Voices Inside Me

An Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes FanFiction

So! I realize it has been a little while, but I've been super busy. I promise this chapter will be a pretty decent length in payment! Seriously though, I do have a life outside of fanfiction.

I was planning on putting more content in, but then the characters kind of ran away from me…

Disclaimer: I do not own A:EMH.

Music… Lights… too much… sensory overload…

I don't know where I am. I can't even register whether I am indoors or not. Vague shapes form before my eyes, the echoes of things once seen and remembered, but now forgotten.

"Annabeth!"

My name breaks sharply through the distortion. Slowly at first, then all at once, the shapes take on recognizable form, and I find myself face-to-face with-

"Mom? Dad? Aaron? Sammy?"

My family, the family I know to be dead, the family that I put in the ground nearly eight years ago, is standing before me. Rather than the warm expressions of love and adoration that typically adorned their faces, their expressions, as well as their body language, are cold, devoid of all emotion.

I lay on the ground at their feet, not quite comprehending what I am seeing. I simultaneously want to reach out and hug the living daylights out of them and shy away to the corner. Deciding to go with the later, I slide my way backwards, desperately trying to feel for a way to escape, knowing in my heart that there was no possible way this was my family.

Abruptly, their eyes open wide. Instead of the typical Rose Family green, their eyes shine silver, no pupil disrupting their almost radioactive glow. Their mouths drop open at the same time, and a voice, not belonging to anyone in the assembled group, oozes out of all of them.

"Well, isn't this absolutely fun?"

My heart stutters in my chest. That voice… it never leaves me alone. It is always there, in the back of my mind, teasing, hurting, aiming to break me.

Feeling a sudden burst of courage, I manage to call out, "Ultron?" Then, before I can stop myself. "I guess now we know your huge secret now. You're a necrophiliac?"

My family, which I now realize to be incarnations of Ultron, all laugh, their expressions still blank. The pure disgust that Ultron has, as well as his maniacal laughter, is emphasized and made even creepier by the total lack of emotion displayed by each member of my "family."

"My dear Annabeth," they call out, looking for the word as if they couldn't care, as if they were dead. "Why would I mourn over these humans? I am so much more, and the world I will create will not have such frailties as death."

"Then w-w-why my family?" I ask, silently hating myself for the stutter.

All four members of my family take a step towards me, and for the first time, a horrible, empty expression rises to display. Ghastly grins stretch across their faces, but their eyes remain empty. "Because, my dear," they say together, "It is the how you will break."

All at once, their bodies drop to the ground. Glinting at the back of each one I see a knife, handles dripping with blood. Soon, the horrid blood covers the floor, creating a macabre scene fit for any nightmare.

I jump a little, then quickly step over Aaron, trying not to look at his body as I did so. "Ultron?" I yelled. "My family is dead. I got over that a while ago."

A smirk spread over my face. "You can't break what's already broken, doll," I said, intentionally letting the drawl creep into my voice.

I hear movement behind me and look to see the stabbed bodies of my family sitting up, the horrid grins still in place. "Oh, I know."

His next words send chills up my spine.

"This is just the opening act."

With a gasp, Annabeth sat up straight in her bed, the covers in knots all around her. Groaning, she let her body fall back onto the mattress. "Really? Is that what it's gonna be like every night? He's not gonna get to me, I know it." Rolling over, she caught a glimpse of the clock on her nightstand. "But lack of sleep is definitely not helpin' my cause."

Steve Rogers had never been so grateful for his healing capacity. He loved to go for runs first thing in the morning, but had his leg not healed as he slept the night before, finishing mending the broken bone, he would have been stuck in bed and on crutches. Sure, he loved to read and draw, but there was something refreshing about starting each day off with a brisk jog.

Entering the mansion and making his way up to his room to clean up, he bumped into a rather crazed looking Tony Stark. Sighing, Steve only shook his head. "Been up all night, Tony? I take it you made a break through?"

