Chapter 99 - Parallel Paths

For as worried as Nate was about his girlfriend, he was also worried about his brother. He just… didn't have a concrete way to help James the way he could help Kate. With Kate, he could be there with her, watching out for her when she needed someone around to remind her that she was safe. With James, he couldn't really just… kind of… be there. He knew Billy was helping - or trying to, anyway. Rachel was peeking and using some fire to get into his mind to see things she refused to share. He knew his dad had been trying to talk to James too and that James had more or less shut him out. And he knew Annie was thrilled to bits that James had decided to open up a little with her. She was projecting that all over the place. Even if it had only been the one time so far.

But Nate… really didn't know how to approach anything to do with James being hurt, if he was honest. James had always been his indestructible, unstoppable big brother. He'd looked up to the guy for as long as he had memories. The fact that James had nearly died from the little mission they'd run was terrifying. Especially when Nate was sure that James really hadn't cared what happened to himself during that run.

And yeah, James had been depressed before. He'd been withdrawn before, too. But he'd never been traumatized so severely on top of being depressed, withdrawn, and just plain hurt. Not that Nate remembered, anyhow. He didn't know what to do with that.

So, he figured he'd let people who at least thought they had an idea of what James needed do their thing. He'd keep treating James the way he usually did. Maybe, he reasoned, his brother needed someone who would act normal around him.

When Nate caught up with his big brother, he was curled up and passed out - as was usually the case. But also as usual, when Nate came into the room his brother was sharing with Billy- long before he got close enough to sit down, James woke up. Like Kate, he slept lightly - and seemed to be aware the second anyone was in his space.

Nate grimaced and waved with the tips of his fingers. "Hey," he said. "I can come back if you're hard up for sleep…"

"What's wrong?" James asked, half pushing himself upright already.

Nate let out a long breath and rubbed the back of his neck. "Looking for advice, actually," he admitted.

"Okay …" James raised an eyebrow at that. "Are you sure you're in the right room?"

"Last I checked, you're the only big brother I have," Nate pointed out with a quiet smirk.

"You never know. But sure …all I've got right now is how not to shave and ignore your hair."

"Luckily, Dad covered the personal hygiene section of puberty, so you're fine," Nate teased.

"Then you know all I could ever teach you, grasshopper," James said before he threw a pillow at Nate and dropped back down - though he wasn't trying to sleep yet, instead just trying to get comfortable while they talked.

"Actually…" Nate held his breath and then let it out. "I was hoping you could help me with Kate."

"I thought I did." It was the closest thing to a tease that James could manage in days, even if it didn't hit like it usually would. "Turned out spectacular I'd say. Still healing the bullet wounds from it."

"Yeah, I just…" Nate gestured vaguely with both hands then pulled out the chair from Billy's desk to sit down. "I mean, you know - like, actually know - what happened with her. And I'm trying - I really am - to stay out of her head because she's already pissed at Rachel, and she's mad at me for peeking in the first place. And I feel like I'm just making everything worse."

"She's avoiding me, too," James said as he rubbed his shoulder where he'd been shot. It was healing, but not to a pace James was used to and it ached every time he moved still. "Because she knows that I know what she doesn't know."

"Yeah, she doesn't want to know," Nate agreed.

"Which works because neither do I."

"Yeah, doesn't change that you both probably need to know? But that's not the point here," Nate said.

"Okay, what is the point? I don't understand how I can help. But I will help if I can."

"Dr. Blue made her take a pregnancy test, and she's kind of… a wreck," Nate said, wincing through every word.

"She's not pregnant," James said thickly. "No way."

"I know - and the test was negative too," Nate clarified, then let out a frustrated sigh. "It's just that … every time there's some new wrinkle or some new problem or - anytime she feels like she's losing control again, I can't get her to breathe. And I think I'm doing okay? Just letting her get it out and being there for her and - I just - you know what happened and I was hoping you knew what I'm doing wrong here, because she's still so…"

"You're not doing anything wrong," James said. "Unless you're trying to assault her in a smelly, dirty cell, in which case, we need to have a long talk that will involve a lot of hitting."

"Okay, that's a very low bar, but I'm clearing it," Nate said.

For a long moment, James thought it all over as Nate fell into anxious silence. His foot was jiggling as he waited to hear anything helpful his big brother might come up with. "What do you say to her when she starts to freak out?" James asked slowly, once again sitting upright with his shoulders shrugged up to his ears as he tried to actually troubleshoot for him.

"Mostly that I'm here and she's safe." Nate frowned as he watched James scrunching in on himself.

