Chapter Sixty Six

It had all but taken a few seconds for his words to sink in. She could already feel her mother's wrath from when they had taken the necklace off in the first place. The same scientists that had been experimenting on her had been running the same experiments on the necklace itself. They wanted to see what sort of energy it contained, and how Nadia was capable of communicating with her. Her fists clenched with rage at the thought of what they had done. Not only to her, but to her people as well.

The Black Knights were a terrible organization that viewed anyone with powers as nothing more than a dangerous individual. Ada had quickly learned over time that not everyone with powers was a danger to the world. Some people wanted to eek out a living in the cruel world they were born to. Others wanted to help people with their powers, much like herself. She knew in the back of her mind that people like the Black Knights couldn't be convinced otherwise. But hurting those with powers, to the point of killing them, was wrong.

Her shoulders were trembling as she felt any ounce of control slip away. Nadia's mind was already beyond recognition after what the Black Knights had done to her family. Her mother was hellbent on tearing the compound apart. Nadia planned on destroying what the Black Knights had created, and anyone who stood in her way. The thought left Ada trembling with fear and dread as she realized too late what was happening.

By now, Emmett had stepped back with a wide smirk as he saw his work unfold. Even he had no idea what sort of monster he'd unleashed. His triumphant smirk quickly faded when he saw the fury dancing across her eyes when she glared daggers at him. She almost smirked herself when she felt a pool of energy flood through her. The powers that had long-since remained dormant were slowly returning at full-force. He and the rest of his people were about to discover why she had to maintain control over her emotions.

Nadia glared at Emmett as she allowed a wave of energy to release itself from the palm of her hands. He wasn't given the chance to escape her wrath when he suddenly flew into a wall from the shockwave of her attack. The walls around her had already begun to crumble from the powerful force. Once she was certain that Emmett wouldn't return, she turned her attention to the guards and scientists rushing around her for protection. They were only just beginning to realize the mistake they made in allowing her to live.

"This is the kind of power we have dreamed of containing for ourselves!" Hatred for Nathaniel and everything he stood for suddenly surged through her when he shouted that. Nadia whirled around in time to see him standing outside one of the labs with the door wide open. She had been hearing everything they said during her time locked away in the containment field they used to surround the necklace. The worst part was, he and the others had been trying to figure out how to harness her power and use it against the world. They were hypocrites at the very least. "Imagine what would happen if we unleashed your powers against the world?"

"They along with the rest of your followers deserve to burn at my hands," Nadia spat back. Her voice trembled with emotions as she glared at him coldly. Nathaniel finally seemed to register what she was implying when she said the rest of his followers. "This world has done nothing but stand by and watch as your kind slaughtered my people!"

"Then by all means, please destroy the world," Nathaniel replied after recovering from his initial shock. Nadia narrowed her eyes as she wondered where he was getting at with his statement. She knew she was fully capable of doing just that. The people of this world wouldn't have cared if she tore this compound and anyone within apart. "What have we to gain from your destructive nature? The world will never accept your daughter after this."

That was enough to stop Nadia in her tracks. She froze at the mention of her daughter. She made so many sacrifices to keep the last of their people alive. Ada had been everything to her. And she was destroying what little chance Ada had at surviving this cruel world. Her fists clenched as realization finally dawned on her. If she managed to destroy this compound and everyone within it, they would only see her daughter as nothing more than a monster. And she knew that she couldn't convince Ada of how much these people deserved their own demise.

A small part of her mind was already aware of the weapons that some of the guards had arrived with when Nathaniel began making a breakthrough. But the moment was shattered when they all heard an alarm go off. Nathaniel flinched when she fired a blast of energy in his direction, and in the direction of the guards that tried subduing her. Any chances he had at calming her down had been destroyed the security alarm went off.

…

To everyone's surprise, the compound was already a mess when they showed up. Tony frowned at the sight as he flew from one hall to the next. The walls looked as if they were about to cave in. Cracks could be made out as the foundation began to give in. The energy source from earlier seemed to diminish, and he suspected that had something to do with Ada. Whatever thoughts had clouded his mind were suddenly pushed aside as worry clouded them.

Anything could have happened to Ada at that point. It had been only a few days since they began searching for her, but anyone could have taken advantage of her at that point. The thought sent a shiver of rage through him. If the assholes had done anything to hurt her, he wasn't going to forgive himself. Especially since she hadn't done anything to deserve such treatment. All she ever tried doing was helping people, even at the expense of her safety.

"The energy level came from this location," he huffed after landing when another piece of cement hit the top of his suit.

The others had split off into different locations, with Bruce waiting outside until they needed him. Or the Hulk. Tony was hoping to avoid using the big green guy unless it was absolutely necessary, and Bruce had agreed with him fullheartedly on that notion. The compound had already suffered serious damage as it was. The Hulk would more than likely tear down the compound if he saw what the Black Knights had done, or he would cause worse destruction.

"Yeah… there might be a reason for that."

Tony stiffened at the sound of Clint's voice. He turned in time to feel the suit get tossed into a wall, causing it to crack and crumble from the force of the throw. He half-expected to feel a piece of cement hit him square in the helmet, but instead, it was raw energy.

