Chapter 2: My Little Secret
There she was sitting on the grass outside of the RV. She looked up at the sun, covering her eyes with her folded hands, as she studied the bruises on her arms. There was nothing she would rather do then to simply die. Perhaps, she thought that would be the grandest gift she could give to the world. After all, the world would surely be a better place without her but; then again, could she ever have such a nerve? Maybe she wouldn't have to make that decision, if Jack ever grew tired of her.
As she was contemplating this, a sweet smell circled the air. She looked around and saw a man sitting on one of the park's benches. He had a fork in hand and was eating a chocolate cake from a platter. "How did I not notice him before," she wondered out loud to herself. She tried to ignore the smell but couldn't help wandering over after a few minutes. Alanna stopped five feet behind the man, hiding behind a tree.
"Hello," said the stranger, "May I help you?" She remained silent, studying the man for a few moments. He was Caucasian, had short dark hair, dark eyes, and seemed older than he probably was. Nonetheless, she had to have some of that cake. Jack and Donny, especially Jack, would never allow her to have any type of food besides that which had lived – i.e., meat.
She stayed silent for a moment longer before coming from behind the tree, "Hello," she said timidly, almost surprised by her unusual shyness, "I am Alanna," she looked into his eyes, "Who are you?" As he smiled, his face seemed sincere and almost too good to be true, "I am Bruce," he said, "Would you like some cake?" He asked. Normally Alanna wouldn't talk to anybody, especially people she didn't know but, then again, the only people she did know were more of a threat than anybody she didn't know so she simply nodded her head.
Bruce cut her a gigantic piece of cake and placed it on a paper plate, handing it to her with a fork, "Enjoy," was all he said. She quickly grabbed it and ran off. It only took her around a minute or two to finish the piece of cake. When she ran back to ask for more, he was gone. Although she wondered where he went to, and especially how he managed to sneak up and away from her, she simply shrugged it off and threw the plate and fork away. She then quickly ran toward the RV to wash her face before Jack and Donny returned and discovered her little secret.
Bruce's Point of View:
As she sat there studying the sun, not paying any attention to her surroundings, I thought about how fun it would be to fight the creature living inside her. I knew a part of me wouldn't mind a good fight – especially one with a uniquely equal opponent; nonetheless, I decided against it. Instead I opted for the undercover work and set about sneaking inside the RV to look around. In truth, however, it was rather easy because of how distracted she was. I already knew that the two men were not around after having staked them out for a few days.
I knew that if Fury was here, or even any of the other Avengers, that they would not hesitate to do what was needed but something was different about this little girl. As I looked around the RV, I noticed that it was very clearly separated. I saw that what looked like her section consisted of chains and a cage. I imagine that they kept her there whenever she was feeding on something. Even so, they let her remain lose most of the time during the three days I had been watching them.
If she was able to escape, why had she not done so? By the amount of blood and the torture equipment I saw over on 'her side' of the RV I surmised that she was afraid. Perhaps, she was afraid of the monster inside her, as I am, but I would surmise that she is equally afraid of the two men. After studying her side of the RV, I studied their side. It did not take long to discover their names, John and Donny Libels, brothers. Fury, for some reason, decided to send me in blind and not give me as much information as I would have liked about them. In fact, I got the feeling he would have much more preferred that I simply disposed of them—especially the young girl.
If this was to work, I had to be quick about it. There was no way I was going to kill her. With my mind made up, I decided to gain her trust. Unfortunately, I did not have as much time as I would have liked. I once heard that food can be used as a helpful tool to gain people's trust, and considering what she had apparently been eating, I had an idea on the perfect food to use. As I climbed back out of the RV and quickly made my way to the store, I just hoped that they had some cake that was already made.