Hello friends. :D There has been an important edit to the first chapter on details for the story!
There is also a Discord for this story! If you want the invite early, send me a PM! Otherwise, from now on, the invite will be included at the bottom AN just above the 'Next Time' segment.
A few days had gone by since Faulers' visit to the Compound, and since then, the atmosphere in the building had been mounting in tension as the team of superheroes waited for the other side to make a move. They all tried to go about pretending everything was business as normal, but there was a caution to everything they did that spoke of their apprehension of the coming days. It wouldn't be remiss to see them looking out the windows when they passed one, checking their surroundings when they moved to new spaces, keeping some form of protection on them at all times. Needless to say the wait had started to make them a tad paranoid
They'd fallen into a subconscious routine without ever really speaking of it. They'd take turns checking and double checking everything, validating the defenses, what they had to work with, any minuscule update on their surroundings. During the silence, they'd all at some point read everything the files had to offer to glean as much information on the imminent threat as they could so they'd be able to best neutralize Weaver. Part of their edginess was caused by anger at HYDRA for everything they'd read, and while most had sworn off killing, even they were feeling the blood-lust. Those who'd had similar experiences were feeling especially vengeful, and they could catch glimpses of Natasha spending more time in the firing range than usual, Bucky began spending more late nights in the gym demolishing punching bags, and Vision had done his best to distract Wanda from thinking about her own time with the organization. Steve and Sam had gone on more runs, Tony had spent an awfully long time down in his lab, Scott and Clint had gone to check on their families (needing to verify their safety after they'd perused the files), Rhodey had called and taken some of his saved PTO hours off, Bruce had been preparing medical supplies, T'Challa had Shuri on stand-by monitoring the Compound's systems, and Fury had disappeared for a time to see if Agents Kahale and Last were gone or not, as well as getting Agent Faulers sent back to another mission. However, knowing what was coming, any who did leave the building didn't do it for long, not willing to take the risk of the lurking assassin suddenly catching them off-guard on their own and taking them out.
It was almost April, and the vibrant blossoms on the surroundings trees seemed too cheery for the Compound's sudden change of disposition. Most of the civilians and SHIELD agents there didn't notice much of a change from the Avengers, other than that they seemed more paranoid than they had in a while. The day of March 25th saw most of the superheroes relaxing (of which was mostly just trying to distract themselves from getting too trigger-happy) in the common rooms, playing cards, video games, and reading. That was where Pepper found her boyfriend, sitting on the couch watching a match on the TV between Scott and Clint, and she brushed her hair back before stopping near Tony. "I didn't know you could be so domestic without me," she quipped dryly, though her smile betrayed the sarcasm.
The man in question jerked suddenly, spinning and placing a hand on his chest over the portable reactor there. "Jesus, Pep, you scared me."
At that, the SI CEO frowned. "Didn't FRIDAY tell you I was coming?"
Tony pulled up a nearby interface and checked the notifications, and seeing that his AI had indeed tried to warn him, he scrubbed a palm down his face and made sure FRIDAY was unmuted once again. "I forgot I muted her earlier to take a small nap," he muttered, feeling just as tired as he looked.
Pepper sat next to Tony, taking one of his hands in her own. "You haven't been staying up late in the lab while I was taking care of SI business overseas, were you?"
The man rolled his eyes. "Just one particularly restless night. I've been too jittery to stay in one place long."
"We all have." Sam commented from a nearby armchair, flipping the page of his book. "Then again, that's to be expected when we're waiting to be attacked in our own home by a master assassin."
Eyes wide, the woman fixed Stark with a shocked glance. "How did you manage to get an assassin on you in the five days I was gone?!"
Natasha called, "It's just coincidental timing."
T'Challa was on the phone with Shuri, but cupped the receiver to add, "Unfortunate, too."
As the round ended, Scott blinked up from the game, tipping his head slightly to the side. "Now that you know, do you want to be sticking around us?" The ex-con asked, gesturing to the other heroes. "We're the targets, but you're not. We don't know how this is going to turn out and you don't really have a way to protect yourself if you're seen as an obstacle."
Folding her arms, she remarked, "Explain what's going on first, then I'll consider leaving."
Steve paused his sketching and looked up, stretching from the position he'd been in for the past few hours. "Nick had some guys doing a secret mission for him and the one survivor of it came and warned us that a HYDRA asset had been ordered to kill us and gave us all the information on the kid so we could hopefully succeed in capturing and rescuing him."
Blinking, Pepper queried, "I'm sorry, 'kid'?" she turned to look at the heroes, a feeling of dread building in her stomach. "Does HYDRA have a kid doing their dirty work?"
"As far as the agent was able to conclude, the assassin would've been no older than eighteen and no younger than fourteen." Wanda chipped in, moving away from the game of Go Fish she was teaching Vision, her expression dark. "But we won't know for sure unless we're able to come out of this victorious."
The CEO spotted Nick in the corner, and staring at the man, she began to ask, "Did you know-", but was cut off by a sudden, sharp blare in the room that made everyone jump.
"Foreign presence detected!" FRIDAY called.
Tony stood and everyone around the room followed suit, most instantly arming themselves. "FRIDAY, activate Lockdown Protocols-"
"Boss, I-I'm be-eing ove-r-r-rid-d-" The AI began, but suddenly cut off as the building was plunged into darkness, the emergency generators kicking on and casting an ominous glow over the entire facility. T'Challa quickly told Shuri to see if she could get FRIDAY on again before ending the call and pocketing the phone.
