AN:
I feel so accomplished because typing this took so bloody long! And I basically changed all the dialogue I had originally drafted.
This chapter, along with the next few, will be taking place within the three days that Tony and Bruce work on creating Ultron. I'm using this time to let each member of the gang get to know Riley individually.
Thanks a bunch for tagging along for chapter 2 and a big thankyou to the reviewers who gave me a few seconds of their precious lives. You are amazing. Enjoy.
Chapter Two
Bruce had managed, with some debate, to convince the morally-obliged Steve to let me out of the cuffs. They didn't see me as a threat any more, but they knew I knew everything about everything of them, when they knew next to nothing of me, something that kept them wary of me.
Still, it was nice that I'd been, if only slightly so, accepted.
Sometime throughout the flight Tony had asked Jarvis to run a search on me. I was the only one in the group not to be surprise when nothing about me came up. He then asked Jarvis to run a global facial recognition scan, and again, nothing matched. It was as if I didn't exist.
Not in this world anyway.
And so, it had been decided amongst themselves that I would stay the HQ until they figured out what to do with me.
Now, as the jet landed on the Avengers' Tower, I stood and wrapped the largest blanket around my shoulders, hiding everything but my neck and head from the rest of the world.
The ramp opened and Natasha and Bruce wheeled Clint off to Helen Cho and her staff, Thor took the sceptre to the lab, and Maria Hill walked into the jet.
"Hi, Maria." She shot me an incredulous look that I could only describe as what the fuck and I cleared my throat awkwardly.
"Um, I mean… Hi, Miss Hill. I'm Riley." Shut up.
"Pleasure." she said uncertainly before turning to Tony. "Lab's all set up, boss."
Tony swivelled around on his chair.
"Actually, he's the boss." he said, pointing at Steve. "I just pay for everything, and design everything, and make everyone look cooler."
"What's the word on Strucker?" Steve asked Maria, ignoring Tony.
"NATO's got him."
"The two Enhanced?"
"Wanda and Pietro Maximoff. Twins. Orphaned at ten when a shell collapsed their apartment building."
Steve and Tony looked at me and I shrugged.
Maria led the Captain out of the jet. I already knew where their conversation was going.
Left alone in the jet with Tony, I looked around awkwardly, unsure of what to do with myself.
"Hey, um, Tony?"
The man in question, who had his back to me, turned around and looked at me.
"Can I have some clothes, please?"
He didn't reply to me at first. Instead he said to his UI "J, send someone up with a bathrobe for Riley."
"I am notifying someone now, sir." The smooth robotic voice answered.
Tony then looked at me and explained "We don't really have anything suitable for a teenage girl in the tower, but I'll get Jarvis to get someone to go shopping sometime today."
"Thank you."
Tony turned around and resumed his fiddling with various odds and ends.
I shifted my weight from foot to foot anxiously before I blurted out what I wanted to say.
"It wasn't your fault, ya know?"
For fuck's sake, just shut up Riley.
He looked at me confused.
"What Wanda made you see, it wasn't your fault."
His mouth dropped into a small 'o', then he clamped it shut and said bitterly "Right. You're Little Miss Know-it-all."
I sighed. "I know that ya blame yourself for what you saw. And I just want to tell ya that she's just messin' with ya head, and not to beat yourself up about it too bad. It's a fear, not a reality."
He looked uncomfortable, and opened his mouth to say something witty or sarcastic to shut me up, but a young blonde woman dressed in business attire cleared her throat at that moment.
Tony was slightly pissed, but I was relieved.
"Sorry to interrupt, sir, miss, but I have the bathrobe you requested."
I dropped the blanket onto the stretcher and walked over to her, taking the soft blue material from her arms and wrapping it around my middle, tying the cord. It was slightly too big, falling around my feet. I rolled the sleeves up to my elbows.
"Thanks."
She nodded kindly and briskly walked away.
I turned around to see Tony breathing irregularly.
"I'm sorry. It's too soon. Wrong time to say it. I get it."
He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "It's fine, kiddo. It just stresses me out."
I just nodded, deciding it would be best not to say anything more.
"C'mon." He said. "I'll show you where you'll be staying."
