IMPORTANCE

    SHOES SLAPPING against concrete ground is the only sound made in the halls of the Macklemore prison.

    Unnecessarily, the whole team is on their way to see what Rumlow wants.

"So you and Cap get in there, get what he wants, and get back out." Tony clarifies the plan.

"You guys are so dramatic, it's just a visit to the leader of HYDRA." I roll my eyes teasingly.

Wanda goes to rebuttal, but the 'Lord of All Bad News' interrupts her.

"I'll lead the way, follow." Ross signals for us to do so, walking down the all too familiar hall. "He's been rambling all about some 'Hellhounds'? Don't know what in the world he is talking about, but he's pleading to talk to you two."

We arrive at the door to the interrogation room.

My father comes and kisses me on the head. "Stay safe."

I roll my eyes at the irony. "Always." Stevie opens the door for me, I nod my head at the kind gesture.

We walk into to see the old buddy of mine. "Well, isn't this a lovely surprise." I joke to Rumlow.

"Hey princess, see you followed through with my request." He teases.

"What do you want, Rumlow." Cap stands protectively in front of me, speaking in a firm and authoritative voice.

"Did they attack yet?"

Steve and I instantly become more alert than what we already were. He knows. He knew that there was going to be an attack. How?

"What are you talking about?" I play dumb, wanting him to clarify.

"Don't be stupid! The Letalis Clan attacked according to plan, which is excellent. They wanted me to tell you, they will always bring the fight to you. Their next attack is in 3 weeks, prepare accordingly. The Hellhounds love a good fight. Bring your best warriors." With that he becomes silent, staring straight ahead.

"Any more information you are willing to give?"

"Or we can make you."

Guess who said what.

    Rumlow remains quiet, not even batting an eye. Butt. With nothing else being said we go to exit, but Rumlow speaks up.

    "Can I have a private meeting, alone with Ms. Barnes?" Rogers goes to decline, but I stop him. Steve gives me a weird look.

     I whisper to him, "it might be something useful. Just go wait with the team, I'll be there in a minute."

    He has a doubtful look on his face, but leaves the room anyway. The small ringing in the room cuts out, signaling they can't hear us, but still can see us.

    "Брошен. Один. Десять. Мишка. Папа Хантер Под тренируется. Экспериментируйте. Объект. Ошибка." His words are said slow and firm. In Russian he commands me to show no change in my behavior. (Abandoned. Alone. Ten. Teddy bear. Papa. Hunter. Trained. Experiment. Object. Mistake.)

    Each word means something so valuable, so saddening in my life. The words he said are my trigger words. I am now hidden behind the mask of the ShadowHunter.

     Abandoned. When I was younger, the HYDRA agents around me would always go on about how my family abandoned me, left me there. I didn't want to believe it at first, but then I was forced to.

    Alone. This one is pretty self explanatory, but I will explain further into it. Before they put me in the cell where I was surrounded by others, I was in a padded cell, cold and alone. It broke me and made me crazy. I was alone.

    Ten. At the age of ten I was taken from the only person I cared for, my father. After I was taken from him, they beat me senseless. My father never let them lay a hand on me when I was in his care. They trained me into an assassin, one with no flaws.

    Teddy bear. Before I was wiped from the innocent child I once was, I was given a teddy bear. Hard to believe when u were in a place I was. They ripped the stuffed animal one day, teaching me a lesson. I only have the privilege, when HYRDA gives me the privilege.

    Papa. The one person in the world that ever cared for me. He was taken away from me.

(A/N Can you tell she's starting to turn into her? She's thinking less, hard thoughts coming through!)

    Hunter. I am skilled. There are no flaws. I am solid, marble. I never break.

    Trained. They pushed me to my limit. I exceeded the limit I was given. I pushed myself. HYDRA is not my enemy, HYDRA is good.

    Experiment. They'd always inject me with substances I still don't know today what they were. I'm enhanced, they blessed me.

    Object. I am not my own. I am not a person. I don't have the right.

