Steve was impressed. Ava was a very quick learner.
They had been sparring for two hours. Normal people would have stopped by now, but they were super-soldiers. He was using several moves because every time he used one, she immediately learned it and instinctively knew what to do against it.
As they kept going, he increased his speed and strength. Careful to be a level he was sure she could take.
The harder it got, the more she seemed to enjoy the challenge. Being a super-soldier himself, Steve understood how hard it was to find a real challenge in one-to-one combat. Usually the challenge was in taking on several enemies.
Every time he managed to drop her on the ground ( without hurting her) or immobilize her, she managed to get out of his hold or get back on her feet. Like Natasha, who had this uncanny ability of getting out of anyone's hold, using their own strengths against them.
He was genuinely surprised when she managed to kick his legs from under him and send him to the ground.
" Wow I didn't see that coming. " He said with a smile. " Congratulations. "
She stopped as she was about to jump him as he stood up.
" What? " She asked.
" Congratulations, it was a good move. " He said again.
" Oh. " She said. " Thank you. "
" You're welcome. I believe compliments are due when people deserve them. " He said. " So, you might aswell get used to them. " He said in a good-humored tone. " How about a break now? "
She smirked.
" I take you down one time and you asking for a break? " She asked. " I thought Captain America wouldn't give up so easily. "
" You're the one who's out of breath. " He said, pointing to her, who was doing a good job at masking it, but it was visible that she starting to get tired.
" This is nothing. I can keep going. " She said. " If you're awake, you can keep going. " She added, like she was quoting someone.
His smile disappeared, the circumstances that brought those abilities coming to his mind. The little girl on those videos who could barely stand and still was forced to fight, many times for her life.
" You don't have to do this anymore, you know? " He said.
She cocked her head to the side, as he was learning she did when she felt she didn't need to disguise her confusion.
" Do what? "
" Keep going until you drop. " He continued. " You're not with Hydra anymore. You are a person who can do things at your own speed. Who can take breaks and actually enjoy life, instead of trying to become this perfect machine. You can rest. You should. "
She stood straighter at this. He realised that she had had a good time, and he ruined it by saying that.
" I am not ready to drop Rogers. " She said, her voice emotionless. " But you are right. We are done here. "
She stepped out of the mat, leaving him to follow her.
She cursed herself inside her mind.
She had relaxed and had fun. FUN! She didn't know if those people could be trusted! To be fair she was sure Hydra could NOT be trusted. But she prefered to face the devil she knew than the one she didn't.
Relax?! How could he say that? Was he stupid? People who relaxed got killed.
And she wasn't going to let someone get the better of her. She was the Maternity's best experiment for no reason. She never relaxed.
Just because she was considering betraying the Maternity, it didn't mean that she didn't know they were right about many things.
Survival being one of them.
She could hear his footsteps behind her. Fortunally he didn't engage in any conversation.
Had he told her to relax in order to get her to let her guard down? It was possible. She would have done the same thing.
She smelled food and stopped her fast pace, turning her head towards the in a decided stride, she followed it.
She found a kitchen connected to a living room. Natasha, Thor and much to her dismay, Wanda.
She glared at her, and she knew her anger passed through her eyes. But Thor either didn't notice, or didn't mind.
" Lady Ava, it is an honour to meet you. " He said walking over to her and greeting her with a head nod. " I hoped to have a chance to meet you before leaving. "
" Pleasure. " She said, suppressing her anger towards Wanda in order to keep her voice emotionless. " So, you are Thor. "
" Indeed I am. " He said, proud.
She looked him up and down, accessing the level of threat. Powerful and very dangerous. But not really good with anything that is meant to be discreet. And if what she heard is correct, could be manipulated using those he cared about, but only to a certain extent.
He smiled at her scrutiny.
" You are a lot like your mother, young warrior. " He said, looking at he sweaty, dishevelled figure. " Even tired from what I imagine was a long training session, your mind is always working. "
" It would be expected that I would share characteristics with my donors. " She said, choosing not to say anything at the ' mother ' comment. Then moving to the counter where there were several pizzas.
She didn't even asked if she could eat, just grabbed a box and started to eat. Vegetarian, it would not have been her pick, but it was food. She purposefully stood on the furthest from Wanda that she could.
She was glad to see that the woman recognized her anger and seemed uncomfortable.
She ate as she watched the others, who started talking amongst themselves, apparently Thor was leaving, he had just waited for Steve to say goodbye to him.
They seemed comfortable around each other, except for Wanda, which made sense because she was with Hydra until very recently. Something huge had happened and being asleep for the last days had made her miss it.
She had to get a computer and see what had happened. Would they give her access to one? They were acting nice enough.
She felt something press against her mind. Her mind had never been something so sensitive, until she met Wanda.