My room was nice, to say the least.
It was big, as I assumed every other room in the tower was. The walls were an off-white colour, there was a king sized bed covered in baby blue sheets in the middle, several empty, varnished, wooden drawers around the room, and a white, wooden desk in the corner.
Surprisingly cosy for Stark's design.
I walked to the bed and lay down on my back, brown hair pooling around me on the sheets. I saw two doors, both open. Through one was an empty walk-in closet, and through the other was a bathroom.
I rolled off the bed and walked into the bathroom.
It was spotless, not a speck of dust. On the white basin there was a soap dispenser, and in the draw was an unused toothbrush, a small tube of toothpaste, and a simple black comb.
Grabbing the comb, I ran it through my slightly disheveled hair and then put it back in its place. I started brushing my teeth. The minty taste was nice and it made me realise how hungry I was. Still brushing away, I looked in the mirror.
A sun kissed girl covered in freckles looked back at me. My lips were back to their usual plump selves. My cheeks still had their sharp bone structure, with a little too much chub for my liking as always. My eyes were brown and not-so-dead, the only exception to their typical nature were the bags underneath them, though I was too hyped up to be tired. The small blackheads still sat along my nose, and I had a pimple scars on my chin from earlier years.
The cord from the bathrobe pulled semi-tight around my waist clearly showed off my lack of curves. My frame only had the slightest of size differences at the waist, my hips were out of proportion, and my thighs were thick.
I didn't mind how I looked though, it was how I was raised.
Who raised me? I mentally asked myself, not quite grasping who told me that saying countless times. Oh! Dad! Stupid mind blank.
I spat out the minty froth and rinsed out my mouth and the brush. I walked back to the bed, but my curiosity wouldn't let me lie down again.
I left the room, wanting to explore.
The hallway I followed was long, meaning the few doors that were spread along it lead to rooms that were probably as big as, or bigger than, mine.
I guessed this was where everyone slept.
When I reached the end of the hallway, I was standing on the high-rise strip that ran along the wall, overlooking the main lounging space. The front wall was made entirely out of windows, and the lower floor was adorned with couches that surrounded a glass table, and a drink bar in the back corner.
I recognised this place as the room that the party would occur in in three days' time.
The place where Ultron makes his first appearance.
I walked along it until I heard noises from another corridor. This one looked into a number of labs. I followed the sounds until I found myself watching Natasha, Bruce, and Helen overlooking a horizontal Clint.
I walked into the room and stood beside Natasha, who greeted me with a kind smile.
"Are you sure he's gonna be okay?" She asked Helen. "Pretending to need this guy really brings the team together."
She smirked at Clint.
"There's no possibility of deterioration." Replied Dr Cho. "The nano-molecular functionality is instantaneous." She pressed a few buttons on the screen above Clint. "His cells don't know they're bonding with simulacra."
Bruce walked forward, observing with fascination.
"She's creating tissue." He said, amazed.
I leaned into Natasha and whispered "Dork." which earned me an amused smirk.
"If you brought him to my lab, the Regeneration Cradle could do this in twenty minutes." Helen told Bruce.
Then Tony swaggered in, carrying a tray of disgusting green liquid. "Oh, he's flat-lining. Call it. Time?"
"No, no, no. I'm gonna live forever." Clint laughed. "I'm gonna be made of plastic."
Stark handed him a drink. "Here's your beverage."
When he offered one to Natasha and I, the only one to except was the beautiful redhead.
"You'll be made of you, Mr Barton." Assured Cho. "Your own girlfriend won't be able to tell the difference."
"He doesn't have a girlfriend." I replied at the exact same moment he said, "I don't have a girlfriend."
We made eye contact and he looked at me awkwardly. I was assuming it was because he now knew I knew about his wife and children. Deciding not to go into an explanation in front of the doctors, I just winked at him suggestively. His face dropped in faux disgust and I giggled while Natasha chuckled in amusement. I tried to hide my shit-eating grin, putting a hand over my mouth and looking to the floor.
Eventually I shut up in time to hear Tony say to Dr Cho "And, Helen, I expect to see you at the party on Saturday."
Her sassy remark was, "Unlike you, I don't have a lot of time for parties."
