Fandom The New Avengers - POST ENDGAME (Closed RP)

[PixieDust]

Leighton tentatively reached out to touch Rowan’s arm when he let her do so. The feeling of the bones made her flinch, as did his description of the feeling. She could see how much hurt was in his expression and it made her feel like fixing everything for him, even though she couldn’t.
“That’s...awful!” She said quietly as she lowered her hand from his arm. Who on earth would do that to a person on purpose? At least her own power only existed because of a genetic mutation.
“I can’t imagine how much pain you must be in all the time.”

The nightingale chirped forlornly, mimicking Leighton’s thought pattern with it’s sad chirps. It hoped onto Rowan’s shoulder and stayed there.

“I knew this girl, Kitty once. She could pass through any solid object, but if she wanted to remain solid she had to force herself not to breathe. It took so much concentration for her just to go through a normal day without passing through a floor or a door or basically anything. One time she fell asleep and got caught right between her bed frame and mattress. She was stuck there for an hour until she stopped panicking.” She sighed at the memory.
“People think having powers is awesome...if only they knew.”

 

[cosmicforce]

Rowan turned his head, nuzzling gently against the bird. Something about it was so comforting, maybe because of a deep internal connection between him and nature or maybe just because he really liked birds. All he knew was the animal seemed to very quickly calm whatever emotions he was feeling and he was soon back to his normal, stoic type self. He listened to Leighton's story with a frown etched onto his face, thinking about how crazy it was that anyone could think this life was amazing.

"I don't know, Ace and Saphira seem like they can use their powers pretty easy. If it bothers them they don't show it." He guessed that their early lives weren't fantastic to make up for that, but Rowan would have rather worked under a mob boss than HYDRA, or have a shitty brother than no family at all.

 

[PixieDust]

Leighton didn't say anything to counter Rowan's thoughts on the way Ace and Saphira thought about their powers. She supposed it was all about perspective.

Leighton couldn't help noticing how relaxed Rowan was around the little bird of light. It made her smile in spite of herself.
"He seems to like you," she commented, "I've never really seen him interact with anyone before...but then again, I've never managed to keep him around long enough for that to happen. He usually bursts into sparks after a minute or so."

The bird hopped off Rowan's shoulder and onto the fence between them, chirping as though trying to join the conversation. "I think he wants you to give him a name."

 

[cosmicforce]

“Isa,” Rowan said without much thought. “Isaura is a Greek name. It means air. Isa is less of a mouthful.” He reached out to touch the bird, admiring the way the light felt under his fingertips. It was warm and comforting, just like she had described.

“I’m really proud that you can hold it for so long. You’ve come a long way in just a few days.” He smiled, a full, genuine smile for possibly the first time since getting here. It wasn’t a lie, either. He was genuinely proud of the way she grew so much so quick.

 

[PixieDust]

The little bird, Isa flapped his glowing wings happily when Rowan named him. It seemed he was so happy with his new name that he almost fell off the fence.
“Hey, be careful, Isa!” Leighton said softly to the bird before turning her attention back to Rowan.
“I like that name. My mom told me that she had wanted to name me Leto, after the mother of Apollo, god of light. Dad didn’t really go for it though.”

She blushed when Rowan complimented how far she had come in a few days. She supposed it was true. “You know, I don’t think I would be half as competent if you hadn’t helped me, Rowan,” she said sincerely, briefly placing her hand on his arm.

Isa gently pecked at her hand to get her attention and looked at her with glowing white eyes. She nodded in understanding. “Isa wants you to keep him as your companion. He’s formed a psychic bond with you so he won’t disappear.”

 

[cosmicforce]

“I can’t understand him though,” Rowan remarked. He curled his branch under Isa and pulled him closer. He was unable to resist giving the bird another little pet, his smile only growing. He loved animals, even though he was really programmed to kill.

Something told Rowan if he tried harder he probably could communicate with Isa. He had heard it before - the words from a stray dog or cat, a mouse in the lab he was made in or a pig on the farm he hid on. It was always by accident, but he could hear them. They were always sad, or stressed, but he could hear them. That was why he almost hoped he would never hear what Isa was trying to say.

 

[PixieDust]

“It’s okay. You’ll learn to understand him,” Leighton assured, “besides, I don’t think he’ll stop following you now whether you like it or not.”

Isa chirped happily before fluttering over to Leighton and nipping her ear gently with his beak. Leighton flinched, giggling from the ticklish feeling. Petting his head, she said a whispered goodbye to the glowing bird, letting him hop back onto Rowan’s branch.

