Your eyes felt heavy, a gentle throbbing pulsed in your head, and overall, you just felt awful. However, you weren't about to let that get to you. There was work to do, and as a new member of S.H.E.I.L.D, you had to make a good first impression.
You had barely been working there for a month, joining up right about the time when the Avengers had had to save the world. You had to admit that they were a heroic group, and maybe you were just a little overexcited whenever you were around one of them.
But that didn't matter at the moment. All that mattered was you getting through the next hour so that you could go home. That time felt so close, yet unbelievably far away at the same time. A light sigh escaped you as your hand scrubbed across your tired eyes. There was so much paperwork to fill out.
A light tapping on the doorframe made you look up. The figure in the door was bleary for a moment before you focused on Steve Rogers, S.H.I.E.L.D's resident super soldier. "Hey, Fury wants to know of the paperwork on the damage done by Loki's attack is done yet."
A blank expression appeared on your face before you started digging through your massive pile of paperwork, wondering if you had ever seen such a file. After a minute of feverish searching, you shook your head and laid your head on the desk, anxiety welling up inside you. Your breathing quickened, and the pounding in your head increased.
A hand rested on your shoulder. "It's alright. You've been working hard. Maybe one of the other new recruits has it? Fury wasn't actually sure." You looked up, trying not to show that you were still on the verge of a panic attack. You must not have done a very good job. "Hey, hey..." Steve's voice lowered to a whisper, "How much time have you been spending here everyday, Ms.(lastname)? I think you might need to take a break."
"No, no, that's not necessary. I'll be fine. It's just a stressful job, is all. I'll get used to it." You wished your head was still resting against the desk. Maybe you could just...
"M-Ms.(lastname)?" Rogers asked in concern. It took you a moment to realize that you actually had put your head back down on the table. You raised it again, only for a wave of dizziness wash over you. "Are you alright?"
"Tired..." you said, waving it off, "Now, if you don't mind, I have a lot of paperwork to fill out before I get to go home tonight."
Steve was giving you a strange look, like there was something he wanted to say but he didn't want to get slapped for it. After a moment, he nodded and walked out of the room, glancing back once.
As soon as he was gone, you put your head back down on the desk for a few minutes. It didn't really help your aching head, but you couldn't help it. Eventually, you peeled your head back off the desk and continued working. There was a lot more here to do than you had thought. You probably wouldn't be going home when your shift ended.
You sniffled softly as you worked, gently rubbing the side of your nose every so often. The clock read that it was hours past time for you to leave, but you wanted to get your papers done. You had the feeling that you wouldn't be coming in to work tomorrow.
Another tap on the doorframe made you look up, but you had barely been able to register who was at the door when you snapped forward, cupping your hands around your nose and mouth. "Ah-choo!" A flush of embarrassment flooded into your face.
"Bless you," Steve muttered, frowning, "I thought your shift ended two hours ago."
"I wasn't done," you muttered, rummaging through your desk for a tissue. Before you could locate one, a small pocket sized package was tossed into your lap. "Oh. Thanks." You blew your nose, cheeks burning a little brighter.
"You know, I hate to meddle, but you don't look so great," he pointed out. You rolled your eyes and tossed the soiled tissue into the trash.
"No duh," you muttered, "It's just a stress cold. I'll get over it." You turned away, sneezing into your hands a couple time.
"Right, sure," Steve said, unconvinced, "You might want to reconsider taking that break, you know. It would be good for you."
"No offense," you started with a sniffle, "but why do you care?"
"Fury seems to think you're important. That's why he's giving you all the paperwork. I personally don't think it's fair, especially given the condition it has put you in."
You groaned. "Mr. Rogers, I am fine. Now, please, let me finish my work."
He shrugged. "Alright, alright. I guess there's nothing I can do to stop you." He said it with a sort of ominous tone, but left the room again. You rolled your eyes, turning to the last few pages you had left to fill out.
It didn't take you long, but as soon as you finished, you let your head rest on the desk again. "No, no. You can go home now. Get up." You raised you head and stood up, putting a hand on the desk to steady yourself from a wave of dizziness.
After a moment, you started walking forward. You couldn't help but frown as the pounding and pain in your head increased. You really did feel awful. In fact, your legs were starting to feel kind of weak.