The genius jumped, looking for all the world as if he hadn't realized that there was another person in the hallway with him. "Hmm, oh, yeah. Huge step forward." Tony offered him a brief smile, before taking a step further down the hallway. "Sorry, gotta run while still on the train of thought." With that, the inventor had taken off down the hallway.

Steve exhaled sharply. Making a mental note to bring the man food later and force feed him if necessary, he quickly cleaned up and went down to the kitchen to make breakfast.

As Steve was frying bacon, a zombie-like Annabeth tromped into the kitchen and plopped herself rather ungracefully into a seat. Her hair was all over the place and her too-short pajama pants fell higher on one ankle than the other. Folding her arms on the table before her, she thumped her forehead down on the makeshift pillow. The scene made Steve want to laugh and give her a hug at the same time. "Rough night sleep?" he asked sympathetically. He received only a grunt in return.

People of the 21st century need healthier sleeping habits, Steve thought to himself. Everyone acts like mindless puppets in the morning. Soon, Clint had made his way down and was sitting in a nearly identical position to Annabeth's. Thor came next, and he seemed to drive the sleeping children insane with his stubbornly optimistic, happy, early-bird attitude. Hulk came down and plopped down in the corner, and soon Jan was sitting at the table as well, not quite as mindless as Clint and Annabeth, but definitely not as cheerful as Thor. Everything was relatively quiet as they ate, and it stayed that way even as Annabeth offered to do the dishes. Steve tried to tell her that he would take care of them, but one look into the teen's eyes, and he saw something that clearly said, I am going to help, and there is nothing you can do about it. Now sit down and shut up.

Never, under any circumstance, try to tell a sleep-deprived teen what to do.

Despite her rather (impressively) intimidating look, Steve still got up to help her, only saying, "I'll wash, you dry." She gave him a single nod and began to clear away the dishes.

As they were silently cleaning up, Annabeth hesitantly asked, "Captain Rogers? Can I ask for a favor?"

Rather surprised that the girl sounded slightly unsure, he replied with a simple "Of course." From what he had seen of the girl, she generally used her personality and who she was as a weapon and a shield. So far, the only times he had seen her thrown off were when she caught herself "fangirling" (that was the correct term, right?) over Tony, when she had received her case (and the drama that followed that) and when she found out her eye had changed from green to silver. Admittedly, that was three times in two days, but given the somewhat foreboding circumstances the girl had been thrown into, the captain was very impressed.

"I was wondering if maybe I could get some clothes? I've grown in the past year, and nothing in my trunk fits anymore," she admitted.

Steve was momentarily thrown for a loop. Since practically the moment he had woken up in this time, Tony Stark had helped him. Looking at the poor girl before him, Steve realized that Annabeth most likely needed her own Tony, someone who could help her work through something that she was absolutely clueless on herself. She was in an unfamiliar environment, with unfamiliar people, and her body was no longer even completely hers. She needed a support beam to hold her up. Though she appeared strong, Annabeth was still only a teenager, and a young one at that. She needed a family. She needed parents. Gears turning in his mind, Steve quickly went through the team. Hulk is out, for obvious reasons. Thor is unlikely, as his grandiose mannerisms seem to throw her off. Jan would be an obvious choice, as another woman, but they don't really seem all that similar. Clint would be an option, but he… I don't know. T'Challa isn't here often enough, so that leaves Tony and myself. But who's to say we can't all be her family?

Deciding to think on it again later, Steve answered the question at hand. "I'll ask Tony, he handles pretty much everything we need around here, from ordering groceries to buying fuel for the Quinjet."

To Steve's confusion, the girl looked down and refused to make eye contact. "Oh, no. You don't have to do that, sir. I'm sure Mr. Stark has plenty on his plate without bothering to by me a wardrobe."

Steve was stumped. "Tony loves to help people. He wouldn't mind helping you out with a t-shirt or two."