Just then Saphira appeared looking almost as cheery as usual. “Hey!” She said, “I found a movie room! Come watch Footloose with me, Leighton!” She was already tugging her along so Leighton rolled her eyes, following.
“Well okay...uh bye Rowan...” she said, slightly disappointed. With that the pair of them disappeared down the corridor and out of sight.

 

[cosmicforce]

Rowan spent the rest of the night with Isa. It was the type of company he loved, quiet and close. He could understand some things he said but they were all surprisingly positive. Isa was just as happy to be with him as he was to be with the little bird.

He was solid asleep before Ace got back to the dorm, curled on his bed with the bird perched next to the pillow. He dreaded waking up the next morning, but in his dreams things were shockingly calm.

They were all thoughts of him and Leighton spending time together. Nothing romantic about them, just talking about life and watching the sunset. The first one didn’t turn violent until early morning, when she attacked and he had to restrain her. Still surprisingly calm versus his usual terrors, no one got too hurt and certainly no one died.

He woke up to Isa pecking at his nose and rolled out of bed. For once he woke earlier than Ace and that gave him enough time to shower and grab some cereal for breakfast before he headed to the simulation room to wait. Today was going to be rough, he knew that for a fact, but he wasn’t one to back down when things got tough.

“You shouldn’t be here little guy,” he mumbled, patting the bird on the head. “Too dangerous.”

 

[PixieDust]

Leighton and Saphira arrived to the simulation room to find Rowan already there. Saphira instantly noticed the glowing bird and looked at it in awe.

“Woah, L, did you make that bird?” She gasped, going over to admire Isa closer.

Leighton didn’t respond. She simply shot Rowan a smile that said: I told you he’d follow you everywhere.

Wanda was nowhere to be seen in the simulation room, but Leighton reckoned she would be controlling it from outside the room.

This was probably smart on her part, since Saphira still had quite the temper at even the mention of Wanda.

Now all they had to do was wait for Ace.

 

[cosmicforce]

Ace was the last one to show. He stumbled into the room with his blonde curls a mess and only one shoe on his foot. Rowan could barely call it stumbling in, because he more so materialized a foot above the floor, before subsequently landing flat on his stomach. “Sorry, overslept. Cool bird.” He nodded at Rowan and then climbed to his feet, struggling to slip on his second shoe as he got up.

There was no time to talk as the room started to shift. Rowan knew to brace himself on the wall so he didn’t fall over, closing his eyes and saying a silent prayer to a God he didn’t believe in that maybe Wanda would decide to skip over him.

It was no use, even with his eyes closed he could feel the setting change. It smelled cold and sterile. He knew exactly what surrounded him; grey walls, a metal floor and table. A cryogenic freezing tube in the far left corner. His right wrist was wrapped in cold metal and attached to the wall, then his body violently flipped so his back was against it and the rest of him could be attached too. He opened his eyes as the voice came over the speaker. It said a jumble of Russian words. 262, welcome. We’re happy to have you back.

Hail HYDRA

Rowan froze in his spot. No words came out until he felt the jolt of electricity course through his body. It made him thrash and scream, and burnt the tips of his branches. “Hail Hydra,” he whispered weakly, before looking up at his friends. Ace was also attached with metal restraints. His were only on his feet, but the blonde also hadn’t tried to move more. “Say it back,” he warned in a low voice. How was he supposed to get out of this again?

 

[PixieDust]

Leighton was ready as the room shifted this time, but the nausea still set in and she had to close her eyes.

Before she even opened her eyes again she could smell an awful sterile scent that made her want to vomit. She tried to move and found that her wrists and ankles were restrained by metal bonds. She panicked as her eyes shot open and she scanned the room. All of them were restrained.

Hail HYDRA

A disembodied voice had said before sending electric currents through Rowan’s body causing him to scream.
“Rowan!” Leighton cried, trying to free herself to no avail. The metal only dug into her wrists causing them to bleed.
Tears began to run down her cheeks from the pain. “Like hell I am hailing HYDRA!” She said as resolutely as she could manage.

Saphira hadn’t tried to do anything. It was almost as if she couldn’t, as if her powers were neutralised here. Or perhaps she knew it was better not to resist just yet.

 

[cosmicforce]

“Fuck HYDRA,” Ace snarled. He was the next one to get shocked. His body convulsed and then flopped over. He was so much smaller than Rowan, and Rowan’s branches took some of the hit. Ace’s shock had been enough to knock him out cold and he was soon on the floor, breaths coming in laboured pants.

“I said, say it,” Rowan snarled. It sounded angry, as angry as when he got set off. Except instead of bright green his eyes were dim, filled with pain and what seemed to be tears.

