Ghost - An Avengers Fanfiction

Chapter 11

"Wait, you died when you were four? I guess you really are a ghost." Clint asked, confused. He frowned at Sophie's reaction. Her whole body tensed, as if she had received an electric shock. She remained frozen, and Clint could feel the sudden tension in the air, but he had no idea why. "What did you call me?" Sophie asked, a slight hint of hysteria in her voice. Clint frowned uncertainly. "I said ghost. After your first few robberies, the media called you the Ghost Thief. The name stuck, and since we had no other information on you, that was your code name. I swear, I meant no disrespect." he explained calmly, trying to diffuse Sophie's sudden tension. She turned and eyed him warily, frowning uncertainly. After several seconds of silence, Sophie sighed and ran a hand through her hair, turning to face Bruce, who had been standing silently, syringe ready in his hand. Sophie looked him in the eye and silently offered her arm to him. Bruce looked uncertainly to Clint who nodded once. He stepped forward and wiped her arm with a swab of disinfectant. "This may sting a bit." he warned gently, before sliding the needle into Sophie's arm. She didn't flinch as needle slid through her flesh, she simply watched the syringe fill with dark red liquid. "Do you know why I'm still sitting here?" She asked flatly. Clint shrugged. "You're chained to a bed with an inescapable Ironband?" he answered. Sophie shook her head, a hint of a smirk on her face. "That's part of the reason. I could leave right now, if I wanted."

"Then why are you still here?" Clint asked, frowning. Bruce gently pulled the needle from Sophie's arm, and placed a bandaid on her arm. Sophie turned and faced Clint, her eyes locking onto his. "For me, this little visit to S.H.I.E.L.D. has been... educational." she smirked. "You're gathering intel on us?" Clint's voice was hard. Sophie hesitated, then shook her head. "Have you ever heard the saying, "the enemy of my enemy is my friend?" she asked quietly, her eyes continuously studying him. Clint nodded. "I'm here to see if that's true." Sophie continued quietly. "Who is the enemy?" Clint asked, holding Sophie's gaze. She hesitated, her eyes dropping down for a second, then she looked back, her gaze defiant. "Hydra. I used to be Hydra." Sophie stated. Her eyes continued to study Clint, searching for his reaction, and her whole body was now tense again, preparing to fight if necessary.

Clint sat in shock for a second. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Bruce standing frozen in shock as well. Clint allowed Sophie's words to run through his head a few times. Hydra. Hydra. Used to be Hydra. Enemy of my enemy is my friend. Sophie used to be Hydra. It was Bruce that brought Clint back to the situation. "I thought Hydra ended after World War two?" Bruce asked. Sophie frowned as she looked from Bruce to Clint, evidently confused by their slow reactions. "Hydra reformed after that. They were operational up until a few months ago." she replied slowly, still unsure of their reactions. "Sophie, did Hydra do this to you?" Clint asked, his voice concerned. She looked taken aback at his concern, the confusion clear on her face. After a pause, she nodded. "They exposed you to gamma radiation?" Bruce interjected, his face mirroring Clint's concern. Sophie nodded, but regarded him with the same confusion as she did with Clint. That's when Clint realised that she was uncomfortable with their concern. She was unfamiliar with basic human empathy and compassion, and that made Clint feel even more concerned for the girl.

"You said that Hydra was operational a few months ago. What happened?" Clint pushed further, but it was clear Sophie wasn't going to answer any more questions. She was lost in thought, her eyes glazed as she looked at a distant corner of the room. "They're all gone now." she murmered faintly. Bruce looked uncertainly toward Clint, clearly unsure of how to handle the situation. Clint simply nodded his head toward the vial of Sophie's blood that Bruce was still holding. Bruce gave a thankful nod, before quietly turning and leaving the room to run tests on the blood.

Clint waited in silence for a while, before standing and going to a fridge in the corner of the room. He pulled out a bottle of water, then walked back and sat in front of Sophie. He unscrewed the lid for her before holding out the chilled bottle. She didn't hesitate to grab the bottle, and took a few sips of the cool liquid. "The enemy of my enemy is my friend." Clint repeated Sophie's words. She gave a small nod. "It's ironic to think that the people Hydra feared most was S.H.I.E.L.D., yet you didn't even know that Hydra still existed." Sophie stated, a slight bitterness in her voice. Clint didn't know how to reply to that, so he simply shrugged and changed topic. "Once Doctor Banner does some blood tests, we'll try to find a way to remove the gamma radiation from your body, along with anything else Hydra might've put in there." Clint meant for his words to be reassuring for Sophie, but they seemed to have the opposite effect. Her whole body tensed, and her face slipped back into the emotionless mask that Clint thought he was finally getting past. Her unnaturally light blue eyes burned with an emotion that Clint couldn't identify.

"You will not touch me." Although she had spoken quietly, each word was spoken with such force, she may as well have shouted. Clint was shocked at this sudden change.

"Sophie, S.H.I.E.L.D. is here to help you. I am here to help you! We're not the enemy, remember?" Clint tried to reassure Sophie, but she simply glared at him, her eyes piercing his. "I never said S.H.I.E.L.D. isn't my enemy, but you just proved to me that they are. I should've dropped you off that tower when I had the chance." Sophie hissed at Clint, her voice icy. Clint's face hardened slightly at her words. "Maybe you should have. Fact is, you didn't kill me, and now you're here. What are you going to do about it?" Clint asked angrily. Sophie yanked her cuffed hand slightly, making the Ironband clatter against the bed. "This won't be on forever. The minute this is off, I'm gone. I don't know why I ever thought S.H.I.E.L.D. would be different to Hydra." Sophie yelled angrily at Clint. He was about to argue back with the girl, but was stopped by what sounded like a loud explosion nearby. The whole Helicarrier shook, and Clint fell to the floor. For a split second, there was complete silence in the air, as if the Helicarrier was too shocked to make another sound. Then a terrible roar ripped through the air and Clint's stomach dropped. The Hulk had been unleashed.

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Hi everyone! I would like to apologise for not updating for so long! I've had a hectic few months, with graduation and Christmas and seeing family and getting ready for university and everything. I also had a bit of trouble writing this chapter, but I finally found the time to get past the cursed 'Writer's Block'. I would like to thank you all for your patience and for the great support I've had for this story so far! I'll definitely try and get the next chapter out a bit quicker than the last one :)
~Ruby