Hello! Left you on a bit of a cliffhanger, eh? Anyway, thank you to everyone who is following and has favourited, and especially to those that have reviewed. By the way, the paragraphs that are separated by single line breaks mean the same person is talking.
Disclaimer: I own none of the Marvel characters, just my OC's.
Chapter 10 - The Man in the Dragon Mask
The Avengers' faces went from shock to disbelief in less than a second. Alexia thought she should probably explain in more detail.
"Well, not exactly who, but I know what he does and I think I know why he... Killed her," she reiterated.
"No offense, but care to explain a little more?" Clint prompted. Lexy sighed.
"I know this is kind of hypocritical but I lied to you about my past. I wasn't put into foster care. At the age of 4, I witnessed my parents' death and was kidnapped. I was experimented on along with 19 other children of around my age. This 'programme' was run by a man in a Chinese-style dragon mask, which he wore whenever he was around us. For 8 years, I would go through the same routine everyday: a sort of shower with runny yellow liquid, an assembly gathering with all of the children and the man in the mask, experiments and then study.
"I met Dylan there. He was a year or so older than me. Within the first two years, they had given me my power and helped me to perfect it. I remember the procedures hurt like hell and if any of us spoke when we weren't supposed to or did anything we weren't allowed to do, we would be punished. Dylan was given the power to manipulate fire and warmth. Within the first 5 years, almost all of the children had perfected their ability. In the last three years Dylan and I were there, every kid was taught how to fight, educated to a point well above our age and trained to follow orders from our superiors. A year before we escaped, the man in the mask explained that we were his army, trained to protect and fight for him alone. By that year, only 10 of us were left. The other half had died from the experiments, punishments or stress.
"In the last year, rumours circulated that someone from the outside had somehow got in. The ones who had been brainwashed to the point of no return believed that these people should be killed on sight. There were others of us who believed that this could be our way out. Some of the older kids still remembered what the outside was like. One night, Dylan woke me up. He was standing next to two adults and 4 of the other kids. He explained that we were going to escape. It wasn't long before one of the brainwashed kids realized what was going on and called our superiors. They chased us until only Dylan, the adults and I remained. The others were shot down. We barely got our alive, but when we finally left, we were in debt to the adults. They were Karen and Joe. They adopted us," Alexia Avengers were speechless. The ghost of a smile appeared on Lexy's face at their slightly dubious expressions, "We were enrolled into middle school and that's where I met Erin. Karen and Joe raised us, but they tried to make us ignore our abilities, told us to just get on with our lives and forget it even happened, but I didn't want to forget. I wanted to use my powers for good. Dylan was more easily persuadable and became an architect. That's why I don't get along with my 'family' very much."
More silence. Finally, Tony opened his mouth.
"Well that explains a lot," he stated.
"Yeah," Lexy laughed in a single breath.
"Wait, so your back story is that you were kidnapped, experimented on and trained to be evil, then escaped? Is that not reason enough to become a masked vigilante?" Clint queried.
"I was 12 when I escaped. I wasn't about to become the youngest superhero ever. When I grew up, I cared more about getting a job than I did about saving the world. Plus, Karen and Joe were constantly trying to stop me from doing anything so I stopped trying to do big things with my powers," Lexy shrugged.
"Why didn't you tell us before?" Steve asked gently. Alexia laughed humorlessly.
"I hadn't told my own best friends, what makes your think I would tell a bunch of strangers?" she countered.
"Well at least you've told us now," Bruce smiled.
"So anyway I don't feel like ever going back to MUGS, and there's practically nothing else holding me back now, so can I join?"
"Brookes, we've been waiting for you to agree since we first met you," Tony smirked.
"Oh! Ok then. Which floor's mine?"
After a week, Alexia had comfortably moved in to Floor 12 and her lab equipment to Floor 13. Her living space was now considerably bigger than her old apartment and much more comfortable, seeing as Stark had paid for more furniture and decorations. The only Avenger who wasn't completely fine was Natasha, which Alexia still didn't understand as she had tried her best to start a conversation with her. That morning, Lexy decided to invite Paige over to try on her costume. The woman had yet to return to work and Alexia thought this would be a good time to brighten her spirits a bit.
"Why am I here again, Lexy?" she sighed.
"Because, I need to try on my costume and I thought you might like a distraction," Alexia called from behind a panel screen.
"Well how long is it going to take?"
