"Ultron knows we're coming. Odds are we'll be riding into heavy fire, and that's what we signed up for. But the people of Sokovia, they didn't. So our priority is getting them out," Steve began, glancing around the Quinjet, where the team was scattered.
Jayden was bouncing her knee in restlessness. It was impossible to predict what was going to happen once they landed, and she was definitely feeling the effects of that. Theo repeatedly shifted and rubbed at his Quix ears, her nerves rubbing on him like sandpaper.
"All they want is to live their lives in peace, and that's not going to happen today. But we can do our best to protect them. And we can get the job done and find out what Ultron's been building. We find Romanoff, and we clear the field. Keep the fight between us. Ultron thinks we're monsters and we're what's wrong with the world. This isn't just about beating him. It's about whether he's right."
His speech left silence in its wake. As the minutes ticked on, she picked her fingernails, removing the dirt from under them until a body fell onto the seat beside her. She scowled when she saw it was Pietro and glared back at her hands, uninterested in what he wanted to say.
Theo leapt onto her lap and hissed, but Pietro merely chuckled. "I think he hates me as much as you do."
"You shouldn't be surprised."
"Can you at least get him to stop looking at me like that?"
"He can do what he wants. I don't control him. He's not a pet," she scoffed.
"Of course, he's not a pet. What pet can talk?"
"What do you want?" she huffed, getting straight to the point, sharply looking up at him.
"I want to clear the air. I don't fancy going into a fight and having bad blood with one of my teammates."
"A five-minute conversation isn't going to clear the air."
"It's worth a try," he shrugged. "What did Hydra do to you?"
She eyed him, surprised he knew of her ties with them. "It's none of your business."
"Must've been real bad, huh?" he leaned back, unaffected by the harshness of her tone. "Did they give you your fluffy friend?"
"It's none of your business," she repeated with a hiss. "I don't talk to Hydra's goons whether they're still part of the thing or not. "
"They were only a means to an end. We wanted to take revenge and Hydra offered us that. We were blinded. I'm sure you can understand."
"Did it hurt?" she asked, glaring at her feet. "Getting your powers?"
"A little," he admitted. "Controlling them was worse. I wasn't able to stop running for a couple of days."
Her jaw clenched. "You had it so easy. It's unfair. I saw so many..."
"So many what?"
She snapped her head towards him. "You really wanna know why I hate them so bad? They ruined me. I grew up with them and their experiments. I was forced to kill a kid who was practically rotting after his body couldn't handle his abilities."
Pietro's cheeks lost colour, and Wanda sharply inhaled as she listened nearby. Jayden shot her a glower while Theo whined and shifted closer to her chest.
"There were thirteen kids in there with me. We were all going through the same, experiment after experiment, pain after pain. How many do you think, apart from me, are still alive today?"
"I-I don't-"
"One. Just one. They're all dead. All because they failed to gain or handle some stupid powers," she sneered. "And then you ask me why I hate you? You willingly volunteered, you got your abilities as easy as it is to get a shot at the doctors. Why do you survive when they didn't?"
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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...