There was only the faintest flicker before the room was plunged into sudden chaos.
It had been harder than anything else the young mutant had been tasked to hack into before, that was for certain. The assassin had been around the facility for three days after having determined how far the AI's sensors reached, watching everything that went on with his sharp eyes and keen senses, silent as a hawk and using the trees as his own personal shields. He'd occasionally move to a better vantage point with a silent swing or jump, keeping track of the building that never seemed to sleep, and quickly learning what Peter could only determine was a planned schedule. While the Avengers were his only targets, he'd kept close attention of anyone entering or leaving the facility, seeing who and what would be obstacles.
It wasn't too surprising for the asset to see that, if any of his prey left the building, it was never alone and always within range of Stark's personal AI. He'd admit it was clever, and confirmed his suspicions that they knew he was coming. If they went out together, he wasn't likely to strike; and they never went out if any of the numerous civilians weren't doing something outside already. Plenty of witnesses, little opportunities to safely pull off a hit and get away unscathed. Every morning, after the SHIELD agents started drilling on the damp grass, Captain America and the Falcon would go out for a morning jog around the track, steering clear of anything that could potentially be hiding deadly spiders in their boughs. He had seen Ant-Man and Hawkeye leave twice on their team's personalized jet, going somewhere he didn't know nor cared to follow, since they always returned to the base. When he'd first arrived, he'd caught a glimpse of the former SHIELD director re-entering the building, and the man hadn't left since, so the mutant didn't happen to know where the man had gone and who it had been with; though, remembering what Carmen had told him, Peter could wager he'd gone off to redirect Coin somewhere else. The man would be dimwitted to send the embedded agent back to his prior position, after all.
During the day, he took time between studying the area with his eyes to glancing at anything he could find of the place through quick, cloaked excursions into their systems using his suit's technology and interface. The layout of the building was complex, but not terribly hard for the trained killer to understand (since he'd been trained to deal with worse), and he found that he could never afford to pry too deeply unless he attracted the attention of their AI, who, after doing some digging, he found was named Female Replacement Intelligent Digital Assistant Youth, or FRIDAY as an acronym, which quietly confused the teenager, as he didn't really understand the naming choice.
He slowly wove his own code into the system in small fragments, hiding them in places they would go undetected until too late, then verified the work to make sure it would fit his purposes. Then, with a breath, he pulled up the interface on his prosthetic arm and hovered his other hand momentarily over the big Initiate Protocol button. His subconscious made the decision for him in his hesitancy, pressing the button. The instant it was done, the hidden code attacked the system like a virus, overriding everything the building ran on in a clean sweep, though he knew the AI was strong and self-sustaining and the diversion likely wouldn't last long. The facility went dark, and everyone outside paused their activities. He used their distraction to use the cover of the trees to get to the Compound, adhering himself to the walls and climbing noiselessly into the ventilation systems. Then, double-checking where all of the targets were, slithered his way over to the vent entrance of the common room. The lights flickered, and in an instant, he dropped from the cover of the vent and began his assault. All hell broke loose.
As the lights became sturdier and the AI began flickering back to life, a daring battle ensued in the common room. The heroes had been caught off-guard, and so most of them didn't have time to summon their formal gear and were desperately using anything they could get their hands on to keep the dreaded assassin at bay. When FRIDAY booted back up and the lights returned to normal, Tony immediately summoned his armor before ducking out of the way of a thrown knife, feeling the blade nick his ear, before shoving Pepper behind the bar of the kitchen. Raising his head to look above the surface, he saw Bucky and Natasha exchanging blows with the trained killer at incredible speeds, giving everyone else enough time to gather their bearings and get their own equipment fully ready. Clint and Scott were crouched by the couches, the archer's bow now in hand as he notched an arrow, while the ex-con quickly shed his civilian clothing to reveal he'd been intelligently wearing his Ant-Man gear. The clang of something sharp hitting the Vibranium shield of Cap's was followed by a metallic whirring as Rhodey went in to deliver a punch that the kid deftly leaped over, before twisting and using the man as a springboard to kick out at an approaching arrow, snapping the metal shaft with a swift kick of the left foot. A blur of red went sailing towards Weaver, but their head snapped away from where it would've hit, and the kid landed, crouched, on the wall before swinging back into the fray with knives in both hands.
When the Iron Man mask closed in over the billionaire's head, he had FRIDAY assess the situation, and it wasn't looking pretty. Most of them, due to their paranoia, had at least half or more of their gear on their person. The problem was that the enclosed space of the common rooms prevented most of the heroes from using everything in their arsenal. Tony could quickly tell that he and Rhodey wouldn't be able to do anything but throw punches in their respective metal suits, since the repulsors and weapons both of them had stood more of a chance hitting an ally than the dangerously quick enemy. Sam and Bruce were hidden closer to the hallways, since Redwing and the Falcon suit were useless in the fray and they didn't want to risk the Hulk coming out unless it was absolutely necessary. Thanks to his aim, Clint was safely able to fire barrages of arrows, but was quickly running out since they all tended to miss their mark and were promptly destroyed. Tony watched in shock as one of the arrows caught the kid in the left shoulder as he was dodging a joint attack from one of Nat's knives and Steve's shield, and winced when the kid didn't even glance at the offending object before removing it with a quick tug and snapping it as he threw it to the side. The acrid scent of blood in the air told of the wound the assassin didn't even react to.
