Chapter Sixty Four

Shivers of dread swept through Ada as she fell in and out of consciousness. When those moments occurred the first couple of times, she had a small idea of what was happening to her. While her mind was unconscious, she could still feel the people in the facility moving around her. She hated not being able to defend herself from the assholes that had taken her hostage. They were running experiments on her, taking blood samples and using whatever methods they could to determine whether she was a potential threat.

She knew it was just a ploy for them to continue torturing her with whatever methods they deemed reasonable. They had injected a drug of some sort that compromised her healing ability. Whatever pain they inflicted would last longer than she had hoped. It took everything she had not to cry out in pain as they continued their 'experiments'. The worst was when they left her alone in a room for what felt like hours in the dark, just waiting to see how she would react to it.

The fact that she hadn't cracked under the pressure was what annoyed them more than anything else. She had no doubt they had been hoping she would crack sooner. The scientists that had been running experiments on her were trying to extract information on SHIELD, and any other secrets she might be hiding.

"I must admit, she has lasted longer than most of the ones we managed to capture alive," she heard one of the scientists mutter. Their movement shuffled around her as they arrived at the room she was being kept in. "Most of the others either succumbed to their injuries, or cracked under the pressure. She has yet to do either."

Of course they were doing this to others, she thought bitterly. Her fists clenched as she realized that these assholes had taken those born with powers captive just to see what worked and what didn't work. What horrified her more than anything was what happened to said captives after they were finished with their tests. The sad thing was, she wondered how many of those who were taken had families that had been looking for them. Or if anyone had cared about them at all.

The sudden realization of just how lucky she was to have a family that cared for her only dawned on her. She swallowed hard at the thought, knowing that her life could have turned out worse if Tony had never chosen to adopt her. And while it had been SHIELD's ploy to convince him into adopting her, he still accepted it nonetheless. He'd taken the risk of taking in someone he barely knew, and he always told her it was one of the best choices he could have made.

"Then perhaps it is time we moved to a more severe method." Ada's eyes snapped open, narrowing with hate when she recognized Nathaniel's voice. Sure enough, she spotted the older man standing next to one of the lab-coat dressed scientists. "The tests have proven that her kind are capable of surviving for generations unless we exterminate them all."

I'm not going to let you hurt or kill anyone else, she retorted silently. Her throat felt raw from a lack of water. She wasn't sure how long she had been trapped in that room. The only thing she was sure of was that she wouldn't let these assholes get away with what they were doing. She was suddenly thankful that SHIELD had prepared her for moments like these. As much as she hated to admit it, that sort of training had come in handy. Her body was more than capable of taking whatever the world threw at her, but she could only handle said throws for so long.

"Agreed," the scientist nodded in agreement. She didn't miss the cruel smirk that followed as he reached for a syringe he had been hiding in the cart he pushed with him. She had quickly learned that these scientists liked to carry whatever tools they could for their various methods of torture. This one preferred using the syringe, injecting drugs to keep her powers from overwhelming her. "This won't hurt a bit."

"Yeah, I'm willing to bet that you're as thickheaded as your lie," she snapped through gritted teeth.

Nathaniel rose an eyebrow in amusement as the scientist moved forward and pressed the tip of the needle into her arm. Fury swept through her the moment she felt her pulse spike at the sudden intrusion of whatever drugs they injected. The room around her had already begun to spin wildly, with Nathaniel's face the only thing standing straight at the moment. Her hands balled into fists as she struggled to keep herself from crying out from the intense pressure she felt in the back of her head.

"We have never lied to you, my dear child," he sneered. Ada narrowed her eyes with hate when Nathaniel moved forward carefully, grabbing hold of her chin to force her into making eye contact with him. "These tests are a way to ensure that your kind will not survive with you out of the way."

