IN LOVING MEMORY OF STAN LEE, THE GENIUS BEHIND THE AVENGERS AND THE ENTIRE MARVEL UNIVERSE.

A/N: Ok, I'm not new to the FanFiction principle, but I am new to the site. Feel free to review (but no flames, please) with any ideas, constructive criticism, or any insight on how I can make the story better. However, I have certain boundaries when it comes to the content of my stories. To see what they are, check out my Bio. Also, Autumn's face-claim is Hollyn. Now, on with the show!

Disclaimer: I don't own Marvel, only my OC, the Dragon's Blood, and The Dragon's Eye.

...

And if you can't tell

I'm a restless girl

What are you hearing?

...

The wind swished my dark brown hair as I ran defensively with the soccer ball. Three girls on my left started to close in and my vision zeroed on the goal ten feet away. I swiftly juked the players along with the goalie simultaneously and powerfully kicked the soccer ball into the net. The coach blew the whistle and my teammates briefly gathered to congratulate me.

"That was an impressive play," marveled one of the girls named Hailey. Several more agreed and I smiled. We resumed our usual positions and the whistle blew again, signaling the start of the new round. Hailey passed the ball to a girl on her right who passed it up to another and I ran as fast as my petite legs could go. The girl passed the ball to me without hesitation. I immediately took control and ran for a few yards before passing the ball back to Hailey, who scored. My teammates took turns highfiving her as the whistle blew and the opposite team dejectedly kicked the ball to center. If this was a real game, then we would be making the opposing team into some serious whipped cream.

Every summer, I joined a girl's soccer league. Many of the girls in my group I've known since I've started, which was five years ago.

After the soccer ball was in its rightful place, we all broke off and headed to the bleaches for a fifteen minute break. I slumped on a bench and rifled through my duffle bag till I found my water bottle and the latest book I was reading: The Sword of Summer. Ever since we started studying Norse mythology in school, I decided to read the Magnus Chase books to give myself a little extra information.

I sipped my water and started on chapter five. I glanced over at the other girls. They were talking in huddled groups and checking up on their social media statuses on their phones. I sighed and focused back on my book. It seemed like only two seconds, but a quarter of an hour later the coach blew the whistle and I slid my origami book marker into my spot in the chapter. We all flowed back onto the soccer field and got into our positions. When the game started, I ran to the side of the field in an open spot; a pass option.

As I waited, watching my team sprint across the field with the ball, something whooshed near my head. I waited, then shrugged it off, assuming it was nothing. I was wrong. Searing pain spread through my head, sharp and splintering. It felt like someone was jabbing a thousand knives into my brain and soaking my scalp in warm water at the same time. I felt my neurological nerves constrict and twist, as if my brain was trying to make itself into the shape of a horse or something. I screamed in agony, clutching my head and falling to my knees. The teams heard my cry and rushed over.

"Autumn, what's wrong?" The coach asked urgently. I bit my lip but couldn't speak.

"Talk to me!" The coach grabbed my shoulders. "Cora, call 911!" Cora ran for the bleachers while another girl poured some water into my mouth. I coughed and tried to swallow, but choked it up along with a sickening green and orange liquid. The girls stared in horror at the scene, and Cora came running back, reporting that 911 had been contacted. I continued to wail in pain, while everyone else tried to calm me before the ambulance arrived.

Suddenly, a noise crept across the field. It was a subtle ticking noise, but somehow I knew what it meant. "Run!" I managed to scream out. The girls didn't need to be told twice. They sprinted, but they only managed to make it a couple hundred yards before the field exploded.

...

Twenty minutes before, in North Korea, the middle-aged Korean general stood in front of his large window, gazing out at the training troops. A sick smile curled at his lips as one of his scientists burst into his office, announcing the successful launch of the general's experimental mutant serum.

"Excellent," the general sneered, turning to look a thing the scientist with cold, dark eyes.

The scientist continued, "The Dragon's Blood has also made contact with an American . . . A teenage girl."

"What?" the general hissed. "Show me!"

