Hey everyone! It's been a while but here is a new story for you all! I am actually really excited about this one. New OC, but she will have similar abilities to Georgiana, if you read my other works. (Just because I want to keep exploring that ability and how to write it.) This is going to be a slow burn, and possibly a love triangle, I haven't decided, so strap on in and let's go!

I own nothing of the Marvel universe and am making no money off of this. The only thing that is mine is my OC.

Enjoy!

Chapter One: A Blueish Light

November, 13

One moment the sky was grey and snowing, the next moment a beam of blue and white light cut through the clouds. Skidding to a halt, Hensley Hail pulled her earphones out and stared up into the sky. The beam of light streaked across the clouds, falling towards the Earth as if it was heavy. A strong, chilling wind pushed Hensley's sweaty running clothes close to her skin. The beam of light slowed and swayed in the wind, its shape changing from a strong line to a gentle floating ball.

Wrapping the headphones around her phone, Hensley pocketed it into her jacket and tugged on her white beanie so that it once again covered her ears. The floating light looked blue at its core, with white misting around it as if it had an almost invisible outer coating. Reaching a hand up into the air, Hensley carefully caged the light between her fingers. She smiled, it was warm and soft, and pulsed in her palm.

Hensley glanced around the park near her apartment complex. The almost frozen lake was calm, and the frosted covered trees were dancing in the harsh wind. There was a couple walking hand in hand on the other side of the water, a view of downtown Denver and the mountains in the background. The world seemed quiet.

The misting blue light brightened, then expanded around her arm. Hensley dropped her hand, as if trying to throw the light away, but it condensed and slammed into her. There was a large pop, then silence, then blackness started to cover Hensley's eyes.

Then there was nothing at all.


She felt silk on her skin. Hensley rubbed her forehead. Everything hurt, as if she was sore from an activity or trip to the gym she hadn't done. Groaning, she opened her eyes and froze.

This was not her bed. This was not her room.

Hensley flung herself into an upright position and reached for her jacket pocket. Her hand touched a cold tank top instead. Her clothes had changed. Her running winter gear had disappeared and been replaced with soft shorts and a tank top.

Hensley scanned the room, her heart beating hard in her chest. Where the hell was she? The room she was in was large and empty, with tall glass windows that gave a striking view of a city landscape from above. Slipping out of the grey bed, Hensley walked to the windows, her bare feet sinking into the lush carpet. The city outside was not Denver. It wasn't even Colorado.

"Am I – am I in New York?" Hensley asked out loud to the empty room, her fingertips touching the glass.

"Yes, Ms. Hail, that is correct."

Hensley spun around to face the room, but there was no one there.

Hands clutched together in front of her heart, Hensley cleared her throat.

"Hello?" she whispered.

"Hello," said the cool female voice.

Again, Hensley spun around the room, but it was empty. Just the bed, a large black dresser in the corner, a long mirror, and a nightstand.

"Where – where are you?" Hensley's voice shook. She tried to make it sound even. "And, where am I?"

"I am not anywhere," came the cool female voice. "My name is Friday. I am a natural-language user interface created by Tony Stark. You are in the Stark Tower, in New York."

In the corner of the ceiling was a small round speaker. Hensley moved under it.

"So, are you watching me?"

"No." said Friday. "There are no cameras in the guest rooms."

The word "guest" stuck out as strange. She would be able to leave, right, if she was a guest?

Hensley walked over to the door and pulled on the handle. It opened. Outside was a long grey hallway that was decorated in orange art and tall windows.

"May I suggest changing before you leave the room?" asked Friday.

Hensley turned to look back into the room. One of the drawers in the black dresser opened, and Hensley could make out her winter running gear. Closing the door, Hensley slipped on her running tights and long sleeved t-shirt. Someone had laundered her clothes, they were warm and smelled of soap. She took her phone out of the jacket pocket. One missed call, from Mom, and one text message from her friend Sara, asking if she wanted to go to the movies. Hensley checked the date on the home screen.

"It's tomorrow," Hensley told herself.

"Yes," said Friday. "You have been asleep for twenty-four hours. You were brought to the Stark Tower about three hours ago, after you were transferred from the Denver Hospital. You were found in a park, freezing and unconscious, and bleeding for serve cuts. No doctor has been able to figure out why. Would you like me to ring for Tony Stark? To answer more of your questions? Or Ms. Potts?"

"Um."

Hensley didn't know. She felt like she needed to lay back down. Why was Tony Stark – the famous Iron Man – interested in her?

She caught a look of herself in a mirror. Her coffee colored skin seemed healthier than it usually did, and her freckles more prominent. Her curly, shoulder length black hair seemed more shinny and bouncy. Tugging her socks onto her feet, Hensley walked back into the hallway. Picking a direction, she walked until she found the elevator. She hit the button, waiting for it to open, although she wasn't sure where she would go or what she would do. She realized she hadn't found her shoes. She took out her phone, but she wasn't sure who to call. Maybe she should start with her Mom.

