Aim: Hydra | Y/N Story | Sequel to "Aim: Avenger"

8. Re-focus

"Oh crap, Y/N, you're bleeding." Peter pointed the the several small cuts on my arms and face.

"I'm fine." I replied.

"No, you aren't. Where's your first aid kit?" He asked.

"It's right under the sink." Verdienen answered for me as Ben gently lifted me up and lowered me onto a bar stool.

"I got it." Peter opened it and grabbed an antiseptic wipe. "This is going to sting."

"She knows." Verdienen and Gestorben said together. I was just focusing on taking deep breaths, trying to shake the lightheaded feeling that was clouding my vision and thoughts. When he gently pressed the cloth on one of my cuts, the sharp pain cut through the haze.

"Ow." I muttered absentmindedly. I did feel the sting, but was used to it at this point.

"Sorry." Peter continued to clean the small cuts all over my arms and neck, but stopped suddenly. "Um, do you have a pair of tweezers? I think I see a shard of glass." Ben handed him a pair, and the impromptu nurse pulled a small shard from the base of my neck. "Did your powers do this?"

"Yeah, it usually happens when I share memories. Along with fatigue, which is why Ben picked me up. Sometimes I faint. I don't do this kind of thing often, so I guess my body hasn't adjusted to it yet." I answered, holding out my hand for the bloodied piece. He dropped it into my palm and set down the tweezers, putting a bandage on the last cut.

"You're all set." he stated, stepping back.

"Thank you, Peter." I replied sadly.

"Do you want to talk about the . . . memory?" He looked into my eyes, and I saw the gentleness there.

"Well, I know everything about it, I lived it. You, on the other hand, must have questions." I said in response.

"I mean, yeah, but I don't want to make you uncomfortable." His face wrinkled in concern. 

"It's okay. I wouldn't have shown you the memory if I wasn't willing to answer the questions that would follow." I reassured him.

"Okay. Uh, first question: Were those your parents?" He asked.

"Yes."

"And you were a baby? How do you remember all that so perfectly?"

"Part of my powers, I remember everything. How something smelled, tasted, felt, sounded, looked, you get the idea. I've remembered everything in my life, for better or for worse."

"What's the first thing you remember?"

"What I just showed you was my earliest memory. As if using my abilities for the first time unlocked the rest of it."

"Wow. That's so cool. Okay, um, where did your powers come from?"

I smiled at that question. "I don't know. I don't think Hydra even knew."

"Oh. Okay." He paused for a moment, letting all this new information soak in. "How did Hydra find you?"

"That's an interesting story. Baby me, having only interacted with two particularly violent people, thought everyone wanted to hurt me. I kept erasing the memories of anyone who touched me. One agent, who witnessed this happen, reported it. I was then rescued."

"Rescued? I thought they were the bed guys."

"I've been told they are, but that's just how I grew up. I didn't know my childhood, or even having abilities, wasn't normal."

"Wow, that's . . . not good. I'm sorry."

"Don't be. I'm much happier now." I really was. Taking a deep breath, I admitted, "I really miss the team, but I just feel responsible for what happened to Barnes. And Ben and V are helpful, but it's just different."

"They aren't real." He finished.

"Yeah." I looked down at my hands, and was surprised when I felt arms around me. 

"It's okay, Y/N." I welcomed the hug. "You might not be able to go back to the team, but you have me."

"Well, I technically could. I tried to leave a backdoor in their memories, activated by a trigger phrase, but I don't know if it works."

"Really?"

"Yeah." After a few moments, I asked, "Peter?"

"Yeah?"

"How did you get your powers?"

"I was bitten by a radioactive spider, and the DNA from the bite combined with mine." He answered, as if it was nothing.

"Peter, that is so cool!" He laughed.

"I guess so."

"What are your powers, anyway?" I asked.

"To use the more official terms, superhuman strength, speed, durability, agility, enhanced vision, I have this spider-sense that's kind of like an alarm, can climb walls, and I have a faster metabolism."

"So you're strong, fast, can take a punch, quick, can see better, can sense danger, you're sticky, and heal faster than a regular person could." I simplified.

"Yeah." He shrugged.

"That is amazing." I looked at the shy boy in front of me, and couldn't believe he was Spider-Man.

"I guess so."

"Well, never mind Spider-Man. What can Peter do?" I patted the chair next to me and he sat down, placing his hands on the counter.

"Uh, I'm smart, I guess."

"Wow, really specific." I poked him in the ribs. "How are you smart?"

"Um, I made the formula for my webs. And I made the web shooters." He added sheepishly.

"That's so cool! You're like Tony!" I commend him.

"No, Mr. Stark is way smarter. I'm nothing like him." He shook his head back and forth, making me laugh. "What's so funny?"

"If only Tony were as humble as you are." He smiled at my compliment.

"I don't mean to ruin this really cute moment, but Mrs. Parker is wondering where Peter is." Verdienen whispered.

"Oh shoot, I was supposed to be home from school like an hour ago." Peter shot up from his seat and picked up his backpack from the door. "It was really nice to meet you officially, Y/N. Or should I say Alice?" He teased.

"Right back at ya, Bugsy." I said endearingly. He smiled a big, goofy grin at the nickname, and waved as he closed my apartment door behind him.

"You made a friend." V teased, poking my arm repeatedly.

"Oh hush." I slapped her hand away, but couldn't wipe the smile off my face.

"Our girl's growing up so fast." Ben pretended to wipe a tear from his face.

"I said hush."

"Never." The two said together.

"You two are impossible." I huffed, opening the fridge door to make myself a snack.

"No, we're right." V was right. I did like Peter, and while the team were amazing, it was different spending time with someone my own age. 

Focus on your mission. I snapped out my reverie.

"Oh, screw the revenge plan. I say we go back to the Avengers and try to live a normal life." Ben said pointedly.

"Okay first off, there's not really a 'we.' You're dead. Second, not an option. They don't remember me." I shot down the suggestion.

"You left a back door." He continued to argue.

"That I'm only kind of sure will work. It's not like I planned for any of this. I always thought I was going to die on a mission. Still could, if my plan doesn't work." I fought. "Yes, I do like Peter. He's a good person, but it's my responsibility to take down Hydra and rescue everyone like me. I owe it to all those kids who have suffered, who are suffering. I owe it to those who are already dead. I have the chance to literally save hundreds of lives, and I'm going to. Starting with the General we all knew and loved." I concluded.

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