· 。ﾟ☆: *.☽
▎L A D Y T I G R E S S ▎

· 。ﾟ୧ ⋆. 𝗜𝗡 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗬𝗘𝗔𝗥 𝟭𝟵𝟵𝟬. ₊˚.༄
ACT TWO  ━━━  CHAPTER NINE,
❝ we've been keeping this secret for too long,
it needs to be out ❞

𝓢teve Rogers placed his hand on the side of his head while he paced infront of Tony Stark who was seated on a chair with his hands covering his face.

Steve stopped pacing and faced the billionaire, "Hydra?! What are you talking about, Tony? Why- why would Hydra take her?" He stammered.

Natasha Romanoff sat across from the male Stark as she nibbled on her thumb, she was worried for her bestfriend but she didn't know if Tony was fucking with them or not.

Clint Barton was leaning against the table as he crossed his arms, his face held a worrisome expression — both for Kaileena, who was supposedly captured by Hydra, and Tony, who looked like a bus had hit him judging by his expression.

Thor Odinson walked around the room as he flipped his war hammer in the air and catching it, he was thinking of what Stark had just told them.

Rhodey was seated beside his bestfriend, trying his best to comfort him even though he was feeling the same way. Tony, Kaileena, and Rhodey were a trio, they were bestfriends since college. Hearing that one of his bestfriends was taken by the world's most dangerous terrorist organization made him freak.

Bruce Banner sat down beside the Russian redhead as he stayed silent, though, his face held a worried expression for his friend.

Only one question was stuck in their heads; Why in the hell did Hydra take her?

Tony lifted his head from his hands and looked at the super-soldier that his father would brag about all the time with a stern and pointed look.

"You don't know her past, not like me."

Nat looked at the older man, "Are you telling us that this isn't the first time that she has been captured by Hydra?"

Tony smacked his lips before he sighed tiredly. "It was 1987," he started only for Steve to cut in.

"Jesus, Tony." Steve breathed out in disbelief.

Tony looked in his direction with an annoying look on his face, "What, Rogers? Do you think I'm happy that my twin sister — who is missing, might I add — is repeating the same experience she may have experienced twenty years ago?! No!" He snapped.

"Tony, calm down." Rhodey told him but the man just took Rhodey's hand from where it was placed on his shoulder and stood up.

Tony walked to Steve who stood frozen with a straight face, "You have no idea what it feels like, Rogers. Having to stay up all night for years, crying because your sister was missing. We were seventeen when she got kidnapped."

By now, he was beside Steve and all eyes were on him as he started to tell them what happened in 1987.

"It was a month after our seventeenth birthday when she suddenly disappeared from the face of the universe, no one could find her. The police, the FBI, even SHIELD helped us look for her . . . but they never did. She was gone for three years, three fucking years!"

Tony paused and looked down to the ground as tears welled up in his eyes. He was experiencing the same thing he was feeling when she first disappeared except this time, he had less hope that she would come back.

"My father didn't make any of his inventions for three years, we nearly became broke. My mother was diagnosed with severe depression and anxiety, she never slept. I saw how she had deep dark circles, her eyes and nose were always red since she would cry all the time. I wouldn't even go out of my room, I was basically a corpse." Tony chuckled apathetically.

The team shared a concerned glance, they had never seen Tony this emotional. Hearing about Kaileena's backstory and her association with Hydra made their eyes widen and their mouths part in shock.

No one except for Tony knew about it, not even Fury knew about it. Hell, Rhodey wasn't even told and they have been bestfriends for years.

Thor placed his hand on Tony's shoulder softly, he looked up at the Asgardian god who sent him a small smile. Tony took a deep breath before continuing but not before sending Thor a grateful smile . . . or what looked like a smile.

"She was found by a family in Siberia in 1990, she was kept eight thousand miles away from Manhattan. Can you believe that? No wonder why no one found her." Tony rolled his eyes, scoffing in disbelief as he thought about how people searched for her everywhere but Siberia.

"When she came back, she wasn't the same. She barely talked, she would lock herself in her room, she would scream in the middle of the night." Tony continued, remembering how his sister acted when she came back home. "Hydra did something to her and I was dying inside because I didn't know what was wrong with her. Until she told me."

"Her powers, right?" Natasha questioned which got a nod from the Stark.

"Hydra had given her the power to become an enhanced shape-shifting tiger. As a 20-year-old who had just got his sister back, I didn't believe her. I mean, would you?" Tony asked the team, though none of them could reply since he continued to speak again. "Your probably lunatic sister tells you that she has superpowers, you're bound to think that she's gone completely deranged."

