Chapter 9: Cut off One Head, Two more take its place
After my stupid failed attempt of escape I was knocked out for god knows how long again.
When I woke up it was to find myself in a small prison cell with many security cameras.
I was scared. More scared then ever. Especially when I saw the small band aid on my arm that had certainly not been there before.
A puncture mark.
Via gulped as she inspected the tiny red dot of puckered skin that she had just uncovered.
Someone had stuck a needle in her.
A big one.
She knew there was one on her neck from where Sergei Kravenoff had sedated her, but she didn't know where this one on her arm had come from.
The thought made her shiver as she curled into a ball on her hard, little cot.
The room was barren, with only a single hard cot with a thin mattress, pillow and rough itchy blanket. In the corner were several soft plastic water bottles and a small bucket to piss and do her business in.
This hadn't been the worst living situation Via had faced, but it was certainly the most chilling. Even living in the cold street gutter felt more pleasant than this. At least out there she had people on the street to look at to pass the time.
Despite her attempts to keep stubbornly snarky, she could feel her eyes burn, threatening to spill over as her fear began to reach new heights. She had been captured by two men she knew next to nothing about, and now…now who knew what was going to happen to her?
These men obviously needed her alive. But for what? And to what end?
Would they torture her? Experiment on her? Rape her? Rip her mind apart bit by bit?
She was so afraid that she almost wished that they did want to kill her.
She wasn't afraid of death.
She had faced it so many times before and so often it seemed a kinder alternative to all the other horrors of the world.
The only thing that even remotely eased her mind was seeing that she was still wearing all her old clothes, including all her relics.
So…they still think these are just toys or trinkets huh?
She mused as she looked down at her dragon bracelets on her wrists, before checking down the front of her now ruined dress. She could still see the Web of Asibikaashi sitting over her breast. However, her sling ring was nowhere to be found.
It must've fallen out when I was on the run
She reasoned dully, heart sinking as she sat up and inspected her shin. The bandage on it had been changed and was fresh and white and clean. Also it seemed to hurt a lot less.
Wherever she was now, they obviously needed her in one piece
She bit down on her tongue when she heard the locks on the nearby door start to shift and jumped to her feet fists clenched as it opened.
A man stepped through, dressed in dark tactical gear. It wasn't either one of the Craven brothers, but she could tell by the way he walked (and the way he held his gun) that he was not someone she would mess with…at least not yet.
"Oh good, you're awake" he smirked as she glared at him before looking over his shoulder. Through the door she could see the shadows of several other armed men, all taller and bigger than she.
"Not talking huh? What's the matter kid, cat got your tongue?" the man snorted.
"Where am I?" Via narrowed her eyes at him.
"Hell, kid. You're in hell" the man smirked reaching forwards to grab her by the arm, only to wince as she swiped him away.
"I can walk by myself thanks" she growled straightening herself up to her fullest height…which only brought her to the man's chest height.
"Fine then. But one step out of line…" he paused, jerking his gun in his arms.
"You won't shoot me" Via folded her arms "Otherwise capturing me would've been a waste of your time and resources"
"Don't get smart, kid. Now move!" the man grabbed at her and shoved her towards the door.
She desperately wanted to swear at him but bit her tongue as she caught sight of all the guns surrounding her. However, she didn't hold back on the mutinous glower as she squared out her shoulders and strutted in between all the men.
She might've been their captive, but she was NOT going to be the whimpering, trembling damsel in distress.
As she walked she kept tabs on the corridors but found to her dismay that they were depressingly monotonous and grey. All doors had been closed, and if any were opened they were quickly shut before she could get a peek in. The only thing that did seem to change was the cleanliness as they ascended several flights of stairs.
The place her cell was seemed to be the "dungeon", and had been grey and slightly grimy. But the higher up in the facility (or wherever they were) the cleaner all the surfaces became.
Instinctively she rubbed at Asmund and Brynja on her wrists as they stopped outside a tall polished metal door with a hand print scanner on the side.
The leader of the guards stepped forwards and pressed a button at the top of the machine and hissed:
"Franco here. We've brought the girl"
"Come in" a deep gruff voice snapped on the other end of the crackling line.
There was a beep as the man, Franco, slid off his glove and put his bare hand on the pad, which flashed green before unlocking and swinging forwards on its own.
Via felt the cold point of a gun at her back and begrudgingly allowed herself to be pushed forwards after Franco's footsteps.
They were in what appeared to be a large spacious office with a wall of glass separating the outside world from the room. On a small clock on a desk, it read ten am.
Via winced as the artificial light from the lamp illuminated the room and the dark night stormy skies outside, but was quick to recover as she caught sight of the shadow by the window.
He was tall, heavily built Hispanic man with a bald head, a nose and eyebrow piercing and had a tattoo of what appeared to be a serpent's tail coiled around his neck. Had Via not seen him in his suit and shirt, she might've thought him another brute in the street. But there was something in the way he held himself that told her he was so much more than just a thug.
He rolled his dark eyes in exasperation as he caught sight of the girl amidst all the soldiers.