"Thor'll be there." I said as I walked out of the room, smiling like a Cheshire.
I faintly heard a quiet "What time does it start?" from Helen.
Now I wanted food.
After a while of scouring through the many draws in the kitchen, I found the ingredients I needed for a ham sandwich.
Unfortunately, but unsurprisingly, I couldn't find any Vegemite.
I should get that sorted out before I start havin' Vegemite withdrawals.
Plopping the last piece of bread on top of the ham slice, I took a bite and grabbed a big red apple from the fruit bowl, walking out of the room.
Munching on the sandwich, I found Tony and Bruce in a heated discussion.
"What are my two favourite mad scientists up to?" I asked cheerfully, taking another bite of my half-finished meal.
They ignored me, causing me to pout with cheeks full of half chewed sandwich.
"What if you were sipping margaritas on a sun-drenched beach, turning brown instead of green?" Stark said to Banner. "Not looking your shoulder for Veronica."
"Hey! Don't hate." I interrupted, whacking him lightly on the shoulder with the back of my apple-occupied hand. "He helped design Veronica."
They both looked down at me. I held my food-filled hands up in surrender. "Oh, don't stop on my account. I already know what this conversation's about and how it ends."
I took another bite, eyes darting between the both of them.
Tony rolled his eyes overdramatically. "Thank you so much for your input, Miss Know-it-all."
I shrugged and grinned, cheeks bulging full of bread and ham.
"You built Veronica as a worst-case measure, right? How about a best case?" He resumed.
I guess even my interference can't change how the conversation goes.
"What if the world was safe?" Tony continued. "What if, next time aliens roll up to the club, and they will, they can't get past the bouncer?"
Bruce considered this. "The only people threatening the planet would be people."
Amen, bro.
Tony sighed, before skipping straight to the point. "I want to apply this to the Ultron program." Bruce looked at him incredulously. "Jarvis can't download a data schematic this dense. We can only do it while we have the sceptre here. That's three days." Tony explained holding up said number of fingers. "Give me three days."
Bruce pulled Tony's plan apart to the very core and said "So you want to go for artificial intelligence and you don't want to tell the team."
Understanding that they would turn to me next to support each of their arguments, I snuck out of the lab.
I felt bad, knowing that by not stopping them, I was technically helping create a robotic madman, but I had already decided, knowing about Thanos, that the world did need Ultron, just not for the reasons they think.
After finishing my food, I dawdled around the place, bored.
I soon found an elevator.
My curiosity and boredom took over then, and I pressed the button, stepping inside when the doors opened. After they closed I looked at the plentiful amount of numbered buttons, not knowing which floor held what.
Realising I had an all-knowing UI at my disposal for the next two days, I called for the program in question.
"Um, Jarvis?"
"I am here, Miss Rose." He said.
The sound of Jarvis' robotic voice was like music to my ears. Perhaps because it was always smooth and calming; pleasant. Also because it was British and that made it sound a lot cooler than my half-assed Australian pronounciation.
"What floors do I have access to?" I asked the disembodied voice.
My reply was a second later. "Due to your lack of documented identity and possible hidden agendas, Mr Stark as limited your access to six floors in the building, Miss Rose. The floor you are currently on is the Avenger's living quarters, as well as Dr. Banner and Mr. Stark's personal laboratories. You also have access to the floor below you: the gym, as well as the first floor lobby, the underground car park, and the landing pad for air transportation. The other workrooms and research facilities are off-limits to you, I'm afraid."
"Okey dokey." I said, swinging my arms. "Can you please take me to the gym?"
"Certainly."
The elevator trip lasted less than half of a minute. When the doors opened I stepped out, said a quick thank you to Jarvis, and gazed around.
Needless to say, the gym was huge.
In the back right corner there were several punching bags strung up, against the centre of the back wall was a large boxing ring, and in between them was a set of shelves filled with various protective equipment like boxing gloves, helmets, and strapping tape.
In the far left corner was an enormous cupboard, which I assumed was filled with small, hand-held weapons, because there was a double target range that ran along the entire length of the left wall.
To my right, taking up the whole of the front corner, was an ensemble of exercise equipment.
