"I don't have to kill anyone?"
"No."
If it had been anyone else, Natasha was positive she would have already killed them for being an annoying little shit. However, this was a boy who had thrown himself through a portal to get away from that future. This was a boy with a heart shaped face with some of his baby fat still visible, with jaggedly trimmed brown hair, and brown eyes that were the perfect shade of brown to add to his overall look of a kicked puppy.
"I don't have to rape anyone?" The boy asked as one of SHIELD's medics bandaged his forearm.
"I should hope not," the medic said.
Natasha glared at the man as the boy shrank back, afraid. "No," Natasha said after the medic had swallowed and turned back to his work. "In fact, it would be best if you consider that a rule. Rape is never allowed."
"O-ok," the boy said, nodding vigorously.
Natasha watched the medic leave the small exam room enviously. The boy was too uncomfortable for her to leave him, given the way he had latched onto her from the beginning. "Do you have a name?" Natasha asked.
The boy shook his head, "They took it away," he said, almost whispering, "When they killed my mom. They said I wasn't allowed to have a name until I was one of theirs."
Natasha shuddered a little, "You're one of ours now," she told him, "We'll give you a good name."
The boy's smile was stiff, as if he had not smiled in a very long time, and it was gone before she could fully register it. "I've done things," he said quietly, "things Mom said were bad. They said they would kill me if I didn't do them, and I didn't want to die."
"It's ok," Natasha said, hoping to keep the boy from crying again. He had made himself sick from crying the last time. "You don't have to tell me."
"But you're good," the boy protested. "I've done bad things, I've- I've hurt people." He stared at the floor for a long moment, "I killed people," he whispered.
Natasha wished that the portal the boy had run through had not closed behind him. She wanted to kill some people. This innocent looking boy could not be more than thirteen; he deserved to have a clean ledger. Although the thought that she was good did make her want to laugh at the boy. "Hey," she said, and waited for him to look up, "I've killed people too. I have done it for the right reasons and the wrong ones. We cannot raise the dead any more than we can turn back time. All we can do is pay it forward, do the right thing now."
"But," the boy hesitated, "I have powers."
"What kind of powers?" Natasha asked.
"It's why they picked me, they said I could do things, but I don't know what they mean. They picked me, and they killed my mom so that I did not have anyone to go to besides them. I'm not special," the boy stared at her, wide eyed. "I don't want to hurt anyone."
Natasha frowned for a moment, and then went to the door. Sure enough, the other Avengers were in the main part of the medical bay, including Bruce. "I want you to talk to someone," she told the boy. "I think he might have some insights that would surprise you."
"Ok," the boy said quietly.
Natasha opened the door, "I'll be right outside, and I'll be back soon, I promise."
"Ok," the boy said.
Everyone looked up when she stepped out, "Doctor Banner," Natasha said, "may I speak with you?"
"Of course," Bruce said, standing up.
Once he was standing before her, Natasha took a deep breath, "I need a favor," she said quietly. "Whoever hurt that boy, they said he had powers, and I think they expected him to use them to hurt people. He is terrified of what he can do. Will you talk to him about the Hulk?"
Bruce hesitated, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose, "Ok," he said. "I think I can help him."
Natasha smiled, "Thank you."
The boy was still sitting on the bed when they came back in, "This is Doctor Bruce Banner," Natasha told him, "he's a friend of mine, and a scientist. I think he might know something about what you're going through."
"Are you going somewhere?" The boy asked.
Natasha hesitated, "I need to use the lady's room," she said finally, and tried to give the boy a warm smile. "You can trust Doctor Banner. He's a good man."
"Ok," the boy said.
Natasha stepped back out the door and pushed the door closed.
"How is the little puddle jumper?"
"Stark," Natasha said, wondering how much sleep the irritating genius was running on, "That was less coherent than usual."
"I told you, that portal looked like a vertical portal," Stark said, "and how is he?"
"Fine," Natasha said, eyeing the man's oil stained jeans and tattered and faded shirt. "Terrified we're going to force him to do horrible things to people."
"Better not let Fury meet him," Stark said.
Natasha stared at Stark until he shrunk back in his chair, "I'll take that under advisement, if you'll excuse me."