Tony laughed loudly which got confused and concerned looks from the team. They could tell that this was hard for him to talk about so he's doing his best to make a joke out of it.

Rhodey lowered his head a little bit, "Listen, Tony, you don't have to keep going if you don't want to. We know that-"

"No, Rhodey, I'm fine." Tony cut him off with his hand facing Rhodey dismissively. "You have to know this- you need to. We've been keeping this secret for too long, it needs to be out."

In all honesty, Tony didn't want to spill all of his sister's secrets. He felt like he was invading her privacy and telling the team about her backstory with Hydra when it should be her that should be the one to confess.

Taking a deep breath, Tony reluctantly continued. "When our parents were asleep, she snuck into my room and woke me up . . ."

━━━━   ２４ ＹＥＡＲＳ ＡＧＯ . . .１９９０.

𝓐 twenty-year-old Kaileena Stark opened the door to her twin brother's bedroom, cautiously looking around the hall to make sure that her parents or any of the workers and maids were out lurking in the middle of the night.

When she found no one in sight, she quickly went inside Tony Stark's bedroom. Kaileena quietly closed the door and tip-toed to his bed where he was laying on, sleeping peacefully.

She shook him softly, trying to wake him up. "Tony," she whispered, watching in annoyance when he didn't make an attempt to move or wake up.

"Tony," she repeated, her voice coming out a little bit louder than the first time. Still, the man didn't wake up.

Kaileena groaned in annoyance and looked around his large room, searching for something to wake him up with. She grinned when she saw a cup of water by his desk, she slowly walked to the desk and took the cup in her hand before going back to Tony.

She held the cup above his face, tilting it so the continents in the circular object would drip onto his face. Tony's eyes snapped open when the water made contact with his face, he gasped dramatically and looked at a grinning Kaileena.

"Kai?" Tony questioned, squinting his eyes at her as he turned on the lamp on his bedside table. "What the hell are you doing here? It's the middle of the night."

Kaileena shrugged, "I want to show you something."

"Can't it wait until morning?"

"No," Kaileena shook her head making Tony sigh. "Now, move," she told him, sitting beside him on the bed as he moved to the side so she could have space.

Tony rubbed his eyes tiredly, "What did you want to show me, Kai?"

Kaileena turned to face him, her eyes sparkling in excitement. "Do you want the story or do you just want me to show you?" She asked him.

"I don't know, maybe just show me." Tony replied, not wanting to hear a story right now since he was only half awake.

She nodded and rubbed her hands together. She looked at him straight in the eyes, her face becoming serious. She shut her eyes for a moment which made Tony lift an eyebrow, he gasped when she opened them again.

Her eyes weren't brown anymore, they were a glowing orange color.

Tony, obviously shocked as hell, backed away from his sister, almost falling off the bed. Kaileena made her eyes go back to her normal brown ones, she lifted her hand to pull Tony back but he just leaned back even more.

Her eyes flashed to a hurt expression, finally realizing why Tony didn't want to be near her. "You're afraid . . ."

Tony snapped back from his shock, his eyes widening at his twin's hurt face. He immediately shook his head, scooting closer to her. "No, no. I'm not, I'm just . . . shocked."

"I lied . . . sort of. I was shocked, yes; but I was absolutely terrified, her eyes were glowing orange for God's sake! That isn't normal, not even close."

Kaileena didn't reply, she just looked down at her lap. She went to Tony because she thought that her brother would be the only one who would actually believe her and understand what she's been going through, only to realize that he was afraid of her.

Tony mentally scolded himself in his head, he saw how hurt his sister was by his reaction. "Listen, K. I'm sorry that I acted that way, I just didn't expect it." He apologized, a genuine apology just came out of Tony Stark's mouth.

Kaileena looked at him, a small smile resting on her lips. "If you want, I could show you more." She suggested.

Tony was hesitant, he honestly thought that if she made him witness more supernatural stuff then he definitely won't be able to sleep. Nevertheless, he nodded, gesturing that he wanted to see more.

"Sure."

Kaileena smiled brightly before she lifted her hands up, her palms facing Tony. Suddenly, her hands started to disappear out of thin air. Tony had to try and refrain from jumping in shock, his eyes were wide as he watched his sister slowly go invisible.

It took about a few seconds before her whole body went invisible to the human eye. Tony looked around his room, trying to find her. "Kai? Kaileena, where are you?"

No answer.

Suddenly, a pair of hands and a Cheshire cat smile appeared infront of him making Tony scream. The hands immediately covered his mouth, muffling his loud screaming.

"Shh, shut up! You're going to get us caught, idiot!"

He looked infront of him to see a fully visible Kaileena. Tony ripped her hand off his mouth, "How- How in the world did you do that?!" He questioned, nearly shouting.

