Vengeance [Avengers Fanfiction]

[Chapter 8]

[Quinn]

    Stark accompanied me to the elevator, where we split ways as he went to the top floor where his room was located and I went down to Floor 10. I stepped off to be met by the dank chill of being underground. 

    As I walked down the hallways to get to my room, I noticed someone was walking behind me. I could hear their shoes hitting the ground, the soft taps echoing through the halls. A glance behind me confirmed that someone was there, because I could see a faint shadow of a person creeping along the concrete wall, just around the corner.

    For an experiment, I stepped to the right side of the hallway so whoever was around the corner could see me clearly. I then stopped, bent down, and pretended to redo to laces on my boot. The footsteps stopped. I stood and continued on my way down a corridor to the right, in the opposite direction of where I knew my room was. The footsteps started again.

    Silently, I pulled one of my daggers from its sheath. I spied a corner just up the hall that I could hide behind. Then, I could see who was following me. Shooting a glimpse over my shoulder, I made sure the shadow was still there. Quickly, I turned the corner, and instantly stumbled back as I smacked into something solid.

    A hand grabbed my elbow to steady me as I was knocked backwards from the impact. I cursed and looked up from under my hood to see Steve Rogers, his blue eyes concerned.

    "Are you okay?" He asked, then seemed to realize he was still holding onto my elbow and released it.

    I took a step back and then turned slightly to see behind me. Whoever was tailing me had disappeared.

    "Fine." I muttered.

    "Your room is down the third hall to the left, get lost?" His voice didn't reveal it, but I could tell he was a bit suspicious.

    "I could ask you the same thing." I replied. Steve didn't say anything, but I could tell he was still wary of me.

    "Well," he said, "I guess it's time to get to training. This way."

    He turned and strolled down the hallway in the direction I just came from until we reached an elevator. We rode up to Floor 6, where we got off. Rogers led me down the corridor, nodding at agents as he passed, who looked at him with a mixture of respect and awe. Finally, we turned down a hallway lined with the steel doors I had become accustomed to in the S.H.I.E.L.D. base, where we stopped at a door.

    As Steve slid his security clearance card into the little slot, he turned to me.

    "This is the main training hallway. The gym is a few doors down, along with some rooms for sparring and boxing. This one is meant for training and evaluation."

    A small light next to the card slot turned green, and the door slid open. We entered a large room with lightly padded mats on the floor and metal walls. A large one-way glass window stretched across the far wall, with a door to its side. Lights in the ceiling gave the room a yellowish glow. For a second, I flashed back to a room similar to the one I was in.

    A single light bulb hung from the ceiling, casting everything in a yellowish tinge. The room was cold and windowless. Dark red stains splattered the metal walls and floor, sending shivers up my spine and making the hairs on the back of my neck rise. A single metal table, the type found in hospitals, sat in the center of the room. Next to it was a display of syringes and surgical instruments. But this was far from a harmless medical procedure. I strained against my bound wrists, but it was no use..... I couldn't free myself.....

    A hand brushed my elbow and I jerked, my hand immediately reaching for my dagger once I was broken out of my flashback.

    "This way." Steve said, giving me a curious look. We walked into the room that led behind the window. I scolded myself for letting me fall into a memory. I needed to focus.