Adopted Assassin [COMPLETED]

Chapter 17

.17
STEVE: SHIELD HEADQUARTERS
MINUTES BEFOREHAND

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I walked into SHIELD's office, nodding hellos and heading for the conference room when a panicked-looking Tessa ran up to me. "Hey, what's wrong?" I asked her.

"Steve, you gotta help Tony." She motioned for me to follow her. I ran beside her. I thought she was calling him Dad now. "He was doing this experiment with re-making Thor's hammer, with all sorts of metals." She gestured to my shield on my back. "He tried to inspect it by having it held up by a machine and going under it on those roller things." We rounded a corner. "The machine didn't hold it up. It dropped on his arm. I can't get it off."

"I thought you guys were going to discuss your new job at SHIELD," I questioned. She gave me a look as we dodged agents.

"Have you met Tony? He doesn't follow the rules."

We went past the conference room. "He was really excited about it."

"Right here, in here, Steve." She shoved me into the lab. Or cell.

"This is a cell..." I said suspiciously. I turned to look at Tessa. "What are you getting at, Tess?" She teleported over to my side. My shield went flying across the room and ropes wrapped around me. She smiled and pushed me to my knees. "This isn't you, Tessa."

"It's not that puny mortal," a gruff voice said out of her mouth. Tessa morphed into a Dark Elf. I've seen pictures from Thor's story books.

"Where is she?" I asked.

"Do not fret, Captain," it said. "She'll be with you soon enough."

"No she won't!" I yelled.

"Oh, Captain. Have you no manners? Silence." A gag appeared out of thin air and tied itself around my face. "She will. She always follows you." The elf morphed into a version of myself.

I tried to say something, but it came out muffled because of the blindfold.

"What did you say?" The creature asked, in my voice. "No matter. Tessa is the secret weapon, Captain. She is the key to winning. And that needs to be on our side." He punched me in the face, probably bruising my cheek, and shoved my head against the wall. "I could get used to a host like this." He picked up my shield and closed the door behind him.

I sat there for at least 15 minutes when I heard Tessa and the Elf talking. They're in the next cell over! I heard a lot of crashes and movement. I have to get her attention. I laid on my back and kicked the wall with my feet.

"Hello?" I heard Tessa say. I kept kicking the wall. "Is anyone there?" I kept kicking the wall until the cell door opened. "Steve!" Tessa breathed. She ripped the gag off and cut the ropes off with a knife she had in her pocket. "Oh my God, what did he do to you?" She rubbed my cheek. Her hand drew back with blood on it.

"It's just a bruise. Don't worry. Where is he now?" I asked.

"I kinda killed him." I let out a sigh of relief. "Steve, how did he trick you?"

"He morphed into you," I said quietly.

"Yep, they can do that. He did the same with me. Steve, what did he say?"

"That you were the key to winning."

"Yeah, Thor kinda mentioned that to me."

"They can morph into other people?" I rubbed my head. I felt something warm. Blood. Dang it.

"Apparently. Steve, your head's bleeding too!" Tessa exclaimed, looking at my fingertips. I got up slowly.

"We have to go back to the conference room." I stated, wiping the blood off on my white shirt.

"Steve, my head's spinning," she said, dazed. I put my arm around her before she fell. "I think I used my powers too much." She started to close her eyes.

"Hey, stay awake." I shook her shoulder and we walked out of the cell. "We have some explaining to do."

"How are we supposed to tell everyone that they could be among us?" She held her head with one hand as another was over my shoulders.

"It's not going to be easy," I muttered as we walked into the conference room, where Fury, Tony, and Thor were talking.

"Frigging fantastic," she muttered.

"My Gods!" Thor exclaimed as he saw us. I helped Tessa sit down in a chair. I sat beside her and I grabbed a napkin. I wiped the blood off of the back of my head. "What has happened?" I looked at Tessa, who was groaning. Tony ran over and kneeled beside her chair.

"Tess, tell me what happened," Tony urged gently. She took a deep breath.

"The Dark Elves are among us," she said quietly. Thor's face turned pale.

"They are here?" Fury boomed.

"Well, I got attacked by one and she fought it," I clarified.

"How?" Fury turned red with anger. "How'd you meet up with it?"

"First, it came to me as Tess and it said that Tony was in trouble. I followed it, believing that he was actually in trouble. It led me in a cell and it tied me up."

"Then, it came in here as Steve, and it lured me into another cell. I fought it and killed it," Tessa finished. "I think I over used my flames, Dad. I was getting kinda dizzy. I melted it. It's a puddle in one of the cells." She waved her hand towards the door.

"How could you possibly know that Dark Elves cannot resist heat?" Thor asked.

"I didn't. Just trying not to die. Again." She smiled.

"You melted it? Awesome!" Tony said. Tessa laughed lightly. "This is why you're Flame."

"Flame?" I looked at Tessa.

"It's my Avenger name," she said happily.

"So you are an Avenger?" Fury asked. We all turned to Tessa, who now had a serious look on her face.

"I am an Avenger."

Tony shook his head with a big smile on his face. "She gets the good one-liners from me."