Chapter 54: *Record Scratch* They Did What To You?

"J, who else is up?"

"I believe Mr. Stark, as well as Mr. Rogers, Ms. Romanoff, and Thor."

"Will you let one of them know I am running to my apartment real quick? Just to pick up some stuff." I say, slipping my helmet on.

"Will do Jade."

I push open the window from my room, taking a deep breath of the cold, early morning air. Better make this quick if I don't want my room to freeze over. I jump out, my boots igniting and carrying me back to my apartment. Thankfully I reach my fire escape quickly. I pry open the window, climbing through and wrenching my helmet off.

I grab a bag and load it up with clothes. As I'm packing, I glance at my bookshelf. I may not have a ton of pictures like Steve, but I do have... souvenirs, from missions I've had over the years. Amongst my literature collection are things I've acquired on from them. I don't have anything out that couldn't pass as an antique or something I received at a thrift shop or flea market. For instance, a feather pen and ink well I once used to stab a guy in the neck. In this case, I had to take this, otherwise I could have been convicted of murder. As I'm looking over my memorabilia, I stop at a particularly special book. It is a very old encyclopedia that I hollowed out years ago. If I'm being honest, it was originally a stash for weed, but once I became Viper, I figured I could use it for a better purpose. Well not really, considering it's where I now keep all of my processed and ready to use toxins. Some of them that is. So weed compared to being a mercenary... Well the American legal system seems to hold both in the same regard.

I pull the book out and undo the latch I attached to it. Granted, anyone could just undo the latch, but you have to keep in mind, I had never had anyone in this apartment until the Avengers.

Oh my God... I think looking down at the different bottles and realizing I'm running low on several things. Ricin, Sarin, Strychnine... Where am I going to get any of that late notice... I wonder what SHIELD has in their stock... I wonder if a level 6 agent would have access to it...

I close the latch on the book and place it in my bag. I take another lap around my apartment, double checking that I got everything I needed to. With a nod, I walk back to my window, pulling my mask on and grabbing my bag. I make sure Collin isn't outside and fly out, back to the tower. "Hey J?"

"Yes Jade?"

"Would you be a dear and have some tunes playing when I get back?"

"Of course."

I smile, curving around the tower and making it up to my room. As I land on the ledge of my room, holding the window sill for balance, I see Steve looking up at the ceiling, perplexed. I hear Jarvis picked Uptown Girl by Billy Joel. "Hey," I say taking off my helmet, "What's up?"

"Did you start the music?"

"I asked Jarvis to." I place my bag on my bed, looking at Steve expectantly. He looks back, clearly confused as to my look.

"Oh!" He finally says. "Jarvis told me you were leaving so I came to wait for you, to make sure you were okay."

"Oh, that's sweet of you, but I'm fine. I just went to get some more clothes 'n such." I respond throwing my helmet next to my backpack. Steve nods, sitting down on my bed.

"So, what song is this?"

"Don't tell me you've yet to listen to Billy Joel." Steve just shrugs. I roll my eyes, sitting next to him. "Well, this song is Uptown Girl by the incredible Billy Joel. He came about in the early 70s."

"Then how do you know so much about him?"

"Because, unlike you, Steven, I am cultured." I tease. "Do you like it?"

"It's very upbeat," Steve says. I roll my eyes again, standing and walking to my bag.

"And when she's walking, she looks so fiiine." I sing, beginning to unpack. "And when she's talking, she'll say she's miiine." I shake my head back and forth taking my clothes and walking to the closet. "She'll say I'm not so tough, just because, I'm in love with and Uptown Girl!" I raise my hand up, pointing at the ceiling, and hear Steve chuckle behind me. "She's been living in her white bread world. As long as anyone with hot blood can and now she's looking for downtown man, that's what I am." I point at Steve, before turning back to my closet. After coming out I see Steve looking at me. "What? You still haven't answered my question." I state, walking over to him.

"If you continue to show me music and sing like that, I'll probably like it," Steve answers. I feel myself blush, so I turn from him, back to my bag. I grab the hollowed out book, carefully. "What's that?"

"I'll show you, but don't touch anything." I warn Steve as I sit next to him. I unlatch it, weary of not letting anything fall as I open it.

"Are those all the poisons you use?" He asks.

"Intuitive boy." I praise while adjusting several bottles. "I actually was hoping to restock a little. I figure SHIELD has a stock of some sort, so I just need to talk with Fury. I'd say everyone would prefer that to me acquiring certain ingredients illegally."

Steve chuckles, "Yeah, we can do that tomorrow." He smiles at me as I look up at his larger frame. "So what is all this? And why can't I touch any of it?"