Scott was darting in and out where he could, shrinking and returning to his normal size again, but with all of the people involved in the melee, he wasn't able to try many punches. The genius could only keep track of the ex-con thanks to FRIDAY, and even then it was hard, but Weaver always seemed to sense when the man was coming and dodge at the last second. He vaguely recalled reading that the kid had enhanced senses and could sense when danger was approaching, and that was when an idea formed. He watched as Vision went in to deal a strike before promptly disappearing when the hit-man drew back, and shock as Wanda tried to hold him in her telekinetic grip before the kid managed to struggle free of it after a swipe from Bucky's prosthetic clipped his right arm, the sound of Vibranium on Vibranium loud and causing the spider mutant to hesitate enough that a cut from Natasha managed to slice a piece from the assassin's mask, a slight stream of blood dripping from the barely exposed chin. T'Challa went to kick at the assassin's feet, hooking them and yanking while the killer was distracted avoiding an attack from Rhodey, but as the lithe figure fell, he managed to snag his hands out on the ground and dexterously kicked towards the king and lieutenant.
"That's it!" Tony called, causing some of the heroes who weren't actively engaged in the battle to look his way. After the initial fright from the original ambush wore off, most of them had fallen into a more battle-worn routine, though most of them were gasping for breath and were now littered in fresh injuries. He winced as he heard one of Natasha's knives break against the prosthetic right arm as she blocked a punch and barely moved out of the way for the limb to graze over her head. "Make noise!"
"What- Of course!" Scott began, before almost hitting himself upside the head barely avoiding a nasty kick. "His enhanced senses!"
"Give it a try!" Steve yelled, before ducking out of the way of a stray throwing star that clipped his calf. He picked the weapon up and began banging it against the shield with the flat end, causing a loud ringing to begin vibrating out of the Vibranium instrument. The others quickly picked up the plan, finding whatever was close at hand and using it to try and create as much noise as possible. FRIDAY also used that to amplify the sounds and added her own to the mix.
The kid tried to fight the noise and power through, but it had clearly thrown him for a loop, since his moves were now more jagged and choppy. After a few seconds, the asset seemed to stop completely, dropping the weapons in his hands in favor of trying to cup his ears, crouched on the ground and trying to escape the cacophonous symphony in the tattered room. At that, things looked hopeful for a few minutes, and since FRIDAY was doing most of it, soon the others stopped as well when they, too, had to cover their own ears to save them from going deaf (though, funnily, Clint simply took his hearing aids out and had an arrow notched and ready to fly, and Tony couldn't help but feel a little jealous the man was already deaf and didn't have to deal with the headache). Noting this, the AI began changing the sound, moving higher in frequency until the sound no longer registered to their ears.
Whatever new noise FRIDAY had changed it to had done something awful to the kid. The killer was now a writhing mass of agony on the ground, seemingly fighting with himself as the input overwhelmed him. The posture had been tensed when the noise first began, but now it was downright feral as Weaver began desperately tearing at whatever was nearby, trying to find the source of the torment and stop it. The sight shocked the heroes into freezing as the mutant began tearing at the mask with an intense fervor, presumably in an attempt to rip his own ears off so the sound could just stop. Seeing the display, Tony unfroze and sucked in a breath as he realized the kid was reverted to primal instincts by the noise and quickly called, "FRIDAY, turn whatever you're doing off." The man then exchanged a look with everyone else, expecting one of them to try and fight against his proposal since it was incapacitating the assassin, but no objection came.
None of them could hear when the sound stopped, but the kid visibly stopped, body shaking and jittery and curled up in a mangled mess of limbs as blood specked the floor from the injuries the asset had inflicted upon themselves. Then, he slowly began to stand, almost as if to fight them again, only to collapse on the ground unconscious. They approached the fallen form, quickly making sure the kid couldn't hurt himself or them if he woke, before they exchanged shell-shocked looks and the others came out of hiding.
"What was that?" Scott asked, scratching his head as the mask slid off. "One minute he's as affected by the noise as we were and the next we couldn't hear a thing and he was a writhing ball."
Bruce leaned over and began to inspect the kid, looking him over. "He's already beginning to heal, but some of these are pretty deep," he murmured, wincing in sympathy as he eyed the torn shreds of mask that now hung limp around the asset's ears.
Natasha asked FRIDAY for the information on Weaver again, swearing she'd seen something like this happen before in one of those files, and finally opened the Test Procedures. She scrolled through it, speed reading, until she noticed a hidden number beside the methods of torture and followed it to a section of the Subject Logs she hadn't seen before. She frowned curiously, reading it, before understanding sparked in her eyes. "They hid some information deep within the files," she remarked, before adding, "According to these, they found an easy method of torture that, in short bursts, would get the asset to accept commands, and in longer droves, would make him go berserk." She clicked her tongue. "They used a dog whistle on him that was designed to be at 30 kilohertz and lowest and 54 kilohertz at highest. No wonder we couldn't hear it."
Steve frowned, glancing up at FRIDAY. "What sound did you use?"
The AI answered, "A frequency above your hearing range at 32 kilohertz so you would not be incapacitated by the change."
Cursing softly, Tony added, "Blacklist any noises above 20 kilohertz from being able to be played, FRIDAY. If we're going to try and rescue the kid, the last thing we want to do is give someone the chance to remind him of his torture."
"Noted, boss."
Clint had put his hearing aids back in when he saw the others were no longer affected by noise and was now crouched next to the assassin, on the other side of Steve and Bruce, and quietly asked, "Do we remove the mask?"