The scientist scurried over to the large computer screen mounted on the wall and typed something complicated on his tablet. Instantly, a live video feed came through of a dark haired girl playing in a soccer skirmish. The general turned to the scientist and raised an eyebrow.

The scientist shrugged helplessly. "The serum was programmed to infuse an individual with strong DNA, sir. It has soon to take affect."

"Good," the general said. He ran his hand through his military buzz cut. "And the volunteer?"

"He is ready and standing by, General Xang," the scientist replied.
General Xang grinned wickedly. "Begin the process."

...

A terrible ringing noise burned through my head as I slowly gained consciousness. I hardly remembered what had happened. I had a vague memory of pain, then an explosion followed by screams, then finally a military jet and being carried inside by a man in a tight red, white, and blue outfit. Then I had blacked out.

I tried to open my eyes, but it felt like they were glued shut. I was too tired to push, so I laid there (wherever "there" was), fully awake but eyes still closed and breathing still slow and ragged. About half an hour later, I mustered enough strength to peel open my eyes and scan my surroundings. I was in a very large and sunlit living area, lying on one of four orange sofas. The walls were smooth white, with one made of steel and at least two more were fully made of glass, overlooking a vast green field, a long, gravel driveway, and a lush pine forest in the background. I concluded I was in a modern mansion, but why?

I began to sit up, but only then did I notice I wasn't wearing my soccer uniform. Instead I was dressed in a long pale blue hoodie with black ankle-length leggings and white Converse. My hair was still in its French braid, but I felt clean, as if I had showered. I was still creeped out by the fact that not only was I in a strange place, but also dressed in strange clothes. That meant that someone had to clothe and bathe me . . . I pushed that thought far, far away. I swung my toned legs over the side of the couch, but I froze like a deer in headlights when someone cleared their throat in front of me.

"You probably shouldn't sit up yet," said a teenage boy's voice. I slowly lifted my eyes to the voice's source, and was surprised. Standing against the far wall was a boy that looked to be about my age with short, unruly brown hair, brown eyes, and a faint sprinkling of freckles across his nose and cheeks. He wore a red hoodie, jeans, and black Converse. A cocky grin was formed on his lips. I narrowed my eyes at him. I instinctively did not trust him. Especially since he was a stranger and was most likely connected to my kidnapping. I ignored his suggestion and sat up, crossing my arms. The boy's annoying grin was still plastered on his face. I really wanted to slap him.

"Who are you?" I demanded.

He flinched the tiniest bit at my sharp tone. "Peter Parker," he answered.

I was a little taken aback by his honest answer. I knew that when someone kidnapped you or you met a stranger, they wouldn't tell you their full name right away. "Um, sure. . ." I stated, slowly standing up. Shrill pain flooded through my torso and I gasped and winced in pain, clutching my side and flopping back on the couch. Peter's grin disappeared and was replaced by a concerted look. He moved to sit down next to me.

"The explosion did some damage to your body. . . you broke a few ribs and suffered from a coma for the past five days—"

"FIVE DAYS?" I shrieked. Peter literally jumped up and held up his hands in surrender. I took a deep breath then exhaled through my mouth. "Sorry," I said.

Peter relaxed and continued, "Yeah. . . you were out for five days. Your ribs are almost fully healed and, well, obviously you're out of your coma. But, ummm, I think I might want to let Mr. Stark tell you exactly why you're here. . ."

"Ok." I held up a hand. "So, from the hints you may or may not have purposefully dropped—" Peter blushed "—I'm guessing I'm in the Avengers Compound."

Peter winced. "Surprise."

That is INSANE!" I yelled. I shot up ignoring the pain and stormed over to the door on the far side of the room. I heard Peter making a series of 'ahems' behind me but I blocked him out. Geez, that kid really got on my nerves.
Before I could open the steel door, it was opened for me, revealing a man in his mid thirties with extremely gelled black hair, a black goatee, and a black silk suit. He smiled at me and I shivered. "Well," he said, "looks like our guest finally came back to the land of the living."

