Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Director!” Maria hill came running in, calling Fury. “We’ve gotten a report of an interdimensional rift outside stark tower. A portal’s opened.”

Fury put his hand and his forehead.

He didn’t even have his coffee yet.

{~|~}

Fury had immediately taken a team outside the tower and had some of his agents clear civilians from the area. Jane Foster had been called in and was currently making notes of the portal, along with her assistant Darcy.

It was bright, radiating a warm feeling if someone was in close proximity of it. It was a perfect white, streaks of green and burnt red curling around it.

All there was to do was wait.

{~|~}

Jane Foster had been having a rather uneventful morning when she heard the phone ringing from the bedroom. She sighed, standing up to answer the call.

Clicking the accept button, she made her way over to the bed to sit down and take the call. “Jane Foster, how can I-”

“Ms. Foster, this is Agent Coulson. We need your help.”

And so, she was sent over to investigate the portal, bringing along her assistant Darcy with her.

{~|~}

It was about an hour after the rift had opened, and nothing had changed yet. More S.H.I.E.L.D personnel had shown up.

Fury sighed, glaring at the portal. “When is this motherfucker going to do something?”

There was a faint rumbling noise that started to get louder, and louder and louder.

“Now, apparently sir.” Maria answered, drawing her gun and cuing the others to do the same.

The portal began to swirl in different directions, and the heat increased as well as the brightness. Suddenly, a group of screaming kids began to fall out, getting sent to the ground with a thump.

“Emma!” One of the kids, a boy with white hair (who has white hair?) called out, turning to the girl on his left.

The girl was clutching her…ear? Fury could see a cot on top of it, soaking up the blood. Now that he mentioned it, the white haired boy was too, along with a black haired one.

“Norman! Ray! Are you both fine?” The girl, Emma presumably, asked.

The two boys nodded. The white haired boy, Norman, started to take a headcount and Emma and the black haired boy, Ray, looked over to examine the landscape.

“What the hell?” Ray asked, narrowing his eyes. “Where’d the forest go?”

Emma shook her head in disbelief, eye’s widening. “I-what? How?”

Taking his cue, Fury stepped forward. “My name is Director Fury of the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division. How the hell did you get here?”

{~|~}

5 minutes earlier

Emma was running, grinning wildly. They’d done it. They’d all done it. “Ray! Norman!” She grinned playfully. “Catch me if you can!”

Norman shook his head, smiling fondly. Ray wasn’t smiling, but Emma and Norman knew he was happy.

The other kids were keeping up behind them, they’d trained for this after all. They knew that getting out Phil and the others would be a task, but Emma was determined. For now, they’d run, find shelter of some sort. Who knew what’d happen next.

“I can’t believe we’re actually out.” Norman spoke with wonder in his voice. If Emma’s grin got any bigger, her face would burst.

Right before she was going to reply, Gilda cried out. “Emma, Ray, Norman! What’s that?” She was pointing in front of them, to a distortion of some sort.

Emma stopped running, and Norman motioned for the rest to do the same thing. She narrowed her eyes, peering at the distortion. “Get back!” She said, taking precautions. The rest of the group, spare Norman and Ray, did so.

The distortion started to grow, and the trio at the front began stepping back. Colors started to swirl in shades of green and reds, overpowered by the bright light that was growing at a faster and faster rate.

“Run!” Ray shouted, barely able to be heard over the loud vibrating noises the distortion was making. The kids started to sprint off to the right, not wanting to go anywhere near Gracefield, which was straight back to where the distortion was.

Even so, at the distortion grew bigger and bigger, the cattle children were getting sucked back.

“Hang on to anything around you!” Emma shouted, grabbing a tree. Don wasn’t fast enough, and his grip on the branch started to slip. He cried out as the branch broke, and he was sucked into the swirl of colors.

“No! Don!” Gilda screamed, beginning to slip as well. Soon enough, five more kids had slipped, and the rest were hanging on loosely to trees. Norman’s own grip began to slip, and his eyes widened as he called out.

“Emma!”

He was positioned right next to her, and she was able to catch him just in time for their hands to latch. But the portal grew stronger and stronger, and soon enough she was hanging on by the tips of her fingers. Ray grunted as his branch broke and he was thrown into the torrent.

“No! Ray!” Emma screamed, her own grip slipping. The last of the kids were thrown into the portal, right before Emma and Ray followed.

{~|~}

Present

“My name is Director Fury of the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division. How the hell did you get here?”

Ray narrowed his eyes, and Don noticed that the trio did that trick where they all seemed to know what each other were thinking. With a subtle nod on Norman’s part, Ray stepped forward.

“That’s unimportant currently. Where are we?” Ray spoke in a monotone, schooling his expressions to a blank state.

