The Tower

Date: June 10th 2014

Location: CLASSIFIED

"JARVIS, would you elaborate before the Capsicle here takes a leaf outa the Hulk's book." The man she had dubbed 'Robo-Cop' said as he glanced over at the man in stars and stripes, 'Spangles'.

Cleo didn't understand how they could be there. The White Coats and Suits were sprawled across the floor. There was no hissing darkness. Only the familiarity of strangers looking in on her every move. As she floated aimlessly across her cell, as she had for however long she had been incarcerated, her gaze locked onto Robo-Cop. He seemed vaguely familiar somehow, like she had seen him before in a distant memory or dream. Definitely not someone she had known in her life before, at least not personally, but his face seemed to catch in her mind. Recently she had begun to wonder if her life before the cell was only a half remembered dream and as she tried to recall who he was she wished she had tried harder to hold onto it.

'Iron Man!' She thought suddenly as the word popped into her mind after being so long buried. Surely she was dreaming or her mind had finally broken for her to think some American superhero had found his way into her corner of hell.

"That's right, Iron Man here to save the day!" He said flashing her a bright grin causing Cleo to startle slightly. She must have said the words out loud but the real oddity was that he acknowledged her words! It had been so long! In the beginning, a long time ago, she had screamed and shouted at the White Coats but they barely even looked at her, except in the moments when the hissing darkness would begin. "Anytime now would be great." He continued as his helmet shut tight.

"Accessing files now sir." The disembodied voice replied causing Cleo to wonder if he was talking into a radio. Her attention then turned to Spangles who she could just see crouching in front of the cell beside her own. It hadn't taken Cleo long, after the initial capture, to figure out who resided in the cell next door. Though in the duration of their imprisonment she had not seen Robin the small ventilation grate at the top of their adjoining wall had allowed them some amount of communication.

"Er… hey Cap, you mind coming over here for a sec?" Iron Man's posture had changed, he stood ramrod straight and there was a twinge in his voice that Cleo couldn't identify. After a moment Spangles stood up and joined IronMan before asking him what the problem was. Both lowered their voices stopping her from listening in to what they were saying and she hoped whatever they were talking about would resolve with the immediate release of Robin and herself.

"What's the problem Stark?" Steve asked, he had immediately noticed the change Tony had gone through in mere moments and wondered what he could have found out that would cause him distress. Because that was what the twinge in his voice had been, an unconscious tightening of the throat because something he didn't want to think about had been thrust into his mind. Steve recognised it because ever since waking up in the future his mind had circled mourning his past and attempting to reconcile with his future. Then after everything that had happened with Bucky… he wasn't sure how he was supposed to keep the two separate.

"JARVIS just pulled up everything we got from the computers before they were wiped." He started slowly in a quiet tone unsure if he wanted the subjects of their upcoming conversation to hear them. "The day these girls got these superpowers, got kidnapped by Evil-SHEILD…" He paused as if summoning the will to complete his sentence, almost as if it were painful "It was May 6th 2012." And Steve immediately knew the relevance.

"The Battle of New York." Steve murmured though his words seemed hollow and unneeded.

"Exactly." The Genius, Billionaire, Playboy, Philanthropist affirmed. "According to these files the running theory was that the, frankly tasteless, gold bands are some kind of alien weaponry that activated within minutes of the portal-" He took a moment to breathe deeply before he had centred himself enough to continue, Steve said nothing and waited for Tony to compose himself. "-Within minutes of the portal opening and letting in the Chitauri. They were pretty sure that whoever made this overpowered bracelets did not have humans in mind when they were designing them."

"What's your point?" Steve asked a little shortly while attempting to keep his voice low. These girls were probably terrified and he didn't want to escalate anything anymore than they already were.

"My point, Captain Obvious, is that these women have volatile alien technology irreversibly attached to them and absolutely no control of the powers that come with. That about sum it up?!"

"So what, you just want to leave them here, is that it? Nothing that has happen to them is their fault, they are innocent civilians!" The Captain fumed as he glanced over at the women who had clearly been subject to abuse and experimentation for over two years.

"No, as a man with experience in an Afghan cave, I don't recommend captivity as a fun pastime. Just, listen, these files make references to GH. I don't know what that means, JARVIS, doesn't know what that means. When we hacked the Helicarrier two years ago Hydra's secrets were so well encrypted we didn't even know they were there. This GH, the encryption is so far beyond I'm surprised we managed to get the initials."

"How, then, do you suggest we proceed?"