"What is this? Ten men for just one measly girl?" he made a shooing motion to the guards.
"Forgive us Alphard" Franco nodded respectfully "But given the report Kravenoff gave I thought we shouldn't take a risk with this one."
"I'll be the judge of that Franco. Now leave us" the man glowered at him.
Franco bristled uncomfortably, but acquiesced, keeping his eyes trained on Via as he and his men stalked out the door, which shut behind them with a resounding snap.
"Olivia Sorenson" the man, Alphard, smirked down at her wide. "To think that I should've lived to see the day…You're taller than I thought you'd be…"
"Funny, you're shorter than I thought you'd be" Via spat out before she could stop herself.
Damn me and my big mouth
She cursed, stiffening as Alphard chuckled amusedly.
"ha-ha. Kravenoff was right, you do have spunk."
There was a beeping sound and Alphard turned his head to one of the walls where a panel had slid up.
Via followed his gaze and noticed what appeared to be a steaming plate of food sitting inside an electronic dumb-waiter.
"Chile-Rubbed Steak with Creamed Corn" Alphard smirked as he heard the young teenager's stomach warble on its own accord. "I figured a young growing girl like you must be hungry after such an ordeal"
Despite her stomach demanding her to demolish the plate of hot steaming, delicious smelling food, Via stood her ground and growled.
"I'm not hungry"
"All evidence to the contrary" Alphard snorted placing the plate of food on his desk as her stomach grumbled loudly again.
"How do I know you haven't drugged it?" Via scowled.
"Because I didn't hire the two best hunters in the business just so I could poison you with a small plate of food. Now you can either eat what is given you or you can starve. I don't care either way"
Via chewed her lip.
She didn't want to eat the food, she wasn't sure what these bastards had put in it. On the other hand if she didn't eat she'd run out of energy, and she couldn't use whatever magic she knew to escape if she was out of energy.
Quietly she walked over to the desk, took a seat in front of it and carefully began picking at the plate of food. It was delicious, and didn't seem to taste off…then again he could've been using odourless and tasteless poisons…
"So…what am I here for?" She asked after a couple of bites.
"What?" Alphard blinked in surprise at her.
Via rolled her eyes.
"Well you obviously have a lot of resources to pull all this crap off…and now you're offering me your food when you could've just as easily had some slop delivered to my cell. So what gives? Why bother bringing me up here?"
Alphard stared at her for a moment, eyes widening as her own blue orbs pierced straight into him.
"I guess that is the only question that does matter" Alphard sneered as she kept her eyes trained on him, all the while struggling to cut her steak with her plastic cutlery. "When Kravenoff told me that the daughter of Freyja Sorenson had been found, I could not believe my ears. I had to see you for myself, make sure it wasn't a hoax"
"It still could be" Via snorted through a mouthful of corn. "I mean you can see me and all but is just seeing me enough proof?"
"No. it isn't" Alphard agreed "Hence why I asked my men to extract a little blood for a dna test"
"Yeah and by a little blood do you mean just one sample or a whole pint?" Via's eyebrows rose as she glanced to the puckered skin on her forearm, "because that looks like one heck of a needle"
"We needed to be sure" Alphard's sneer widened disconcertingly "and my scientists figured given your…heritage as a Sorenson you could be a real asset"
Via gulped as she felt an icy shiver run down her spine. There was just something in the way he said asset that just made her skin crawl, and that hungry look he was giving her.
It was just like the look Cornelius Craven gave her back in that basement. The look of a predator sizing up its prey before it gave chase.
She took another bite of food, more for distraction than anything else, only to find her hands were trembling ever so slightly.
"You're scared" Alphard eyed her shaking fingers with intrigue. "You'd be a fool not to be"
Via glared at her plate of food as she polished the last of it clean.
"When you say asset…what exactly do you mean?" she muttered to break the thickening tension building in the air.
"What do you think I mean?" Alphard smirked. "You are the daughter of one of Shield's greatest allies. Did you not think that there would be people interested in investing in your abilities?"
"Investing?" Via blinked "I'm a human being, not something you buy off the shelf-"
"Funny, that's not what your old caretakers thought" Alphard snorted "and Stark too. Why else would he hire you, an inexperienced child to help him look for a deadly intergalactic weapon-"
"Shut up!" Via snapped but Alphard continued ruthlessly, eyes ablaze with malicious pleasure.
"You are so young, with so many powers left untapped. Stark…your guardian Strange…They know nothing about what you are capable of"
"Oh, and you think you know?" Via rolled her eyes only to flinch as he suddenly zoned in on her personal space.
"Yes… I do. Because I know exactly what you are. I know where you come from…and you can know it too…if you join us."
"Join who?"
Alphard's smirk widened.
"Tell me Olivia, what do you call a creature that grows two heads when you cut off the first?"
When Stephen Strange first looked upon the Hope Haven Orphanage, he wasn't quite sure what to think.
True the building was old and slightly shabby. But apart from that it looked fairly ordinary and not at all like the dreary prison, child labour hell hole he'd expected.
