The biggest secret of them all
Time was passing quicker and quicker lately.
The days became weeks and the weeks became months. It was hard to keep track with all the working you did.
Your current project was an updated gun made specially for the field commander of the STRIKE team. He was going on a special-ops mission with Agent Romanoff and Steve Rogers.
It looked like your run-of-the-mill machine gun, only you had added a special setting for stunning, meaning not every shot needed to be lethal if it didn't have to be. You carried this weapon throughout the SHIELD halls, finding Rumlow talking to some of his team.
"Rumlow." You called to get his attention.
He turned to face you. "Campbell."
"I've got the upgrades you wanted."
"Alright." He turned back to the team and said something you couldn't make out before walking over. "Thanks for this, Campbell."
"No problem, Striker." You handed him the gun. "Turn the dial to blue and bada-bing bada-boom, you got yourself a stun gun. Just turn it back for bullets."
"Got it. You know, you should join a few of these operations. We could use your brains in the field."
You scoffed. "No, thanks. I've had my fair share of the 'field'. The lab is where I belong."
As you grabbed your stuff and shut down the lab for the day, you noticed Agent Romanoff talking with Agent Barton. Even though both worked with your dad, you assumed they had no idea who you were and kept your head down to keep it that way. Your secret was becoming harder to contain, but you were managing.
You didn't catch a lot of their conversation, only something about the mission Natasha was going on with Steve and the STRIKE team. She sounded concerned.
-
The days were grueling in the warehouse.
You didn't know how much sleep you'd lost working on your new AI, but it was enough to wind up on a coffee shortage. In total, about four mugs were lined up at your workstation. But you were finally finished.
"How we looking, FRIDAY?" You asked aloud, kicking your feet up.
"Project: Ultron is fully functional, miss."
"Ah, look at me. Genius, I am."
"Very much so."
You smirked to yourself and turned down the music you were listening to - Ozzy's Bark At The Moon album - just as a loud telephone line began to ring in the warehouse.
"Incoming call from an encrypted line." FRIDAY said.
Your brows furrowed. "Can you decrypt it?"
A pause.
"I'm afraid not, miss."
"Alright." You sighed and answered whoever it was. "Look, if this is a scam call, shove it up your ass."
"Charmed, Campbell." An all too familiar voice said.
"Fury?" You questioned.
He didn't sound too good, his tone was lower than usual and there was a hint of pain in his voice.
"You good? You sound beat." You said.
"Look, we don't have much time. I need you to get Loki's scepter."
"Eh?" You sat up straight, even more confused. "What's going on?"
"SHIELD is compromised."
Your voice faltered. "What?"
You knew that despite reinventing your whole life, SHIELD archives probably held a sample of who you used to be. If it was compromised, that meant somebody could find out.
"It's HYDRA. Agent Sitwell and STRIKE, probably others. Don't trust anyone."
HYDRA...
"If you say so."
"Yeah, I do. Good luck out there."
You began to backtrack, heading back to your lab. That was all your work done now. Well, SHIELD work anyway. You still had a home project you were working on.
Ultron.
It was still locked away in your warehouse. It was done, it had been for months now, but just because something seemed finished, it didn't mean it couldn't be perfected. That was something you remembered your dad saying a couple times. It was one of the things that stuck with you.
You remembered finding your grandfather's journals and the way he talked about them... They ruined so many lives. You also thought back to the day where you flirted your way into getting the scepter off of Sitwell and cringed.
"How did this happen, Fury?"
"It doesn't matter. Captain Rogers and Agent Romanoff are being targeted, as am I, and maybe even you. It's the Winter Soldier."
You raised a brow. "The Winter who?"
"HYDRA's trained assassin. Look, just get the scepter before they do and wait for my instructions. Remember, don't trust anyone."
Before you could ask anything else, the line disconnected. You were left speechless, wondering how everything had gone wrong.
The scepter...
It was at the Triskelion in DC.
A multitude of thoughts were racing through your head. How did SHIELD become compromised? Was it really HYDRA? Was there an assassin possibly after you? Would you be able to get to DC in time? Was Fury okay?
You sighed. "Shit."
You stood from your chair, pacing a little as a plan quickly formed in your head. It wasn't much of a plan, but at least you had something. But, first, you needed to hide Ultron.
You went to the computers and compiled all the data files and algorithms onto one singular memory drive. Once that part was done, you took the drive and stashed it away in a hidden compartment for safe keeping. And, now that Ultron was safely packed away, you'd need a fast way to get to the capital.
And you knew just the car to take.
-
You drove like a bat out of hell in order to get to the Triskelion in time.
Things seemed so normal there it was actually disconcerting. The people were walking around as they chatted away, security seemed to be doing their jobs, no one looked suspicious at all.
You got a few looks, especially since you hadn't been to the HQ in a few weeks, but thankfully you went mostly unnoticed and blended in with the other people. With Fury's call fresh in your mind, your paranoia was dialed up and even scanning your ID badge felt like a target was suddenly glowing on your back.
You went straight to your lab there, trying to be as subtle as you could while also watching out for Sitwell and STRIKE.
Once you were in, you immediately went to a locked storage unit at the back of the room and found all your weapons. A gun, a watch that shot sleep darts, smoke bombs, acid balls, and the pencil shocker you showed Harley to name a few. You equipped them all.
"Okay..." You took a moment to breathe, realizing this next part would be the hardest. "He better be giving me a pay rise after this."
You went over to your computer and decided to search for the level that contained Loki's scepter. After a bit of hacking here and deception there, you got into the highly classified files.
