Project H.I.D.E (sequel to Newest Recruit)

Chapter 6 - Inescapeable

Kelsey woke up with a crowd surrounding her. She saw Artie first, sitting in the corner of her hospital room. He jumped up and ran over to hug her when he noticed her waking up.

"Kels! What happened?" He exclaimed, squeezing her tight.

"Art, if you let me go then I'll be able to breathe and tell you." Kelsey sputtered out, trying to loosen the hug around her.

She sat up, she was in the hospital again, her second time since she arrived here. Glancing around she saw Peter, whom she had only met briefly, Thor, Tony, Nat, and three others she hadn't met yet. She assumed they were the last three Avengers, Hulk, Hawkeye, and Captain America.

"Ok well," she sighed and looked at Artie, "They're still watching Art. We never escaped them, they're watching us now."

The tall blonde, who she presumed was Steve Rodgers, or Captain America, from the pictures she had seen on the television news, "Who's they? Could you start from the beginning? We," he motioned his hand to the other Avengers, "have only heard bits and pieces of the story and would like to know the whole thing."

Kelsey glanced at Artie, "Go ahead. You're better at telling stories."

"Well, as Tony and Nat already know, Artie and I escaped from a facility in Death Valley called HIDE. We, along with the others, had been there are whole lives. We were experimented on, we were lab rats, but there was nothing we could do."

Steve interrupted, he wore a very 40's styled brown leather coat, a blue t-shirt underneath, and a pair of jeans, "So how'd you escape now?"

"Well one of the uh, experiments went wrong and caused an electrical shortage within the entire facility. Our doors unlocked and we could get out. It was complete chaos. Children were screaming in the dark, aimlessly running around, confused, and scared. Artie and I tried to help but then the guards finally got down to our level and even more madness broke out. The kids were afraid of staying but they were even more afraid of what would happen to them if they left the place they knew their whole lives. Once the guards got there they began rounding up the kids back into their rooms. The lights came back on and the doors locked again. Artie and I tried helping the kids who had begun to run towards the exit but then --" Kelsey choked up, remembering the massacre that had occured. The blood, the screaming, the last words running through her head.

Artie continued from where she left off, "The guards didn't use tasers or anything, no they used guns. Actual guns on these innocent children who were just trying to escape the torture that HIDE had done to them. Some of them tried using their powers to fight back, but it didn't work. We barely escaped."

Peter spoke up from his seat on the side of the wall, next to Tony, "So how did you escape?"

Artie held up his hand, and let it disappear, "They infused chameleon DNA into my cells, giving me the ability to camouflage into my surroundings. Granted I can't do it for very long, or make my clothes invisible, but it was enough to distract the guards from us, so we ran."

Peter sat up straighter, "So they used cross-species genetics? And it worked?"

"I mean I guess. If that's what you wanna call it." Artie shrugged.

The one they call Hawkeye stepped forward, closer to the side of the hospital bed, his black jumpsuit contrasting with the white and blue hospital room, "So what happened next?"

Kelsey spoke up, recalling the next events, wiping her eyes, "Then I got shot, and Artie dragged me through the desert until Tony rescued us."

"Did anyone else escape?" Nat asked, her short red hair bouncing as she turned her head towards Kelsey and Artie.

Artie looked at his hands, and Kelsey sighed, "We don't think so."

Nat nodded, "Banner, Tony, and Clint, go back and search the desert for any survivors or wreckage from the escape."

"Why do I have to go?" Tony whined.

"Yeah, do you really think that it's a good idea for me to go?" Banner spoke up, he was wearing a white lab coat, tan pants, and a bright purple shirt. Kelsey realized he must be the hulk, she thought the hulk was green and huge but this man looked harmless and normal.

Nat sighed, "Hawkeye is going because he can see details others might miss. Tony you're going because you know where you found those two and I recommend you start there and Banner you're going because we need a doctor who knows what's going on."

The trio sighed, lacking an argument to beat her logic, Nat placed her hands on her hips, "Good, we'll take care of everything here."

The trio started walking away but Kelsey stopped them, "Wait!"

Everyone turned towards her, Kelsey continued, "What's in my head?"

Tony shrugged, "We couldn't tell you. The doctors took a scan of your brain and are trying to find anything."

Kelsey nodded, slightly disappointed and slightly terrified, HIDE was still living in her brain, "Just be careful. Who knows what they have heard."

Tony nodded, before leading the rest of the Avengers out of her room.

Artie squeezed her hand and walked out with Tony, Banner, Clint and the others, "I want to go with them. I know who to look for and who not to."

Kelsey nodded, "Be careful." He nodded and left the room.

Kelsey sighed and soon it was just her and Peter in the room, "Geez, you scared me. I thought you left with the others."

Peter looked startled, "Uh sorry, I can leave if you want."

"No, it's ok."

"Well, uh I was just wondering. What can you do that this HIDE would go through all the trouble of putting this chip in your head and then letting you go?"

Kelsey looked surprised at the question, "Well Peter, I can read minds."

"You can- you can read minds?"

Kelsey nodded, "I can do anything really, I can show you memories, speak telepathically, and I can - I can control people."

Peter stepped back, "You can control people?"

Kelsey nodded, looking down at her hands, "Well, that's the whitecoats were trying to make me do before I left. But I promise you, that I'll never use my powers intentionally on you guys. I've never used it on my friends and I don't plan to start now."

Peter sat back down in the chair behind him, "Intentionally?"

"Well, yeah, sometimes I can't control it. Imagine having millions of voices trying to get in your head at once, it's a lot harder than it seems." Kelsey explained.

Peter nodded, "Ok well, if you need anything I'm here."

Kelsey jumped up off her bed, "Wait, actually could you show me around the city? I've been here like a week and I haven't even left the building."

"Are you sure that's safe?"

"Sure, why not? After all we do have superpowers right?"

"Ok, fine, what about Artie, does he wanna come?" Peter inquired, remembering the two of them being attached at the hip.

Kelsey shook her head, "He's going to go see if he can go with Tony and them."

Peter stood up from his chair, "Alright let's go."

Kelsey smiled, "Yes! Thanks Peter! I just have to change."

Peter nodded, "I'll meet you by the entrance."

Kelsey nodded and ran off, finally she was going to be outside, she was going to be free.

Well, sort of.

A/N: YAY finally the next chapter!! Sorry it took so long, but it was just a crazy week! Also thank you so much for all the reads and the votes and the comments, it means so much! I've been doing pretty good about updating every week, so look for the next chapter sometimes late this coming week. Everything is beginning to come together and it's gonna start picking up speed pretty soon and I cant wait for you guys to read it!!! Please remember to comment and vote!! Thank you so much!!! :)