T'Challa folded his arms. "It would only make sense."
Bruce let out a sigh. "I can't assess the full scope of his injuries and if they're healing properly if we don't strip off the costume, and it would probably be better to get him away from all of his equipment," he mused, pinching the bridge of his nose. "It feels like an invasion of privacy, though." He waited a few beats to make sure the asset was still unconscious, before tentatively removing the mask.
A collective breath could be heard from the group as they took in the face of the fourteen year old kid that had been the cause of the team's newly sported injuries, was responsible for thousands of deaths, and happened to be HYDRA's most precious asset. A sick feeling twisted in Tony's stomach as he took in the bedraggled teen's face. There were permanent bags under the sunken eyes, and the kid's nose was crooked from one too many broken noses. The pale flesh was littered in scars from the various scrapes and fights the assassin had endured, and blood was scattered across Weaver's face from where the fresh wounds had bled and spread the dark liquid inside of the mask.
Looking at the face, lax with unconsciousness, Tony almost could've believed the kid was an innocent high-schooler if not for the remnants of injuries long past painting the resting facade, acting as the only remnants of the child's unfortunate upbringing. He didn't see a killer in the slumped form, suddenly much smaller and holding none of the former intimidation he possessed in consciousness, and he held no indicator of the carefully crafted weapon HYDRA had spent the last ten and a half years molding. The billionaire couldn't help the misery that raced through his heart at the thought that someone so young shouldn't be in such a position. With that misery came a bolt of anger directed at the assholes that had ripped Weaver from a normal life that all humans should've been entitled to. Did the kid even remember a life outside of what HYDRA put him through? Tony didn't know, but if he hadn't, he prayed to whatever gods were listening that the kid could be rescued from the brink and given the chance to live even a fragment of the life the assassin should've had had HYDRA not interfered.
Natasha snapped out of it quicker than the rest, gently nudging Clint and getting the archer to help her lift the limp, bedraggled form, and they quietly moved him to the Med Bay, Bruce following suit. Watching the three move away seemed to break the rest out of their stupor, and Tony swallowed around the knot that had formed in his throat. "A kid..." he said just above a whisper, slowly shaking his head. "We were told he was in the range, but seeing it is nothing like hearing of it."
Wanda was being held by Vision as the girl's knees grew weak, reminded of her and Pietro's time under HYDRA's care. Bucky was no better, barely keeping it together, fists clenched so tightly that his prosthetic was slowly groaning under the pressure and his flesh hand's knuckles were white. Pepper was shaking and Tony reached a jittery hand over to comfort his girlfriend. T'Challa's jaw was tightly clenched as he imagined Shuri, who was around that age, in Peter's position, and Scott was thinking the same, which is why he was quickly following Natasha and Clint out. Without a real conscious decision, the others all trickled out after their captured attacker, all wondering the same thing; was there a chance they could save the kid, or was it too late? They supposed they were going to find out.
He resurfaced to consciousness slowly, and immediately knew something was off. He'd been in the same room every day for the past ten and a half years, and was so accustomed to the space that he could detect the slightest change in air currents that would determine what time of day it was based on the ventilation systems attached to the room. It always had the same smell, even if there was food, and the light level never changed. As soon as his senses were able to start working again, every difference this new place posed were immediately clear before he even opened his eyes. He felt bandages encasing parts of his flesh and the sting of still-healing wounds underneath them, and the lack of cloth covering his flesh hand and foot, as well as arms and legs told him he was wearing a baggy shirt and sweatpants instead of his uniform. That in itself was enough to make him unnerved, but he carefully kept his breathing even so he could determine what else was different.
Several new scents were filling the area, though the most prominent was one he hadn't smelled in a long time and almost made his stomach churn in nausea at the acrid smell of disinfectant that came from clean hospital rooms. Mixed among it were scents that smelled of the outside world; wood oil, motor oil, chemicals, some herbs, and other scents he had trouble identifying. However, he knew who they belonged to; while fighting them, their different smells had been a little disorienting to his sensitive nose, and now he could identify which smell went to who. Distinctive heartbeats accompanied his captors and the murmur of voices crept into his thoughts. "...vitals are holding good, from what perimeters I was able to glean from the Medical Records." a voice stated, a nervous inflection in the tone.
"That's good to hear." An authoritative voice remarked, relief oozing from the four words.
A person shifted to one side, and from the adjustment, he could garner the person had been perched on a seat arm that sounded like it was made of leather. "...so, what do you think?" a soft, feminine voice asked, dripping with worry.
His senses flared and he felt the same prickling energy from earlier in the fight when Scarlet Witch was using her magic, and the sensation of the foreign substance flowing over him sent his survival instincts flying. The woman began, "He's awa-" before his body jerked active to try and fight off the invading presence. His limbs banged against the restraints that were shackling him to the bed, feeling his prosthetic scrape against the vibranium binds. Raw panic at the sensation he hadn't felt before that day, since he'd never had a magical opponent, burned in his blood as he desperately tried using his prosthetics to contest against the binds. His captors were panicked, now, trying to calm him down, and in his startled state he finally used enough strength to have his left foot and right arm snap free of the binds, since the only thing strong enough to break vibranium was vibranium. Before he could go much further, though, he felt the same magical sensation again and hands on him, and Peter tried fighting against the forces pressing on him. However, this time, the presence of the magic was entering his mind, exuding feelings of calm as best as it could, and though he felt absolutely terrified about the prying (and it brought back some bad memories), he felt his racing heart calm with Scarlet Witch's powers doing their job.