"And what are you going to do with yourselves when all of my kind is destroyed?" she asked warily. It seemed that the very survival of her people was the only reason the Black Knights had remained for so long. Their sheer determination to destroy what was left of the Aliquid had given them purpose. "You'd actually have to get a life instead of trying to hurt innocent people."

That didn't deter Nathaniel from allowing his scientist to inject another drug. This one was worse than the last. Ada's eyes began dilating in and out of focus. Her heart had begun racing as images flashed across her mind. Most of them were of the people she could have considered family. Nadia. Her mother's face was impossible to read. The only emotion she could read was rage. With Nathaniel standing so close by, Ada suddenly understood what these assholes were trying to do.

They're trying to see just how angry I can get without my powers, she realized. Even with the drugs that had subdued her powers temporarily, she could still feel the overwhelming urge to unleash them upon the assholes that had placed her in that position. She almost wished she could unleash her fury upon them. It would have been easier for her to escape from whatever treatment they put her through next. But she also realized just how dangerous and risky allowing her powers to lose control would be. Knowing that much left her feeling more determined than ever not to lose control.

Eventually, the images began to replace themselves. Ada's head was beginning to throb when she found herself still strapped to the chair in the same room from before. Nathaniel was standing not far from where she sat with his arms crossed, a smug look written across his face. The scientist tsked his tongue after realizing that the drug had worn off so quickly. It was clear that the drugs they were using had some effect on her system. They dulled her healing abilities, making it possible for them to inflict whatever amount of pain they dubbed worthy.

"I'm going to have to use a higher dosage if we want this to work in our favor," he sighed in frustration.

"Don't worry," Nathaniel replied without missing a beat. He glanced at the scientist with an approving look, "Your work has made substantial progress for our research. The others will soon come along with their results."

Ada watched through narrowed eyes when the scientist gave a gruff nod and left without another word. Nathaniel's statement was enough to make her wonder just what kind of 'research' they were running on her. She'd been putting up with these experiments long enough to guess that they were willing to do whatever it took to get the results they wanted.

After all, she was the last of her kind according to the assholes in question. If they had been responsible for killing off all of her people, it made sense that they wanted to keep someone alive. The more knowledge they had on alien beings, the better prepared they would be if more decided to show up.

"You know, I'm beginning to realize that maybe the only reason you're keeping me alive is to give you some satisfaction that you're hurting someone," she half-mumbled under her breath.

Her body felt weak from whatever drugs they'd injected her with. She knew she wouldn't be able to last much longer against them. They kept claiming that her body was able to eject whatever they inflicted upon her. Their claims left her wondering how long she would continue fighting those drugs. There was only so much that her body could take before she finally lost control. And that was exactly what they wanted.

The glee written across his face was enough for her to wish she could punch it off. Anything was better than giving them the satisfaction of knowing that their plans were working.

"Perhaps if you were more willing to comply with us and share information about SHIELD, we would make the pain a bit more bearable," Nathaniel suddenly sneered. "After all, you have been working for SHIELD for quite some time now."

"I think I'd rather retain what little dignity I have left," Ada retorted after realizing what he was planning.

The last thing she planned to do was give away sensitive information. These assholes were dangerous enough as it was. Nathaniel wasn't the least bit put off with the glare she threw him. If anything, he only seemed to find it that much more amusing that she was willing to suffer the consequences for refusing to speak.

"We shall see how long that loyalty of yours will last, my dear child."

…

The search for Ada had begun to spread across the city of London and beyond. Since there were three possible locations, the team split up into said separate areas. Tony struggled to remain calm throughout the ordeal. Despite Pepper's reassurance that they would find her, he was beginning to doubt himself and his abilities to lead an entire search party. Even with a team of fully trained heroes, they hadn't been able to find her location.

The problem was, when they finally reached one of the areas where the Black Knights could be hiding, the warehouses were usually emptied out by the time they arrived. They didn't have much of a lead to go by. Tony tried looking for a tracking device or any pattern to go make their search somewhat tolerable.

