One - Welcome to S.H.I.E.L.D 

"Where are we?" Jessica asked groggily, just waking back up. They were on a large platform equipped with helicopters and more agents rushing around than she could count. Water and a salty breeze surrounded them, and she began to wonder why they decided to put her on a large ship in the middle of the ocean. It did seem pretty clever though, seeing as she was an average swimmer with barely any ablities that enhanced that. Not only had they trapped her with miles of ocean on every side, but she was also put back into handcuffs.

"Don't try anything, the second you start pulling is the second you start bleeding," Nick told her, seeing as she noticed the cuffs on her wrists. Jessica didn't say anything, just stared on and observed the people who watched her cautiously, thinking she might snap and kill them even if they didn't know her name or why she was there. Nick soon handed her off to someone else, a woman with short red velvet cake colored hair and unreadable eyes.

"She is to be put in the capsule. Here's her updated file. Don't let her out of your sight." He quickly walked away to more important matters and left her alone with the agent. Jessica looked down at her cuffs, pulling her hands apart slightly just to test Fury's deceitful tongue. A hiss left her mouth as her wrists began to sting and bleed. Arachne noticed the woman next to her give a glance at the cuffs before initiating a conversation.

"I'm Natasha, by the way," the agent introduced herself as if she hadn't done it multiple times. Director Fury's techniques got better and different each time HYDRA's did. They erase her memory, Fury catches her sooner and tries to get her back. The same routine had gotten old to Natasha, who just wanted Jessica back with all her memories in tact. Of course, they hadn't really mastered a way to speed up the regaining process, but she wanted to give all she had into helping her friend. 

"I'd shake your hand and say it's nice to meet you, but..." she trailed off and looked away from Natasha. It surprised the agent on how much personality this HYDRA claimed hunter had. Maybe it was a sign of some humanity left, and maybe it'd be easier to get the rest back. In the midst of her thoughts, Natasha wasn't even bothered by the rude remark that reminded her so much of Stark.

They approached two men, one in another boring SHEILD agent's suit and another in an army-like leather jacket and a regular t-shirt: Coulson and Steve. Arachne eyed the two as the agent started to introduce everyone excitedly, "Agent Romanoff, Captain Rogers."

"Ma'am," Steve greeted politely, having not altered his speech to the new century. He gave a court nod and small, uneasy smile. 

"Hi," Natasha shortly replied.

"And who's this?" Coulson asked, looking at the emotionless face of Jessica. Before all of this, Jessica was a secret case file that only few higher ups knew about, but how could they not even remover a split second of her before all of this happened? Natasha wondered that often, getting tired of the same old speech she rehearsed in her head and never had to use.

"This is Jessica Drew. We captured her from HYDRA," she explained, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear. Mentioning HYDRA made almost everyone at SHEILD uncomfortable. They ruined so many people's lives and twisted their minds and bodies to the unthinkable. Phil Coulson knew this fact, but had to go along with his orders handed to him by the director. 

"Welcome to S.H.I.E.L.D, Jessica," Coulson greeted, smiling at her as Natasha handed the Captain her file. If Steve was really going to help SHEILD defeat the enemy, he had to know who all of them were. Even Jessica Drew. 

"I won't be staying long," Arachne replied, looking at the man in annoyance, and then eyeing the captain flipping through her file. Coulson just looked away, uneasy under the glare of Jessica. Steve looked up at her for a moment, looking over the file and feeling sorry for the oblivious girl. 

"They need you on the bridge," Natasha nodded toward her fellow agent, "they're starting the face-trace."

Coulson nodded and walked off, saying, "See you there."

"So, Jessica-" she cut Steve off, who was slightly taken back by her aggressive tendencies.

"That's not my name." Hell, she couldn't remember anyone calling her that, but suddenly that should be the only name she'd ever reply to. Arachne was her name and she didn't know any different.

"Okay, then what do I call you?" He genuinely asked, looking into her eyes and down at the HYDRA symbol in her chest, remembering Bucky. He missed his best friend more than anything and he blamed himself for Bucky's death. A shiver went down his spine as he thought of HYDRA, but it went unnoticed.