Annabeth's next words were so quiet that the captain almost missed them. "I don't think Mr. Stark likes me very much."

Instead of replying right away, Steve turned off the water running from the tap, carefully set down both the dishes he was holding and the ones that he took from the girl, and led her over to the table that the team had vacated not fifteen minutes ago. Sitting her down next to him, Steve questioned, "Why would you think that?"

Annabeth refused to make eye contact. "I can see it in the way he looks at me. It's as if I'm some project for him to solve, not a person. I feel like when he looks at me, he only sees Ultron and the tech connected to every inch of my body, and not the fact that most of the time, I'm a teenaged girl who-" A look of horror came over her face, and she clammed up instantly.

Steve felt his concern for the girl grow with each spoken word, and by the time she stopped speaking, he realized, she's afraid to show weakness. She refuses to let anyone in, because she either doesn't want to get hurt or doesn't want those around her to get birth. Most likely it's both.

Steve placed a warm hand on her shoulder. When the girl finally looked him in the eye, Steve was startled by what he saw.

In her eyes, there was raw pain. There was no anger, only sorrow and hurt.

"Tell me," he simply said, knowing that Annabeth was about ready to burst from all the emotion held inside her.

Those two words were enough. Needing no more encouragement, the teen burst out, "I'm a teenaged girl who has absolutely no family and most likely no future, because no foster family will take me and the one who would was one that I could in no circumstances stay with! I have no where to go, nothing to my name save an old trunk with too-small clothes and a few pieces of jewelry that I will never sell in a million years because they are my only link to my lost family!

"Oh, sure I'm smart, but what good will that get me if I can't pay for college or even go to a high school?"

At this point, she stood up and started aggressively pacing around the table. Steve only watched her vent. "Too make matters worse, I'm not even pretty. My face is super round, my skin is so pale that bullies at my old school used to call me a vampire, and I struggle with acne! And now my eyes, which used to be my one pretty feature, are ruined by some psychotic artificial intelligence with plans to take over the world!"

She collapsed on the floor, sat cross-legged, and just started crying. The good captain, still not saying a word, got up and sat beside her, gently putting an arm around her shoulders. Annabeth kept talking without pause, almost as if she didn't realize that Steve was still in the room. "And I finally meet Tony Stark! That man has been my hero my entire life! He was smart; he dealt with his parents' deaths, escaped after being a prisoner of war in Vietnam and has continued to make the world a better place by being the singular most prominent name in clean energy. He would be a hero without being Iron Man, simply because he works to make the world a better place."

Her sobs quieted down a little bit, and her voice went deathly quiet. "And now I meet him, and he's everything I thought he would be, but at the same time, he isn't. Because to him, I'm just another issue to solve before the problem spreads."

She pulled her knees up to her chest and bowed her head. Steve rubbed her back until her breathing quieted. He lost track of time before Annabeth finally looked up at him. "I don't know why I just spilled my life story out to you, but thank you, sir. I really needed to let that all out. Please don't tell anyone."

Steve had already been plotting out what he was going to say to Tony, but he knew he couldn't betray to girl's trust. It would only make her more likely to shut them out, which would in turn make it easier for Ultron to do… whatever he had planned. Mind you, he was still going to talk to Tony, it would just be a little harder to get the idea across. "I won't. You can trust me, Miss Rose."

She offered him a watery smile. "Just Annabeth is fine, Captain."

Steve returned her smile with one of his own. "Then you just call me Steve. Or Mr. Rogers, if it makes you feel uncomfortable."

For some reason unknown to him, she giggled when he said, "Mr. Rogers." When he gave her a questioning look, she only shook her head and held out her arms. "Can I have a hug, please?"

Steve was surprised; he hadn't taken her for the touchy-feely type. Nevertheless, he wrapped his arms tightly around the girl and waited for her to pull back. When she did, Steve pulled her to her feet and told her that he would finish up the dishes. Annabeth only gave a small, lopsided grin and walked away.