"...and I'm worried, Banner. She's not well. You're a doctor. You can do something about it, can't you?" Steve Roger's voice could be heard from the hallway. You frowned. He was being particularly persistent about your cold, wasn't he?
"If I had a good reason to..." Banner said softly.
"If you go in there right now and look at her, you'll have all the reason you need," Steve insisted. You frowned. You didn't want to be seen like this, but it was either walk out now and try to escape, or wait for them to come in, so naturally, you tried to leave. Unfortunately, just as you stepped out into the hallway, a severe bout of dizziness washed over you and you stumbled, collapsing.
"(name)!" Steve shouted, and you turned to see him sprinting down the hallway, Dr. Banner on his heels. Hold on...how had he gotten so far away...? His voice had sounded much closer.
The two men carefully lifted you up and started bringing you to the medical bay. Your head was still spinning, and before long, you had blacked out.
By the time you were coming to, you were in the medical bay. You caught snippets of people talking, mostly Dr. Banner. "...bring her fever down...so strange...girl needs...quarantine...out, Steve..."
It was quite some time before you were really able to return to the land of the living. Your eyes fluttered open with some difficulty and rested on Bruce Banner. You groaned, causing him to turn to you.
"Oh, thank god... How are you feeling?" he asked, a nervous edge in his voice. You frowned for a moment.
"Well...not fantastic," you answered, sniffling congestedly, "But, better, I th-...thugh...ah-choo!" Banner winced, carefully placing a hand on your forehead. It was very nice and cold, and you wanted nothing more than to press your forehead against it.
"You seem somewhat better," he mused, biting his lip, "I would almost be willing to believe you had a cold if your fever wasn't so high..."
"So...what's wrong with me, doc?" you asked uncertainly.
"We're not sure. The medical bay is on emergency quarantine until we figure out what threat this illness could bring to the agents," he said, looking around nervously. The medical bay was pretty small. Bruce probably was not comfortable here.
"Who else is in quarantine?" you asked, frowning.
"Right now, it's just you, me, the Cap, and some nurses. No one has come down with what you have yet."
"How long have I been in here?"
"A couple days. You were very, very sick, (name)," the doctor said, running his knuckles down the side of your face, "We were all worried."
"Mr. Rogers, she's awake." The sentence came out of thin air. You looked around, but there was no one else in the room except Dr. Banner, and he hadn't said it. It had been a woman's voice.
"Can I see her?" Steve's voice now, but he wasn't here either.
You cleared your throat a bit harshly. "Where is Steve right now?" Banner frowned and looked around.
"Room at the end of that hallway, I think. He was getting in my way. Why? Did you want to see him? I can go get him."
"Sure, Mr. Rogers. Go right ahead." The voices I was hearing were coming from the other end of a long hallway, inside a room. How was this happening?
"I don't think you need to. He's coming..." you muttered, closing your eyes and snuggling back into the blankets of the small bed.
"What makes you think he-?"
There were hurried footprints coming from the hallway. "She's awake?" Steve asked hopefully. I couldn't help but smile a little as I opened my eyes again.
"Yeah. Maybe you were right, you know. About taking a break..." Rogers came forward, shaking his head.
"But if you had left, you wouldn't be getting care from the best doctor in S.H.I.E.L.D. You'd probably be laying passed out on your couch, by yourself. You wouldn't even consider a doctor, would you, (name)?" He looked like he wanted to be stern, but couldn't manage it at the moment. "You're lucky."
"I hate to interrupt," Banner said, turning to you, "but how on earth did you know that he was coming to check up on you, (name)?"
"I...I could hear them talking in the room over there..." You frowned. "It's happened before too. I could hear you both when you were in the hallway outside my room. I thought you were right outside the door."
Dr. Banner bit his lip, placing a hand on your forehead again. "Are you sure?" You closed your eyes and sighed softly at his cool touch.
"Yes..." You opened your eyes again, hearing footsteps in the hallway outside the medical bay. Now that you knew what was happening, it was easier for you to locate where the sounds were coming from. "Someone's coming."
At that moment, Nick Fury entered the room, giving everyone his neutral 'I want to kill you' stare. Dr. Banner frowned and waved his hands. "Fury, you can't be in here! We're under quarantine!" The S.H.I.E.L.D leader waved him off.