James wrinkled his nose as he thought about it for a moment. "Can you go simpler?" James asked. "More direct? Something that doesn't remind her of what happened to her in Madripoor? Because … 'I'm here and you're safe' is a reminder that you weren't and she wasn't." James held up both hands. "It's not an accusation, and knowing you, you're probably doing everything text book right, but … how many of those textbooks were written by someone who lived through something like this?"

Nate leaned back. "Huh," he said - because he was still processing the idea and it was such a James angle to take.

"Maybe just … 'Katie, I love you'," James suggested. "It's the truth. Right now."

Nate nodded a few times as he thought it over. "Thanks, James," he said.

"Sure," James said. "If you ever decide you want to go just … erasing memories, let me know."

"Ah, no," Nate said, wincing. "That does more damage than-"

"Yeah, yeah, I know," James said. "Just not sure what harm it'd do at this point. Not like there's much worth saving in there anymore."

"I would if it would help, though," Nate swore. "You know that, right? If I thought tampering with your head like that wouldn't have any side effects, I'd undo everything."

"It's okay, Nate. It was just a smart ass comment," James said. "You'd have to see what I saw to nuke it and I don't want you to deal with any of that."

"Hey, you're my brother. You know I've always got your back, right?"

"Yeah, same goes for you, but … for me, you've got nothing to cover right now."

"Yeah." Nate paused. "Short of erasing memories, is there anything I can do?" he asked, knowing it was an incredible long shot when his brother rarely felt like he could ask for help from his family for small things. It was one of the things Nate hated that James did since they were kids, and this only magnified that.

"I don't know," James admitted. "I can't think of anything helpful, but then, I can't think of anything generally right now, either."

"Well, if you ever feel like video games or pizza…"

"Nah, I'll just crawl in a hole and wait. Let nature take its course."

"You're hilarious," Nate said as he got to his feet. "I'll let you sleep. Thanks for the advice - really." When James leaned over to start to get comfortable again, he couldn't resist adding, "But, you know, if you're not going to feed the healing and just sleep all day instead, I'll be the bigger brother for once and I'll never let you live it down."

"Still not better looking, so go ahead. You need something. I'll try scrawny out."

Nate laughed and rolled his eyes on the way out the door. "Love you too."

Kate didn't actually want Rachel looking through her memories - she didn't want any telepaths in her head, if she was honest - but she also didn't want Nate freaking out any further, and her mom had insisted that she at least try to find out what she couldn't remember. So, she wound up knocking on Rachel's door after dinner, betting that at least she could try to offer a quick peek and then leave with the excuse of not wanting to intrude on America and Rachel's alone time. Or something. Just let Rachel see it sucked and then move on with her life with her paranoid boyfriend.

So, of course, America wasn't even there when Rachel invited Kate in.

Kate sighed and ran one hand through her hair as she looked around the room. "So… ah… I don't actually remember large chunks of time, and it's making your brother crazy. So can you do something about that so he'll calm down?"

"Absolutely," Rachel agreed. "Do you want to get a cup of coffee before we start? Maybe you can tell me what you do remember before we think about anything telepathic."

"Coffee would be great, thanks," Kate said and sat down on the edge of Rachel's bed.

"Perfect," Rachel said with a smile. "Have you gotten the nickel tour already?"

"Yeah, and I gave Billy grief the whole time about where I was and wasn't allowed to be as a human," Kate said with a troublemaking smirk on.

"I thought you were cleared to go just about everywhere," Rachel said with a frown.

"Oh, I am. But I had to give him grief because if I don't tease him, he thinks he's really Magneto, so I remind him he's not by pointing out I'm, like, actually allowed on Genosha now," Kate said, gesturing broadly.

"Ah. See, I thought he was getting over that with James convincing him otherwise," Rachel said, pulling her along to go get some coffee.

"Yeah, that's helping," Kate said. "But you didn't see him after he killed Katarina and Daniel."

"Well not right after, no," Rachel agreed. "I was stuck waiting for you three to get out of decontamination and Hank's dastardly clutches."

"He's been a mess since the second he cast that spell," Kate said. "James is helping, yeah, but he's helping him like Nate's helping me. Doesn't undo what happened."

"No," Rachel agreed. "And it probably isn't much help when James is such a mess, either." She sighed. "Boys are so high maintenance."

"I hear that," Kate said. "If your brother wasn't so hot, I'd give up on guys entirely."

"If I got a nickel for every time I heard that in reference to one brother or the other," Rachel said, rolling her eyes. "Doesn't change the fact that they're both idiots."

"They are. Billy too sometimes, but the boys have got each other, and that's a big help, seeing as they were being played against each other," Kate pointed out.

"Okay, what do you know?" Rachel asked as she set up their iced coffee.

Kate crossed her arms and leaned back. "Katarina outright told Billy he was leverage against James, and Viper kept James close enough for us to hear him - until the last couple days, when we couldn't. So, yeah, it sucked."

