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I was one of the last people to be beamed up into the ship. I had never thought something like that would ever happen to me in real life. It always seemed like it'd just be one of those things you see in sci-fi films. But it looks like science-fiction is quickly becoming our reality. Science "Non-fiction", you could say. Especially now with the Avengers being these public figures or rather public superheroes. Now the world will forever have their eyes on them. I was thankful to always do my dirty work in the dark, away from the public's prying eyes. Of course, I eventually had Hydra and then Shield to worry about, but that wasn't something I couldn't handle. At least, that's what I had originally thought. Tonight, both Shield and Hydra proved themselves to be worthy adversaries. Two organizations that I'd best avoid, especially since it looked like I was already on their bad side. 

I sat in the corner of the ship, keeping to myself. I was in no mood to socialize with these people (granted, I am rarely in a mood to socialize with anyone but that's beside the point). The last bunch of Shield agents I took out in the hotel were tough and put up quite the fight. That made their deaths all the more satisfying, though one thing has left me concerned. At some point, I started to feel this odd buzz in the back of my head that would occasionally feel like it was lightly shocking me. At first, it was something I was able to ignore but now it has become more and more apparent… and uncomfortable. I didn't dare bring this up around the others, though. They already know too much about me, no thanks to that Sling fellow.
[i]Speaking of, I wonder where that guy is? [/i] I thought to myself. I had yet to see him on the ship. I was starting to wonder if he had been killed. [i]He seemed like a pretty capable fighter. He certainly wouldn't have gone down easily.[/i] I would never admit this out loud or even to myself, but it felt like a small part of me was hoping he was still alive. [i]I doubt I'll ever find out what his fate was. It seems like it's the end of the line for this little motley crew anyway. Can't say I didn't expect this to happen.
[/i]
One by one everyone, who wasn't unconscious, was dropped off to some remote area of their choosing. I lost track of how long it took. I probably dozed off at least once, which I hate to do in such an unfamiliar environment. However, everyone was engrossed in their own business. I think Alistar, Jocelyn, and Finnlay were up in the med-bay. I also overheard someone mention Sling was locked up, which earned a snicker from me. So, I didn't feel like I was in any immediate danger. Still, I'll be kicking myself later for falling asleep anyway. The buzzing in my head seemed to have subsided, though I'd still feel a mild shock here and there. I'll need to figure out a way to deal with it when I was-

"So, where will we be dropping you off?" I heard a familiar voice say. I looked up but didn't see anyone. Before I could even open my mouth to speak, I heard the voice once again. "Sorry, let me change into something you'll probably recognize." Suddenly, the drone from earlier that looked to have appeared of nowhere, flew over to me, creating a hologram of Alistar's friend.
"Hello again. Athena here." She said, with a wave. "You're the last person we have to drop off somewhere. Do you have a specific location in mind?" I stood up slowly, looking around the quiet, empty room before answering. "No… just someplace remote and quiet." 
"Oh, okay." Athena said, her eyebrows furrowing slightly. I was about to question her when her hologram suddenly disappeared and the drone flew up to the cockpit. "You're welcome to sit up here, if you'd like. We have an extra seat. Frost Weaver won't mind." I heard Athena voice say. "I'm sure it's more comfortable than sitting on the floor." [i]She has a point.[/i] With a sigh, I slowly made my way to the cockpit where Frost Weaver sat piloting the ship. There was a second seat right next to him and then a third one behind that. I sat in that one as it didn't feel right to sit in the co-pilots chair.

"So, Athena told me you want someplace 'remote and quiet'?" The man asked after I sat down. "Yes" I answered, simply. "Do you want that place to be outside of New York or somewhere else entirely?". I thought about it for a few moments before answering "Outside of New York would probably be best."
"Alright, then. I guess we'll-"
"You know, you could always come to DS Technologies with us." Athena's hologram appeared again. 
"What?" 
"You'll be completely safe there. Plus, you'll get the added bonus of testing out state-of-the-art tech created by yours truly." Athena said with a bow
"I don't know about that…" I trailed off
"You could also assist us in taking down Hydra. Someone with your special set of skills would really be quite advantageous to us."
"Why are you going after Hydra?" I asked her
Athena cocked her head "Why wouldn't we? You and your friends were nearly killed by Hydra twice tonight."
"They're not my friends, Athena."
"Very well. Your 'acquaintances' then. Shield isn't even doing anything about Hydra. They believe Hydra is dead and has been dead for decades. If they're not going to do anything about them, we might as well take care of it." Athena said.
"Just the three of us? Taking down Hydra?" I said
"Your acquaintances are equipped with commlinks. Should we ever need assistance, we can always contact them." She said.
"I doubt they'd help us." I told her
"Well, even if they don't respond three is still better than one. Our chances of survival our higher than you may think, especially if you stay with us.""It's suicide, Athena." I said
"Perhaps… but it's genocide if we let Hydra thrive."

What Athena said struck a chord with me for some reason. I had never once cared about what happened to the people around me, even when I worked for Hydra. It didn't matter who lived or died. I just did my job and got paid. I was hoping to go back to that simple way of life. Though now, with both Hydra and Shield after me, I might not be able to.
[i]Whether I like it or not, I'm going to have to divert from the path I was originally on if I'm going to survive. I have to shake things up, do the unexpected, and that may mean helping people I usually would have no desire to help.

[/i]I sighed and turned to Athena "Very well. I'll help you. But I'm not doing this for you, for Frost Weaver, or for anybody else other than myself. The longer Hydra is around, the more my life will be in danger. I'd like to change that and soon."
"Wonderful!" Athena exclaimed "Frost Weaver, let's head to DS Tech!"
"Already on it." He said, making a sharp turn that almost had me falling off my chair.
"This is going to be so exciting. I have a ton of cool gear to show you. Weapons, armor, you name it. I can even update your suit, if you'd like…"

As Athena kept talking, my mind started to wander again. I really hoped I wouldn't regret helping Athena and Frost Weaver hunt down Hydra. I still felt like it was a bad idea. 
[i]What the hell has been wrong with my mind these past twenty-four hours? 
[/i]One thing was for certain: my life was about to change dramatically and for the first time in many years, I didn't think I was ready.