“I’ll decide what’s important around here,” Fury paused for a second, looking Ray up and down, “But to answer your question, you’re in New York City. Now answer mine.”

Ray looked to Norman and Emma, who both signaled with their eyes to tell him but be cautious.

“We don’t know. There was an…I don’t know how to describe it, portal would be the best word, and it sucked us all in.” Ray said.

Jane jotted this down before looking up. “Was there any blue light? Were people agitated or angry before getting sucked-”

Fury’s hand silenced her. “You can ask those questions soon, Dr. Foster. For now, we need to make sure they aren’t a threat.”

Emma narrowed her eyes. “What if they’re demons?” She whispered to Norman. He looked back at her shakily, clenching his jaw and steeling his face.

“There’s nothing we can do but run in that circumstance. Be prepared.” He whispered back. She gulped.

Fury turned back to the cattle children. “Where were you before this?”

The children stiffened, which Fury and Hill immediately noticed. Ray narrowed his eyes, refusing to answer.

Fury scowled, looking away from Ray to the rest of the group. “Anybody else?” His eyes landed on Emma. “You?” She shook her head, determination written across her face. Norman gave a placid, unrevealing expression in return to Fury’s cold glance.

A few moments of silence passed.

Fury broke it.

“Fine. We’ll do this the hard way. Hill, get a quinjet down here now.”

{~|~}

The kids were taken to separate cells, two in each. Emma was paired with Norman, so they couldn’t communicate to Ray, who was paired with Anna. It was about two hours after they’d arrived in New York, wherever that was, and Emma and Norman were stumped.

They’d gotten medical attention for their ears, which when questioned where they went, had just smirked and refused to give a straight answer.

They’d been left in the cell untouched, waiting for someone to question them, and they couldn’t form a plan.

“Why don’t we go over what we’ll say when we’re questioned.” Emma whispered to Norman, making sure that no cameras could see her lips. They’d checked if there were microphones on them, but if they were in the room then there was nothing they could do but whisper.

He nodded. “Okay.” He whispered back. “If they’re allies of the demons, we can’t tell them we’re from Gracefiel-”

Norman was interrupted when the latch on the cell opened to reveal Fury, standing with an obviously annoyed Ray whose hands were cuffed behind his back. He scowled up at Fury.

“Time for questioning.”

{~|~}

Fury brought the trio to a white, bright room. Norman took on a carefully placid look, and Emma schooled her face as she caught a haunted look flicker in an out of Ray’s eyes, replaced by the indifferent scowl he tended to wear around.

He led them inside. Sitting them down and cuffing each of their right ankles to the chairs they sat on. The lights shined brightly, and Ray raised his eyebrow at the black glass. Norman and Emma caught on half a second later.

They were being watched. This was documented. But who was watching? The two women from before? Dr. Foster? Hill?

Fury got out a small needle filled with a yellow liquid. He proceeded to inject it into each of them, not without considerable fighting from Emma. Norman and Ray had already accepted the fact that they were getting injected, whether they liked it or not.

“What is that?” Norman asked, his face still blank and calm.

“A truth serum.” Fury answered.

The three stiffened.

“Who wants to go first?”

{~|~}

 “There’s going to be so much paperwork.” Maria Hill whispered on the other side of the glass.

“I know.” Phil Coulson whispered back, resigned. They both sighed.

The Avengers, who’d been invited to watch, looked on amusedly. Jane Foster stood there as well, without her assistant sadly, S.H.I.E.L.D. hadn’t let Darcy into the interrogation.

“This’ll definitely be interesting.”

{~|~}

“Your names?” Fury demanded.

“Emma.”

“Norman.”

“Ray.”

That’s what Fury had thought, but that left a few questions.

“What about last names?”

“None.” They answered simultaneously. Ray cursed, annoyed to have the truth so obviously displayed.

“Where do you come from?” Fury asked.

They all stiffened. Emma bit her lip, and her eyes started watering from the strain of not answering. Ray and Norman did the same.

They could only resist for so long, however, before Norman bit out “Gracefield.”

His eyes widened in panic. Emma and Ray looked to him, showing that they understood in their eyes.

So Norman did the only thing he could think of. He calculated the possibility of them knowing about the escape. Even if they didn’t, they definitely knew something was off, considering these were the only kids without trackers.

He was at a loss.

Ray and Emma seemed to be too.

“And where’s that?”

The trio looked up sharply, but no one replied. If he didn’t know where it was, it meant he couldn’t be a part of the rebellion or demons. Or maybe he was lying.

In truth, they didn’t know where it was at all really. What were they meant to say? Behind a wall?

“We don’t know.” Emma spoke up.