"We can circle around to that later," Rachel said. "But … you know Katarina lied, right?"

"Every time she opened her mouth," Kate said.

"So … you know that she was trying to use Billy for more than that," Rachel said.

"Yeah, I heard her trying to turn him into a Hydra puppet. Doesn't mean she wasn't also playing them."

"No," Rachel said, shaking her head. "It was more than that." She held up both hands. "Okay, so … I maybe haven't told anyone what I know, but … I know a lot. I totally peeked. But not at you or Billy."

Kate frowned and took a step back. "Then you know more than I do," she said guardedly.

"Don't get me wrong, I didn't dig through everything. I got a little … so … alright, the whole fire alarm thing at the tower was me after I peeked at James the first time. So I went digging around our prisoner. And what I can tell you for sure is that you and Billy both need some professional intervention for what Viper did to you. And I don't mean a therapist. I need a better shot at Vojteck to get details, but … if not a telepath, then your mom would probably be extremely helpful."

Kate narrowed her eyes. "Mom?"

"Yep."

Kate let her hands fall to her sides, drumming her fingers against her legs as she paced a small path and then turned back to Rachel. "I don't - if they -" She couldn't put words to the genuine panic she felt at the idea of being turned into a weapon like her mom had been, but that was exactly what Rachel was suggesting, and it terrified her. "No."

"And that's another part of it," Rachel said pointing at her. "I don't have the fine details, but if you don't want me to look, I can just tell your mom. I'm sure she can figure it out without the telepathic help."

Kate swallowed a few times. "I don't know," she said.

"Billy needs it too," Rachel said. "And I'd bet anything in the world James also does. But there was a lot to sift through there. The three of you were screwed with when you were awake, but in your case, and Billy's you were allowed to sleep, so there are large spots of rest in your memories. So it's easier to sift through. If that makes any sense."

"Yeah, two weeks straight is a lot to look at," Kate said, though she was still obviously shaken.

"It's easier if there's other indicators in the mind, too … like hypnotism sessions. Those would be quick to spot."

Kate nodded. "And memory gaps?" she offered softly. "God. Rachel, I don't… oh man."

"It's okay," Rachel promised with a warm smile. "Totally something we can work with. And fast, too."

"Please do," Kate said tightly. "If there's something in there…" She trailed off, still reeling, projecting to Rachel the pure fear that came with knowing she was violated and that she wasn't safe to be around.

"Kate, I know," Rachel said, then offered her a hand. "We've got your back."

"Thanks," Kate said, holding on a bit tighter than she meant to.

Rachel waited for Kate to half focus on something else before she dipped into her subconscious and started looking for trouble. And as she'd predicted, it was pretty easy to find, even if it was tucked in behind some trauma that Rachel was very sure Nate would have panicked and tried not to look too closely at. But Rachel had seen snippets from James' memory, so some things … they just didn't line up the same. The order of events was wrong, and Kate's false memory seemed to gloss over Vojteck being the one to inject her each time she went back to her cell. Maybe it was perspective, maybe it was Kate's drugged up state of consciousness coloring how things had happened, but … it was terrifying and horrible - and exactly the kind of cover someone would use to hide a trigger phrase. "Gotcha," Rachel said under her breath, half staring past Kate in the kitchen while she went to work.

Outside of Kate's mind, it didn't look like much to anyone walking through the kitchen, though both Natasha and Scott knew what was going on when they saw the expression Rachel was wearing - complete with fire in the centers of her pupils as she stared off into the distance. And then … after a few moments, Rachel's expression shifted to a mild frown. All at once, she blinked a few times quickly, and turned to Kate with a smile. "Well that was … not a fun one."

"Okay," Natasha said, frowning between the two girls. "Tell me what's going on."

Rachel turned to Kate to get permission before she'd continue. So much had gone on, she just felt it was incredibly important to do that much at least. But Kate just shrugged and held her arms close to herself.

"So," Rachel said in a matter of fact tone. "Our ex-prisoners need a de-programming or two. Kate had a hidden trigger phrase. When she feels like looking deeper, I can make sure there isn't more, but … this … was a nasty one." She held up one hand toward Natasha. "It's gone now. And we should be happy they didn't have a competent telepath to help hide their crimes, frankly."

Natasha's eyes were narrowed nearly to slits, and she came to stand beside Kate - not yet touching her when Kate was halfway curled up already but there all the same. Tell me more. Project if you'd rather keep Kate from hearing it, though information always helped me, and I know your father will want to hear it too.

That'll be up to Kate, Rachel said.

"Kate," Natasha prompted softly, and Kate let out a breath but didn't meet Natasha's gaze.

