Chapter 11
“Adelaide! Where are you?”
“In here, Uncle Scott! What’s wrong?” Adelaide leapt to her feet and met him at the door.
“We need you, right now. It’s urgent.” He picked her up and ran off down the hall, skidding around corners and dodging furniture. They ended up in the med-bay, and he put her down in front of a door. “Tony! Open the door! I have her!” The door clicked, and Scott opened the door, urging her in quickly before closing the door behind them. Adelaide looked around to see Tony, Steve, Clint, and a person she didn’t know in front of her. The stranger was laying on a hospital bed, tied down and hooked up to all kinds of machines.
“What’s wrong with him?” Adelaide asked.
“We were hoping you could figure that out,” Steve said.
“I can try,” she said. Placing her hand gently on the man’s hand, she closed her eyes and allowed her light to flow into the man’s body. She kept her eyes closed and didn’t move for over an hour, only shifting when Steve put her in a chair so she wasn’t standing up for so long. When she finally pulled away, she was shaking and sweating, and her face went pale.
“Adds? What’s wrong?” Clint asked, crouching down next to her. She didn’t even seem to hear him, her eyes staring off into space. “Adds, come on. Answer me.” He laid a hand on her knee, but she didn’t respond. The four men tried to rouse her for a good five minutes before she finally blinked and looked at him.
“Who is he?” she asked lowly, looking at Clint.
“A survivor of a Hydra base,” he answered.
“No. Who is he?” Clint sighed.
“We don’t know. He looks like a dear friend of ours who died. That’s why we needed you.”
“Uncle Clint. Who. Is. He?”
“Pietro Maximoff,” Steve answered. “Wanda’s twin brother.” Adelaide looked over at the man on the table.
“I’m going to need some time alone with him,” she said quietly.
“Why?” Tony asked. Her eyes snapped up to him.
“You say you lost a friend who looked like him, correct? Well, I’m telling you that I need some time to figure out who he is then. I need to focus. He was found in a Hydra base?” The men nodded. She sighed. “Then it is worse than I thought. I’m going to need a few days with him.”
“Addie, we can’t leave you in this room by yourself for a few days.”
“Do you want Wanda to handle this?” Clint immediately shook his head. “Then you have to trust me. Please, Uncle Clint, you brought me here to help. I’m thirteen years old, trained by Hydra for most of my life. I know all of their ins and outs as well as the back of my hand. If anyone is going to help Mr. Maximoff, then it has to be me. Please, go. I’ll be fine. I need to do this by myself. I’ll tell FRIDAY if I need anything, I promise.” Reluctantly, the four of them left her by herself, and she put her hand on Pietro’s hand again, closing her eyes.
‘Can you hear me?’
Da. Who are you?
‘My name is Adelaide. I’m trying to help you.’
Where’s Wanda? Where is my sister?
‘She’s fine. She’s actually out shopping right now. She and a friend are going to get her some new paint for her room.’
Prove it. How do I know you are not part of Hydra like the last person in my head?
‘What would you like me to do to prove it? I used to be part of Hydra, but not by will. My dad worked for them, also not of his own free will.’
Who was your dad?
‘The Winter Soldier.’
You are lying. Adelaide sighed.
‘I can show you. But it will have to be later. You are too weak for it now.’
What do you mean?
‘You are in the Avengers Compound’s med-bay. You’re in a coma. Uncle Steve, Uncle Clint, Uncle Scott, and Uncle Tony just saved you from a Hydra base.’
You know Tony Stark? You’re related to him?
‘I’m not related to him, exactly. He and the other Avengers have been taking care of me. He’s trying to help fix my dad.’
How old are you? You sound so young.
‘I’m thirteen. I’ll be fourteen next year.’ There was no reply for a minute.
I will let you help me. What do you need to do?
‘We have a lot of work to do, and I have several memories to give you. Everyone thinks that you died in a battle about two years ago.’
What?
‘I promise, I will explain everything to you, but you and I must get to work. This will take a long time. Are you ready?’
Yes.
‘Then let’s get to work.’
------------------------------------------------------------------------
“FRIDAY, will you give me an update on Pietro’s condition?”
“He is resting comfortably, and all vitals are normal. How are you feeling? Should I call Captain Rogers?”
“No, I’m alright. Tell Uncle Clint to come in. I know he’s sitting by the door.”
“Of course.” Sure enough, Clint entered the room in a few seconds.
“How is he? How are you? Did you find out everything? When will he wake up? Do you need anything? What happ—”
“Uncle Clint, you’re rambling again.”
“I’m sorry, Adds. Tell me everything.”
“I think that we got everything sorted out. He understands everything that happened, and all of his memories and the things that Hydra said and did have been worked through. He should wake up soon.”
“Good. That’s good. I’m proud of you, Adds. You’ve helped so many people. Rhodey, Bruce, and now Pietro. Your dad would be proud of you.” She smiled and nodded.
“Thanks, Uncle Clint. It means a lot to me. If you don’t mind, can I stay here with him until he wakes up? He knows me, and the rest of you might be a bit overwhelming, and I don’t want Wanda to get too worked up.”
“Sure thing, pumpkin. I’m right down the hall if you need anything.”
“I know.” Clint patted the top of her head and left, and Adelaide curled up in the chair, laying her head on the armrest and waiting for Pietro to wake up. What Clint didn’t know, however, was that Adelaide hadn’t exactly told the four of them the whole truth. They thought that their friend had died in the battle against Ultron in Sokovia two years ago. That was only partially true. Hydra, or what remained of it, had managed to get Pietro from the SHIELD carrier and take him back to their base. She just didn’t want them to get upset and blame themselves for letting him get taken back. Pietro understood this, and the two of them had worked out everything and made sure everything was set straight, at least as much as Adelaide knew. Any other questions he had would have to be asked to someone else. It was a lot of work, and both of them were exhausted, but it was worth it. After all, this was their family, and they had to take care of them.