Daughter of the Shield

Chapter 9

Jo sat on her bed, starring at the wall with a blank expression. She hadn't spoken to anyone when she woke up. Banner said she was most likely in shock, her brain was struggling to comprehend what had happened. It was obvious she had been experimented on again. The test results they had run using her blood came back with readings even Tony struggled to make sense of. Not to mention her MRIs showed unusual brain activity, but no one could figure out what it was.

"You should talk to her"

"I thought you were running tests on the scepter" Steve muttered, glancing at Tony.

"This is more important"

"You find anything that could help her regain her memory?"

"Nothing. I don't even know what affects the scepter had on her."

"How do you know they used it on her?"

"Think about it. All the tests I've run have come back with results I've never seen! They did something weird to her" Tony muttered.

"I wish I could help her"

"That's why I suggested you talk to her, might do some good"

"I called Coulson, he should be here soon"

"And in the meantime," Tony motioned towards Jo giving Steve a look. Steve sighed, Tony was right, as much as he hated to admit it. He should talk to Jo.

"Hey, can I come in?" Steve asked, cracking open the door. Jo didn't respond. Steve stepped into the room anyway, taking a seat in the chair beside the bed. "Listen," Steve sighed "I know you're scared, I understand how you feel. Waking up in a strange place where you don't- "

"You don't know how I feel"

"What?"

"You don't know how I feel" Jo repeated, her voice barely above a whisper. "Sure, you know what it's like to wake up in a strange place where you don't know anyone. But you woke up knowing who you were, what had happened to you, and what kind of person you are."

"You didn't lose all your memories through"

"True, but I don't know who I am now. I don't know what kind of things I've done or who I've hurt. I remember breaking out of Hydra's lab, the heat as that hell turned to ash, the feeling of their bones breaking in my hands as I killed them. That was not the same Jo who was captured and I'm afraid of who I became after that."

Steve didn't know what to say. Jo was right, he had no clue what she was going through. Waking up in a different century was hard enough, but waking up in a different century not remembering the last sixty years of your life was a whole other level.

"You were in hiding for 28 eight years after you escaped," Steve began. "Shield recruited you in 1994. You became Shield's best agent and a secret very few knew of. Your handler and the man who recruited you is Phil Coulson. He's your best friend. You're not a murder, you do not kill without good reason, you've made some mistakes and tough calls but we all have. You prefer to work alone, but that stopped after we became partners."

"We're partners?"

"Yes, I requested that you be made my partner after the Battle of New York. No one should be alone for as long as you had been so, I decided to change that. You like pineapple and pepperoni on your pizza, your favorite movie is the third Harry Potter movie, your favorite musician is Johnny Cash, although you would never admit it I knew you loved Taylor Swift as well. You're stubborn, sometimes a pain in the ass, unbelievably sarcastic, you keep your fair share of secrets, and you are the most loyal person I have ever known."

"How do you know all that?"

"We're neighbors, partners, and friends. Also, I'm your dad, so it's kind of my job to know that stuff" Steve explained.

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Of course,"

"Why didn't I go see my mother after I escaped?" Jo whispered tears welled up in her eyes. Steve moved from the chair to the bed, wrapping his arm around her shoulders.

"When you escaped, ten years had passed. Peggy had remarried and had another child. You decided it was best that you didn't reenter Peggy's life, not wanting to ruin what she had built. When I came out of the ice, you also hid the fact you were my daughter from me, because you didn't want to burden me" Steve explained. "But here's what's going to happen now, I'm going to help you. You helped me with transitioning into this new century so now I'm going to return the favor. Plus, you're my kid, I don't give a damn if your over seventy, you're still my kid."

"Woah, Steve don't use that kind of language in front of your kid"

"Tony told you too!" Steve groaned looking at Coulson who had just walked in.

"Who are you?"

"I'm Phil Coulson, we're- "

"Best friends?" Jo asked. Phil slightly smiled.

"Something like that."

Steve walked aimlessly around the tower. He had left Phil and Jo, knowing Phil would probably want some time with Jo alone. He didn't mind, Phil was Jo's family. Steve meant what he said though. He was going to help her through this, even if she never fully regained her memories, he would be there for her. Jo would not go through this alone, Steve would make sure of it.

Jo sat on her bed reading the files Natasha had brought her. Tony had set her up with her own room in the tower, right next to Steve's. Natasha and Clint had grabbed every case file they could find on Jo, hoping they would help with her memories.

Jo had met everyone on the team, they had all talked to her, told her stories, and showed her pictures but it didn't do much. It was hard to think. Jo felt like her brain had been broken into a million pieces and that she may never be able to put each piece into the same place it had been before. It was weird, her memories up until she escaped Hydra was clear, but she could only remember fragments of what happened after that. She saw some faces, like the young man with silver hair, though she didn't remember who he was or how they knew each other. She remembered the battle on the helicarriers, but Steve was the one who told her the man with the metal arm was Bucky, his childhood best friend.

Meeting Coulson might have been the only thing that had helped. The two talked for hours. Phil told every story he could recall. From when he bought her the chocolate croissant, to when she kicked his ass in training, and he talked about the time Jo deeply regretted pulling a prank on Phil that involved messing with his coffee.

Jo fell asleep that night surrounded by papers and old photographs.

Jo stood in a large fancy room. Everyone was there. Steve, Tony, Natasha, Agent Hill, Barton, a man she didn't recognize, and Thor were all starring at this... robot? Its wires were all exposed and chunks of its arm were missing or partially destroyed. Suddenly, other robots burst in through the walls and attacked! Jo trusted her instincts and jumped onto one. It swung itself in every direction trying to throw her off, it finally did by smashing her into a wall. Jo scrambled to her feet. The robot flew straight at her. Jo raised her fist and punched the damn thing in the head, crushing its metal skull.

Thor destroyed one with his hammer and Tony stabbed a metal stick into another's neck.

"Cap!" Clint shouted, throwing Steve his shield.

Thor threw his hammer with all his strength, it broke the robot into pieces.

Jo gasped for air as she jolted awake. "What the hell?" she muttered. Jo sat up and wiped the sweat from her face. What were those things? Maybe it was a memory? How could Jo forget something like fighting robots?