He turned his head to the right so he could face Isa. His branches started to crawl up his body, they curled under the the metal, starting to bend and expand it, desperately trying to break it. “Go wake him up,” he told the bird, who then flew off to go peck at Ace’s ear.

“When I break these they’re going to storm. If this is the year I think it is...” he looked around, processes his surroundings. The equipment was old, from 2011 at the latest. “The Winter Soldier will be here. Whatever you guys do just don’t let me put them in there.” He nodded to the cryogenic chamber, where he spent so many years of his life.

The speaker cut on again. Prepare for procedure 37 test D. He remembered that one well. He couldn’t let them cut him open again.

 

[PixieDust]

Saphira had a look of deep concentration on her face as she willed herself to the shadowy vapour form her brother had taken on before. It took a moment, but eventually she managed to slip out of her shackles and float to a shadowy corner of the room in wait to attack.

Leighton thought the best thing she could do was not struggle. Instead she bided her time, keeping as calm as she could to store her energy. She was terrified of this place, but she knew she could be useful if she waited it out for a little longer.

 

[cosmicforce]

To Rowan's surprise, his shackles opened without being broken. He fell to the floor, taking shaky breaths to steady himself. He refused to look weak, both in front of Leighton and them. Hold yourself up straight, tighten your muscles, pull up your head. His branches were still singed but they kept growing, larger and larger until they took up every bit of free space they could.

They stormed in groups of three. The first two went straight for Rowan, the third laughed and dodged under his branches, trying to outsmart him, but Rowan had no issue grabbing him and the other two and throwing them to the ground.

Ace was finally starting to come to again, lifting himself up to reveal that half his face looked like he had been struck by lightning. It started on his cheek and branched from there, pale pink lines that took over every inch of skin. Otherwise, the blonde looked fine. He was disoriented - that was to be expected - and still unable to teleport, but he was very quickly pulling himself back onto his feet. Then the words started over the speakers. He recognized them from Rowan's dreams. This mess of Russian words he didn't know the meaning of but knew set Rowan off in a way nothing else had.

Success. Longing. Movement.

They made him flinch, he started pulling the branches back into his body. Something in him switched, and even as he tried to fight it he seemed to be different.

Destruction. Resolution. Daylight.

The branches were gone. Rowan helplessly slumped to his knees. Green eyes trained on the ground, he fell from confident to weak in seconds. They had control of him again, completely and totally.

262, ready to comply?

"Hail Hydra." The sound of his voice made Ace's head snap up, his eyes widening in pure horror. He had seen enough of his memories to know what this meant. Rowan was completely limp as the next two men walked into the room, they lifted him up and threw him onto the cold metal table, where Rowan laid motionless until the straps encased him and pinned him down flat.

Six more men, with one dressed in a lab coat in the middle. They were carrying boxes of different plants, seeds and loose branches, all which were sat around Rowan. The one with the labcoat picked up a scalpel and Rowan began to cry.

"Please, please don't. Not again, please. Pozhaluysta." The tears were hot and heavy. They burned his eyes, his cheeks, he could taste the salt in his mouth. One of the only emotions he experienced around her coursed through him; pure, unadulterated terror.

Then the blade pressed against the skin of his arms. He could feel it cut through his skin, his muscles, so deep it brushed against the branch inside him. All he could do was yell.

 

[PixieDust]

The entire scene playing out before them was like the worst nightmare they had ever had. It was distressing to witness and yet so alien to them that it seemed fascinating.

Saphira forced herself to wait for the exact right time to strike, but watching her new friend being tortured was not easy.

Just before the person with the scalpel had turned up, Saphira had conjured a flame and started a fire. She figured a distraction was in order.

As Rowan began to plead for mercy, Saphira narrowed her eyes which had turned a hellish shade of orange and pounced on one of the HYDRA scientists, wrapping her arms tight around their neck and twisting until she heard a sickening snap.

The fire was now beginning to spread too. She knew it wouldn’t consume her friends, only those she meant to harm.

Whilst all this happened, Isa flew over to Leighton who was still the only one bound. He pecked at the bindings on her wrists and feet and she fell to the ground with her wrists still bleeding.

It took a moment for her to reorient herself but as soon as she did, she too joined the fight. Through pure force of will to save Rowan from the torture, she had managed to form a jagged dagger of light I her hand. Without thinking, she rushed toward the scientist with the scalpel, dodging the others who were a secondary thought to her. Before they could register the sight of a glowing woman with a dagger of light, she had plunged the dagger between their ribs with a furious expression.
“Let’s cut you open for an experiment, what do you think?” Leighton said with the most bitter sweetness in her voice. The person had dropped the scalpel and Leighton had picked it up as a secondary weapon now.

