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No way

I scoff, shaking my head, "Children? Sterns, really? You'll go that low?"

"I thought it would be dramatic." The girls say at the same time.

"Let them go."

"In good time."

"Are you really too much of a coward to face me?"

"What? So you can constantly track my location? No thanks."

He knows about my powers. Here I thought I was discreet. I shoot him a harsh glare, "Where is everyone?"

"They were being pesky so I moved them away."

"The entire town? If you've hurt even one of them..."

"They're fine as long as you play along. Go to a house in the edge of town, it's pretty run down. It's in a real need of a makeover but it's for aesthetic.

"Which edge of town?

"Figure it out."

Rick's voice travels through my ear, "The house he's describing is on the opposite side of the town."

"You know I could've figured that out right?"

"Just trying to help."

I pull out my phone as I begin walking, "JOCASTA, what's up?"

"Mr. Parker had an incident on Coney island. He is okay, I just thought you might want to know."

"Bicho tonto," I mutter under my breath. "Anything else?"

"Mr. Rhodes is recovering quite nicely, the Vision has frequently turned off his transponder for an unknown reason, and King Odin has apparently learned about memes. He has emailed you multiple."

I stifle a laugh, "I'm not gonna laugh because given where I am that'd be inappropriate but send him an encouraging response and also screenshot the memes and send them to Peter and Shuri."

I reach the house and Sterns was right. It looks like it was taken straight from a horror movie. The lawn is completely dead and barren. The windows are all barred up and blocked. There are pieces of the house falling off. I knock on the door and it opens by itself. I step through and the house is surprisingly clean. The floors are metal, the walls look soundproof, and there are cameras everywhere. I slowly step back to leave but the door slams shut. I tap my earpiece, "Rick, you there?"

"Yeah, I'm here. How does it look in there?"

"It's some kind of facility..." I trail off as hundreds of memories flash in my eyes. I know this place. "... It was my facility. I used to live here."

"Wow, I thought it would take a while for you to figure that out," A male voice sounds over a speaker.

I quirk an eyebrow, "Am I finally hearing your voice, Sterns?"

"This isn't about me. This is about you."

"Where are all the people? I'm tired of you already."

"They'll be your reward if you cooperate. If you choose not to, well..."

I grit my teeth, "I get it."

"Great. Go through that door." A door on my left swings open.

I inhale sharply and walk into a pitch dark room. The door slams shut behind me as soon as I do. "Sterns! What's going on?"

A lamp flicks on, adding light to the room. The only items in the room are two brown armchairs and a table with the lamp. My eyebrows furrow as I walk over. There's a woman in her early 20's sitting there. "Hello?"

The woman looks up to me and gestures toward the chair across from her. I take the seat cautiously, "...who are you? Are you okay? Is he holding you here?

"June 13,  2008," she replies simply.

My face falls immediately,  "It can't be."

"You actually remember me? That's unexpected. I thought you would've forgotten about me and gone on with your life which seems pretty cushy now. Am I just a special case?"

"I remember all of them. Not just you. I see every single one when I close my eyes."

She laughs dryly, "I almost feel sorry for you.  Not too much, though. After all..."

"I'm sorry. You have no idea how sorry I am. It was never my choice to do any of it.  I know that might not mean much to you but I am truly sorry," I apologize. "I  understand if you feel like you need some kind of closure... or revenge."

"Believe it or not, I had not planned on what I was going to say. For a long time, I thought I always knew exactly what I would do if I ever saw you again. It's different when I'm sitting across from you. The girl who took my siblings from me. I used to be a triplet and now I'm an only child. Do you know how that feels?"

My stomach tightens into a knot. I can't even bear to look at her. She continues to speak. "You left me alive. I always wondered why you left me alive."

"Somebody once taught me to stick to the mission. The targets can't be changed but I didn't have to go too far. I saw you and I knew you saw me. Had I stuck to my handler's rules, I should've killed you that day. It was one of the only times I ever showed any type of mercy on anyone."

"Mercy? I suppose I should be grateful you didn't kill me. I should give you flowers and thank you for saving my life while you took away the most important people in my life? They were all I truly had. You took them and you left me. After that, I shut just about everyone out. I looked for you. Eventually, I found you. You had moved on, went on with your life. You got your happily ever after, surrounded by family. I decided I deserved a happy ending too. I got married. He was a nice man. He'd often go on trips to far off places, but he'd always remember to bring back a snowglobe. The last trip he went on, he did not return. Do you know why?"

My eyes widen as I catch onto what she's saying. "Sokovia."

"Yes. Funny thing, he only went there because of you. He wanted me to get true closure. We knew you were just a tool used by the real masterminds. He was trying to find out why my siblings were killed. Now I suppose I'll never know."

"I'm sorry for everything."

"That won't bring them back does it?" The door swings open before I can say anything. She looks off into the distance. "I guess that means our time is up."

I shakily stand up. I walk toward the open door. I need to get out of here. Away from her. Just as I'm about to step out, I pause. "Your siblings' deaths were ordered because they threatened someone rising to political power. I hope that at least it gives you the answer you were looking for. I'm sorry, Camille."

I finally step out of the room. I look straight at the camera and give it the middle finger. In response, another door swings open. My eyes narrow. When this is over... Sterns is going down. Hard.