"Annabeth?" Steve called, just as she had reached the doorframe. She turned around halfway. "I don't really know you. In fact, I don't know you at all, but I just wanted to say that you'll push through. When the only option is to jump, you jump."

She nodded once, uttered a quiet "thank you," and left.

Steve quickly finished the dishes and grabbed the plate he had set aside for Tony. He needed to have a serious talk with his friend.

And he needed his friend to think like Tony Stark for the time being, not like Iron Man.

Tony's eyes flickered all around the plethora of screens glowing before him, comparing them to the notes he had already made on the tablet in his hands. "Hmmm," he said to himself. "JARVIS, pull up more on those ley lines, would you? Oh, and that article on quantum mechanics I read last June."

Fidgeting with the stylus in his hand, he quickly scanned the articles, jotting down notes without even looking. He was on to something, he knew.

Tony jumped when he heard someone clear their throat behind him. Turning slightly, he saw Steve standing in the doorway, a plate held in his hand. "Captain! The man with a plan himself. Come on in, buddy. Can't wait to tell you what I figured out last night."

Tony turned his attention to the screens to finish up his paragraph and was done just as Steve had set the food down on his workbench. "Listen, last night, I heard Annabeth playing Canon in D on the piano-"

"Annabeth plays piano?"

"Yes, anyways- the 'd' got me thinking –gosh, that sounded weird- about dimensions. This whole issue on how to get Thor to Asgard? I've been looking at it all wrong!"

Tony whirled around to look at him, startling Steve a little. Tony couldn't help but smirk at that; it was hard to surprise the soldier. When Tony was talking science was about the only time it occurred. "I've been treating this as if we were just going to another planet, but we're not. Asgard exists on a separate plane from earth. There's a reason the call this planet Midgard. I figured out that all the nine realms are not different worlds, at least not in the common perception of the word. Basically, these realms surround each other, like different levels in the electron cloud-" Steve raised an eyebrow "- or like one of those Russian nesting dolls," Tony quickly tagged on.

"Tony, that's great and all, but-" Steve tried to say something, but the genius was on a roll.

"If we're thinking in terms of Russian nesting dolls, earth would be the middlemost. Asgard would be the largest doll, the one that holds them all within."

"Tony, I really-"

"So, theoretically, I just need to punch through the layers in order to open up a gateway to-"

"Tony!"

The inventor looked at the other man in surprise. Steve almost never raised his voice above a polite 'indoors' level. "What is it?"

Steve looked at him very seriously. "Just sit down. I need to talk to you."

Shrugging, Tony pulled up a swivel chair and sat on it backwards, while Steve leaned against his desk. "Shoot," Tony offered.

The captain paused for an almost imperceptible moment. "It's about Annabeth."

Tony's smile disappeared. "What about her?"

Steve held demanding eye contact with his friend. "We just had a discussion in the kitchen. I'm trying to say this without going into too much detail, as I told her I wouldn't betray her trust, but this needs to be said, regardless.

"She needs you, Tony."

Tony sneered. "Yeah, right. I'm part of the reason she's in this mess. She would probably be better off if I had never existed."

Steve folded his arms. "So that's it. You feel guilty."

The inventor laughed derisively. "Of course feel guilty! I ruined a girl's life before she could even drive a car!"

Steve raised an eyebrow. "You need more sleep. You're starting to sound slightly deranged." Tony didn't answer.

Pushing off of the desk, Steve pulled up a stool beside him. "Tony, the girl idolizes you. You saw her reaction when she first woke up from whatever sleep she had been in. You're her hero."

Tony exhaled sharply through his nose. "I remember! But I'm me! I bet that loads of people idolize me, and not for the right reasons. Most people see genius, playboy Tony Stark. They don't see the man that is trying to change the world, that is singlehandedly pioneering most of the clean energy sources in the world today. They see the man with money. Not that money is a bad thing, I mean, hey, it got me pretty far before the whole hero thing, and I made the spoiled brat thing work, but it's nothing worth looking up to."

