Authors Note: To my lovely reviewer remarking on Cap's age; you do realize since he's been trapped in the ice, he hasn't technically aged? He's only about 21 in the story, even if he was born in 1918. He hasn't actually 'lived' a long life, so it's not that odd for him to take interest in an 18 year old. It's not like he's an old wrinkled man.
Once the aircraft had landed, I was forced to wear what smelt like a burlap sack of my head. Hawkeyes hands rested on my shoulders, his fingers digging into my skin as I was guided into a building. It wasn't working out as I thought it would; I couldn't see where I was to report back to anyone. Looks like I was about to 'lone ranger' this mission.
I was forced onto a chair, my arms being yanked back so that they could be tied with rope. As soon as the ropes were secured, the sack was torn from my head and tossed to the side. I had to blink to regain my sight, but when I did, the first person my eyes went to was Brianna. She smirked at me, crossing her arms as she looked over to Loki, who was standing beside her.
My eyes then shifted to the large pit in the center of the room, where a struggling human was. How could they trap another human being down there like that? He was covered in chains that led to a thick metal collar; in the pit a torn white lab coat was thrown to the side. Something felt familiar about this man; I squinted my eyes, until the lights in the room all redirected onto him. It was only when he turned to look at me that I realized who it was.
My father! It's my father!
"Brianna!" I cried out, turning to her with wide eyes. "What are you doing?"
"I kidnapped you so that you could watch your father suffer like I watched my father suffer!" She exclaimed, her eyes flaring angrily. My father pushed against the chains, avoiding looking over at me again at all costs. He flinched as Brianna sent an electric shock through the chains, causing him to lie still on the floor.
"Stop it! What does revenge get you?" I wanted to beg with her to leave him alone; any suffering that was to be done to him should be inflicted by me or my mother. Not by some crazy girl who has no idea what she's doing!
"Nothing." She replied calmly. "But it gives you pain. Do you remember this, Mr. Scientist? Do you remember the shock collar you put on me every day to make sure I behaved? Do you remember my father and how often he visited? Do you remember the fact that you stopped his visits because you knew he wanted to break me out of there? Do you know how much you've ruined my life?"
My father glared at her; he never liked being talked back to, especially not by a child.
"Your father chose to not visit you, Hurley. Don't blame your father's dissipating love on me or my daughter!"
"Shut your mouth!" Another shock was sent his way; one that even made me cringe. I moved forward on the seat I was stuck to, crying out my father's name. From where he was lying on the floor, he stirred feebly, glancing up and meeting my eyes. He smiled weakly.
"I love you. I love you and your mother more than I've ever loved anyone. You both mean the world to me, and my foolish escapades for science have doomed both of you. For that, I am truly sorry." Brianna was glaring at him, but instead of pushing the button again she allowed to continue speaking. "Every day I try to come to terms with the fact I'm slowly killing your mother, and I never can. Sometimes I can't face her knowing I've hurt her, and you. I will accept death if it means that you will no longer be a target of this revenge-stricken girl."
"She won't." Brianna replied smoothly; Loki smirked from behind her, clenching the staff in his hand tightly. "Now suffer!" She held the button down, the shockwaves continuing to shoot through my father's body. I let out cries of pain as I watched him twitch, his skin became burnt and his cries more desperate. He was in so much pain and I could do nothing to stop it, I could do nothing but watch as he was tortured.
She let go of the button, breathing in deeply as she leaned over the railing to get a better view of my father's body. He was lying completely still; even if he was still breathing, his death was inevitable. She smiled slightly before her face fell again, and a confused look replaced it.
"My king…" Loki glanced over at her. "He's not breathing; you didn't say it would kill him…"
"Don't tell me you're having a change of heart." Loki's eyes glinted dangerously; Brianna gulped, looking away from him.
"Of course not. Tell me, what are we going to do with her now?"
"She'll make a good puppet." Loki replied, taking long strides until he was standing in front of me. His green eyes twinkled mischievously; he leaned closer, pressing the staff to my chest. "How do you think the good Captain will feel when he hast to obliterate his newfound love?" He pressed the tip of the staff to my chest. "Pathetic."