"Arachne," she answered, and then looked ahead at the water, so calming and yet, so deadly. That's what she thought of herself, almost as if she was the crashing waves. Steve gave the hunter a once-over and noticed the blood rolling down her hands. He said nothing of it not knowing if it was hers or someone else's and took in the view around him wearily. The familiarity of everything was both calming and stressful to Steve, who had just awoken from quite a long nap.

They were all silent for a moment before Natasha started up a new conversation with the Captain. "It was quite the buzz around here, finding you in the ice. I thought Coulson was gonna swoon. Did he ask you to sign his Captain America trading cards yet?" Jessica chuckled quietly at the comment, noticing the man look at her with a small smile before questioning Natasha.

"Trading cards?" Steve asked, slightly flattered and slightly weirded out. This was the first he's ever heard of himself as a trading card, but it won't be the last. Steve didn't think of himself as this higher hero everyone else seemed to, he was just doing what was right and that was helping. To become such a success after your supposed death, that was an honor to him.

"They're vintage. He's very proud," Natasha went on, and then looked ahead at a man she'd seen very recently, who was looking rather confused.

"Why was I handed over to you, again?" Jessica asked, her soft British voice contrasting with the amount of kills SHEILD had recorded in her file. Quickly, she got bored of waiting around and having small talk.

"Director Fury has other things to do, and trusts me to put you where you belong," Natasha explained, not looking at Jessica, who was observing her mannerisms. The HYDRA agent sighed, and eyed the man fumbling around. He wore a purple buttoned up shirt and brown suit-like jacket to pair it with.

"Doctor Banner!" Steve called, getting the mans attention as Banner made his way around some agents and over to the three, shaking Steve's outstretched hand.

"Oh, yeah, hi. They told me you would be coming." The Doctor felt uneasy in the presence of a SHEILD agent, Captain America, and the handcuffed girl with blood on her clothing and hands. Weary is what he was coming here, wondering if the idea was such a great one. He had his doubts, but so did the soldier next to him. 

"Word is, you can find the cube," Steve stated, looking at Banner as the man peeked around nervously and fiddled with his hands. He only hoped Steve didn't know anything else about him, but of course everyone did.

"Is that the only word on me?" he asked self consciously looking at Steve for a tell. 

"It's the only word I care about," Steve said politely, and Banner nodded appreciatively. He had this new found respect for Steve Rogers, who could charm almost anyone within a minute of meeting. He had that trust worthy quality that pulled your secrets right out of the book with just a smile. America's poster boy was just the same in person as in comics; brave, polite, just.

"It must be strange for you, all of this," he stated, gesturing to the scene. Steve looked around, seeing agents with weapons in stiff lines and thinking back to traveling in the army. "Well, this is actually kind of familiar."

"Gentlemen," Natasha began behind them,"you might want to step inside in a minute. It's going to get a little hard to breathe." She slightly smirked at the two confused men as they glanced between her and themselves.

"Is this a submarine?" Steve asked, looking at all the crew rushing around and the water splashing.

"Really?" Banner smiled at the situation, "They want me in a submerged, pressurized, metal container?"

"Why would it matter?" Jessica spoke up, catching their attention, "You're just a man."

"I wish," Banner mumbled, which didn't go unheard in Jessica's enhanced ears. He followed Steve to the edge of the ship, looking over the side. Natasha stayed behind to see their reactions as the craft started to lift. Banner and Steve looked on in amazement, their jackets and hair blowing up with the wind.

"No, no, this is much worse," Banner admitted with a slight chuckle.

~🕷~

They walked into an office environment, Steve and Banner looking at each other before observing the whole place. Natasha looked back at them, and then over at Jessica as she looked at the agents on computers questionably. She noticed some trying to track locations for certain things, and failing miserably at that, and scoffed at what Fury called 'agents.'

It was almost as if SHEILD had an endless supply of agents, all wearing the same navy blue color. Working on computers, going through files, and talking through their earpieces, they didn't stop without a command to. The room itself was giant, and the three got a good look around it. Of course, Jessica wasn't as amused as the two men were.

Natasha turned away from the agents and ushered Jessica out of the room, down a grey, well lit hall, and into a room harboring a glass cell. She took off the hunter's cuffs and shut her in.

"I advise you don't touch the glass or you're as good as dead," Natasha informed, leaving the room quickly after.

"Great," Jessica mumbled sarcastically, and sat down in the cell, looking around the room for an escape plan.

~🕷~

a/n
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