 

[cosmicforce]

Rowan’s eyes were dim. They settled straight ahead of him and didn’t move when the chaos started happening. He knew this was his fate, and his body and mind had failed him enough to make him their puppet again. Unable to fight or think for himself.

Ace, as he started to come to a little bit more, managed to teleport himself out of the shackles and behind one of the Hydra agents. He conjured a knife and stabbed it straight through his stomach. It was looking like they were winning, with most of the group on the floor, but he could hear more coming.

The sight of Isa was what made Rowan snap. His return to reality was a bit of a blur but it was enough for him to move his branches, ignoring the extra pain that the wound brought. One branch wrapped around that, holding it closed, while the rest of them worked to get him out. His gaze was focused on Isa now. He had a reason for being here and that reason wasn’t to be a doll, it was to fight back.

The binds were just starting to break when the door opened. The Winter Soldier appeared, although he only had a handgun on him - a weird change from the semi automatic weapons they usually gave him. He spoke in Russian, as did everyone around here. A thick accent that would make anyone believe he was Russian himself and not a kid from Brooklyn who got himself into some trouble.

262, ready to comply?

“Nyet.” No. Rowan pulled himself to his feet, studying The Winter Soldier for a long moment. He knew more about him now, even if he did hate his guts. “Bucky,” he said calmly. The soldier’s face seemed to soften. “That’s your name, isn’t it? Bucky Barnes.”

The flames had consumed most of the room by then, avoiding the friends but growing closer to Bucky. Rowan thought about his plan, hoping that Ace would hear and help him out.

It worked, Ace was soon nudging Saphira and saying, “Keep the flames away from the big guy.” While he focused on listening to the soldier’s thoughts and putting more recent memories in their place. He had only seen Bucky a handful of times, so it was hard, but he could pull what he had seen from the TV and heard in stories to help him out.

It was enough of a distraction to let Rowan’s branch grab the gun back, holding it close to himself while Bucky seemed to be lost in a trance. There was a a thick blue light connecting him and Ace, and the blonde looked like some of his energy was being drained out of him.

The speaker chimed on again.

Longing. Rusted.

Rowan shot at it and the room fell silent. This was no longer a mission to kill, but a mission to save.

 

[PixieDust]

Since the scientists were now pretty much out of the picture, Saphira focused all of her energy on the fire. She kept her gaze fixed on Bucky, bending the flames to manoeuvre around him and not towards him.

The act of this weakened her significantly, and her more demonic instinct was to simply burn everybody in the room to ashes, such was the lure of the dancing flames. She restrained herself though, hoping beyond hope that whatever Rowan was doing he would make it quick. Using her power like this was starting to bring out the worst in her.

 

[cosmicforce]

Rowan and Ace made eye contact, with the blonde giving a small nod of reassurance. Rowan kept talking to Bucky about his name, about the war, and the soldier soon lost all the tension in his body. The blue light dropped and Ace collapsed as exhaustion took over, taking deep, steady breaths just to keep himself awake.

“Get out of here,” Rowan warned, handing back the gun. The soldier listened and then ducked out of the room. Within seconds gunshots could be heard and then the simulation started to fall apart.

Piece by piece they dropped, and it took everything in Rowan not to cry again in relief. He couldn’t be brought back to the simulation room fast enough before he was slinking to the floor, his eyes locked in a gaze that wasn’t really looking at anything. Blank, exhausted, still in another world.

Ace managed to pull himself up. His face was still scarred from the electric shock but he could imagine it would go away soon. His limbs were heavy and his mind so exhausted it was a struggle to even hear Rowan’s thoughts. When he did, they were all about the man in the white lab coat.

 

[PixieDust]

All the tension Saphira had been holding whilst she had controlled the fire seemed to fall away just as the nightmarish simulation did.

She let out ragged breaths as the room returned to normal, looking around the room with much relief to see it the way it usually was.

Leighton had immediately dropped the glowing dagger she had been holding. Her hands were shaking and her cheeks were streaked with tears as she stood in shock, staring at Rowan crumpled on the ground with a blank gaze.

Saphira took her gently by the hand and together they knelt beside Rowan. Saphira looked over at Ace gravely. She wanted to say something, but she hardly knew what.

“They’re monsters...” Leighton said almost inaudibly as she continued to cry, holding Rowan’s hand. Never in her life had she imagined people could be capable of such evil.

Isa let out a mournful cry and took his place beside Rowan, trying to get him to respond to his gentle chirping.

