"You have?" Jayden gaped, Theo on her knee, straightened up, suddenly attentive.
"I have."
"So? Tell me," she probed desperately, her hearts thundering like they were about to burst from her chest.
Tony scrutinised her; his hesitation was palpable as he eyed her. She tried to steel herself; this was what she'd been waiting for. Knowing who they were was the first step to their total annihilation. However, despite that thought, she felt like he could see right past her facade; her nerves were almost choking her.
"You sure you wanna know?" he carefully questioned, his hands clasped in front of him as he slightly leaned forward.
"Yes," she nodded in total resolvement. "I need to help stop them."
He had a deep frown; the action made his face look ten years older. "No, you don't. You don't need to be a part of this anymore. We have it handled. Right now, all you have to do is focus on yourself and heal."
"And the best way I can do that is to know more about them, so I don't have so many questions in the back of my head," she argued. "Please, Tony, I've gotta know. Especially after all the things they've done... what they've made me do."
He, once again, studied her for a long moment, contemplating, before he sighed and shook his head.
"Hydra," he revealed in reluctance; he said it quickly, as if the name burned his tongue.
"Hydra?" she repeated. "The Nazi guys?"
"The very same."
"I-I can't believe it," she shook her head incredulously. "It was under my nose the entire time! The lab used to hold these classes a few times a year that were all about them. I'm so stupid, I should've- I should've known!"
"How? For all you knew, they were just a group of sick fanatics. That's what sucks about hindsight; you only know when it's too late."
She bit her lip, nodding, but remained silent. She wasn't sure how to react, wanting to ask him a million questions, but she couldn't begin to voice them.
After a couple of moments, Theo shifted and did the talking for her. "Do you know how they survived?"
"They've been hiding under SHIELD like cockroaches," Tony answered bitterly.
"Really?" Jayden choked. "They-they must have been good at hiding."
His mouth faintly lifted. "That must be it, Jadie."
"Well, that or Hydra just silenced the voices before they were heard," Theo added unhelpfully.
Jayden cringed, feeling sick at the thought. Were they killed quickly? Or did they become guinea pigs for their experiments like her?
Her eyebrows furrowed before she straightened, realising something. "So when SHIELD wanted to take me, it was-"
"Hydra trying to get you back. I'm guessing when that didn't work, they decided to try another way," he figured, looking sympathetically at her.
"They broke in," she gritted. "I thought I escaped, but they've been over my shoulder the entire time I've been here."
"Most likely, but regardless, you're safe. Especially now they're unable to hide under SHIELD's name."
"Is Fury Hydra?" she questioned, hoping that he wasn't one of the bad guys. He looked too cool to be a bad guy.
"No, he actually faked his death after an assassination attempt when he got too close to the truth," Tony said bluntly.
YOU ARE READING
Unforeseen¹
FanfictionJYD2641 had enough. In her seven years, she's only ever known the cruel hands of her doctors, who were determined to make her the next Winter Soldier. All she'd ever known was death, pain, and fear. Instead of a parent's loving embrace, she had the...