She had endure her mental manipulation while with Strucker, she had learned how to protect her mind there. It was still a work in progress, but with exercise, she would excel at it.
She focussed her mind on protecting it from the outside presence.
She looked away from the others to look at Wanda. If she thought she had been gentle enough not to get noticed, she was wrong.
" Get out of my head Wanda! " She growled, dropping the box on the counter again and staring at the woman with cold murder on her eyes. Her hand grabbing the nearest knife.
The presence on her head disappeared. The woman had a small deer caught in headlights expression, along with frustration. She obviously didn't expect to be caught, but didn't look regretful.
" Ava, calm down. " Said Steve, the talk between him, Thor and Natasha stopped, they were looking between her and Wanda.
" You enter my mind one more time and I promise that death will look like paradise compared to what I'll do to you. " She hissed at her, ignoring the others.
" I was just trying to see what were you planning. " Said Wanda. " You cannot blame me for being worried of having you around. "
She smiled, it was a calculated smile. People never liked to see the one threatening them happy.
" You should be. " She said. " But you should be more worried about making me decide to stand against you. Your powers won't keep you safe forever. Don't forget, I can feel it coming. And I know how far you can take it. "
She threw the knife at her, Steve being to slow to stop it, but grabbing her arm. There was no danger, she knew Wanda would stop the projectile. She did, the knife floating surrounded by red energy.
" Think twice before sharing anything that you saw on my mind. Or forgetting that my mind is my own and you are not welcome. " She said, turning to stare at Steve. " Can I have my arm back? "
" Will you try to kill her again? " He asked serious.
" If I had tried to kill her, she would be dead. " She said holding his gaze.
The grip lessened and she stormed out of the room, not minding who would be following.
She got back to her medical room/ bedroom/ cell. She had bottled her feelings and was again under control. But she needed to be alone. No more Steve sitter.
So she went straight to the bathroom, starting to take her shirt off. She immediately heard him stop and turn away. Old timer manners were a sure way to get him to leave her alone. She shut the door, then she finished stripping and climbed in the shower, turning on the water.
It was cold at first, then she got it to be scalding hot. She took the luffa it was there and scrubbed every inch of her body. Washing away days of dirt and sweat. During it, she kept her mental shield up, focussing on it. Making it stronger.
She wasn't sure if Wanda knew what it was like to have someone entering your mind. Looking over your memories. To have a presence entering a place that was supposed to be your safe haven.
Growing up in the Maternity, the experiments didn't have personal possessions. Everything they used was later passed to someone else or returned to the trainers and guards.
Their bodies were not their own, they were machines, owned by Hydra, trained by them, honed by them. Created by them.
Their minds were all they had.
Her mind was all she had. Under the layers of a cold exterior, the only thing he had. And sometimes, there was so much of Hydra there, that it made her doubt it was her own to begin with. Every time she thought there was something inside worth protecting, something happened and emptiness took over.
The certainty that no one would ever enter that space was all she had. Her mind was the only place where she could say she actually existed as something more than a weapon.
But Hydra had created Wanda, and took the last thing they could take. Tainted her safe heaven. Marked it as their own. If she tries, she can till feel Wanda's magic slowly forcing its way through her memories. She had not been kind the first times, they wanted the girl to feel the touch of the red energy. To feel and to recognize it, so Wanda had to be rough.
Wanda was never going inside her mind again.
She scrubbed her skin, the luffa turning to shreds on her hands. Her skin getting redder and redder from the vigorous scrubbing and the temperature of the water.
How long had she been in there? She couldn't be sure, but she was sure it was a lot. If she was at the Maternity, they would have cut the water a long time ago.
She didn't care. When the luffa finally gave out, she dropped it to the floor.
' Be strong ' She thought to herself. ' You are in unknown possibly enemy territory. You cannot be weak! You're Delta Gamma Omega 0012! You are not allowed weakness! '
Hydra created her and raised her in hell. Slowly taking everything that made life bearable. Slowly taking her ability to feel the pain and the loss of everything they took from her.
Now, she was an empty shell, programmed to kill on command.
To be truthful, her anger at Wanda was the most intense emotion she felt in a while. Maybe ever. But even her acting on the kitchen was more calculated threat and acting than real emotion.
Control
Control
Control
Experiments have their emotions under control. Experiments have no emotions. No illogical outbursts.
So many different voices. All the same message.
You don't have feelings. You are not illogical. You are empty and made to obey.
Do it!
Obey!
Comply!
She punched the wall, a mark left on it, broken pieces of the tile falling to the floor.
The wall of the showers at the Maternity didn't have tiles, there was no after signs when she punched the wall there. They would notice here.
She looked at her hand, observing the blood dripping from where a shard of the tile was stuck. She took the piece out and put her hand under the water. The scalding water making the slight pain more noticable.