"I'll be alright, Mom," Kate said. "Rachel is going to undo it."

"I'd like to know what she's doing in there," Natasha said, one eyebrow raised, and Kate shrugged again.

"Technically, Katie," Rachel said gently. "I already undid it."

"Well, good." Kate bit her lip and finally looked up at Rachel. "Thanks."

"I'd like you to rest up a little bit then, if you're up to it, I can look for more later. But I got the big one for sure. I don't know if she thought she could use you for more than one trick. I… need to research that a little more."

"What was the one trick?" Natasha asked, her hand on Kate's shoulder.

"She was supposed to draw Steve out," Rachel said. "As part of Katarina's ascension." She looked at her father. "Assassinate Captain America for the new Hydra head when she had her Hydra Quinceañera or whatever. She was going to be presented with James as her … well, they were calling him her husband to be. Viper wanted her to show up with everything she needed to rule supreme."

Scott frowned deeper. "We'll need to look at Billy as soon as possible in that case," he said.

"Yeah," Rachel said, with a nod. "But … I kind of need more time with James first…"

"Right." Scott let out a long sigh. "Pull Nate in if you need the backup."

"Probably going to need him and Betsy, if I'm being honest," Rachel said. "I nearly lost my grip when I peeked the first time. Hard head."

"Genetic," Scott said with the ghost of a smirk.

"I thought it was learned," Rachel had to tease.

"It was," Natasha agreed. "And it wasn't."

"If I can get them to boost me … they don't need to go with," Rachel said. "And I'm a little more careful in James' mind than Nate or Betsy are capable of. Its a lot easier when he's asleep, too. Comparatively."

Scott nodded along to all of what Rachel said. "Alright. Make sure the other two know your concerns about the programming. We'll need to tread carefully here. Viper never does just one thing."

"No, and I got the jist of what she was leaning toward with James," Rachel said. "I just don't know how much she got done … considering how Nate said he was acting on that run, though…"

"Still," Scott said and ran a hand down his face. "Anything we can do to fix it…"

"On it," Rachel promised.

"What are the chances of him cooperating if you ask first?" Natasha suggested. "This could just as easily blow up in your faces if you move forward without trying that much first."

"I'll talk to him," Rachel said. "I'm going to try to grab him and Billy at the same time - so he knows this is a larger issue." She pushed her hair out of her face. "We're going to fix this, Dad."

For as much as Rachel knew Kate hated dredging up the memories of what had been done to her, it wasn't easy for Rachel, either. It hadn't taken her long to realize that one of the many reasons Viper and her family had given the guards free rein with Kate was to hide the trauma they were using to reinforce the conditioning from telepaths. Vojteck and Daniel knew Kate was dating a telepath, so what better way to keep a telepath from looking than to hide what they were doing behind phrases said immediately before something like that?

Rachel herself was already having nightmares, because on top of what she saw with Kate, she'd seen Billy tortured while being exposed to memory triggers related to his family, particularly Lorna. Poor Billy was going to be jumpy around his aunt for a long time, because he now knew he was supposed to have killed her once his mom was dead, making him the ruler of Genosha and therefore a Hydra figurehead.

And James… well, Rachel didn't like to think about what she'd seen in James's head at all if she could help it. The nonstop torture was bad enough, but the way Viper tore down everything that made James who he was, from his conscience to his intellect, the way she tried to turn him into nothing but an angry animal on a leash… It made her sick.

Still, she knew she was one of the few people those three trusted to even make a difference (even though James didn't actually trust her anymore - which was itself something Viper had done to him that made Rachel's blood boil to think about). And there weren't that many telepaths in the world who hadn't been killed or co opted by bad guys that were capable of cracking into James' head, so she needed to do this. Especially since she could see how badly the three of them were shaken.

Besides, Kate and Billy were basically family by that point. Those two meant the world to her brothers. And the fact that she could see the way neither one of them trusted themselves, the way both of them seemed lost and unsure of their decisions… well, that had to stop.

So, after taking a rest from helping Billy, Rachel went back to work, this time in Kate's mind. She expected to have to deal with more trauma and more misremembered triggers, of course, but this time around, she was intrigued by a glimpse of memory involving Vojteck.

The memory had to have taken place not long after the first time one of the guards had taken advantage of Kate. She was still in her cell, curled up with her knees to her chin and shaking from head to toe. There was blood on the floor, only some of it hers, from where she had tried to fight back, but… she was a wreck, and she was alone.

So, naturally, that was when Vojteck had arrived to let himself into her cell. He crossed the room quickly and quietly, and he didn't say anything until after he was cleaning up her injuries. "I don't expect you to trust it, but I have some medicine that will help with the pain," Vojteck told her in a hushed tone.