"Well," I pick up a bottle with only two small seeds left in it. "This is ricin. These are seeds to caster oil plants, but once concentrated to pure ricin, only a few grains the size of table salt can kill an adult human."

I see Steve gulp. "I thought you said the poison on your claws isn't potent enough to kill?"

"It's not." I hold up another bottle which contains a clear liquid. "I heat up the pure ricin, only a little of it, and dilute it with water. Then test it on a house plant. Depending on how long it takes the plant to die tells me how potent it is."

"Didn't you say you're formal education ended in the fifth grade?" Steve asks.

"Yup, formal being the key word there. You're always learning. Just because I wasn't graded doesn't mean I don't know stuff." I place the bottles back and close the book, setting it gently on my nightstand. "And you shouldn't touch any of it because the bottles, and the book, are rather old. It's all probably coated in poison to some extent of course, but still. It's kind of a personal security system because everything I use has little to no effect on me." Steve nods, as I stand. "Speaking of which, I'm gonna go wash my hands."

As I'm in the bathroom, Steve says, "I still don't understand." He appears in the doorway of the bathroom, leaning against the frame and folding his arms. "Even I have a high school diploma, it's 80 years old, but still, I couldn't come close to understanding the science behind you're toxins, let alone creating them." I take a deep breath, drying my hands. I know how to do, what I do, because every HYDRA doctor and scientist talked while they worked, or blatantly explained what they were doing.

"Why don't we have a little family meeting?" I suggest walking pass Steve. "I probably shouldn't just leave this lying around anyway." I pick up my book, holding it against my chest.

"Uh sure, Jarvis, mind calling everyone together?" Steve says warily walking back over to me.

"In Bruce's lab please." I add on. I smile up at Steve to try and settle his nerves. "I just figure you all should know what happened to me." Steve nods understandingly and places a hand on my back, guiding me out of the bedroom. We walk down the hall and to the elevator in silence. When the doors slide open, Thor, Natasha and a very sleepy Clint are already inside.

"Oh..." I coo, stepping up to Clint and fixing his hair, my hand resting on his cheek for a brief moment. "Sorry, did Jarvis wake you?"

"Don't worry about it, scout." He mumbles, looking down at me.

"Scout?" I question as the five of us ride the elevator down.

"Yeah, I watched To Kill A Mockingbird last night; it seemed fitting." Clint says.

I smile. "I love that book."

"I only read it in school, but good story." Clint says as the doors open. We all walk out, Steve and I taking up the rear.

"You seem really calm about this." Steve whispers to me.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I would've figured you'd be a little anxious."

"Oh..." I say stopping before entering Bruce's lab. "Well, I suppose I am a little, but, I mean, you all have seen me at my worst. It's time you all know of my past, after all, I know all of yours, and I'm comfortable with telling everyone." I smile up at Steve as he returns it, I think genuinely happy that I"m opening up to him and everyone else.

"I've noticed, you've stopped using your American accent." My eyes widen.

"I hadn't even realized." I say quietly.

Steve laughs, wrapping an arm around me. "C'mon." He says as Bruce's lab doors slide open.

"Oh don't tell me this is about you finally taking his virginity." Steve and I both whip our heads around, as well as those already in the room perking up.

"What, no?!" I shriek. I clear my throat, getting my voice back down to a normal octave. "No, no, that is not what this is about." I say gesturing a pointed finger towards everyone.

"Jade just wanted to tell us about what happened to her with HYDRA." Steve adds on.

"Thank God, because the last thing we need right now is you two hooking up." Tony says walking between Steve and I into the lab.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I say defensively.

"Aside from you and the kid going through your whole ordeal? Well I'll explain after your spiel." Tony says. "Speaking of the kid, are we just waiting on him?"

"No, Peter already knows all this, plus he's probably helping May with a killer hangover..." I say setting my book down on one of the unoccupied desks.

"Let's start with what that is." Natasha says walking up to me.

I open it saying, "Don't touch," sternly, and looking around at everyone. I quickly explain my book, as I did to Steve, to everyone else. I see Tony out of the corner of my eye about to grab something and I swat his hand away glaring at him as he pouts.

Thor guffaws for a moment. "Although the warning is thoughtful Jade, I doubt your concoctions will do any harm to me."

"Your funeral." I mumble, which seems to settle him. "So, I was hoping SHIELD would help me restock." I finish, latching the book back and placing a sticky note on it that I wrote "Toxic DO NOT TOUCH Jade will be very upset!" on.

I wash my hands as Natasha says, "Yeah, I'll talk to Fury."

