Making a Hero

 To my surprise, Agent Romanov took me to a dry cleaners. We went directly through the small and entirely unremarkable store, the tiny old man at the front desk didn't even blink. Romanov melted through a rack of clothes, and I followed feeling somewhat bemused. When she put her hand into the wall my eyebrows shot up disbelievingly. She sensed my reaction and her lips tweaked into a smile.

“Holographic technology. There's a thumb print scanner in there.” She said. I nodded in understanding. A thumb print scanner meant no-one unauthorized could gain access, even if they made it through the clothes and guessed that there was a hole in the wall disguised with holographic projection. Something beeped and Natasha spoke again, “Agent Natasha Romanov, code name, Black Widow.” There was a pause before a section of the back wall slid open to allow us through. Thumb print, and voice recognition. All of the security stops were pulled out for this facility. Not that any of them would be able to stop me.

I looked around with wide eyes, kind of surprised. The place we'd entered was far less... sleek than I expected of a secret agency. Shoddy brickwork, half plastered walls. The corridor floor was concrete, decorated with the odd mysterious stain, and only a few people wandered about. I spotted about five in total, swiping at tablets, shooting me curious glances, ducking through doorways.

We went up a few stairs and ended up in a large windowless room, as shabby as the rest of the building that I'd seen, but bigger. And inside, sitting at a large desk, was Nick Fury. Staring at him belligerently, I waltzed into the room, threw my backpack down and sank into a chair in front of his desk. Fury nodded at Romanov and she backed out of the room, closing the door behind her.

“Well Nick, here I am, doing exactly what you wanted and not being a threat to your beloved city. I'm sure you're thrilled.” I crossed my arms, “By the way, am I gonna get paid for this? Because I eat a lot and food costs.” sure, I had a mission, but a little financial security goes a long way.

I looked around his office, which was fairly bare of anything interesting. A large screen on the wall to my right for video conferences I guessed, a couple of stacks of chairs to my left, for large gatherings in his office. Bookcase behind the desk. Nothing really personal or sentimental. Kind of a let down. I couldn't learn much from my surroundings. Despite already being fatigued, I slid my soul out to keep an eye on the Super Spy. 

“All your needs will be catered for while you are here and a small income will be provided.” Which meant, we don't trust you, so we're not gonna let you buy anymore than a packet of peanuts at a time. “As to you being a threat, so far all I know is that you're capable of superhuman things, and I'm not even entirely clear on what they are. You have no records, of any description, I can't even track your financial history.” He shifted in his chair and his spirit glowed with dissatisfaction. I don't believe that he much enjoyed being so in the dark and I smiled at his discomfort. He leaned forward, elbows on desk, hands together, his chin resting on his fingertips.

“I think you'd better do some explaining.” He told me sternly. I raised my eyebrow at him.

“Let's a have a look at this from my end shall we? You pop up out of nowhere and get all passive aggressive, deciding that since you don't know about me, I must therefore be a threat. Do you know how insulting that is? It's like just because you don't have tabs on me, I must be a bloody villain.” I let all my irritability spill out, “Then you tell me that you want to control me, because apparently that's how you win all the girls. Then you give me a great choice of being your pet.” I spat the word at him, “Or being taken in. Seriously I'm swooning. And of course, because you're some sort of paranoid freak, you bug out my hotel room and set your red head to watch me. As it stands, your behavior towards me has been far more threatening than mine's been, even to Stark. So why don't you tell me, why the hell I should trust you with any damn explanation.” He just stared at me for a very long moment, I could nearly see the cogs of his mind ticking over in his eye. I lifted both eyebrows, unblinking and silently demanding. Finally, he let out a long sigh.

“I am the Shadow Director of an organization known as SHIELD.” he said, frozen faced. “When a god falls to earth, we are the ones who get involved. When an entire sect of humanity starts to mutate, we are the ones to get involved in the dangerous catastrophes that are sometimes caused. When something strange happens, with no explanation, we are the ones who investigate, and you definitely merit investigation. ” I snorted. 

“Strategic Homeland Intervention Enforcement and Logistics Division. Yes, I am aware of your organization. Basically, you're the shield for humanity against all of the really weird shit that happens. But you were Acting Director weren't you, what's this Shadow Director nonsense?” I asked. He shot me a dark look. I wasn't supposed to already know what he was telling me. I considered, not for the first time, that I may have an attitude problem. I smiled slightly and glanced up at him, “I came across a record of business in Stark's database.” I explained. His forehead creased.