Once he could think straight enough again, he instantly schooled his expression, forcing himself to reveal nothing more of the panic he'd been in moments before and desperately hoping this newfound weakness wouldn't lead to torture. That's what HYDRA had done with his weaknesses; they exploited everything they found. Now that he was calm and his eyes were open, he could recognize and see who everyone in the room was from the file he'd been given, as well as the fight. The voices he had heard had been Bruce Banner (The Hulk, though he was secretly glad the rage monster hadn't made an appearance), then Steve Rogers (Captain America, one of the first people Peter had heard of since HYDRA really hated the man), then someone he recognized from the odd news report he saw on assignments, Pepper Potts (though what she was doing there was beyond him), and lastly, Wanda Maximoff herself. Blinking, his hard brown gaze took everything in, from where all of the people in the room were sitting, to what they had on them, to any available exits and ways to break himself out. It was an automatic response, though even though two of his limbs were now free, he had no subconscious desire to flee. He was supposed to stay, after all; it'd be against the programming to leave before accomplishing the rest of his tasks.
The concerned face of Iron Man adjusted to his side, and his gaze slowly fixed on the man. "Hey," he said, voice soft, with an emotion Peter didn't understand in the word. He had one hand wrapped around Pepper Potts's, with the other grabbing onto the railing beside the bed he was confined in. "It's okay, kid. You're not with HYDRA anymore."
Not physically, anyways. He thought dryly, And only for the current moment. He quietly wondered how much they knew of the current predicament, though something else was much more interesting to the assassin right now; namely that none of them had moved to put the restraints back onto his freed limbs, and that, while all of them were in the room, none of them were armed, and only partly on guard. They clearly didn't think he would escape.
As if reading his thoughts, Natasha Romanoff remarked, "Don't get us wrong, kid. We don't want to hurt you, but we will if we have to. So don't try anything funny like acting as a sleeper agent for your handlers to come strike us when we're unaware."
Peter blinked at that, giving no other indication that he was secretly a bit shocked, but also not all that surprised. They had warned him they would know about him, though they hadn't thought the Avengers would be aware of what his ultimate goal here was. It didn't seem they knew about the other Winter Soldiers still being available, but they were alert to the very possibility that he very well could give them away now that he was in their position. Needless to say he was impressed with their tactical knowledge.
Sam quirked a brow as silence fell over the room, then clicked his tongue. "He really doesn't speak."
Rhodey turned to look at the man, raising his own eyebrow. "We read why that is, and it's a pretty good reason. What did you expect?"
So they knew everything they had ever put on permanent file about him that wasn't redacted. No wonder they had been able to use his own enhanced senses against him to take him down. He quietly wondered how much about 'Weaver' they knew, but he wasn't really nervous about them knowing so much. They could learn all they wanted to about Weaver, but he knew for a fact that none of those files contained his true identity. It had at one point, but after they had gotten him, they'd quickly redacted that information. As far as he was aware, unless one of them had prior knowledge to who he used to be, it would take a large leap of logic to connect the assassin known as Weaver to the scrawny four year old that had gone missing ten and a half years ago.
"Interrogations are a no-go." Clint said from where he sat perched on a nearby cabinet, examining everything with interest. "And there's not much we could interrogate out of him that we don't already know. The only thing of interest would be who he is."
Peter would've scoffed if he hadn't been programmed years ago to not make unnecessary noise. He knew for a fact that there would be little anyone could scrounge up on him to match him to Peter Benjamin Parker in regards to his current status. The medical records of him from ten and a half years ago were vastly different from his current status. A fingerprint match would do no good since he'd never had one done before he was taken, and the setules on his fingertips allowed his fingers to have a unique print that wouldn't belong to anyone else. His blood type was different, his parents had been secretive about him, and he hadn't had any major medical tests done on him in hospitals. Once his parents had discovered he was a mutant, they'd been cautious and performed any necessary tests and treatments at home. These guys were strangers to him, even if they were nice, and as long as he was at risk of being used by HYDRA, he wasn't willing to reveal any bit of who he used to be. Peter Parker was dead to them, and it was the only way he'd stayed alive. He couldn't afford to let that one little benefit slide from his fingers. He couldn't.
Then in walked Nick Fury, and a tense feeling pervaded the room as the man took in the sight, giving a nod to T'Challa (which was out of respect for the Wakandan King, Peter knew), before fixing his gaze on the assassin attached to the hospital bed. When he stayed silent, though, none of them really commented on it. Vision blinked at the boy, before remarking, "Pardon, but I have been running scans on any child deemed missing from ten and a half years ago and cross-matching his face to the missing posters and I believe I may have found a match."
Everyone in the room, excluding Fury, turned to look at the android. Peter felt a cold dread begin growing in his chest as a pervading sense of danger began flaring at the back of his mind at the thought of his true identity being exposed. He knew, logically, that the heroes wouldn't kill him upon learning that information, but it was what HYDRA would do to him if they discovered anyone else had found out who he truly was. If anyone knew, they could do something about it and pose a threat to HYDRA's security. They couldn't have that. His heart began thudding in his chest as he felt like he was slowly suffocating where he lay, waiting to see if the jig was up. What would he do if they knew? What would happen if they did? If they knew, would it be safe to show that they hadn't managed to get rid of who he used to be fully? Was this the opportunity Carmen wanted for him? Was this what the rescue would be? Would it start with knowing who he was?
