Parkour

•13•

Levi's POV.
Dinner at the Avengers Tower was a bit awkward.

I was (properly) introduced to Nick Fury- the leader of SHIELD- and James 'Rhodey' Rhodes, Stark's closest friend, and the dude I knocked out during my hospital escape.

Maria Hill is a badass, that much I know, and during dinner she barely speaks, choosing to survey her environment and keep an oddly close eye on me. Well, 'oddly' until I remember that I knocked out three of her fellow Avengers, so I guess the hairy eyeball is called for.

Another odd thing about this 'reunion dinner' is that we're all seated around a Frankenstein table- a table made of lots of smaller tables, their unity insisted upon by Pepper, who wanted us all to be close and able to converse easily- and that the whole thing is hosted by Taco Bell*.

That's right. We're conversing over chalupas and bickering over burritos (and talking over tacos), right in a public area. Which, of course, does not fail to draw attention.

"Look, it's Steve Rogers!"

"Where?"

"Next to the raven-haired girl, see?"

"Where is his shield?"

"Can you see his helmet?"

(Yes, I took those lines from HP. Feel free to judge.)

After our meal, I was the designated camera holder, taking pictures of random citizens posing with their heroes. It almost seemed ironic, being so close to these chivalrous and brave people, while I'm like the shady neighbor from next door, the only true villain in the bunch of us.

...

Sleep didn't come easily that night. Thankfully, I was moved to a different room ("All that money for nothing!" "Well, you didn't actually expect me to bunk in there, did you?"), so I didn't have to deal with the half-nude Capsicles or ditzy fairies anymore.

I stare at the ceiling, slowly succumbing to the darkness. My surroundings change, and suddenly, I'm out of my body, watching a familiar scene from what seems like a lifetime ago.

A small, red-haired toddler dressed in nothing but worn rags, hunched over in the corner of a small cell. Her hair is down to her hips, tangled and matted from months without washing. Bloody wounds slice across her back and shoulders, and she has a black eye. My heart goes out to the child. I know what happens next.

I know that this prison cell will be the homiest place in the whole facility for her in the years to come.

Two rag-dressed, muscled legs appear in the toddler's vision, and she looks up, blue eyes shiny with unshed tears. Even at that young if an age, she knows that crying over things would result in more punishment.

"Autumn Soldier," a deep yet soft voice murmurs in Russian, and the door opens. The toddler curls up further, trying to protect herself.

"What do you want?" She sniffles, and the man kneels down so that he's eye-level with the child. His dark hair, too, is tangled, and he has the beginnings of a beard on his face.

"I do not want to hurt you," he assures her, holding out his hand. The child hesitates- for good reason- but takes his hand nonetheless.

"I think you're lying," she calmly states, the tears ebbing away. "Everyone here wants to hurt me."

"Not everyone," the man promises, and leans closer.

"But, since you believe that, how would you like to be able to know how to hurt them back?"

A spark appears in the redhead's eyes, and she giggles, grinning.

"Could you teach me, mister?"

"That I can," the man answers, and leads the little girl out of the cage. That day was the beginning of my physical training.

That day was the day I started down the road of becoming a famous assassin.

...

I wake up, blinking the sleep out of my eyes. I don't feel refreshed at all, but then again, when do I ever after sleeping?

I leave the cozy bed and take a quick shimmy through the vents to investigate the most popular spots in the tower.

They're all empty. Everyone's out working.

Bored, I grab a snack from the kitchen, then two, and then I just start hoarding my favorite foods, and hide them all over the dull room I claim my own. After my stashing, I look up at the ceiling.

"Friday?"

"Yes, Levi?"

"I'm going to go on a walk, if anyone asks."

"I would advise you to bring an umbrella."

"Rainy days?"

Friday then proceeds to rattle off today's forecast, while I dress according to the weather.

I head outside and start walking towards the old indoor arena I usually fight in. It's no legal business, but I've seen them in ads before, so they can't be too deep in the gutter.

As I'm walking there, I start picking up on clues that I'm not alone. The quickened breathing of an anxiously waiting person, the messily concealed fresh footprints on the ground, and the fact that I can see their shadow around the corner of the next alleyway.

How cliche. The teenage girl walking alone, awaiting a trap set in a nearby alley.

But those girls aren't me.

I keep walking, after checking the area for snipers of any sort. The shadow of the person isn't holding a gun, so the most I can do is hope that the person themselves isn't armed either.

Suddenly, a hand fastens around my arm, and I'm yanked into the alleyway. It wasn't unexpected, but it startles me nonetheless, taking up some sweet reaction time and allowing my captors to shove a straight jacket on me, and then cuff my wrists for good measure.

"Y'all went all out," I observe, staring up at my captors. Of course, I know them all too well.

HYDRA.

...
*We voted over where to eat at beforehand, over the phone. Tony said Burger King, Pepper voted Olive Garden, Hill wanted to go to a bar (as did Fury and Rhodey), Clint said that McDonald's would do, Natasha and Coulson would rather order pizza...etc. In the end (after many changed minds, arguments, and Fury hanging up), nobody could agree, so they asked me. I panicked, and said the first thing that came to mind. I don't even really eat there, but they didn't need to know that, so we went to Taco Bell nonetheless.