Revised Chapter Posted: 11/20/16


Nick Fury was pacing back and forth along the steel walkway of the main SHIELD operations room. It spanned the entirety of one level of Stark Tower, which SHIELD had decided to take over some odd months ago. Tony had replicated the control room of the Helicarrier, which was still undergoing maintenance, but had made it bigger and much more efficient. Green energy will do that to a place, or so Tony had vehemently said to Fury (or haughtily? Probably that).

"Sir, you do know that you left Dr. Banner with-"

"I know, Agent Hill," Fury said without looking at her. He directed his eyes to the traffic cameras catching the scene at the bank in Brooklyn all on tape, "We have bigger problems right now."

"I don't see how anything could be bigger than her. Except, maybe, well, the other Dr. Banner."

"Well start trying to see. That man there," he pointed at Owen deflecting Thor's hammer, "is our main priority now. The Hulk won't make an appearance today – Dr. Banner can control himself around her." He didn't have to add on an 'I hope' for agent Hill to still hear it loud and clear.

"But sir, she's a weapon. She's dangerous."

He turned to her, "Do I look like I don't know that? Agent Hill, the way I see it, we're the only people she knows. We're the only ones who are helping her. Can't lock her up because she destroyed the only cage thought to be able to contain her," he made a thoroughly unimpressed face, "Turns out it couldn't. So for the time being, yeah, let her roam free. She needs to be able to trust us and we need to know she won't pull another stunt like earlier and land another one of the team in the infirmary, or worse, the morgue."

Agent Hill was silent before asking, "And what about the file, sir?"

Fury stared at her with all the intensity he could muster, "No one is to see that file. Not another agent, not Banner, and especially not Stark. Is that clear, Agent Hill?"

She pursed her lips but nodded.

"Crystal, sir."


Bruce entered his access code into the pad by the infirmary doors. They slid open and he guided the pink haired woman in. She was looking straight at his back and still grasping his shirt tightly in her hands. The entire time they walked it had been like a shuffle. Their feet had collided with each other's more than once.

Steve was the only one in the room except for an agent who was checking his vitals. She scampered out of the room as soon as she saw Bruce enter with the woman who had caused the blast in the first place. The only noises were the gentle hums of the machines and the steady beeping of Steve's heart monitor.

As Bruce continued to lead her forward she peeked her head out and looked around the room. Her eyes locked on all of the equipment and the fear that gripped her heart was like a vise. She instantly dropped to the floor. Bruce was startled and since her hands were clenched around his shirt, he fell down as well.

"Oooof!" Bruce scrambled to turn around and got on his knees, his hands on the floor in front of him.

The pink haired woman was panicking, looking at all of the machines with wide, fearful eyes. Bruce could see a strange recognition in her silvery grey eyes as they flickered from machine to machine. A tiny whimper escaped her mouth as she locked onto a tray of surgical tools. She didn't know where to go. Everywhere she turned there was another thing that made her cry out in fear. She didn't know why, couldn't understand this intense feeling gripping her everywhere, but she knew that these machines, these tools, she'd seen them somewhere before and they…they hadn't been good.

Bruce watched her, not knowing what to do. He watched her breathing quicken, her chest heave. There was no one around and he doubted she would like it if he suddenly shot up and ran over to the intercom to ask for help. Maybe someone would see them on the cameras, he hoped. When he saw her eyes start to fade and begin to turn completely silver, he knew he had to do something or else he was going to end up next to Steve. Or the big guy would come out...

"Hey, hey," he reached a hand out to her, gentle movements, a calm voice. "It's okay, sshhh," he tried to sound soothing, his voice soft and low. "No one is going to hurt you. You're okay. Shhhh."

She squeezed her eyes shut but her breathing remained the same. Her heart was pounding in her chest and her mind was flashing strange images in front of her.

The sound of utensils clanking together comes from her left. A drilling noise comes from her right. The pain is so blinding, so surreal, that she screams and screams until her throat goes raw and starts to bleed. There are so many sounds and lights and just so. much. pain. It's nearly blinding. Her entire body feels like it's being ripped apart. Maybe it is.

"It's okay, sshhh. You're okay," a voice comes from above her. "Stop this. We need to stop this now," it said to somebody else.

"We've almost done it!" Somebody hollers back, desperate to be heard over the blood curdling screams.

"I don't care! You're hurting her!"

"She's doesn't have feelings! She's not a real human!"

"Can't you hear her screaming?!"

The pain intensifies and she screams so loudly that something nearby shatters. Bright, silver lights surround her and the others around her start screaming. She passes out shortly after from the pain.

Bruce watched her crawl over to a tray and grab a scalpel.

"Hey! No, no, sshhh," he pleaded, looking into her distant eyes. "Calm down. You're okay, you're alright."

"Calm down, sweetheart. You're okay, you're alright."

