Altogether now, make a break for the goal line
We don't know anything, anything yet
We passed the point of no return, but looking back
We don't know anything, anything yet
Fired up, fired up, get fired up
Bursting with glistening sweat
There are probably a lot of things we don't remember
Everyone, even him, become silhouettes
Clutching the things we wish to hold dear as we mature, never letting them wander…
Defending them at all times and never letting go,
And that way, one day,
We'll laugh at it all.
Silhouette, by Kana-Boon, released in 2015, from the album Time. Lyrics translated, originally in Japenese.
"So. I guess we have a lot to talk about."
Admittedly, this meeting for the Avengers was convened on the spur of the moment. One minute, each Avenger was off doing their own thing, and twenty-five minutes later, they were all sitting in the Common Room, a place full of biscuits and drinks on the table, in a rather unprofessional standpoint.
But despite the informal setting, everything discussed was serious and needed to be said. In the corner, on the single-seat, was Peter and Roe, sitting together in a tangle of limbs, her head resting on his shoulder. Tony was sat on the sofa, scratching the back of his head as his eyes flickered from person to person, lingering on them for the briefest of seconds, his face measured.
Vision was sitting on the sofa next to Rhodey, although Vision looked disjointed and uncomfortable almost like he wasn't used to sitting. To be fair, he probably wasn't. Rhodey, as mentioned before, was sitting next to him, nursing a drink which looked like some blackcurrant squash.
"First off, we got a list of those still missing from the Raft."
They all looked up as though transfixed, staring at the hologram that was projected above the table. Though they had done their best, they couldn't prevent everyone from escaping- some simply chose to try and flee instead of fighting. It made sense, realistically. The list was fairly short despite it all, but there were still more villains roaming NYC then there had been a few days prior.
On top of the list was Kraven- with the two teenagers scowling. Tony glanced at them as if to reassure them that it wasn't their fault before they all focused again. There were some smaller villains on the list- those of serial murders and other unsavoury folks that everyone was on the eye out for, but also some larger ones. Eddie Brock, also known as Venom, had escaped from his secure medical facility.
They'd been working on trying to separate him from the symbiote, but it had bonded so tightly to his cells on a molecular level, that they'd only managed to tranquillise it. To remove it- the technology was being improved upon because it was highly likely that he needed to go through some kind of gene therapy. And with Venom's ability to multiply and attach itself to other hosts, it really was a big deal that they found it before it took control of the average civilian, or they had a pandemic on their hands.
The whole world versus Avengers- or more accurately, Avengers vs the whole world- was not something that anyone wanted to happen. Then there was Taskmaster. The ultimate mimic, where he learnt combat styles like you learnt new words. In order to beat him, you had to constantly adapt, because the same trick would not work twice. In terms of villains, though he was dangerous, he tended to mingle by himself.
At some point, he'd reappear, but like the wind, he would disappear just like that. You also couldn't forget some other colourful cast members- but many of the Avenger's main villain line-up weren't exactly ones for hanging around to get arrested. Or, they could just magic themselves away, not naming any names- Loki.
She'd never had an encounter with the Norse God of Mischief, but she knew of him. Knew his reputation, even if she had not fought him herself. When one attacked New York, brainwashing two Avengers and influencing the rest of them, causing millions of dollars of damage and resulting in lives lost, it was difficult not to come across that when looking at the history which had revolved around you without you noticing.
"The NYPD is keeping an eye out for them, so be aware. Second of which, we need to talk about you Roe."
She sat up from where she was, emerald eyes fixing on Tony as she tilted her head curiously, almost innocently. But that was a part of her that was innocently charming, despite her natural skills and battle ability. Her accent and her appearance, soft-spoken and shy, stood out amongst the Americans amongst the room, even with Vision in the room. Roe liked Vision as much as she liked the rest of the Avengers- which was to say, she had a "soft spot" for them all- but something about her caused her to have a headache.
Before, it had been imperceptible, and she'd assumed it was something else, but now, it was like tiny drills into her head. And Vision had seemed to sense it, because he always remained a safe distance away from her, just enough that the drills didn't near her skin. She was grateful for that, even if she couldn't figure out what it was that was giving her a headache.
"What's happened?"
She asked curiously, and it was difficult to determine how much of her personality was genuine, and how much was genuine. What would she have been like had she lived a normal childhood? Shy and introverted? Outgoing and confident? Funny or solemn? There were so many aspects to the Roe they knew that it was difficult to pin down when she was acting and when she was acting as she was.
