AN: During this series there will be a lot of science talk, not everything will be perfect and exact but I will try to get the science stuff as close to reality as possible, so please don't be mad if something doesn't make sense to do with the science because honestly I don't know much science.
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Marvel or it's characters, I do not own the settings or names. They are owned by Marvel, not me.
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Out Of The Woods
Chapter 2
Melinda was laying in the hospital bed, staring at the ceiling, when someone came in. She's been thinking everything over, replying scenes of her kills in her head, every since Peter had left the room over an hour ago. These people were the Avengers, they didn't need to know her thoughts or her memories of those moments. Not yet.
The moment someone entered she snapped out of it and looked over to see a man come in, followed by a young girl about the same age as Melinda.
"Hello Melinda, I'm Bruce, I'm a doctor," the man said, smiling kindly at her.
"A doctor of what?"
"Well, officially I'm a doctor of science, although I am qualified to handle medical situations. This is Shuri, I think Peter told you about her."
Shuri gave a small wave before peering back down at the iPad held in her hand. She started tapping the screen and her face was lit up a pale blue from the glow.
Melinda looked back at Bruce, who'd come to stand near the head of the bed.
"So, how are you feeling? Any pains or aches?"
Melinda shrugged. "My head stopped hurting a little while ago but my hands are fast asleep."
All three people looked down at where her hands were chained to the bed.
"Right, we can probably remove those now," Bruce said, getting out a key and unlocking the handcuffs, letting them drop to the floor with a loud clinking sound. "Do you promise not to try to run away?"
Melinda sat up and into a cross-legged position, shaking her hands to try to get the feeling to come back to them. "It's not like I really have anywhere to go."
Shuri sat down in a seat in the corner of the room, staying silent but observing Melinda with interest.
Bruce kept standing. "So, while you were still unconscious, I took some blood samples and did some testing an-"
"Shouldn't you have asked permission before doing that?" Melinda didn't look offended or angry, but her eyebrow was raised accusingly.
Shuri looked up. "Usually, yes, however these circumstances were different. We had no idea how your genetic structure or DNA worked, we couldn't afford to misdiagnose you."
Melinda nodded and played with her sleeve while listening. Bruce continued, "We tested your genetics and DNA, it's very interesting. You're about three percent bird, not including the wings, so you're very much like Peter."
"Who's Peter?"
Shuri and Bruce exchanged looks. "Oh, um he's just someone else who lives in the building."
Melinda didn't look convinced but sighed and asked, "So, I've always wondered what type of bird I am, do you know? I thought it might be raven or something seeing as my wings are black."
Shuri giggled. "You are part crow. Bigger and stronger than ravens."
"As I was trying to say," Bruce interrupted, trying not to sound impatient but failing. "Melinda, you're sleep deprived, you've not eaten or drunk enough recently, you're bones are weaker than they should be, and you show serious signs of stress. Let's start off with the sleep part, when was the last time you slept?"
She scrunched up her face while thinking. "I can't remember."
"Well how did you balance being an assassin and being a HYDRA scientist?"
"Well, they controlled me almost all of the time, even when I was working on the science parts. I would get back from doing whatever they sent me to do, and if I wasn't close to the end of the mind control, they'd send me to the lab to work on weapons or new tech. I tried to sleep when off the control but it was pretty impossible."
Shuri stood up and walked over to the other side of Melinda's hospital bed and set the iPad down on the end of it.
"What about food? Did they feed you enough?"
"Look, I can just eat here if there's enough food, and then when we sort something out for me, I'll eat loads! Can we just stop with the questions now? I feel fine and if it's just a case of me needing sleep and food then I'll go sleep and eat," she rushed, looking down at her lap.
"Alright, we'll go and get you some food and water, we'll be back in a few minutes and then we'll leave you to get some rest," Bruce said, looking at Shuri and gesturing to the door with his head.
Melinda swallowed hard and stared down at the bed as the two scientists left. She fell back against her pillow and sighed, when a voice interrupted her peace.
"So you are who everyone is running around trying to sort out."
Sitting up, Melinda looked at the foot of her bed to see a man standing there. When had he come in?
He was wearing a green suit and a brown checkered scarf, his black hair was slicked back with gel that made it look greasy. He looked posh but not-posh at the same time.
"Who are you?"
The man sneered. "Who I am doesn't concern you yet. However, you concern me. When someone enters my current place of living and has the Avengers falling at her feet, well that interests me. They are all idiots, but to have them running around, doing their little tests, calling meetings, doing every little thing all for you, well that is impressive."
Melinda sat up and shuffled backwards, her eyes fixed to the man. "You're not an Avenger."
"Well observed mortal. No, I am not an Avenger, but I do have my own tricks, just like them."
All of a sudden the man rippled and a huge black wolf took his place. It jumped up onto the end of her bed and Melinda whimpered, trying to back away but hitting the wall.
The wolf disappeared and in it's place was the man crouching on her bed, smiling mockingly.
"Another puny mortal, no bravery behind those wings of yours. You're just like the rest of them, all show and no actual strength, no determination, no real promise."
Melinda glared at him, anger making her blood boil. She lunged forward, her fist flying straight at his head. To her astonishment, her fist went straight through his head and the man kept sneering.
"That's more like it! Acting on impulse is reckless, but I can see the fire burning in you. You are not like the rest of them, you have seen death and destruction. You have seen more than the rest of them can say they have witnessed."
She drew back her fist and jumped onto all fours on the bed, her wings fluffed up threateningly and she raised them, stretching them to their full length, so they almost touched the walls of the large room.
"You are still just a mortal, but you are different. I will be coming here again, for now I do recommend that you keep your . . . animal instincts, under control. We would not want any incidents now, would we?"