Then again looks can be deceiving.
He mused as he stepped out, admiring his own clean cut shirt and trousers, followed quickly by a stern faced Natasha Romanoff and a wary looking Clint Barton both of whom were dressed in business suits and looking important.
It had been decided that the Black Widow and Hawkeye should go because unlike the rest of their comrades they still knew how to blend in and fly under the radar. They would've asked Bruce Banner to join them too, but then their numbers would seem and Bruce himself didn't want to run the risk of letting his anger loose in a building full of innocent children.
Stephen couldn't blame him. After hearing Via's accounts of her miserable life at the hands of the matron and her husband, he too was almost tempted to tear the building apart brick by brick with magic.
"We're at the Orphanage. We'll keep you posted if we find anything" Natasha spoke quietly into the small communicator lodged in her ear.
"I see Stark has got his phone privileges back?" Stephen smirked at Clint who shrugged.
"He probably had Bruce smuggle it in. Good thing too, we need Jarvis to run a check on the orphanage's computers, see if we can find any clues in Via's file"
Her file…
Stephen sucked in a deep breath as he followed a now silent Natasha up the front steps. She quickly fixed a small fake smile as she let him lead the way to the door.
He wrapped his knuckles on the door hard, only realizing just how strange it was that they were calling at such a late hour in the night at a time when most of the neighbourhood would probably be asleep.
Nonetheless the door opened, much to their surprise and they got the chance to peek inside.
The inside of the orphanage seemed just as ordinary as the outside. Children's pictures lined the dark walls of the small front entrance hallway and they could hear the sounds of small feet pattering around the ceiling above.
And yet…Stephen could not shake off the feeling of something off in the air…An off feeling that only intensified as he caught sight of their host.
She was a short plump woman, with greying dark hair and a rather pallid heavy face. She rather reminded Stephen of an old elephant, especially with the way her grey heavily wrinkled clothes sagged about her, and the way her feet trudged heavily on the floor.
"Those damn kids." She muttered more to herself than anyone else "Nearly midnight and they're screaming like banshees, just wait till I get my-"
She stopped quickly at the sight of Natasha, Clint and Stephen.
"Who the heck are you?"
"Doctor Stephen Strange. Mildred Hope isn't it?" Stephen held out a hand to the woman, his gut starting to now simmer with anger as he looked her over.
So…this was the Mildred who made his new ward's life a misery was it?
"Yes but what is it to…Ah…Strange…Then you're here to talk about-"
"About Olivia…yes"
"Olivia…of course…you better…better come in then" Despite her best tries to hide it, Stephen could practically taste the revulsion as his ward's name rolled off her tongue.
But what gave him the most satisfaction was seeing her look Natasha and Clint over with slight fear as she took in their professional corporate attire.
"My lawyers" Stephen smirked "Is there a place we can sit down and talk?"
"My office" Mildred gulped and she quickly beckoned them towards a door to their right "Make yourselves at home"
"Thank you" Natasha flashed a polite smile as they took their seats in the small dingy office space.
When Mildred shut the door sneering a little as she spat.
"So…what has she done this time?"
"I beg your pardon?" Stephen frowned, barely holding back a snarl as the woman bristled and strode to sit behind her desk.
"That girl. What has she done?"
"Who ever said she did anything?" Stephen glanced at Natasha, who kept her eyes trained on the woman shrewdly.
Mildred shivered a little under her gaze.
"I'm sorry Doctor, but you come here with a pair of Lawyers at my door in the middle of the night asking about that brat-I-I mean child. Given her track record what am I bound to think?"
"I don't know you tell me?" Stephen clipped quietly.
Mildred flushed.
"Well…well…I personally don't like to speak ill of my children. I mean, I believe that all these poor dears should have the chance of a good home with a good family…but that girl…she was...well...let's just say disturbed"
"Troubled?"
"Too big for her own boots" Mildred scoffed sinking back into her chair "Always loved to tell a tall tale, never knew quite when to hold her tongue. Upset a lot of people."
Stephen's lip curled.
"Really?"
"Yes." Mildred scowled "I know she looks all sweet and innocent. And usually I like to give my kids the benefit of the doubt…but that girl….She was trouble…"
"Why? Because she stood up to you and your husband?" Stephen spat.
Mildred turned scarlet, her mouth opening and shutting as Natasha took over, eyes flashing as she took out a file from her briefcase. In it were several pictures, one an enhanced zoom in on Via's back and what appeared to be several X rays.
"We've seen the cigarette burns on her back. They're healed but they came from before she ran away so she couldn't have gotten them on the streets. Then there are the several old fractures we've noticed in x-rays from her back and ribs. We've had an expert analyse them, these fractures appear to be over five years old"
"Children play rough" Mildred scoffed, though her face was pale and sweaty "You see them all the time, falling over, pushing one another and running about. And those-those burns she could've gotten anywhere. This isn't exactly a peaceful neighbourhood-"
"Perhaps, but then again not many people are friends with people like Cornelius Craven" Clint finally piped in
It was unmistakable now. Mildred Hope was now paler than death warmed up. Her eyes darted nervously between Clint, Natasha and Stephen.