"Quarantine's over. She's not sick."
Had you heard that right? How could you not be sick? You passed out, you had a fever, and you felt awful. And Fury was saying you weren't sick? "Fury, you're crazy," Steve said, stepping forward, "Of course she's sick. Have you seen her?"
Fury eyed you. "Maybe I should revise my earlier statement. Yes, she's sick, but it's not contagious. It was a very controlled infection."
"What?" you asked, coughing harshly. Dr. Banner looked ready to go Hulk on him.
"Are you telling me that you purposefully infected one of your own with a disease?" he asked incredulously.
"Disease is such an ugly word." Fury glanced over at Steve, who looked just about as mutinous as Bruce at this point. "Call it an upgrade."
Captain America frowned, his face lightening a few shades. "Wait..." He looked at you, pure concern and worry in his eyes. "Fury, you didn't... You couldn't. That is illegal!"
"Anyone who signs up for this program gives us permission to do this sort of thing, and Ms.(lastname) signed paperwork for...special experiments," Fury said, "We have been trying to find another way to replicate your serum in a different way." He gestured to you. "She hasn't taken any more of a risk than either of you did."
You frowned slightly. "But neither of them ever got-"
"Sick?" Fury finished, "No, of course not. We had to introduce the serum into your body in a different way. It was much slower. Remember the shots we gave you last week?"
Yeah, you remembered. You hated needles. "Yes, but I was told that they were booster shots and vaccinations."
Fury's face twitched into a smile. "It was a vaccination, of sorts. We incorporated the serum into a non-contagious virus and delivered it to your system."
You frowned. "So...what's going to happen to me?" you asked. Fury shrugged.
"We can't be sure, but I'd talk to your roommates here about it." The director walked out of the room. "All your new superpowers are developing. As soon as they fully develop, they should kill off the virus in your system."
Steve and Bruce looked at each other with varying degrees of surprise, concern, and confusion. Another serum test? Was Fury insane? You didn't want to break the silence, but you couldn't help it. "Ah-choo!"
Both of the men winced at the noise and turned. Banner offered you a tissue, which you gratefully accepted. "Bless you," Steve muttered, "Fury is really doing this again?"
"Apparently," Bruce answered, looking at you, "We should focus on making (name) comfortable for now. Who knows how this illness will progress. Right now, besides the fever, it seems like a cold, but I doubt it will stay that way."
Steve bit his lip. "What else could happen?"
Banner looked like he didn't want to say. "Well... Vomiting, lack of energy, severe pain, pretty much anything. This isn't a normal illness."
As if on cue, stabbing pain blossomed from your chest all down your torso, eliciting a loud shriek. Steve jumped, alarmed, but Banner looked almost like he was expecting it. "Where?" he asked gently. Unable to speak properly, you gestured to your torso.
Banner gently laid a hand on the area above where your abs would be. His eyebrow quirked up. His touch didn't hurt, but another wave of pain made you scream again, thrashing about. You didn't remember it happening, but Bruce and Steve must have strapped you down.
"I'm so sorry about this," Bruce muttered softly. You nodded in understanding, but moaned as the fire in your chest spread. Your arms and legs felt like they were being violently stabbed, and the drumbeat in your head only got more intense.
"Can't we do something?" Steve asked. Tears were streaming from your eyes at this point, and your entire body felt like it was siting in a white hot fire.
"I'm afraid not. There's nothing I can do for this..." Your struggling became more intense, and a ripping sound could be heard. "She's going to rip through the restraints!"
"Hold her down!" Steve leaned over you and pressed his hands down on your arms. Banner probably had the worse job, hold down your kicking legs.
"I-I'm sorry!" you gasped out before another wave of pain washed over you. Steve was muttering softly to you, saying that it wasn't your fault and that it was okay, but you couldn't help but feel guilty. You just hoped that you wouldn't hurt either of them.
Finally, your waves of pain had stopped, and your body went limp. Shallow, ragged gasps issued from your lips, as well as harsh coughing. Steve and Bruce both sighed, letting go of your arms and legs. Dr. Banner came up, frowning. "Could you sit up?" he asked, and you nodded. He undid what was left of the restraints around your wrists and helped you sit up.