“How the hell do you not know where you live?” Fury was taken back.

The trio shrugged.

“You didn’t want to tell me about Gracefield, wherever the hell that is. Why?”

Norman grits his teeth, as do the others. It’s no use, because soon enough Emma is blurting out a slew of words that could get them killed. The other two children don’t fault her, but they wince, and that doesn’t go unnoticed by Fury.

“Because if you knew we were from Gracefield, you’d know we escaped and then you’d kill us.”

“Oh? And what have you done to be held in Gracefield.”

“Be born.” Ray spoke up, wincing.

“The truth serum gets more potent as time goes on, doesn’t it?” Norman looked to Fury, his eyes narrowing.

Fury leaned back, nodding. “It does. How’d you figure?” At Norman’s shrug, he decided to continue. “Can you specify on why you were there?”

“We were going to be killed and eaten.” Emma speaks up, wrinkling her nose at the perversion she felt from the truth serum.

“Eaten? By what?” Fury had schooled his expression by then completely, not letting any emotion show through whatsoever.

“Demons.” Ray scowled.

“Tell me how that works. Why would they put you at an orphanage before eating you?” Fury was skeptical about the “demon” part of it all, but there were Norse gods roaming around straight out of mythology, so what did he know.

“Children are born from mothers, who were previously children who lived at orphanages. After bearing a child, they go to take care of an orphanage and make sure the children are safe until they get shipped out. The children go to the orphanages and take tests, and the ones with the higher scores get to keep on living until they reach twelve. They’re considered high-grade produce, not to be shipped out until they’re twelfth birthday. Female perfect-scorers are, depending on what the mother thinks, given the chance to become a sister, and eventually a mother. No cattle-child is meant to find out, they think they’re going to a foster home.” Emma blurted.

There was a moment of silence.

“And you escaped. How did you find out? Who found out first?” Fury tried to wait it out, and keep from thinking about what he’d just heard.

“I knew from when I was born. I didn’t suffer childhood amnesia.” Ray said, his voice cold.

“So you told them.” Fury stated. Ray shook his head.

“They found out when they snuck off and saw the corpse of a six-year-old.”

The other two cringed, remembering.

“Why hadn’t you told anyone?”

“I was working as a spy for our mom, Isabella. I was a double-agent. Obviously I wanted to escape so I used it to my advantage. The deal was for Emma, Norman and I to live to our last days, no matter what, in exchange for my services.”

Fury nodded, taking the information in. He’d sort it out later.

“And knowing all of this, I’d guess you’d want to stay here?”

Emma shook her head, followed by Norman, and, albeit reluctantly, Ray.

“We’re going to free the rest of the Gracefield kids. And the rest.” She clenched her fist determinedly.

Fury sighed. “The guards will bring you back to your cells. We’ll figure out where to put you, and how to open that portal, even though we may not even let you go then due to your age.”

“But-”

He ignored her, motioning for the two guards outside to secure them and bring them back.

{~|~}

The Avengers listened to the conversation from the other side of the glass wall. Fury started asking for their names.

“What about last names?”

“None.”

“That’s odd.” Bruce noted, marking it down in his notes.

“Who knows, it could be completely normal in their world.” Natasha shrugged.

“Where do you come from?”

The Avengers watched as the trio resisted, straining for some odd reason.

“Is it really that hard to say?” Steve asked.

“They might be runaways, that’s what I’m thinking.” Tony put in,

“Gracefield.”

“And where’s that?”

The kids looked at a loss.

“We don’t know.”

“Do they really not know where they live?”

“As I said earlier, their world could be completely different from ours.

“You didn’t want to tell me about Gracefield, wherever the hell that is. Why?”

The kids looked panicked, as if they thought that if they said the wrong thing then bad things would happen. They visibly resisted.

“They’ve got some guts, you gotta appreciate that.” Tony noted. The other Avengers nodded in agreement.

“Because if you knew we were from Gracefield, you’d know we escaped and then you’d kill us.”

That stunned everybody.

“Jesus.” Clint said.

“I was expecting them getting sent back, not getting killed.” Steve said with wide eyes.

“That’s screwed up.” Tony muttered.

“Is it a prison?” Natasha wondered aloud.

“Oh? And what have you done to be held in Gracefield.”

“Be born.”

This raised some eyebrows. “He’s not even kidding, he can’t. He’s under truth serum.” Clint spoke.

“This is getting even more screwed up as it continues on.” Steve agreed.

“Do you think there was some kind of a war? Maybe they’re part of a race that’s being oppressed.” Bruce theorized.

“Yeah, definitely plausible.” Clint nodded.

“The truth serum gets more potent as time goes on, doesn’t it?” The silver haired boy spoke.