"How…how do you know that name?" she gulped after a long pause.
"I've got an even better question Mrs Hope. How do you know that name?" Stephen sneered leaning forwards.
Mildred was sweating buckets now as she looked between her three interrogators., her fingers quietly sliding down below the surface of her desk. However, she was stopped by Natasha's sudden grip on her wrist.
"Don't even think about it" the Black Widow growled, her tone soft but menacing as she forced the woman back into her seat, which slid back a little across the floor.
"N-no. P-please-y-you don't understand-"
"Understand what? That you were responsible for all those missing children?"
"Missing children?" Stephen frowned and Clint nodded.
"After we hired Via, Tony did some digging into the Orphanage files. Apparently, Via wasn't the only kid to go MIA from Hope Haven Orphanage after a visit from Cornelius Craven, as well as other Hydra agents."
"But Via escaped-" Steven's frown deepened.
"Because she was smart. The other kids weren't so lucky." Natasha grunted as she bared down on the other woman "You knew that, but you also knew she was valuable so you sold her off anyway. You just needed the right buyer, and you found one in Cornelius Craven. I bet he would've payed you thousands just to get his hands on the daughter of Freyja Sorenson"
"He would've paid the world" Mildred hissed as her wrist was twisted horribly "You didn't see his face when he saw her. Like a child on Christmas day. Billy and I would've been set for life if that little bitch hadn't run off-AH!"
She cried out as Natasha twisted harder on her already strained limb, nostrils flaring with suppressed rage.
"Nat" Clint barked warningly, and quickly the spy loosened her grip, though she didn't let go of the limb.
Stephen let out the breath he didn't even know he had been holding in. He knew Natasha Romanoff wasn't a woman to be messed with. But now after seeing her like this, he didn't want to get on her bad side, let alone think about it.
He had to admit he was impressed by how calm Clint was about the whole sordid affair even as he said:
"He came here didn't he? Not years ago but recently. This week perhaps? He wanted to know if she was still a ward of the state-"
"Don't know what you're talking about" Mildred snarled, warily eyeing Natasha who stared her down threateningly.
"Oh yes you do." Clint stood to his feet. "You're a recruiter. For every single kid you hand over you get a commission, and if the kids are of good stock you get a bonus. You'd have to receive reports from someone somehow once the stock was evaluated to see what you'd be getting out of it. And Cornelius Craven's one of your big customers, you'd definitely keep tabs on him and his purchases"
Mildred glared at Clint through a tearstained glowering face.
Natasha rolled her eyes.
"Listen we'll make this very clear. Either you tell us where Craven and his brother are or I break your arm and every bone in your body one by one until you do. Your choice."
There was a silence as she twisted the Matron's arm once more, carefully this time to make sure that she got the point.
Mildred looked murderously up at her captor, but Stephen could see her chest deflating with defeat.
"Pennsylvania. They took her to a facility in Pennsylvania… where they take all the kids. I don't know the exact location" she bleated as Natasha threatened to twist her arm further "I swear, that's all I know"
"She's telling the truth" Stephen muttered.
Natasha glanced at Clint who nodded in agreement. But instead of letting the blasted woman go, she yanked her to her feet roughly.
"Get up. You've answered our questions, now you've got to answer the police's"
"The P-police! You F* called the police-You-" the rest of her sentence was cut off by police sirens blaring suddenly from outside.
"Tony called ahead. They've also apprehended Billy Hope before coming here. There's nowhere left to hide now." Clint quietly explained to Stephen who nodded in understanding as he made to follow the archer, the spy and their captive out the door, only to blink in surprise as a young twelve-year-old asian boy suddenly jumped back out of their way.
"S-sorry! Sorry…" the boy flushed scarlet, averting his eyes quickly at Mildred who looked ready to shout at him. However, at a glare from Natasha she kept her mouth shut and allowed herself to be steered to the front door.
"Hey kid, you okay?" Clint kneeled in front of the boy who nodded timidly.
"Yeah…yeah I'm okay…"
"A bit late to be listening at the door huh?" Clint smirked and the boy blushed.
"Jack dared me"
"What's your name?" Clint smiled helpfully.
"Tom" the boy mumbled, chancing a peek up at Stephen "You said you knew Via?"
"Yeah, I'm going to adopt her" Stephen coughed awkwardly "Did you know her?"
Tom nodded quietly.
"She stayed in the room opposite mine." He paused gulping to himself. He seemed to be contemplating if to say something. Apparently, he decided he could because with a deep breath he steeled himself, then blurted out:
"They had her in the basement"
"Who had her?"
"The weird guy with the white hair" Tom gulped "and this big dude with the fur on his jacket. They had someone down in the basement earlier but took them away. I didn't know who it was, but if you guys are here then maybe…"
"When was this Tom?" Clint asked swiftly.