"With the safest course of action. As much as I would love to, we can't just release them into the wild, it wouldn't be safe for anyone. So we do the only thing we can do." He paused as if for dramatic effect and then said loud enough for all to hear. "We take them to the Avengers Tower."

Date: April 8th 2014

Location: New York City, New York

"I present to you the all new Avengers Tower!" Tony Stark said grandly to Bruce Banner and, first timer, Steve Rogers. He seemed terribly proud of his new fully functional energy efficient building that made the original pale in comparison.

"It's Stark Tower." Steve grumbled as he adjusted his duffel bag over his shoulder that contained everything he owned that wasn't ruined after the Winter Soldier incident.

"No, that was blown up. This is the Avengers Tower. It's completely different!" Tony defended as they walked up to the large glass doors and passed a flock of screaming cosplayers. Steve tried not to stare open mouthed at the teens dressed in skimpy replicas of his, Tony's and Thor's battle attire. Though he did think the little girl in a tutu version of his uniform was kind of sweet.

"It looks like the same ugly building it was two years ago." He replied echoing his opinion of the previous building, earning himself a disapproving frown from Tony and a small amused smile from Banner. The trio continued through the doors, the fangirls staying outside thanks to the security on the entrances, and into the large modern lobby. Steve noticed a familiar face talking to the receptionist but the dark haired ex-agent either didn't see him or, more likely, was maintaining a new cover she had created herself.

"Nope. After all the holes were patched up the top levels got a complete redesign. Avengers Training Area, Quinjet hanger and fully furnished apartments, with Jacuzzis and R&D labs!" The mechanic listed as they made their way into a large private elevator that scanned, recognised and identified the three men before the doors closed silently and the elevator started to move.

"I hope the Jacuzzis aren't in the R&D labs." Bruce joked, finally managing to get a word in between the, now expected, banter between Iron Man and Captain America. Steve chuckled to himself as they climbed higher up the tower.

"Why? water and electricity are friends." Tony said almost innocently save for the wide grin that spread across his well groomed features.

"Stark…" Steve warned, already dreading the prospect of spending the next few minutes with the man let alone living in close quarters.

"Look, Hydra blew up your apartment, stay here until you're back on your feet and have a place to stay sans bullet holes." Mr. logic took Stark over for a moment as the elevator began to slow and a star spangled shield insignia replaced the floor number on the floor level screen.

"… The apartments aren't bugged are they?" Steve asked warily as a ping rang through the air and the doors slid soundlessly open.

"Only JARVIS." Stark shrugged as if it were obvious, which it was as JARVIS was installed in practically all of his systems, and then ushered Rogers out of the elevator.

"You may deactivate my systems, within your living quarters, but should anyone have need of you I would reinitiate myself to inform you of anything important." The familiar English voice informed them as Steve looked around the apartment Tony had designed and realised with a start it likely encompassed the whole floor with devices he would have no idea how to use.

"Why so edgy? Afraid I'll catch you on your favourite vintage porn site?" Said billionaire sniped with a raised eyebrow, he was looking forward to getting to know the guy his father admired so much and to tease him for everything he was worth.

"Stark…" He warned again but this time with less bite, he was used to the digs at his lack of sexual experience from both Natasha and the Howling Commandos back in the day, but he had only just started to settle and now everything was different again.

"Hey, I kid! … unless, do you go for that sort of thing?" Tony held up his hands in joking defeat before he noticed the hesitation in Steve and grasped the elevator door to stop it from closing before he got a couple more jokes in.

"Tony, didn't you have a new suit you wanted me to take a look at?" Bruce interrupted, he too had noticed Steve's discomfort and decided it best to distract Tony. That and he was also curious about an Iron Man suit the Tony would want his opinion on.

"Oh, yeah. It's gonna be awesome, I need you to look over the specs, but I've already thought of a name. The Hulk-Buster!" Seemingly instantly forgetting to continue the banter-fest the mechanic in him reared his head and the big kid in him delighted in showing off his new toy.

"… That sounds great Tony…" Bruce said a little hesitantly as the doors finally slid shut and Steve was left alone in his new gigantic apartment.

Date: June 10th 2014

Location: New York City, New York

The hissing darkness had come back. Briefly, Robin wondered if she had dreamed up her rescuers. If it had been an elaborate test cooked up by the White Coats and the Suits to see what they would do. She hoped that when she woke, if it had all been a dream or test, that she would not find herself in the Fish Bowl. Anything else they had been subjected to would be a blessing in comparison to the terrifying burning sensation of water filling her lungs and no matter how hard she tried she could never free herself of the chains that bound her.

