Lost at Sea ✔

Chapter 11

Lost at Sea

Chapter 11

The Third Enhanced

     The Avengers gathered around a long table. Everyone was on alert and tense since the confrontation with the enhanced a few hours before.

     "What do we know about her?" Tony asked the gathered group.

     Maria spoke up, "Not much. We have no information on her."

     "I do not like the vibe I am getting from her, not one bit," Steve said as he leaned against the window that looked into the cell they were keeping the mystery enhanced girl in. She was sitting on the floor, back against the wall. She refused to look up. Instead, she studied her hands, lost in her own thoughts.

     Even though she didn't look up, Steve knew that she knew he was standing there, watching her.

     "Dr. List must've deleted her information when I got there." Tony shook his head.

     "Do we at least know her name?" Natasha asked.

     Maria shook her head. "No. HYDRA only addressed their experiments by their project names. The Maximoff twins were Project 006P and Project 007W, respectively. Our mystery enhanced was Project 714."

     "So she's a ghost?" Clint asked.

     "Basically."

     "Either way, we still have no idea who she is and what she can do. She could be dangerous, for all we know. Not to mention, she attacked Clint, James, and I and was about to go toe-to-toe with Steve before being brought down." Natasha said. She glared into the cell. "She needs to start talking."

     "And how do you expect her to do that?" Clint asked.

     "I'll make her talk."

     "Now how do you plan on getting her to talk, Romanoff?" Tony asked as he quirked an eyebrow at the former assassin.

     "By whatever means necessary," She responded as she cracked her knuckles. She sighed when they gave a satisfying 'pop'. She started to make her way to the cell door, but a mountain of muscle moved in front of her, preventing her from passing.

     Steve's face was drained of any emotion besides seriousness. "I don't think torturing her into talking will make much difference. As far as we know, the girl was practically raised by HYDRA. They are trained to withstand great amounts of pain and to never reveal anything." He said, "They will die before talking. She probably has a case of pills on her person ready to use at any moment.

     "Do you have a plan in mind, Captain?" Maria asked.

     He nodded his head in confirmation. "I suggest one of us, preferably the least intimidating one, to go in there and talk to her one-on-one." Steve's gaze softened as he thought. "She's just a kid. She has no idea what is going on and is all alone. She's scared. Maybe, just maybe, she'll open up a bit if we just talk."

     "So, you are suggesting one of us go in there, unarmed, and talk to her?" Clint asked for clarification.

     "Yes, but we'll be ready for anything she might do." The room was quiet for a few moments as everyone thought over Steve's plan.

     "Who's going in there?" Bruce asked the million-dollar question. They all looked at each other. No one was willing to volunteer. As the silence dragged on and no one spoke up, Steve did.

     "I will,"

~{++}~

     Steve entered the cell. He was holding an apple in his hand. He carefully walked further inside the cell but stopped a few feet from the girl huddled against the wall. They still had no idea who this girl was and what she can do. Better to be safe than sorry, after all.

     He offered the apple to her, but she continued to stare ahead into nothingness. After a few seconds, Steve shrugged his shoulders and took a bite out of the red fruit. "Suit yourself," He said.

     The two sat in complete silence for nearly an hour. He started to get impatient. The girl hadn't moved a single inch since she woke up.

     "So," Steve tried to start up a conversation. "What's your name?" He thought it was best to start off small and eventually work their way up to the bigger questions.

     She stayed silent. The supersoldier let out a loud breath. He made sure to keep his annoyance hidden as he continues to speak in a soft voice. "I know that you are scared and confused about all of this. You were suddenly thrown into this mess and I am deeply sorry that you've been dragged into this, but if you help us we can keep you safe. We may even be able to get you back to your family." She perked up at that but quickly closed back into herself.

     "I don't have a family," She mumbled. "I never did." Her sudden communication threw Steve in for a loop. Before he could ask further questions, she continued. "I've never had a real family. The only people I've ever known and the only people who love me are Pietro and Wanda."

     "Pietro and Wanda Maximoff?"

     She nodded her head. "At least I thought they loved me," She sniffed, "But I guess I was wrong. If they loved me then they wouldn't have left me behind." She hid her face from Steve's calculating gaze, but she wasn't able to hide her tears from him.

     Steve felt his heart break in two. He hesitated for a quick moment before he wrapped his arms around the young girl and held her to his chest. He rubbed her back in what he hoped was a comforting gesture as her body shook with violent sobs.

     "I'm afraid," She whimpered.

     "I know," Steve rested his chin on top of her head. "To be honest with you, so am I."

     "W- what?" Her voice cracked when she spoke.

     "Yeah, it's shocking, right?" Steve chuckled. He smiled when he heard her small giggle.

     "I hate to break this sweet moment up," A voice spoke up. The two looked over to find Tony standing at the cell door. "Cap, Ultron has been located in South Africa. Fury says we need to move out now."

     Steve nodded his head. He exhaled and gave the girl's shoulder a quick squeeze before getting up. He waved goodbye to her before making his way to the door.

     "Alene," She called out to him.

     He stopped in his tracks and turned back to her. "What?"

     "Alene," She repeated, "My name is Alene."

     He smiled. "Like the Greek Goddess?" She confirmed with a nod of her head. "That's a beautiful name, Alene." As he exited the cell, Tony gave him a confused look.

     He asked, "How on Earth did you manage to gain her trust?"

     Steve smiled guilty and gave the billionaire a sideways glance. "Just using my fatherly instincts." 

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