The Shadow~ Peter Parker

Civil War

"Where is the soldier going?" I question watching winter be escorted past my cell, "don't you worry about that it's time for your testing." I felt my heart sink, no winter couldn't be leaving without me, when he'd go the worst would happen. "No, not testing please." I cry out fighting against the guards grip, "shadow! Stop that or you know what will follow." He warns his fake smile gone. "Please not testing." I whimper as he drags me along the cold harsh ground. "You've resisted, you know what I must do now." He tells me making my eyes widen as he begins to drag me to the tubs.

"No, no please don't I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" I tell him frantically trying to get away. A punch across the face makes me quiet down. "You're weak." He whispers into my ear, spitting out the word like it was poison. "We just need to toughen you up." He murmurs using a finger to stroke my cheek after I flinch away he grabs a hold of my hair and pulls me closer. "Don't worry shadow I'll take good care of you." He whispers making my blood run cold. "Let me go! Let me go!" I cry out over and over fighting against his grip as he gets harsher with me. "Shut up." He hisses dunking my head under the water.

It was freezing and sent a shock throughout my whole body. I could handle it for a while but when I began to run out of oxygen I began to panic, I thrashed around trying to get my head above the surface as my lungs begged me to get more air. "I-I'm sorry, please s-stop." I plead quietly as he pulls my head back up and I heave in as much air as I could. "You're sorry?" He laughs as I nod. "I'm sorry princess but begging is a form of weakness." He smirks pushing me back down as I screech for him to stop.

"Lillian." Suddenly warm arms engulf me to stop my moving around. "Let me go! Let me go! Let me go!" I cry desperately. "I'm sorry please!" I whimper, "Lillian, Lillian it's me. You're ok, you're ok." The person says as they remove their arms from around me. "Lillian?" I murmur to myself confused for a second, "Steve?" I ask looking up to see my brothers very worried face looking back at me. "Yeah it's me." He tells me with a sad smile, "I'm sorry Steve." He shakes his head and pulls me into him, "don't apologise Lils." Unfortunately this was not uncommon, nightmares plagued me most nights and Steve would have to calm me down.

I felt bad for him, he should be sleeping peacefully but instead he had to come and calm me as I screamed bloody murder into the night. I was such a burden, I should be able to look after myself not ruin Steve's night. It was always the worst because I would forget that I was free and instead think I was still back in my cell at hydra. "You good now?" He asks me hesitantly as I pull away, I nod, "thank you." He shakes his head again, "no problem, you try and get some sleep ok?" I nod making him smile, but it didn't reach his eyes he was worried about me. "Alright, goodnight." He tells me kissing my forehead, "goodnight." I whisper back as he leaves. I didn't want him to leave but I had bothered him enough.

Grabbing my pillow and blanket I set them under the desk in my room, sometimes it was more comfortable to sleep on the floor and with the desk hiding me I felt safe, like no one would see me and so no one could get me.

***

When I woke up I left my room to find everyone else getting ready for the mission, "hey good to see you up kid." Sam grins as he walks past probably referring to the nightmare from last night, sometimes after nightmares I wouldn't leave my room. "Why didn't you wake me?" I ask Steve, "I think that after last night it's best that you uh sit this one out." What no, he'd finally agreed to let me go on missions with them and now he was gonna revoke that?

"I don't need to sit it out, I can handle it." I tell him adamantly, I could. "Lillian." I sigh at his tone, "I can Steve, I know myself, if I couldn't handle it I wouldn't come." He thinks it over and then sighs, "fine, you can come." I grin and hug him before rushing to get ready. If this was any other mission I would probably sit it out, but it wasn't, this was the only lead we'd had on Rumlow after ages and I wasn't gonna pass it up, not after all the torture he'd put me through.

***

"All right, what do you see?" Steve asks us from over the radio, "Standard beat cops. Small station. Quiet street. It's a good target." Wanda murmurs from across from me as she stirs sugar into her coffee, "There's an ATM in the south corner, which means . . ." Steve trails of to let Wanda continue, "Cameras."

