Small Town Girl

Screams in the dark

"Please, please, anyone please! Someone, help me! I can't do this, please someone help!"

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Penny curled on the cold floor, trying to stop shaking.

So cold.

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"I want you to break her. Use whatever you deem necessary, but I want her broken."

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"Soldier 5284!"

Penny stared straight ahead, eyes blank. "Present."

"Who are you?"

"I don't know sir. I am no one. I am nothing. I belong to you."

Don't make him mad. Say the right thing. Don't give up. They're coming.

They're not coming, what are you kidding? They don't care.

Shut up.

"I said, soldier 5284!"

"Yes sir."

"You seem to be exhibiting signs of disobedience. I think you need another session."

Penny nodded. "Yes sir."

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Nononono please no hurtshurtshurts please make it stop please

Cold. So cold.

Hurts

So cold.

Pain.

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Penny woke in her cell.

Her mind was whirling, and she almost started crying when she realized that she couldn't remember the color of her dad's eyes.

Her dad?

She had a father?

Tony, he was called. Tony...who?

She couldn't remember.

"Dad, please... please find me..."

"I don't want to forget you."

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"Sir. I have found a match for, Penny, Parker."

Tony shot up as the AI's voice rang through the room. "Where, Fri?" He demanded.

"In an old storage facility, two hours north of stark tower."

Tony called the team, suiting up.

None of them tried to stop him from going.

Natasha was silent. The 'I am going to kill them, rip out their entrails, bury them, dig them up, then kill them again' type silence. That, along with the knives she held, was enough to keep everyone out of her way.

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They reached the building in record time, and him when Tony scanned it, there was one heat signature.

Small, and female.

He hurried to the site, heart racing.

He nearly sobbed with relief when he saw her.

Penny was chained to the floor, hair hanging around her face. She was eerily silent, and when her eyes met his, there was none of the joy he expected. She was murmuring softly, random, disjointed sentences.

He moved closer. "Penny? Pen... what did they do to you?"

Natasha came in soon after, seeing Tony crouched in front of her niece, who was talking mindlessly. Her heart twisted, and she had to restrain herself from killing someone, right there and then.

"Come on, Penny. Let's go home." Tony said, trying to keep his voice level.

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Days passed with no sign of change.

Bruce had sighed, and shaken his head sadly. "They broke her. Completely."

They were watching her sitting on the bed, hugging her knees.

"She's trapped in her own mind." Brice said softly.

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Ned visited. Tried to talk to her. And, they noticed, sparked a glimmer of recognition.

Then they let him visit her every day.

So far, she hadn't said anything that wasn't unintelligible whispering, so he was surprised when, on his most recent visit, her hand gripped his wrist. "Ned."

He froze. "You-"

She sank back, releasing his hand. "Ned? You-"

He exhaled slowly, his eyes wide. "You- you know me?"

Penny blinked. "Ned. What- why-" she looked around. "Where are we?"

His smile was bigger than any she'd ever seen. "You remember me? How much do you remember?"

Penny rubbed her eyes. "Enough. Wheres my dad? And everyone else? Where are we?"

Ned put his hand on her wrist. "Hey. Calm down. Tony's been working on something to try and help you. Everyone else was waiting for any change. And we're at the compound."

Penny nodded, digesting the information, then leaned in, and hugged her friend.

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Bruce hated the daily checkups.

He had to see his niece like that, in pain, without being able to help.

So he dreaded each visit.

But this time, what he saw took his breath away.

Penny looked normal again, talking animatedly with her friend Ned.

Both looked up as he entered the room.

"Uncle Bruce!" Penny threw her arms around him.

He exhaled shakily. "Penny?"

She pulled back, her eyes shadowed. "I remember everything."

He nodded silently. "Your dad is going to be so relieved."

Penny rubbed her neck. "Yeah. Where is he? Can I get out of here?"

Bruce held up his hand. "All in good time. Let me give you a checkup, and see if you're good to go. Then we'll go find your dad."

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True to his word, five minutes later, Penny, and Bruce were on the way to Tony's lab.

The door slid open, and they saw Tony, bending over his desk.

Penny caught her breath.

"Dad?"

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Heyyyyyyy people!

Sorry if this was rushed, but I felt like getting it done tonight, and it's super late, but here you go!

Enjoy...