I'm getting extremely psyched for the next chapters, I hope you are too. Depending on my mood, I might write the next few chapters to build up for a sequel, you never know! Depends on you guys too. I would love to know what your guesses are (direction wise) after reading this chapter. SPOILER: I'm going for a whole anti-hero complex. I want this story to be in your favourites for a reason and I hope you have come to love Emily like I have. She's an absolute pleasure to write for and I can't describe how much fun this has been creating this for all of you. Without further ado, the song suggestion for this chapter is (let's see if I can get this right :P) 'Coup d'état by Henry Jackman (X-Men - First Class (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Chapter Thirteen
My eyes felt puffy, but I would not cry. I couldn't show weakness, especially not after what they had done. They deserved no satisfaction.
"I'm trying to make sense of how I could be so stupid. How none of it went un-noticed. There was a reason why I got put on Project X in the first place. Any other agent would have been terminated or at least that's language you use to describe agents you don't trust anymore, being compromised is no longer an option. I was naive enough to think that I was a fast learner. You knew perfectly well why I picked everything up so quickly, didn't you!" I raised my voice at Phil. His eyes, deeply locked with mine, looking saddened; like a puppy who didn't get picked for adoption, "I could pick up things quickly because I had known it before. I had been experimented on like a worthless lab-rat as a toddler. I can't lay all the blame you for that, you were eleven when I was born, but Fury..." I turned and scowled at him in disgust.
"I was a baby. And all for your pathetic experiment, for 'science' sake, you lead tests on me and hid my true identity from me. Here I was thinking that I was a newly hatched freak, when I really born one. And my real mother, locked under a padded cell in the countries most notorious prison."
"She is insane." Fury reprimanded.
"And who's fault is that? It couldn't be any easier knowing your only child was stolen from you. No wonder she went mad."
"Emily, you need to calm yourself down. This is what Loki wants." Natasha put out her arms cautiously.
"Well then let him have best seat in the house. This isn't just a game of 'Who can Loki piss off Next'. This is my life and they had no right in screwing around in it." I screamed in her face, facing back to Phil, "I was your sister. Your family and you never told me? Didn't I have a right to know?"
"You still are my sister. We are still family."
"No! We're not!" I cut him off, "We. Are. Not. Family. We may share the same family, but you are no loved one of mine."
"I tried to tell you." he pleaded.
"When? When you abandoned me for weeks? When I you tranquilized me? When I was unconscious?"
"Today and then your nose was bleeding and you left before I could start to tell you."
"Oh you can do better than that." I shook my head.
"I thought you found out once before. When you first found the Avengers file behind my pillow, I thought it was the file on you."
"So you screamed at me? Like I had done something wrong?"
"At first I jumped on you because I didn't know how you'd react. Then when I saw that it was about the Avengers I had already over-reacted and had to play it out. I couldn't let you know anything. So when I told Fury, he advised me to avoid you for a couple of weeks while he sorted things."
"You know what. I'm sick and tired of your crap." I pushed past him in the doorway. I could bare to be in a room with him, with any of them. Fury, I wasn't surprised he'd stoop that low, wasn't even a far stretch for Romanoff, but learning my brother had known all this time really hit home. I couldn't bare to stand in a room with Stark and his inappropriately timed jokes, both Steve and Dr. Banner would only make me feel embarrassed if they tried to help me and Thor still hadn't apologized.
"Emily please don't go. Let's work this out." Phil called after me. I was halfway down the hall when I stopped and turned on my heel walked back at him fast paced. Practically nose to nose I glowered at him. I raised my hand by my side and formed a U shape, focusing on his neck. Instantly he began to cough and fall backwards.
"Em. Stop your... chocking me."
"Emily!" Steve called as he ran at me and tried to pull my connection away from Phil.
"Let's get this clear. I don't want to work anything out with you. I don't want to see you ever again. You've made me understand the really meaning of the word hate. In the words of the great Nick Fury, you might not be glad you did." I finished, releasing his neck and pushing Steve away. I walked back down the hallway and left as everyone stood standing, shocked, disgusted and worried.
"You speak of control, yet you court chaos." I heard Thor say as I hid around the corner and listened in.
"That's his M.O. isn't it? I mean what are we, a team? No. We're a timebomb!"
"YOU need to step away." Fury said to Banner.
"Why shouldn't the guy let off a little steam?" Stark added smugly.
"You know darn well why! Back off!" Steve shouted back. I stopped listening and continued walking. I couldn't deal with anyone else's problems right now. I couldn't speak to anyone without them lie to me or try to comfort me, two of the things I didn't want to hear at all. There was only one person on this entire ship that wouldn't do that. And he was sitting in the tightest security cell ever made. That person was Loki.
There was no way I was getting in there without being caught on security cameras. I figured though, with a little of my previous hacking skills I could switch the security footage of Loki from now to half an hour ago, giving me enough time to get in there and speak to him without being caught. The security center was located a few meters away from Loki's prison and if I was practiced enough to perform a 'Vulcan death grip' I should be right to knock out the guards for a few seconds just to change the monitor system around.