    Mistake. I am no mistake, that being is my other half. Vera. I am not her, she is weak and vulnerable. I am powerful.

     I am HYDRA.

"You will carry on with your days as if you were Vera Barnes. You will not tell them who you are, or who you might be. You will not break, my precious pet." He growls at me.

"Yes sir," I mutter. I wait for him to give me the command to leave.

He looks at me expectingly, and rolls his eyes. "That's not what Vera would do. She'd leave without the command. Your father is Bucky Barnes. Be more lighthearted, don't wait for orders. Good luck, you're dismissed." I give a affirmative nod, stiffly walking to the door. I put a believable smile on my face before opening the door.

I was waiting in the back of Vera's mind, watching so I know all the information I need to for this undercover mission.

The Winter Soldier walks out of the door beside the one I just exited. He gives me concerned eyes, noting that something is different with me.

Obviously, idiot.

"Everything okay, V?" Iron Man asks, the group of Avengers following him.

"Fine." I clip out, but then I realize the girl I am in is more emotional, so I put on a sadder face. "It's just, he's so bad." I whimper.

Barnes pulls me into a tight hug. I smile into the gesture, it's working.

He pulls away, smiling reassuringly at me. I force a smile, it not really reaching my eyes. Got to work on that.

"Let's go home." Black Widow commands. I don't know many ways to say how they say things, I only know orders.

We make our way to various cars. Vera came in the car with the Soldier, Captain, Falcon, and Widow. I make my way to the same car I came in.

On our way home I could hear Vera try to plead and beg to me, to try and convince me to give her back control. Not happening, I have a mission.

    "Like Rumlow said, we have three weeks until the Hellhounds attack. We need as much information as we can on them. I have talked to T'Challa, he said that the Hellhounds have two clans. One, being the ones we went against. The other however is different. They call themselves the Maleficis Clan, it means 'witch' in Latin."

    "Great, so there's an evil organization that has two clans of dangerous species that we have to go against in three weeks?" Stark outbursts.

    "Quite literally." The Vision replies smartly.

    'Oh, shut up. You're just a robot.' I think in my head snidely. Yeah, I'm kind of a butt hole, but who isn't?

"We can call everyone in two weeks. That gives a weeks preparation. Tony can you send an alert out for new people who can help us?" Natasha Romanoff inquires.

They continue to converse, and I want to throw up by how goody and carefree they are.

HYDRA works for the Hellhounds, so I work for the Hellhounds. My mission is to get more information on their plan and when they are at war I fight against the Avengers. A spy on the inside.

Should be easy.

    I unknowingly roll my eyes at them. The God of Thunder seems to take notice.

    "Something wrong, Lady Vera?" It takes a couple seconds to realize he's talking to me.

    "Huh? Oh yeah, no. Nothing's wrong, just tired." I lie easily.

    "Want me to walk you to your room?" Sebastian Beaudet asks me sweetly. What a lovesick puppy. Disgusting.

But alas, Vera would never decline him.

So I put on my best smile replying, "sure."

His face brightens, and I have to force myself not to roll my eyes at him caring so deeply for Vera.

    We go to my room, him chattering away the whole time.

   "Is everything okay with you, you usually talk to me with just as much energy. You're kinda on the down low."

    "Tired." I make up the excuse. He nods unconvinced.

    I go into the room, not even bidding a good bye. I'm nice like that.

I close the room in a quick motion, finalizing my irritation. These people are going to drive me crazy, and I'm only a day in.

    I don't sleep that night. I sit against the door, with a pistol in my hand. I don't trust these people, and I never will.

    Five o'clock comes by in a blurred motion. I get dressed into a different outfit, after taking a quick shower.

The days fly by the same as anything, me acting as Vera Barnes, them believing me.

Two weeks pass by of this mission.

Author's Note: I don't know what else to add to this chapter, so I cut it off here. The date I put under this is the day it is written. So I could publish this chapter a couple days after. With that being said, Happy Thanksgiving!
- J.S.

11.23.2020
1638 words