When the woman saw Jade, she screamed. Jade had just come through the ceiling and was startled to be greeted by such a high pitched noise. Her first instinct was to attack her, so that was the one she went with.
After the woman was in a heap on the floor, Jade looked around. She was in a small apartment with bright yellow walls. She put the unconscious person in the nearest room, and locked the door. Jade didn't think she would wake up for awhile, but better safe than sorry.
First thing she did was go to the bathroom and find something to wrap her ankle with. She did the job swiftly and efficiently as she could. When she was done she walked over to the window.
Jade hoped she had lost the man. She looked down to the street, but didn't see him. She didn't know who he was, or what on earth he wanted, but as a rule of thumb it's probably best to stay away from people who chase you. She made a mental note not to take off her backpack just in case she needed to make a quick get away.
While standing at the window Jade realized she was starving. She backed away from the window went into the kitchen and opened the fridge. She dug around until she decided on an apple. She picked it up and took a bight out of it. Jade knew it was stealing, but between stealing or starving her stomach made the decision.
While she crunched on the apple she looked around at the pictures on the walls. The woman was married and had a young girl. The husband was probably at work, and the girl was possibly a friends house. Considering neither one of them were there at the moment.
She tore her gaze from the photos to look for a computer. She found one in the east corner of, what seemed to be, the living room. She went over and sat in the chair in front of it. She moved the mouse and the screen lit up. She was surprised to see it was unlocked. That made her job much simpler.
She typed 'Washington D.C helicarrier crash' in the search bar. One of the first things to come up was a link with all of S.H.E.I.L.D.'s files. She glanced through them, but found nothing to help her cause. Everything she found on Barns she already knew.
'If I were him what would I do?' She asked herself.
She knew Hydra constantly did mind wipes on him, so he wouldn't remember much. She tried to put herself in his position. She wouldn't go to a place that was familiar, that would be the first place Hydra would look. Where then?
Would she try to go to an uncharted place, or hide in plain sight?
One thing's for sure, she would try to get out of there.
Suddenly an idea came to her. She quickly looked up the flight records for the week of the crash. They weren't as hard to find as she thought. There were around fifty. The ones that stuck out to her the most were to Moscow, and Sokovia. Jade started to chew on the inside of her cheek.
Moscow could be it, but Sokovia was always on the news. Talk about hiding in plain sight. She didn't even know which one she'd choose. This was hopeless, she would never find him. The world was a big place. She didn't even know if he even took a flight. She was guessing at best.
She should just give up and try to live here. It didn't seem like a bad place to be. The Hydra soldiers would eventually leave. If she was lucky they would think she was dead, or that the Avengers finally got to her.
Would it be that bad, though, if the Avengers captured her? No. She wasn't going down that road. She wasn't going to end up someone's captive again. Tried it, didn't like it, not going back. If even half of what Hydra said about them was true then she would do good to avoid them. For gosh sake, Iron Man had shot lasers at her.
She sighed and slouched in her chair. At least now she could have as bad of posture as she wanted. She smiled at the thought.
If she could go back in time to the facility she would've done it the exact same way. Well, except for falling out of that tree. Once was enough for her.
"I wonder if he has given up yet?" Jade says thinking of the man. She had barley uttered the words when she heard the front door open. She shot out of the chair, causing it to fall over. Her first thought was that Hydra had found her, but quickly expelled the ridiculous idea.
"Nevaeh?" A mans' voice called out. Jade heard his heavy footsteps coming from the entry way. She heard him unlock and open the door Jade had put the lady in. Jade took the opportunity to get out of there. She bounded to the door and swung it open. She ran through, not bothering to close it behind her.
She heard the man's scream follow her down the stairs. Jade cringed. She knew the woman, whose name seemed to be Nevaeh, wasn't dead, but the scream sent a shiver down her spine anyway.
She was on the top floor and continued to head toward to first floor when a familiar voice stopped her in her tracks.
"Jade!" She looked up to find the source of the voice. Gazing down at her was the man that had taken out the Hydra soldiers. "Wait, stay there!" He called running down the stairs. That sentence by itself made Jade nervous.
