Theft of a Life

Ch10

As I watch the kid get his team together- which is an odd sight, given that his team is mostly older than he is- my rage sits inside me, a slow, passive boil. Seated on top of a table, I twirl a knife in my hand, weaving it around my fingers.

One circle. Scientists. Two circles. Hydra. Three. Sokovia. Four. Experiments. The knife slips, and hot blood drips onto my fabric-clad leg. I frown, but stare at the blood dripping until it clots. Savoring the stabbing pain. Pain focuses. Feelings fly, wandering thoughts, but pain is focused. One feeling. No emotions. Simple.

"I don't think you should go," James murmurs, practically appearing next to me. I jerk my head to the right and see him watching the preparations impassively.

"And I think that I should,"

"They can do it perfectly well without you," He returns, lips hardly moving. I chew on the corner of my lip.

"I don't disagree, but I'd like to go,"

"I think you're too close to this one, Ross," James sighs. I'm about to open my mouth and tell him that I didn't bring him in for his opinion, but I cut myself off.

"Tell me to stay and I will," I say coldly, swinging my head to look him in the eyes. "Tell me that you want me to stay here, and not go on this mission, and I will. I won't disagree. I'll stay here, they'll take the mission, and I won't get involved any further," I snap. Because I do value his opinion. I'd hate it. But if he really told me not to, I would listen.

A small wrinkle grows between James' eyebrows, but that's the only sign of his discomfort. Swiftly, he bends and presses a kiss to my hair.

"I care about you, Ross. Don't do anything stupid," He whispers, walking away. I exhale harshly, my breath shaking.

"Boss, you ready?" The kid asks me. I search for his name, like a slot machine of names and faces and more importantly, weaknesses. Lincoln. He's also kind of invisible, but not in the same way Maru is. He bends the light around himself, but he can also use it to blind people. One of the youngest here. I was bored, so I made him a team lead. Surprisingly, it went very well. The others follow him, even though he hasn't suffered like the rest. A mutant of his own accord, raised far from the reach of Hydra. Lucky him.

"Let's do this," I reply as I swing off the table.

__

This is about the one situation that I would like a telepath. I despise them on principle, but right about now they'd be helpful. It's pitch black as we surround the scientist's house. I've told Lincoln to lead like he would, and I'll play along. So when he raises a hand and points towards the house, we all copy the signal and burst in at the same time. He took the front door, his girlfriend the back, and the rest of us burst through the windows. I, of course, opt for teleporting past it, but it accomplishes the same effect. The scientist is sitting at the table, her hands raised, but she doesn't shake. I tilt my head curiously.

"Are you Marina Thomas?" Lincoln asks in a deep, steady voice, his face visible in the kitchen light.

"My maiden name," She replies without hesitation. "I go by Page now,"

I watch her odd confidence. Her honesty. I wonder what she thinks is happening. Maybe she thinks that we're cops. Come to arrest her for her work. Let her husband alone if he cooperates. Her husband shakes slightly, knuckles white around the cup he's holding. He's scared. Their gazes don't wander. Steady. Looking only at us. Either they're completely relaxed, or they're prepared to hide something. I let my gaze wander around the room.

"And you worked under Hydra for 12 years, correct?" Someone else asks, her voice cold. This is procedure. Give them opportunity to deny. To tell us that we've got the wrong person. Maybe we do. Maybe they're weak. This Marina woman isn't.