"I said shut up, Anthony!" Kaileena hissed at him, glancing at the door when she heard footsteps heading their way with her enhanced hearing. "Look what you did! Someone's coming."

Tony's eyebrows pinched, "How do you know-"

"Mr. Stark? Are you alright? I heard you scream." A familiar British male voice asked. It was Edwin Jarvis, their butler.

Tony looked at the door with wide eyes, "I'm fine, just one of my nightmares again!" He responded, lying.

Tony had been having constant nightmares from when his sister was missing, even when she was already back, he would still have them.

"Alright, then. You better head to bed soon, it's a big day tomorrow." Jarvis replied.

"Yes, thank you, Jarvis!"

"Of course, sir, anytime." He said. "Goodnight, sir."

Tony nodded, trying to ignore his sister's glare. "Goodnight."

Kaileena covered his mouth with her hand once again so he wouldn't let out a single syllable, she listened closely as Jarvis' footsteps became more faint until they were no longer there.

Tony tried to remove her hand from his mouth but she seemed to be stronger than him. He furrowed his eyebrows and look at her hand, his eyes widened in shock when he saw claws coming out from her fingertips.

The male twin slapped Kaileena on the arm which made her turn to him with a glare, "What?!"

He pointed to the hand that was on his mouth which made her avert her gaze to it, eyes widening when she realized that she accidentally let her claws out. Kaileena immediately removed them from his mouth and tried her best to control her emotions, soon enough the claws were gone but her fingers were sore from the pain.

Tony glanced between Kaileena and her hand with his mouth gaping like a fish. "H- How- What the hell did they do to you, Kai?" Tony whisper-shouted.

"Who did this to you?!" Tony asked again before she could reply to his first question.

Kaileena sighed, "Hydra."

"What's Hydra?" Tony asked, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion.

Kaileena bit her lip, she really didn't want to talk about it. But, she had to. Tony needed to know, she knows that her parents would just send her to some mental hospital so Tony was really the only option.

"Tony, they did really bad things to me." She started as Tony listened carefully, now fully awake. "Every few months, they would inject me with serums that gave me different powers each time. They used me to test out their inventions. I have been experimented on for the past three years, I'm just glad that I'm still alive."

"Oh my God, Kai . . ." Tony whispered, shocked by the information. He knew that something bad happened to her but he didn't expect it to be this bad. "I didn't know."

"Of course you didn't know, I didn't tell you, dipshit." Kaileena deadpanned, looking at him with a weird face.

Tony rolled his eyes but gestured for her to keep going. Kaileena shook her head, continuing her sob story.

"Every time their serums actually worked, they trapped me in a cell that was more like a cage for wild animals and they observed me. They left me there to fend for myself and try out the superpowers, no guidance or help whatsoever. I was slowly going crazy in there, I'm just thankful to whoever hacked into Hydra's system and made all of the cell doors open."

Tony pulled a confused face on the last statement, "Wait, you got out because there was an error in the system?" He questioned, pointing a finger at her.

Kaileena nodded as if it were obvious, "Yeah. I just said that." She paused, narrowing his eyes at him. "Hold on, do you know who did it?!"

Tony immediately shook his head no, denying her crazy assumption.

"Well, was it you?" Steve asked Tony.

"No."

"Then who was it?" Natasha asked him.

"I don't know."

Kaileena didn't believe him, she narrowed her eyes at him in suspicion making Tony nervous even if he knew that it wasn't him who did it. "Do you atleast know who could have done it?"

Tony shook his head again making Kaileena purse her lips in wonder.

"I think you know who."

"I don't."

Tony wasn't lying, he didn't know who did it. If he did then he would've already given the person who did it whatever they desired.

Tony Stark did not know who hacked Hydra's system.

Kaileena Stark, however . . .

ＥＮＤ ＯＦ ＦＬＡＳＨＢＡＣＫ ━━━━

━━━━   ＰＲＥＳＥＮＴ ＤＡＹ.

"𝓢o you don't know who broke her out?"

"Were you not listening to what I just said?" Tony looked at Steve with an annoyed expression. "No, I don't."

"Who do you think did it?" Banner asked him.

Tony smacked his lips, shaking his head in thought. "Well, now that I think of it . . . as I was remembering the memory, I have my suspicion."

"Don't keep up waiting, Stark, who?" Steve's voice was laced with annoyance, tired of Tony's dramatics.

Tony rolled his eyes, "Calm down, senior citizen."

"Stark," the male looked at Thor who stood beside him, the god held a look of determination, having enough of Tony's antics when his sister was literally missing for the second time. "Who did it?"

