I cut the engine and stared up at the tall building in front of me. My stomach churned and flopped every second, almost making me gag from the bile. I haven't seen him since I was a child. Would he even remember me? I gulped and glanced at my hazel eyes in the mirror. Would he even care? My hand raked my curly hair back, making it flow on either side of my face. I exhaled after I realized I was holding my breath and got out of my Camaro.
This was it.
The moment of truth.
Something I had anticipated nearly my whole life was about to happen. I listened to the quiet sounds of crickets and the distant drone of car engines in the night. The crisp air had a slight chill. As my hand reached out to open the door, I straightened myself up and added confidence to my look. I had a lot of explaining to do... Soon enough, the apartment door I needed to go to stood right in front of me. I raised my hand to knock on the door, but realized it was already open. My eyebrows raised and I set my hand on my pistol. Is he hurt? The tension crept up on me. Has someone killed him? My eyes darted around the room as I entered and took everything in.
The dim lighting set a tired mood, which made the apartment seem cozy. The room was clean beyond any spots. A brown couch rested in the middle of the room facing the big screened television on the wall. Book shelves lined the walls full of books, pictures, and knick knacks. One was of m-
Someone's fist met my side and I immediately grabbed their arm and twisted it. Steve Rogers yelled out in agony and used his foot to swipe my feet from the floor. I hit the ground, but lifted my leg and knocked him right in the jaw. He was knocked against the wall, so I took my advantage and took a stance. "You're trespassing," he stated sternly.
"The door was open," I shot back. "I didn't come to finish you off, if that's what you're thinking."
"Oh yeah?" Steve threw his fist, but I deflected his shot. I punched him in the nose and dodged his next move. I knocked a few books on the bookshelf over and at him, trying to distract him. I needed to find something to knock him out with. He countered my punch to the stomach and grabbed my gun. He threw it across the room and watched me with his blue eyes. "Then why are you here?"
My eyes flickered to the gun and back at him. My breathing staggered from the fighting and my messy hair was everywhere. I dove for the gun, but he caught me and pushed me up against the wall. The room exploded with heat; his hot minty breath hit my face like a summertime fan. Steve held a gold trophy up, ready to strike at any time. "You aren't leaving here without talking."
I checked him out and grinned sarcastically. "Whoa, calm down there, Cap. That's a lot of talk for someone who can't even kill their best friend when your life was at stake," I hissed. I could have easily gotten out of the situation, but I wanted to see how far he would go. Push him beyond his limits. He won't do it.
He was about to hit me over the head with the trophy before I moved slightly. He missed, which gave me the opportunity to punch him in the groin. He saw it coming, so he caught my fist before I could hit him. He pushed me across the room and into a glass lamp. I fell to the floor and accidentally cut my face as blood dripped down. I simply chuckled and declared, "You're messing with the wrong girl, Rogers." My cuts healed itself and his face paled when he noticed. Steve's eyes widened in pure horror and confusion as he took a step backward. Now he's afraid...Perfect. My eyes glanced around as I exhaled and realized something. Someone entered the room. My heart dropped inside of my chest. "Peter?"
Peter Parker, my favorite cousin, walked in between Cap and I. His short brown hair was spiked up slightly in the front; his dark brown eyes glistened in the light as he cocked his head. He wore Deadpool pajama pants and a gray T-shirt, and his skin was pale from the stress he had. His mouth opened, but the words failed to come out at first. "Lilly? Is that you?"
I nodded and smiled slyly. "Aunt May told me I could find you here." I threw a look at Steve before turning back to Peter. "He's your roommate?"
"We're stuck in pairs for now. The Avengers can't go anywhere alone, especially after what's been happening lately," Steve shot back, glaring at me as I walked over to Peter.
I hugged my cousin tightly and he wrapped his arms around my waist. He was only a couple inches taller than I was, which was funny, because it used to be the other way around. "You talked to Aunt May? She didn't tell me you were alive...I thought you were still missing."
I backed away and looked into his tired eyes. "It was supposed to be a surprise."
Steve scoffed, "Yeah, which almost got you killed."
"Killed? I completely had you handled. I could've done more damage if I needed to. Remember earlier?" I crossed my arms as I turned to Steve. He should just stop talking because this man was getting on my last nerve. Just because he was Captain America didn't mean he could go around thinking he was stronger than anyone else. "You don't know half of the things I can do."
Peter raised up his hands and glanced at both of us in confusion. "Whoa, wait on here. She was the one you were talking about?"
He narrowed his eyes and nodded. "Whatever she is, Peter, isn't for the greater good."
I scoffed and rolled my eyes. "Why would I be here to see my cousin if I was solely working for Hydra? I would've killed you and Barton earlier if I was on the opposite team. Now, tell me that isn't for the greater good."
"Those powers are not going to benefit the planet," Steve leaned against the wall. Peter rubbed his eyes and shrugged. There was a few moments of silence before Steve got an idea. He pulled out his Swiss army knife and threw it at me.
I used my powers and suspended it in mid-air, which ended up right in front of my face. I raised an eyebrow and glared at him, "I think you underestimate me, Rogers."
