𝐷𝑎𝑟𝑘 𝐻𝑜𝑟𝑠𝑒 ~ 𝐴𝑣𝑒𝑛𝑔𝑒𝑟𝑠

Chapter 9 - Hesitant to Trust

"So, where are we going anyway?" I asked as I stood near the group in the jet with my arms crossed over my chest.

"Back to our compound. People from S.H.I.E.L.D will be there later tonight to ask you some questions," Clint responded casually as he looked up from strumming the cord on his bow.

My face immediately dropped, and worry started to seep in at the mention of S.H.I.E.L.D.

You shouldn't have trusted strangers! How could you have let your guard down?!

The others must have noticed my mood shift because they started giving me concerned looks.

"Lady Cooper, are you alright?" Thor asked first as he stood up from his seat.

I didn't reply.

Thoughts swirled through my head of all the times I had done terrible things to S.H.I.E.L.D. All the information I stole, lives I took, and things I destroyed, and that's only the stuff I remember. 

I shouldn't have come with them. 

I should have risked it on the streets by myself; at least that would be better than living in a cell for the rest of my life.

"You look like you've seen ghost, kid," Tony said next, finally snapping me out of my thoughts.

"You can't take me to S.H.I.E.L.D," I said firmly, uncrossing my arms and taking a step back from them all. I tried to make my voice as confident as possible, but anxiousness clearly slithered its way into my tone.

"Why not?" Steve questioned.

"Because of everything I did to them! Don't you get it? They'll lock me up in a cell for the rest of my life!" I exclaimed. 

All their looks immediately softened, and Natasha stepped towards me, "They aren't going to lock you up. I promise. They just have a few questions for you," she said calmly.

"You can't promise that," I countered back. Panic was bubbling over inside of me and my mind was racing a million miles a minute. What if S.H.I.E.L.D wants revenge on me after all I've done to them?

"Yes, we can, Cooper.  I think we'll be able to work something out with S.H.I.E.L.D. In case you didn't know, our nickname is literally 'Earth's Mightiest Heros,'" Tony chimed in.

"Yeah, and you guys have been doing a fantastic job protecting the Earth from HYDRA's super-soldier program," I snapped with sarcasm flowing through my voice.

The jet went silent, and I put my fingers to the bridge of my nose in frustration.

I let out a heavy sigh, "Look, I'm sorry. But you guys have to understand that because of my past, it's not really easy for me to trust anyone anymore. In my mind, I am really rolling the dice here by setting foot in a jet full of strangers - scratch that - soldier and assassin strangers, taking me to who knows where. No one has ever tried to 'help' me before, which makes it hard for me to believe that anyone would now."

I was so wrapped up in my thoughts that I didn't notice someone reach to put their hand on my shoulder until I felt it. I winced at the contact but relaxed when I realised it was Natasha. She wore an expression of sympathy and kindness, one which I could expect only a mother or sister to wear.

"We know it's hard for you to trust us Sadie, but let us prove to you that we only want to help," she said gently.

If I was being honest, it kind of caught me off guard. I was not expecting an assassin to be showing me comfort, and judging by the looks of some of the others, they were just as surprised as me. I could tell from her skills that she used to be some form of an assassin - or still is for all I know - but she surprisingly held empathy in her eyes, as if she knew first hand what I was going through.