“He’s smart.” Natasha said, narrowing her eyes in thought.

“Can you specify on why you were there?”

“Oh, finally. Getting to the good part.” Tony leaned back.

“We were going to be killed and eaten.”

Tony bolted up in shock. “What the hell?”

Steve eyes were wide. “No way, how old are they? They can’t be more than thirteen.”

“To be put in that situation and then escape…it is truly a feat of honor. These young warriors have faced harrowing times of hardship, and nonetheless have held out and braved through it all.” Thor, who had been uncharacteristically quiet up until this point noted.

“But killed…and eaten…” Clint said out loud in horror.

“Eaten? By what?”

“Demons.”

“Okay, now they’ve got to pulling our leg. Even if they believe it’s demons, it can’t actually be demons, right?” Tony said skeptically.

“Different world. They aren’t real here, maybe. But over there? Who knows.” Clint shook his head.

“Tell me how that works. Why would they put you at an orphanage before eating you?”

“Children are born from mothers, who were previously children who lived at orphanages. After bearing a child, they go to take care of an orphanage and make sure the children are safe until they get shipped out. The children go to the orphanages and take tests, and the ones with the higher scores get to keep on living until they reach twelve. They’re considered high-grade produce, not to be shipped out until they’re twelfth birthday.”

“Jesus. Living until they reach twelve? Like it’s a privilege.” Clint said, horrified.

“Wait, but if all kids die off at twelve, how are there still mothers?” Tony asked.

“And better question is, how do they live with themselves knowing that they’re shipping of kids to get eaten!” Steve shook with anger.

“Female perfect-scorers are, depending on what the mother thinks, given the chance to become a sister, and eventually a mother. No cattle-child is meant to find out, they think they’re going to a foster home.”

“Wait, what?! So these kids know what they’re getting into beforehand. When they’re twelve?” Bruce was astonished.

“This world they live in is ripe with peril.” Thor spoke. “How dare they let these innocents die so easily?”

“Not just that, but they must be so confused before they die. And when the kids say they’re goodbye’s they don’t even realize it’s forever.” Steve was wide eyed.

“And you escaped. How did you find out? Who found out first?”

“I knew from when I was born. I didn’t suffer childhood amnesia.”

“Childhood amnesia?” Steve asked.

“It’s why we don’t remember anything from when we’re babies or young toddlers.” Natasha explained.

“So you told them.”

“They found out when they snuck off and saw the corpse of a six-year-old.”

“Again, what the hell!?” Clint was beyond horrified now. “I’d be shaken seeing that, but eleven-year-olds?”

“They must have known her too…” Bruce trailed off.

“Why hadn’t you told anyone?”

“I was working as a spy for our mom, Isabella. I was a double-agent. Obviously I wanted to escape so I used it to my advantage. The deal was for Emma, Norman and I to live to our last days, no matter what, in exchange for my services.”

The group was silent for a second.

“He was just a little kid, and he’d already arranged all of that?” Clint said quietly.

“Not only that, but he’d had to watch his friends leave, knowing they were walking to their deaths.” Natasha put in.

“This is so screwed up…” Clint trailed off.

“And knowing all of this, I’d guess you’d want to stay here?”

“Well duh, what do you think?” Tony said sarcastically.

“We’re going to free the rest of the Gracefield kids. And the rest.”

“What?!” Tony exclaimed. “They want to go back there?!”

“Wouldn’t you, if you left people you cared about behind?” Bruce asked.

“I guess so…” Tony answered, sighing. These kids were so young and they’d had to go through all this? It was crazy.

“It is a valiant feat, truly.” Thor spoke up.

The Avengers agreed quietly, in murmurs. They were all shocked to some degree, and all horrified. Natasha was sympathetic in some ways, as some of their experiences were similar to her own. Ray in particular.

These kids were what, 12? And they’d not only escaped from the facility, but had to see their friends die.

That wasn’t even accounting for the babies and toddlers left back at the Orphanage-no, Farm.

Bruce spoke up first. “We can’t let them go back into the portal. It’s not safe.”

“But we can’t let toddlers die either. We’ll have to stage a rescue mission.” Steve agreed, putting in his own two cents.

Natasha nodded mutely, considering tactics.

They’d rescue those toddlers.

{~|~}

Chapter Text

Ray didn’t know the time, which annoyed him immensely. Anna was being questioned right now, but he’d asked her to try to figure out where New York was, exactly, in addition to getting the time.

The cell was grey, steel walls and no windows. A single fluorescent light which flickered every few seconds or so. The front of the cell wasn’t barred, it was two steel doors sealed together, controlled by some machinery of a sort he didn’t know (which peeved him, he disliked not knowing things).