"Sure," she said, her eyes narrowed. "That's likely."

He looked up at her, but kept working. "If you prefer to suffer through it, no one will be the wiser anyhow. I am trying, Miss Barton."

"Trying to what, exactly?" Kate said, pulling her arm back from him when he had finished cleaning the long scrape from her elbow down to her wrist.

"Trying to help you to live through this," he said.

She pressed her lips into a thin line. "Yeah, that sounds like crap to me. So what do you really want, here?"

He looked more impatient than before. "If you don't want any help, then I won't give it," he said, his tone closer to a hiss.

"I just don't trust the tradeoff," Kate shot right back.

"Then go ahead and let it get infected," he replied dispassionately.

Kate narrowed her eyes at him for some time before she huffed and held out her other hand to him, which was bloody as well. "Fine. Lord knows I don't want whatever's growing in these cells."

He handed her the bottle of pills - clearly marked as to what they were, or said they were. And to Kate's genuine surprise, she didn't feel any different, just about the way she expected to feel after a few Advil, really.

"So, you're being nice to me now," Kate said when she was sure she wasn't drugged.

"And you're acting surprised," Vojteck said.

"Wouldn't you be?"

"Absolutely," he agreed.

"Okay, so that's established." Kate tucked her knees back up to her chin. "Now what? I doubt you're here to give me a nail file so I can MacGuyver out of here."

"I could, but the guards would shoot you," he said.

"So, again, what do you want? Because nice as you are being right now, I'm not going round two."

Vojteck leaned toward her as if he was telling her a secret, and she cringed back. "I am not that desperate."

"Okay then," Kate said, though she was still too close to what had happened not to show every inch of her relief.

"I don't agree with what happened to you," Vojteck said. "As odd as that may sound, it's true. Just take it as a token moment. It may not happen again."

The memory ended there, but Rachel could see others connected to it, so she peeked into those as well, somehow unsurprised to see that Kate was exhibiting in those memories the same symptoms she'd shown after the rescue had calmed down. Kate had more anxious energy than usual, and she kept scratching her arms and then clenching her hand in a fist, trying to remind herself not to do it and risk opening up another wound. And Rachel could see, even if Kate didn't notice the pattern when there were so many other traumas and drugs in play, that the withdrawal symptoms were better when Vojteck paid her visits to "help."

It was the kind of basic reinforcement Natasha had told Rachel to look for, too. Positive feelings or even release from negative feelings associated with a person or goal. Throw in massive trauma with a trigger phrase built into it, and Rachel wasn't sure where Vojteck had been leading Kate outside of Viper and Katarina's plans for Steve, but he was definitely conditioning her to his favor.

Rachel peeked into another memory, this one just a couple days before Kate and Billy were rescued, so Kate looked almost as bad as she had when they'd all gotten out. She had been asleep, but when the door opened, she woke up automatically, defensive already and expecting either a guard or to be dragged into the lab again. And Rachel noted with a steadily growing frown that Kate looked less defensive when Vojteck let himself in, even though he was the one in charge of torturing her for Viper in the lab and the one whispering code phrases to her just before the guards came in. In two weeks, he'd effectively taught her that he could be kind if it suited him, even if she wasn't consciously aware that she had made that association.

"Which one are you today - Jekyll or Hyde?" Kate asked, pushing herself as upright as she could when she was still exhausted and sore and just barely waking up.

"I'd like to think neither," Vojteck answered as he held up a small paper cup that contained Kate's pills.

Kate let her shoulders drop as she held out her hand for the cup. "One of these is a morning-after, right? Because I've been here long enough that might be a problem."

"Yes, of course," Vojteck said. "No one wants that."

"Thanks." She let out a soft sigh and downed what he'd given her, nodding to herself once her arms stopped itching.

"I think it may be time to help you a little more," Vojteck said. "My sister is making plans to dispose of … well."

"Your sister is a piece of work."

"You have no idea," Vojteck said. "Your friends, if they ever see the light of day will not be the same."

"They'll bounce back," Kate said, automatically.

He smirked at that. "We shall see, won't we?" He turned toward the door. "Now. If you can manage to overcome those blocking your exit here, do you remember which way has the least guards?"

"Yeah, go down first, not up," Kate said, nodding. "We've been over this. I even promised to kick around that guard who's sucking up to Katarina on my way out."

"Kate. The bravado is unneeded, and she has no interest in that guard anymore," Vojteck said.

Kate let out a breath. "Realized he was a sexist little sexual assault fan?"

"Found someone of her own to play with more like," Vojteck answered with a wave before trying to direct her to the next step. "You'll need to avoid the casino floor-"

"And the office right before the bar is booby-trapped with venom on the handle," Kate said, nodding along.

