Part three - Evolution
Part three - Evolution
You woke up to a steady sound of beeping machines. You were in a hospital of some sort.
- How are you feeling? you heard someone asking.
The lights hurt your eyes and felt an urge to cover them. As you tried to raise your arm, you noticed that your wrist had been cuffed to the bed. You tried to raise your other hand and it was the same thing. You focused your mind and turned off the lights in the room. Alright, you still had your mental abilities. The man asked again and this time you were able to recognize the voice; it belonged to Steve Rogers.
- Why? you asked as a short version from “why the fuck am I still alive?”
- We were lucky enough to come up with an antidote before it was too late.
- Lucky? I see no luck in that. you muttered.
- By the way, you saved a million people by telling us that Hydra had been growing inside S.H.I.E.L.D. he said and smiled slightly.
- Hydra was planning to eliminate everyone who was a threat or was going to be a threat in the future… and S.H.I.E.L.D. does not exist anymore… you have been in coma for almost two years.
- Two years?
- Yes… not that time would matter to you since you’re basically immortal.
- Did you… destroy the organization? you asked.
- Yes. They were planning to kill a lot of people with nerve gasses but we managed to stop them, thanks to you again…
- I know what you’re doing…
- And what would that be?
- You’re trying to make me feel better… but please stop trying. It’s not going to work.
- I believe you have read about Clint Barton and how he worked for Loki because his mind…
- I have seen the reports, yes…
- Many people died… but it was not his fault…
- Because his mind had been hijacked? you asked and chuckled.
- Your case is hardly any different.
- Tell that to all the victims who are now dead because I gave the launch codes of missiles to the people who did not hesitate to push the go-button.
- No… you do not understand. The drug they made you to take made it impossible for you to question the orders you had been given. If they had told you that you could fly, with the dosage you had been given, you would had been confident enough to jump off a building. said Bruce “Hulk” Banner who entered the room.
- You should listen to the doctor. Rogers stated.
- Why am I alive? I was supposed to die without the drug…
- It was not true. Another lie to keep you in a short leash and since your brain had been disabled to question the orders; you kept taking the drug that kept you taking the drug. Any enhancements that had happened in the experiment had been locked in permanently…
- But… I once forgot to take the pill and I got the worst headache ever… I was unable to do anything…
- Yes… withdrawal symptoms that were supposed to simulate dying and make it less tempting to not to take the drug as ordered.
- Whatever… I knew exactly what I was doing…
- Yes… but you were completely unable to tell whether your actions were morally right or not.
- I don’t really care… you said and turned your head away.
- You should lock me away for the rest of my life… you continued. Banner left the room.
- Or… you could become an Avenger. Most of us have been on the both sides of the coin… Stark for example… think about the way he has made his fortune. Rogers stated.
- Lock me up. you said and felt anger building inside you. It caused the bed to start shaking and the nurse had to give you a strong sedative.
You woke up in a cell of some sort. Rogers had brought you some newspapers about the major events you had prevented. You turned the pages with your mind and were interrupted when Rogers entered the room.
- The door isn’t locked, you know. he said as he came in.
- Doesn’t matter.
- Have you planned to stay in this room for a long time?
- The rest of my life, I suppose.
- Well… that will be a long time! Do you know that you’re not aging, not now and not in the future either?
- Right…
- Yes… but… it’s not what I came to talk to you about.
- Figured.
- At the bar… did you know who I was?
- Yes.
- And still you decided to talk with me.
- Yep, you see, I was having a day off.
- So you were a “bad guy” only when on duty?
- I paid my taxes and recycled… I even carried the shopping bag of my old neighbor once or twice… what’s your point?
- You told on the video that your view towards the organization changed because of personal reasons. Did that have something to do with talking with me that day?
- Maybe, what’s your point?
- Why?
- Because I was told that the Avengers were the most unfriendly and selfish people, serving only big corporate, trying to make profits for the people that already had everything by taking from the people who had nothing to begin with.
- I see…
- But then I met you… the first Avenger… the man who in his own words “only tries to do the right thing and always has”. I’ve read your files…
- Why did you not come to talk to me, maybe I could had helped…
- Having the same enemy doesn’t necessarily make us friends.
- Things could be different…
- Sure… you commented sarcastically.
- Things can still be different. That is, if you are brave enough to leave this room and face the world.
- Fine… I’ll think about it. you said and asked him to leave.