The gasping and coughing continued for a few minutes, and the doctor gently rubbed your back. "I am so sorry..." he muttered, but you shook your head.
"It's-" you gasped breathlessly, "O-...Okay." You finally had calmed down, and Banner gently prodded against your abs.
"Well now... I don't think she's gotten any taller, but she definitely has more muscle structure..." Bruce glanced over at Steve. "This new serum actually seems to be working."
You flopped back onto the bed with a groan. You still felt terrible, and the coughing really hadn't helped. "Is there gonna be much more of this?" you asked weakly.
"It depends on what Fury's got in that serum," Steve said, frowning, "Banner, is there any way for us to monitor her more closely?"
"There is one way. Stay here with her. I'll go get him." You frowned as Dr. Banner walked out of the room. Steve put a hand on your shoulder.
"Who is he talking about?" you asked, looking up at the Captain.
"I've got a hunch..." He gently touched the back of his hand to your forehead. "You're still very feverish. Maybe you should try to rest until Banner comes back."
You nodded slowly, closing your eyes. "M'kay..."
A loud yell woke you from your rest. "This is the quarantine zone, Banner! I thought we were going to the lab!" You groaned softly.
"Tony, shush! We aren't in quarantine anymore. We just need Jarvis to help us monitor (name)'s condition."
"I thought you said we weren't in quarantine. If she's sick-"
"It's not contagious, Stark. It was one of Fury's tests. He's trying to develop the serum again." There was a short silence.
"But..."
"He didn't tell anyone about it. (name) didn't even know." Their voices were starting to get on your nerves. You sat up. Steve was watching the doorway. Apparently you weren't the only one who could hear them this time.
Huffing softly, you slipped off the bed, ignoring your headache, and opened the door. "Ehem." The two men looked at you, surprised. You swayed slightly, and Banner put a hand out to steady you.
"You shouldn't be up." Steve appeared in the doorway, putting a hand on your shoulder. "I told you to watch her."
"I was!" he answered defensively, "She just got up..." A dizzy spell washed out you, making you stumble backwards into Rogers. The soldier held you up. "Whoa there." Gently, he maneuvered you around and got you back to the bed.
Tony Stark, dressed fully fledged in his Iron Man suit, was giving you a wary look. "You're sure it's not?"
"We've been around her for two days with no ill affects," Banner replied, "and Fury said it wasn't."
"And we're gonna listen to Fury?"
"Shut up, Tony," you muttered, rubbing your temple.
"I will not be told what to do by a... How old are you?"
"(age)..."
"Yes, well, I will not be told what to do." You open your eyes and glare at him for a split second before panic enters your face. It felt like another wave of pain was about to spread across you again. "Uh..." Tony frowned uncertainly.
"D-Dr. Banner?" you asked uncertainly, "R-R-Restraints?"
"I don't think they'll take another round of that," the doctor said, frowning, "Maybe Robo-suit over here can help hold her down?" He glanced over at Tony, who sighed.
"Fine." The man's mechanic mask flipped up and he walked over to your legs. He had barely even touched you when an agonized screech ripped out of your lungs. "Holy-"
"Steve, other arm," Bruce instructed, holding down one of your arms. Something between a groan and a wail gurgled up from your chest. "Hold on, (name). Everything is going to be fine."
"Sir." You could hear the robotic voice of Jarvis inside Tony's suit. "Ms.(lastname)'s core temperature is rising drastically, and her muscular system seems to be rebuilding itself." A strangled cry escaped you, your body convulsing painfully.
"What do you mean 'rebuilding itself'?" Tony asked, and Bruce and Steve looked his way.
"What's rebuilding itself?" Steve asked, frowning.
"Her muscles are destroying themselves and rebuilding stronger, Sir. I calculate that her strength will be increased by 500 percent." You weren't sure that was worth all this pain.
Suddenly, your arms spazzed upwards. Steve held you down, but Bruce was shoved backwards violently. He wasn't as strong normally as he was while being the Hulk.
Luckily, your fit ended, and you relaxed again. You took deep breaths, trying to calm yourself. Your headache had lessened, but your body felt like rubber. Apparently, rebuilding your muscles was exhausting, not to mention painful.
You turned onto your side and looked over at Banner, who was picking himself up off the ground. "You...okay...?"
"Fine," he said, brushing himself off. You felt someone prodding at your arms.