"Merci." I say, hopping up on a counter facing everyone as Steve and Clint reside on both my sides. "Now as you know, my town, Dinan, was raided by HYDRA in '99, as well as many other small towns and villages in North-Eastern France." I begin. Steve crosses his arms, leaning against the counter and looking down at his feet. "And I'll spare you the stories of my slavery, if you have any questions though, I am more than happy to answer them. After several years of being sold around, the man who took over Dinan returned for me. Jared White was his name. When I was 13 he took me back to a HYDRA base where he introduced me to several men. Count Otto Vermis was the head of their European division; he's who I was left to when White wasn't there. The scientist who worked on me most was named Anton Trojak, the only other one who's name I got was Dr. Kurtz."

*Flashback*

"Well you're a pretty one, aren't you?" A man with an average build and height says with a German accent, leaning down to me. I sneer at him, drawing back my hand, but Jared White stops me.

"Settle..." He warns. "Still as feisty as ever I see." He looks down at me with a pointed glare. I heave out a sigh. "This is Anton Trojak," White says. "You and him will be spending a lot of time together."

*Flash forward to several days later*

"Mein haustier?" The cell door I was placed in creaks open.

"Ne m'appelle pas ca." (Don't call me that.) I mutter walking up to Trojak.

"Oh, but my dear, you are my pet." He caresses my cheek, and I quickly smack away his hand. Trojak grips a clump of my hair and wrenches my head back harshly. "We'll see how this attitude changes after your first few experiments." He pulls me out of the cell and down a dark hallway. I hold onto his hand, trying to ease the pain in my head. He shoves me through two silver doors, like what I would see in a hospital. I cover my eyes as I look around the room, a bright, fluorescent light blinding me. "Oh my pet, you are in for a treat. You will be trying my seventh attempt at our truth serum. It is a concoction of 3-Quinuclidinyl benzilate, Flunitrazepam, Midazolam and Lysergic acid diethylamide."

*Record scratch* (present)

"Wait, so you mean to tell me this guy injected not only LSD, but several anesthesia drugs, as well as a military grade chemical, into a 13 year old?" Tony interrupts me.

"Oh honey buns," I say with a sickening smirk, "This is just the beginning."

*Back to Flashback*

"What are you spewing on about?" Trojak says looking down at me.

"Chunks here pretty soon." I respond turning my head to the side. I start to gag, tasting vomit when the man who hasn't spoken yet, undoes the straps on my hands and I sit up, leaning over the side of the table, releasing the contents of my stomach. I hold onto the edge of the table as the room falls eerily silent. It doesn't last long as there's a deafening crack, echoing through the room. I look up to see Trojak's clipboard snapped in two in his hands. As he's about to speak, I bed back down, hurling, again. This time a thick, yellowish bile. Trojak shouts, throwing the clipboard across the room and grabbing a syringe from his tray. He grabs me by my hair, wrenching my head up and plunging the syringe into my neck. He lets go of my head and walks across the room, putting his hands on another table and hunching over. The aching throughout my body instantly feels better, but my nausea is still adamant. I lay back on the table, trying to catch my breath. The man who released me from my bonds moved across the room and out of my sight line, but quickly returns with a mop and bucket. He started cleaning my vomit and soon there could be heard several footsteps outside the room. The doors swing open and Jared White steps forward with his two lackeys following.

"Doctor," He says sternly, looking at me then Trojak. Trojak spins around, eyes wide as he looks at White. "What did I tell you?" White says quietly, walking towards the table I"m on, placing his knuckles on it and looking down.

"Pardon, sir?" Trojak answers hesitantly. White clears his throat, not looking at Trojak, but walking to the end of the table and undoing the straps on my ankles. I sit up, pulling my legs towards me and looking between Trojak and White.

"This is the patient I told you to be careful with, my patient, is she not?" White asks, still in a hushed voice.

"Yes, but surely you remember my end of the agreement. Sir." Trojak rebuttals, standing up to White.

"Of course, but, if I do recall, you were supposed to okay each and every experiment you performed on her. And I heard nothing of a truth serum." White says, using his height to stand over Trojak.

"As I recall, I am to treat, it, as any other test subject." Trojak says, not at all intimidated. I glare at Trojak and White turns around, facing me.

"Are you just going to let him say that about you?" I furrow my brows, at White as he steps aside and gestures towards Trojak. "I suggest you address her with a name, rather than treat her as a disposable object. You and I both know what will happen if she dies," White says. Trojak chuckles, walking around the table and facing me.