“A man named Phil is now the Acting Director. Shield needed to be rebuilt and reshaped, turned into something new. A new start, a new leader. My way of running things was flawed. Phil cannot be corrupted. He will turn Shield into something new while holding it to its true purpose. I merely gather intelligence and sneak about on his behalf. I just get to do it with authority.” Nick Fury described himself as a sneak with power. I had a feeling that Luke would find that funny.

Though I could see that he was being truthful, I also suspected that Nick wasn't quite telling me everything. Why did Shield need rebuilding?

“What else did you come across in Stark's database?” He asked me casually, but it didn't escape me that he was simply using another tactic to get information from me. The trade technique. He'll answer my questions and I'll answer his, but his query had dangerous possibilities. I'd come across plenty in Stark's database, none of which I was supposed to know and in the spirit of Stark's confidential files, I wouldn't be sharing with Nick. Tony was his adviser, if he wanted Nick to know anything in particular, he could tell him personally.

“Not what I was looking for.” I said to throw him off track. Of course, I wasn't fooling him. I really didn't think that Luke had been bullshitting when he'd said that Fury was the most deceptive person ever, so he'd have to know that I was trying to steer the conversation.

“What were you looking for?” He was unphased by my redirection, seemingly willing to go wherever this conversation would take him. I guessed that he wouldn't be letting me go far until he had all the information he wanted, so he could afford to take a very relaxed approach to this interrogation. I decided to throw him a bone and tell him the truth. 

“Hydra.” I stated factually, looking at my fingernails. He sat up very straight, and stared at me with a wide eye. I did not flinch under the intensity of his gaze.

“Hydra.” He repeated, it was as though I was speaking a foreign language. I sighed.

“Well, if you want to split hairs, I was actually looking for Hydra related information. Or a lead to the official Avengers Headquarters, which may have Hydra related information. Honestly I don't know if they have what I'm looking for, it's just an educated guess, seeing as Hydra's main adversary back in the day was Captain America, and he's now an Avenger.” I spoke very frankly, and Nick stared at me, shock evident in his soul. I guess I'd managed to surprise him. 

“What exactly do you know about Hydra?” He asked me and I thought back to what I'd learned while I was their captive.

“I know that, scientifically speaking, they have no sense of ethics or morals when it comes to experimentation and discovery. Hydra aren't known for compassion either. They don't tend to identify with their fellow humans, seeing them more as useful tools, a means to an end even.” My stomach began to turn, remembering the gruesome things that I had experienced and even witnessed. Taking a deep breath, I continued.

“A consequence of their less than savory attitude, was that their human experimentation yielded some promising results. Schmidt allowed Zola a great deal of liberty when it came to experimenting on their prisoners of war. He came so far so quick that I shudder to think what could have been created had Captain America not launched a vendetta against them.” My voice had dropped to a whisper and Nick was watching me, hanging on to every word. “After Johann's disappearance, Lieutenant Baron Wolfgang Von Strucker seized control, taking steps to place Hydra operatives in crucial positions of importance across the globe. He's ruthless, and dare I say, an even better strategist than Schmidt, taking extreme measures to protect himself from lethal attack. Hydra will have continued to gain mass and power since he has taken the reigns.” My stomach churned and I got a sick feeling in the pit of my gut. I knew all too well the things that the Baron was capable of.

“Baron Von Strucker is dead.” Nick informed me. I stared at him,

“What? How did you contain it?” I blurted feeling panicky, “Was a vaccine created, how many casualties were there?” Fury stared at me blankly and it dawned on me that he had no idea what I was on about. I began laughing hysterically, earning an alarmed look from the Shadow Director.

“If you don't know what I'm talking about Nick, then the Baron is not dead.” I fell quiet abruptly and fear began creeping through me. Strucker had managed to fake his own death, the amount that he could accomplish whilst off the radar of anyone who could stop him, was a daunting prospect. Fury's eyes were wide and I gulped and continued. “The Baron is infected with the Death Spore Virus, which not only allows him to kill with just a touch, it will also be released on the moment of his death, threatening life on Earth.” Nick's mouth formed an 'o' for a split second, then he pushed a button and barked at someone to investigate the Death Spore Virus and to immediately begin a facial recognition search for the Baron. I was just glad that he was taking me seriously. He motioned for me to go on.

“When Hydra became independent from Hitler, it ceased being the scientific branch of an organisation and became the head, so it developed its own scientific branch know as AIM, or Advanced Idea Mechanics.” I continued my story, he tilted his head and interrupted me, “AIM was founded by a young man named Aldrich Killian.” He said carefully, I shook my head.

