Elizabeth Barton/Ghost (Avengers Fanfiction)

The GECS Experiment

     I gasped and lost hold of the memory. Steve looked down at me and worry spread across his face when he saw me huddled up, my knuckles white as I gripped my arms hard. My eyes were wide and blank as the memories continued on in my own mind. I was very aware of the faint white scar on the inside of my wrist. It was a constant reminder of the day my world turned upside down. Tony did something so uncharacteristic of him that it completely dumbfounded both me and Steve. He took my hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. Tony can be insensitive, narcissistic, and arrogant, but he was definitely not the comforting type. And yet there he was.

"We are here for you." Tony whispered to me.

I stared dumbly for one more second before shaking my head. "To keep everything in order, I will show you what I've seen in Clint's memories. What he saw when he came home."

Clint had the same blond hair and blue eyes as me, but he had small eyes and a square jaw. He was the more serious one, but right then, he had this goofy smile on his face as he was ready to see his family. That is, until he saw the smashed windows and open door.

The smile plummeted and what he said first touched me deeply. "Lizzie," he gasped before running to the house. He looked around, taking in the mess in front of him and then he saw his parents. A strangled cry escaped him and he dropped to his knees beside them. His dad was bruised in many places where he had been beaten and his throat was slit. Mrs. Barton had been stabbed in the stomach and bled to death. With tears in his eyes, Clint fumbled for his phone in his pants pocket.

"Agent Coulson, GECS has acted out on their threats. My family..." He broke down and Phil promised to be there as fast as he could before he hung up.

Phil stood by Clint's side as they watched the investigators scour the place. They jotted down notes, took pictures and collected evidence. One of the investigators approached Clint. "Agent Barton, we found this note that was left for you. We've already dusted it for fingerprints, but there aren't any." He handed the note to him with a plastic gloved hand before going back to the search.

You shouldn't underestimate us. We told you we would come for them. We also heard you had a soft spot for little Elizabeth so we made sure her death was not as quick as your parents'. Let this be a lesson to you, the famous Hawkeye. You thought you were strong and powerful, but in the end you couldn't even protect those you cherished the most. Next time, be careful where you tread.

GECS

I let the memory slide away and replaced it with another one. This one must have been a couple hours later. Clint was in my bedroom. A small box in blue wrapping paper with red and yellow balloons on it was in his hands. He sat on the edge of my bed, staring down at the box. Phil came up to find him and Clint knew he was there without looking up.

"It was her birthday today. That's why I came home for the day." he said in a choked voice. He looked up and his eyes were red from crying. "She was turning eight. Only eight... How is that fair?"

"It isn't." Phil replied.

"I was thinking. What if she isn't dead? What if they were trying to make me believe she was gone, but she really isn't?" Hope flared in his eyes brighter than the sun. "They could have taken her and written that note to explain why there was no body. But she could really be with them."

"About that, Clint," Phil sighed heavily. "You know the blood and vomit that was found on the rug near your parents' bodies?" Clint nodded. "DNA tests were run. We were able to confirm that they both did belong to Elizabeth. And the vomit had traces of poison in it. I'm sorry."