The two bunk beds in the room signified they may be staying for longer, though he doubted it. The cell looked more short-term than anything.

He scowled, kicking the bunkbeds leg. Norman and Emma had gotten the luck of being together, so maybe they’d figure something out.

He was pulled out of his ponderings by the sound of footsteps, echoing down the hall, growing closer with each step. He was reassured that it wasn’t Isabella by the way the steps sounded, but it seems he couldn’t get that petrifying click of heels out of his head.

The door opened with a whir, and he looked up to see Anna looking back at him, along with Fury and Hill. Anna stepped inside, but the doors stayed open.

“Who’s the leader of your little group?” Fury asked, directing the question to Anna.

He realized the serum must still be in her system, so she was forced to answer.

“We have three. Norman, Emma, and Ray.”

Ray scowled. He knew Fury already knew, so why was he asking? Maybe for conformation? To confuse Ray?

“That’s what we thought. Ray, you and the other two are coming with us. We have a team of people who have offered their help in getting the kids out. You’ll have to stay where they’re currently housed as long as discussions are going on. Emma and Norman have already agreed and are waiting in front of a quinjet.”

Well, if they agreed he wasn’t going to say no.

{~|~}

Norman’s ear wasn’t killing him, which was odd. He figured they must have slipped some painkiller into their drinks, because Emma didn’t seem to have any pain either.

He saw Ray walk out, Fury next to him and Hill trailing behind him.

When they finish approaching, Norman quietly whispers to Ray.

“Are you hurt? How’s your ear?” His voice, though near silent, is concerned.

“No. And fine. They probably gave us painkillers.”

Norman knew that Ray had already figured that out if he wasn’t in pain.

They soon boarded the quinjet, staying close to each other and trying to ignore the prying glances of Fury and Hill.

“We’re so high…” Emma said in awe.

Norman smiled, looking out the window. Ray took a glance too, but didn’t let any excitement show through his indifferent mask.

“Yeah.” Norman spoke, grinning. “Yeah, we are.”

{~|~}

When they arrived at the tower, Emma gaped at the tall structure. She hadn’t had a chance to admire it before then, disoriented by the portal.

They entered, standing in some sort of machine that took them to one of the top floors, where the Avengers were housed.

Stepping out, the full-score trio looked into the room to see a group of six people. Ray was immediately on the defensive, and the other two knew to be very conservative with the information they gave out.

Unless, of course, they were behind the black glass. Which was probable.

“Avengers, this is Emma, Norman, and Ray. You three, these are the Avengers. Iron Man,” Iron Man gave an exaggerated wave. “Or Tony Stark.”

Maria paused, looking over to them before continuing. “This is-”

“Capsicle, no other name available.” The man, Stark, butted in. Maria sighed.

“If you want to do introductions stark, be my guest.” She told him, giving a pointed look. He smirked.

“Over there’s Legolas, that’s Natashalie, that’s Big Green, and blondie’s name is Point Break.”

Norman looked amused, and Emma was on high alert. Ray just scowled.

“Ok, not happy campers. Well, I can show you where you’ll be staying?”

{~|~}

Once they were settled, Norman went over to Ray’s room, along with Emma who was across the hall from both of them.

He knocked three times before hearing a “come in.”

He entered, Emma in tow and sat down on the bed.

“Why do you think they want us here?” Emma asked.

“They didn’t tell you?” Fury had said that they’d agreed, now he wasn’t so sure.

She shook her head.

“Why’d you agree to come here then?” Ray questioned.

“Because you agreed.” Norman said simply. Ray warmed a bit, though he didn’t let it show. It felt…good to be trusted that much.

“Fury said the same about you. Lied, the bastard. At any rate, those six people are called the Avengers, which you already know. They’ve agreed to help us rescue the children in the other farms, and the toddlers and babies in ours.” He looked them both in the eye as he said this, letting them get a hold of the information.

“This…this could potentially be really good.” Norman said, looking up.

“How can we trust them?” Emma voiced, which surprised Ray as usually she was the risky one.

“We can’t. But it’s the best shot we’ve got.” Norman answered.

“I guess. I’m still determined to go back, and if they’re trustworthy this could be the way we win.” Emma concurred.

There was a moment of silence at this revelation.

“I’m in too.” Ray agreed reluctantly.

The three were shocked out of the conversation by Jarvis’ voice over the speakers.

“Emma, Norman, Ray, your presence is required in the living room. I will give you directions.”

The three sighed, and began to make their way there.

{~|~}

When they arrived, they were immediately sat down at a table to discuss the plan for the rescue.

“There are six walls that surround a forest in Gracefield. Behind the walls are cliffs, and in front of the forest is the house.” Emma started.

