A/N: Things I don't want you to do after reading this: kill me. I'll freely admit, this chapter is a little…uh, well I'll let you decide that part. But anyway, this is it. I'll try to update semi-regularly, especially since I plan on writing at least half of this before actually putting this on the site. I hope you enjoy! Also, I'm very sorry for my, like, two month long radio silence. Let's hope that doesn't happen again.

Disclaimer: I don't think I'm cool enough to own this.

Chapter One

It was all Percy's fault.

No memories, no familiarity, no you-remind-me-of-someone's. Nothing.

In fact, as Percy sat numbly in his hospital room, he knew for a fact that if he would've been better, done better, been smarter, he might've been able to avoid this whole fiasco. He should've been able to stop this. In his opinion, this was his fault.

But technically, it was all the crazy girl with a tragic backstory's fault.

How could they not remember him at all? How could a person be erased from someone's mind so completely?

It was always the crazy people, although it was a little different now that it was a woman. It was usually a crazy, cocky guy. Percy had never dealt with a hysterical, evil woman. He figured it had to happen sometime in his life though, and honestly, he thought the girl was scarier than the guys. Like, ten times scarier.

She called herself "The Exacter," and the best Percy could figure was that she exacted her revenge on people for doing…something. That's what Percy and the team were still trying to figure out, even as they were on their way to the latest scene of the exacting.

"You know, you gotta hand it to this chick," Tony said, examining where his nails would be if his suit hadn't covered them up. "She's made it a lot farther than these other random upstart guys."

Natasha flipped her hair. "That's because women are more determined and effective than men." She sniffed but permitted herself a small, wry smile. "And did I mention smarter?"

"I think you're a little biased there, Nat," Clint said, "seeing as you're a woman."

"And they're just all-around better," Natasha went on, completely ignoring Clint.

Percy grinned. "We get it, Natasha. You're the best one on the team. You don't have to rub it in for us lesser folks." Percy gave an exaggerated nod over in Thor's direction as he made a "what can you do" expression. The hovercraft filled with laughter. Thor wagged a finger at Percy but let it go, smiling all the while.

"We're nearing the drop sight," Steve said, sobering up the mood. "I know we all have different drop sights, so be ready for yours. If you get into trouble, call for help over the comm. Remember that Bruce is our extra set of eyes and ears up here." Bruce gave a small wave and turned back to his console to finish setting up his various feeds of audio and visual.

Percy watched everyone go—he was the last one—and tried to observe his surroundings before he landed. They were in a quieter part of Manhattan. SHEILD had blocked off the few cars that would pass on these roads and shut down the small couple-storey shops on the street. The target building he would eventually go in was three stories and looked to be an old book shop on the outside. That's new, Percy thought. It was well-kept and had most of its paint still on the building, unlike the other dumps they usually dug criminals out of. Its sign was in good condition, and the front had flowers growing in front of the building in a few pots. If Percy hadn't known it was an evil lair, he might've thought it was a place Annabeth would go to draw up more plans or read.

In the end, maybe that was the thing that should've tipped him off. The fact that it looked so normal.

Normal can be misleading. He should've paid attention. He should have known.

It was nearing Percy's drop site, so he patted Bruce on the shoulder and slid down the ladder they lowered for him. He entered the back of the building, opening the door carefully and quietly, checking for cameras. The loose plan was to try and surround the Exacter and try to trap her then to bring her in for questioning.

To Percy, it seemed like something was off. They had studied the basic layout of the building, so Percy knew exactly where to go, but something just didn't seem right. The hallways were clear, and there were only two rooms on this floor, both filled from top to bottom with bookcases, although most were empty. He saw one book still lying on the bookshelf, though. He squinted to read the title. That's weird, he thought, but the book title was The End Is Nigh. That was a little foreboding. Surely that wasn't the name. He stepped closer to get a better look, unable to resist.

Suddenly, he was doused from his head to his waist with a sprayer from the ceiling, scaring him so much that he jumped a good foot off the ground. Where the heck did that come from? he wondered in frustration as he stepped out of its firing direction. I thought I checked all the ceilings.

He could tell it wasn't water, for sure. It tasted funny, and it made his skin crawl and the world tip from side to side. He coughed and gagged, trying to spit out whatever he had swallowed, but he could tell it was too late. He had already breathed it in and ingested it, so he was drugged and there was nothing he could do about it. He really hoped it was just a drug and not a poison, anyway.