Slowly, she could feel consciousness crawling back to her. Here was no cold biting restraints, probably not the Fish Bowl then, and no prodding or poking, so not the White Room. Instead she felt… comfortable? Pale light filtered into the room, as if a curtain had not quite been closed properly, but that made no sense there were never windows and certainly no curtains. Low murmuring voices next caught her attention, not too far away and not divided by the glass wall otherwise their voices would have been muffled.

Experimentally she opened her eyes slightly and after a moment couldn't help but open them fully until they were wide in shock. She was not in her cell or the White Room or the Fish Bowl or anywhere else that had appeared after she awoke from forced sleep. The comfort suddenly made sense, she was laying on top a bed, a bed! The sheets were thick and soft, in rich gold and deep reds. As her eyes wandered the room, clearly a room fit for royalty, she noticed a particular theme. At first the red and gold had made her wonder if the designer had been going for Gryffindor chic but then she noticed the carved column and the veil of gossamer instead of a door, leading out of the room she sat in, it all felt decidedly Norse.

Ever so gently she sat up and slipped off the bed. Robin knew the strength that coursed through her and was terrified a single touch would destroy the beautiful room. The smooth marble floor was cool on her bare feet and she noticed she was still in the tatty rags she had worn for… she didn't know how long. Then as she got closer she noted that the carved pillar was not marble, as it was no doubt supposed to look, but well painted plaster. A grain of knowledge from her old life identified the difference.

She refrained from touching the fake marble and continued towards the gossamer divide. As Robin padded closer the voices became decidedly clearer.

"- meaning it was some sort of security procedure that JARVIS couldn't override."

"So when we forced the door-"

"Yeah, the gas was automatically vented into the cells. Probably put in to stop any escape attempts. Pretty effective."

"Is it harmful?"

"Not as far as I can tell, I looked over it and it seems to be a very strong sleep inducing chemical. If it were to be used on the average person the kind of doses used would have been lethal. However, it's clear the gas was used multiple times and to no ill effects. As far as I can tell they are both very healthy but it's not really-"

"What? Not your area of expertise?"

"Tony, I said I was sorry about that."

"Who said what? I don't know what you're talking about."

"Tony…"

"What? I didn't do anything Pep-"

"Enough. Now that they're here what is it you plan to do with these, probably very, traumatised girls?"

"The only thing we can do, help them."

"They've been declared dead for two years now. Everything they had before is probably long gone."

"What about family, friends, surely they have someone?"

"They did, in England, but I don't think it would be a good idea to ship them off just yet."

"You can't force them to stay…"

"No, I wouldn't but you have to remember their families have had time to mourn and accept their passing. Dropping them home with uncontrolled superpowers seems like a bad move. That's just my opinion."

Quietly Robin backtracked away from the four people talking behind the curtain. Two years? It had seemed so much longer than that and at the same time she couldn't believe how time had blurred together.

These were clearly the people who had released her from her cell but could she really trust them? They seemed genuine enough talking amongst themselves but how could she bring herself to trust? Then her thoughts turned to Cleo, where was she? Her only companion through the whole ordeal and know she was alone in a strange place with strange people. As the panic started to rise she continued to backtrack until she felt the carved pillar at her back. Her fingers grasped the plaster as she tried to centre herself but instead she heard the creak of the pillar as it started to lean to the side and felt the plaster crumble beneath her fingers. Memories of the day the band attached itself flooded into her mind as the marble beneath her cracked.

Then strong, but gentle, hands grasped her arms and automatically she pushed them away. But she did not watch him fly across the room or hear him crash into a wall. In fact she had only managed to push him away a few feet which was a surprise to him as much as it was to her. Slowly he approached again, like she was a cornered animal, he told her she was safe and that no one would hurt her here. Robin was dumbfounded, was he like her, to be able to withstand her strength as no one had done before. She knew that none of them could hurt her, the White Coats had tried and the only pain she had felt was when she was in the Fish Bowl, but did that also mean that she could not hurt them in return? Were they strong like her? Different like her?

"Where is Cleo? Where is my cousin?!" she finally asked, though it felt strange to speak to anyone aside from Cleo through a vent.

"The glow stick? She's asleep in the other room." The man, with an oddly trimmed beard and iron maiden shirt, told her as he stepped a little closer only to be held back a little by a slender woman with strawberry blonde hair.