“There’s an area on one of the walls where the cliff is closer to the wall than any other place. We escaped by using coat hangers over string that we threw and looped around the trees on the other side of the cliff. The bridge is also an option, but by now it’s bound to be covered by even more demons.” Norman continued.

“Security has definitely increased. Then we have mom to worry about, I’m sure she isn’t going to fall for the same thing.” Ray finished.

“You don’t really need to worry about that, Sunny. Oh, that’s good. Sunny? Like Ray? As is a ray of sun? Anyway, Sunny, the Avengers are either enhanced with superpowers, or have some other trick up their sleeves.”

Ray scowled. “Don’t call me that.”

Tony just winked.

Emma looked uncomfortable. “I think our world may have different rules. I can run incredibly fast and can jump into tall trees from the ground. Sister crone could hop huge distances and was insanely fast strong. There might be a difference to regular humans here.”

“So we’re facing demons and meta-humans. We’ve done similar things. What are these demons like?”

The trio shook their heads. “We don’t really know. We know that they eat humans, and are huge, but otherwise we’ve never interacted with one.”

The Avengers nodded their heads in acknowledgement.

“Okay, I think we have enough information.” Steve had been drawing out the Gracefield house to use a reference. “Tony, you’ll be stationed here…”

The scheming continued, and Emma grinned. Maybe they’d be alright after all.

{~|~}

After Emma and Norman had gone to bed, Ray sat in his bed alone.

They’d gotten the best situation possible, so why did he feel so on edge.

God, he’d lived his entire life thinking he was going to die and in a day had not only readjusted that belief, but escaped the living hell he’d been in.

Emma and Ray didn’t understand. They’d known for a few months; he’d known for years. He’d seen sisters and brothers leave with huge smiles, knowing that they’d die in the next two hours.

He had stopped crying eventually.

He didn’t stop now.

He was quiet, and it was only a lone tear.

It wasn’t going to hurt anybody.

He’d never tell them the truth about his birth, and he’d keep this mess contained. The rest of them had their own shit to deal with.

“Sir, you appear to be in distress. Should I contact Mr. Stark?” A voice rang out from above the.

So he was being watched.

“No.” He grit out, binding his embarrassment at being caught in a moment of weakness. “Who are you?”

“I am an A.I. interface, or artificial intelligence. Should I contact one of the other two young ones?”

An artificial intelligence? That was crazy.

“No.” He said again, glaring at the ceiling. His message was apparently received, because the A.I. didn’t say another word.

{~|~}

In the morning, after breakfast the three were called back to the scheming room.

“So,” Steve started, “We need to know if the mom, Isabella is it? Is a meta-human.”

The three looked at each other. “It’s possible…” Norman started, trailing off.

“But you don’t know.” Natasha finished.

The three nodded.

“We’d need a DNA sample from her.” Tony said, looking at a Starkpad.

“Where are we going to get one of those?” Clint questioned,

“You can’t. Nothing’s in this dimension-” Emma started, but Ray cut her off.

“Yes, we do.” He spoke coldly.

“Huh? What do you mean?” Emma was confused.

“It’s unimportant, but I have a way to do this. You two have to trust me.”

“Why? Why won’t you tell us. We said no more keeping secrets.” Emma was angry. Great.

He didn’t want to tell them. He didn’t want to see their faces when they knew-what would they think of him? Spawn of the beast?

“Emma-” He tried again, a desperate tinge to his voice.

“No. Tell us.” Her voice was steely, and it was clear there was only on remaining option.

He sighed.

“Mamas are expected to give birth before fully becoming mothers. They don’t see their babies ever again. At least not usually.”

“Are one of the kids Mama’s?” Norman asked, his eyes widening. Ray cringed internally.

“Yes.” Hopefully they’d let him say just that…

“Who?” She was determined now, and in one desperate last try he spoke.

“Emma-”

“Don’t give me that Ray.” She was even angrier now.

“It’s me.”

The bombshell dropped.

{~|~}

 “Wh-what?” Emma stuttered.

“It’s me. What else do you want to hear? Don’t give me that crap.” He snapped.

Norman had recovered quicker. “You’re her biological child? And you didn’t tell us?”

“It wasn’t important.” Ray said dispassionately.

“Like hell it wasn’t.” Emma said angrily, though Ray knew that her tone wasn’t at the fact that he was the child and more that he’d kept it from them. He winced.

“Hey, hey. Let’s not argue. At least now we have an in, right?” Steve tried to interject.

“When did you find out?” Norman ignored Steve, asking the question in a softer tone.

“I knew from when I was a child.” Ray grit out. “Anyway, just take my blood sample and you’ll be fine.”

There was a silence, broken by Tony when he spoke. “C’mon then sunshine.” The two left for the medbay with Bruce.