"This afternoon…around four-ish I think…They said they were going to Hammersley or somthin'"
"The Hammersley Wild Area" Clint groaned, but was quick to quell Tom's nerves by patting him on the shoulder "Thanks Tom. It was very brave of you to speak like this. Now why don't you go back upstairs and get some sleep. The cops are outside and will make sure you guys are safe"
Tom nodded and quickly scampered off to the stairs, only to stop halfway up.
"Hey Mister!"
"Yeah?" Clint and Stephen both turned around.
"Those guys…they've taken a lot of kids…some were my friends…" he trailed off
"We'll find them" Clint assured him, gently but firmly.
"We promise"
"So let me get this straight. You guys are the last remnants of an old neo-nazi science division from World War Two hellbent on world domination?"
"We prefer to think of it as bringing the world back to order" Alphard smirked at Via's deadpan expression.
"Yeah…because that doesn't make you sound crazy" she snorted into the last bite of her plate of food.
Alphard raised his eyebrows.
"You really do not have a filter for your mouth, do you?"
"Oh I do…I just don't waste it on people like you" Via narrowed her eyes as Alphard stepped even further into her personal bubble so now they were almost nose to nose.
"Hmm…such fire…too bad we're gonna have to snuff it out. It won't do to have an asset with a short fuse"
"What are you gonna do? Torture me? Brainwash me with swirling black and white spirals?" Via sneered, though her heart was beginning to beat very fast indeed.
Now that she thought about it, was brainwashing possible?
She knew that it could be accomplished through the mystic arts. She'd read texts on the repercussions and effects of telepathic manipulation. But was it possible for them to wipe her memories WITHOUT magic?
The notion was surreal and yet also very terrifying.
And the small smirk Alphard fixed her with was not helping her nerves one bit.
Perhaps he noticed it too, because his smirk widened with his next words.
"Possibly…but if we do we won't be using stuff as silly as spirals"
He straightened up tapping a Bluetooth communication earbud in his ear.
"Alphard to Franco. Our guest has finished her meal. If you would be so kind as to take her down to the labs. I believe it's time for her check-up"
"With pleasure sir" Franco's huffed gruffly from the comm link.
"Check-up?" Via growled and Alphard grunted.
"Of course. We need you in one piece before we start conditioning you" he eyed the gauze on her leg and tutted "the Kravenoffs. An effective team to be sure, but so sloppy. I ask them to bring you back in one piece and they get you scratched. Now if only we had our good friend the Winter Soldier pick you up. He knew how to extract an asset without damage-"
"The Winter what?" Via frowned in confusion, but her captor just waved her off.
"It doesn't matter. Soon we'll have you to follow his footsteps. And I'm sure you'll do your job brilliantly"
"Against my will you mean?" Via snapped.
Alphard grinned.
"Oh, Strucker is going to enjoy breaking you in" he murmured, just as the door to the room opened and Franco stepped in again, looking grim.
"Sir, urgent report just in." his nostrils flared as he glanced at Via and back at Alphard "The Avengers have apprehended Agent Hope and her partner at Hope Haven."
Alphard's face dropped like a stone.
"Has she spoken to them?"
"We believe so sir. The orphanage is compromised as is our position here."
"How unfortunate" Alphard spat glaring sidelong at Via who was looking even more confused.
Agent Hope…wait Hope? Do they mean Mildred Hope? Old Milly?! She was working for them all this time?!
Her horrified thoughts were interrupted as two guards grabbed her by the arms and shoved her to her feet.
"No matter we still have time" Alphard sneered into her face as he pulled out a long cloth napkin from the tray of food and quickly tied it around her mouth "Take her to Doctor Skrill. See if he can prep her for the plane. I'll call Strucker"
Via glared at him, struggling hard against the men that held her as they all but frog marched her from the room.
Got to get away from these bozos…ARGH!
"Hey! Cut it out brat" one of the men shoved her forwards, his hands letting her go for the slightest second.
She saw her chance.
With a roar she jostled her arms out of the grip of both men, punching one in the face before turning around and kneeing one in the privates.
There were shouts all around her, but she paid them no heed as two more men rushed forwards, raising their guns.
She ducked quickly lunging and rolling in between the gap they left.
There was the blast of gunfire and she felt the hot burning metal scrape by her knee as one bullet narrowly missed hitting her leg.
"Hold your fire!" Alphard was yelling to the guards who quickly holstered their guns. "HOLD YOUR FIRE!"
But Via was already running along the corridor, using the web of Asibikaashi to propel herself in a flip over one man's head, which forced him to collide headlong with two of his fellows.
Via smirked as she began running around a corner, jumping down a flight of stairs.
She could hear a loud alarm ringing and see red lights flashing in the ceilings. This when added to the loud yelling and thundering of footsteps reminded Via forcibly of a thunderstorm.
And speaking of Thunderstorm where's an Avenger when you need one?
Via rolled her eyes as she quickly jumped down another flight of stairs, quickly pushing out a web of golden energy.
With a tug she launched herself onto the ceiling of a corridor and stilled just above the entrance way, only just in time.
