She walked up the ramp of the Quinjet, bare feet going from hard gravel to the smooth metal inside. Steve had to duck his head because of his height, but to her, it was enormous. Seats lined the centre of the jet, and Steve stood beside one, smiling at her. She stopped at the smile, watching him warily.
"It's ok, we're gonna take you somewhere safe," he said, patting the seat. She walked over slowly and complied, climbing into the seat. Steve noted how small she seemed inside the seat. He reached over and buckled her in, pausing as he felt her tense as he strapped her in. "You're never going back there kid, okay?" She tilted her head forwards, ever so slightly, in a way that it could be mistaken for a nod. "How about you tell me your name?" He tried again. She stayed silent, and Steve watched as the girl's eyes followed Natasha as she walked up to the cockpit of the jet, and began the engines. Her head swivelled to the opposite side as the landing doors began to close, and the only light came from the artificial blue lights within the jet.
"Kid?" Her head returned to look at Steve. "You're gonna be ok." Again, her head tilted forward and Steve gave her a warm smile. He stood to his full height and began moving around the jet. Her feet didn't touch the ground from the seat, but she could feel the engines hum through the chair. She cast her head around as she examined her surroundings. Lastly, she looked round to where Steve was talking to the archer and the man with the wings. The archer gave her a stretched smile, like he wasn't sure what to make of her. She turned around and stared at her hands in her laps. The smallest wisps of blue energy seemed to float from her fingertips, but evaporated when she heard movement behind her. It was the other two strapping themselves in. The girl craned her neck to stare up to the cockpit, staring at the back of the redhead. She could just see the last of the treetops as they continued their climb towards the sky. As if sensing she was being watched, Natasha glanced behind her to see the girl watching her. She too gave a strange smile like Clint, before turning back to the console as it beeped.
"Stark, you're late. You better not be expecting a ride," she called over the intercom.
"You'd make a terrible Uber driver, you know that Romanoff?"
Nat smirked. "We're heading back to base, are you joining us?"
"Just doing a little spring cleaning here. They didn't delete half the files they wanted. Did you find out what this "Subject Thirteen" thing is?"
Nat titled her head to the side ever so slightly, seeing the girl in her peripheral vision. She was still watching. If anything, she had straightened out upon hearing the number.
"I think so. Steve found something. We will see you back at the base." She terminated the call before Tony said something crude. She may not have been raised in a lab, but she knew what it was like to be raised in a cage. The girl would be a hotbed of explosive behaviours and emotions. Anything could trigger her, and if Steve was right, that she was enhanced, they would have to be very careful.
That would be hard with Tony around.
They rode in silence, all of them. Sam peered through his red-tinted glasses at the girl Steve had found within the base. A kid. Just like Wanda, hell much younger than Wanda. The kid was pale, like she barely saw sunlight and was as skittish as a cat that had nearly been drowned. He shook his head lightly. You saw a lot of things in the job, but kids are what broke their hearts.
Steve did break the silence at some points, as he sat closest to the girl. He tried to explain where they were going and that she was safe. It dawned on him soon that he had heard her speak Russian to Nat. Did she understand English? He would have to ask her to translate when they got back to base. That didn't stop him talking to her, trying to put her at ease. He must have been boring her to death when she finally spoke.
"Anya." It was a low whispered and Steve stopped mid-word when he heard her speak, not sure if he'd imagined it.
"Anya?" he repeated. "Is that your name?" She didn't look at him, just kept her head bowed, like she was not meant to tell anyone her name. "Well it's nice to meet you Anya," he extended his hand towards her. She glanced at it, before giving him a confused look. He smiled. "You shake it, like this," with his other, he gently grabbed hers and placed her small hand in his large palm and shook it. "Very nice to meet you Anya." She nearly gave him the flicker of a smile, and that would do for him.
She'd been in a daydream when the jet eventually landed. Once they'd been at a high enough altitude and smooth sailing, Steve and the others undid their buckles and walked about the Quinjet.
Anya had stayed strapped in her seat. Steve had tried offering her a bottle of water but she just stared at her hands the rest of the journey.
They soon landed at their destination and she jumped. Soon the door lowered, and she was nearly blinded by the light. After being in the dimly lit jet, the outside was a burning sensation for her eyes. The floodlights of the campus lit the surrounding fields and the landing area for the jet. Outside had a chill, with a light drizzle of rain falling.
"Come on kid, we should get you checked out." Was the first thing Sam said to the girl. They all watched apprehensively as she undid her own buckle and slowly walked towards the outside. Her feet stepped onto damp tarmac, and she gasped. She looked up to the dark sky, rain falling in her eyes. It became heavy, and the Avengers headed towards the base.
