| sparks + butterflies | a peter parker fanfiction |

-20-

858 words :)

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SLIPPING THE KNIFE INTO HER SLEEVE, THEA SPUN, LOOKING INTO THE EYES OF THE MAN WHO STOLE HER CHILDHOOD.

'Hallo, kleine Zola.'

He wore his trademark black suit, strong eyebrows and expressionless face shaded by a black bowlers hat, a hooked silver blade hanging from his belt.

'Father,' Thea spat, forcing as much disgust into the word as she could. 'What do you want?'

'That is no way to talk to your father, your savior, your master,'

Thea scanned the room, looking for a weapon, an escape, help, anything. Zola stood in front of the door, his broad frame blocking any escape. She could open a portal, but now that Zola was here, she didn't know if she could leave. She wanted revenge.

She'd lost the connection to the Avenger's comms, and she just had to hope that they'd be okay and get out before they found her or her father. Maybe she could deal with her father and then teleport back to the compound before they noticed?

In a blur of black fabric and shining knives, Zola moved, spinning behind her, and before Thea could react, a knife was pressed to her throat.

She snapped her fingers, summoning a flame, but it died out as soon as it sparked.

'Vibranium, kleine Zola. You didn't really think we'd make you this powerful without a way to hurt you, did we?' He laughed, towering over Thea as he tugged her backwards by her hair, the knife digging painfully into her neck.

Thea had felt like this before, in the isolation wards where she spent most of her time. The suffocating, endlessly numb feeling. The helpless, flameless, powerless sensation. 

HYDRA was always one step ahead.

'What do you want,' Thea repeated, feeling for the knife within her sleeve. It wasn't long, but maybe if she twisted fast enough she could slice open his stomach, causing him to drop the knife and then she'd be able to spark her flames.

'Many things, kleine Zola. Many things. A few of them, you can give me,' Thea couldn't see his face, but he was smirking, she could tell. 'Although, I am a little surprised that you didn't light me up the second you saw me,' he sneered.

Thea struggled against him, snapping her fingers over and over but only to be met with the same painful numbness. The knife dug further into her skin, and she winced as a warm droplet of blood ran its way down her neck.

'You've gotten soft.' Zola whispered in her ear, the sound amplified over and over by Thea's enhanced hearing, echoing its way deep into her memories.

'You're soft, weak.' The man in the black suit sneered. 'Prove me wrong, kleine Zola. No weakness, no tears. Show me you deserve the name Zola. Show me strength,'

Memories spiralled and Thea could feel herself slipping back into the whirlpool of flashbacks.

No. That's exactly what he wants. Don't give in.

Reaching out her hearing for a tether- a sound to hold onto, maybe a bird or a gun or the crackles of leaves as they are crushed under the boots of her friends, who should be at the jet by now.

Instead, her hearing skipped back onto the Avenger's radio frequency. '-just checking the last few rooms on the north-east side- this place is bigger than anticipated,' Wanda.

'Yeah- okay, me and Buck are heading back to the jet now- he found a few flash drives that we should run through. Be safe, Sparklefingers. Where you at, kid?' Sam.

'I'm closer to Miss Maximoff, I think,' Peter. Thea stiffened at the sound of his voice. He was still here. He was still in danger. 'I'll find her and we can leave together,'

'Alright- see you at the jet,' Bucky.

'What is it?' Zola snarled in her ear, obviously sensing the change in Thea's body language.

'Are your little friends okay?'

Thea stiffened, lifting her chin. 'I don't know what you're talking about.'

'Fine- but they might,' Zola swivelled her so they faced the doors, the knife digging deeper into her throat. She winced as more blood bubbled over the edge of the knife and trailed down her neck.

The door swung open, a mist of red and scarlet twisting the door handle. Wanda. Shit.

Wanda Maximoff stepped into the room, her jaw partly gaping open when she saw Thea and Zola. Immediately, she shifted into an offensive position, glowing balls of energy forming in her palms.

'Thea? What are you doing here?' Wanda asked, her eyes focused on the knife pressing into the younger girls neck, worry building in her stomach.

'Miss Maximoff? Did you say- Thea?' Peter.

He stepped into the room, and Thea let out a small sigh of relief when she saw that Peter was okay, his only visible injuries consisting of a small cut on his eyebrow and a thin scratch on his bicep. The relief quickly faded when the gravity of the situation set in.

Thea was useless- the knife to her throat prohibited any flames or physical attacks.

Wanda was confused and mistrustful. And dangerous.

Peter was also confused- and hurt. Thea had told him she'd stay home and she was here.

And Zola had all the power. Just the way he liked it. This was his game. 

And he was winning.

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A/N: so this part is longer than i expected so i cut it in half again and hopefully it makes more sense now. I'll try and get the final part of this attack/plot point posted as soon as possible. 

-alice :)