2 years of nothing. Tony yelled in frustration as Friday once again showed no signs of the kid. The closest he had ever come to a clue was a rumor about a white room filled with blood. Of tools scattered around the area painting a picture of torture and torment. Alas, nothing came of it. He never found the room. All he got was a strange package with a sample of blood. When the tests came back as some random homeless Sokovian, Tony agonized over this for days. It was too odd, too random. Rhody called him paranoid. Pepper cautioned him to rest and let go. But he just couldn't let the boy go. His time with Peter, the little time he had spent with him, had fueled his resolve to find him. With all the enemies he and the other avengers had made, Tony was sure that one of them was responsible for the abduction. Taking a closer look at the crime scene hadn't helped either. There were no prints on the tools, no traces of hair or other such substances to give away the criminal's identity.
All this time, Rob's mother searched and wept and wept and searched for her missing boy. She exhausted all her funds. Throwing everything into the searches. Sacrificing her health and lively hood in a search that always turned up nothing. It got so bad that she lost her home, her savings, everything was lost in her search. She was saved from homelessness however, by Tony Stark who took her in once he had learned of her fate. Pepper had welcomed the broken woman into their home with open arms and consoled her when the pain became truly unbearable. Now after two years, Nora, Rob's mother, was convinced to hold a funeral for her missing son.
The service was short as there was no body to bury. The burial, a somber affair with few guests. The day was appropriately cloudy as rain seemed imminent, the few people who showed for the service, all had black umbrellas as they watched the empty casket get lowered into the ground. All around a very normal funeral. This was not to last however as Happy was driving him and Pepper back to the tower. All was quiet and relatively peaceful when the car suddenly jerked to the side and crashed into some parked cars on the side of the street. The car was spiraling out of control, Pepper screaming next to him as he braced himself as best, he could. His vision went black as the car hit something else and flipped.
Watching the car through the lens of his scope, he felt nothing. The sun beat down upon his back but the suit let him ignore it. The breeze, a vague afterthought as the man's head filled the crosshairs. He vaguely recalled who the driver was but when he tried to access the memory, all there was, was blackness. Pushing the thought to the side, the boom filled the space around him and the echo was lost in the sounds of traffic below him. He picked himself up from his prone position and compacted his rifle. The first foundation of Starks life was now gone and now his next Avenger awaited him. Walking to the back of the roof he was on, he took off and flew west.
The sun shone brightly in the early afternoon as Betty Ross, now Sampson, walked down the street. Having just started her lunch, she felt the need to truly enjoy the wonderful weather. Looking up towards the clear blue sky her mind wondered back to Bruce. Her old flame, the man who she wished she could have married. She was not disappointed she had married Leonard, no, quite the opposite. He was a wonderful man and a great father for their child. Sometimes she just couldn't help but wonder what if. Closing her eyes as the lovely summer breeze caressed her face, she felt the darkness envelop her as she barely registered a scream before everything faded from her.
Hours later Secretary Thaddeus Ross looked down at the sheet covered body of his daughter. All he felt was cold rage as the sheet over the head caved in, showing how much of her head had been blown apart by the round used to kill her. He vaguely heard his phone ring and a quick glance showed him Stark was once again calling him. He had been doing that ever since he woke up from his accident to discover his Driver, Happy Hogan, had been killed.
At first Ross was willing to ignore it and put it down as someone who wanted Tony Stark dead. Now, after discovering the same type of round had killed his daughter and the fact that both crime scenes had no evidence. Of course, this wasn't enough for the UN to start an investigation of their own or deploy the few remaining avengers they had but that wouldn't stop Ross, or Stark. All he knew for certain though, was that the killer of his little girl, was going to suffer.
It was surprisingly easy to find Sharon Carter. Apparently after helping Captain Rogers acquire his gear, she had been branded an enemy of the state. Now though, she had a pardon and was once again working for the CIA. Watching her walk in her apartment, he had no problems pushing any questions about how this was possible to the side as he lined up his shot. Stone by stone, brick by brick, the foundations of the Avengers would crumble and they would all fall into extinction.
Thinking about his targets and their respective avengers also brought the problem of Natasha Romanoff. He wondered who he would hunt down in order to hurt her. Shaking the thoughts from his brain he refocused on his target. The day was by all definitions, perfect. The sun just beginning to set with very few clouds in the sky and no breeze. AN absolutely wonderful day, for him anyway.
Sitting in a tree 2 miles away he looked down the scope of his rifle at the two-story house the woman occupied.
She was in the kitchen now; he could see her face as she started scrubbing some dishes. He was about to take the shot when another woman entered the picture. Looking her over, his Hud showed who she was and he smiled. Two Targets in one house. How convenient. Refocusing on Carter he took the shot and watched as the round tore out of her back, the tiny hole over her heart small, compared to the splatter behind her.
