CEO??

Chapter 26

Connor and Sarah whipped around to face me, Connor looking relieved while Sarah still looked pissed. "Connor ruined my blueprints and my prototype!" she explained, glaring at him.

"It was an accident!" he defended. "I was testing my prototype and it blew up!"

I sighed. "Sarah, stop shouting. Connor did not do it on purpose."

She scowled but nodded stiffly.

"Thank God," Tim muttered.

"No more testing up here until I build you guys a testing room," I said. "Go use one of the lower level labs if you need to."

They nodded and soon Sarah calmed down when Connor helped her fix her prototype and redo her blueprints.

"So, guys," I began while working with Tim on the serum for Bruce, "the heads of the departments would like to meet you."

"Cool!" Connor grinned. "Are we going to them or are they coming here?"

"Up to you."

Harley sat next to me, making sure to give me space, and said, "Don't forget to tell them the other stuff from the meeting."

"Right! Also, you will be communicating with the heads of R&D and Recovery frequently, so you might want to exchange phone numbers. You guys might have to fill in as LDs every once in a while too. If you have any ideas that you don't feel like building, you can shoot them down to the right labs after getting them approved by me for the lab. Am I missing anything, Kid?"

"Hmm... you have a reminder about the name."

"Oh, yeah. Also guys, I get that you love Spidey, but I think I might need a name that we don't have to worry will hint at my identity."

They pouted but nodded. "We'll work on it."

"Great! Come on, let's get some more SI work done and then we can work on our personal projects," I said and grinned.

They cheered and went back to working on the projects that were being made for the industry.

Each of us had our own projects that we had allowed time to work on. It didn't even have to be anything to do with science or technology. They could be making a scrapbook or testing new cookie recipes.

I was reading and editing Ren's story, which was very well-written and interesting, or teaching him different subjects that he didn't learn simply from being my assistant but I still deemed important. Sarah was upgrading her phone. Tim was writing a book. Connor was ecstatic that I let him study my webshooters and suit. Eleanor just kept reading on her tablet. Sam was working on an acrylic painting which he refused to show us until it was finished. Harley usually just worked on his projects for SI or his pranks.

We worked until dinner, when I made sure they all ate a full meal before returning to work on their personal projects.

Shuri entered the lab while I was in the middle of teaching Ren some mechanics. "Pyotr Romanov!" she shouted, startling a few of us and causing Sam to pull out his phone to record it.

I turned quickly. "What did I do now, Shuri?"

"I'm leaving tomorrow and you've been busy all week! I'm stealing you."

She grabbed my arm and I flinched, pulling out of her grip. "Don't touch me!" I hissed, pushing away memories.

She seemed surprised by my shift in attitude. "Pyotr, seriously, are you okay?"

"I-I'm fine," I said. I felt them all staring at me and my anxiety levels rose. "I've got to go. Sam, delete that footage."

He nodded as I ran out of the room and swung to my own room back at the apartment. I shut the window and slid down the wall, tears starting to fall. I glanced my knife before quickly dismissing the thought. I had told Loki not to. I couldn't be a hypocrite.

"Pyotr?" I heard someone call softly through my door. "Can I come in?" It was my dad. He was always better with feelings than Mom.

"Su-sure," I managed to say.

He came in and sat next to me. "Wanna talk about it?" he asked.

I shook my head. "Never."

"Some day, Bambi, you will have to. If you don't, whatever it is will consume you until you can't function. Trust me on that, Pyotr. I was able to share my secret with someone and it helped me."

"What was your secret?" I asked.

He took a deep breath before closing his eyes and beginning to speak. "When I was in Hydra, they made me do all kinds of terrible things to break my humanity. I killed people, tortured them to death. It was one of those days, when they brought in a young girl; no more than eleven. I had to listen to her screams and pleas for me to stop as I hurt her, knowing that if I didn't, someone would hurt her worse. When I had finally killed her, they gleefully informed me that she was my daughter from before I went into the military. She haunts my dreams."

I looked at him sadly. "I'm sorry you were forced to do that."

He smiled brokenly. "You sure you don't want to talk about yours?"

I looked away, feeling shame and disgust rise in me. "I'm not ready yet."

He nodded understandingly and sat with me in silence.

After a while, I spoke. "Dad, do you think Shuri hates me?"

"Never. You two are practically siblings. She would never hate you," he assured me.

I sighed. "I should get back to the tower. Shuri leaves in the early morning and I want to be there to say goodbye."

He nodded and let me go.

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Thoughts?