He was on the verge of internal panic, so he desperately wrangled his jumbled thoughts and kept his gaze cool as he fixed it on Vision, waiting for what the android would say. He opened his mouth. "There is a 83% match for one P-"
"Peter Benjamin Parker. You're a very difficult person to find." Fury finished, his arms folded, not bothering to look at anyone else but the mutant as everyone turned to instead stare at the former SHIELD director. Peter felt his blood run cold and his mind short-circuit at those words leaving the man's mouth. He never thought he'd hear them in person again.
Vision blinked, perplexed. "...Yes," he finished, fixing the man with a cursory glance. "May I ask how you were aware that my databases matched Weaver to Mr. Parker?"
The former SHIELD director was quiet for a moment, before letting out a quiet sigh. "Because he's got his father's jaw and his mother's eyes."
Tony frowned, brows furrowed. "Wait, you knew his parents?"
Natasha was quiet, before a silent realization dawned in her eyes and she exchanged a look with Clint, who seemed to come to the same conclusion she had. "He's the son of Agent Richard Parker and Agent Mary Parker?" she asked, staring at the silent kid in front of her with renewed interest.
Nick raised a brow. "I wasn't aware you knew they had a child, though I shouldn't be surprised you found the information out at some point," he huffed quietly. "They were two of the best agents SHIELD ever had."
The only thing saving him from showing the complete and total shock that was flooring Peter was the years of training he had to hide his emotions, but even then they were strained. He'd visibly paled, and he was breathing a bit heavier than before. His eyes were the tiniest bit wider from surprise, and his fists had clenched around the shirt he was wearing. The mutant couldn't help but feel something he had trouble placing at first, though recognized after a few beats; anger, burning just underneath the surface at the thought that someone had suspected his situation and hadn't done anything on it. If he hadn't been trained not to speak he was sure he would've been yelling, but since his voice hadn't been used in over eight years, he would've been lucky to do anything more than a quiet squeak if he so attempted. His suspicion must've been portrayed in his tense posture, since the others were now looking between him and the former SHIELD director with growing apprehension.
As if sensing what went unsaid, Fury remarked, "If looks could kill, you would have a higher kill count, Mr. Parker," he stated, though a quiet sigh left his lips. "...Though you do deserve an explanation. You all do. But we can do it outside of a cramped hospital room." The man checked the nearby medical clipboard with a nod, before looking at the others. "You're all banged up, so get some rest tonight. Most of you should be fine by morning. We'll talk then." With that, the intimidating man swept out of the room, leaving the room quiet.
Peter's heightened hearing tracked the man as he walked down the hallway and into another room, following the man's path until the director finally went out of range. Only then did he release some of the tension, doing his best to reign in his appearance and put up a neutral face. He could tell it wasn't really fooling them, though, and he really shouldn't be so surprised; they'd read his files from what he could gather, which meant they knew everything his handlers had written about the past ten and a half years of hell he'd been through. He was interested to note that none of them seemed to be afraid of him anymore, though, and appeared to be rather understanding of the situation. At least, he could sense no ill intent from them at the moment, and that was enough to keep him rooted to the spot even if he hadn't been ordered to stay for an ambush. For once, the ever-prevalent sense of danger that always screamed at the back of his mind was quiet, barely a whisper that told him of the super soldiers waiting for his move. It was... almost freeing.
He watched most of the others slowly trickling out, sporting their own injuries dealt by his truly, casting a few cursory glances his way before they melted into the hallway and disappeared. He felt the barest amount of guilt for some of the more severe among the wounds, but he had his own to deal with and had been following orders. He might've felt a tad more remorse if they hadn't (unintentionally, if their looks were any indicators) used the sound in the same vein of frequency as his captors had to torture him. He blinked himself out of his thoughts when he saw the last five in the room stand to excuse themselves, Steve Rogers and James Barnes leaving first, then Natasha Romanoff slipping out, finally followed by Pepper Potts and Tony Stark, both of which cast him an apologetic look, looking torn on whether they wanted to leave or not.
"If you need us, just ask FRIDAY," Pepper said, before adding, "I... don't know everything that's going on, but I do know the Avengers, and one thing that's always stood true is that they've been able to do the impossible." Her hands wrung together, before she finished, "It might seem impossible now for things to ever be okay, but... they've always pulled through. If you give them a chance, I'm sure they could help you through everything. All you have to do is ask. Good night, sweetheart." The SI CEO finished, before giving a polite wave and ducking out.
Tony smiled softly at Pepper's retreating form, before nodding. "She speaks the truth, y'know," he said casually, concern still shadowed in his eyes. "Look, kid, if you think we'll want retribution for you trying to kill us, you won't find any," he sat on the chair nearby after spinning it backwards, then, with a wry chuckle, added, "We've all tried to kill each other at some point or another, and all of us have done things we regret, and most of us have red on our ledger, myself included." He stayed silent for a few minutes, before adding, "So, honestly kid, if you wanted, you'd be able to fit right in. But, trust must be hard to come by for you," clicking his tongue, he finished, "...So if you'd be willing to follow Pepper's advice and give us a chance to help you out, we'd be more than happy to free you from their chains. And even if you won't, that's alright. If we can't rescue you, we sure as hell will avenge you." He stood, moving over to the door, and cast one last look over his shoulder. "Just... think about it, okay? Good night, Jailbird." With that, the man left.