"Both cross streets are one way." He says, "So, compromised escape routes." She thinks out loud.
"Means our guy doesn't care about being seen, he isn't afraid to make a mess on the way out." I murmur, "You see that Range Rover halfway up the block?" Steve asks, "Yeah, the red one? It's cute." She hums as we both subtly glance at it.

"It's also bulletproof, which means private security, which means more guns, which means more headaches for somebody. Probably us." Natasha informs, "You guys know I can move things with my mind, right?" Wanda asks the team rhetorically, her powers were very good and strong but she should solely rely on them. "Looking over your shoulder needs to become second nature." Nat tells her, "Anybody ever tell you you're a little paranoid?" Sam asks making me hide a smile, "Not to my face. Why? Did you hear something?"

"Eyes on target, folks. This is the best lead we've had on Rumlow in six months. I don't want to lose him." Steve says. "If he sees us coming that won't be a problem. He kind of hates us." I notice a garbage truck as it's pushing its way through traffic, with no regard to pedestrians or other vehicles. "Sam, see that garbage truck? Tag it." Steve must've noticed it too.

"That truck's loaded for max weight. And the driver's armed." He tells us all, "It's a battering ram." Natasha realises, "Go now." Steve tells us urgently, "What?" Wanda asks confused. "He's not hitting the police." Instead we all watch the driver jump from the car as it rammed into the guard station at the institute for infectious diseases. Two trucks then rush into the compound through the newly-made hole.

"Body armor, AR-15's. I make 7 hostiles." Steve informs after taking our several men, Sam then flies in and up to a rooftop, spinning and using his wings to block gunfire. He takes out two soldiers. "I make 5." I run at a man who was charging for me and slip underneath his open legs, using my leg to trip him up, he bangs his head hard but not hard enough and so he gets back to his feet. Throwing me a sloppy punch I catch it and then twist his arm after kneeing him in the stomach, then with a swift hard hit to the head he's out. "Four." I tell them as Wanda arrives.

"Rumlow's on the third floor." Sam tells Steve who looks to Wanda, "Wanda, just like we practiced." She nods but then looks to the building a bit nervous, "What about the gas?" She asks him, "Get it out." Wanda uses her powers to lift Steve up and through the window.

Wanda is now using her powers to remove the gas from the building as Sam and I are exchanging fire with several soldiers. "Rumlow has a biological weapon." Steve tells us. "I'm on it." Nat assures him as Sam and I finish the guys off.

As everyone goes in different directions, I find Steve fighting Rumlow. He pins Steve to a building and extends a blade from one of his gauntlets. "This is for dropping a building on my face." Steve grabs Rumlow's arm and pulls the gauntlet off, only for Rumlow to reveal another knife. But Steve bests him. Defeated, on his knees, Rumlow removes his mask, revealing a scarred face.

"I think I look pretty good, all things considered." I scoff, he didn't. "Who's your buyer?" Steve asks him not receiving much of a response, instead Rumlow lets his eyes wander until they land on me. A smirk takes over his face making chills run down my spine, "ahh there she is, little miss shadow. You missed me princess? Missed all the times I-" Suddenly Steve tackles him in a rage, "don't you look at her!" He yells throwing punch after punch to Rumlows already ruined face. As I shift uncomfortably trying to rid myself of those memories.

"You know, he knew you. You pal, your buddy, your Bucky." Steve freezes dropping Rumlow in shock. "What did you say?" He asks as they both get back to their feet. "He remembered you. I was there. He got all weepy about it. Till they put his brain back in a blender. He wanted you to know something. He said to me, "Please tell Rogers. When you gotta go, you gotta go." And you're coming with me." He activates his bomb vest and Steve flinches as Rumlow's armor ignites, but Wanda keeps the blast contained around Rumlow who grimaces in agony. She lifts him into the air before she loses control, and the explosion finally blossoms, devastating entire floors of a nearby office building. Wanda sees what happened and covers her mouth in shock, we all do.

Quickly I teleport into the building, taking multiple trips until everyone was out, I then went around healing as many people as possible unfortunately I couldn't heal everyone and some lives were lost.