Chapter Sixty Five

She had lost track time of how long she was stuck in that room. The scientists would inject her with a serum that knocked her out. When she woke up, she found herself in another room where other men would commit acts of torture that would pry information out of her. All the while, Ada managed to keep herself from spilling any secrets. Her whole body had begun to burn and ache from their treatment. Since the scientists injected her with their drugs, they compromised her healing abilities. Her back was covered in scars from where they had lashed out at her. Her legs hurt from standing for so long that they would simply give out on her.

The only thing she did know was that she had been in the facility long enough for them to torture her. She was there long enough to realize that she was on her own. The only consolation she had was that she had been trained to deal with whatever the world threw at her. She knew she wouldn't have lasted as long as she had if it wasn't for her SHIELD training.

The drugs they had used on her had dulled her healing abilities, which meant that they could inflict whatever injuries they wanted on her, and they would scar over. A shiver of unease swept through her at the thought of going through this alone. She'd heard enough horror stories of SHIELD agents who were captured and suffered from their captivity. Most of them hadn't survived their ordeals, and others ended up betraying the agency.

Ada began wandering aimlessly down what appeared to be an empty hall. Her mind felt incredibly foggy as she tried to recall how she ended up there in the first place. The last thing she could remember was blacking out after those assholes had cut marks into her wrists before they injected another drug. The pain she felt from those cuts had been nothing compared to the dull throbbing in the back of her head. It felt like a horrible hangover that refused to go away.

She tried casting whatever doubts clouded her mind at the moment.

The dim walls that surrounded her were tall and imposing. It seemed that there was no end to the path that loomed ahead. Ada narrowed her eyes as she continued walking forward. Her movement was slow enough to begin with, but the pain caused from standing for so long only made it that much worse.

She hated it. She hated everything about this damned place and what these people were doing. The only reason they had kept her alive for as long as they did was because they wanted to study her. Like she was some kind of subject that needed to be tested before they had enough of her.

And here I thought that day would never come, she thought bitterly. SHIELD used to run several tests to see the extent of her powers and whether or not she was a threat. But in the end, Director Fury had finally convinced the Council that she wasn't. It had taken time for them to realize that she didn't plan on hurting anyone unless it was necessary. And even then, she lived with the guilt of what she had done to Emmett and countless others, even when they deserved it.

Swallowing hard, Ada blinked a few times when she noticed a dim light glowing in the darkness. It was only a few feet in front of her, but it seemed far enough away that she wasn't in any hurry to follow it. Yet, something urged her to move forward.

It was painfully slow trying to reach the light in question. As she got closer, it seemed to glow brighter with each passing second. By the time she finally reached the source of the light, it was nearly blinding. She had to squint her eyes in order to see what the object was.

Ada frowned when she noticed that it was a stone-like object. The stone itself was tiny, small enough to be a pebble. What really caught her attention was the strange energy pulse it seemed to give off. Her heart was racing when she slowly reached out. The space around the stone was distorted. When she did reach out, it suddenly stopped glowing. Confusion swept through her the moment the stone stopped hovering and landed into her hand.

A shiver swept through her when the space around her suddenly returned to normal. Once the stone stopped glowing, it was as if that had triggered an alarm. Seconds later, and the room around her slowly began to change.

By the time she finally began to register that a sharp pain was digging into her neck, the hallway was replaced with an all-too-familiar room. Ada bit back a groan when she suddenly found herself back in the room where those scientists had been running their experiments. The pain was from a needle syringe they pierced her skin with, along with whatever drug was inside.

"I was wondering if you would finally wake up." Ada glared at the first scientist that spoke up. The cruel smirk written across his face only aggravated her further. She desperately wished there was a way out of her restraints – the problem was, she wasn't even sure if she could fight back once she was free. Whatever drug they used had left her feeling helplessly powerless, and she hated every second of it. "You certainly have quite a burning spirit within you… unlike the others before you. It is a shame that they couldn't survive whatever drugs we injected into their system. They made fine experiments."

Ada only glared at the man when she realized what he was implying.

They've taken more of my kind? she wondered. Her mind was already beginning to churn with anxiety as she wondered how many others had suffered before her. She could only imagine what sort of horrors they had faced before meeting their cruel demise. The worst part was, these assholes were only justifying a reason for her people to hate them.

"So that's the only reason you've kept me alive?" she asked. She struggled to swallow the lump forming in her throat when the scientist threw her an icy glare. "To experiment on me and make sure there aren't any others?"

The scientist chuckled and shook his head dismissively, "We have made it perfectly clear that you are the last of your kind. But… it would be such a waste to miss out on the opportunity you have presented us. I have been curious as to where your powers come from, and how your mother was able to communicate with you."

