ONE;
HYDRA
( SIX MONTHS AFTER )
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DARKNESS EMBRACED CASSIE. She felt the fear lingering inside her mind as her eyes scanned the cell she had been living in for months, the loneliness had taken over the four metal wall. The girl idiotically tried to stand on her feet even though she knew it would hurt every inch of her body. As her body unsteadily rose, the bones of her back cracked loudly.
"You're just hurting yourself, Cass." Her head snapped to the cold voice of her brother across the hall. He had his head rested on the wall, eyes locked on her. "Just sit."
But she didn't say anything.
Instead, she crawled to the side of the cell and stretched her hand out from between the bars. She watched as Charlie stretched his own hand out and held hers with strength, transmitting her the warmth with the help his incredible new powers he acquired thanks, sarcasm included, to the perverted people that had them trapped.
"I—I'm scared, Charlie." She sniffed, curling in a ball.
"I know, Cass." He exhaled. "But we are going to get out of here. I promise."
"This is my fault." The brunette couldn't help to say it as she hugged herself. "I'm sorry."
"It's not your fault, Cass." The young man, interjected with a stern tone.
"Yes it is." She argued, looking up to meet his brown, bruised eyes. "If it wasn't because of me and my stupid, reckless decisions we would be fine!"
Cassie wanted to yell, but she kept her mouth shut when she heard the iron door being opened at the end of the hall. Fear took over her body as she looked back at her brother with a panicked expression. He brought his finger to his lips and she hesitantly nodded, pressing her back to the stone wall.
She looked at a pair of men standing in front of her brother's cell. Her eyes scanned them as the electricity rushed past her veins and the welcoming feeling of the invisibility took over her. She had also acquired brand new specialities, the power of being invisible whenever she wanted to was one of them.
One of them grumbled, looking down. In that moment, she hated herself for not taking german classes with Charlie. Silently, she creeped closer to the bars of her cell to listen carefully. Her eyes traveled from the tattooed men to her brother, who locked eyes with her before nodding.
Cassie frowned as she watched the men open the cell in front of her. Her lower lip quivered as she heard her brother groan and grunt from the pain they were putting him through. With the little strength she had, she stood up to stretch out her hand, and Charlie instantly intertwined his fingers with hers.
"W—What's happening, Charlie?" She whispered, feeling her knees shaking and urging her to stop forcing herself to say up. "Where are they taking you to?"
"Everything is going to be just fine, angel." He smiled at her with melancholy. His hand cupped the side of her face and she simply sobbed at the touch. "Be safe. Never forget that."
"W—What?" Her eyes widened at his words. "Why are you saying that? Charlie—"
"Sh, it's okay." He whispered, crying with her. "We will be together soon, angel. I love you." Cassie intertwined her own fingers with his as she silently cried.
Cassie fell to her knees when she felt her brother being snatched away from her, the pain inside her chest was too much for her to handle, although the torture she had been suffering for months was worse than that. But that... that was completely different from what she was feeling in that moment. Her screams echoed the small cell as she yelled his name and watched Charlie slowly walk away, glancing at her with his cheeks stained with tears.
The door was closed again, and she couldn't help to flinch at the sound. Her head snapped at the now empty cell next to her, then to the other two where the Maximoff twins were before successfully escaping. She closed her eyes and rested her head on the wall, her shaking hands wrapped around her now skinny legs as she focused on the sound of their voices that talked in the back of her mind.
Wanda's smoothing voice lingered inside her head, Cassie smiled at the faint sound of her strong Sokovian accent reassuring her that everything would be fine, like she always did whenever the men took her to the laboratory. Then Pietro's strong voice echoed in the four walls of her mind, calling her pet names and telling her that the four of them would be out of there soon. Charlie appeared before her, tricking her mind but ignoring the pain in her heart as she heard his laugh and smile inside her mind. She already missed him.
The memory of her old friend, Peter Parker, took over her and startled her. She didn't expect her mind to come up with the thought of him during those times, but she didn't fight back the memories she had with him. hHer thoughts drifted to the sound of his stuttering words and strange hand mannerisms he did every time he talked in front of the class. Or how flushed he was whenever they played poker behind the classroom. Or how he would help her with her science homework every time he noticed she was struggling.
A loud scream echoed the building and interrupted Cassie's thoughts. She looked up to identify who was screaming, although she well knew it was Charlie.
He was sacrificing himself to save her, and she knew she had to do the same for him.