"Why?" She asked. For every stair he took closer to her Jade took down the staircase. Noticing her movement he stopped coming down to her.
"I just want to help," He gently said.
"Help! You want to help!" She started. Normally she didn't loose her temper, but nothing in the past few days had been normal. "Over the past two days I've been beat up by Clint, chased by Stark then by Hydra agents, and now I'm being stalked by you! Who I don't even know!" Jade stopped. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, gathering herself. Then she stated calmly. "I think we're a little past the 'I just want to help' phase." He seemed taken back by her outburst.
She had to get out of here. Get away from whoever this crazy person was.
"Listen, we're sorry," We're? The word caused her mind to reel. Was this guy part of the Avengers? The realization hit her like a truck. This was Captain America! Hydra had told her about him. She had to get out of here, now. "We didn't mean to frighten you, but-" His words were cut off by a voice calling from the bottom floor.
"Steve, where are you?" She would recognize that voice anywhere. Clint. Steve looked down and Jade took the opportunity to disappear down the nearest hallway.
She heard Steve say something, but she ignored it. She raced to the staircase at the end of the hall and started her descent. She skipped as many stairs as she possibly could without falling down them.
When she made it to the bottom she went straight for the door, but didn't make it. Clint was hiding behind the corner and when she came close enough he clothes-lined her. In an instant she was on her back with a staff pressed against her neck.
"Don't." Clint commanded. Jade was slightly confused and out of breath.
"Don't what?" She asked. He pulled her to her feet before answering.
"Don't pull the stunt you did last time." Jade noticed he sounded slightly irritated.
"Wouldn't think of it," She said. Clint kept a grip on her arm while they waited for Steve to show up. They didn't have to wait long.
"We should get back to the ship," Steve said to Clint. "Your not going to run are you?" He asked Jade. She looked between the two of them.
She knew when she was beat. She could phase to get away, but to what end? Her head still hurt from going through the roof and if she phased to many times in a row she would pass out.
"No, I'm not," She gave up.
-o-X-o-
They silently walked back to the ship. They got there without any incident. During the walk Jade couldn't help but think about what they could possibly do to her when they got there. Experimentation was high on the list of ideas.
"You found her," A red headed woman states when they enter the ship. "How'd you do it?" She questioned
"Long story," Clint answers. Nat looks at Jade, studying her. She pointed to a bench and motioned for Jade to sit. She collapsed on the bench and put her head in her hands. She half expected them to demand that she hand over her backpack, but no order came.
"She's here." Tony pointed to her. "How is she here?" Jade smiled to herself, and looked up.
"I walked up the ramp. How did you get here?" She answered. Her situation was no reason to give up her humor. Tony gives her a look then walks over to Steve.
"You and me, let's go," Tony whispered to him. "Clint, watch shadow over there." Clint nods. Thor and Natasha followed the two to the front of the ship.
"Shadow? He couldn't think of a better nickname?" Jade said to herself. Clint snorts.
"Give it time, kid. He'll think of something better." He said.
-o-X-o-
"Tell me what happened," Tony demands. Bruce looks up from his computer and takes off his headphones.
"What's going on?" He asked. Tony pointed down the ship to Jade, who was talking with Clint. "You guys found her," He muttered to himself. "How'd you do it?"
"Before you answer that," Tony interrupted, "Are we still planning on heading to Sokovia?" He asked Steve.
"I don't see how we can't, we can't risk Hydra catching wind that we know their there and move the staff," Steve answered. Tony nods and sits down in the pilots chair. In minutes they were in the air. "Okay, you may start." Steve takes a deep breath and tells them.
-o-X-o-
Jade listens in on their conversation. She was going to try to escape as soon as they turned their back on her, but when Stark mentioned Sokovia she reconsidered. She knew that was one of the places on the flight list, she could start looking there. At least this way she was getting a free ride.
"Don't even try it," Clint said observing her.
"Try what?" She innocently asked.