It took everything she had not to spit at the asshole's face when he mentioned her mother. Ada knew full well that doing so wouldn't get her anywhere. The scientist was fully prepared to do whatever it took to inflict any damage he could, and to make her life a living hell.

She needed to remind herself to thank SHIELD for preparing her for moments like these. All of the training she had received was paying off so far. And that only seemed to fuel their frustration. She knew the longer she held out in giving information or adding to the satisfaction of showing pain, the worse their treatment would get.

"I am willing to do whatever it takes to keep this world safe from the likes of your kind," the scientist sneered back. A shiver of anger swept through her when she caught the steely-eyed look the scientist was giving her when he reached for an iPad. "People who are born with the kind of powers that yours are born with do not belong in this world. And once we figure out how to dispose of your kind properly, we can finish the job with the mutants and other enhanced beings."

For the first time since finding out about the Black Knights, realization finally dawned on Ada. It wasn't just her people these assholes planned on eradicating. Her heart sank as she thought of the countless innocent mutants who had been hunted down just for being different. Some learned how to hide their abilities, but there were others who simply couldn't hide what they were, and because of that, they were often mistreated.

"You're not going to get away with this bullshit," she spat.

"We already have," he retorted while shaking his head in mock disgust, "And we shall continue for years to come, until the world is safe from those with powers."

…

The search felt as if it had lasted for weeks, when in reality, it was only a few hours. The team dispersed into smaller groups once more to see if they could find any leads regarding the Black Knights. Few people knew about the organization that was hell-bent on destroying anyone with enhanced powers, or those who weren't from this world. Those who did know about the organization were usually so terrified to speak out that they simply refused to talk.

"It's like looking for a needle in the haystack," Clint sighed irritably through the earpiece.

By now, everyone was getting wary from spending so long looking in the same place. The search had finally begun to disperse in wider areas. The longer it took for them to look for her, the worse condition she was going to be in once they did find her. That thought alone was enough for Tony to put on an extra burst of determination in his search. He wasn't going to let whoever took Ada get away with hurting her. Not after everything they'd been through already.

"I've got a lead."

Tony's heart nearly skipped a beat when Natasha made that announcement. A lead was better than going blindly into something that could end in miserable failure. Especially since SHIELD had next to nothing in their database.

"What've you got?" Steve asked warily.

"They have a stronghold in a small town outside Winchester," the redhead explained. "An officer reported seeing a large convey of trucks headed towards a large warehouse that had been abandoned until a few years ago."

For the first time since they started what felt like a helpless search, Tony felt a small spark of hope. It wasn't much to go by, but if the Black Knights were keeping a stronghold in Winchester, it wasn't too far from their location. It also meant that Ada had to be there.

"We need to regroup outside the city," he sighed in relief.

The others looked at him skeptically when Jarvis suddenly sent him an alert, 'Sir, I've picked up an unusually high energy level reading within Winchester.'

All of them looked at one another in surprise when he had Jarvis repeat that out loud. If his theory about Ada's powers were true, than it was possible she was the one giving off those energy readings. Either way, they had something to go by. And Tony was more determined now than ever to find the assholes responsible for this mess.

…

"The readings we've received are quite remarkable," one of the scientists muttered while looking at the scans sitting next to her. Ada had to bite back a nasty retort while trying to ignore the steady pain that ran down her arms and legs. Whatever drugs they'd injected her with were causing a massive amount of energy to surge through her. Though she couldn't use her powers, she could tell that they were threatening to overwhelm her. The scientist had smirked with cruel amusement as he watched her struggle against the restraints holding her down. She hated feeling so helpless against the asshole in question. "Not only were you able to surpass our most potent drug, but it seems they've given you a boost in energy. Most people would be dead by now… including your own kind."

"Just be thankful I don't have the energy to throttle you, asshole," she snapped without missing a beat.

The scientist merely tsked his tongue while feigning hurt. She knew damn well that the scientist wouldn't hesitate to kill her if he was given the order. The only reason they had kept her alive for this long was because they felt like it. And that annoyed her more than anything else. She would have rather died right away than suffer at their hands.

"I am impressed with how much spirit you have, considering how often we've tried to break you," he shook his head in grim amusement. "Today, that all ends."

Ada narrowed her eyes with hate as the scientist reached for a syringe sitting on his desk. She didn't miss the look of glee dancing within his eyes. He enjoyed every minute of this, especially since he knew she didn't have the power or the ability to fight back. Yet, at least. The moment she felt those drugs wear off was when she would find some way of kicking their asses. These bastards were going to pay for everything they had done.

She was ready to spit something else when she noticed something in her pocket was glowing. The scientist hardly had time to react as a sudden surge of energy split the air. The energy surge was powerful enough that it sent the scientist in question flying into a wall, hitting the cold cement with a sickening crack. Ada winced at the sound, knowing full-well that a throw that forceful could easily kill someone. She didn't have time to dwell on it though as the glowing suddenly intensified.