"I hate this," he admitted as they scoured the perimeter of what looked like a normal building. Steve wasn't far behind with Natasha rounding the corner. All three of them had been searching the area for signs of life since Tony finally found a promising signal on the radar. "Not knowing whether or not we'll find her."

"We'll find her, Tony," Steve reassured him just as Natasha reached the edge of the building.

"Besides, she's strong enough to take care of herself," Natasha put in.

Tony tried to feel reassured by that notion. When he first found out about Ada through SHIELD, he knew that she was different from the rest of the world. Though he didn't realize at the time that SHIELD was the agency responsible for bringing them together, he'd agreed fullheartedly that she needed a strong father-figure in her life. Adopting Ada had been one of the best decisions he could have made. She changed the way he looked at life in more ways than one.

'Sir, Agent Barton is on the other line,' Jarvis suddenly alerted him.

"Put him on the com."

He knew that the team needed to stay in touch with one another while on their search.

"Western area was empty." Tony had to bite his tongue to keep himself from cursing at Clint's report. He had been hoping that they would find at least something. Even Bruce had joined them on their search, knowing that they would need every able body possible. At this point, she could be out of the country. "Banner found something promising though."

He wasn't sure whether he should feel relieved or worried that they managed to find something. It was better than having no leads at all, and so far, that hadn't been getting them anywhere. Once he was sure Natasha and Steve got the news, they regrouped by the quinjet. They had taken the quinjet mostly to provide a faster method of transportation. Tony had already talked about building a jet of his own that was sleeker and better suited for the team's traveling plans.

Once everyone finally regrouped by the quinjet, Tony landed beside them and stepped out of the suit to get a better view of whatever Clint was holding. He frowned upon seeing what the object in question was. Ada's phone. She normally kept it with her at all times; and if that didn't work, she used the earpiece that she designed herself to keep in contact with everyone else. Tony's frown deepened when he realized that something serious must have happened to her if she'd dropped it.

"There's a chance we might be able to track her down through the earpiece she has," Natasha explained when she finally saw the phone in question. Her eyes lit up with something Tony rarely saw in the redheaded assassin – hope. "Director Fury linked a tracking device from her phone onto the earpiece when she first joined SHIELD as a security measure."

"My own tech wasn't able to track her down," he admitted grudgingly.

The people who took her – he had no doubt that they were the Black Knights – had known to kill any chances they had at tracking her down. Tony had literally tried everything in his damned power to track her down before he lost her entirely. But by now, it was too late. They'd lost valuable time as it was. There was no telling what could have happened to her during the time it took for them to search for her.

That was what left him feeling both worried and terrified the most. After everything she had been through, the last thing they needed was this mess. And he had a feeling it was only going to get worse if they didn't stop the Black Knights.

"Your tech isn't like SHIELD's though," Clint had the nerve to point out. Tony nearly rolled his eyes when the archer crossed his arms and exchanged a knowing look with Natasha. "With a bit of help, we should be able to track her down within a few hours."

"I beg to differ," he grumbled under his breath.

"Tony," Bruce threw him a warning look, knowing that arguing wouldn't get the team anywhere in their search. He had been reluctant about tagging along with the team in the first place. The only reason he agreed to go was because he cared too much about Ada not to go. "We're not going to find her by just sitting around here and arguing."

Tony held back a sigh of frustration as he heard the logic in the doctor's explanation. He knew that Bruce was right about wasting more time standing around the empty building. His scanners hadn't picked up any signs of life, telling him that the location was a dud. After giving it some thought, he finally reluctantly agreed that letting SHIELD have a handle on the situation was better than doing nothing at all.

AN: New chapter is up. Hopefully the second part isn't too boring. To be honest, this was a terrible arch when I first wrote it nearly five years ago. As a result, it's been difficult rewriting it. But I am having fun trying to figure out where to go forward with it :) At any rate, big thanks to Heh303 and Guest for reviewing!