The walls started to change colors, and Percy found this funny for some reason. He chuckled, and then shook his head. He was supposed to be doing something. But what was it? He couldn't remember, but he figured that if he found the others, they would be able to tell him and get rid of this nauseous feeling while they were at it.

He began to walk unsteadily down the hall, brushing his hand along the wall for balance and because he was bored. Where was everybody, anyway? Why he was in this creepy, dusty old building was beyond him.

Percy heard a small sound coming from another part of the building. He walked a little faster, trying to get closer to the sound to see what it was. Maybe it was his friends! As he neared the end of the hall, he heard that it wasn't just any sound: it was someone screaming. And then another person started. And then another. Percy's feet recognized who they were before his brain could catch up. He began to run, and with every step he took, his brain seemed to be saying get to team need help need help help them get to team.

This wasn't part of the plan, Percy hazily remembered. What had gone so wrong that they were all in trouble? Were they hurt? His anger at that cleared his mind temporarily of the clouds before they slid right back to where they were before, obscuring his mind.

He sprang up the second floor stairs and knew that the screams weren't coming from there. He bounded up to the third floor and heard the screams get louder. He ran faster and faster, flinging open the multiple doors on this floor and calling out his friends' names. Finally, a few doors until the end, he picked the right room.

He saw them all standing on the far side of the room and knew in a moment of clarity that they were all drugged. Then he shook his head. He heard screaming. None of his friends were screaming here, obviously, so where had it come from? Then he noticed that Bruce was also here behind a very confused Thor and frantic Tony. He was supposed to say in the helicopter listening for everyone. He was supposed to be their extra eyes and ears. He was only supposed to come down in emergencies. This wasn't an emergency. Bruce wasn't even the Hulk right now. He was just drugged Bruce. What was he doing here?

"Hello, Percy," a voice said behind Percy, abruptly cutting off the sounds of screaming. He whirled around unsteadily to face, for the first time, the Exacter. She looked like a normal woman you'd see on the street, maybe someone with a business degree or a lawyer type. The only thing that gave her away, Percy thought, was her eyes. He could see the psycho in them. "You seem a little confused." Her voice was sultry, and it sounded like she smoked a pack of cigarettes a day.

"What…" Percy's words seemed to cling to his throat, not wanting to escape into the world. He started over. "What did you—what did you do?" he asked. "If y-you hurt them, I swear I-I'm gonna—"

"Oh, I don't think you'll be doing too much until you can say a full sentence," she said lightly. "You know, it really wasn't all that hard to get you all here. A little drug here and there and you were all helpless. I turned on some screams, and well, your interpretation of it brought you here like flies to a light. And just like the flies, this light will be your downfall." She grinned cruelly, and Percy was really freaked out by her. He uncapped Riptide and held it out in her direction. He barely noticed that it was shaking or that his grip on it was too weak to do any real damage. He felt sick.

"How do you know my—my name?" Percy asked slowly, trying to clearly say his words. He reached up to touch his face and just realized that he didn't have anything to cover it.

"Your friends called it a few times, and this is the first time they've all been quiet since they've been here, so I'm guessing it's you." She prowled closer, and he took a few steps back, tripping on his own feet. Percy swayed alarmingly. "So the real question is, are you the newest Avenger?"

"I'm just here to help," Percy said, remembering at the last second that he shouldn't tell this woman anything. "I don't work with them."

"Right," she said sarcastically. "Because you guys aren't close at all. I couldn't tell by their frantic screaming for you." Her eyes flashed with anger. "Do not lie to me and do not take me for a fool." She stepped even closer to Percy, who felt like he might be sick right now. Her face distorted and formed fangs and then switched back to human. His breathing quickened.

"Do you know what I'm going to do to you?" Percy shook his head no. He tried to think of what he could do, but he didn't think he was steady enough to do any actual damage. He felt really faint now, like he was going to pass out at any second. He swallowed and hoped he didn't puke. "I'm going to disassemble everything you've worked for." She smiled wider and wider as she went on. "All the holes you've patched in the Avengers, all the things you've fixed, will be gone. And they'll go right back to the mediocrity they were at. The people will suffer, the team will suffer, and Percy," she said, spitting his name, "will be no more."

She surged forward and slammed Percy against the wall. He forced his eyes open, even as he saw black spots threaten to consume his vision. He heard his sword make a clang as it hit the floor. "You—will—be—nothing," she growled, her hand choking him as her elbow dug into his ribs. She shoved him against the wall again and stepped back. "And neither will the team," she finished with satisfaction.