Her heart raced with dread when she tried reaching for the object in question. Because her hands were still strapped to the exam table, she could hardly move them. Instead, Ada was forced to watch as the object glowed brightly enough that it nearly blinded her. The second she closed her eyes was when she felt an odd sensation.

A shiver of unease swept through Ada when she opened her eyes again, only to find herself in an unfamiliar hallway. Ada blinked a few times as she tried to get her bearings. She could hear shouting in the background as an alarm went off, telling her that she was still somewhere in their base. Shaking her head at the thought, she carefully felt around her pocket for whatever had been glowing. Her eyes widened in disbelief when she noticed that it was the same stone fragment she had seen in her dreams.

How the hell did I end up getting this thing? she wondered. As far as she was concerned, that had only been a dream. But the stone had obviously been in her pocket, or else she wouldn't be able to feel it. Stranger still was the fact that it seemed to be the source of the glowing in her pocket. She could feel the raw energy pulsating from the stone, but it was already beginning to dim. Whatever had caused that source of energy, she silently thanked it.

The restraints were no longer holding her down, and that gave her the perfect opportunity to find her belongings. The Black Knights couldn't have been keeping her necklace or her phone far. Anything else could easily be replaced since she just brought clothing with her, but the necklace had been her main priority.

It's the only connection I have with my mother, she reminded herself silently as she ran down the hall. Any Knight that came across her soon learned the hard way that she wasn't an easy target, even without her powers. All the training Natasha and Clint had given her was kicking in as she resorted to self-defense. Good thing I know I can rely on more than just my powers.

She frowned when she finally reached a pair of double-doors that were more secured than the others. In a split second, she realized that was where they were keeping her necklace. She knew that they had been trying to run research on it. The scientists had been talking about trying to figure out how her mother was able to communicate with her, even though she had was long dead. Her mother had already tried explaining the process, but even that wasn't much to go by.

Ada inspected the security system warily. It looked easy enough to hack into. But she knew that she would need a pass key to get through. That meant finding a Black Knight who was carrying said key. And she realized with a start that that task was easier said than done.

"I'm afraid you won't be going anywhere, Miss Stark." Ada stiffened at the sound of an all-too-familiar voice. She whirled around in time to see a familiar looking young man standing behind her. Her eyes narrowed with fury as he smirked in amusement. "I would have thought that you would be happy to see me. After all, it's been so long since we've last spoken to one another."

"Fuck off," she shouted back.

Emmett's mouth twisted in the beginning of a wide grin. Despite the damage she had caused during her attack nearly four years ago, he looked better than she expected. She had to guess that surgery had done him wonders, despite the amount that must have cost him and his father.

"I was rather hoping for a better response than that," he shook his head in disappointment. The mocking of his tone was what really made her blood boil with rage. "When my father told me that they were bringing you in, I was looking forward to getting the chance to talk. Especially after we left under such unfortunate circumstances."

"You mean after the way you decided to betray me and I nearly cracked your skull?" she retorted. Her hands balled into fists as Emmett merely cocked his head to one side. "I haven't quite gotten over the fact that you were a complete asshole who broke my heart."

Along with numerous other accounts I'm not going to mention out loud, she added silently.

"Yes… that was a rather unfortunate setback," he admitted with a shrug. "But I've long-since realized that my father has been right about your people all this time. You would be rather surprised and disturbed at what we have discovered through that necklace of yours. Your people are quite infamous for destroying entire villages for the sake of bloodshed. And I have no doubt you will share similar qualities to that of your tyrant mother."

Her heart nearly skipped a beat when he suddenly reached for something in his pocket. She instinctively tried raising her fists in self-defense when Emmett lifted a golden chain from his pocket, revealing her mother's necklace.

"What the hell are you doing?" she demanded when he slowly approached her.

"Something that should have been done long ago," he replied, his voice dropping to a whisper when he closed the distance between them. Before Ada could make sense of that, he suddenly grabbed hold of her wrists to keep her from lashing out. She stood frozen on the spot as he returned the necklace, his smirk never fading. What he did after that sent her over the edge. "I'm going to expose you to the world, and show everyone that you truly are a monster."

AN: So in case anyone hasn't figured it out yet, the stone fragment she found will be explained later on. Though I have a feeling that if anyone is reading this, they'll be able to figure out what it is, and what this means for future chapters ;) At any rate, hopefully this wasn't too rushed. I am planning on writing a series of one-shots revolving around Ada and her early SHIELD days, along with interactions between her and everyone mentioned in this story. I'm hoping to get it posted by the end of August at the very earliest. I also wanted to thank Rowena Moose for reviewing! Remember, reviews help motivate me to keep writing!

Rowena Moose - We'll see what happens in the next chapter...