{~|~}

He knew that he was the spawn of a monster since his birth.

Though he didn’t understand it then, when he was old enough to reflect on the memories the horror of his situation nipped at him until he couldn’t stand it anymore.

So he asked Mama, his mother, why she had him.

Survival.

She’d said survival.

From that day on, there was no love and compassion in private. Just a watchdog and his master.

So when they found out, his best friends, those who he trusted above everyone else, he couldn’t take it. He’d never planned to tell them. They’d been angry.

He sighed, forcing his thoughts away from the argument. He felt a sharp pain in his arm, the needle sliding in, and felt his blood begin to draw out.

Chapter Text

Eventually, the blood had been drawn and the Avengers had scattered. Emma, hungry, had walked into the kitchen only to meet Thor, who was grabbing at some poptarts.

“What are those?” She asked, eyeing the bright, sugary treat. Thor’s eyes lit up and he grinned.

“Tis a poptart, the sweetest, best sweet Midgard has to offer.” He answered, looking her up and down. He hummed to himself for a second, before turning back to her. He didn’t like to share his poptarts, but he’d make an exception just this once.

“Have one?” He asked her, looking at her intently.

She nodded, exited to try something new, but the feeling was soon smothered by guilt. Thor noticed this, and though many thought him a fool, he knew enough to know that she was guilty of her actions earlier.

“Something ails your mind, a burden on your shoulders based in guilt.” It was an olive branch, an invitation for her to speak, which she took reluctantly.

“I shouldn’t have been angry, earlier…” Emma drifted off.

“He deceived you, did he not?” Thor furrowed his eyebrows.

“Yeah, but he probably thinks I’m made that he’s her son. I just wished he would’ve told us.” Emma sighed.

“He seems to be gifted with a full mind, I’m sure he came to a different conclusion than you might believe.” He took another bite of his poptart.

“Maybe. I just, what did he do to deserve this?!” She spat out in anger. “He’s done nothing wrong! Why’d he have to...” She stopped, and put her hand on her forehead, a few tears drifting down her cheeks.”

Thor was out of his depth, but he remembered what his own mother had done when he was weeping. He took her hand and looked her in the eye. “It’s going to be fine. Your friendship is strong, and it will survive this. Of that I am sure. For now, I believe it would be best for you to get some rest.”

She nodded, and Thor escorted her to her room in silence. She let out a quiet “thank you” and entered the room.

{~|~}

Norman sighed, sitting on his bed alone. He looked up to the ceiling, thinking.

Had Ray really hidden that much from them? He thought. Does he not trust us? No. No, it’s not that…was he…guilty? Ashamed? Did he think we’d think less of him?

“And what did we do, yell at him.” Norman bit out. He put his hands on his head, and sighed.

Why does life have to be so complicated?

He needed to talk to Ray. But he needed to get Emma first.

{~|~}

The room was cold, and dark. Which was fine, he could deal with the cold if he could deal with almost being eaten by Demons. He could deal with the cold if he could deal with cutting off his ear. He could deal with the cold if he’d planned to set himself on fire.

He could deal with the cold.

He breathed in and out shallowly, looking up with a dead, defeated look in his eyes. His body felt heavy, and he wanted to claw at his wrists till he bled her out.

His body was filled with her, his body was filled with a monster’s blood. When he walked, he could her the click of her heels, foreboding and terrifying. When he looked in the mirror, he could see the warm, fake smile plastered onto her face every time he saw her, except for when the two were alone.

He could hear the song she’d sang whenever he closed his eyes.

He was startled out of his reverie when he heard a knocking at the door.

“Ray? Can we come in?” Emma’s voice pierced his ears, and he took a deep breath and steeled himself.

“Sure. It’s not locked.” He called back.

He wasn’t surprised when Norman entered from behind her. Emma immediately sat down, while Norman looked at him calculatingly, gauging his emotional state.

“First of all,” Emma began, “we’re really sorry. We shouldn’t have snapped.”

Ray shrugged, playing it off. “It’s fine. I understand.” In truth, it really hurt him. But he wasn’t about to tell them that.

Emma looked at him sourly, easily seeing through his nonchalant expression.

“No, it’s not. We shouldn’t have snapped.” She argued. Ray sighed, clutching his forehead.

“Look, I shouldn’t have hidden it from you. You have every right to be upset. I’m not mad.” Ray spoke.

Norman continued to analyze him, until his eyes widened in realization.

“You know we don’t care, right?” He asked.

“Yeah, of course.” Ray answered.

“And it’s not your fault, either. It doesn’t change anything.”

“Yes, it fucking does.” Ray grit out, looking up to them. “Can’t you see it? When I walk, it’s her footsteps. When I bleed, it’s her blood. Can’t you see it?!”