"Kinda not asleep and kinda about to float out the window!" A familiar voice called from outside the room. After only a moment's pause the group rushed out in time to see that she was indeed about to float out of the, beautifully decorated, bay window. Once she was quickly retrieved from the window she was escorted to the couch by the woman as the quiet man shut the window. Robin sat down carefully, not wanting to break anything, while Cleo drifted just above the sofa but was unable to get low enough to sit.

"Think we should invest in some kind of tether, with a weight on the end. Or maybe some kind of magnetised-" The chatty man said as his eyes lit up at the thoughts, clearly, whizzing around his well styled head.

"Tony, not now." The woman, dressed very smartly in comparison to the three men, interrupted before she faced the girls and gave them both a gentle smile. "I can't begin to imagine the things that you two have gone through, honestly I don't think I would want to, but please believe that we want to help you. If you will let us."

"I'm sorry about the pillar." Robin said after a moment's pause, causing 'Tony' to chuckle at the thought that accidental damage was unusual and worth apologising for.

"So, we're not swapping one prison for another, better furnished, prison?" Cleo asked as Robin reached up, caught her by the ankle and pulled her down to sit on the couch, her hand remaining on Cleo's shoulder so she would stay put.

"No, definitely not." The blonde muscled man told them resolutely, he was the strong one, the one Robin was sure knew strength like hers. "Though, we may have to fill in a few details, so that everything that happens from here on out makes sense to you both."

"Yeah, number one, don't piss off that guy!" Tony gestured to the quiet, unassuming, man stood a little ways behind him. Then the woman, who Robin was starting to like, elbowed him non too subtly in the side. "Hey!"

Date: June 11th 2014

Location: New York City, New York

It was either very late or very early, Cleo couldn't see a clock in the vicinity and her internal clock had been messed up since the day her least favourite fashion accessory latched itself on to her arm. Though the idea of super powers had once been a fun topic of conversation amongst friends, the aimless floating and glowing abilities of a firefly had never been in her top ten. Then again, uncontrolled super strength had probably never been in Robin's either. However, it turned out that those were the powers they seemed to possess and not only did these people understand their struggles but such things were now, apparently, everyday common knowledge. Last she had checked those kinds of things only existed in comic books and films but the Avengers, the people that were sat beside her, were part of the reason super humans had been 'outed'.

As she listened to the cliff notes of these, the only appropriate term she could think of, superheroes 'origin stories' she felt in some ways she could identify with them. The skinny kid who was given strength to stand up to his bullies, the mild mannered scientist whose experiment lead to uncontrollable abilities, the personification of 'boys and their toys' who was pushed by captivity to be creative. Then there were the ones they hadn't met, the super-secret spies codenamed after bugs and birds, oh and then there were the gods, Gods! Aliens! It seemed like everything existed and they missed the grand unveiling. She wasn't sure how she was supposed to feel about it. She certainly couldn't identify the swell of emotions that swirled inside her as they informed the girls about what they had missed. Cleo's gaze flicked over to Robin, whose hand was still firmly planted on her shoulder keeping her seated on the couch, and read the emotions that flicked over her open features. Her cousin had never been able to hide her feelings well and so never tried. Anger, confusion, disbelief were but a few that flitted across her face. Neither had said much in response to the tag-team retelling of 'the Battle of New York' as it had apparently been dubbed. Though Cleo did notice that the longer they listened to these people talk the tighter her cousin's grip became, and considering the girl had ridiculously strong fingers, it seemed like a good idea for everyone to finish for the night and get some rest.

After a little encouragement from varying parties the girls were eventually left alone in, as it turned out, Thor's apartment as the 'God' was in Asgard. She wasn't sure how much of the stuff they were told was true or whether these people were seeing how gullible the girls were after incarceration. The latter seemed unlikely.

Robin released Cleo's shoulder once the others had left, allowing her to drift around the room freely. Robin reclined on the couch, unused to but certainly not complaining about the comfort, and the girls simply talked until the morning came. Besides, it wasn't like either of them slept naturally anymore. Another side effect of their matching super bands.

ALL MARVEL CHARACTERS IN THIS FIC BELONG TO, SURPRISE SUPRISE, MARVEL! ALL RIGHTS REMAIN PROPERTY OF MARVEL.

THE PLOT AND OCs (CLEO HARRIS AND ROBIN COUSLAND) BELONG TO ME.

EVERYTHING ELSE IS DONE FOR NON PROFIT AND THE AMUSEMENT OF FANS.

ALSO ANY REFERENCES MADE BELONG TO WHOEVER OWNS THE RIGHTS.