Naturally, it needed a clearance level you didn't have. But that was easily remedied. You just reconstructed the circuits in your ID to recognize you as level 8 which was what was needed. It did take twenty minutes to figure out, but you got it regardless.
"Alright." You slowly nodded to yourself, placing the new badge around your neck. "Got weapons, hacked SHIELD, re-coded the badge. I guess it's scepter time."
As you left, you noticed various boards on the walls depicting the countdown for the launch of Project Insight. You believed it was to help SHIELD eliminate threats to the population, but of course now it was probably something much darker.
When you finally arrived at the labs and conned your way into the holding room, you were faced with three scientists, only ones that looked a lot meaner and more deadly than you did.
Fury had warned you about this. You couldn't trust them.
"How did you get in?" One asked.
"Who are you?" Another asked right after.
They had their hands reaching for weapons so you simply got their first, directing your gun at the meanest looking one. In retaliation, they revealed their own guns.
"Put your toys down." You told them.
"Call the guards." One scientist told his colleagues.
But the second another went to move, you pulled the trigger on him and nailed the ground right in front of him. He yelled in surprise and quickly backed up before you could shoot him for real. Even you were surprised you actually did it.
"That's a warning." You said, forcing yourself to remain calm. "Now step aside."
With a worried glance, the three did as they were asked. You picked up a case hidden behind them, and, still on guard, you clicked it open.
The scepter, in all its glowstick of destiny glory, was tucked inside.
With a nod, you shut the case again and pointed your gun at the scientists again. They seemed too afraid to make a move. But before you could leave, the PA in the room suddenly crackled to life.
"Attention all SHIELD agents, this is Steve Rogers." You stopped immediately to listen. "You've heard a lot about me over the last few days. Some of you were even ordered to hunt me down. But I think it's time you know the truth. SHIELD is not what we thought it was. It's been taken over by HYDRA. Alexander Pierce is their leader. The STRIKE and Insight crew are HYDRA as well. I don't know how many more, but I know they're in the building. They could be standing right next to you. They almost have what they want. Absolute control. They shot Nick Fury. And it won't end there. If you launch those helicarriers today, HYDRA will be able to kill anyone that stands in their way. Unless we stop them. I know I'm asking a lot, but the price of freedom is high. It always has been. And it's a price I'm willing to pay. And if I'm the only one, then so be it. But I'm willing to bet I'm not."
After the PA cut out, you felt something burn inside you. It was a sudden passion to defend and protect the world you knew, to take down HYDRA and help the captain stop their plan.
"Damn, he's good." You mumbled, slowly putting your gun down.
-
Way above, completely unbeknownst to you, Pierce and Fury were having a chat of their own.
As Natasha was overriding SHIELD data to expose HYDRA and the helicarriers steadily rose up in the background, she could hear the two discussing something very interesting.
"Keeping secrets from me was not a wise thing to do." Fury was saying.
"You would know all about secrets, wouldn't you?" Pierce replied. "But this infiltration wasn't all HYDRA had to hide."
"Considering you're just about done, I don't think revealing any more secrets matters, do you?"
"Trust me, you'll want to hear this one, Nick." The man smirked, seemingly proud of himself. "Do you remember Tony Stark's daughter?"
Those in the room went dead silent.
"She's missing." Fury stated. "Most likely dead."
"You and I both know that's a lie." Pierce said.
"Do we?"
"We do. You see, I had a friend a long time ago named Obadiah Stane. He was a good man, strong and loyal to HYDRA. He told me all about her once she discovered the plan to kill Tony in Afghanistan. You wanna know the biggest secret of them all?"
-
A few floors below, you were watching pure chaos unfold in the Triskelion.
Steve's speech had genuinely inspired you. It made you realize that you were done hiding. For too many years you'd hidden in the shadows and pretended to be someone you weren't. For too many years you'd been afraid to face the truth and embrace who you were. For too many years the world had known the wrong you. It was time to correct that.
It was time to let them know just who in the hell they were really dealing with.
"FRIDAY, hack the comms." You instructed. "Give them a visual."
"Yes, miss." She replied, doing exactly as you asked.
It took a minute to gain the entire building in your control, but eventually you assured that every speaker in the Triskelion and every screen displayed your voice and image. For the first time in years, people were about to see the real you.
You started with a clap.
"Thank you, Captain America, for that inspiring speech of yours." You said with a smile. "It made me not want to run like a scared little chicken. Again, thank you!" You took a deep breath before going on. "So, I know it's scary being held hostage by these guys, but I know they don't want to kill you. Not yet anyway. Because I have something a little better. Something that you've all been missing."
You opened the case in your hands and revealed the scepter to the camera.
"Loki's staff. I know you bitches have been missing this since... Well, since I stole it from one of your agents so long ago. I stole it and I kept it safe. Now who am I you may ask. I know the people who pass by and talk to me from time to time know me as Ellen Campbell or the engineer chick who made this and that but, to tell you the truth, I'm not who you think I am.
Still holding the scepter with one hand, you used your other to remove your hood and the wig you were wearing, revealing your natural hair and true face.
"My real name is (Y/n) Stark, missing daughter of Tony Stark and the heir to Stark Industries. Hell, call me the Princess of SHIELD. I have been hiding for six years, and I know you shittt little HYDRA agents were ordered by Obadiah Stane to put a hit on me, so let's get straight to the point. I don't have a bow and arrow like Hawkeye. I'm not a super soldier like Captain America. I don't have a badass fighting style like Black Widow. I'm not a god like Thor. I don't change into a cool green rage monster like Hulk. And I don't have a suit of armor like my dad. But, since you know who I am... Come find me and the staff, you Nazi wannabes."