"What the hell?" He sat up and tried brushing off the dirt that now covered the suit, only to find a familiar figure standing near the end of the hallway. "Ada?"

His shoulders sagged in relief when he realized the figure was indeed Ada. Only something about her seemed off when he got a closer look. Tony stiffened once again upon noticing that the necklace she usually wore was glowing. Along with her eyes. Fear threatened to worm its way into his heart when he realized that something was wrong with her. He hadn't seen Ada glare at him that way since they began seeing eye to eye.

"Ada… come on kiddo, snap out of it."

Though he tried making himself look less threatening, he knew he was failing miserably. Ada just glared at him as he dropped his guard. Natasha and Clint were on either side of him, with Steve clutching his shield. The concern written across his face was sickeningly touching.

"You all deserve to suffer for what has happened."

All of them exchanged looks of surprise at the voice that spoke. It sounded deeper and older than Ada's voice. And in a split second, Tony registered who was speaking. Carefully, Natasha took a step forward with her stingers still raised and ready to fire in case whoever was in control tried fighting back. Though it looked as if Ada was trying to restrain whoever was controlling her. Tony silently willed her to keep fighting and regain control, somehow. He suspected that all of the stress from what the assholes had done to her was what led to losing control in the first place.

"You're Nadia, aren't you?" Natasha asked this time.

"I am indeed her mother," Nadia replied without missing a beat. She hadn't dropped her composure, but at least she wasn't hurting anyone at the moment. "And I will do whatever it takes to keep my daughter, and the last of our people safe."

Tony felt his mind trying to come up with some excuse for Nadia to release her hold on Ada. They needed to get out of this place before the cops showed up. Or worse, SHIELD. He knew Ada was going to regret what her mother had done in her place, and it would take time for her to recover from whatever these assholes had done to her. To make matters worse, he felt guilty for allowing this to happen in the first place. None of this bullshit would have happened if he had kept a careful eye on Ada like he promised.

"So will we."

Nadia just rolled her eyes in Steve's direction when he spoke up.

"Were you there for her when she was captured?" she retorted.

The silence that followed just made everything that much more awkward. As much as Tony hated to admit it, Nadia did make a valid point. They hadn't been around at the time to protect her. But Ada was stubborn. Too stubborn for his liking. She would have given herself up just to keep everyone else in the city safe. She wouldn't have wanted anyone else to suffer at the hands of these assholes, especially after what they had done already to her people.

"No, we weren't," he replied after frowning.

"But that doesn't mean we aren't there for her now," Steve quickly put in. Tony threw the Super Soldier a warning look as he lowered his shield. "You're not going to hurt us. She wouldn't allow it."

It didn't take Tony long to realize what Steve was planning. Ada cared too much to allow herself to hurt them. At least, not on purpose. He had been hoping they could talk some sense into Nadia. The woman's wrath was entirely deserved after what the assholes had done to her.

"If you truly believe that, then you have made a poor judgement."

Before anyone else could speak up, she suddenly fired a blast of energy that sent everyone flying in different directions. Tony bit back a groan as he hit the wall at full force. Despite the protection he had from the suit, he could still feel the pain of being jostled around like a ragdoll. He knew the moment Nadia fired back was when they needed to pull off every trick in the book. She wasn't going to back down any time soon. Not while she was in full control.

…

Everything was a wild blur around her. Ada could feel every movement she made as she wandered aimlessly down the extensive halls. The walls around her were beginning to crack from the amount of energy she was giving off. Her mind continued churning with angry thoughts that weren't her own. Violent images of innocent people who were slaughtered needlessly kept sweeping past her vision. She knew that these were all of Nadia's memories. She could see everything that her people suffered from. Even her own mother, who made so many sacrifices, had suffered at the hands of the Black Knights. She realized with a start that taking them down would be more than satisfying.

But I'm not going to take them down like this, she snapped silently. I'm not going to turn into the thing they fear and hate the most!

'These people deserve to burn for what they have done,' Nadia fired back with equal anger. 'I will not allow them to get away with the pain they have caused us for centuries.'

But they aren't the reason we're here in the first place! Ada retorted. Her heart lurched with horror when she heard familiar voices ringing in the distance. She recognized the team. Though Banner and Thor weren't among them, she could see Clint, Natasha, Steve and Tony surrounding her. They were trying to protect the base and the town around it from her, and that left her mind reeling with horror. The people outside of this compound never asked to be part of this violence! And neither did the team!

She hated not being in full control of her body. Nadia had somehow taken over the moment Emmett unleashed her fury and put the necklace on. Ada had no doubt this was the kind of reaction he had been hoping for when he found her. But he like the others could have been killed by her mother. As much as Ada hated to admit it, the last thing she wanted was to kill anyone.

'They will inevitably betray us like everyone else has!' her mother cried out.