Peter's eyes widened and he freaked out. He got up close to examine the floating knife. "Whoa! Since when did you have powers?"
"A while..." I trailed off. I dropped the knife and set it on the table. "Look...gather up everyone because I have information for all of you."
"Is it valuable information? I wouldn't want to disturb the rest of the group over something that could be unimportant," Steve remarked in a rude tone. His eyes pierced through mine, just waiting for me to make a sudden move.
I sighed in frustration. He was being difficult. "I'll tell you when you get them in a call."
Peter glanced at Steve, "She won't give up, you know. She never does."
"Never will," I grinned slightly and folded my arms across my chest. "We can't waste any time. It's already late and I want to go home."
"What, you aren't going to stay here?" Peter asked in a hurt tone. "You just got here..." My heart ached at the tone of his voice. He sounded so hurt, so destroyed that I was choosing to leave after reuniting with him for the first time in over twenty years. I hesitated and moved my mouth to say something, but inaudible words came out.
Steve scoffed and walked towards the computer in the Peter's room. "That's probably what she does for a living, Peter. Meets someone and leaves when they aren't useful anymore."
"You don't know me. You have no right to say that," I shot back angrily. "Of all the things I have to go through everyday, I never thought the worst thing I would have to do was talking to you. I don't have to help you, you know."
Peter's room had white walls and flat brown carpet. The bare walls made it seem like it was a regular room, not one Peter would have customized to make his own. He probably didn't want to get too attached to one room before they had to move again. A twin sized bed was pushed against the wall next to the window draped in black curtains. The bed itself was a complete disaster area. All that could be seen was the red plaid comforter and the white blankets underneath. Dirty clothes were thrown into a pile in one corner and the clean clothes hung in the closet neatly. A computer desk sat nicely against the only empty wall. The only thing it held was a laptop and a few empty cans of soda. Peter started up the laptop and started a call with the other avengers. Steve kept firing back, "Yeah, why are you helping us? You're working for Hydra. From the looks of things, you're one of the most dangerous creatures on the planet."
"I am a person just like you and Peter, thank you very much. I'm trying to better the earth and rid it of evil scum like Hydra. Ever heard of an undercover agent?" Steve scoffed as I continued, "At least I'm getting more work done than you are. You wouldn't have gotten this information if it wasn't for me."
Two separate windows appeared on the screen. Clint Barton and Natalia (Natasha) Romanova appeared on one, while Tony Stark and Bruce Banner appeared on the other. Natasha sat next to Barton and put her legs on him. Her bright red hair fell to her shoulders and her green eyes fixated on the screen. Clint squinted as he looked at our window and angrily asked, "What the hell is she doing there?"
I rolled my eyes and got closer to the computer. "Can it, Barton, and let me explain."
Tony worked in the background of the lab while Banner sat in front of the computer. Tony's short brown hair and brown eyes reflected off of the shiny white surface he was working on. Banner's wavy brown hair barely met his eyes as it slicked to the side; his brown eyes moved from place to place, probably reading over new materials or lab reports. Tony stated with a small smile, "I like her already."
The corners of my mouth lifted a bit before I started explaining. "I am working undercover for Hydra. My name is Lilly Parker, a-"
"Peter has a hot family member he was keeping from us?" Tony questioned as he put a finger up. "I don't think that's very nice."
"You have Pepper," Peter said and made a weird face.
My eyes glazed over and I continued, annoyed, "Hydra is being ran by someone new. I was supposed to meet him today, but he couldn't make it. The information I delivered on that flash drive was just busy work for them to look through. I took off what was important, which was the fact that someone is close to making the super soldier serum."
Rogers scrunched his face and shook his head, "That's impossible. Everything was destroyed after that."
I disagreed quickly, "I never said it was from Stark's files. Someone took matters into their own hands to recreate it from scratch. But that's not all..."
"So what if they make the super soldier serum? It's not like they're going to get a bunch of people to test on before they actually get it right," Natasha pointed out.
Steve cut in before she could say any more, "If they make it, they instantly have a super soldier army. If that serum gets into the wrong hands, we might need more backup."
"There's only one super soldier that will ever push their way into our hearts, and that's you, Steve," Banner put a hand on his heart and laughed.
A headache started forming in the back of my head. I should've just gone home... I thought tiredly and pinched the bridge of my nose. "It's like you guys don't even care."
"Come on, sweetheart, there's nothing the avengers can't handle," Barton chuckled and waited for my reaction.
I glared at the screen. "You couldn't handle me earlier. If you can't handle me, then you can't handle a lot of things."
"You know, I like her when she's angry," Banner declared and laughed. A few others joined in with his laughter, which only made my head pound even more.
Barton was about to spit something back before Peter stopped him, "Hey. Lilly came here to help us. Alright? Hear her out." His brown eyes glanced up at me to inform me to continue.
I nodded. "That's not all. I've heard that Hydra has a new director and they have an army. An army of what? I don't know. Didn't sound like anything from this world, though. That could be dangerous for humanity. Just a heads up."
Everyone became silent and straight faced. There was an awkward tension between all of us. Tony cleared his throat and stated in a deep voice, "We'll get right on that." He then ended his end of the call.