"Who are you?" I snarled.

The man chuckled. "Oh, please, there's no need for that. Though, I am slightly hurt that you don't recognize me." He walked out of the doorway and moved over to a small glass table littered with papers and futuristic tech. The man leaned against it and smirked at me. "Tony Stark, pleased to meet you." He stuck out his hand. I shook it, giving him a questioning look. He chuckled again.

"Why am I here?" I asked.

"Well, let's start with the explosion," said a new voice. I look over back to the doorway and saw a woman who was at most in her thirties with red hair and blue eyes, wearing a black leather jacket, a white V-neck, jeans, and boots.

"Nat." Tony nodded his head. "You might be better at explaining this."

The woman I now knew as Nat gave Tony a brief appreciative glance than walked over to us, stopping short a few feet in front of me. She tapped something on a rectangular computer screen looking piece of tech that was stuck on the middle of the glass table. Instantly, a holographic image of the Earth shimmered to life in between us. I raised an eyebrow, impressed. Nat smiled at me, then explained.

"A secret organization in North Korea called The Dragon's Eye has been lurking in the shadows lately. We decided to be idiots and ignore them, since they weren't doing anything suspicious yet. Then only a month ago we realized that they were working on something very out of the ordinary. The more we checked into it, the more impossible the results became." She paused for a moment as Peter walked up to join us, then continued, "The Dragon's Eye have been working on an experimental mutant serum called the Dragon's Blood. It gives the user the ability to manipulate the elements, develop elite agility and fighting skills, and ultimately, shape shift into a dragon."
I snorted. For an underground organization, that seemed a bit silly. Nat glanced at me, then continued. "This is really not something to take lightly. Somehow, The Dragon's Eye's leader and retired general, Shang Lu Xang, learned how to combine bat DNA, lizard DNA, and some magical residue from Loki's staff to create a mutant serum. Lucky for you, this serum was just a test run, to make sure it worked. The actual serum is still in Xang's lab, being injected into a volunteer named Viggo Ramirez. The modified serum also controls the user's mind and gives Xang the advantage of controlling them."

The holographic Earth was replaced by a close-up picture of a needle filled with the same green-orange liquid that I had regurgitated on the soccer field five days earlier. A list of information popped up next to the needle, along with a portrait of a middle-aged Korean man with a military haircut and narrow black eyes. Xang. Nat then went on to explain the different attack methods Xang's men use, the high levels of tech used by his science labs, and most importantly, why he made the Dragon's Blood. Apparently Shang Lu made the serum to inject into a volunteer and use them as a weapon for his country. Since I was injected with the unmodified version, my brain wasn't poisoned by the mind controlling properties that would be used to Xang's advantage. Viggo wasn't so lucky. According to the Avengers' observations, the Sokovian-American has recently been injected with Xang's updated serum and was undergoing complicated training for his powers. Nat said that their mind-control methods were similar to HYDRA's when they had taken captive Bucky—a man with a metal arm, shoulder-length black hair and startling blue eyes that joined us near the middle of Nat's lecture—and used him as a worldwide assassin. The Dragon's Eye's mission was simple: use supernatural brainwashed mutants to help them achieve world domination. And the Avengers' mission was simple: watch The Dragon's Eye, gather as much information about the army as possible and figure out when and where their next attack will be. Unfortunately, that involved sneaking into their heavily guarded compound to see what The Dragon's Eye ultimately plans to do with their two dragon mutants.

I was staring wide-eyed through all of this, hoping this was just a nightmare and I got hit in the head with the soccer ball. Unfortunately, luck was not on my side. When Nat finished, eight more adults plus an older teenage girl joined us and stared at me as if to say, This is her? Not exactly 'Avenger' material.

I shrunk back and gulped. "Hi. . ."

"Well." Mr. Stark stretched. "Autumn will be staying with us for an extensive amount of time. Wanda, you should probably show her her room." He looked at me without expression. "You'll be notified when dinner's ready."

I nodded and held back tears. I knew it would be a long time till I would see my family again.