It seemed odd that I would go to the most renowned liar on this ship to get away from lies. But in my mind in made perfect sense. I had Thor say it before, admittedly much more light-hearten in meaning, but I had heard him say it none the less. Loki was adopted. More than anything I needed to get away from my own thoughts and speak to someone with advice in the situation. I didn't want to hear an apology. I didn't want to hear people try to tell me to calm down or that they'd help we work through it. All I wanted to do was trash talk. To exchange my story with someone else that knew what it felt like to be lied to everyday of their life. To live without ever knowing who they truly were. Loki would give me that.
I got to the security room hastily only to find at least six or seven men inside. Even with my abilities I couldn't take all of them out without one sounding an alarm. I paused at the door and thought. I didn't want to speak to Loki, I needed to. In the file I had read on myself it said that I could 'control and manipulate technology'. Most of my other abilities came so naturally because I had already learn't them. Who's to say with a little will power what i could achieve. I needed contact with some kind of electrical wiring that hooked up around the carrier. Removing a piece of panelling from the hallway I found an array of cable's running along behind the wall. Grabbing all of them in my hand, like a leech, I found myself drawn through the cables. To compare the feeling, it was like my consciousness had left my body and was searching through the currents like a maze. What I wanted wasn't far away from me, only a few sharp corners and I was into the security systems database. Accessing a file for a half an hour playback I switched the live feed for the old one, faster than anyone in that room would be able to tell. Then I felt a shake on my shoulder. At once my consciousness was jolted back into my body. I turned around to find no one standing there, maybe I had imagined it. Regardless I put back the panel and left to go find my new adoption buddy.
There were two measly guards out the front of his high security prison, reasonably pathetic for something that was supposed to be impossible to escape from. Maybe from the inside.
"Hello boys." I teased walking around the corner, tossing my hair back and smiling sweetly, "Care for a nap!" I held out my hands and they went flying down the sides of the hallway, thumping into the end and knocking themselves unconscious.
To reach Loki I had to ascend a spiral of stairs, which I did without haste. My heart beat heavily in place as I reached the top to find the mischievous Loki in him glass death trap. My face turned stern as I paced slowly around him until I reached a ledge that jutted out and sat, cross legged, in front of him. Silently he made his way over and starred down on me. I looked up at him and couldn't find the words to say.
"Did you know? Did Barton tell you?" I said flatly. He seemed to know exactly what I meant instantly, but wouldn't reply.
"It's okay, I switched the security footage. We have half an hour before they realize I messed with their gadgets."
"Yes." he replied simply. Another minute went by in silence as I thought of the next thing to say. Again I starred at him. It was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. I stood back up, equal with him.
"Everything has been a lie and I keep feeling like somehow it's my fault. Like I deserve it."
"Barton was your guardian before he came to learn the light. He spoke very often about his opinion on your situation, even under mind control. Your 'situation' is something, most people wouldn't understand. But it's never your fault. Do not mistake my understanding as compassion, though. While I can't go anywhere to escape you, it is my choice to stay on this side of my prison and speak with you. Once, I've been in your place, asking myself the same things you are. You blame yourself. You ask why. You question your feelings. Don't," he said blankly, "Ask yourself the right questions. Rather than cry about how they wronged you, ask yourself. What am I going to do about it?"
And then it hit home, because he was right. In every single way right. The feelings were there, the blame, the guilt. All not my fault. I was not one to sob and complain. I was an action sorta girl. They, Phil, Fury, S.H.I.E.L.D, had hurt me in ways I didn't think possible. They had done such terrible things to me that all I could think about was getting them back. Making them pay for what they did to me.
"I'm going to get payback." I told him.
"Good choice." he smiled back.
"I want to make a deal." I proposed.
"Go ahead."
"I'm switching sides," I said drastically, "I'll help you make your escape if you promise to help me tie up a few loose ends around here. I want Fury dead and I wanna go after the board of directors too."
"What about your devious older brother?" he enquired.
"Leave him out of it." Loki raised his brow and cocked a smile to the side, "Do not lay a finger on him. I'll do anything you want, but my brother is my own problem. Give me your word." he smirked and paced his cell.
"My escape is not an issue." he clued me. I smiled back as I caught on.
"Everyone always knew you were up to something. Barton's already on his way, isn't he?"
"Well it doesn't take a mastermind to figure that one out." he joked, I rolled my eyes at him,
"I have a better idea on your side of the bargain. In switching sides you must to come work as my right-hand woman, per-say. I've heard of your quite impressive resume of security guarding, care to be lead of security. If you agree, then you have my word. I won't lay a single finger on him."
"Deal."
"When does the prison break occur?" I asked.
"Tee minus ten minutes and counting. I need you to do one more thing for me though. Can you leave a nice message for Stark when he gets back into his suit. Think of something funny." he asked. I nodded and turned to walk away. As I reached the top of the stairs I turned back to face him.
"How did you know I wasn't lying. Why did you trust me."
"I lie for a living. I've come to know when people are being truthful or not."
"I'll see you soon."
All I had to do now was vandalize a millionaires pride and joy and I would be well on my way out of this joint. I walked slowly out of the prison and smiled to myself a bit to happily. I passed one of the knocked out guards and stepped over his flopped out body without a care in the world. I waltzed towards the storage bay where, undoubtedly, Stark's suit of armour would be packed away. I had almost five minutes left until all hell broke loose on this flying whale and I was going to enjoy every last second of it.
It was then, when I felt the first engine blow off.