"What do you have planned? Need to be back by 3:30 for another session of wallowing in your own misery?" Lexy muttered.
Paige stayed quiet and turned away.
"I'm sorry, Paige. I didn't mean that. It's just-"
"It's fine. Just because you are completely ok with forgetting Erin ever existed in the time space of less than two months," Paige mumbled.
"I'm going to forget that you said that because we are all in mourning and people have different ways of coping," Alexia stated with fake positivity obvious in her voice.
The room grew silent again, only the occasional sounds of Lexy's struggling breaking the tense atmosphere. After a few moments, Alexia emerged from the screen, wearing the blue outfit. Her hair was pulled back behind the headband into a neat bun that rested at the length of her neck. The suit fit well, making it easy for Lexy to move around despite the tight material.
"What do you think?" she asked shyly.
Despite herself, Paige grinned.
"You look great, Lexy," she complimented, any anger she had felt fading away.
Before Alexia could thank her, Tony, Steve and Thor came sidling into the room.
"Wow," Tony started, "You look amazing."
"Lady Alexia, you are positively glowing," Thor complimented in a proper manner.
"You look stunning," Steve smiled.
"Oh, hi Paige. Jarvis told me that Pepper was trying to get in touch with you, by the way," Tony greeted.
"Thanks, Mr Stark," Paige murmured as she grasped her phone and walked out of the room.
"Which floor is the training room, again?" Lexy asked.
"Floor 15."
The four walked into the elevator and Alexia motioned the number to Paige, who nodded as she listened to Pepper on the other end of the device. The trip on the lift was quiet. When they arrived on the right floor, Lexy immediately garbbed her whip and dashed to stand in front of a target.
"Be careful, Lady Alexia. The art of the whip is difficult to master," Thor cautioned.
Lexy flexed her wrist, sending the whip hurtling towards the chest of the target. Upon meeting it's mark, the whip slashed the bullseye and retracted slightly whilst falling to the floor. She then swung the whip around her side and above her head before sending it forward. It struck the target's head precisely in the middle. The third move she tried simply sent the whip forward, where it sliced through the target's shoulder. Alexia then thrust her entire body forward and leaned to one side. The whip curled itself around the target's hand at lightning speed before Lexy pivoted again and the whip fell to the side. Finally, Alexia sent the whip forward, where it curled around the target's bullseye and pulled it forward.
"Never mind then," Thor muttered.
The other two were silent in awe. Lexy turned around to look at them, her face innocent and happy.
"Can I try my gems, now?" she asked.
"Go ahead, your fight simulator through that door," Tony directed.
The three men stood behind the one way glass and gawked as Alexia readied herself for battle. There was a pool of water in each corner of the room, like on the Helicarrier, and water pipes circulating around the room.
At first, a single humanoid made of grey shards was formed. It lunged at the young woman, who merely sidestepped and punched it in the back. It shattered on impact, the shards falling to the ground before fading completely. Next, 5 identical figures appeared. 2 had guns while the others had various melee weapons. They circled around her. The guns were trained on her temples and the other weapons were held in front of their owners. Slowly, Lexy raised her arms. In each of the pools, a sphere of water began to levitate. When her arms were in front of her, she clapped them together. At the exact moment they touched, the balls of water shot towards Alexia, taking out 2 of the 5.
She then pressed the pale blue gem and the water collected into a protective dome around her. Every strike or shot from the hostiles was merely deflected. However, when Lexy pressed the midnight blue gem, collected the remaining water vapour from the air and sent it speeding swiftly at the opposers, it passed through the shield effortlessly. The shards of her victims, however, didn't disappear as they had done with the first. They vibrated and shot together, all meeting in front of her and forming a new monster. At least twice the size of the others and carrying a staff that reached to its shoulders. It leaned back, as if getting ready to pounce.
"Maybe we should stop it," Steve suggested worriedly.
"What are you talking about? The lady has barely started," Thor roared with amusement.
Tony stayed silent and merely watched carefully. The pools in each corner were shallow, but there was still enough left. Alexia eyed the giant and frowned, waiting for it to attack, but it merely remained still. Lexy relaxed slightly but as she did the creature sprung at her. Having no time to dodge, Alexia felt the full force of the creature's punch, being thrown backwards into the wall. After sliding to the ground, Lexy stumbled to her feet. A trail of blood dripped from the corner of her mouth and she stretched to release the ache from her joints. The giant stood still again, but Alexia doubted that Stark had programmed them to play the same trick twice.