Steve turned around and saw Anya simply standing in the rain, arms wide as the wind picked up. The gales could blow the small girl away.
"Hey, come on its warm inside." His eyes widened as he watched girl break into a smile as the rain poured down her face, mouth wide as she took in several deep breaths. Had she not even felt the rain before? He gently placed a hand on her shoulder and took her away from the sensation. He nodded towards the base, and her arms returned to her sides. They both turned and walked towards the side entrance, both dripping as they stepped onto he polished floor.
"Should probably get her up to medical, have Dr. Cho take a look over her," Natasha said, coming to stand besides Steve, watching the girl stare out the window at the rain.
"Anya," Steve said, and the girl turned. "Her name is Anya." Nat nodded slowly and turned her gaze back to the girl. She crouched down in front of her.
"Hi, Anya." She gave the girl a smile, trying not to be intimidating. "I'm Nat. Do you want to come with me and we can find you some dry clothes?"
Nat wasn't sure why this girl peered at her so intensely. Was the facility simply male doctors and scientists? Had she seen another female before? Something was there, she just didn't know what. The assassin glanced up at Steve, who the girl had clearly taken a liking to.
"Go with Nat and I'll come find you?" Steve said with a smile. "She makes a killer hot cocoa if you ask nice enough," He chuckled, Nat raising an eyebrow. Nat stood back to her height, and found herself extending a hand. Anya looked at it with a strange look. Nat gave her a smile, but dropped her hand to the side in defeat. It seemed only Steve had that privilege. But the girl walked two steps behind her as they trailed through the base. She could feel the girls curious stare at the building as they walked. The medical bay was on the far side of the east wing, and sure enough, Dr. Cho was running around with one of her assistants in a white coat. Nat lightly knocked on the glass panel of the door.
"Mission a success? Don't tell me Clint nearly lost a limb again." Dr. Cho said, placing her clipboard down.
"Not this time, thankfully. I think he's learnt his lesson. Though we did find something for you to take a look at," Nat stepped to the side to reveal the small, soaked child behind her. Dr. Cho's eyes widened. She turned and shouted something in Korean to a lab tech, before walking over. Nat's eyes picked up on how the girl straightened up at the sight of the doctor. She'd seen the scientists and the doctors in the base they raided, and she supposed they all dressed the same or had a certain air about them. Anya certainly detected it.
"I was not expecting this," Dr. Cho said. "Come, sit over here sweetheart." She ushered Anya to a medical bed in the corner where an assistant was already waiting. Dr. Cho helped the girl hop onto the bed, and Nat left the room on the hunt for clothes that may fit her.
When the assassin returned sometime later, a small bundle of clothes and a towel in her hand, Dr. Cho was flashing a light in the girl's eyes, and the assistant was typing furiously on a tablet.
"Stop the kid getting hypothermia?" Nat said, holding the clothes. Dr. Cho was staring at Anya strangely, but slowly nodded, leaving the redhead with the girl. "Here," Nat said, holding out the clothes. "We don't really have a lot of kids clothes around here, so I've grabbed what I can." She had an oversized purple t-shirt she must have stolen from Clint at some point, a pair of blue tropical patterned surfer shorts, thick pink boot socks, and her striped hoodie. All the clothes would be ridiculously oversized, but it was all they had. Anya took them carefully, and Nat noted how she tried to avoid being touched by the woman, and Nat frowned.
She stood back, and turned around as Anya began unbuttoning the pale jumpsuit she was wearing. After a few moments, she turned, trying not to smile at the sight of the small girl in such large clothes. But her smile evaporated when she saw the marks. As she pulled on Nat's hoodie, she saw some marks by the sleeve of the t-shirt. The bruises were black and purple, and she couldn't help but grab the girls arm, the hoodie falling down. She stared, wide-eyed at the marks. Small pinpricks in the centre of some bruises reminded her all too well of device such as cattle prods. She almost felt the sensation go up her own arm. Her thumb traced over one of the bruises unconsciously.
"Did they do this?" She whispered. Anya's face was stone, her eyes angry, and Nat let go. She let Anya pull the hoodie on and stand there, staring at her socks. The redhead stood there, like a statue, just like the girl. Eventually, she made the first move. She walked over to the medical bed and grabbed the soft towel she'd retrieved earlier. She crouched in front of Anya, who remained fixated on her new socks.
"Your hair is still wet," she stated. Anya still didn't move. Nat pursed her lips, before slowly taking the towel to the brown hair. Anya stiffened, but didn't move as Nat tried to be gentle, drying the brown hair. She did her best, before drying of the last of the rain on Anya's face. The girl made eye contact with the widow. They said nothing, but Nat gave her a small tilt of the head in acknowledgement.