A strong hand fell on his shoulder. "Tony. Listen. I just talked to the girl. Hear me out before you say anything more." Reluctantly, the inventor nodded. "Good.

"Now, Annabeth… sure, she admires you for her brains, but what stands out to her even more is the strength you show. Without going into details, the courage – and yes, I mean courage – " Steve added when Tony snorted derisively, "you show when faced with trials has helped her to find the bravery she needs.

"And it totally destroys her when you won't give her the time of day."

His hands squarely on Tony's shoulders, Steve looked him straight in the eye. "Everyone has someone they looked up to when they were a child. Think about who that person was for you." Tony glanced away. Captain America, he thought. Who else? He was all my dad ever thought about, and he always did the right thing…

"Now," Steve continued, oblivious to Tony's train of thought. "Think about how you would feel to finally meet that person, that one who you looked to in times of darkness and doubt, only to have them ignore you, or worse, treat you like a problem to solve. Can you honestly tell me that that wouldn't have hurt you at all?"

Tony shook his head no. When he had first met the legendary hero, the exact opposite had happened. To realize that he was to that girl as Steve was to him… it opened his eyes a little bit.

Tony pulled away and picked up his stylus again. "Alright, I get it. I need to help the girl. Is that all you wanted?"

Steve sighed. "No, Tony."

"Well then, what?" the billionaire asked, slightly exasperated. His eyes began wandering back to the many screens he had pulled up.

Of course, being the smart man that he is, Cap noticed. "JARVIS, shut down the screens for me, would you?"

Jumping to his feet, Tony began, "Oh, no you-" only to break off when all of his screens went dark. "JARVIS, you little traitor. I thought I was your favorite. I mean, I created you and all that. But you just up and leave me! I'm hurt, love."

The AI didn't respond. Probably for the best, Tony thought.

Steve snapped his fingers in front of Tony's face to draw his attention. "Focus," he said.

Tony sat down with an hmph. With nothing else to do, he was focused solely on the super soldier in front of him. Steve remained standing. "Tony," he began. "The girl is an orphan."

Tony nodded. "Just like half the team."

As soon as the words left his mouth, he could tell it was to wrong thing to say. He saw something akin to disappointment on his friend's face. "Tony, she's not just like the team. No matter how she acts, she is still a teenaged girl with all the normal insecurities and more. She has been thrown into a situation in which she has absolutely no control. She had no parents she can lean on…"

Tony waived his stylus at the man. "Oh, no. I can see where this is going. No, no, no."

Steve put a hand to his temple. "Tony, it's not like I'm asking you to adopt her. She just needs someone she can trust."

Tony stared at the captain. "You're not going to let this go, are you?"

Steve smirked. "No."

Tony folded his arms in defeat. "I'll think about it, okay? No guarantees."

Steve smiled and ruffled Tony's hair. "That's all I'm asking."

The genius stared at him. "Did you seriously just ruffle my hair? What am I, your little kid?"

Steve laughed as he started walking to the door. "Tony, as much as I respect you, I still have seventy-some-odd years on you. I have every right to treat you however I choose. Within reason, of course."

Tony just shook his head. "JARVIS, be a doll and pull my screens back up."

The plate of food lay forgotten on the workbench.

Annabeth skidded around a corner, her socks slipping on the chilly tile, and took off running down another hallway. Ultron hadn't exactly kept her body in peak condition while he was do who-knows-what to her, so she decided to get herself back in shape. Unfortunately, she still wasn't allowed out of the house, and the only gym was meant for superheroes. So, she had taken to running around the house, hoping that she didn't run into anyone, literally and figuratively.

Why in her socks, you ask? Well, Annabeth disliked shoes, but the tile was a little to chilly to be comfortable in bare feet, so she was sliding around like a little kid and having a lot of fun while doing it. Plus it was a great work out for her balance.