"Whatever it was you were thinking about," He answered. She smiled and leaned her head against the wall behind her. "Can I ask you a question?" He asked. Her smile fell. Jade pondered the question then nods.
"Why did you run?" A fair question Jade realized, but not very specific.
"When?" She straightened to look at him better. He came over and sat beside her.
"Every time," He answers. Jade smirked.
"I figure that if I run enough maybe people will start taking the hint," She answered. He raised his eyebrows at her.
"How is that working out for you?"
"Well, I'm here aren't I?" She huffs. He nods his head.
"In the jungle, were we fought, why did you run then?" He continued to ask questions. If he kept her talking maybe she would relax a little.
"I was scarred, you attacked me, so I ran. It's what I'm good at," She admitted. She looked at him waiting for a response.
"I wouldn't have hurt you," He said. Jade let out a small laugh. "What's so funny?" He asked.
"I don't believe you." He gives her a questioning look. "You haven't heard what I have," She explains.
"You believe everything Hydra told you?" Clint asked. He wanted to know what exactly he was getting himself into. Jade didn't respond. Did she believe what they taught her?
They had told her terrible things about the Avengers, but so far they had been reasonably nice to her. They had only chased her when she had ran, and she wasn't in some cell like she thought. She wasn't even sedated, it was as if they almost trusted her. At this point she was more than confused.
-o-X-o-
"Irritating isn't it? Letting her make a fool out of you," Tony said referring to the part in the story where Jade had gone through the roof. Steve looked down at the floor.
"Shut up Tony! You let the same girl escape you too. At least he brought her back, something you failed to do," Nat forcefully reminded him. Steve hid a smile behind his hand that he quickly raised to his mouth. Tony sharply turned around to face the front of the ship. Steve looked a Natasha with the silent thank you written on his face.
"So Tony, did you and Bruce find anything on the file Jade deleted?" Steve asked. Tony spun back around.
"No, why don't you ask her?" He sarcastically replied. Bruce sighed and put his headphones back on.
Their attention was then drawn to Thor. He was digging through the cabinets of the ship, looking for something to eat. He had started to toss things across the ship apparently, not finding what he wanted. He threw a package of lemon wafers, that Bruce tried to dodge, but he was a little to slow. The wafers knocked the headphones off his head. Nat let out a snicker at Bruce's surprised face.
"Stark, we seem to out of the pop-tarts!" He yells to Tony. Nat rolled her eyes at his obsession with the breakfast food.
"Ya, I know we're out of pop-tarts. You ate them all on the way to Brazil," Tony called back. Nat picked the wafers up off the floor and walked over to stand by Clint. She tossed a handful of them to Clint then handed the package to Jade. She looked at Nat confused.
"Their cookies sweetheart, you eat them," She smirked. Jade cautiously eats one. After tasting how good they were she continues to eat several more. Clint stands, walks over to the mini fridge, and opens it.
"Hey, do you want a soda?" He asks the girl sitting on the bench, backpack still on her back.
"I'll have a coke if your taking orders," Stark said while spinning like a child in the pilots chair. Jade smiled and looked at Clint.
"No thanks," She replied. Clint rolled his eyes and gave her a water bottle. He then threw Tony a coke, which he caught with ease, and grabbed a Dr. Pepper for himself. He sat down beside Jade.
"Thanks," She whispered before taking a sip. Clint smiled down at her.
"You see we're really not that bad," He says to her. Jade looks down at the floor.
"Hey Frozen-timeline," Tony said from the front, "do you want us to get ready? We're almost there."
"Everyone, suit up," Steve says, ignoring Tony's nickname for him. Clint sighs and gets up.
"Be right," Clint tell Jade. She only nods in response. After another half an hour or so of flying Tony tells them they have arrived. Clint had come back, after changing and whispering to Captain America, and sat with her the remainder of the flight. They didn't talk, though, Jade was to deep in thought to hold a decent conversation anyway.
"Bruce, stay with Jade. We'll call you if it becomes a code green," Steve says after they touch ground. The hatch opens and he steps out. Clint looks down at the girl.
"See you when we get back kid." Jade nods and watches them leave.
