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

31. The Sokovia Accords

I spent the whole night diving into the rabbit hole of files I found, reading up on the newest members to the team, Wanda Maximoff and the Vision. It broke my heart when I read about her time at Hydra. "She's like me," I muttered as my eyes scanned over the screen. I'd heard von Strucker talk of his experiments in the General's memories, but he'd never mentioned any specifics, and he was too careful to have electronic files I could break into. The Accords were basically a way to control the Enhanced and mutants.

As if I needed another reason to hide my powers.

It exempted minors from signing, so Peter would be safe, but the new Avenger was 18. According to the news and the numerous files I'd dug up, they would be signed in Vienna at the International Center with the United Nations, nowhere near me. Seillans, France was 1,237 miles away from Vienna, and I had no reason to cross that distance. Right?

"Kate!" Angie called. I closed my laptop, put it aside, and rushed down the stairs.

"What's up, Ang?" I asked, smiling at the woman.

"Would you mind running to Ms. Anatole's store and picking up my order from her? It should be three packages of our library cards." She asked, smiling up at me.

"Of course!" I responded.

"You're a sweetheart. It's warmer today, so you shouldn't need your coat." She told me, and I kissed her cheek before starting out the door. She was right, it was a beautiful day outside, and because of the weather, there were a lot of people walking around the shops. I decided to practice using my powers on my walk. I'd been slowly getting better over time, at least at the mind-reading part. I'd learned to block out most of the voices, and was getting better at tuning in to specific people versus the more generalized version before. 

I was currently trying to balance out the volume of a group of friends, maybe a few years younger than me when I bumped into someone who was running from an alley. His eyes were wide and his breathing heavy, but his thoughts were the worst; they were so loud I winced. Holy shit I can't believe I just mugged that bitch. "Move." He growled, pushing me away from him. I grabbed his wrist and yanked it behind him, kicking the back of his knee until he was kneeling in front of me. 

I leaned down to his ear before whispering, "mugging is wrong. Bitch." I shoved him forward, wrestling the wallet in his out from his grip, and let him fall on his face. "Get going. Now!" He quickly scrambled up and ran down the street. I looked down into the alley the man had come from and saw a figure sitting on the ground, leaning against the wall of the building next to them. I stepped into the narrow passage, gently calling out, "madame? Est-ce que ça va?" When I reached her I noticed the dark, angry purple color forming around her eye.

"Uh, je ne parle pas français." I don't speak French. Based on the accent in her French, I guessed she was British.

"I said, are you okay? Did he hurt you?" She slowly stood up, allowing me to get a better look at her eye. It was swelling up a lot, and without thinking I just materialized an ice pack.

I'd only realized what I'd done when it was too late. She screamed and scrambled away from me. "Witch! Demon! Monster!"

"Wait, wait, wait, just-" I tried to touch her to erase her memory, but she ran onto the street, screaming for help. "Shit." I ran the other direction, summoning a grappling hook to get up to the fire escape on the wall blocking my way. I raced to the top of the building, hiding over the edge as I heard people running into the alley below me. 

"There's no one here." A man spoke in a heavy accent.

"No, I swear! There was a man that mugged me, but then this little girl stopped him and used magic, and an ice pack appeared!" The woman from before wailed.

"J'hais les touristes, ils font toujours de grosses commotions (I hate tourists, they always cause big commotions)." One of the men said. "Come along, ma'am."

"Wait! Wait!" The woman pleaded.

I stepped away from my perch, turning back towards the door to the roof of the building I was on. I pulled open the door, muttering, "time for a quick change." I yanked my hoodie over my head, tossing it to the side and switching the face on my veil. My hand was on the handle of the door on the roof before I was halted by a voice.

"Erinnerung, step forward." The General spoke, but it sounded like her voice was . . . echoing. Confused and admittedly scared, I turned around to an even weirder sight. In front of me was the General, but she looked like a red hologram; unlike when she usually bothered me, I could see through her. Suddenly, a smaller, also transparent red, me stepped forward. I knew this memory, how could I not? It was the first time I went on a mission. 

But that's not why I was confused. Whenever my memories manifested themselves, I was never projected, but this time I saw myself take a file from the General into my tiny hands, flipping it open with a concentrated and determined look on my face.

It was creepy.

"You were so young then, so full of potential." She spoke, suddenly next to me as we watched our past selves. "How far you've fallen."

"How far I've come. I don't want to be her again, following your orders like a lost sheep." This conversation was tensely civil as I waited for her to try to attack me, or control me.

"I wouldn't call you that. More like a wolf in sheep's clothing." She replied in an even tone.

"Are we going to get started, or just stand here in anticipation?"

"I don't want to hurt you, Erinnerung."

"Y/N." I corrected, my teeth clenched together.

"I always admired your tenacity. You were truly my best work." She continued, as if ignoring me.

I scoffed. "Oh, please, you created nothing. I already had my powers when you took me, you did nothing special."

"Wrong. I found you, and they wanted to kill you. I saved your life."

"You shouldn't have. You should have let me to die."

"Oh, that would be a waste."

"This is what I mean! You see people as materials, not as people. I'm not some tool for you to use, and I refuse to let you dictate my life anymore. I'm tired of running, I'm tired of leaving my family behind, I'm tired of not being able to visit Amber, I'm tired of all of this!" I was getting angry with her, and all this pent-up rage and emotion I had surged forward suddenly.

"So, you think you can just wish it all away? You'll never get that life back, it's hopeless. Might as well continue the work you've been doing all your life."

Silence fell over, almost as thick as the tension that sat between us. I'd lived the last few months of my life in peace, and I was never going to go back. Over time, I'd realised something; they were my powers, and it was my life, not hers. Never hers. I was going to take my life back.

Even if I had to fight for it.

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