Chapter 13
"Where was your security system that you brag about when Perez came in, Stark?" Fury snapped as he stood inside the lounge area of the tower. Not only did J.A.R.V.I.S. contact the residents in the tower when Lessa screamed, but as the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. "I thought every inch of this building was secured from any outside threats that try to get in."
"It is!" Tony defended. He ran his hands through his hair. "After we found Lessa I checked J.A.R.V.I.S.'s system and there were no disturbances, no tampering, no shutdowns, nothing. No one tried to get in from the outside."
On the couch, Lessa sat with her hands tucked between her knees. She couldn't shake the feeling of Jennifer pinning her down with her sweet voice. Who was Hydra? How will she be safe once it, or even they, take over?
After Jennifer's appearance, she couldn't sleep at all so Tony, Clint, and even Bruce stayed up with her playing boardgames and such until her eyes started to droop. She woke up when Fury's voice echoed down the hall as he demanded Tony for answers.
"But someone did."
"All because you haven't caught her yet!"
The argument went on for what seemed like hours and Lessa couldn't take it. She shifted in her spot, glancing over at Clint and Bruce who stood aside, getting their word in when they can as Tony and Fury kept going back and forth. This was all because of her. She was creating harm and danger.
Fury rested his hands on his hips and glared at Tony. "I will have to take Alessandra back to S.H.I.E.L.D. because we can't take any risks after what happened last night."
Lessa wanted to tell them what Jennifer told her last night, but her mouth remained shut by the fact that she was going back into S.H.I.E.L.D.'s custody. She wasn't sure how she felt about that.
Tony scoffed. "She won't be much safer there either. People come and go through there all the time regardless of how many background checks and clearences you have. You won't be able to keep you eye on her all the time. You-"
"I should go," Lessa cut in. Tony furrowed his eyebrows at her. "I'm not your responsibility. I appreciate all that you have done for me, but you have the world and your friends and family to take care of. You don't need to add an eleven-year-old foster kid to your list. Mr. Stark you need time to heal after the alien invasion because to be honest, you're not alright despite what you say."
Ignoring Tony's stunned expression, Fury turned to Lessa. "Pack your bags. We will be heading to D.C. in an hour." Shifting back to Tony, his one good eye stared the billionaire down before leaving the area.
Lessa didn't meet any of the Avenger's eyes as she went to go to her room. She could feel their eyes on her at each step that she took. The feeling of leaving them, of leaving their comfort and safety, didn't settle right in her gut. Every instinct told her to run back to them and plead for her stay. Her conscious screamed danger at the mention of D.C. Something was about to happen. Something that Jennifer had told her was going to happen. Something that was taken for a warning.
On the last step, Lessa managed to turn around. "All of what my mother made me do added up to a purpose that I now only started to realize."
"What is that?" Bruce asked as the Clint and Tony asked the same question with their eyes.
Lessa swallowed, checking to make sure Fury was nowhere in sight. "The fall of S.H.I.E.L.D."
An hour later as planned, Lessa was boarding a quinjet headed to D.C. It would be the second time she ever flew on a plane, the first being to ride back to New York after Jennifer ditched her.
"Hey there, Lessa," Agent Sessions greeted as she settled in her seat.
Lessa smiled at the familiar (and trustworthy) face. "Hey. How long will it be till we're at D.C.?"
"About an hour. Not very long." He secured the gun strapped to his belt and sat down next to her. "How was Stark Tower?"
"It's Avengers Tower now," Lessa corrected. "And it was fun. I liked it there." She looked down at her hands, already missing the enormous building that she got lost in so many times.
"I bet you did with the great view of the city it supplies."
Lessa laughed at the comment and said nothing else as the quinjet took off. The ride was silent except for a few other agents speaking in low tones every now and then. The air felt off compared to the last time she was around S.H.I.E.L.D. More secrecy and tension lied within the aircraft.
At the Triskelion, Lessa ran into Natasha and Steve as they returned from a mission. While Natasha strolled around casually, Steve stormed up to Fury's office. He didn't acknowledge her presence as his eyes were straight ahead, body stiff.
"Is everything okay?" She asked Natasha in the lobby as she and Agent Sessions stood off to the side. Agent Sessions nodded at Natasha and kept his eyes in the center of the room, no longer meeting the assassin's.
Natasha brushed her short red hair off her shoulder. "A certain captain got his knickers in a twist over a simple task, that's all."
Not even a few minutes later, Natasha was heading up to Fury's office as Lessa and Agent Sessions went to get food. It had been a few hours since she had last eaten and she gladly chomped down on a sandwich given to her.
There was nothing to do there. Sure, Lessa met Alexander Pierce who worked alongside Nick Fury at S.H.I.E.L.D. who was rather uncomfortable to be around, but she was bored out of her mind. Agent Sessions tried to play some games with her like "I Spy" to pass time, but it didn't help.
As the day passed on, Agent Sessions informed her that she would stay with another agent. Sharon Carter, Agent 13. When told this, Lessa couldn't help but feel excited about staying with her.