I inhaled sharply, gritting my teeth as an uncomfortable feeling began to pass over my body. It felt as though something was moving through my body, through my very bones, sinking in and wiring itself to my brain. I could feel my consciousness be pushed back; it felt as though a complete stranger was pushing me out and letting themselves in.
Clanging sounded from down the hall, which distracted Loki long enough for me to kick his staff away. I could already feel the effects of what I had done; the control Loki had tried to instill inside of me slowly weakened until it was completely gone. I let out a sigh of relief, resting back my head before I used my fire to destroy the ropes.
"You insolent little twit." He growled, raising his hand, ready to strike me.
A shield knocked Loki back; Brianna jumped up, ready to defend when she was rushed by two figures. Natasha easily restricted her movements, knocking her out cold in a matter of seconds. Steve rushed through the doors, Tony by his side. As Steve gathered back his shield, Tony shot another blast towards Loki, who easily deflected it. He stared at the Avengers with killing intent in his eyes, but he was aware that he was not prepared to fight.
Not just yet.
He disappeared before any of us could do a thing; Clint fell to the ground, grabbing his head as though he were in agony. Natasha made quick work of him, slamming his head against the ground before he could retaliate. I looked at her with wide eyes.
"It worked once, it'll work again." She replied smoothly, draping Hawkeye's arm over her shoulder.
Steve ran to me after gathering his shield.
"Are you okay?" He asked, looking me up and down for injuries. Fury stepped inside, followed by Maria, Coulson, and a few other unnamed agents. They easily picked up Brianna's body, tying her hands together for precaution before dragging her outside. Fury looked over the pit, a frown settled on his face as he placed his hands behind his back.
"I'm fine…" I whispered, glancing over towards the pit where my father lay.
"Let's head out, and someone be sure to hold her hand, because it seems she's always going to get into trouble." Fury glared at me, his tone laced with contempt. "You're more trouble than you're worth. I shouldn't have to set up security to watch over you, but it appears I have no other choice."
"Don't treat me like a child." I hissed, glaring hard at Fury. Natasha had disappeared with Clint into the awaiting Helicarrier, while Steve remained by my side as did Tony. Fury did not falter under my intense glare, instead stepping towards me and puffing out his chest.
"If you act as a child does, you will be treated as a child is. Get your act together, because if you don't, it may be more than just your father lying dead." I lunged forward, fist raised and ready to beat the living hell out of him. The way he could so casually refer to my father, as though he was never a human being in the first place… It infuriated me; it sent shock waves of rage flowing through my being.
Steve caught me by the arm, pulling me back into his chest as I struggled against him. Fury chose to walk away, not letting my reaction bother him as he ordered us to enter the Helicarrier immediately. He ordered the nameless agents to remove my father from the pit, and to bring him back to headquarters with us as I watched from the sidelines. After he had disappeared from view with the rest of the agents, all of my rage turned to sorrow. I stopped struggling against Steve and instead watched as the lifeless form that was my father was carried away.
One day came to my mind, I could remember a long time ago words that my father had said to me that stuck in my mind. I was only about five years old then, and I had been sitting in my room watching the night sky. The clouds had begun to roll in, and soon thunder was heard in the distance. I had been afraid of nearly everything at one point in my life, and thunder was the number one thing on my list of fears. A particularly loud strike unsettled me, causing me to scream.
"Dad, dad!" I had cried out. "Daddy please come save me!" He had rushed into the room, lab coat on. He had been in the middle of an experiment, but those were the days when he'd drop anything to make sure I was okay. I let out another squeal of unhappiness as another clap of thunder rang through the air. My father's arms wrapped around me, allowing me to rest my head on his shoulder as he cradled me.
"I'm here now, baby girl." He whispered softly as he held me. "I'm here. I'll always be here for you when you need me, so you don't have to be afraid. You never have to be afraid." He kissed my forehead softly, laying me down in bed and tucking me in again. "Goodnight, and remember, I'm right down the hall."
Subconsciously I felt my forehead where his lips had once touched, and realized I already missed the contact I knew would never happen again. I buried my face in my pillow, holding back the sobs and attempting to catch my breath. Things had begun to move so quickly, that I hadn't had one moment to myself. I needed a minute to breathe, to relax and see that it wasn't I who had died, but my father.
But he was no longer right down the hall from me, ready to answer my call for help; he was gone, never to protect me again.