Unfortunately, due to my lack of time at the gym (as in never), I could only identify the treadmills and the bench-press apparatus.
I walked into the seemingly empty middle of the room, and felt the ground become squishy underneath me. When I looked down, I found myself standing on blue sparring mats that covered the expanse of the centre of the room.
I strode up to a punching bag, and, being my typical, stupidly clumsy, impulsive self, randomly threw my fist at one- way too hard.
I hissed in pain and looked at the back of my freckled hand. The knuckles were missing some skin, but only the middle one was bleeding.
I popped the knuckle between my lips and sucked until the sting lessened.
I ambled to the boxing ring and removed the back of my hand from my mouth so that I could climb – actually it was more like a stumble – onto the elevated white square.
I circled the area and put a comedically serious expression on my face, my hands in fists in front of me. I jumped up and down on the spot, shifting my body weight between the balls of my feet, imitating a professional boxer.
I threw a few clumsy punches at the air before laughing at myself and tumbling onto my back. I lay in the starfish position, brown hair spread out randomly.
Eventually my laughter died and was replaced by a solemn look as I stared at the bright lights on the high ceiling.
This is so crazy, I thought to myself. I'm in the Avenger's Tower, sharing living quarters with a bunch of superheroes, with no idea how I ended up here.
My expression grew troubled. Come to think of it, I didn't remember much of where I came from.
Australia, Riley.
I couldn't remember my family either. The blurred image of familiar middle-aged man with brunette hair, covered in so many freckles it's hard to see the tanned skin underneath is what comes to mind when I think of my family.
My father, maybe? Ugh! Why can't I remember?!
I scooped into my brain, searching through my memories, but all that came up was my time here.
I lay there for what feels like hours, trying to bring up something that has happened to me before my unexplainable arrival in the cold European woods. After a while, tears started to creep from the sides of my sad eyes and I felt them run across my temples and disappear into my hairline.
Nothing. I can't remember anything else.
I sat up and crossed my legs.
I don't even remember how I know all of this stuff about everyone. I realised. I just know it.
Sighing, I wiped my face and breathed in and out shakily.
Someone cleared their throat and I jumped forcefully. I looked around to see Natasha leaning against the side of the ring, dressed in grey sweatpants and a sleeveless blue singlet. Her eyes widened as they watched me, and it wasn't worry that they were full of.
Something's wrong. I thought.
I scrambled closer to her on my hands and knees, but she took a step back as I did so.
"Natasha, are you oka-"
"How did you do that?" she interrupted me.
I looked at her, confused. "Do what?"
"You jumped and then disappeared for a moment…" she trailed off.
"What?"
"You heard me."
I didn't know what to say, but I knew what I'd done. I'd just went into my creepy invisible mode.
I fumbled with my words.
"Wha-I… I-Uh… I didn't- It wasn't on purpose." I managed. I sat back on my feet and looked down. The mat had become surprisingly interesting at that moment. "I'm sorry."
She sighed before stepping forward cautiously. "You mean you can't control it?"
I nodded, still not raising my head, afraid that if I spoke the waterworks would start.
"Look at me. I need to know if you're lying or not."
I did so, knowing she'd see my tears, and looked her in the eyes. "I'm really sorry." I mumbled. "I didn't even know that I did it. I can't control it."
Her gaze softened. She jumped up into the ring with ease, and sat cross legged in front of me.
"So it's happened before then?" She asked.
I nodded. "Only once, when I was in the woods with you an' Bruce. I freaked out when he saw me and I recognised that it was the Hulk. I was scared and I wanted to… disappear. I couldn't control it. I thought I was dreamin' because neither of you could see me."
"That's why I didn't know you were there." She figured.
I nodded again. "Actually, I waved my hand right in front of ya face and ya didn't notice." I added with a wet chuckle.
"And how did you become visible again?" she questioned.
"Once I knew he was back to being good ol' Dr Banner I relaxed, I believed neither of you would hurt me, and I was freezing and in need of help."
"And just then?" She asked, trailing off, letting me realise what she had already figured out.
"You scared me." I stated. "You scared me an' I turned invisible." My mouth opened in shock. "You scared me an' I turned invisible. I turned invisible."