 

[cosmicforce]

Ace stayed a good distance away, trusting that the girls could help more than he could. He knew if anyone was going to get through to Rowan it would be Leighton because she was the one he had put all his trust in from the start. "Saphira." He waved her over, gesturing with a small nod two the two joined at their hands.

Rowan's branches retreated, revealing a gash down his arm that was at least six inches long and deep enough to expose muscle and bone - along with the branch that resided next to his. He wasn't bleeding near as much as a normal person would, but his forearm was still coated in it, a sticky crimson colour that was staining his pants as well. The pain was almost unbearable, and the sensation of a slight breeze on his bones something that was all too familiar. His eyes finally moved to look at that instead, filling with tears despite how hard he tried to stop them. He was the monster here, not anyone else. He was pieced together like a puzzle but still wasn't good enough.

The bird beside him and Leighton's hand in his were both grounding him to a degree, but his brain just played the sight of the doctor again and again. That was all he ever knew him as - the doctor, the white coat, the man. The one who could say six little words and get complete control. The thick accent, big glasses, the scratchy voice. He consumed his thoughts now, reminding Rowan of everything that ever happened under his care.

He squeezed Leighton's hand with his good hand, finally turning to look at her. His brain was screaming for him to run, but even if he wanted to he wasn't sure his body could handle that right now. "I said you'd find out today," he whispered.

 

[PixieDust]

“It’s not your fault, Rowan,” Leighton said, holding his gaze with her tear filled hazel eyes. “He’s gone. You’re safe now.”

She tried to lace her words with as much comfort as she could muster. She knew her power to alter the general mood could hardly work in this situation, but she hoped her sincerity would.

The redhead rummaged through the first aid kit for something that could stem the bleeding. Finding some bandages, she began to tend to his injured arm as best she could.

“This is going to hurt, I’m sorry,” she said softly.

 

[cosmicforce]

"It already hurts," Rowan said flatly. He took a final glance at the injury, hoping that it would be the last time he ever had to see that part of himself. Leighton was a comforting presence to have around, and he gave her hand a squeeze as the pain suddenly got so much worse. She was cleaning it - that was something he definitely not used to. Another scar to add to his collection.

"It won't scar," Ace replied. His head jolted upwards and they made eye contact, watching as the friend pointed to his shoulder. "Mine didn't, at least. I guess it's because it's a simulation."

Rowan just shrugged and leaned back a bit, letting Saphira work. He still didn't talk much - did he ever? - but his gaze was fixated on Leighton. The tears that were forming in his eyes fell down his cheeks, but he didn't move to wipe them. He was tired of pretending to be strong, he was in pain, and he was scared, and all he wanted was a safe little corner far away from here where he knew he would never have to see the Doctor again.

 

[PixieDust]

Saphira carefully finished dressing the wounds while Leighton continued holding Rowan’s hand.

When Saphira had done she quietly stepped away from Rowan to join Ace.

After a long moment, Leighton let go of Rowan’s hand so she could gently wipe the tears from his cheeks. She didn’t say anything as she did. Her own wrists were still covered in dried blood from the shackles that had pierced her skin, but she barely noticed at all.

“He needs to rest,” she said looking at Ace, “both of you do.” Leighton didn’t really want to leave Rowan’s side, but she knew she would have to. Even if he did rest, she could only imagine the nightmares he would have to endure.

 

[cosmicforce]

"No," it came out harsh, with anger to his voice that was stronger than he intended. He flinched at his own words and quickly tried to repair what he had said. "I don't want to sleep. It's only early, I'll go train for a bit." He got to his feet, leaning against the wall for support. The room spun and the corners of his vision started to go black and all he could think about was how he desperately didn't want Leighton to leave him.

He steadied himself, blinking a few times to pull the world back into view. Ace was watching with a tight jaw and a worried expression on his face. He could hear the silent pleas that Rowan made, and without thinking said, "I'm actually gonna go watch a movie in the common room and probably nap in there. Rowan, you'll have the room to yourself. Take a breather. Leighton, can you make sure he gets there okay?"

Rowan knew what Ace was trying to do, and he was both thankful and annoyed. He didn't need to be babysat but the idea of being with Leighton rather than being alone made him feel more okay about sleeping.

 

[PixieDust]

Leighton kept a close eye on Rowan as he got himself to his feet. It was obvious he was still disoriented and weak.

She nodded when Ace asked if she would help Rowan get to his room and wrapped an arm around him to keep him steady.
“You’re gonna have to lead the way,” she said to Rowan with a small smile, “this place is like a maze.”