant thoughts and ideas in her head went away, vanishing like smoke. Instead, she felt strong, stronger than she ever had. Her mind changed as well. But rather than ideas, it opened up with the instincts of a hunter.
She looked around the room with a focus she hadn't earlier. It felt like someone else had taken control of her body, and she were merely along for the ride. Only one way inside, presenting a compromised escape route. Eleven people apart from her. Three scientists, physically weak and unable to present a serious threat based on their relaxed stances. The rest were soldiers, five with assault rifles in hand.
Danica spotted knives and sidearms, ideal for close quarters fighting. Looking at one of the three men in dark uniforms, she noticed him putting more weight on his left side. Perhaps the result of a healed childhood injury.
"Put her in the chair," Herr Strucker ordered. "At the very least, we can get some detailed brain scans." One of the mercenaries stepped over to Danica and put a rough hand on her shoulder.
Something inside her clicked.
Before her mind could form a coherent thought, her body acted on its own. She felt herself twisting away from his grip, turn to face him, and savagely drive her knee into his groin. He doubled over with a squeal, and she leaped onto his back and wrapped her arm around his throat, grabbing her other bicep with her hand in a rear naked choke.
Something hard struck her in the side, and she grunted, her grip loosening. The mercenary shook her off, staggering away. Danica felt a pair of muscular arms wrap around her midsection and squeeze. She started to panic, but once again, her body acted before a coherent thought could form. Leaning forward, she twisted to the side and struck the man holding her in the head with her elbow. His crushing hold slackened, and she turned to face him, hands clenched tightly into fists.
Another mercenary fired his pistol at the ceiling. The gunshot was deafening in the close confines of the lab, and it shocked Danica back into the present. She looked at her hands, feeling the rush of adrenaline waning. Her muscles felt tight, ready for a longer fight. "What happened?" she asked. The last few minutes felt strange, as if someone wearing her face had done all these things. At once, all the mercenaries surrounded her, rifles pointed at her head.
She raised her hands, heart pounding as fear overtook her. "P-Please don't!"
"Stand down," Herr Strucker ordered. The mercenaries appeared hesitant, but complied, lowering their weapons. For the longest moment, no one spoke. Strucker regarded her with a clinical eye, and Danica prayed to her ancestors that he'd show mercy. "Dmitri, why don't you put our young volunteer through her paces? I'm sure she can benefit from a more…hands on education."
"I don't think–" Doctor List started to protest.
"It's done, my friend. I have a theory about this subject. If I am wrong, then we will simply send her to the infirmary. But if I am right, then this should be a very informative display." Strucker snapped his fingers at the others, who all moved to the side of the room. The man with the childhood injury, the one who she'd somehow copied, stood across from Danica. He stood a half head taller than her, and probably close to 100 pounds heavier. But something told her it wouldn't be such a one-sided contest.
Dmitri raised his fists, bending his knees as he focused on her. Danica cracked her neck, flexing muscles that somehow felt like they'd been toughened by years of intense training she didn't have. Staring into his hard brown eyes, she oriented her body sideways to present a smaller target. They stood in silence, like a pair of gargoyles ready to tear through stone and claw each other.
Strucker watched them, then said, "Begin."
Dmitri attacked first, aiming a punch at Danica's face. She saw the move coming and dodged out of the way. When he followed up with a second punch, she caught him by the wrist, spun on her heel, and smashed an elbow into his face. He grunted as the cartilage in his nose audibly crunched. Stumbling back, he touched the blood running from his broken nose. Dmitri openly gawked at her, and those observing from the sides murmured among themselves.
Danica made the next move, feinting a punch to her opponent's gut. He moved to block it, giving her enough of an opening to aim a roundhouse kick at his head. He ducked, sweeping her leg out in the same motion. She fell onto her back, feeling the air knocked out of her lungs.
Acting on her strange new instincts, Danica tucked her legs to her chest and placed her hands over her head in a kip up, then pushed off the floor and jumped onto her feet. For the next few minutes, she and Dmitri fought in an intense tug-of-war. As far as she could tell, they were evenly matched, using the same moves and reacting in the same quick dodges and rolls. At one point, she managed to grab him by the back of the neck, hold his head down, and savagely kick him in the gut three times.
"That's enough," Strucker called. Panting and sweating, Danica let go of Dmitri and took a few steps back. Strucker circled both of them, appraising them with his monocled eye. "Impressive, Subject 18," he told Danica. "I had no idea you were so well-trained in Krav Maga."
"Uh, I'm not…sir," Danica said, looking down at her hands once again. "I don't even know what Krav Maga is."
Strucker snorted. "Doctor?" he prompted.