"This seems familiar..." Steve said, raising an eyebrow. You chuckled softly, but it ended up as a cough. "How many more of these is she going to be out through?" There was obvious concern in his voice.
"Jarvis? Any ideas?" Tony asked.
"I cannot be sure, Sir. My diagnostics on Ms.(lastname) are unclear." The metal man frowned.
"Is there anything that you can tell us?"
"The patient's muscle mass has increased, her senses appear much more acute, and she is running a temperature," the robot replied. With his mask off, Tony's mechanical butler could be heard by everyone.
"Is that all?" Tony asked, quirking an eyebrow.
"Her overall status resembles that of Mr. Rogers." Everyone looked over at Steve.
"Makes sense..." you muttered, shrugging. A sort of ringing had started up in your ears, making you grimace. You squeezed you eyes shut.
"(name)?" Dr. Banner asked softly, "Are you alright?" A cool hand was pressed against your forehead.
"Sir," Jarvis spoke up, "I feel I should inform you that Ms.(lastname)'s temperature has spiked to dangerous levels."
"What kind of dangerous levels?" Tony asked, frowning.
"105.7 and quickly rising, Sir."
"What!?" Banner yelped, "(name)? (name), can you hear me?" You moaned softly and your body went limp. You were unconscious.
It felt like you were floating in a fog a steam. It was too hot, way too hot. You could barely stand it. And it felt like it was getting hotter, hotter, hotter... You must have been laying in an oven, or standing in a fire, or something. It was ridiculously hot. The heat seemed to pulse, accompanied by a high pitched beeping.
And then, suddenly, it changed. Everything dissolved away. Heat, feeling, everything. The only thing you knew was a wailing high pitched noise. After a moment, it stopped. Everything stopped. Time seemed to stand still.
And you became aware of yourself again.
A soft groan escaped your lips and your eyes fluttered open. There was no one to be seen, but you could hear the voices several rooms down. You focused on them.
"I take it she did not survive the transformation?" Fury's voice asked.
"N-no..." Banner choked. You frowned. Wait. Hold on a minute here.
"You did everything you could," Tony remarked, surprisingly unsarcastic, "It was the serum. It wasn't you."
You frowned. Dr. Banner seemed distraught, and apparently thought you were dead. Maybe you had died. Maybe this wasn't real. Maybe you were a ghost. But no, you were most definitely real as you slipped out of the bed, your bare feet making no noise on the tile floor.
"Mr. Stark is right," Fury muttered. There was a sound like something breaking in half. You winced.
"Why did you give it to her?" Steve shouted.
"Ms.(lastname) signed up for this, Rogers. Don't think I made the decision lightly. She was the strongest of the recruits. If anyone could have handled it, she could have."
You crept forward, a frown set on your face. The world seemed clearer than it had before, more in focus, but that wasn't your main focus at the moment.
They thought you were dead. How exactly should you respond? Is there any way to do this so they won't have a heart attack? Would it be such a bad idea to just knock on the door? To walk in? You weren't sure.
"What do we do now? What are we supposed to tell that girl's family?" You felt a pang of remorse. That would never have been a problem.
"(name) didn't have a family," Fury said quietly.
Well, you had had just about enough of the drama and sorrow. You had to make some sort of entrance, and there was no time like the present. Silently, you approached the door and it slid open.
No one was facing the door. They didn't even seem to register it at first. Then Fury, not looking up, growled, "Now is not a good time."
You stepped into the room, still silent, and the door swished closed. "Oh, I don't know. Seems like a fine time to me," you muttered. The four men stiffened immediately and wheeled around. The looks on their faces were priceless.
Dr. Banner nearly tackled you to the ground in a bear hug. You were a little startled, but then again, this man had just realized that his patient hadn't died. Of course he was going to be happy. Steve Rogers breathed a sigh of relief.
"(name)... You're okay..." As soon as Bruce had released you from the hug, he started looking you over with a professional eye. "Banner, calm down."
"I can't believe it. You're alive." He was smiling.
Fury was giving you a slight smirk. "I told you if someone could make it, she could." You flushed. "I hope that you don't need to give this a great deal of thought, but we would like you to join-"
"The Avengers," you finished, a grin appearing on your face, "Yes. I'll do it."