Rogue | Ava Starr AU [DISCONTINUED]

III | Bleach Babe

BLEACH COSTED MORE than it had in the previous store Ava had visited. She was beginning to get paranoid that every camera was directed at her, watching her to see if she'd give attention to the chemical. S.H.I.E.L.D. was unpredictable, even though she had spend so much time studying their tactics.

There was no such thing as being too cautious when running.

Ava didn't have the money to buy the bleach. She'd spent the last of what she'd stolen on the cheapest bus tickets out of the state. She'd been in New York far too long. It was time for a change.

The only problem was her bus left in three days and she had no place to stay. What was the point of buying bleach if she didn't even need to use it?

"Are you okay?"

Ava swiveled toward the voice at the front of the store. The woman behind the counter was watching her with worried eyes, all focus on the strange girl.

Cursing herself for not noticing the other customers leave, she replied in a thick, Spanish accent. "Fine, gracias."

Another trick S.H.I.E.L.D. had taught her was to have a disguise ready at any moment. Ava had tanned skin and dark brown hair, suited to such nationalities as Spanish and Brazilian. She'd never pass as Dutch or Japanese. Yes, they had more than one look, but most people had ideals in their head, and it was easiest to play off those than to try and convince them otherwise.

"Okay sweetheart. Just sing out if you need anything."

The immediate danger had passed, but Ava's heart continued to race at an irregular pace. She worried all the time. S.H.I.E.L.D. might be watching. They might already be on their way. This could be the end of her freedom, if it could be called that.

Time was passing and she was just standing there, worrying. Something would happen inevitably if she didn't move, so Ava pushed herself to reach for the largest bleach bottle and dashed out of the store.

If S.H.I.E.L.D. were really looking at her through the cameras, they would have seen the suit they had designed for her sticking out of the trench coat she had stolen. They would have arrived as quickly as possible and taken her away. Ava had been worrying about nothing, as usual.

Now the only thing she needed to do was find a place fairly close to the bus stop. But she didn't have money, and no one would let her stay somewhere for free for a couple of days. Unless she used one of her many assets S.H.I.E.L.D. had taught her to flaunt.

Approaching the nearest house she dared, she boldly knocked on the door. Ava had discarded the bleach under the solitary car parked in the driveway. Another reason why the house she picked provided a better chance of sheltering her.

A young man, only a handful of years older than her opened the door. Her stomach flipped a few times, but she smiled through the pain and anxiety. "Can I please use your bathroom quickly? My friend said she'd pick me up soon, but I really have to go and I can't wait."

He eyed her cautiously, unsure of how to act. It was common knowledge to not let strangers into your house with such a generic story. But she was young and pretty, and certainly innocent looking. She wasn't even wearing makeup. It was the large cloak that scared him.

"Of course. Let me take your coat first. It's warm inside, and you won't need it," he offered, making room for her to walk through. The stranger made no move to remove it from her, but waited till she handed it to him. A true gentleman. "The bathroom is this way."

Ava nodded and gingerly followed him. "You have a lovely house," she mumbled quietly, the Spanish accent still thick. It made most sense to keep her cover up while she was in the area. They'd be searching for the young Spanish girl, not a girl with an English accent.

"Thank you."

He opened the door to the bathroom and stepped aside. Ava thanked him and gingerly shut the door. Immediately she began to quietly rummage through the drawers. There wasn't much there, considering he seemed to live by himself. The strongest thing she could find was cleaning products.

S.H.I.E.L.D. had taught her to use whatever was handy.

Grabbing the water glass that sat by the sink, she poured it full of bleach . Then she dipped a face towel into the mixture and make sure it was completely covered.

Ava was ready. She flushed the toilet and ran the tap for a couple of seconds, mimicking the sounds usually made. She dipped the towel once more and then hit it behind her back when she unlocked the door.

The young stranger was standing ready, her coat in hand, a small smile on his face. Ava felt almost bad for what she was about to do, but there wasn't much else she could do. In a split second, she grabbed his throat and squeezed tightly with one hand while the other covered his mouth and nose with the chemical drenched cloth.

He took one deep breath and began to cough and splutter. "Help," he breathed, but there was no one there to help me.

Ava moved the hand from his throat to his nose. The other shoved the cloth into his mouth and squeezed it slightly. Chemical dripped down his throat as his arms flailed. They clawed at her face, her arms, her hands, but she was unwavering. His punches felt like pin picks compared to the pain she felt every second.

In one minute since her initial assault, he collapsed to the ground, eyes rolled back into his head. Not dead, just knocked it. It gave Ava enough time to dispose of the cloth and grab the rest of the bleach from his bathroom.

Grabbing his cheeks with just enough force to not leave a mark, she opened his mouth and began pouring the bleach down his throat. It caused him to regain consciousness immediately, but Ava had a steady enough grip to keep him from doing anything to stop her.

Once he'd swallowed about a quarter of the bottle, she released him and allowed his body to slump to the floor. The placed the bottle on the bathroom sink and wiped her fingerprints off everything, including him. He didn't have gloves in his bathroom, but she still had two pairs left from the last time she bought some.

"It's not anything against you," Ava whispered to him, accent still present. "I just needed an empty place to stay."

His body was paralyzed on the floor, the chemicals working quickly. Only his eyes shook as the fear within him grew. He probably had the rest of his successful life ahead of him, but not everyone gets what they wanted. Ava surely didn't.

With a crooked smile, she grabbed a leg and began dragging him to the bathroom. He was heavier than she'd imagined, but finally she managed to get him in the bathtub. He was beginning to sweat now also.

For good measure, she poured some bleach over him and scrubbed it into everyplace she had touched or almost touched him. It wasn't cruel, just efficient.

Ava removed his phone from his pocket and shut the bathroom door on him. The last notification he had received was thirty minutes ago, so he hadn't contacted anyone. He probably didn't have time.

The ever present feeling of worry brought itself to the forefront of her mind once more. She just stole from a store and was in the process of killing someone. She was definitely on S.H.I.E.L.D.'s radar now. Though she didn't doubt they had given up looking for her, they most likely weren't as actively searching. But her recent actions might change that.

It meant she needed to get out of the state at least as soon as possible. Eventually out of the country was best, but she didn't have the money for that quite yet. She could use her powers to find a way to get out, but the less she uses them, the slower she faded away.

Fading away was her last measure. S.H.I.E.L.D. didn't quite understand when she had tried to explain that if they didn't fix her soon, she become nonexistent. They thought she meant that the pain will consume her. But it was more than that. Ava Starr was slowly fading into nothingness. She probably had one month left.

Perhaps being caught by S.H.I.E.L.D. wouldn't be so bad if she only had one month left to live.