Percy watched, sagging against the wall and fighting to stay conscious, as she grabbed a remote and viciously stabbed at a button. He saw a gas begin to leak out of the ceiling near the team. "No," he muttered, knowing this was going to hurt his friends. He had to stop her. He stumbled towards the woman. Then, out of the corner of his eye, he began to see his teammates, his friends, get a blank look on their face and drop like flies. "No!" he yelled. He dove for the woman and tackled her to the ground. She hit her head hard on the ground and didn't stir afterwards. Percy made sure she wouldn't get away before he grabbed for the remote and switched the gas off.

Covering his mouth so he wouldn't fall unconscious too, Percy scrambled over to the team, half-crawling, as he mumbled "No, no, no, no, no," over and over again. He reached Natasha first. They were all breathing and seemed perfectly healthy, like they were only asleep. His hands fluttered around uselessly. He couldn't do anything. He tapped their cheeks and shouted their names until his throat hurt, but they still wouldn't wake up.

He scrubbed at his own cheeks, feeling that they were wet and being confused. He sucked in a few huge breaths and put another hand on the ground from where he was kneeling as he swayed. It felt like his brain was short-circuiting.

"What did she do to you?" he finally yelled at them, hoping that Tony or Bruce would wake up and give him a technical talk that would go completely over his head. He slapped his hand against the floor and felt a sob build in his throat. He was so confused and didn't know what was going on. He just wanted to know if his friends were all right.

"What did you do? I hate you!" he screamed at the lady lying on the floor peacefully. He couldn't remember her name now, or why he hated her, but he did. "I hate you, I hate you, I hate you!" He felt the weight of the world crushing him and bent down until his head was against the cool floor. "This is all my fault. I'm so sorry," he sobbed into the floor, his head pounding in time with his breaths. "I'm so sorry. I've failed and I-I was too late. I'm sorry. Please wake up, I'm s-sorry. Please wake up. PLEASE!" he shouted desperately, his voice terribly anguished even to him.

He couldn't remember what had happened or why he was here. Why wouldn't his friends wake up? Why wasn't Thor talking too loud or Clint making sarcastic comments in the background? Why weren't Tony and Bruce doing science? Why weren't Natasha and Steve having a conversation about an old movie they'd both seen? Why weren't they waking up?

Percy hit the floor with his fist again and again and then checked to see if he could wake his friends up again. He saw the door slam open and people in black burst open. They tried to coax him up but he yelled "No! I'm not leaving them!" repeatedly until they physically took him by the arms from where he was kneeling and lifted him up. He struggled against them and strained to get back to his friends, the people he loved that were lying on the cold, cold floor. He ripped an arm away and grasped at the fabric of Bruce's shirt before being torn away. "No!" he howled as loud as he could as they took him out of the room. He felt hot tears slipping down his face again. "No! I need them! I need to help them! Let me GO!"

He heard them say that it was going to be alright, that they were going to help them, but he didn't listen. "Don't take me away from them," he pleaded as he watched their faces stretch and shrink into grotesque shapes. "Please, please I need to help them you don't understand!" He thought one of them walking near him looked familiar. One man wore an eye patch and had dark skin, and one a regular suit with pale skin and close-shaved hair. The latter's face seemed kind but pained right now.

Percy flinched as a flashlight shined in his eyes. "His pupils are blown. He's been drugged badly. We need to get him to the hospital now. No telling what's in that stuff." Percy's hands shook as he thought of his friends being all alone.

Percy felt a sob come out of his throat as the people in black took him farther and farther from the place he wanted to be. His feet dragged on the floor and he struggled weakly against the arms that held him. He yelled for his friends until he came out into the sunlight. He was pushed down firmly onto the ground. He weakly pushed at the probing hands and tried to squirm out of their hold until he felt a prick on his arm. Darkness encompassed his vision, and the last thing he remembered was breathing out, "Please help them," as someone stroked back his sweaty hair from his forehead.

He should have done something. Why hadn't he done something?

A/N: Ahaha, please don't kill me. So this was a little more intense than the stuff I usually write? I'm a little nervous about this, so let me know what you thought about this chapter. Man, this is the first chapter of this story and I'm already hitting you with a cliffie. I'm so sorry (not sorry enough to stop though). Anyway, you'll probably get the next chapter in about a week. I hope you enjoyed this so far!