She smiled, amused.
"Holy mother of sin! I can turn invisible!"
Nat let out a small laugh and put a hand a comforting hand on my shoulder.
"Calm down, honey." She said in a surprisingly motherly tone. "You're fine."
I looked up at her, and despite everything, a genuine smiled split my face. "Thanks."
"No problem, kid. But I have to ask," I waited for her to continue. "How did you get abilities?"
I shrugged. It was something I'd been thinking about too. "I'm not sure. Probably the same way I ended up in Sokovian woods with no memory of anything from the past and untold knowledge of everyone else's past and future."
My theory was that it involved the Infinity Stones somehow, but my knowledge on them was limited. I assumed the Mind Stone had a part in it, considering it effected the mind, and I seemed to have lost my memory and gained future knowledge, but I wasn't very certain.
Actually I wasn't certain at all.
"Well, there's not much I can do for you there," she told me sombrely. "And considering there is no intel on you anywhere, I doubt we will ever know what happened to you."
I sighed. "Yeah, I know. I just wish I knew why."
"Does anyone else know about you and your power?"
"Just Bruce," I said. "He told me he wouldn't say anything as long as I didn't do anything to try an' hurt you guys."
She chuckled. "Yeah, that sounds like Banner."
"I don't know how to tell anyone else. I can't exactly explain to them what's going on," I told her. "I mean, I don't even really know myself."
"You'll be fine," she assured me. "Just focus on here and now, and how much you know about your abilities. Work from there."
"Okay, I… I know about the future, and other peoples' pasts, and I become invisible when I'm scared or feel like I'm in danger."
She nodded along. "So what do you do now?"
I thought about it. "Use my knowledge for good. And learn to control when I turn invisible."
"Great." She said. "Now, just stick to that, and when you reach it, make a new goal. And I won't tell anyone either. Just know that if this whole thing is some play to try and break this team apart, I'll kill you."
Her voice nor her face betrayed her words. But I didn't need any persuading to know that she would protect her own.
"I believe you."
"Good."
I smiled and an understanding silence fell between us for a while, neither of us knowing what to say next.
"So, you and Bruce." I said, waiting for her reaction.
"Hmm?" She asked, looking away. "What about us?"
I laughed.
"It's okay, I know." I told her. "I know how you feel, the both of you, and I know what happens in the future." I explained.
She looked up at me with big eyes, and I realised now how much of the young woman she never got to be he brought out in her. The way she was raised, to be detached, a weapon instead of a person, it made me truly grasp how different this new territory would be to her.
"If you want my advice," I said whilst grinning. "Don't fight it. Just run with it. Things'll work out eventually."
"Look at you, kid, giving me romance advice." She smirked.
I laughed sheepishly and looked at the ground. I knew that Bruce would disappear. That he would jump into that jet and fly off. But I wanted them to be happy, and my plan was to stop him from leaving.
"I should go find Barton." I sighed. "He probably doesn't like the fact that I know about Laura and the kids."
She smiled. "Yeah, well who would? Even I was a little freaked that you knew about that."
I stood and managed to awkwardly climb out of the ring. I pressed the elevator button and waited.
"He'll probably be eating his way through the kitchen." She told me.
The doors opened and I stepped in. "See ya later."
"Yeah, see you." She replied.
As the doors closed I saw Natasha begin wrapping tape across her knuckles while she walked over to a punching bag.
I subconsciously rubbed by sore hand bitterly.
"To the living quarters, please, Jarvis."
AN:
As I said before, the next few chapters will be mostly about the group getting to know Riley over three days. And I also want her to develop her abilities a lot more. For clarification, Riley still knows everything about the Avengers, she just doesn't know how she knows it. She has also forgotten everything about her own past in the 'real world'.
As for Riley's self-assigned mission, it's for her to help protect the Earth from Thanos' eventual wrath, but seeing as she doesn't know when he'll appear, she's using Ultron to help bring the Avengers together so they'll be better prepared. Her goal is to add Vision, Wanda, and Pietro to the team, as well as keeping Bruce from leaving.
If anything is still unclear I'm free to help, just PM me.
Reviewww :)
