Patchwork Road
By Rey
Chapter summary: It is the moment of truth for Pepper, in more ways than one.
58. Abilities
When the blue giants try to bar her from getting close to the cluster of stone huts, Pepper ducks her head, fishes out the stone – which is shining almost blindingly, now – from under her top and goes on anyway. It's rather easy, she finds. They're big, she's tiny, and her streamlined little vehicle makes her extra fast. She's like a particularly lively rabbit zipping off between an elephant's feet… and it's indeed what she does.
"Whoa! Didn't know you've got that!" is the first thing that Tony says when she breaks the bolt keeping the stone door shut using his prototype laser weapon and zips in. He's not talking about the weapon, she knows, and she only spares him a brief glare for that astonished – if rather admiring, too – comment that implies he thought she lacked in abilities of this kind. She just sees no reason to go a-hearoing in addition to keeping him from getting too reckless and keeping Stark Industries afloat!
And then, all thoughts of him and the other Avengers – they're safe, at least, she can see that, if bored stiff – fly cleanly out of her head when her eyes land on the cluster of three blue giants – well, one isn't really a giant, she can see – seated cosily opposite the Avengers.
One of the giants is Nalla, her stone tells her in its own way, like Nalla promised that long time ago, and she inches forward on her ride, suddenly apprehensive. Not because of their real size or colour or alienness, not because she's got audience here, but because there's already a child in their lap, it seems.
She isn't the first, and it's doubtful if she'll be accepted. Especially seeing that she's broken down a part of the hut they're in, which might be theirs, and their kind tried to bar her way already.
But she inches forward, anyway, till her ride here is parked beside the leg of her quarry and she can stand up to peer into the alien face – red eyes, blue skin, bald head, silvery marks – that nonetheless bears a strong resemblance to Nalla, just like Hulk and Bruce. And then, doing her best to stifle any uncertainty in her voice, she greets the giant now peering curiously back at her, in words that she has been yearning to say since the minute after she parted with them more than two decades ago: "Hello, Nalla. I'm glad to see you again. Do you still remember me? I am Nia. I went to your winter camp when I was ten."