"She came down here sir! I saw her"
"Spread out and search, subdue if necessary but hand to hand combat only. We need her alive" it was Franco and boy did he sound pissed.
Via shrank back into the shadows of a ceiling corner as she caught sight of the man himself stride into the corridor. He didn't even see her as he gave a cursory glance to the ceiling.
He was on his own.
But Via could see the shadows of his men just behind the threshold.
So…he wanted to lure her out into the open himself did he?
Slowly and quietly she raised one hand from the wall behind her and began mouthing softly under her breath.
"Porta sigillum, nam quis non aperire [Door seal. DO not open for anyone]"
A tiny glimmer of amber trickled out of her fingertips, catching the corner of Franco's eye.
But even as he turned around to face her it was too late.
The doors to the corridor slammed shut all around him.
"You little bitch!" he snarled as Via leapt down from the ceiling.
Behind the locked door, many of his men were shouting, yelling and firing their guns. But the spell stayed strong. With every judder the amber energy sparked and someone yelled as they and their bullets were thrown back from the barrier.
"What…what the hell did you do?" Franco snarled at the door, eyes widening in shock as Via launched herself at him.
She bowled him over, punching him hard in the face. He reeled back, blood flying from his broken nose, the scent of it incensing him further.
With a roar he grabbed his attacker and threw her from him.
Via grunted as her back hit the wall, quickly dodging a solid punch aimed for her head. Ducking out under his arm she aimed a smooth sweeping roundhouse to his ribs. He grunted in pain but caught her foot twisting it hard.
But Via didn't resist, instead she let him twist, using the action to propel herself onto her hands in a half-handstand from which she kicked out with her free foot. It hit him in the chin and she cartwheeled away, landing in a crouch.
"You've been trained well" Franco sneered as he struggled back to his hands and knees, rubbing his now bruised chin.
"You haven't" Via spat only to tense as she felt something moving behind her.
She sprang away, but was stopped as something large and heavy suddenly fell on top of her.
She struggled wildly against the thing, which she noticed, was large heavy, full of holes and made of thin black rope.
A net-
"AHH!" she cried out as suddenly something white hot and piercing like a thousand knives shot straight through her body.
She writhed in pain, shrieking as the sounds of crackling and the smell of her own burning flesh filled her nose.
She held her hands over her face, shielding it as the burning shocking coils dug into her arms and legs, and even through her clothes.
Then suddenly it was gone.
She gasped as the heat suddenly disappeared from her skin, though the searing pain did not go away in the slightest.
"Well look what we've got here?" a deep British voice chuckled darkly. "A little dumb animal caught in a trap"
Via panted as she felt a heavy booted foot roll her over.
"Y-y-you bastard" she stuttered as she stared up into the face of Cornelius Craven, whose smile widened with glee as he pulled the net from her body.
"Tch! Now look what you made me do" he tutted as he stroked a hand along her jaw, eyeing the net shaped burns in her dress, arms and legs. "Ruining your pretty dress. It would've been easier if you'd just come along quietly like a good little girl-"
He paused as she spat in his eye.
"G-G-G-Go to H-hell" she growled, tears streaming down her face.
"Already been there love" Cornelius's sneer widened as wiped his face slowly. "It's grossly overrated"
There was a loud bang and they both turned just in time to see the sealed door finally break down.
"Stand down gentlemen. I got this" he drawled as the guards flooded into the corridor, quickly forming a circle around him and his prey.
With a swift tug he pulled Via to her shaking feet, ignoring her snarls of anger as he grabbed the back of her neck and shoved her forwards.
"Get a move on." He hissed at her before turning to the other men "Change of plans boys, we go to the Hangar."
"The Hangar? But Alphard said-" Franco glowered angrily only to be cut short as a large beefy hand of Sergei Craven slapped down on his shoulder.
"Strucker's orders. Our position's been compromised, he's ordering an immediate extraction."
"Extraction?" Via wondered aloud "So where to next? The Sahara?"
"Does she ever shut up?" Sergei rolled his eyes as his brother chuckled darkly.
"Don't worry brother, by the time Strucker is done with her, she'll be a perfect little asset"
"Like your beloved Winter Soldier?" she sneered, and was pleased to see all the men stiffen uncomfortably in their positions.
Even Cornelius bristled angrily as he cuffed her over the back of the head hard.
"Don't speak of things you don't understand girl" he turned back to his brother and their underlings, beady eyes flashing dangerously.
"I suggest you all start moving, unless you all want to end up with your head on a spike" he barked, so harshly that Via herself winced, heart hammering as she allowed herself to be steered back down the corridor surrounded by her armoured guards.
How she wished she could just go home…to her bed…to her books…to her friends…to Stephen, Buddy and Wong.
You gotta stay strong Vee. Stay strong and don't let them see you cry. They aren't worth your tears.
Her fists trembled by her sides as she gulped down the large lump in her throat.
No. She wasn't going to let them see her cry. She wasn't going to let them win. She'd get out of this by hell and high water if it was the last thing she ever did.
Stephen Strange was angry.
