Picking Up The Pieces

2. An Avenger At SHIELD

   "I cannot believe we have an Avenger in SHIELD headquarters," the female scientist explained as she measured me up in her lab. I sat on a metal desk as the male busily examined my arm. "An Avenger, of all people, as well with-"

"One of the best created artificial arms I have ever seen," her male counterpart finished. "Who designed it? Despite it's old age, the machinery is fantastic!"

"Some old HYDRA scientists back in World War II time," I explained. I flipped my palm over, and he wrote notes down on the overlapping metal. "A friend allowed me to have it."

"Who?" he asked. "And what metal is this?"

"It was the Winter Soldier's," I stated, awkwardly for that matter. "The metal's - AHHH!" I scooted backwards on the table, eyes widened, ripping my arm away when I saw a syringe in the female scientist's hand. "No, no, no, no, no, no, no!"

"I was going to tell you!" she tried to explain. "I'm sorry!"

"I- It's okay," I stuttered, pulling my legs to my chest. As soon as the needle had come to view, all I heard was my younger self screaming. Syringes filled with blue and purple liquid kept flashing in my brain. "I j-just don't like needles." Slowly, I let my legs fall back to where they were and removed the jacket I had on. "Sorry," I said sheepishly.

"It's fine," she said kindly as she wiped a small part of my arm with an antiseptic cloth. "I guess that's how HYDRA gave you your powers?"

"To be honest," I said shakily, wincing as the needle was pushed in and out of my skin. "I don't have a clue what they did." I tried to remember what Bucky had said about his memories there. "We had our memories wiped clean all the time to keep us in line."

"Horrifying," the male said as he placed a small bandage on the pinpoint. "Hearing this just reminds me of-"

"Ward," the female added. I quickly turned my head toward her direction.

"Ward? As in Agent Grant Ward?" The duo exchanged glances.

"You've heard of Ward?" the male asked. "That double-crossing son of a-"

"Fitz," she scolded before turning to me again. "He was once our teammate until he 'Hail HYDRA'd' us. Was he big there?"

"Um," I said, rubbing my arm. "Not really. He wasn't like the head of anything, just the guy who brought me to HYDRA to begin with." Fitz, as the female had called him, swore under his breath.

"He gets worse and worse every time I learn something new 'bout him," he muttered. The female scientist slapped his arm lightly.

"It doesn't do well to dwell on the past," she reminded before looking at me, exchanging a hand. "I'm so sorry I never introduced myself, miss Stark. My name is Jemma Simmons. This is Fitz."

"Nice to make your acquaintance," I smiled as I shook her hand. "And you can just call me Isabel." I then stood up and shook Fitz's. "So... Ward. He left you guys?" The word Hive flashed through both their heads. Jemma gave a weary sigh.

"I guess you could say that," she said. "He's dead."

"Thank God," Fitz interrupted.

"And Coulson? He should be dead." Thanks to my Asgardian friend.

"To make it short," Fitz said, "he did die. We had a machine made for Avengers in case they died, and he was put in it, bringing him back to life." I nodded

"Come with us," Jemma said, and I followed the two down a hallway, ignoring the whispers from the agents passing by. "I think I have someone you might want to meet."