"Oh Mr. White, I assure you, my pet won't die. And I shall call my test subjects whatever I please to. Isn't that right meine Hübsche?" (my pretty) Trojak caresses my face, but I latch onto his wrist, pushing his arm away from me. He laughs, "What? What are you going to do, little girl?"

Perhaps it was the drugs in my system or maybe I've always been a feisty little savage, but I scream, lunging onto Trojak. He falls, taking me with him and I sit on his chest, punching and scratching at his face. "I'm not your pet, I am not your anything! My name is Jade Sawyer and you will address me as such!" I shout, attacking Trojak. White hollers with laughter and soon my reign of terror is brought to an end as White's men pry me off of Trojak. I huff and puff as the two hold me and look down at my handy work of Trojak's face.

"Get a nurse to her cell and she is not to be worked on for at least 2 weeks time." White instructs. He waves towards the two men that are holding me and they set me down gently. White comes up behind me, placing a hand around me and on my shoulder and guiding me back to my cell. "Now Jade, you know I care for you" He starts, to which I scoff at. "I do, but my superior can't allow special treatment for just one person. But, she does seem to have a heightened interest in you, so she asked me to keep an eye on you."

"Why?" I ask dryly.

"I'm not sure, but I don't blame her."

"If I'm so special," I say stepping into my cell, "Why don't I get a room? Why do you hurt me? Why did you take me away from my family?"

"Because you're not that special, my dear." White closes the door with a clank and walks away without another glance. I slumped against the wall, sitting in the little square of light provided by the vent in the cell and huff out a breath.

*Back to reality*

"And I remember thinking, Ne courez pas, apprenez de cette douleur."

"Do not run, learn from this pain." Clint translates.

"Something your dad would say?" Tony asks.

"No actually." I turn towards Steve, swinging our still conjoined hands. "See, if it weren't for HYDRA, I wouldn't be nearly as wise as I am now." I say dramatically. Steve smiles down at me, but I can tell he's still upset.

"So that was your first experimentation, what about your first mission? With Luc?" Thor asks.

I huff out a breath before answering. "Perhaps another time?" I say tiredly; mentally exhausted.

"Of course." Thor answers. I leave Steve's side and grab my journal.

"Bruce, do you have some quarantined area I can leave this?"

"Sure." Bruce walks over to a clear door, gesturing for me to follow. He unlocks an empty glass case and holds it out to me. "This is where I keep my personal experiments that aren't quite ready yet, so your journal should be fine in here." Bruce says, closing the case and placing it back on the shelf.

"Sounds good." I say walking back out to everyone else.

"It's a good thing you didn't pick up that second story Jade." Natasha says looking at her phone.

"Why, what's up?" I ask leaning against one of the tables.

"There's a squad of HYDRA agents attacking lower Manhattan, who seem to be led by an unknown hostile." Natasha says.

"That's what I had to talk to you all about." Tony says. "I have a briefing on the unknown."

Natasha puts her phone back in her pocket and walks out of the lab. "Tell us on the way, Fury wants us there, now." She says over her shoulder, the rest of us in tow to her.

Steve, Tony and I exit the elevator, Tony heading towards his elevator while Steve and I go to our rooms. "Jade wait," Steve says, stopping me and grabbing my hand. "I can't leave, what you just told us, hanging there."

"What do you mean?" I ask looking up at him.

He sighs, shaking his head. "You didn't deserve what happened to you." He says lowly, playing with my fingers and looking down at our hands. "Something inside is hurting you - that's why you need whiskey, or your music turned so fucking loud you can't think."

I thought I was going to know how to respond, but I just close my mouth, looking up at him. I can't even bring myself to make a remark on him saying fuck. I lick my lips and say, "Look, I'm upset tool. I've been damaged and am messed up beyond repair, but being pissed at the people who did this to me isn't going to help any. So let's take this anger and go kick some HYDRA ass. We can talk about this later, okay?" He shakes his head, clearly unsatisfied and begins to turn towards his door, but I grab his sides and start tickling him. "Come on, get in the zone!" I say, jumping up and down using his shoulders.

"Alright, alright, you win." He laughs. "Go suit up." 

A/N: Okie doke, no excuses or anything this time, but I do feel the need to keep you all updated on my life for some reason. Anyway, I was recently diagnosed with clinical depression. I'm sure plenty of you know how that goes, but basically, I have had very little will to do anything. Even go to work or school. So yeah... BUT, I hope you all like the new chapter, the next one is almost done. I hope you all are excited for Jade to kick some HYDRA ass, these next few chapters will have been worth the wait. Thank you for those of you that are still with me, it really does mean to world to me. I love all of you, thank you. 

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