No one could really blame him of course. His ward had been kidnapped by a secret group of terrorists and the orphanage she'd grown up in had been responsible for the disappearances of not just one, but many children.
But the absolute cherry on top of his most frustrating day was the fact that both the Avengers and the Order of the Mystic Arts had practically forced him to stay behind while the worlds greatest heroes organized a rescue mission.
Hence why he was pouring through every single book in his personal library to find a way to break free of the magical tether that four masters of the mystic arts had placed on him to stop him leaving the safety of the New York Sanctum.
"How dare you?!" he had yelled to Master Percival of the London Sanctum. "She's my ward! My apprentice! Who are you to tell me that I cannot go help rescue her from those despots?"
However, despite Percival's sympathy, the masters answers remained the same.
"You are the next Sorcerer Supreme. We cannot risk our enemies knowing your identity or your powers just yet until you have completed your trials. We understand you're worried for the safety of your apprentice, but the chance of losing you is too high to risk that we cannot afford to take."
It made sense, the logical part of his brain surmised bitterly. The order had no other candidate apart from him to take the Ancient One's place. Of course they'd value his safety above Via's at the moment. If Via were to die it would still be a blow, but if Stephen were to die, the order would be sitting ducks, vulnerable to destruction.
But she's just a child
The more fierce protective doctor's side snarled angrily.
She's tough and a good fighter, but deep down she's still just a normal kid. She must be scared out of her mind.
He shut his eyes as he sucked in a deep breath. Although he knew she was many hours away, he could still feel her presence on the edges of his mind.
She was scared, terrified, he could feel it in her thoughts. But she was also determined and stubborn. He could almost feel her rolling her eyes at something, so wherever she was and whatever was happening to her she was still healthy enough to give back her sass.
The thought was enough to give him a little respite but not enough to quench his frustration. Wong had told him that even if he couldn't go to rescue her he could still be of some comfort to her when she returned home from her ordeal. But Stephen was not a patient man.
If he was going to comfort Via he was going to do it in the here and now, and not leave her to suffer in silence. And so he sat down in his chair behind his desk, breathing deeply to try and keep his own mind calm and soothing as he tried his best to reach out further with his mind to hers.
He could feel her shock as she felt his presence, but was relieved when she accepted it without question. Indeed, he could feel her grip on tightly to it like a lifeline.
Thank god, you found me. I was afraid you'd never hear me someone was blocking me.
Her relieved voice echoed in his brain.
The Sanctum's defences have been momentarily raised. The Order thought it necessary considering the circumstances. But that's not important. Are you hurt? What have they done to you?
He asked her swiftly, doing his best to keep his anger in check.
I'm fine…
She muttered awkwardly but he could feel her twinges of pain as clearly as if they were his own.
My leg's hurt but I can walk and run if need be.
And your relics? Can you defend yourself?
Stephen's scarred fingers clenched and flexed in anticipation.
Don't worry I've kept them hidden. These bozos are under the impression that whatever powers I use are my own and the stuff I wear are just trinkets. But that's not important-Ow!
Stephen winced as he felt a sharp jab of pain from her end.
What happened? Are you alright?
He asked quickly as she recovered.
I'm fine…they just want me to hurry up and keep moving.
Where?
They've got me somewhere in Pennsylvania but apparently they want to move me somewhere else now, but I don't know where. Said this place was compromised. I'm like, literally on the way to some kind of hangar right now-
DAMN!
Stephen cursed slamming a hand on the desk before him.
Whoever had you now must've heard about the arrest of Mildred and Billy Hope. Obviously they must have a mole somewhere in the system that must've told them-shit!
Stephen what-
I'm calling Stark. His team are on their way to your location right now.
They WHAT?! Via bleated in shock, but Stephen already had whipped out his phone and was dialling.
"Stark. Stark! Goddammit answer you sunofa-"
"Whoa-whoa Houdini! No need to get your wizard's hat in a twist I'm right here" a voice drawled.
Stephen looked up to the door of his study just in time to see Tony Stark himself hobble into the room. He was wearing an AC-DC T-shirt, jeans and trainers with a red hooded sweater, his left arm bandaged and in a white sling. His usually suave face was scratched and bruised and his dark hair was ruffled, but otherwise he looked alright.
"I take it you're having fun under house arrest" the billionaire snorted and was not surprised when the sorcerer before him snarled sarcastically.
"Oh yes" Stephen rolled his eyes "I mean yeah sure my ward was kidnapped by some terrorist despots and I can't even step one foot out of this fortress to help bring her back safe and sound before they move her to another facility, but yeah I'm doing just swell!"
"Move to another facility?" Tony frowned "How on earth-"
"She told me" Stephen snapped waspishly "I found her telepathically and she told me they're extracting her because of the Hope's arrest."
"Shit! Jarvis!" Tony groaned, just as the disembodied voice of Jarvis suddenly spoke up.
"Yes sir, already sending emergency message to Quinjet seven, Captain Rogers is accelerating flight as we speak. Estimation of arrival now one hour."
"Yeah well tell him to make it half an hour," Tony sighed, turning back to Stephen and holding up a brown paper bag in his hands.