The elevator door opened.

"Oh!" Hensley jumped.

There was a woman in the elevator, who looked just as surprised to see her. Hensley took in the high heels and copper hair.

"You're Pepper Potts." Hensley found herself saying. "The Pepper Potts."

The women smiled. "And you are Hensley Hail. How are you feeling?"

That seemed like a very odd question, but now that she thought about it, she no longer felt sore and her head no longer hurt.

Hensley's eyebrows pulled together. "I feel fine."

Pepper nodded. "Why don't we go down to the kitchen and find some food. I'll explain everything that I know."

Without really deciding, Hensley found herself walking into the elevator. The door closed, and the elevator zoomed downwards.

"You must have a million questions," said Pepper.

"Not to sound rude, or anything, but what the hell am I doing here?"

Pepper smiled. She had a kind smile. Hensley was surprised at how warm Pepper Potts was, she had always looked a little cold on the news channels.

"You were found scrapped and bleeding, unconscious, in a park outside of Denver."

"I was bleeding?"

Pepper nodded. "It looked as if a bear had torn most of your skin off, but it was too evenly placed for an animal to cause those markings."

"But I don't have a scratch on me."

One corner of Pepper's lips tugged downwards.

"No. That's why you are here. You self-healed."

"I what?"

The door of the elevator opened, and Hensley followed Pepper into another hallway and then into a stainless-steel kitchen. Pepper motioned for Hensley to sit on a stool that was tucked under the kitchen island, and passed over a small basket full of different kinds of break rolls. Hensley picked one up at random to be polite, and nibbled at it.

Pepper was pulling something up on her phone.

"The news was going to feature this footage, but Tony paid them enough to stop it. I think S.H.I.E.L.D. is in the loop now, so they should be able to protect you, too."

Hensley's head spun. Her mouth opened, as if to ask a question that hadn't formed completely in Hensley's mind. She shut her jaw and leaned forward to look at Pepper's phone.

Someone had a video of her laying down in the frosted grass of the park outside her apartment complex. In the video, Hensley's skin looked as if it had been shredded by a cat. Blood was seeping onto her white beanie. Hensley touched her head, wondering what had happened to the beanie.

As the video went on, Hensley watched herself be placed onto a stretcher and then into an ambulance. The video then cut to a new scene where there was a reporter standing outside the hospital.

"The identity of the woman is still unknown," said the reporter, her blond hair flying in the Colorado winter wind. "But what we do know is that her injuries, much to the surprise of the hospital's staff, seemed to have self-healed. What we do know is that the woman was found –"

Hensley paused the video and pushed it back across the table. Pepper turned the video off.

"I don't understand," Hensley said.

"Neither do we." Pepper poured a glass of water and set it down in front of Hensley. "Do you remember what it was that attacked you? Maybe that would be a good place to start."

"I wasn't attacked." Hensley placed her bread roll to the side. "I was on my daily jog, and there was this light that shot through the clouds, and then it kind of settled, and I touched it. Then everything went dark."

"A light did that to you?"

Hensley stood up from her stool. She wanted to sleep. "I know it sounds crazy. But – but – look, I have work tomorrow, I feel fine, can I go home now?"

The door to the kitchen opened quietly, and there stood Tony Stark, in a t-shirt and shocks, and an a Stark IPad in his hands.

"I wouldn't worry about your boss," Tony said. Hensley was surprised to find he sounded just like he did on television. "I already called him and donated to his little bookstore. He said you're welcome to take your job back, but I told him that that was unlikely, because he now believes that you are working for me."

"What? Why would you say that?"

Hensley brushed passed the famous Avenger towards the kitchen exit. Tony reached out and tugged Hensley to a stop.

"You can't go home. Not yet," said Tony Stark.

Hensley tugged her arm free. "And why is that."

Tony pinched the bridge of his nose. "Because there were three shots of light that where spotted around the globe today. One that attached itself to you, and two others. The two people who were last spotted with the lights have since disappeared. Someone is out there looking for you."

Hensley studied his face. He looked completely serious. He was shorter than she had imagined him being. Maybe his Iron Man suit gave him some height.

"Why would someone be looking for me."

"You can self-heal, and do other things, for all we know. In the wrong hands that could be powerful." Tony turned to study her face, as if searching for something that wasn't there. "Could you heal yourself before the light?"

"You think I have powers now, because of some beam of light?" Hensley asked, and glanced over Tony's shoulder to Pepper, as if to check for confirmation. Pepper's expression was collected and blank.

"Actually, yes." Tony placed his IPad on the kitchen counter. "S.H.I.E.L.D. and I think that the light came from the Tesseract."

Hensley sighed. She felt exhausted. She wanted her warm bed in Colorado. She had the sudden thought that she wasn't going to see Denver for a very long time.

"The what?"