The Other Symbiote

The Algorithm

Raiva made the others swear to not mention what she had done to any of the other Avengers, making them take it to their graves. 

"Cross my heart, hope to die." Sam smirked.

"You will die if you utter a word of what happened today." She glared at his slick glasses. 

"Sheesh. Alright then." 

Both her and Sam hung out halfway up the building, with Raiva having Nemesis stick her to the wall whilst Sam hovered in his bird suit.

"So, what's your story?" Sam asked her. 

"What do you mean by that?" She snacked on a pack of red frogs she found in Sam's cupboard. If Nemesis couldn't eat two bowls of curry, she'd down a bag or two of red frogs instead. 

"Steve is a soldier out of time, Nat is... complicated. What does that make you?"

"The same as reincarnated Rasputin." 

Suddenly they both heard the cue and shot up, Sam boosting up whilst Nemesis sling-shotted up the side of the building.

Sam caught Sitwell about three quarters up the building and Raiva landed with a heavy thud, Nemesis retreating from her boots once they were firmly planted. She strode up to Sitwell and shifted her hand into a spike, holding it close to his chest.

"Zola's algorithm is a program...for choosing Insight's targets!" He stuttered, causing Steve to walk forwards. 

"What targets?" Sitwell hesitated, which only made Raiva move her spike underneath his throat.

"You! A TV anchor in Cairo, the Undersecretary of Defence, a high school valedictorian in Iowa city. Bruce Banner, Stephen Strange, anyone who's a threat to HYDRA! Now, or in the future."

Raiva faltered - she knew what he was talking about, down to the project name. Her face became drained of colour and her hand shifted back to normal.

Steve firmly grabbed his shirt in place of Raiva whilst Nat held the teen right to her chest. 

"Everything's okay, Rai. Just breathe." 

"The future? How could it know?" Steve bashed Sitwell into the wall behind him, only causing Raiva to flinch.

"How could it not? The 21st century is a digital book. Zola taught HYDRA how to read it." Steve looked at Nat and Raiva, slight confusion on both the Avengers' faces.

"Your bank records, medical histories, voting patterns, e-mails, phone calls, your damn SAT scores. Zola's algorithm evaluates people's past to predict their future." 

"It's not Zola's algorithm." Raiva whispered, fidgeting with her sleeves and Nat pulled away slightly. 

"What then?!" Steve bashed Sitwell again. 

"Then the Insight Helicarriers scratch people off the list. A few million at a time."

Raiva's breath shuddered slightly, her body shivering. 

"Nemesis... it's okay. Everything's fine, Riot isn't here, Drake isn't here." She muttered to herself, scaring Steve and Nat whilst Sitwell smiled. 

He turned his head what little he could and his grin grew evilly. 

"Of course. You were Carlton Drake's little play thing." She stood up, anger flooding her vision.

"You shut it." 

"You were his little lab rat, his mind controlled exterminator." 

"I said shut up!" 

"You designed the algorithm." 

"Under Drake's command! Not of my own doing!" 

"Oh, I think you knew exactly what you were doing."

Sitwell smiled and she pulled out the empty lolly packet and shoved it in his mouth, despite his protest. 

She pushed Steve off of Sitwell without even thinking about her strength, holding the corrupt agent by a single, clenched fist.

"You think you know me? I consume everything, destroy everything I touch! I have killed hundreds of thousands of innocent people... and I might add just one more, not so innocent soul to my list." 

She barely had a grip on Nemesis as her hand morphed into an indigo-shaded fist and went to land a fatal blow.

"Raiva!" Nat's motherly tone stopped her just before she collided with his cheekbone. 

"Don't let him have the gratitude of knowing how to make you lose control."

She firmly but gently pulled Raiva off of Sitwell and Steve put a proper gag around his mouth. Nat pulled the girl into her arms once again but Raiva felt a vibration in her pocket and pulled away.

-Hey. Thanks for letting me use your car earlier and make sure you thank your boss for your birthday present.-

Raiva smiled at the message from Annie, her contact reading 'Favourite Non-Host'.

-It's okay. Can you tell it to come find me? Leave the keys in the ignition.-

-Okay. I love you, my little Sunshine.-

-Right back at ya, Annie.-

She closed her phone and focused her hearing, the engine of her Corvette bouncing in her eardrums. 

"I'll be back. Text me where you guys are."

"Are you sure you don't want me to come with?" 

"Very."  

Nemesis engulfed the teen and nodded sadly to the Widow before jumping off the side of the building and turning invisible.

Raiva needed alone time, far away from everyone she knew and from those who knew her. She couldn't be around people right now, for she was scared. Scared she'd lash out at Nat, scared she'd say the wrong thing to the ones she loved.

Scared she'd lose control.

Again.