So sorry about leaving you with that silly little filler chappie! It's been busy of course, Christmas and all so here is a moderatly long chappie as a present! Hope you enjoy!


I brushed my hair slowly as I stood in front of the mirror after I had taken my shower. It was a Vichy shower and had felt like heaven on my poor, abused muscles. I hadn't had a workout like yesterday's in, well, ever, and while it was nice pushing myself to my limits, it didn't feel nice now. Plus, the impromptu fight/escape and even all that stair climbing… Lets just say it had been a rough couple of days and I would enjoy using the elevator. I left my hair down to dry and wrapped myself in the bath robe. I wandered back into the studio-style room. The folder was still on the table, but beside it was a huge tray, full of much more important information to me at this moment. Food. Lots and lots of food. There was bacon and croissants, French toast, a small waffle with strawberry goop and whipped cream on it… I dove right in, eating as much as I could so it didn't go to waste… and that's the only reason, not because I was completely famished, or the category five earthquake/stomach grumble. Finally, I sat back, sated, with a cup of tea and pulled the folder to me.

As I read, I became confused, however. These reports were dated years before this whole thing. In fact, the surveillance dated back to my birth. Why were they watching me when I was a baby? And the locations were all spread out… I have never been anywhere near California or Washington, but then why would these reports have me there, and in Texas… All these places I knew I should have never been in because all my life I had only ever lived in Florida and Wisconsin. I had visited a few of these places but… Whatever, I'll ask them more later.

I flipped through a couple more pages to find the most recent interactions. But before I found the kidnapping, I found a report of a subduing. In the description was my dream. My almost forgotten dream, written out on paper to prove right the terror of its reality. I hurriedly turned past that. I would dwell on that later. Finally, I got to the kidnapping. It had all the details I had expected, but as a bonus, had reports of how it was being handled at home. I almost cried again when I read how my parents had been contacted but laughed a second later when I read of how my friends had swarmed the SHIELD agents who had come to smooth things over. All my things had been removed from the school and the 'interviews' with the students and teachers involved were hilarious. It was all rumor and I can only imagine what gossip was going on around school. I wondered if anyone missed me. I sighed and flipped through the rest quickly. There was nothing else in there to help explain to me why I was there.

I got up and went to get changed. The clothes were waiting for me at the foot of my bed but I ignored them for the moment in favor of just flopping down onto the soft fur and silky sheets. I might as well use this time to relax while I had it. But I couldn't quiet my mind. Finally, I rolled over. I understood my fear of Natasha now, but why was she so… irritated with me? I knew that without her interference I probably wouldn't even be here now. In fact, I would probably be back in my old, boring, goody-two-shoes life. It had never sounded so tempting to be in Columbus, of all places. My life was literally flipped upside down and inside out… I got up again and finally got dressed. Sitting next to the clothes was a note I hadn't noticed earlier. I finished dressing then opened it to read,

Brie,

Come to the lab before you meet with the team.

-Bruce.

I went up to the lab floor in the elevator. I walked over, feeling almost awkward now, having been so comfortable in it before while they were gone. I thought back to that wonderful library and sighed wistfully at the memory as I walked over to knock. After a second, the door opened to show Tony who smiled and let me in.

"I wondered when you would show up," he gestured me inside and added "Dummy's missed you!" As he spoke I looked past him to see Dummy bobbing his head to whatever song was playing as he hung out by Bruce's elbow.

"Well, come on in! Make yourself comfortable!" He dragged me over by Bruce and tapped him on the shoulder as he went to retrieve another chair. I smiled at Dummy's 'whirrrr' as he patted my head. The chair Tony pulled up for me was all white and squeaky clean. I wondered where he had got it from as I would have assumed it would be covered in oil and grease from Tony messing around with mechanics all the time. Even now, as his hand left the pristine color, it left a little dark smudge on the arm.

"Where'd you get the chair?" I asked as I sat down. "If it stayed even a day in your presence it would become blac-" I had settled my arms down on the rests and had stopped when cuffs came around and snagged my wrists. I looked up in shock as Bruce, looking worried, checked the tightness around my wrists then turned my right arm over.

"Black. Like your heart." I finished bleakly, no longer in jest. The clamps tightened again and I couldn't make myself move from where I was watching as they went into action. I couldn't even speak for a moment.

"Tony." I finally managed. He didn't budge. "Bruce?" I said, starting to squirm. He flinched minutely from my pleading, questioning tone. "Will you at least tell me why?" There was silence for a second before Tony broke it.

"We just need to take some blood samples and you needed to be removed from the SHIELD hospital too early, you still had remnants of the drug in your system… And we also had some other tests to run…" He glanced up at me apologetically, but his gaze shot away from mine, as anger pushed out shock and confusion.

"So, you strap me to a chair?! You could've just asked! I've dealt with going to the doctor before and being held down isn't going to help having NEEDLES in me!" But then I saw the needle Bruce was prepping. Big needles, huge really, why did they have to be that big?, and low blood sugar. Which might explain the huge delicious breakfast. I regretted eating so much now. I felt like I was going to hurl. I craned my neck, trying to see the other needles Tony was pulling out. My hands started to shake.

"What are those for then?" I asked, my voice decidedly higher then normal.

"They are just normal immunizations, you've never had chicken pox, right?" Tony absentmindedly spoke while he drew liquid into the fourth, fourth!, needle and gathered the rest, coming around to put them on a cart near me. I tried to remember how to breathe normally but my throat felt like it did when I ran at 12 on the treadmill for too long, raw and swollen.

Trying to keep my eyes on both of them was hard with them on either side, but, as Tony turned, I could see Bruce on my other side. He wasn't just going to stab me with it right? I kicked out and my chair scooted back so hard, I hit the counter behind me. Tony had dropped his needles and was coming toward me slowly, saying something but I couldn't hear very well and even if I could read lips, I wasn't looking. I could see Bruce drop the big needle but then he grabbed another. I stood as best as I could and suddenly whirled around straining my arms back so far it hurt, trying to get them to back off. Hopefully.

Then I turned towards Tony, put my head down, and charged. He let me pass and tried to grab at the legs and bottom of the chair, but my blustering movements almost knocked him down. I stumbled away across the lab, toward the door. My wrists felt like they were going to snap off at any moment, but the door wouldn't open and-.

"JARVIS!" I called out desperately.

"I'm sorry, Ms. Reynolds, but this act is not allowed." I turned back around to look for Tony and Bruce but they were still at the table, Tony was talking to him and I remembered the green creature, the Hulk. I turned again to look at the door, the glass door. I sat back down and kicked, pushing so hard I knocked myself over. I struggled back up and just hurled myself at the glass, and it hurt so much. I did it again.

"JARVIS please!" I almost sobbed. There was a sigh from behind me.

"Let her go JARVIS." The chair dropped from my wrists. I didn't pause to look back as the door popped open with a *click*. I just ran. I got into the elevator and slammed the doors closed button then pressed the emergency button that stopped the elevator. I fell to the ground and relaxed finally. I rubbed at my sore wrists, that were already starting to bruise. I wanted out. I wanted to go home. But what if they came after me again? I also wanted to know why they wanted me in the first place. I already felt better, and, aside from a few bruises that would heal and hopefully new respect from Tony and Bruce, I would be fine. As long as there were no restraints involved and I got the info, maybe it wouldn't be so bad to stay here for now.

I got up. I brushed my hair back with my fingers and decided the high color in my cheeks was good. Made me look cheerful even when I wanted to run away screaming like a bat out of hell. But onward and upward. Literally. I flipped the emergency switch off, then pressed the button for the penthouse.