Hello, my name is Iris. No last name that I know of and no parents to speak of. The only source of a parent I have is Fury, I guess. He was the one who found me when I was just a baby. I know what your thinking 'were you found in one of Hydra bases' or 'were you like Black Widow being raised to be a killer'. Nope, none of that. I was just a baby who was abandoned in an ally behind a dumpster. Whoever my parents were, they were heartless. I mean really who abandoned a baby in the middle of summer in the blazing hot heat on a high heat advisory. It was 92 degree with a high heat of 103. That was the hottest day of the week from what I was told.
Sigh, who knows why they did what they did. Maybe it was because of my hair color. What you thought I dyed my hair this color, nope. I was actually born with this hair color. Rose-pink blush like color at the top of my head leading down to the aqua tips of my hair, or maybe it was my unique powers. Which lead Fury to find me that day.
Many people tell me that I am lucky to be found on that day. The one time Fury decided to take a stroll, as rare as it is, finds me in that ally. He told me at first that he didn't know how he found me at first. Even with the high heat, the roads of New York were still buzzing with people. So, like any respectable adult, he took me to the hospital and had me check up. He had planned to leave me with the hospital and have them put me in foster care but he notices something about me. It seems that when I realize he was leaving me after saving me, I used my powers on the entire hospital.
Now, my powers are not dangerous, I think, but it affects the person emotions. Since I was a baby I could only make people feel my emotion at the time. Fury notices this because it was a very strong emotion of fear plus it helps that my hair was glowing as well. Fury stayed until the doctors said I was okay to leave, which only took four hours and one I.V bag. Fury, the nurses and the doctors were amazed at my recovery.
Fury took me with him and raised me himself, well a few agents helped him, but mostly him. Not a lot of people knew of me, and Fury made sure of that. You can pretty much say that Fury saw me as his daughter in a way. As I got older he had me train my power til I mastered it along with hand-to-hand combat. Nothing too over the top, because of my powers I could feel others emotion as well which wasn't good for an agent. That what he told me, but I can tell or rather feel that he cared too much for me to put me in harm way. Hints the keeping me a secret from even the Avengers and especially Tony Stark.
Since I wasn't an agent and didn't go to school, I was home school. I knew how to read and write English at the age of five. At the age of six, I started to learn how to read and write Spanish. It took me longer to get that down without confusing myself and making it into Spanglish. One of the agents that took care of me suggested that I stick with English and Spanish for a couple of years before learning another language. So I did, one of the agents spoke fluent Spanish, so when they were around I would only speak Spanish all day. At the age of seven, I meet Phil on my birthday. He found out about me cause Fury would always act 'nice' on June 12th, which is the day Fury found me. Phil told me he found out about me when I was six years old, but told Fury when it was getting close to my seventh birthday. So I meet him then and he was the one that got me started on painting the stronger emotions I felt around me. It was good therapy for me so I would paint something every day.
As time went on I realized that something else was different about me. I stopped aging at the age of sixteen. Fury could not explain it nor any of the doctors that knew about me could. They only stated that it might be apart of my power that they didn't see earlier. The doctors at first wanted to see how far this part of my powers would go, but Fury didn't allow it. I don't know if he sensed my fear or I relayed it to him, but he told me I wasn't an active duty agent so no need. I was very happy about what he said that I started to glow and radiant like the sun. Phil tells me that I felt like the morning rays of the sun, making me blush a lot at the compliment.
As time goes by in my little apt that I now own to myself without having caretakers watch over me a lot. I started to get into cooking different foods and baking. I wanted a chef license but I knew that was a bad idea to let myself be known to the world so I gave that up. Lucky for me there is a thing called the internet. Youtube was my best friend when it came to wanting to learn something new. I watched all of my favorite celebrity chefs and to down to earth regular people cooking traditional foods. I became very good at cooking, baking was a challenge when it came to freshly baked bread but it was fun. I was super happy when Fury, Phil, and the two agents came over to try my food. Also, before I forget the two agents that help raise me actually have names, Philip and Lilian. I found it super funny because they remind me of the cartoon Rugrats. I told them about it and they told me that's why they did not want to tell me their names. I laugh each time they are around me calling them Phil and Lil, they took it in good nature because it made me laugh.
As time goes by, I realize I am now 21 years old but I look like a sixteen-year-old. Fury comes by my apt and tells me that I can get my drivers' license updated to say that I'm 21 and it also helps that he has my birth certificate. What you thought I didn't go outside to the real world? Well, you thought wrong I am well known in my community and local stores. I'm just not worldwide known put it like that, who is anyway. I kept a low profile when it came to my power and connection to Fury. The people in the area just thought my hair was a trending style that fit me and my personality was just bubbly all the time. Trust me when I say that if I was having a bad day the locals would try to cheer me up with anything. I could go into a whole book of tales on what the local did to make my mood better, but that would take forever.
After Fury took me to get my license he took me to get ice cream claiming that he needs to ask me something. I order my double scoop of black walnut and vanilla enjoying it very much on this hot day.
"Listen, Iris," Fury says to me as he stares off in the distance. We are walking in the park enjoying the sun. He walks towards a bench sitting down while patting his hand on the spot beside him.
"Iris, can I ask you a favor." I have never heard Fury talk so calm and low to me before. I mean he is never loud around me, but he has always had strength to his voice. Now it just seems tired and drained.
I stop eating my ice cream to look at him. "What wrong?"
He leans back on the bench and sighs out softly. " The Avengers... are falling apart..." I panic. "You mean they are breaking up again?"
He shakes his head at me while leaning forward resting his arms on his knees. "What I mean is they are not taking care of themselves as they should. It's showing in their performance to complete a task or mission."
"Even Tash and Clint?" I asked with my mouth open and my ice cream forgotten.
"Even those two." Fury looks at me with worry in his eyes like he wants to say something but can't. So like I was trained to do I started to read him. He gave off worry, tiredness, confusion, guilt, now I was confused. Why did he feel guilty?
"Why do you feel guilty Fury?" I asked him with my brows frowned.
He huffs at me then lean back again on the bench. "Can't hide that from you can I." Giving off a small smile before answer my question.
"Will you help?" He states in a low voice. "Help with what?" I say with confusion. "With the Avengers, help me give them some normality back in there lives. I know your young but since the day I found you I have had a reason to keep working for S.H.E.I.L.D. You gave me a normal to my constant lies and planning." I look at him with a blank face to take in all his words, then I give him a small smile. At this point, my ice cream is running everywhere. I get up to throw it away and wipe my hands with a wet wipe that the ice cream stand gave me. Throwing that in the trash still having my back turn towards Fury. He's looking at me waiting on my answer.
"What can I do to make them feel normal? I'm not normal myself." I say to him with my back still facing him.
"Out of all the beings on this plant with powers that are out there. You, Iris, are the most normal person I know. You can make anyone feel like they have a sense of belonging somewhere." I snort at his reply. Closing my eyes to just listen to the wind that blows the hot air around. The birds that were singing their song for the sun and the children playing in the park. I breathe in the air smelling the grass and warm summer air then I let out all my worries letting the breath go. I turn around to face Fury.
"Okay, I will help them." He looks at me with hope in his eye, but also with worry in them as well. "Do not worry Fury, I can handle some overgrown children." I laugh at myself once I said it.
He gets up from the bench and gives me a hug, something else that is rare for him. I hug back and asked him when do I start my mission all while laughing.
"Tomorrow. Today is your birthday so we are going to continue celebrating it." I laugh at him because it seems that this talk put him in a good mood again.
"That's my Fury!
