I've been in this hell-hole for what seems like forever. I'm going to go crazy in this stupid place. There's nobody to talk to! I can't even move, I can't see my parents-God knows where my friends are-and Hawkeye hasn't come back in days, replaced by stoic, silent agents. They always wear sunglasses when I see them-I think they do that to piss people off, I mean we're inside a building-and they barely even look at me.

My only form of salvation is that I've nearly got the bolts out. I think getting them loose was the hardest thing I've ever done in my life. Loosening one bolt would take something like two days of straight mental concentration. I thought taking final exams was hard, but this? I didn't think my brain could ever get so tired. Just a bit longer, and I'll be able to get them all out.

Thank God nobody's in here now-

"Hello?"

I look up to see a shorter, nearly greying man with brown eyes and a purple button-down shirt. He looks uncomfortable.

"What do they want from me now?" I ask. Why is he here? Is this some new attempt to get me to join them?

"S.H.I.E.L.D brought me here to talk to you. I'm Dr. Bruce Banner," he answers.

"This isn't some psychological assessment, is it?"

Dr. Banner laughs. "No, nothing like that. They want to see if I can...convince you to join S.H.I.E.L.D. That you might need a gentler approach." It almost seems as though he finds this ironic.

Oh. Well, if he's the one talking, then I think I can keep undoing the bolts without his notice.

"Fine. Talk."

"First off, I'm sorry that it has to be like this. S.H.I.E.L.D can be harsh. I'd know. But...there are good people here. Not always the nicest, but they want to help. I wasn't originally a fan of these guys. I might not even be now. But I'm willing to work with them." Dr. Banner elaborates.

There's something in his eyes that tells me he doesn't fully believe that. But he seems to be a nice enough guy.

"Can't I just go it alone, stay out of their way and they stay out of mine?" I question. I don't really care though. Just buying time. Over half of the bolts have popped off already-Dr. Banner almost noticed, but I managed to hide them from view-and I'll be free in a few moments.

"Er, S.H.I.E.L.D doesn't work that way. Even Tony Stark can't get rid if them, though he tries." He hides a slightly exasperated smile, like referring to an old friend.

Wow, this guy knows Tony Stark? Impressive.

"So you have telekinesis? How does it work?" he asks.

"I don't really have anything to show you how it works," I reply, seeming apologetic. Just one more bolt and I'll be free.

He removes a watch from his wrist and holds it in his outstretched hand. "You do now."

I focus on the watch, and send it shooting up, stopping it to hover just below the ceiling. Dr. Banner's eyes follow it, amazed. I cause the watch to circle the ceiling, and feel my cuffs finally undone. I shake them off and they clatter to the floor.

Dr. Banner turns directly to me, surveying my handiwork. "How long did it take you to do that-"

"A long time, I'll admit. Nice talking to you, Dr. Banner, but I have to decline their offer. I hate surveillance," I say, hastily unlocking the door.

"Wait, I wouldn't do that if I were you-" he calls, reaching out to stop me. Instinctively, I lurch forward, right into the barrel of a gun.

Eyepatch-Guy stares down at me. "I think it's time for you to say yes, Alicia."

My blood runs cold. I really hate this guy. Did he know I was going to get out or something? Sheesh.

"Okay, fine, I'll join, please put the gun away!" I stammer out.

Eyepatch-Guy smirks and pockets his pistol. "You may think you have skill, Alicia, but you're green. Naive. And I don't care what the hell kind of telekinesis you may have, you are nothing until you are trained."

I have to admit that I'm cowering under him, trembling with rage and terror. I hate him. Right now, all I want is to go to my parents and just hug them. Dr. Banner said these were the good guys?

I have to doubt that.

"Your training starts tomorrow. I suggest that you be ready," Eyepatch-Guy remarks sternly, walking off to join some of his other agents.

I turn to Dr. Banner, who is grimacing. "First off, WHO is he?! I don't know his name, but he knows everything about me! And second off, where are my parents?!"

"Well, that's director Nick Fury. He organises S.H.I.E.L.D. They've got maddeningly specific surveillance. And your parents are upstairs-I talked to them earlier, nice people," he says, seeming like he is trying to keep both of us calm.

"Thanks," I say, practically running up the stairs.

He follows after me, though he doesn't make any particular effort to catch up immediately. I'm not sure what to think of him, but I guess he's nice. Not nearly as awful as anyone here.

When I lay eyes on my parents, my face breaks out into a grin. They look tired, and worried, but they're safe. I run to them, enveloping them in a huge bearhug, which they gladly reciprocate.

"Alicia, baby, we're so glad you're safe," they tell me, clearly ecstatic.

After a few moments of checking me over for injuries and asking me a whole bunch of questions, they release me.

"So where are we?! Seriously! Nobody told me anything!" I blurt out.

"Well, we're in New York. Inside Avengers Tower, to be precise. Apparently you were at a separate S.H.I.E.L.D facility when you were unconscious, that's where we were taken originally," my mother tells me.

"I knew we should've stayed farther away from New York," my dad mutters, but Mom shushes him.

"Well, how about we try and see if they'll let us go home, Alicia?" my mother butts in, trying to distract me from my dad's apparent frustration. Her voice is strained. It's starting to register how stressful this whole experience is for them.

"Uh, about that...I have to stay here. I'm supposed to start training tomorrow," I mutter. My parents don't have to say anything for me to know how they feel about this.

"You're...what?"

"It...it'll be okay, Mom, Dad. You guys can stay here. I...want to do this."

That is such a huge lie it almost pains me to say it. I don't want to worry them more than they already are. I'll go along with this whole 'recruitment' deal-for now. Maybe something good will come out of the whole experience. Hey, they might even have a cure for all my hallucinations.

Ugh, who am I kidding? It's gonna suck. Majorly.

A.N: Another update! Our intrepid hero is introduced to Bruce Banner. It seems like Alicia's stuck with S.H.I.E.L.D for the foreseeable future, but it might not be that bad.

Training's going to be interesting, certainly. More of the Avengers will make an appearance soon.

Thanks to all of you that followed and favorited! I'm glad you like the story so far. Also thanks to Guest and Extended Experience for reviewing!

Next update will hopefully come next week, but the laptop that I usually use is broken so I'm working with another computer. Don't know when I'll get my laptop fixed. Hopefully soon, considering it's relatively new.

If you'd like, leave a review! I'd really appreciate the feedback.