"It's just discussing your health."
Rhodey interceded, and Roe nodded. It made sense, they all needed to be healthy when it came to fighting, and with Roe already being skinny as it was, and her body unpredictable, it was best that they kept her monitored. While there were no serious injuries or conditions, even the slightest off-balance could result in larger consequences down the line, consequences that could be deadly.
"Alright."
She didn't elaborate on anything, asking no questions, leading to a slightly awkward atmosphere as they were stuck. Still, Rhodey went and asked her a question regarding her health and Roe adjusted her position, her head pushed into Peter's shoulder.
"How much have you been eating?"
There was something odd about the Avengers discussing eating habits in the middle of a meeting, but Roe just looked at him with an odd stare. Her English accent was dull as she continued to list out what she'd been eating like someone would read a mission report.
"I have been eating the same amount as Tony and Pepper have been eating, at around about the same time. I have been taking the vitamins required of me, and-"
Peter's arm tensed around her shoulder, and she blinked, her accent strengthening itself again as she refocused. She rolled her shoulders, eyes flicking down in apology. A habit that hadn't quite been broken yet, it seemed. If it was something highly factual that she had done, like a report, then she'd almost always slip into a robotic toner, monotonous and almost painful in nature.
"Sorry. Habit. Anyway, I have been eating like I was told to. Why?"
There was a brief silence again, before Tony took up the tale, showing an image of Roe, along with the medical notes that Helen had drafted up during her analysis of Roe's condition. It was difficult for her to get to a safe weight with her body constantly changing, so they could either adapt for it by monitoring her condition or try and get her body to settle. But to do so was to put her body at unnecessary risk, and it wasn't that hard for her to have enough food.
Especially considering that Tony was rich enough to buy several Peter-sized meals. Since he'd started eating at Tony's, and since he'd properly moved in, his weight had gone from severely underweight- he'd been eating his usual meals which weren't enough for his enhanced body and he'd not wanted to put more stress on May- to the average weight that he should be.
It was difficult to determine how much he should actually weigh thanks to bone density, mutations, and various other things, but according to Helen, he was average weight.
"When you passed out after your injuries- which are on our list of things to discuss, so don't think you're getting out of that, Roe- Helen ran a number of scans."
The results quickly appeared, and they didn't phase any person in the room. Most of them, barring Vision, had seen the reports after she had been rushed in to the Medbay, so it wasn't a surprise. Vision had caught up on the situation on his way to the meeting, because some part of him wanted to know the ins and outs of every situation before applying what he knew.
It was reminiscent of Tony's behaviour, and consequently, a bit of JARVIS'. Roe's eyes scanned the report, and within her eyes, there was the briefest, like a picosecond, a flicker of surprise. Roe didn't know about her health as much as anyone else did.
"I didn't know my body was adapting to the level that it's showing here- but when I say I was built to adapt, I did mean in terms of my body and behaviour. But this… my healing factor? I didn't know anything about it, I didn't feel any different."
"I know Cho talked to you about increasing your appetite, but that's a gradual thing. We also have some readings from when Dr Strange brought the Time Stone near you while you were recovering from Siberia."
The readings took the place of the report on Roe's health. There was footage of how Roe reacted to the stone, the green cocoon-like shell that had wrapped around her, repelling anyone who tried to touch her with a degree of force. If that was how it reacted when she was unconscious, and the stone had truly sought her out like Strange had said, then it was imperative that they found out what exactly it did to her.
"As you can see- and bare with me, I took physics, not biology- there was a spike in brain activity and healing rates within you, and a spike of activity from the stone."
At that moment in time, a large orange circle, with sparks shooting off of it like a firework. A tall cloaked man stepped through, cloak bellowing from behind him. Around his neck, there was an amulet, which they knew contained the Time Stone. It held unbelievable power, and there were many Infinity Stones on Earth- some lost, some found, and some in plain sight.
"Bit early Strange."
"I'd rather be early than late, Stark."
The two men snarked at one another. It might seem to an outsider that they didn't get on, and in the past, that had been true. They hadn't gotten on. Opposites attract, and they'd once been too similar in nature to really get on. Both arrogant and headstrong to an impressive degree. But now, they'd both changed, and they got on fairly well, each man dealing out sarcasm to the other.