"Burger?" he asked.
Stephen glowered at him. How could the man even think about his stomach in such a time of crisis?
As if reading his thoughts, Tony rolled his eyes.
"Listen you've been grounded, I've been grounded." He gestured to his broken arm "The least we can do is keep ourselves in some decent shape before they bring her back home."
"Fine"
Stephen sighed as he walked back to sit behind his desk, Tony smirking as he made to sit on the other side, burying his hand in the bag.
"So which one do you want? I've got two beef, one cheeseburger and one chicken-I mean usually I prefer Schwarma's but recently I've had a hankering for a good old fashioned burger bun-"
"Chicken" Stephen clipped waspishly as he tried to shut his eyes.
He could feel Via there still through the link, her fear heightening tenfold with every passing moment.
"They're coming for you just hold on" he murmured out loud and in his head, making Tony's glower soften slightly.
Whilst he'd never really liked Stephen Strange, he had to admit he felt rather sorry for him now. Despite their differences the man obviously cared for his ward immensely, and Tony could only imagine just how frustrated and frightened he must be feeling not being able to do anything to help. If only because that's just how he himself felt at this moment in time.
"She's a good kid." he muttered quietly as he handed the chicken burger to the stressing man "Maybe not academically or technologically brilliant but the fact she had enough wits about her to send me that SOS in her dreams when she could've been wasting her time pissing her pants-"
"Yeah…she's pretty smart like that" Stephen admitted as he accepted the food and bit down into it.
"Hard worker too" Tony grunted through a mouthful of food. "Seriously when she's at the tower it's difficult to tear her away for even a coffee break."
"You should see her when she's studying her spells" Stephen snorted into his burger "Wong and I have to practically seal her books shut before we can get her to go to bed"
"Secret bookworm huh? Who'd have thought?" Tony chuckled, and despite himself, Stephen felt the corners of his lips quirk upwards at the memory as he turned to look out the drizzling window.
"You don't know the half of it."
He paused as he heard Via's voice through the telepathic link.
Right…just a little bit more…
Via what?
Something of his confusions must've shown on his face because Tony glanced at him nervously.
"Uh Strange?"
But Stephen wasn't listening, instead he gasped as he felt what appeared to be a blast of victorious glee from his apprentice's mind along with the satisfactory smirk.
Got it.
In his mind's eye, Stephen was vaguely aware of a small golden knife hidden in a slender pale hand.
"Oh no…" his face paled.
"What?" Tony gulped anxiously.
"Oh no…" Stephen pinched the bridge of his nose "Olivia what the hell are you doing?"
And so there I was, waiting in the hangar bay to board a helicopter that was about to take me who knows where.
Honestly I would be lying if I didn't say that I wasn't a little excited. I'd never travelled by air before, at least not in the conventional mundane way. And despite my fear of being held captive by Hydra I was curious as to what being in a helicopter would feel like. Would it be smooth or bumpy? Would I get air-sick? And if I did was being Air-sick the same as being Sea-sick?
I had been on a boat, but that was just the New York Ferry so it didn't really count.
Anyways, there I was standing and wondering what was going to happen to me when Alphard finally came down and started talking to the Craven brothers.
As he did nearly all my guards turned to face him, all of them quickly setting about to prepare my path into the vehicle as it revved to life. For the first time since my incarceration, no one was looking at me or touching me.
That's when I summoned Asmund.
Via smirked as she quickly tucked a tiny golden needle like blade into the sleeve of her camisole. It made a slight bump, but if she kept her hand facing down no one would notice it.
She wasn't too keen on the idea of using such a deadly weapon to defend herself. After all the last time she'd transformed Asmund into something sharp she'd ended up killing a man, but desperate times called for desperate measures and by god she really was desperate now.
She kept her mouth shut as she let herself be led towards the helicopter into which she was quickly strapped in to sit between two guards, while Alphard took the cockpit with the pilot.
She barely understood the commands and instructions the men around her were yelling over the whirring of the helicopter propeller above their heads, which whirred to life as it carried them up into the air.
Via watched with bated breath as grey light suddenly came through the windows of the craft. In comparison to the dim light of the hangar below it seemed to almost blind her and her captors who quickly adjusted as the helicopter tilted into a turn.
It was then Via saw her prison.
It was a grey concrete building, cleverly built into the side of a large hill so that from the front it was mostly concealed by trees. From the air though, the gaping hole in the short grey tower that they had risen from was plain to see just below them.
"Everyone doing alright back there?" the pilot called and the two men beside Via grunted along with Alphard.
Slowly, Via slid her hands down into her lap, quietly twirling her fingers in the hem of her half ruined dress while quietly trying to mouth a spell between pursed lips.
There was a tiny click as the buckle of her seatbelt suddenly popped open.
"What the-AGHAAHHAA!"
and thats where i leave all of you. seriously im not trying to be cruel but im literally posting this on my phone on my way to work.anyways hope you guys enjoyed and read/review for more :-)
cheers
FuzzyBeta