They remained in silence until Dr. Cho returned. Anya returned to sitting on the edge of the bed, her legs lightly swinging, but stopped as soon as the doctor appeared.
"Ok, um..." Dr. Cho trailed off, realising she had no name for her patient.
"Anya," Nat filled her in.
"Anya. Ok, Anya. Can I place these on your head?"
Anya's head darted around the room, and to the electrodes in the doctors hand. She'd had those on her skin maybe a thousand times. More than the shock sticks. They didn't hurt. They felt funny, but didn't hurt. She slowly nodded, and the assistant started to place them to her head. The wires trailed away from the bed towards a clear glass monitor.
"They won't hurt, I just want to measure your brainwaves, okay?" Anya nodded. She knew why they always put them on her head, she didn't need anyone explain it to her. She sat there, back to staring at the pink socks Nat had given her. Her eyes slowly moved towards the assassin in black. Why was she stood with her? Why wasn't she making calls? Why wasn't she arranging for the soldiers to come? They were the ones that always put her back in her room.
Steve had said she would be safe here, but with the Black Widow close by, she felt like they were all going to burst through the door at any moment. The doctors, the scientists, the General. Her fists tensed as she thought of the General. She didn't see him much. If she upset the doctors and scientists, they had the soldiers take her away. If she was really bad, the Director would come. And if she upset him, then the General. She felt her breathing get heavier at the thought. She hadn't seen the Director for some time. He was older than the General, and had a different accent to her. It was like Steve's. He always smiled at her and called her Princess. She hated that. She didn't know what a Princess was, but she didn't like him calling her that. When he called her that, he often followed through with a slap. Then she'd be in the Box.
The General was worse. His voice sounded like hers. He would peer at her through thick glasses, like he was thinking of putting her somewhere worse than the Box. He sent her to the Other place. She got better food at the Other place, but the girls there weren't like her, and they knew it. She was used to the shock sticks, but those girls could have her on the floor in moments.
"Anya, can you slow your breathing down?" Dr. Cho said. She opened her eyes, not having realised she'd closed them. They were all looking at her. Slowly, her breathing began to become even.
"Are you okay?" Nat came and stood next to her, and Anya jumped when she placed a hand on her shoulder. She looked up at the Avenger.
"Ty sobirayesh'sya snova otpravit' menya tuda?" She said between gasps, and Nat's brow furrowed. Are you going to send me back there again?
"Anya," the Avenger crouched down to eye level. "You're not going back there, okay?" Nat wasn't sure what she meant by "again", but the girl was breathing heavily.
"Ya ne veryu tebe."
I don't believe you.
Dr. Cho's eyes followed the pair in front of her, before she looked back at the scans. She closed the program disconnected the electrodes. She whispered to her assistant, who nodded and left to fetch something.
"You need to keep breathing deep. Glubokiy vdokh, malysh." Nat said as Anya's chest rose and fell with each breath, that seemed angry. Deep breaths little one.
Both heads spun as they heard someone enter the medical bay. Nat noted how Anya's face lit up as she saw Steve. He had changed from his soaked uniform to simple shirt and trousers.
"Everything ok?" He asked, brow furrowed as he watched the scene. When no one answered, Dr. Cho stepped in.
"Vitals look good. Some strange brain activity but that's being analysed. I'll just take some blood to check for infections and we should be good."
"Net!" No!
"Anya, It's ok-"
Not even Steve could calm her down. As soon as the lab assistant appeared with the small silver tray, syringe and tubes within, Anya fully clambered onto the bed and started to yell. Nat found herself grabbing hold, trying not to show her the girl's terrified screams shook her core. A small, skinny arm shot away from Nat's grasp, and the same blue wisps Steve saw earlier appeared. A pulse they couldn't see shot through the room, and the tray was sent violently clattering away. Dr. Cho and her assistant remained still in stunned silence at what they saw. Steve rushed forwards to help Nat hold the girl down, but they were both pushed away by another burst, blue lights flashing as they landed on the ground.
Nat raised her hand to shield her eyes from the burst of blue, but it suddenly died down. She dropped her hand and saw Anya with her eyes shut, half hanging off the bed, mouth open. She and Steve rushed to their feet and ran to the girl. Nat felt for a pulse, and sighed when she found it.
It was becoming increasingly clear that the small girl before them was broken. Nat pushed the brown hair from her face. Anya's lips were moving lightly, but neither one of them could make out what she was saying.
Nat stared at the small face and found herself feeling that, whatever had been done to break someone so small, they needed to do what they could to fix it.