Hydra's shadow

Chapter 1: Rooftops

*set after AOU, Peter and Bucky already introduced*

*ECHO'S POV*

A high-pitched ringing echoing through my skull, the all too familiar taste of metal coated around my tongue, a shallow sound directly above me I couldn't quite make out. A voice. A man's voice, or was it a boy? Muffled sounds just clear enough to decipher filled the empty void of the sound of blood channeling its way through my ears.

"Ma'am? Excuse me ma'am."

I slowly lifted my head from the cobbled stones beneath me, opening my eyes to find a young boy, who couldn't have been any older than 14, standing with his face wearing a worried but confused look just a few inches from mine. I stumbled back in reflex, my sudden movement just enough for him to see I needed space.

"I- I'm sorry I didn't mean to startle you, are you ok?" he cautiously asked, patiently waiting for my response, although in that moment I seemed to lose the ability to form any words at all.

We sat in silence for what seemed like forever until I mustered up the strength to try to stand up, using an old pipe railing beside me as support. I noticed him dart out of the corner of my eye as I lost my footing and toppled towards the edge, only realising now that I had somehow made my way to the rooftop of a 4-story building during the events of last night, which to me were still a complete blur, the memories clouded by a layer of fog. I managed to balance myself just enough but just as quickly as I stood up so eagerly before, I slumped back down the side of the railing clutching the side of my stomach, clenching my teeth as I felt my T-shirt damp at the touch, pulling my hand back towards my face only to see it covered in blood.

"Oh my god?! Y- you're bleeding ma'am! We have to get you to a hospital!"

"NO" I shouted in response, though my voice was barely above a whisper, hoarse and cracked, my throat throbbing as I swallowed, causing me again to clench my teeth in what was now becoming an uncomfortable and agonising pain.
"I can't be seen, please you have to leave me be." I managed to mutter before my vision became clouded and I slipped into a state of unconsciousness.

When I next awoke I was no longer on the rooftop from before. Now the air was softer and warmer. I could no longer feel the harsh and bitter breeze against my skin, instead the feeling of soft linen sheets against the rough and dirty skin on my arms and legs. I quickly came to my senses and positioned myself bolt upright, only to realise I still had a pounding headache and my whole body had started to ache, my muscles tense from lack of movement. I must have been asleep for a while. Slowly turning my head to scan my surroundings, I found myself to be in some sort of hospital bed. He hadn't listened, the boy from before, he'd taken me to a hospital. I'm not safe here I thought to myself, my breathing becoming laboured and rushed, my heart beginning to beat faster in my chest. I swung my legs down and lowered myself to the floor, my balance barely steady enough for me to walk. Just as I headed for the door it swung open before me, the familiar face of the boy from before greeting me in the doorway. In his hand he held a cup of what looked like jello, extending his arm out to me in an effort to offer it to me. I ignored his gesture in a panic to establish where the hell I was, spitting out words in hope of finding an answer.

"I told you not to bring me to a hospital, I don't know where I'm safe yet, I don't even know where I am!"

"Relax!" he spoke back in a gentle but informative tone, "I didn't bring you to a hospital, just like you asked."

"Well then where the hell am I?!"

"Somewhere safe, I'm not sure if I'm allowed to tell you in terms of classified information yet, but you have to trust me I promise you're safe here, okay?"

"Ok" I sighed as he guided me back to the bed I had just jumped out of in such a hurry, letting me sit against the backboard leaning against one of the pillows.

He took a seat just on the edge of the bed, pulling a blanket neatly folded on the chair beside me over his legs, so as to face me. I hadn't noticed his features from before, I had been in too much of a panic. His hair was a chestnut brown sort of colour, with streaks of darker blonde throughout. It was more on the shaggy side, curly at the ends, framing his face nicely. His skin was dotted with random freckles, on one cheek they formed a heart shape, subtle but still apparent, and his smile was sort of crooked to one side but it suited him very much.

"I don't mean to pry but I'm curious how you managed to get all the way to the top of that building I found you on earlier this morning. It must've been 20 feet high at least and there's no way you could've gotten in from the inside?"

I picked up on his slight awkwardness and hesitation but I didn't blame him for wanting to know.
"I honestly don't know, I must've hit my head last night I can't remember anything it's all a blur."

I couldn't read his response from his facial expressions, which stayed neutral listening to my response. Clearly not what he wanted to hear, but how could I tell him what was happening if I didn't know myself.

"That cut on your side was pretty bad, but by the time I got you here it had almost cleared up. It looked simply like a small cat scratch. How did you do that?"

Sighing as I realised he wasn't going to drop the subject I replied,
"Maybe all the blood made it look worse than it actually was who knows?"

Suddenly his watch on his right arm started to glow, and a face appeared projected in some sort of hologram right in front of both of us. There was a notification of some sort of mission, although before I could read anymore the boy quickly shut it down, reaching for his jacket from the chair beside him.

"I'm sorry miss but I have to go, will you be ok to stay down here alone for a while?"

"Yeah I'll be fine, where are you going?"

"Sorry miss but that's classified I'll be back soon I promise, just don't go anywhere please?"

I watched as he leaped for the door, dialling some sort of code on his watch as he went. Just as the door closed behind him he abruptly poked his head back inside, quickly muttering something to me as I stared straight ahead at him.

"Oh I forgot to mention earlier miss, my name is Peter. Peter Parker."