You were always told you’d be safe. The child of a high-ranking politician, you were prepped for cameras and public life—not espionage. But that changed the day you overheard a secret operation gone sideways, implicating key international powers. Less than forty-eight hours later, your security detail was dead, your convoy destroyed, and you were dragged into a black site deep in the Alps.

They thought you were just a kid.

They were wrong.

The first thing you hear is an explosion somewhere below your floor.

The second is yelling—chaotic, male voices barking orders—and one voice in particular cursing in Russian.

You sigh, adjusting the makeshift brace on your injured wrist and grabbing the sharpened bit of metal you broke off a ventilation panel yesterday. You’ve taken out six guards since day five. You stopped waiting for a rescue around day eight. Now, on day twelve, you’re hoping whoever’s come crashing in isn’t worse than the people who kidnapp3d you.

The door explodes inward. You don’t flinch.

John stomps in like a man trying very hard to look in charge. “Target located,” he barks into his comm. “Room’s secure. Standing by for evac.”

Behind him, Yelena peeks around his shoulder. “You sure that’s the target?” she asks, blinking at you—bloodied, bruised, but upright and unimpressed.

You stand slowly. “Nice entrance. Very subtle. Whole floor probably heard it.”

John raises a brow. “Uh, you’re welcome?”

“Don’t flatter yourself,” you say coolly. “I’ve been disabling security systems and jamming comms for the last three hours. If I hadn’t done that, you’d all be dead on arrival.”

Alexei appears next, slightly winded, holding a dented riot shield he seems very proud of. “We are ThunderboIts!” he declares to no one in particular. “Very elite rescue team. You are rescued now. Let’s go.”

You blink. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

Bucky enters last with Ghost, flanking the door. “They’re not,” Ghost mutters, eyeing your makeshift weapon. “You used that?”

“Among other things,” you shrug. “Improvised a jammer out of a coffeepot and a disassembled hard drive. Took out half the compound’s power. If you guys had come in five minutes earlier, you could’ve saved me the trouble of breaking my own wrist to get out of the restraints.”

Yelena tilts her head, something like reluctant admiration in her eyes. “You broke your own wrist?”

“I fixed it after. I’m not an idiot.”

John rubs the bridge of his nose. “You’re supposed to be the asset. The vulnerable one.”

“Don’t call me an asset. And don’t call me a kid, either. I’ve been decoding encrypted transmissions since I was twelve. What have you been doing? Playing discount Captain Amer1ca?”

Alexei lets out a loud snort of laughter. “Oooh, I like this one.”

Ghost leans toward Yelena. “Why is the rescue target sassier than half our team?”

Yelena just shrugs. “Because they’re smarter than half our team.”