Thor's words were emphasized, telling Tony that he was full-on serious.

"I have a strong feeling that it was her who did it," Tony announced.

Clint, who was quiet the whole time, spoke up at Tony's statement. "Who's her?"

"Kaileena, herself."

Natasha lifted her perfectly shaped eyebrow at the billionaire, confused as to why he thinks that it was Kaileena who did it. "And why do you think that?"

"I know what you're thinking; "Oh, Kaileena wouldn't be able to do it. She didn't get the scientific genius gene that she was supposed to get but didn't." Yeah, I know all about her little speech." Tony said. "She complains about it like five times a day."

"That still doesn't answer why you think it's her," Rhodey spoke. Tony nodded and continued with his explanation as to why he thinks it was her who broke herself out of Hydra.

"Kaileena may not have the gene but she's really good with finding out stuff, she maybe not be good at inventing things but she used to be the one who hacked about every person's social media accounts in her class. She's an amazing detective, actually. SHIELD wanted to hire her back when my parents were alive but they refused, saying how she wasn't "stable" enough to become one of their agents."

Steve nodded slowly in understanding, "Let's say she was the one who hacked into Hydra's system; but then again, how? I mean, you said that she told you that she was kept in a cell for the whole three years, how could she have hacked their system?"

Natasha nodded in agreement, as did the rest of the team. "Yeah, Tony. I didn't know she could do that or that she was that type of person, but Steve's right. How could she have hacked into their system when she was in the cell the whole time?"

Tony clicked his tongue, pointing a finger at the Russian woman. "That is a question I don't know the answer to. But, she might've had someone there to help her. Believe it or not, she's a pretty sympathetic person, whether you like it or not. She would've easily made a friend that trusted her in Hydra."

Natasha nodded, "And who do you think is that trusted friend in Hydra?"

"She's only talked about him once to me and it was twenty years ago so don't exactly remember how the conversation went," Tony said. "I think his name was . . . uh, what was it?"

The team watched as Tony pulled a face that showed that he was thinking of something, trying to remember the name of the guy that was Kaileena's trusted friend in Hydra.

The billionaire snapped his fingers as he announced random names, "Jake? Jerome? John? Jeremy? Jesus, maybe? No, definitely not that. Uh . . . ah, got it!" Tony exclaimed, looking up at the team.

"James."

The Avengers looked at Rhodey who held his arms up in defense, "I didn't do it, I didn't even know Tony and Elena at that time."

"He's right. Besides, I said someone in Hydra not out," Tony told them.

Steve, Natasha, and Sam shared a glance which Tony caught up on. He pointed a finger at the three, "You three look suspicious, what do you got?"

Steve shared one more glance with Natasha before he looked at Tony with an unreadable expression. The super-soldier sighed, "James is Bucky's real name; James Buchanan Barnes."

"Bucky as in your bestfriend from the '40s that died on a mission?" Tony asked him which got a nod from Steve.

"A few years ago, I found out that he was alive all this time. Hydra found him after he fell from the train, they brainwashed him to forgetting his past life and they made him become the Winter Soldier." Steve informed the team, looking directly at Tony who nodded slowly.

"The Winter Soldier . . . wasn't Kaileena with you when you fought him?" Tony asked making Steve nod. Tony clicked his tongue, "A few weeks after your little fight with your old buddy, she went missing. She stopped calling and texting, she wasn't even online on social media and God knows she's obsessed with it."

"Are you saying that Bucky took her?" Steve asked the man who nodded. "No, he wouldn't," He denied, shaking his head.

Tony tilted his head at Steve like a little puppy, "How would you know that, Rogers? Like you said, he was brainwashed to forget you and his life before Hydra took him so everything he would do in 1945, he wouldn't do now."

Steve didn't reply, still denying the fact that Bucky might've taken Kaileena.

Clint walked up to Tony, "So, what do we do now, Tony?"

"Simple. We find her."

"Oh, yeah? Where exactly are we going to start looking for her? There are hundreds of Hydra bases around the world," Steve told him.

"Then we search each and every one of them."

word count: 3592

kara speaking . . .
ninth chapter, done! this is a backstory to kaileena's experience with HYDRA (kinda), in this chapter you know about her more, about her life in the '90s. age of ultron will start in chapter 11, you'll learn about her new powers throughout the rest of act two and act three (civil war).

sorry for publishing this rlly late, i wrote all of this on my phone so it took some time. love you, don't forget to vote !

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© -𝙶𝙾𝙳𝙳𝙴𝚂𝚂𝙾𝙵𝙻𝙾𝚅𝙴, 𝟸𝟶𝟸𝟷