"And when you get into the alley-"

"No cops," Kate said. "Which feels super counterintuitive to, you know, me getting home, but-"

"This is Madripoor," Vojteck said. "The rules are not the same."

"There aren't any rules here. That's the whole reason your family's set up in this place."

"That's an oversimplification," Vojteck said, then moved to the far corner of her cell, pacing and keeping to himself … until the guard showed up at the door.

Kate froze, recognizing the guard instantly, and she instantly started to back away once the guard let himself in, forgetting about Vojteck in favor of the bigger threat to her immediate safety. She had her hands in fists, and when the guard closed the door behind him instead of dragging her out to the lab, she was almost shaking, too.

Vojteck kept his hands behind his back as he passively watched the guard looming over Kate and backing her into the wall. "Who says two heads are better than one?"

Everything about Kate changed in that instant, and Rachel, watching, found herself completely unprepared to see Kate rush the guard, kicking his knee out in exactly a spot she'd hit last time she fought against him. This time, because it was already hurt, his knee gave out, and Kate pressed her advantage, spinning into a kick that broke the guard's jaw.

But even though the guy was obviously reeling, Kate didn't stop or even slow down. When the guard tried to get up again, Kate surprised him by moving toward him, practically on top of him - just to steal his Taser. A second later, she'd put the Taser right to his heart, stopping the guard in his tracks when his heart gave out on him.

For a long moment, Kate stood there with her chest heaving, but when Vojteck approached, she finally looked away from the body at her feet to see that he was holding his hand out for the weapon. She hesitated for only a second, but then, she handed it over, still obviously not herself. And Rachel swore as she watched it happen.

Obviously, Vojteck had put another trigger phrase in there with all his conditioning, and this looked nothing like the command to kidnap Steve. It was some kind of attack prompt… or maybe a defensive one, since Kate gave Vojteck the weapon while under its influence. Rachel would have to look deeper to be sure.

She knew dredging up these memories couldn't have been good for Kate, especially considering how badly Kate had reacted to the thought of her free will being taken away, let alone seeing it in action. So, Rachel did her best to hurry through Kate's memories, running along the beach and taking only cursory glances into the tidepools until she found an earlier memory with the same trigger phrase - only that time, it hadn't worked, and Kate hadn't attacked the guard.

Kate was, understandably, a wreck when the guard left again, but Vojteck didn't give her any space to breathe before he started in on her, absolutely livid as he kicked her in the stomach and then dragged her by her hair toward the center of the cell.

"Useless," he bit out. "Nothing should stop you from defending me. Not fear, not size, not strength." He tossed her bodily into the wall. "Now, let's try this again," he said - and Rachel quickly exited when she realized there was nothing more to see there than the cause of many bruises and minor fractures Kate had been sporting when she was rescued.

Rachel took a deep breath to steady herself before she did, at last, leave Kate's memories, not at all surprised to see that Kate had her arms wrapped around herself, obviously in shock from the dredged-up memory of herself in a triggered state.

"I don't even remember killing that guy," Kate whispered, and Rachel simply held her arms out in invitation, knowing Kate was equally as liable to not want to be touched as she was to need someone to cry on.

This time around, Kate didn't take Rachel up on her silence invitation, instead hugging herself tighter, fresh tears making trails down her face.

Rachel sighed. "We're done today," she told Kate gently, and Kate didn't say anything in response. She simply got to her feet and headed out - to find Nate, and Rachel made a point to reach out to Nate to warn him of what kind of mental state Kate was in, even if she didn't give him details.

The truth was that Kate wasn't truly aware of the fact that she'd headed toward Nate the second she saw those memories; that was just where she went automatically when she was that upset. But when she got back to her room and saw that he was there, she headed right for him and rested her forehead on his shoulder - not quite a hug, just a way to lean on him.

"Love you, Katie," Nate said after a while, and Kate leaned into him a little harder.

"Love you too," she whispered back.

"You need ice cream," Nate said after a few nearly silent moments. "And chocolate. And … to shoot something. Am I close?"

Kate smirked into his shoulder. "Warm," she said. "Chocolate ice cream sounds nice, yeah."

"I was covering all my bases," Nate said. "But … let's go do that, and I know of a few quiet spots that have a good view if you want scenic and ice cream…"

"Okay." Kate stepped back slightly, her arms wrapped around herself at the elbows.

Nate offered her his hand. "May I?"

"Okay," Kate said again. "Yeah. Sure."

When he took her hand he also took a moment to try and get a smile, going so far as to kiss her knuckles before they started to slowly walk toward the kitchen. He didn't try to get her to talk - not when he could see she was shut down, anyhow. So he worked on the reset first… and part of that was making up stories as they walked about 'official Genoshan traditions' he imagined to go with most of the scenery around the palace.