“No, if anything, Aldrich would simply be the new Scientist Supreme. He'd be the new ideas man, not the man behind the first idea.” I stated, starting to feel sicker as the memories of AIM's work under Hydra's orders began to resurface.

“Aldrich is nothing now, unless he's faked his death as well. To our knowledge, AIM and Hydra haven't been associated with each other.” Fury muttered, almost to himself. I shrugged.

“Well, AIM might be independent of Hydra now, but Hydra's the reason they even exist.” I said, “I was a test subject with them from 1940 to 1955. I know exactly who was experimenting on me, and on whose orders they were doing it.” Nick was staring at me. Comprehension filtering through his mind.

“How old are you Miss Davis?” He asked me quietly. I smirked at him. “Well, I can't give you a precise age, but I'm well over a century old by now.” He opened his mouth to respond, but his attention suddenly became distracted by someone shouting something at him through his desk console. He shot me an apprehensive look.

“Would you care to join me in the lab?” He asked. I smiled, the call had come through from a laboratory, it hadn't taken long for them to process my clothes for my DNA. I was curious to see what they'd learned about me so far. 

***

We left the office, marched down the hall and went up a few floors in an elevator. The doors swished open and I was presented with a very sleek and modern interior. Clean floors, white walls and a design that pretty much fitted into my expectations of a laboratory in a secret agency.

Despite the obvious passing of time, separation of species and the scientific advances that had been made, the whole scene was eerily familiar of my time with the Kree and even with Hydra. The sterile smells, the sounds. Soft humming, drips. Even the foreign look of the equipment. Anxiety began to creep through me and I felt my body begin to shift as a result. My hesitation to come here had been based on the fear that Nick would decide that I was better off in a cage. The similarities of this lab, to the labs of my past were exacerbating that fear.

My skin literally crawled as it shuddered through various substances that were retained in my molecular memory, my fight or flight response trying to prepare me for a confrontation. I had to pause, taking deep, steady breaths to stabilize myself. Fury was watching me with great interest. Though, despite his obvious interest in my fluctuating shift, he allowed me to pretend it wasn't happening. I was slowly regained control, but the multiple, frequent shifts had burned through my energy stores. I could feel my stomach hollowing out, hunger gnawing away at me. I had to draw my soul back inside me and reserve what remaining energy I had. 

We went through a door at the back of the huge lab, into another office. This one looked distinctly doctory. Models of human body parts. A skeleton dangling from a frame in the corner. Anatomically correct posters. What set this room apart from a standard doctors office were the high tech doo dads lining the bench on the far side of the room, the large screen on the wall and all of the books laying around, piled up in teetering stacks and thrown half open wherever there was room. I peered at them with mild interest. A lot of books featuring advanced biology, some on theoretical biological sciences.

“Computers are fine, but I just like books, they're such a solid source of information.” Said a voice. I turned around, there was a frazzled looking woman seated at the desk, swiping away on her tablet. I noted that my trash clothes were laying in a pile on the floor next to her desk, without even looking at me, she kept talking. “Besides, after the whole Ultron thing, you just can't count on all of the information staying on the computer.”

Nick suddenly cleared his throat very loudly and when she look up, he gave her a look, which very clearly said to shut the hell up. I had no idea what an ultron was, but I was pretty sure she wasn't supposed to have mentioned it to me. I shrugged. Personally, I loved that everyone one was storing their information in computers now. Made it easier for me.

“Jess, this is Brooke Davis.” Nick gestured towards me, “Miss Davis, this is Jess. She's one of the brightest biologists to ever come out of the academy.” Jess's smile faltered as she figured out who I was. She glanced to the pile of clothes and back at me. I nodded at her with an awkward smile and she groaned.

“So,” I picked my top off the floor and looked at the hole in it. My back had blistered after Tony's repulsor blast. Bits of skin were stuck to the cloth. I pulled a face, remembering how much it had stung. Fortunately shifting heals all manner of wounds and I was no stranger to pain. I looked at Jess.

“How'd you go with my DNA?” I asked with a spreading grin. Her mouth dropped open and she glanced at Nick, uncertain as to how to proceed. Nick's jaw clenched. He was not loving my attitude, but he gave a curt nod at Jess, indicating that she should respond.

“There's, nothing.” She said, almost angrily, “And there's everything!” Nick's focus sharpened. I had the feeling that I presented a complex riddle that she was determined to solve. “So far, I've barely had time to look at it, but it's so...” She made a frustrated little noise and pushed a button, an image came up on the screen.