They met up at her apartment building where coincidentally Steve stayed at. Sharon mentioned to her that if she crossed paths with Steve, do not mention that she was a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. Lessa didn't bother to ask why.
Sharon was wonderful. Staying in her apartment make Lessa feel awkward at first, but soon she grew accustomed to the schedule.
"You know my great-aunt knew Tony Stark's father," Sharon mentioned as they dined on spaghetti that they made that night.
Lessa almost choked on her noodles. "No way! You have to be kidding."
Sharon laughed and shook her head. "No I'm not. She use to tell all of these hilarious stories of Snarky Howard Stark when I was little. She was one of the founders of S.H.I.E.L.D."
"Is that why you became an agent?"
"Yes, she was a major influence on my career choice." Sharon smiled down a her glass of water as the memories resurfaced."
Lessa twirled noodles around her fork while a comfortable silence swept in as they both finished their meals. Once finished with cleaning up the kitchen, Lessa headed to bed as Sharon went down to the first floor to do laundry.
Living with Sharon felt like another foster home. It was temporary and she didn't even know if Sharon cared for her all that much. But Lessa wasn't shocked by the feeling at all, it only hurt her. The deep pit of loneliness from moving around so much expanded. It sunk lower in her chest that all she could go was stare numbly at the wall.
Lessa had been in the foster system for ten years, but she had only lived with her and the other girls for four years. The first five years was jumping from place to place. Now from being government property, Lessa was now also S.H.I.E.L.D.'s because of her mother. She hoped Jennifer wouldn't show up there.
Fury had blocked all communications to Lessa from Tony. He paced his workshop as he tried to calm his anxiety. The fall of S.H.I.E.L.D.? When? How?
He questioned Clint about it, but he was as clueless as he was. Sending Lessa back into S.H.I.E.L.D. with that as her last message to them didn't settle right. It bit his thoughts, baiting for him to find out what it meant.
There were many groups out there who wanted S.H.I.E.L.D. gone, but the size of their groups wouldn't even manage to take a base down let alone a powerful organization that was everywhere.
And what if Lessa misread her mother's intentions? What if that wasn't the case? Should he even mention anything to Fury? Clint might speak up, but Tony wasn't one-hundred percent sure. But it wasn't his job to warn S.H.I.E.L.D. Sure, he may have given them some tips on the new helicarriers after the Loki temper tantrum, but he didn't obey their command.
If there was a way Tony would be able to relax, it was if he could get answers himself. Answers from Jennifer Perez herself.
It took hours to find her, but Tony Stark manage to find Jennifer Perez.
She sat at a bar with new hair and a smile, drinking cocktails and flirting with men and women. Tony adjusted his jacket and strolled towards her.
"Mind if I buy you a drink?" He asked from behind. Jennifer's short loose curls bounced as she turned around the smile melting off her face. Her brown eyes, the same as Lessa's, widened.
The drink slipped out of her hand and shattered at their feet. "I would love that." Jennifer swallowed as Tony led her over to the bar, ordering her a drink. "What do you want, Mr. Stark? Are you here to turn me in to S.H.I.E.L.D?"
"You are already doing that yourself by going out in public," Tony retorted as he paid the bartender. His eyes darkened as she turned to her. Jennifer tried to remain calm. "I want to know why you were in my tower a few night ago terrorizing Alessandra."
Jennifer snorted. "Is that what she told you? And you have no business in knowing my interactions with my daughter." The bartender slid her drink towards her and she picked it up. Taking a sip, she made sure there was a stain left behind from her lipstick.
"Actually I do." Tony's knuckles drummed on the counter. "She was in my care and in my tower. I deserve every right to know why you, an intruder, was there."
Laughing, Jennifer brushed her hair out of her eyes. "Look at you, Mr. Stark, all big and bag with a suit that you murder people in. Definitely idol worthy."
"What do you want with Alessandra," he demanded, getting right to the chase. Jennifer would not sweet talk her way out of answering. No way in hell would he let her.
Taking another sip, Jennifer sighed. "Well since you asked so nicely, I want her to come live with me. I found a place in North Carolina I knew she would adore. The house is small with two bedroom and one bath, but it's adorable."
"You're kidding me right? You think that all the pain you put her through, she would live with you? What if S.H.I.E.L.D. finds you? You know they will."
"Oh no they won't," Jennifer said, shaking her finger on her glass. "I don't have to worry about them for much longer."
Now Tony was getting somewhere. "I'm intrigued to know why. Tell me more."
"In about an hour Nick Fury will die and the Triskelion will fall under a new director. A new director with bigger, better ideas than what Fury had to offer. Ideas that will bring absolute peace and end violence around the world in one wave." Jennifer leaned in to Tony's ear. "Hail Hydra."
In a flash, Tony pushed her away, stumbling towards the exit. He could hear her laugh after him as she pushed through the doors and to his suit. His breathing was heavy and ragged as the suit closed and the light flickered on. "J.A.R.V.I.S."
"Yes, Mr. Stark?" The A.I. replied in its English accent.
"We're heading to D.C."