It was not logical. Why would she purposefully increase or cause damage to her body? She took the hand out of the water stepping under it and siting on the floor, the high pressure massaging her shoulders as she sat in a meditating position.
They would probably take a while to bother her there. She needed to leave her weakness and illogical impulses aside and process all the information she had.
For the first time in her 14 years od life, she would make a decision for herself.
Hydra or the unknown? The bad or something that could be a lot worse?
Natasha had turned on the KGB and they didn't arrest or killed her. She had skills they could and did used.
She had skills, she could get a similar deal.
And from the way they defeated Strucker's base, with their help she could make sure no one was left to come back for revenge on her betrayal.
But on the other hand, they could be waiting for the information on her mind to kill her.
" The donors are some of the most outstanding people on this planet. They are warriors. They are killers, even if most have misguided missions. " Said the trainer to the room full of experiments. " They are ALL unaware of your existence and would ALL be extremely angry to know you exist! They will kill you, just to make sure their DNA is their own again. They could wait until they get something out of you first. But they will try to eliminated you. "
The experiments stood at attention at the speech. It was always different but similar at the same time.
" We are the ONLY ones who want you alive. " Said the man, looking down at one experiment. It was know that the boy had asked twice already about family and his donors. " Understood? "
" Yes sir. " Came the shout in unison.
" UNDERSTOOD? "
" YES SIR! "
She hated them. All of them. She wanted them all dead. Especially Gabriel Draken.
She would work with the Avengers for now. After she got what she wanted, she would double cross them before they could do the same to her.
A knock came on the door.
" If you're planning to use all the water on the state, you're on the right track. " She said through the door.
She heard the sound of the water turning off a moment later.
" I'll leave you some clothes on the bed. " She said, still waiting for Ava to answer her. " They should fit you better. "
She took the silence as an indication that the girl was still pissed off at Wanda. Heck, Natasha was angry at Wanda! The woman had no business entering Ava's mind like that! They were trying to get the girl to trust them.
She wasn't even thinking about the fact that Wanda was using her powers without any outer indication of doing so. If Ava hadn't been constantly training to recognize the magic, no one would have noticed.
Natasha had to ask Ava how she did to block Wanda or how she felt the presence. The spy's mind was no one's business.
The door opened and through all the warm vapor, she saw Ava, wrapped around a towel, he hair still dripping wet.
She looked at the bed, seeing the pair of jeans and the blue shirt.
" Sorry, no underwear. We'll have to buy you some. " She said.
" The clothes are fine. " Said Ava, walking over to them.
" Look, about Wanda. " Started Natasha, the girl didn't look back at her, just unwrapped her towel and started drying herself. Natasha looked at the tattoo on her shoulder, her identification number. " Steve will talk to her. She won't do it again. "
" Acting without permission is not appropriate behaviour for a soldier. " Commented the girl.
Natasha understood the unspoken question ' Won't do it without permission from you? ', but decided not to say anything.
When the girl wrapped her hair on the towel, she noticed the small wound on her hand. It hadn't been there before. She glanced to the inside of the bathroom, the vapor was clearing and she could see a small damage to the wall.
" Gave any thought to our offer? Of staying with us? " She asked.
The girl buttoned her pants and grabbed the shirt, managing to get it pass the towel on her head . She was definitely taking her time to answer.
" Show me a deal. I'll say things I know and in return, I can't be charged for any of my old crimes. In any country. " Said the girl.
Natasha noticed that Ava didn't say she would tell them ALL she knew. It was a small difference, but it was an important one.
" I'll see what can be done. " She said.
" I'll wait. " Said Ava, turning to look at her, rubbing her hair dry with the towel.
" Want a bandage for the wound on your hand? " Asked Natasha.
The girl didn't look surprise that she saw it.
" It will heal fast. " She said.
Natasha and the girl stared at each other. Both looking for clues on how better to proceed with the talk.
" You do realize that technically you are under age and under no one's guardianship. " Said Natasha. " And that despite which side your on, I am legally your mother. I know that we have treated you like an adult. But you're not. "
The girl trew the towel on the bed and narrowed her eyes, the spy could imagine the several paths her mind was taking.
" I think that we should sit down and talk specifically about making Steve and me your legal guardians. Giving you a name. " Continued Natasha, she hesitated a bit before continuing. " Giving you a family. "
A storm of emotions passed through Ava's face in less than a second. They weren't good.
" I assume that I won't be given a choice. " Said the girl, her voice carefully controled.
" We're not going to force you into anything. " Said Natasha.
" Look into my deal first Widow. " She said. " Save the postcard family picture for after Hydra is taken care of. "
" Decided to go against them so fast? "
" I always hated them. I was just waiting for the moment I could actually defeat them to do something. " She said. " You have taken down several bases, you can help me take the Maternity down. But I'll wait until my deal is done to actually do something. "