We found ourselves looking at the spiraled ladders that were the genetic coding to every individual. Then, the ladders simply fell apart. Cells vibrated in chaotic clusters on the screen, then reforming back into genetic curls, but with different order to what they had been before. This behavior repeated itself. The timing of the change randomized within nano seconds. It could not be predicted. It was a constant, changing motion, and in the time that I watched it, I couldn't spot a single instance that it repeated itself.

I was impressed. Hydra hadn't been able to see even this much, and the Kree had a much different way of studying DNA. To see myself like this, was definitely new. Jess was staring at it, a tic forming in her jaw. Nick was watching, his eyebrows raised so high that they threatened to vanish down the back of his head.

“It changes before I can catalog it, I can't find a pattern, the cells are like nothing I've ever seen! How am I supposed to run an in depth analysis when it's doing that?” Jess spat, absolutely disgusted. I thought I saw a ghost of a smile on Nick, before he looked over at me, expecting me to explain. I took a deep breath.

“Nick, have you ever heard of an alien race, known as the Kree?” I asked, looking up at him. If I didn't have his full attention before, I definitely had it now.

***

In the final decades of my time with the Kree, I had been able to Astral Project, lifting away from the new tortures that they had devised and were inflicting upon me. It was my desire to escape that led me to learn how easily I could access their computing systems.

However, since I was a prisoner, they saw no need to teach me about their systems or data storage structure. I had learned a large portion of their language during my childhood, my understanding of their vocabulary growing as I was able to observe them externally as a spirit, but my comprehension of their literacy was small and though I was learning it with time, sometime I grew bored with it and took to observing my handlers. I spent time following the Kree scientists, watching them interact with each other. Sometimes I watched them work on me, and sometimes I couldn't stand it.

I finally grew brave enough to see what was beyond and I left my building for the first time. Beyond the walls in the harsh outdoors. I learned that my building was one of many, dotted across the landscape in regimented rows. I drifted into one of these buildings, discovering that it was exactly like mine. Another scientific facility with another captive. Another test subject. Just like me.

I tried to contact them, but though they reacted to the presence of my Soul when I touched it to theirs, they never knew what it was. It was despairing to finally discover that I wasn't alone, but being entirely unable to reach out. I became convinced that there had to be at least one human I could touch, at least one that would comprehend me. And, when I viewed the buildings dotted across the landscape I hoped that I would find what I searched for.

Each facility held a captive of its own. A human, being subjected to scientific procedures in the name of expanding the Kree's understanding of humanity. I became obsessed. Each session the Kree laid my body out on the laboratory table, I would Project myself away. To another building, encounter the human within its walls. But I couldn't connect with any of them. They stayed within their walls, suffering and never knowing that I was there. 

I re-entered the systems. More determined than ever to learn the complexities, to discover if there was a human out there who had endured the same as what I had. I became desperate. I hoped to find another like me. Another who had learned to remove their spirit from the pain and the suffering.

Most I came across didn't live long, unable to withstand the Kree's invasive curiosity. Many went violently insane. Becoming a risk to themselves and the Kree scientists responsible for them. These people were taken away, to where I had no clue. I began to despair, but pushed on, becoming more frantic in my search. I became careless and was Projecting to the buildings on the very end of the rows, buildings that it took me a day to travel to. My scientists became concerned that I was spending so much time unconscious. I believe that they feared that my longevity seemed to be nearing its end. I recklessly continued my search.

I completed a sweep of the final building. This was the last building in the last row. There was nothing from here but stretches of desolate, alien wastelands. My desperation had been to no avail. This building was just like the others. There was nothing for me. I couldn't stand the thought of being surrounded by so many exactly like me, but still alone in my suffering. All at once I began to feel things that I'd only had inkling of before. Emotions raged through like a tidal wave and I became more enraged than I'd ever been.

My soul achieved a semi physical state during my fury. The building groaned and the lights flickered. My ire grew, my soul gained mass and power, swelling to occupy the whole building. I was in every room, every crevice, every space inside that torturous place, and I flexed my rage. The building blew outward, all occupants perished, The Kree scientists, the human trapped inside its cage. Anything breathing met its end. The destruction rousing up a mass of dirt and dust, a large cloud of grit blossomed, making the visibility low.

At the center of the ruin, my anger ebbed away and I came to comprehend what I'd done. Fearful, and excited, I fled. The implications of what I'd achieved without a corporeal body were enormous. I moved as fast as my soul could. I was so focused on my return point, that I did not notice what was directly in my path and I barged directly into another wandering soul. My conscience mingled with the other. I learned that her name was Shira. And that it meant Hope.