Also, she was extremely bored. And kinda worried over her dream from last night.

She whipped around another corner and nearly skidded into Wasp and Thor, having a friendly conversation. The only reason she didn't was because she quickly squatted put a hand to the ground and slow. The result was a slight turn that left the teenager giggling. The god and the hero looked at her in surprise. "Lady Annabeth!" Thor boomed. "Why are you running?"

Standing upright, Annabeth shrugged. "I need to exercise, but I'm not allowed out of the house, and the quote-unquote 'gym' isn't exactly safe for anyone without super powers."

Jan looked at her skeptically. "There was probably a better solution that running around the house, where you risk breaking something or, you know, someone?"

Annabeth smirked. "Yeah, but none are half so fun."

Jan shook her head. "How about I look into letting you out on the grounds? Would that satisfy you?"

Something about the girl's grin made Jan think that she had gotten exactly what she wanted. "Yep!"

"For now," the hero continued, "how about you try something else?"

The girl nodded. "I can do that." She turned and waved goodbye over her shoulder. "See ya, Miss van Dyne, Thor!"

With that, Annabeth took off again, this time with a destination in mind. Somehow, she made her way back to the kitchen, and from there to the music room. She still got hopelessly lost in the maze of a mansion. Pushing open the double doors with a genuine smile on her face, she quickly went and sat down on the piano. Opening up one of her piano books that she had left on the bench yesterday after pulling them out of her chest, she started playing through some of her favorites: Somewhere Over the Rainbow, Daddy Sang Bass, Sunrise Sunset, The River Seine. She absolutely adored the music from eras passed. It had a depth that was not found today. She found her worries beginning to melt away with the music. It had helped to confide in the captain earlier.

She had just started a song set comedic song set during World War I when she heard Ultron say in her head, You think I can't break you? Just watch.

Excruciating pain exploded in her ears. She felt herself screaming and falling off the piano bench before she lost consciousness.

Steve was walking down to Tony's lab to collect the dishes that he had brought down earlier when he heard piano music echoing through the closed door. Frowning in confusion, he pushed open the door to see the genius bent over a simulation, the piano music echoing through the lab's speakers. Steve tilted his head. "You're listening to K-k-k-Katy?"

Tony glanced up and then returned his attention to the simulation. "I take it you're heard it before? I honestly had absolutely no idea what was playing. I just told JARVIS that whenever Annabeth gets on the piano, I want to hear it."

Steve's mouth dropped open. "Annabeth is playing this?" His mouth formed into a small grin. He started humming along to the song; it used to be one of his mother's favorites. He was just picking up the barely touched plate when the song stopped in the middle of the chorus and a deathly scream echoed through the speakers instead.

Tony and Steve made eye contact for less than a second before they took off running for the music room, the forgotten plate dropping out of Steve's hand and shattering on the ground.

The two men raced through the house and pushed through the double doors to the music room. They both slowed to a stop and knelt beside the prone body of the girl on the floor. When the Annabeth didn't stir, Tony quickly tried to find a pulse, sighing in relief as he felt a steady heartbeat beneath his fingers. His relief was short-lived, however, when Steve uttered a quiet "Tony," and pointed at the girl's ear.

Looking closely, Tony cursed under his breath as he noticed the small trickle of blood flowing from the appendage. "JARVIS," he yelled. "I don't care what you have to do, just get Hank to the Infirmary ASAP."

Gently, he scooped the girl up in his arms, realizing for the first time that she actually wasn't all that tall; she couldn't be taller that five-foot-five (162.5 cm). Trying his utmost not to jostle the girl, he began walking her down to the infirmary, the captain walking right alongside him.

He noticed Steve looking at him curiously. "I take it that you know your answer, then?" the captain asked.

Tony sighed and looked down at the girl in his arms, knowing there was no possible way that his answer could be anything except, "Yes."