The man clicked his fingers and he faded away, leaving the room silent and still. The door opened and Melinda whipped her head around as two people came in.
Bruce and Shuri stared at her, Bruce raised his hands in surrender, clutching the plate of pizza in one hand.
"S-Sorry," she said, sitting back down on the bed and smoothing her feathers down.
Bruce handed her the plate of pizza as Shuri closed the door and sat down again.
"Are you okay?"
"Someone came in here a minute ago, well he didn't really come in exactly, he was just there, and then he wasn't," she said, muffled behind her hand as she covered her mouth that was filled with pizza.
"What did he look like? What did he say?" Bruce sat on the end of the bed and leant forward.
"Oh he had a green suit on, black hair, a scarf, he was really tall, looked kind of posh but also a bit nerdy."
"Loki," Bruce and Shuri said in unison.
Melinda frowned. "The god?"
"Thor's brother, we keep him here under our watch so that he doesn't try to take over the world again," Shuri informed her, looking a bit worried.
"Well, he started saying stuff like I was just another mortal, that I have you all falling at my feet and things like that, but then he started complimenting me and saying I was impressive and there was a fire in me. It was a bit freaky," she said, setting down her plate as she finished the last slice of pizza.
"Well that's a bit concerning. He does seem to have a soft spot for kids though," Bruce said, glancing at Shuri.
"Anyway, we should go, Stark wants us to go to a meeting. You stay here, don't leave unless you need the toilet, which is just down the hallway. If Loki comes back, press that button and we'll come help. We'll be back later," Shuri told her, getting up and walking towards the door.
"What should I do until you come back? I don't need anything but it's a bit boring just sitting here," Melinda called to her.
Bruce took a Rubik's Cube out of his pocket and handed it to her. "Play with that."
The two Avengers left and Melinda sighed. This was great, but she dreaded what they were going to do with her. They wouldn't send her back to HYDRA . . . would they?
. . .
. . .
Tony rubbed his temples as he thought. He has just called a meeting and was waiting for everyone to arrive, only Natasha and Clint were there already. What were they going to do about this new kid?
"You called, Stark?"
Wanda and Vision came into the room, Wanda's left arm was held tightly in a sling but there was a small smile on the girl's face. Natasha stood up and walked over to her.
"Shouldn't you be resting?"
"I'm fine, Bruce said it is a small fracture, it should be healed in a few weeks at the most.
The two women sat down. Every since Wanda had joined the Avengers, Nat had developed a soft spot for the Sokovian girl. Originally everyone thought it was because it meant another girl was on the team, but when Shuri joined, Nat didn't pay nearly as much attention to her as she did to Wanda.
Everyone else started coming in now, talking amongst themselves while Tony sat at the head of the table. Once everyone was sat down or standing around the table, Tony started.
"Right, we have a HYDRA agent in the base, a teenager, a mind control victim, a bird mutant, and a trained assassin and scientist. But, she's also a homeless orphan who's possibly in a lot of danger. What do we do?"
Everyone looked at each other, not daring to say anything.
"Nothing? Well, let's go through our options, shall we? Cant send her home, can't send her to an orphanage, can't send her back to HYDRA, can't give her a home in the city, can't send her to family or friends, can't leave her on the streets. There's nothing we can do," Tony said in a raised voice.
"We could make her an Avenger," Rhodey suggested, looking a bit scared.
Tony stared at him, make the HYDRA girl an Avenger? She did have training, and was skilled, with nowhere else to go. It could work.
"You do know that you have zero permission to do that, don't you?"
The whole room went silent as a man walked in, glaring at Tony with one eye.
"We made Peter an Avenger," Tony pointed out.
"I'm an Avenger?!" Peter stood up and stared at Tony, open-mouthed.
Tony glanced at him. "No, no you're not, not yet, sit down."
Sighing disappointedly, Peter sat back down. Wanda, who was sitting next to him, patted his shoulder with her good hand.
"Well, we made Wanda an Avenger," Tony said instead.
The man walked forward. "Barton made her an Avenger, after he checked with me and I met her. You have no authority, no command, and no power over who is an Avenger and who isn't."
"Fury, you really do push my buttons sometimes," Tony stated matter-of-factly.
Fury ignored him and walked forward. "This girl could be a threat, she could be pinning a target on our backs right this moment. I doubt HYDRA will take kindly to losing another Winter Soldier."
Bucky shifted uncomfortably in his seat.
"Dr Banner and I just went to see her, it seems Loki has taken an interest in her. This doesn't seem good," Shuri said.
Thor looked up. "What would Loki want with the mortal girl?"
"We don't know. We don't know anything about her, that's the problem. She could actually be a HYDRA agent for all we know, she might be giving them information as we speak," Tony said loudly, hitting one of his hands on the table.
"Are you calling me a liar, Stark?" Bucky called accusingly.
"I'm calling you a lot more than just a liar," Tony retorted.
"Let's all just calm down for a minute, alright? We can work this out civilly," Wanda tried to reason.
The entire group ignored him and started yelling things at each other, half defending Melinda and the other half trying to convince them otherwise.
All of a sudden, red tendrils of energy flooded through the room and wove around all of them, pulling everyone out of their fighting and making them look at Wanda. She had her good hand raised in the air, a glowing red ball of energy was held there.
"Stop fighting, now," she threatened, twitching one of her fingers so that the tendrils moved closer to their necks.
Everyone sat down and Wanda waved her hand, causing the energy to disappear.
"So, what do we do?"
Everyone looked at Tony and Fury.
"We do the right thing," Tony muttered.
"Looks like our new friend is becoming an Avenger."