But he didn't actually try to do anything other than gap some awkward silences until they had their ice cream and he'd taken her to a hidden balcony that faced the sea. Even then, he let her take some time to nibble at her ice cream first. And then ;"So … I don't know what I need to do right now, but if it's cannonball naked into the pool to get a smile, I will. Say the word."

That did, in fact, get a smile out of her - because it was so out there. "You're sweet, you know?" she said. "Dunno how I got so lucky."

"It's not really sweet. I already humiliated myself dancing for you for a laugh… clearly there is nothing I won't do to see you smile."

"And I loved every second of it," Kate said and took a more substantial bite of ice cream. "Sorry I sort of… checked out on you."

"It's okay," Nate promised. "I'll always be waiting when you come back." He paused for dramatic effect. "But if it helps you come back faster, I will have to invest in some tight pants and put more music on my cell."

Kate nearly laughed - though she was still reeling and her mouth was full of ice cream, so she was a little hampered. "Can you imagine? America would never - never - let it go. Ever."

"She can hold onto it forever," Nate said. "And be jealous."

"This is a fun look on you," Kate chuckled, shaking her head.

"I'm trying," he said with a shrug.

"You are." Kate took a deep breath, let it out, and then scooted closer to him. "So, um, turns out I killed a guy. Possibly more than one. I'm a little fuzzy on some of it still."

"That's okay, pretty sure I did too."

"Yeah, well, you had a good reason," Kate said, though Nate noticed that she did move away from him slightly. "I just did it because I was told to."

"I don't know what you mean, sweetheart. That doesn't sound like you at all."

"Well, I wasn't exactly me at the time… oh, I'm not explaining it right," Kate said, frowning into her ice cream.

"If you weren't in your right mind, it doesn't count. That's what I've tried to convince James of … I don't think it's any different for you or Billy either, if that applied."

"Oh, no, Billy definitely meant to kill those two," Kate said.

"Yeah, I know. I was just trying to illustrate … sorry. I'm interrupting your thought process."

"You're not, really," Kate assured him, then bit her lip. "So… you know how my mom used to work for the Red Room?"

"Ye-es," Nate answered slowly.

"So, uh, we have that in common now, I guess. The whole… someone else calling the shots on your life. And mind. And stuff." Kate looked away so she didn't have to see his reaction. "He just… said some phrase and I tasered a guy in the heart, Nate."

Nate was quiet for a moment as he thought over how to react to that kind of news. "Okay, but … that … alright. I know you have to feel like crap about that, but you don't have to. That wasn't you. That was someone using you. And as awful as that is, you didn't have a choice, right? But you do have your mom to help you get through this particular thing. And Rachel, if you want…" He shrugged. "I know telepaths are a problem for pretty much everyone right now."

"Yeah, Rachel's been helpful," Kate said quietly. "No offense, obviously. You're my favorite telepath."

"It's alright, you can keep Rachel as your favorite, I still love you."

"You know I only agreed to let her look because you were freaked out, right?" Kate said - which was partially true; she'd also agreed because Rachel had told her she might have had issues like her mom had and she'd panicked, but Nate being so worried had, in fact, played a role.

"Yeah, do me a favor and tell your bestie and my brother they need to follow the Hawkeye, huh?"

"I'll try," Kate said. "It's just… hard. I know I'm not scared of you, but I am, if that makes sense."

"It's familiar," Nate said, though he was irritated about that angle and he knew Rachel was, too. Of all the rotten tricks that Viper and her idiot kids could have pulled, making sure that those three were afraid to let a telepath in was just … dirty.

"Still love you, in case that wasn't clear," Kate clarified when Nate had been quiet for a while.

"If you didn't, you wouldn't let me take you to ice cream," Nate said, matching her volume.

"True," she agreed. She let out a long breath and let her shoulders drop. "Thanks, by the way. For… letting me freak out, I guess. Not peeking. You know. Being you."

"I'm not going to peek ever … not uninvited. Not for you."

"Love you too," Kate said and laid her head on his shoulder.

Rachel truly hated leaving Kate to her own devices when she knew how upset and vulnerable she was, even if that meant her brother was stepping in to take care of her. He wasn't exactly unbiased, and he was openly feeling guilty about having peeked too much without permission, and now Nate was working double time to try to make sure she felt comfortable around him. And Rachel was pretty sure that Kate didn't realize exactly how far her brother would bend over backward for her.

And there were so many questions that couldn't be answered by Kate's mind alone … yes, James had seen almost everything, but it was exhausting to use him as a reference. Especially when he didn't want to be used that way. He didn't actually want Rachel in the room with him, let alone in his head. But that was absolutely Viper's fault. And by extension, it was also Vojteck's fault.