Once he determined he was truly alone, and the lights in the room dimmed, he let himself sink into the pillows and padding of the bed, the softness of it feeling odd against his body after being used to sleeping without a proper bed for so long. His eyes adjusted to the change of light level easily, but his senses stayed on alert, being unable to truly calm down in the new environment. He had hardly ever needed to stay overnight during a mission, and hadn't had to do so in years, since most of his hits were completed within a day. It made him uneasy, especially with the thought of the AI keeping an eye on all of his movements. Peter felt exposed, cornered, and vulnerable. His eyes kept darting around the room, ears attentive to the slightest change in volume, and before he could really think much of it, he reached his prosthetic arm over to free his other arm from the bind, trying to do it as quiet as he could but unfortunately being unable to do it much quieter since snapping such strong metal wasn't really a silent endeavor.
This was just supposed to be a simple hit, but everything had flipped on its head. There had been traitors that were now dead or out of the picture on another mission, the Avengers knew about him as an assassin, and Fury had known him as Peter Parker. His most hidden secret was now exposed to the superheroes for the first time in eight years. Then, his eyes widened slightly in the twilight of the room. Oh no. He thought, eyes darting quickly to his right arm. He used his free left hand to quickly pry a panel off of the bottom of the forearm, twisting it around to stare at the wiring. Embedded within the very circuitry he had placed in the device, a small green light blinked at him.
Head reeling, his skin paled and his breathing quickened. No, no no no... his breath hitched as he began clawing at the sensor, not caring what he messed up trying to get the chip out of his arm. Peter vaguely heard the AI call out, and his ears beyond the pounding of his own heartbeat began picking up on the scurrying of many pairs of feet to his location. He didn't care. The asset finally managed to get a shaking finger on the device and, sticking it to it, tugged back ferociously. With sparks that jolted through his body and made his hair stand on end, he turned his panicked brown gaze to the thing he'd torn out and quickly crushed it to pieces in his hand.
No, no, no... he thought desperately, unconsciously freeing his one last restrained limb and placing his now empty left hand on the now limp right arm, cupping it against his chest. They know. Oh, god, they heard that...
After Tony had left the room, he let out a breath, walking down the hallway where his feet automatically made their way to the common room. It was still a mess from the earlier fight, though it did surprise the philanthropist that the damage wasn't actually that bad. That's where he found the others, and he walked over to Pepper, wrapping his arms around her from behind and kissing her cheek since it was closest. "Thank god you weren't hurt," he murmured with a nod to the remains of the ambush.
She gave a hum of response, before gently moving her hands over to Tony's, twisting to face him and giving him a proper kiss. "Only because you pulled me out of the way," Pepper then turned to fix her gaze on the others, a curious look on her face. "Now, I'm out of the loop. Anyone want to brief me on our impromptu guest?"
So, with comments from everyone who felt like chipping in, the heroes told Pepper of what had happened the past few days, from Faulers' surprise arrival all the way to what they had learned about Weaver. And, like they had, the more she learned, the more her face began twisting with fury at the thought. When they were finished, she was fuming just under the surface. "What monsters would do something so terrible to anyone, let alone a kid?!" Pepper asked incredulously, the CEO shaking her head. "I want to give them a piece of my mind."
At that, Tony let out a snort. "You could if you'd just let me make you a suit." he reminded with amusement.
She rolled her eyes. "I run your company; the last thing I need right now is superhero duties on top of it."
"There's plenty of us who'll make sure they never do it again if we can get anything on them," Steve stated, then frowned. "...and our best source happens to be a kid who's been mute for eight years and a plethora of trust issues."
"And definitely has more thanks to a certain someone," Sam stated, before giving a cursory glance at the silent Fury, who was sipping coffee at a bar stool. "Was that really necessary?"
Looking up from his drink and raising a brow, the director calmly remarked, "It confirmed my suspicions of who he was while also proving a point, so I find it very necessary."
Scott frowned, tipping his head curiously. "What point did you prove?"
Natasha sighed. "That the kid was still there."
Bruce blinked, tugging at the cuffs of his sleeve. "His HRM picked up pace slightly."
Clint nodded. "He tensed more and, while he tried hiding it really well, there was recognition in his eyes."
Fury nodded to them, placing his now empty mug on the counter. "If there was really no hope of rescue, he wouldn't have batted an eye at us discovering who was under the mask." His gaze fixed on the members around the room, a ghost of a smile crossing his face. "His reaction told a story. According to the records, they truly believed they had successfully turned him into a weapon, and he gave them no indication otherwise."
An impressed look entered T'Challa's eyes. "By playing along with their desires, he made them believe he was fully under their control."
"He survived just under the surface," Wanda added from when she had caught a glimpse into his mind earlier. "And held it as a small personal victory that they had failed to get rid of him completely."
"That means he remembers what they did and must hold a grudge," Bucky chipped in, gaze cast at the ground as he rubbed his left arm, thinking of how it was an unfortunate mirror to the kid's right arm. "...so if we could gain his trust, we might be able to help get rid of the remnants of HYDRA, once and for all... even though I feel terrible at the thought of having that kid even near those bastards again."
Vision suddenly looked up. "Pardon, but-"
Suddenly FRIDAY chipped in. "Mr. Parker is in distress. Immediate attention required."
They all exchanged a look before they went running.
He looked up as the heroes barged into the room, most of them wide-eyed and some trying to catch their breath from the mad sprint over to the other part of the building. Steve straightened and asked, "FRIDAY, what happened?"