The other woman, Maria Hill, had immediately taken cover behind the counter. Turning on infrared, he lined up her outline and took three shots. All three found their target through the wall, and counter. Looking down the sight he switched back to normal optics and waited. His patience was rewarded when he saw Maria crawl towards Sharon. Her white shirt drenched in her blood and leaving a trail behind her as she crawled. Turning the sights to Sharon once more, her frowned. Sharon Carter, by some miracle, was still breathing. Not taking any chances he fired two more shots. Watching both their heads burst with blood he smirked. Packing away his rifle he took to the sky.
Sending a quick message to Ultron that his Target was killed he was delighted when Ultron praised him for taking out two targets in one go. Shaking in excitement he received his new Target. A funny feeling replaced his excitement as a picture of a woman holding a baby appeared on his Hud.
"Laura Barton." He muttered as the mother's picture disappeared and her location popped up. Frowning, he took his leave. The sound of sirens rang across the town as he flew away.
Tony shook his head in frustration. Fury scowled at him from across the Lab. The cranky cyclops showed up an hour ago with the news of Sharon Carter and Maria Hills demise. Tony pulled up another screen and showed Betty Ross's crime scene.
"You know whoever targeted these people wanted to hurt the Avengers." Fury spoke up. Still glaring at him.
"And how would you guess that?" Tony asked as he looked over at him.
Fury glared at him. "Your driver, Banner's sweetheart, Roger's sweetheart and my second." Fury moved closer to him. "All of them were killed with the same type of bullet. All of them killed by headshots. Even if these two suffered more than the others." Fury indicated Sharon and Maria. "Whoever is doing this wants to hurt you. Steve, Bruce, you. All that remains is Thor, Clint and Natasha. I have people watching Thor's friends and the Bartons."
Tony nodded. "I think we both Know Nat doesn't have anyone but the Bartons too. Sounds like all out bases are covered. What now?"
Fury looked over Tony's lad and sighed. "We find this mother fucker and take him down."
Looking over the Barton Farm, he noticed one thing stand out. The place was swarming with shield agents. Hidden within a small grouping of trees overlooking the farm, Rob laid in a bush looking down the scope of his rifle.
Down at the front door he could see Clint talking with some agents, his house arrest collar around his ankle. With his sights on Clint Rob got the urge to shoot him instead but a jolt down his back. Turning his attention to the house he saw his intended target walking around the house.
Rob's uneasy feeling returned as he noticed she was carrying a baby. Taking aim when she went outside to stand with her husband he hesitated once again when two other children ran out of the house. A happy family.
Laura Barton held her baby close as she watched her husband play with the other children. A pleasant smile on her face. It sent a cold chill down his spine as he saw how happy the baby was in her arms. Rob shook his head to clear the treacherous thoughts from his mind.
He was better than this. He was trained by the best to be the best. Made to be an instrument of his handler's war. To bring those who wronged him to their knees. Training his sights back on the woman he noticed his hands trembling and suddenly a memory flashed before his eyes. A happy mother eating ice cream with a little boy.
It passed and he realized he was sweating. His hands trembled as he held his rifle. An unknown feeling settled over him as he took aim once more. His sight swayed as he failed to gain control of his muscle spasms. Shaking his thoughts aside he pulled the trigger. And all hell broke loose.
"You failed." His voice reverberated around the room. The lone chair in the center sat beneath the only light in the room. Rob shivered in fear. His skin, covered in sweat, goosebumps all over. Placing his rifle against the wall, we started to remove his armor. Piece by piece fell to the floor until he stood before the chair in nothing but his underwear.
Tears fell from his eyes as he stared at that cursed chair. The scars on his back flared as phantom pains racked his body. A sob threatened to break through but he forced it down, knowing that to show weakness was to increase his punishment.
"Take a seat." His red eyes appeared in the dark.
Rob sat down so the back of the chair faced his chest. Hands found his knees and his chin was raised.
The buzz of the whip engulfed the room and the yellow light it radiated devoured all other colors in the empty room. Clenching his jaw, he awaited to searing pain. The white-hot agony that would shoot through his body.
But no pain came only the hiss of a vent. Opening his eyes, he noticed the room fill with a mist and the air starting to smell off. As he sat, his vision blurred and became distorted until everything had this almost faded look to it. Hearing a noise, he turned his head and dread pooled in his chest. There, standing before him was Iron man. His bright blue eyes stared down at him as he walked around the chair.
"No no no no." Rob shook with fear. "Not again please no more." His voice broke with a sob as Iron man stood behind his. Stark's voice clear as day in the room.
"There is no hope for you kid."
The first strike brought forth a gasp. Air shot from his body so fast he didn't have time to think before the next strike came. Then the inhale before the third strike. That third strike came and his screams filled the building. Blood ran down his back as electricity flowed through his body and the whip wreaked havoc on his back. All the while Ultron smiled upon him.
A short chapter but I will definitely try to make the next longer. My goal is 3000 words a chapter after this point. Set up is mostly done. Now we can get to the good bits and move on. I'm sure I pissed off a lot of people with the deaths but I am trying to make my character more unique and more dangerous than the original story. Hopefully I kept it reasonable and not totally unrealistic. Now I haven't seen any of the marvel TV series out now so Sharon Carters cannon storyline is ignored. Obviously. Let me know what you think.