Doctor List stepped forward, looking over her brain scans on his tablet. "I've never seen these kinds of readings before. The subject's brain waves changed dramatically, twice. The first time they almost perfectly mimicked my own. The second time they matched Dmitri's, based on his medical records." As he spoke, he flicked a finger across the screen. From what Danica could see, the bright image of a brain appeared three different times, each with subtle, but noticeable differences. "Not only that, but her neuro-muscular system as well. The second occurrence of brain wave alteration was accompanied by a radical change in her physical makeup. Musculature increased by 60 percent, and bone density increased a proportionate amount."
"In other words, she developed the body of an experienced soldier and fighter in the time it takes us to blink?"
"Essentially, yes," List replied. "I will need to collect more data, but it seems as if the subject is capable of copying another individual's physical and mental attributes."
"Which would explain how she seemed to become as smart as you and as skilled as Dmitri in so short a time." Strucker looked her up and down with renewed interest, like a wolf sizing up its latest potential meal. Danica flinched under that gaze, looking down at the floor. "We will, of course, require much more testing to determine the extent of her abilities. And there are also the twins to consider. But for now, I want to offer my sincerest congratulations, my friend. Your efforts have borne such sweet fruit. Now we just need to dig into the core and see what precious seeds have been planted."
Danica shivered as a terrifying chill slithered through her body.
January 4th, 2014; Casablanca, Morocco…
Tony stared at the portside warehouse, scanning the exterior with his HUD. There didn't seem to be any guards or guys waiting in ambush. Reaching into a belt pouch, he took out the burner phone and flipped it open. The text had come two days prior, short and to the point: "You did quite well at the lab in Guangzhou. Come to this address on the fourth for your next job. 8:00pm. Don't be late."
The Guangzhou job had been interesting, allowing him to go toe-to-toe with Ninjas. Now, the same person wanted him for a different job. His interest had been more than piqued.
Stuffing the burner phone back into the pouch, he hopped down the fire escape and made his way into the warehouse. Old, empty, and rundown. Perfect for a clandestine meeting, just like in the movies. The only thing present was a metal table on which rested an open laptop. When Tony walked up to it, he saw an email appear. He opened it.
"This job will require skill and tactics. Follow my instructions to the letter, and you will both be handsomely rewarded."
Tony paused, blinking in surprise. Both?
At that moment, the door at the far end of the warehouse slid open, the metallic clang reverberating through the empty building. He drew his sidearm and aimed it before his brain caught up, instincts kicking in. A lone man entered, short but well-built. Tony could tell he was a deadly fighter just by looking at him. The man held his hands up casually, still walking towards the table. "C'est toi qui m'as envoyé un texto?" ["Are you the one who texted me?"]
Tony cocked his head to the side. The accent sounded familiar, and he finally recognized the stranger. Georges Batroc, formerly of the French Foreign Legion and DGSE, turned mercenary pirate. He lowered his gun, then replied, "Non. Il semble que nous ayons été invités par la même personne." ["No. It seems we were both invited by the same person."]
Batroc lowered his hands. "Un plaisir, Taskmaster." ["A pleasure, Taskmaster."]
The laptop beeped as another email appeared. The two men stood before it, looking at the text. "Now that you're both acquainted," Tony read, unsurprised that their client was watching them, "I've taken the liberty of wiring your payment." Checking his burner phone, Tony saw the deposit notice, eyes widening at the number of digits. He looked back at the email. "The job I have for you is daunting, but should be simple given both of your respective talents." Tony and Batroc shared a glance. It felt like being partnered up for a school project. "You will travel to the Indian Ocean and take possession of a S.H.I.E.L.D. vessel. It's name is the Lemurian Star."
And here we have the introduction to my third OC, Danica!
Funnily enough, this was the first piece of Avengers fanfiction I ever wrote (apart from the Taskmaster bit at the end). I explored Danica's story until midway through the end of Age of Ultron, then put it aside before developing Ellen and Tony. She has the distinction of being the first of the four to come into being, and one of two that have superpowers compared to Ellen and Tony's purely physical abilities.
I started writing this chapter all of ONE DAY before Wandavision episode 8 aired. Seriously, the amount of times I wrote something for this story, where key/interesting details about the central characters appeared in one of the Disney + shows shortly after, still boggles my mind. The Twilight Zone theme kept playing in my head all those times.
For the scene where she gets her powers, I considered re-writing it to match what we saw in Wandavision, but decided to keep it as is. After all, this story is already an AU of the MCU, so certain scenes/characters will be different, anyway.
Hope you enjoyed! Don't be afraid to leave a review and let me know if you're enjoying the story.
Up next: Taskmaster and the Leaper hijack a ship!