They all watched quietly as the footage replayed, and Peter watched his actions with an inaudible wince at how derailed he looked and how poorly he'd hidden his emotions in the abrupt panic that overwhelmed him. When it was done, Tony frowned, going over to scoop up the remains of the device he destroyed, before frowning at it. "What the hell was this, and why was it so important to get out?"
Peter stared numbly at it, still holding the now useless arm to his chest now that it had stopped sparking. He refused to speak, still staring quietly at the spot that it had once occupied. It's over... he thought with quiet despair. They know.
"Who knows?" A voice chirped, and he startled out of his thoughts as he felt the sensation of magic that had crept up on him return, eyes locking onto Wanda. Did she- could she read thoughts? Why didn't the file state this?
Sam gave her an incredulous look. "Are you breaking past the language barrier by reading his mind? Didn't you want to stop using that ability?"
Natasha gave him a pointed stare. "Shush. Let her work."
"Who knows?" she pressed again, and his gaze fixed on hers, trying to read from her expression if attempting to fight off the mind-reading would be better. At that, she frowned. "Peter, please, just trust me. We just want to help."
There was no lie to her words. So, quietly, he pictured the device again, then, tapped out, T-R-A-C-K-E-R.
Most of them had been taught tap-speak, and so caught what he'd given, but Wanda furrowed her brow. "What about the tracker?"
They know. They know. They know. They listen, he thought, before tapping out, I-T-W-A-S-A-C-T-I-V-E.
Sudden understanding began sparking in Wanda's eyes as an image flashed through Peter's mind, and the magic sharply cut off as she backed away, eyes wide. "Oh no."
"'Oh no', what?" Pepper demanded nervously. "What's wrong?"
Her mouth was suddenly dry, and Wanda finally managed to say, "It was a tracker. More than a tracker. A listening device." She fixed her gaze on the assassin. "It was active."
Tony's eyes widened, and he abruptly stood up. "Then that means- oh god- they know they failed to completely turn him into a weapon. The secret's out."
A small bit of panic began to rise, and Steve raised a hand placatingly. "Everyone, calm down. It's off now, we can work something out."
Something sparked in Peter's mind as a subconscious order whispered into his thoughts, and he suddenly recalled why it had been active when it normally wasn't. The order, he thought, the memories whirring in his brain, said that I had to remove the tracker and that would be their signal to send in the Winter Soldiers. He suddenly snapped his head back up, on full alert, a sense of danger beginning to scream into the back of his mind. They'll be here any second.
Good, then you'd be able to still carry on with the mission, right? A dark voice at the back of his head queried, feeling a bit triumphant. Then they'll forgive your error if you succeed.
But they've been nothing but honest this entire time, a lighter voice reasoned. They couldn't lie, you would detect it. They genuinely want to help you. This could be your way out. Your escape. They've fought HYDRA before and won, they could do it again. They can finally do it. They can set you free.
Can you even trust them? The dark voice sneered. None of them came for you. Their boss suspected all along who you were, and all he did was send in an agent to spy. You were there for years with no hope of rescue, yet one was lingering on the outskirts all the while. How much could've been avoided? How many could you have spared?
They wouldn't have succeeded. They were careful. Too careful. They weren't even formed until six years after you were taken. Fury couldn't have acted on it. They- the light voice began, before his senses suddenly blared at him, cutting off his train of thought. They're coming. They at least deserve to know.
Peter interrupted the conversation the heroes were enduring by pounding his left fist into the metal guard rail of the bed, startling those who hadn't been paying attention into staring at him. He then frantically began tapping, T-R-A-P. I-T-W-A-S-A-T-R-A-P.
That certainly caught their attention, and those who did understand tapping quickly relayed it. Steve frowned. "Trap? What was a trap?"
His sense of danger began escalating to the point where it was practically overwhelming all conscious thought, and he added, T-H-E-W-I-N-T-E-R-S-O-L-D-I-E-R-S-A-R-E-
A loud alert from FRIDAY was all the warning they got before explosions rocked the building and their world was plunged into darkness.
The chapter definitely turned out much differently than I thought it would but it's certainly an eventful one. Most of it came from an epiphany I had while thinking of how I would go about things and my remembering that in most versions of Spider-Man canon, Richard and Mary Parker were SHIELD agents, which then made me realize that Nick Fury would also subsequently know of Peter Parker. Needless to say I was quite ecstatic to be able to work that in.
Thebookworm33- :D Thanks! This AU is nowhere close to ending, so I hope you'll enjoy it for times to come! Thanks for the compliment, but I don't really think it's talent. I'm just passionate. :)
Wisdom and Sea- SDjhjkgjk I'm blushing. Thank you so much for loving my random AU!
Unknownguy78- I mean, I wouldn't exactly call 18 deaths within 4 chapters 'nothing', but you do you. I did say this would be slow burn (as it would be since I am planning on rewriting the entirety of Phase 3 in this AU, so that's 11 films to tackle!). :)
Heir of ice- Here's an update (and the longest chapter to date dkjfghdfkg). Thanks! That's literally the only reason this story is rated Mature to be fairly honest, due to the more detailed violence and gore. I figured it would make for a better assassin Peter story if I was more detailed!
Krakengirl- No worries! It's understandable! I'm glad you left a review anyways. :D Everyone's words always make me happy (even some of the more negative ones since they're usually indicators of things I can change or clarify!). Haha, yeah, it's a real back and forth! One that only continues to evolve. :) (Heh, great pun!) Well... yep, definitely an elephant in the room. And o is it escalating quickly.
Next time on OWOW: A decision has to be made; follow orders, trust, or make his own way?