As if in a duel, the two circled each other, weighing up their options. Lexy was the first to strike, flicking her hand from one side to the other. The water from one of the pools mimicked her action and hit the giant in the side, causing it to stumble. Alexia took this opportunity to gather the remaining water from each pool, rest it above the giant and slam it down onto its head. The shards split as the water seeped through them and the monster was no more. Alexia keeled over, gasping for breath. Unfortunately, the worst was yet to come. Chunks of metal burst from the walls around her and created yet another monster. This one was a mismatch of iron, cement and rust. It was slower than it's predecessor but a lot stronger. It flung its own hand at her. Lexy was barely able to dodge it but a scrape of metal came loose and cut her cheek.
"What the frick frack snick snack was that for?" Alexia cried out in a desperate attempt not to swear at the stinging pain on her cheek.
Fueled by sudden rage, Alexia held her hands parallel to each other and slapped them together. Suddenly, pipes from behind the walls broke and stuck out. The water from these pipes shot out and reverberated against the thick metal skin of the newest giant. However, the water could find no weak spots and the monster continued to lumber towards the brunette. Running out of options, Alexia grabbed her whip and swished it in front of her. She curled it around one of the giant's legs and swept it to the side, making the monster fall to the ground. Lexy darted to it and, pressing the dark blue gem again, formed one last spear from water vapour. She stabbed it into the giant's chest. Finally breaking through it's iron barriers, the water made the monster liquefy and spark.
"Are we done now?" Alexia growled.
"The course is now finished," Jarvis agreed.
"Great, where's the door?"
"You'll find the exit opening behind you."
Alexia turned and marched out. She was greeted by the sight of Tony holding a first aid kit. Only then did she realize that her cheek was bleeding, she still tasted iron in her mouth and there was a sharp pain in her back. She slumped forward.
"Hey, Stark. Where'd Thor and Steve go?"
"There's a meeting upstairs," he explained vaguely.
"Then why didn't you go too?"
"Because you got hurt," Tony muttered.
"Barely. I got a scratch on my cheek and a bruise on my back," Lexy snorted.
"Well someone had to stay behind."
"Thanks for the thought but I really don't need your help," Alexia refused politely.
"Brookes! The more you refuse the longer this is going to take because I'm not leaving until you let me help you," Tony barked.
Alexia sighed and sat down on a resting bench nearby. Tony followed and opened the kit. He rubbed a small bit of antiseptic on the deep cut on her cheek before attempting to stick a plaster on it. She put her hand on his arm to stop him.
"That won't be necessary," she smiled, "All I need is a bottle of water for small wounds."
"What about your back?" Tony queried.
"I can't feel anything anymore," she shrugged.
"That's not necessarily a good thing."
"In fact," came a new voice, "That's almost definitely not a good thing."
The pair looked up to see Paige staring at Lexy gingerly.
"Lexy, come with me. I feel like you have more than a bruise."
"I'll meet you guys on Floor 10. That's where the meeting is."
The two women waved to the genius playboy billionaire philanthropist as he hopped into the elevator. After he left, they went to Alexia's floor and Lexy changed into a pair of shorts and a baggy shirt. She lifted the shirt to display her back and her eyes widened at Paige's gasp.
"What? How bad is it?" she asked hurriedly.
"Remember that time when we went camping in the 8th grade and that exchange student fell down a hill in the middle of the forest and they had to call an ambulance?" Paige recalled.
"Yes?" Alexia replied weakly.
"It looks about twice as worse. Luckily for you, a 28 year old has a better chance of healing quicker than a 14 year old."
"Plus, I get better faster if I drink water," Lexy added.
"Right," Paige muttered as she crossed the room, opened the mini fridge and snatched a fresh bottle.
"Thanks. Anyway, how long is it going to take to stitch it up?"
Paige looked at the gaping wound on Lexy's lower back. It was still bleeding, staining the edges of her shirt.
"We'll have to work quickly. Harriet's a nurse, you know. I know we haven't spoken to her since ... The funeral, but I could call her," she suggested.
"No, that's not necessary. It doesn't feel so bad, I'm sure if I just lay down for a few hours, I'll be right as rain," Alexia denied.
Get it? Right as RAIN? Anywho, hope you enjoyed this chapter! If you didn't, leave a polite review explaining what could be improved.