New Identity ~ MCU/SWCW Story

// Chapter Twenty-Nine //

Weeks of paying as keen attention as possible to her surroundings made navigating the compound manageable, but it certainly didn't help Ashley with locating two specific individuals. Her brow furrowed as she turned down yet another hallway, where she once more crept along doorways and timidly peered through each window. The painfully-bland fluorescent lights made low hums as Ashley passed, some even lightly flickering.

She had no shoes, which was useful in the moment. With careful movements and a slight limp, she was able to traverse the halls without much of a noise disturbance. Although, she knew that when it came to her grand escape, she would wish she had shoes later.

She was acutely aware of each camera she passed. If she wasn't able to naturally dodge its trajectory, she would manipulate its direction and video feed with her powers. It appeared to have worked so far, as she had yet to experience an entourage of disgruntled Hydra soldiers storming after her. She knew that she didn't have long before her luck would run out.

With the exception of the distant clacking of heels from Hydra guards several halls down, the compound was eerily silent. So much so, that Ashley found herself wondering how she had never noticed before. A bit of contemplation led her to the conclusion that she had been so lost in the chaotic and strident state of her mind. With a plan in mind now, however, her head was unusually collected and quiet.

Though, as Ashley passed another set of doors, the silence was broken. Muffled voices seeped through the heavy metal frame, which filled Ashley with anxious hope. With her fingers mentally crossed, the teenager pressed herself up against the adjacent wall and crept toward the door.

"We don't have a choice, Jemma! Do you know what they would do to us if Strucker found out we were hiding results?" A familiar Scottish voice filtered through the cracks. Ashley let out a breath of anticipation that she wasn't aware she had been holding.

"These things can be hidden, Fitz," Jemma, which Ashley presumed to be Simmons' first name, retorted. "But we can't be selfish. If we gave this information to Strucker, who knows what they would do to her? Sure, we are being controlled and manipulated, but she is the real victim here. You've seen how badly they've hurt her. You know just how terrible those sicknesses they forced is to concoct were. She is going to snap eventually. Do you want to be responsible for her death? To have the blood of an innocent teenager on your hands?"

Ashley's eyes widened as she soaked in everything that Jemma was saying. This exchange confirmed everything that she had suspected. No, Fitzsimmons were not simply a pair of atypically-nice Hydra operatives. They were just like her: trapped against their will. Suddenly, the past 15 minutes she'd seemingly wasted searching the compound for the pair no longer felt so meaningless.

Without giving Fitz much of an opportunity to respond, Ashley manipulated the lock on the door and slowly swung it open. Before she could even see the British and Scottish scientists, she heard yelps of surprise and fear sound from them.

"Shh!! It's okay. It's just me." Ashley softly closed the door behind her and was mindful to set the lock back in place. "We're getting out of here."

"Ashley!" Fitz exclaimed, half from surprise, and half from relief. "What... what are you doing here? How are you here?"

"I escaped," she responded blankly. "What does it look like?"

"Yes, yes, we get that you escaped," Jemma quipped back, "but how? You should be out cold right now. Even then, without your powers, there's no way you should've made it this far."

Ashley raised a white brow at this comment. A soft smile tugged at her lips as she extended an arm, then lined her palm up with an empty vial resting in a stand across the room. In seconds, the glass vial levitated several inches above the stand, mirroring the movements of Ashley's hand. Then, with a sharp movement, the teenager clenched her fist shut, and the vial exploded into thousands of glass shards.