"Doctor Strange. It's nice to have you here. As we were going to say Roe, with your permission, we'd like to see how you react to the Time Stone while you are conscious and fully healed. We'd do it in a safe environment of course, and we're confident that you won't be hurt in the process."
Roe took a few seconds to think about it. She wanted to know what was going on with her own body, and whether there was any chance that someone could get hurt in the crossfire. And while Peter looked torn between steadfast support, scientific curiosity, and worry, Roe nodded, raising her hand to scratch Crow who had wandered into the room, perched on her shoulder like a parrot.
"I'm amicable. Are we going to do it now and then return to the meeting?"
They all looked at one another, before nodding. And that was how they found themselves heading to the lab to have some tests ran, so Roe could understand what was happening with her body- and whether she was just a ticking time bomb ready to explode. The thought had never crossed her mind before, but now, it was one at the very forefront. The sooner, the better. Besides, the tests weren't going to be anything bad- nothing compared to what had happened at HYDRA.
"I'm going to open it slowly."
Strange warned from across the room, as Roe nodded in acceptance. She was covered in so many sensors that it wasn't surprising that there was one for every occurrence. Brain waves, heart rate, gamma radiation, normal radiation. While JARVIS and FRIDAY could monitor her heart-rate and stuff like that, it was more accurate if she had the physical sensors attached to her. There was an entourage outside the room, staring through the glass, watching the impromptu experiment. Peter had wanted nothing more than to be with her in there, but besides her and Strange, it would be too dangerous.
"If you want me to stop, tell me."
The Infinity Stones were too powerful to be held. Roe had never made direct contact with one as far as she knew- her memory was fairly crystal clear, even after the "punishments." Even Strange didn't directly handle the Time Stone, preferring to use its power within the amulet. And there was a distance between them in case something completely unexpected. Strange made a series of hand gestures, and with a bright green light, the Eye of Agamotto slowly began to open, the light quickly encompassed all corners of the room.
Roe wasn't sure what she was anticipating, whether it was a massive expulsion of force or a magnetic like quality, what she got was a little different. At first, it was like a creepy crawling kind of feeling, like the worst kind of pins and needles imaginable. It covered every inch of her skin, pinpricks, thin in pressure and just as annoying.
Then it expanded into a feeling of being dunked in the frigid waters of Antarctica. It sapped away at her strength like a parasite, nibbling at her skin with enough intensity that made her legs shake. A song was playing within her ears, melodic and tuneful, yet old as time itself. It was as enthralling as a siren's call, something she could not ignore.
"Roe, what are you seeing, feeling?"
"Feels like pins and needles… itchy and crawly. It's cold… I'm cold…"
Her voice sounded distant, far away, even to her own ears. The siren's call increased in intensity as the light danced before her eyes, everything in the room becoming awash with a green glow. Against her mind, she could feel something skirting around her mind, teasing her almost before the foreign presence let itself in. There wasn't any pain or even discomfort, in fact, it was warm and soothing.
It was what receiving a hug from Tony felt like. The hugs, ever since extremis, and though rare, were warm, grounding almost. Various memories from her past flickered in her mind, her own screams haunting her ears before that memory stopped in its tracks, replaced with the memory of meeting her brother, meeting Tony. Falling in love with Peter, something she had never previously thought was possible for her: who had only recently learned that she was more than a weapon.
More words reverberated around her, some sharp, some soft, some worried, some calm. But she couldn't focus on them, even as they increased in volume. A whisper, a language old and forgotten, whispered in her ears, words she couldn't decipher. With legs like lead, she couldn't move, frozen to the spot, the presence pressing down on her mind so that a headache formed from the tension. There was the brief shout as the green light cut out, and with her heart roaring in her ears, her legs buckled, slipping into a green-filled unconsciousness.
Author's Note
And we're finally getting into Infinity War- well. Kinda.
Pre-Infinity War? We've still got the Rogues to sort out, and they're not getting off with what they did, regardless of whether the world is in danger or not.
In other news... I'm moving into my university flat next Sunday? So, my update might be from my new flat instead- I'm absolutely terrified, but excited at the same time if that makes sense?
Thank you for all the reviews- I really appreciate them, and they make me smile when I see them. I can't believe I'm on chapter 70, it doesn't seem that long ago since we we hit 50.
Anyway, I'ma go, cause I'm tired.
Night all!
~Cait