It was rare for Ray to express this much emotion, usually relying on small cues to convey his meanings. Norman looked at him softly, about to try to dissuade him from his belief, but Emma jumped to the task first.

“Look at me, Ray! You’ve done nothing wrong, and you are nothing like her. It’s not your fault, you can’t whose who your born to! Your blood is your blood, not hers! And when you walk I hear you Ray, not Mama.” Her voice was strong, and she gripped his hand.

“How can you say that?” His hair fell over his eyes and he looked down. “You know what she did to us.”

“Exactly. That’s how I know she isn’t you.” Emma gripped his hand tighter, Norman taking the other and doing the same.

A lone tear dripped down his face.

It was going to be okay.

{~|~}

Emma and Norman hadn’t gone back to their rooms, instead they stayed in Ray’s bed, huddling up together close. Tomorrow was the day they’d have to go back to that world. The world of demons, and mothers who fed their children to those demons. A world where humans might be extinct. A world of pain.

They wouldn’t just be freeing the Gracefield toddlers, but also every other cattle kid on the farms.

Maybe one of them wouldn’t make it back out alive.

“Mm…” Emma began to wake, rolling over into Ray, who mumbled incoherently as he slowly woke too. Emma blinked, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes and sitting up. “Ray…you up?”

He nodded groggily, sitting up from in between the two of them. Norman was still asleep, so he shook his shoulder to wake him up.

Slowly, Norman sat up, looking at the two of them. “Today’s the day we go back.”

“Yeah.” Yawned Emma. She smiled, but it quickly fell of her face, alerting the two boys that it was serious. “Guys…I just want to say, if anything happens out there-”

“We’re not going there.” Ray cut her off.

“It’ll be fine, Emma. We’ll all be fine.”

“I hope so.”

{~|~}

After the trio changed, they went to the kitchen and got something to eat. The Avengers waited for them to finish, looking at the three intently.

Each one looked like a switch had been flipped. Emma had fiery determination in her eyes, Ray had a calculating look, and his posture looked defensive, and Norman looked oddly placid, but you could see the spark of intelligence in his eye as bright as they’d ever seen it.

Emma looked to the other two. “Let’s do this.” Ray and Norman nodded.

The Avengers showed them the quinjet, and they all entered.

{~|~}

The ride to the base wasn’t long. When they got inside, they were adamant that the first thing they would do would be saying their goodbyes to the rest of the group. It had only been a day or so, maybe a bit longer, since they were away.

They stepped inside the room where they’d grouped the other twelve children, looking around to see the passionate faces of every child there.

“We’re ready to fight!” Lannion and Thoma said in unison.

Anna nodded quietly, but there was a determined look on her face.

Gilda nodded, gripping Don’s hand. “Us too.”

Ray, Norman and Emma looked at them all, and Norman shook his head.

“No. You’re staying here.”

“But-” Don started to protest.

“We’ve seen some videos of the Avengers. Mama and the demons don’t stand a chance.” Emma said confidently. “Not only that, but we’ve got Ray, Norman and I. We can do this, and we don’t want to put you in danger.”

The rest of the group looked discouraged, but then Lannion yelled out. “Go Emma! Go Ray! Go Norman! You can do it!”

Thoma immediately agreed. “You guys will bring them back, we know it!”

Emma stood taller, and the other the other two, who were both on the outside of her, nodded in determination.

“We will! We’ll do it!” Emma yelled back at them.

As they were exiting the room, they heard a clamor of “Good lucks!” and “We believe in you!” And “Be safe!”

Emma looked more on fire than before, if that was even possible.

{~|~}

They were taken to a room plunged into dark, with specs of light from glowing pieces of technology lit up certain places in the room. There was a glass wall cutting of a section of the room, and inside it was one glowing, gun-like piece of equipment, aimed at the wall.

A woman with brown hair, who the trio recognized as “Hill,” or at least that was what Fury referred to her, walked over to them.

“You’ve all been briefed. And I want you to listen to the kids, don’t trust your own intuition if you don’t need to, they’re the experts of this world. We also learned that Isabella is a meta-human, as you all know. Be careful.”

They had been briefed of course, and it didn’t surprise Ray that his mother was a meta-human. How else could you explain her physical abilities? But then again, to a degree he probably was a meta-human too, and Emma even more so.

“3…2…1!” A scientist called from a control station, before a similar looking portal opened up on the glass side of the wall. The Avengers were in full gear behind them, and Emma took Norman and Ray’s hands.

“Let’s do this. Let’s win.”

The two nodded in response, and with a final squeeze, Hill cleared them to enter the room.

The portal widened, and they were immediately sucked in.