After a week you decided to start paying your dept. You started to train and went on missions with the other Avengers. You were reckless about your own life, risking it unnecessarily. You had not been crying since the science experiment and you were emotionally done because all pain and guilt and sorrow were bottled up inside you. After one mission that had almost claimed your life, Rogers ordered everyone else to leave the room.
- Not you, (Y/N). he said angrily. You stopped and stared at him with a blank look on your face.
- You don’t care about your life, do you?
You stayed silent, the answer was obvious; no.
- Do you understand that I value your life and you put my life at risk when you don’t value yours? I have better things to do than babysit you so you would not get yourself killed!
You focused your mind to control your emotions and heart rate that was climbing as you felt your cool exterior cracking piece by piece. You had been working as an Avenger for almost one year and six months. You crossed your arms and pressed your long nails against the bare skin of your sleeveless arm. The physical pain made it easier for you to shift your mind away from the emotional pain. Rogers saw the struggle you were in and walked closer to you. He stood there, tall and solid as a wall. You kept your ground for a moment but then it became too challenging. As you were about to walk away, he put his hands on your shoulders and kept you in place.
- What do you want from me? you exclaimed. He pulled you in his arms and did not let go even though you tried to fight him. You could not hold it in anymore and burst into tears. You cried hopelessly for a long time. Then you calmed down and wiped the remaining tears off your eyes. When Rogers let you go you felt lighter, like a huge weight had been lifted off your shoulders. You nodded as a sign that you were okay.
You returned to the Avengers Tower, previously known as Stark Tower, and from that day on you cared about your life and started to build a new one. It took a year to build strong, deep friendships with other Avengers. It wasn’t like they did not want to be your friends, it was more like you being too scared of rejection to actually put yourself out there.
You were secretly attracted to Rogers. More than attracted; in love with him. You kept yourself in check when you were with him but especially the training sessions were getting harder to endure. You knew that his touch was entirely professional, when he held you against him and you were supposed to fight to get away, you would had wanted to stop fighting. There was no way you could had told him. He was your boss in a way after all and even though he said that your dept had been paid a long time ago, you kept reminding yourself that after everything you had done… there was no way he would find you attractive… again. You wished you could go back to the speed date –evening and start all over. You would do so many things differently this time.
It was a training day. Rogers enjoyed training with you because… well, you had no idea, but for some reason he did. He walked in the training room in his training pants and a tight t-shirt. You were playing “stab-stab” with wooden blunt knives. You both had one and then you fought. The goal was to “kill” the other by “stabbing” them. There were an extra rule; if you managed to “cut” the other player in a vital artery or vein, they had five minutes on the clock before they bled out and they died. You had agreed that since Rogers was not using the shield, you could not use your skill to move things with your mind.
You both joked about something before the first attack. You had never won because Captain Rogers was just too fast. You were smart, sure, able to predict his moves, correct again, but his strength and speed were something that you were unable to match. This time you had decided to win. You had focused your mind to it and analyzed all his weaknesses. You let him dominate the fight as always but then, after a couple of warm-up fights and fifteen minutes of the main course you managed to distract him, make him lose his balance and fall down. You sat on him, with your legs on both sides of his hips and said
- Stab, stab, stab. as you mimicked stabbing three times in his chest with the wooden training stick-knife. The last stab was right “into” his heart and you felt accidentally how fast it was beating.
- You’re dead. I won! you stated. Then he suddenly rolled over and you ended up dropping the “knife” as your back was pushed against the floor. He pinned your hands against the training mat and kept you tightly in place with the weight of his body.
- You’re cheating! you exclaimed and decided to disregard the rules of the game. You focused your mind on the knife that was laying next to you. It rose up, but your plan was noticed and he reacted by pressing his lips against yours. Your mind got distracted and you dropped the knife.
He pulled his lips away but stayed very close panting with his eyes closed. Natasha Romanoff walked in and Rogers got up and helped you up as well.
- Well-well-well… she started. Rogers cleared his throat.
- It was a damn time you two…
- I won… but Captain Rogers cheated. Nothing else happened.
- Oh, you’re playing again that game of yours…
You managed not to blush but you saw that Rogers face was red as a tomato. You left the room telling yourself that it was nothing more than a distraction. He ran after you.
- You know that you cheated! you said as you turned. He wrapped his arms around you and kissed you again. This time he did not pull away but waited for your reaction. You answered to his kiss and wrapped your arms around him.
- What are you doing? you asked when he let go of your lips to catch his breath.
- I could ask you the same thing… he mumbled and pressed you against the wall.