Ada flinched at the tone of Nadia's voice. She wanted nothing more than to take back what her mother had taken. She could only watch on in horror as her mother unleashed a wave of energy upon the team. The worst part was watching as Tony was sent flying into a wall, crashing into a pile of debris nearby. Steve had lowered his shield in the attempt of calming her mother, but even that didn't work. Guilt stabbed her in the chest when she saw the damage Nadia was causing. All of this could have easily been stopped if she was somehow able to convince her mother to let go. Yet Ada doubted that was going to happen, especially when she felt her mother's wrath as her own.

You have to stop this, please, she all but begged for her mother to restrain herself.

"Nadia!" Ada froze at the sound of Nathanial's voice. The asshole had somehow survived the massive pulse of energy her mother unleashed earlier. But he hadn't survived unscathed. Her eyes narrowed when she noticed that fresh blood seeped from a wound that was likely inflicted from flying cement. "You truly are the monster that our people depicted all those centuries ago. I imagine you wish to take your wrath out upon the world by now."

Fury swept through her the moment he said that. Ada's fists clenched as she stalked towards him. He didn't even flinch when she began closing the distance between them. But she stopped in her tracks the moment a shield came flying between them.

"That's enough!" Steve's voice sounded through the chaos. Ada looked in his direction, and she couldn't help but flinch once again as she saw the look written across his face. Though he tried hiding it, this was the last thing he wanted for either of them. Ada's mind was already spinning with dread at the thought of having to hurt anyone else, but her mother wouldn't allow them to get out of this alive. "If you kill him, you'll be no better than the rest of them."

Her heart nearly skipped a beat as Ada realized who he was talking to. The heaviness from earlier suddenly felt as if it lifted for a brief moment. She felt as if she was somewhat in control of her movements. But as her eyes met Steve's, she saw nothing but cold reality within them. Her heart sank at the thought of what would happen if she stooped down to their level. Her people had already suffered enough because of the Black Knights. Yet she was no better than the rest of them if she destroyed this compound, and everyone within it.

He was right. She didn't want to admit it out loud, but he was right. She would turn into the very thing the Black Knights and everyone else feared the most. And in that moment, she knew she had to fight back. She couldn't allow Nadia to kill this man, even if that was what he deserved.

"You have to shoot me," she finally managed to use her own voice.

Steve blinked a few times when he realized that she was talking, not her mother.

"What?" he frowned in confusion.

"Steve, you have to shoot me… it's the only way to stop her," she snapped.

A shiver swept through her as she felt Nadia struggling to regain control. She could see Nathanial in the background trying to get her attention. If she killed him now, she would never forgive herself. Steve's brows furrowed together as he lowered his shield and looked at her cautiously.

"How do I know whether or not I'm talking to Ada, or to Nadia?" he demanded.

Ada's face fell at his question. She understood why he was concerned and confused over who he was talking to. But it still hurt to know that he questioned her in the first place. She forced herself to lower her arms, despite Nadia fighting her every move. It took every ounce of effort not to allow Nadia's control to take over once more. She needed to prove to him that he was speaking to her, and not to her mother. Anything was better than allowing Nadia to kill.

"Because, I don't want to be seen as a monster… I don't want to hurt anyone else," she whispered.

The Super Soldier hesitated for a moment. He wanted to say something, but the words never came. His mouth fell open for a brief moment, and then it quickly clamped shut as he realized what she was implying. Ada couldn't help but cringe when she watched him mentally debate with the idea of shooting her. She knew it wasn't a request that people normally made, but something had to be done before Nadia regained control.

"How sentimental," Nathanial spoke up once again after clapping his hands to cut through the tense silence. Ada only glared at him as he straightened up to gain their attention. "If I didn't know any better, I would think that you actually cared about the soldier, along with myself."

That was all it took for Nadia to regain control, "You along with the rest of your followers will burn!"

No, don't! Ada's heart raced with dread when Nadia unleashed another wave of energy, this one more powerful than the rest. The surge was powerful enough to knock Nathanial off his feet, sending him flying into a nearby pile of debris. Nadia didn't give him a chance to recover from her attack. She ran towards him after the blast sent Steve flying in the opposite direction. She could feel the energy building within her as the drugs finally began to wear off.

The power she felt was raw and terrifying. Nathanial's face finally paled as he realized what she was about to do. A slab of cement was cut off from one of the walls, and it began forming into a spear. Panic soon began sweeping through Ada as she realized what her mother was about to do. Her heart had all but began racing with dread at the thought of killing him. As much as she hated the asshole for everything he had done, she wasn't going to kill him. Not if she could help it.

Nadia, stop!

The spear was about to fly in Nathanial's direction when a piercing gunshot resounded. Ada's heart all but skipped a beat as she heard the sound thundering in her ears. She glanced over her shoulder in time to see that Natasha was the one who fired the gun. And she was prepared to fire again if she needed to.

"I'm sorry," the master assassin whispered.

It took a few seconds for Ada to register why she was apologizing. Then black spots began appearing along the edge of her vision. The spear that had been hovering in front of Nathanial suddenly dropped into a pile of debris. She could feel her mother's rage still trying to control her. But the gunshot wound was too much. It wasn't long before her mother's voice faded into the distance. And soon, her vision began to give out along with her legs.