"I'll see if my friends have any information on this," Natasha declared and looked right at the screen before she ended the call.
Peter leaned back and put his hands behind his head. "Well, I guess that settles it."
Steve turned to me and nodded at Peter. "So, now the only question is, what in the world is she?"
He shrugged and looked at me, noticing the angry expression on my face. "Whatever she is, she's on our side. We can ask questions later. Right now, she gave us great intel. That's all we need." Rogers took one last glance at me before turning in for the night. He shut his bedroom door and everything fell silent again.
I fell onto Peter's messy bed and put my head in my hands. I exhaled loudly and rubbed my face. "Peter..." My hazel eyes met his chocolate ones and I sighed. I didn't know exactly how to word this. "I heard what happened to your girlfriend a while ago...I'm sorry for your loss."
Peter's face drained of color and his eyes darted to the floor. He hunched over in his seat and stuttered, "T-Thanks..." I gave him a moment to regain his breath, which seemed to become erratic for a few seconds, and then calm down again. When he was ready, he fixated his eyes on my face. His voice cracked a bit, "What happened to your parents?"
My heart sunk down to the pit of my stomach and tears filled my eyes. I didn't want to look away from him. Looking away from him meant I wasn't strong enough to maintain that eye contact, and that was something I couldn't do. I felt the need to be strong for the both of us, even if we were both equally miserable. My hands trembled at the memories that played through my head like a movie theater. I cracked a small smile and let a few tears streak down my face before I spoke. "I, uh...don't want to talk about it right now..."
No one uttered a word for a few minutes. We sat there staring at each other for what felt like forever, trying to read each other's thoughts and simplify the other's emotions. It was all too much to break down at once, so Peter gave in first. "Why do you have powers?" When I didn't say anything, he started to talk, "I was actually bit by a radioactive spider. It gave me spider-like abilities." When I raised an eyebrow, he knew I was intrigued and my attention was fully on him. "You know, I actually made the webs that I use when I'm out fighting crime. I put on these gadgets that stick to my wrist and they shoot webs where I want them to. That's how I swing across New York. I beat my own records at times..." He chuckled lightly, "My highest record for getting across New York is in five minutes. I completed that last week." Peter's eyes brightened up at the thought of it and a broad smile swept across his face.
The proud expression on his face made me giggle. "I thought you said I could tell you later."
He glanced at me and raised his eyebrows, "It's later, isn't it?"
"I don't know how I'm going to live with your sassiness," I scoffed in return. I played with my hands for a second as I gathered my thoughts. Telling him now would be too soon. The last thing I wanted was for the Avengers to see me as a threat because of what I am. Maybe not telling him was for the best... "I'm not ready to explain. Alright?"
"Alright. I'll just wait then. When you're ready, tell me immediately! I want to know everything."
"Thank you..." I trailed off and stretched my arms. I yawned and nearly threw myself completely on his bed. I resisted the urge and stood up. "Well...I have to go before anyone realizes I'm here. I have to keep my cover from being blown and you need to be kept safe."
Peter got up wearily and remarked, "I'm Spiderman. I can handle myself. I've saved New York like...twice already by myself."
I wrapped my arms around my cousin in a tight hug, nearly choking him. "Yeah, well, someone's gotta look out for you. Might as well be me, right?" I snatched his cell phone away from his reach before he could stop me and saved something in it. "There. You have the number to my burner phone. Don't try calling me too much. Sometimes I'll be at work, and if I answer, that's super suspicious. They have cameras everywhere."
He nodded and took his phone back. "I'll probably call you at night anyway. I'm sure you won't work the graveyard shift. Only scientists do that in Hydra, or so I've heard anyway." Peter showed me out the door and smiled to me, "Take care of yourself. I'll call you tomorrow night."
I straightened myself up and grinned back. "It was great seeing you, Peter. I really missed you."
"I would miss me too, it's okay," he laughed.
His laugh rang in my ears and brought me back to the great memories of our childhood. We used to play in the tree house in my backyard and would play up there for hours. We'd spy on the neighbors and pretend to be superheroes. Other times, we would act out scenes from our favorite movies. Some days we would have movie marathons and dramatically mouth the lines. We would be in giggle fits almost half the day most of the time. I ran my tongue along my teeth to keep from laughing too loud and commented, "Yeah, whatever. Goodnight, Peter."
"Goodnight, Lilly."
As I walked out of the building, I thought about my actions. One side of me said I was justified in coming to visit my beloved cousin. The other half of me screeched at the fact that I probably compromised myself and Peter. I contemplated. I know it's dangerous to be seeing him while I'm working for the enemy, but I had to. He's my cousin! I haven't seen him in forever. I really needed to see him...It brought back great memories that I forgot about. That also means there will be many more memories to make with him, now that he knows I'm alive and well. I scrunched my nose as I got inside of my car. Something didn't feel right. He definitely cared about me. What if Rogers won't let me see him anymore? I'm working with the enemy...It's dangerous, but it's what I have to do to keep myself sane. I've been working alone for too long. Enough is enough.