Ultron Aftermath

Chapter 52

Time: To die...Joking🤭
Place: The roof of the red room

Steve and Thor quickly rushed up the stairs heading towards the helicopter pad, and they could hear voices coming from outside as they grew closer to the exit. As they reached the top, Thor threw his hammer, causing the door to burst right off its hinges with ease and swing open dramatically.

The group of scientists, upon hearing the door burst open and seeing the two Avengers standing before them, began fleeing quickly and frantically towards the  helicopter, all of them but one
Jonah stood still as his eyes met Steve's, a smirk forming on his face.

"Ah the mighty captain America I've been waiting for your arrival" Jonah yelled over the loud sound of the helicopters rotor system.

Steve furrowed his eyebrows, he had no idea who this man was.

"Oh my apologies Captain let me introduce myself, I'm Jonah Jayson, Ava's father"

All the information quickly clicked in Steve's head, the realization of who he was facing finally settling in his thoughts and emotions. In front of him was the man who had put HIS daughter through such torment and abuse, and the anger, the rage that burned within him was palpable, almost like a physical entity. Steve was ready to rip this man's head off, to tear him apart.

"You lost the rights to call yourself her father the second you laid a hand on her!"
Steve hissed, venom laced in his voice.
"Where is my daughter?" He demanded to know as he took a step towards the man.

"Oh don't worry Captain, she's fine aren't you Ava?" Jonah smirked as he stepped to the side to reveal the girl standing behind him.

AJ stared at Steve blankly, her face emotionless, her eyes cold, She was completely devoid of emotion. She tilted her head slightly in confusion when she made eye contact with him he seemed oddly familiar but her mind wouldn't allow her to dig deep enough into her memories to figure out how she knew the man.

It pained Steve to see his little girl look at him like that, she didn't remember him, she didn't know who he was.

"she's not the AJ you knew, her mind is no longer her own, it belongs to me now" Jonah chuckled as he pulled out his control pad. "Go ahead Sweetheart, go and say goodbye to your Dad"

Thor watched as Jonah manipulated AJ and saw the control panel he was using to control her. The sight was unsettling to the God of Thunder, who felt like he was witnessing a sick and twisted game being played out in front of him. He was about to storm towards the man when Steve stopped him, reminding him that it would only cause Jonah to hurt AJ. They had to bide their time, wait patiently for the right opportunity to free her without triggering his defenses.

Steve crouched down to AJ's height as she walked towards him, her pace slow and steady, her motions precise and almost robotic in their execution. He knew that she was in there, his Ava hiding beneath the surface, and he had to try and reach her, he had to make her see beyond the control that Jonah had over her.

"Hey Kiddo it's okay" he reassured her,
"I know you can't remember me Avs and that's okay, but I need you to just hear me out. I need you to know that I'm so sorry, I'm sorry,'I'm sorry for a lot of things"

AJ's face remained blank and void of expression as Steve spoke, her gaze firmly locked onto him but devoid of any recognition or response to his words. Steve realized that he wasn't getting through to her, that she wasn't responding to anything he was saying. He needed to try harder,
" I'm sorry that I wouldn't let you keep the squirrel you caught in the garden in summer I know how bad you wanted to keep him but your mama would've killed me. I'm sorry for not buying you new soccer boots because you wanted blue ones Instead of pink ones, I'm sorry I ate your chocolate bar the time we went to the movies to watch Frozen 2 and I'm also extremely sorry for sneezing during Elsa's song, I know you wasn't pleased about that" Steve chuckled sadly as he spoke about his moments with his daughter, desperately trying to find the one that would break through to her and pull her from within the walls of control that Jonah had constructed around her.
"I'm sorry I never finished our game of connect 4 on the 4th July, I'm sorry for scaring you on Halloween when I wore the ghost face mask, I'm sorry for breaking your gingerbread house on Christmas Eve not that there was much left of it because as you say your uncle Thor is obese"

"I'm not" Thor mumbled under his breathe.

AJ's mind was racing as she listened to Steve's words, unable to remember anything but having a slight hint of familiarity with what he was describing. A voice in the back of her head was urging for her remember, to grasp hold of the memory and force it to the surface of her brain. Seeing the slightest of cracks on her face, Steve took it as a sign that he was getting through to her, and he resolved himself to not stop.

"Avs I'm sorry I wasn't there to keep you safe I'm sorry it took me so long to find you.
Please kiddo, you're the strongest little girl in the world. I need you to fight it, fight it Ava"

Ava's mind was foggy but she began to see small and hazy glimpses of her memories with Steve as she attempted to fight the mind control. The control was strong, she couldn't get past it. "I can't do it dad" Ava chocked out as she looked at Steve, fear swirling in her eyes.

"You can! Ava you can do it listen to my voice, you can do it I know you can" He reassured her.

"Enough!" Jonah snapped, he could see Steve breaking through to AJ and he wasn't going to let it happen. He messed around with the control system a little and managed to gain full control of the little girls mind again. "You've had your fun, now it's time for me to have mine" Jonah smirked. "He's your mission Widow, end him"

AJ complied with Jonah's orders as he gained full control over her once more, pulling out her gun and leveling it at Steve. Her expression remained blank and void of any emotion, an empty shell of the girl she used to be, a mere puppet in the control of her abuser.

"No" Thor yelled as he tried to intervene but Steve shook his head as he looked up at him, "Thor back down"

Thor did as he was told and stepped away hoping Steve knew what he was doing.

Steve locked eyes with AJ, his heart sinking as he saw the fear that was hidden in her eyes, in those vacant but familiar orbs. He could read her expression, and though it wasn't obvious unless you knew her well enough, he could tell she was terrified. Steve was helpless in this moment, powerless to do anything else. If he allowed Thor to step in and attack Jonah, one simple tap of the man's control system would be enough to end his daughter's life. And he couldn't let that happen, even if it meant standing helpless and watching as AJ pointed her weapon at him.

"It's okay Avs, do it" he told her, if she didn't comply Jonah would kill her, she had to do it. "Pull the trigger, it's okay I promise.
I love you no matter what"

AJ was fighting internally, attempting to stop herself from pulling the trigger, yet she was helpless in this situation, caught in the grips of Jonah's complete control. She didn't want to carry out this awful act, but she had no means of fighting against him, as his grip over her was too strong...

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A/N: Evil to leave it on a cliffhanger I know 😏 Next chapter will be up tomorrow night, stay tuned:)
Thank you for reading🫡