Her eyes focus somewhat, still bleary from the procedures, the pain. The silhouette of a man stands above her, the light so bright that his features are indiscernible. She turns her head and catches sight of the wall, splattered with red blotches that are dripping down in steady streams of deep crimson. Beneath the carnage is something bold and black. She cam hardly see it beneath all of the stains.

Bruce watched as she stared straight ahead, eyes far away. She lifted her hand and plunged the scalpel into the floor, sinking it deep into the tile without so much as a wince on her features. Slowly, she began to etch something. The scalpel dug into the ground as she carved, her grip on it so tight that silver liquid started to leak from her palm. Blood.

"Look at me," he pleaded with her, slowly crawling towards her on all fours. He held a timid hand out and tried his hardest to stop it from trembling as he reached for her, "Look at me. You're okay."

"Look at me. Hey, hey, look at me."

She feels a hand on her cheek, warm and strong, as her face is directed back to the silhouette. He shines something in her eyes but she doesn't register it. There are already enough lights blinding her. Her pupils are blown wide and her chest heaves so hard that it is a miracle the metal straps binding her don't burst apart.

"What the hell?!" A new, different voice sounds from farther away. It draws closer as the owner asks in alarm, "What happened here?"

The man standing above her replies in a tired voice, "A horror film, that's what. I told you not to do this. I begged you all to not try again."

"But it worked..." the new voice trails off. "By God, it worked!"

"This is not something to rejoice about. We built her and then mutated her. She's...she's-"

"She's perfect!"

"No! No. Did you see what she did to the others? They're…they're destroyed."

"Imagine what a thousand of her can do!"

"You can't be serious. I won't let that happen. The world isn't rea-"

"Ready? Was the world ready for that cube? For Hydra? No. The world needs this."

"No," the first voice whispers, his voce hoarse and full of terror at the other man's insistence. "No, it doesn't."

One of the men leaves, his footsteps sounding farther and farther away. Deep within her she feels a longing for the man with the soft voice and warm hands to still be there with her. Everything hurts but his voice, his gentle words, make the pain easier to bear. She hears a sigh, her vision beaming in and out, and then feels a pressure on her hand. A set of fingers gently holds her own and she knows it's him. He had stayed.

"Don't let anybody try to tell you that you aren't human," the voice of the man standing above her whispers. "You are not a weapon. You are a human being. I don't know if you understand me or if you're even listening, but I'm so sorry. I'm sorry we made you. I'm sorry I helped. I'm sorry that any of this has happened."

There is silence that drags on for a long moment, followed then a tired sniffle, a breath drawn in and then an exhale, shaking and full of sorrow, "You are human, and every human has a name. Machines, robots, they don't...they're not like you. You're not like them," he whispers.

She whimpers a little and he soothes her with a gentle promise. "Sshhh. Everything will be okay."

Before she loses consciousness again she hears him speak one last time. The light fades away from around him and she sees his face – his warm, gentle face, graced with a sad smile.

"Stella," he says. "It means 'star' and... and that's what you are. Stella."

Bruce watched her eyes begin to focus back in on reality. He was close to her now, his hand clasped over her own that was holding the scalpel. The tool was still plunged into the floor but she had stopped carving, instead staring forward, eyes fixed to something far beyond the wall she was facing. She blinked once and her eyes immediately snapped to Bruce's. He was startled at the tears that had gathered in them, at the pure, raw emotion swirling around her silvery irises. They were glistening, sparkling with whatever horrible memories she had just seen. The two stared at each other for a moment before she licked her lips, chin trembling.

"Stella," she said, her voice cracking and a single tear trailing down her pale cheek. She told him softly, a sort of distraught yet hopeful smile mixed onto her lips, "My name is Stella."

Bruce could say nothing. Her voice was so scared, her eyes so broken, that he could not form a reply. Instead, he loosened his grip on her hand and heard the clattering of the scalpel as it dropped to the ground. She fell into him slightly and he barely had time to catch her before she collapsed fully in his arms, cradling her bleeding hand in her uninjured one. His eyes shot down to her palm and he grabbed it without thinking, examining it for the deep gash he knew would be there.

Her skin was torn open and the silvery metallic substance that was her blood leaked out. She looked down at her hand as well and they both watched as the blood slowly trickled back in, the skin meshing back together and healing itself. They locked eyes again, hers terrified and his amazed. His grip on her tightened and he opened his mouth to speak. Before he could, another voice broke into the room.

"Wh-What just happened?"

Both of their heads snapped over to see Steve Rogers sitting up in his bed, his eyes wide and his jaw dropped open.


A/N: more editing done, specifically to the tenses of the flashbacks. I made them present tense for vividness. A little trick I like to employ sometimes and something I learned from the historical ancient authors I study ;) What cool cats those Greeks and Romans were. A little more description added to the characters' actions as well.

Much love to you all! Stay tuned. xx