And she'd had just about enough of the crap that kid had pulled. So, since Wanda had pulled rank on SHIELD and insisted on the chance to try the creep in Genoshan court for abducting and torturing their crown prince … Vojteck had been extradited to Genosha just the day before. And since he was there and he knew everything that she'd need to help Kate, Rachel headed to where Vojteck was being held in Genoshan prison … fitting since he'd openly admitted to trying to sabotage the country and its crown prince.

"Have you come to play the good or bad cop?" Vojteck asked when he saw Rachel - smirking too smugly for Rachel's liking, though she was pleased to see how jacked up his face was after James had given him a few taps.

"Nope," Rachel answered as the fire sparked up in her pupils and flames ghosted her hair. She didn't warn him or even attempt to be gentle as she rushed him psychically, burning through whatever was in her way as she searched for the triggers and phrases that had to be hidden. He'd be the one to know every little thing that was done to Kate's mind since he'd been utterly useless in dealing with Billy.

And did she ever find things to work with.

Before she left Vojteck's mind, she took another quick look around - to find his intentions and what he thought he might gain by doing Kate so dirty. It was a little outside of the parameters she'd gone in for, but … totally earned. And he honestly wasn't surprised to find that he'd been planning to fight back against Katarina's ascendancy. Yes, he'd gone along with training Kate to bring in Steve, but the rest of it… he knew Katarina would kill him, so he wanted a bodyguard. And he wanted his sister dead.

She backed out of his mind to find him screaming in pain from the fires around him that she'd been sure to keep just under a level that would do him physical harm … psychic flames though …

Rachel let the flames die back and kept an aloof expression as she assessed Vojteck - giving him the chance to say something so she could get a more clear picture of the kind of person he truly was.

"You think you know everything now, do you?" Vojteck asked in a scoff. "I don't know everything my mother did to any of them, and I can promise you she did far more than what any of them can tell you."

"They also couldn't tell me how incredibly desperate you are to overthrow your mother and sister," Rachel said. "Desperate enough to hide behind an Avenger." She frowned at him. "Didn't think that through, did you? I'm pretty sure Hydra wouldn't take well to one of their own cowering behind an Avenger."

"Considering who my mother picked out for Katarina's groom, I see it more as a symbol of conquest," Vojteck shot back.

Rachel could actually hear the Phoenix telling her how easy it would be to turn Vojteck into a pile of dust. So, she turned on her heel to leave before she couldn't restrain herself from annihilating that little twerp and letting something worse loose. Besides, Natasha wanted to have a word with him … and Wanda was preparing the trial. She wasn't about to rob either of them their revenge. Especially when she could take care of their families in the meantime.

It was Rachel's best option since her own family was pushing her away. She sighed to herself as she left the prison and nearly ran into Wanda.

"Oh, I've seen that look before," Wanda said as she caught Rachel's gaze. "What can I do to help?"

"I'm not entirely sure," Rachel said. "I was just going to tell Natasha what I found about Kate's programming … and I'll get with Billy after dinner for the same thing, but-"

"But your brother is being entirely obstinate," Wanda said, looking concerned. "Billy told me he's worried, too."

"I just wish I could do something for him," Rachel said. "But Viper … she messed with his mind so badly … he believes the crap Viper told him. And I can't help him because he's pushing me away!"

"You don't have to do everything for everyone, Rachel," Wanda promised. "Do what you can, where you can. The rest of us are allowed to help, too."

"I know, I just-"

"Are so much like your father. You can't turn your back on them. Any of them. Not when you feel responsible for their mental stability."

"Well … yeah. But that's a total oversimplification."

"Here's another one. Let us help. I want to help and I've only been told about what's happening after the fact - after you all have plans lined up to fix it." Wanda huffed. "Do you love Billy?"

"Of course," Rachel said, looking as if the notion of not caring about him was insane.

"And you already treat him like he's part of the family?"

"Yes …"

"What makes you think that I don't consider all of you part of my family, too?" Wanda challenged. "I deserve the chance to help protect my family. So ... " she readjusted the hem of her shirt and straightened up importantly. "Don't try to stop me from helping."

"Of course not," Rachel replied as a smile started to tug at the corner of her mouth. She just wished James could have heard Wanda marking her territory like that. "James has been hiding. So you know."

"I'll find him," Wanda said. "But I'll leave him be if he's with Billy." She smiled crookedly. "Now go on. I know Natasha needs a project."

"Okay," Rachel said, paused for a moment, then took the step forward so Wanda could hug her. She hadn't said as much, but she was projecting it so loudly. As soon as Rachel was within reach, Wanda wrapped her up warmly and curled in with her for a long moment.