Late again. Shame! Honestly though, with work it is difficult to keep up. I hope whoever is reading this is staying with me c:
DISCLAIMER: I own nothing of Marvel's.
Chapter Six - Like A Girl Who Hides Her Cheeks Behind Her Hair
Aaron placed a hand on Amira's shoulder as the reflective Stark Tower came into view. He was sat across from her and seemed to notice she was in a bit of distress. Her pulse was rising and her nerves were in danger of overtaking her senses. She started smoothing down her hair and clothes.
"Hey, hey, Crazy. Stop messing your hair up." Aaron complained. She hissed at him and crossed her arms petulantly. She blew a stray curl that she had loosed out of her eyes.
"This is so stupid. I'm a soldier for God's sake." She moaned. The helicopter rounded on the building and Amira's stomach dropped. "Got to keep it together." She mumbled to herself through her teeth. Aaron lunged forward and grabbed both of her shoulders and shook her slightly. Her eyes were wide and wild with annoyance and surprise.
"Amira Iva Mizrahi, you snap out of it right now!" He commanded, voice thick with melodrama. She curled her lip at the use of her middle name.
"We are going to be landing on that helipad in thirty seconds or so, depending on how much of an amateur Maria is-"
"I heard that."
"You are going to nail this. I'll hang back with Maria and let you make your introduction. This is about you, after all. I'm just tagging along for the glory." Aaron instructed. Amira nodded affirmatively and swallowed.
"You're right. You're right. I've got this." She sat up straight and looked out of her window to see three very recognizable men standing on the helipad. "Oh shit, Aaron, that's Captain America standing right there." She pushed his hands away to press her face up to the glass. He looked just as blonde and majestic in person, even if he was just wearing a white t-shirt and blue jeans. Aaron snickered.
"You and Dad, I swear." He murmured nostalgically. Amira ignored him and shamelessly gawked at them. Tony Stark looked much more casual than he did on television. Though he was wearing a tailored suit jacket and slacks, the top two buttons of his shirt were undone and it gave him a very careless appearance. By now they were close enough that their hair was being blown back by the gusts from the helicopter.
She couldn't see Dr. Banner very well at all. He was obscured behind the other two. She could make out his dark, swept back, wavy hair and his deep blue shirt. He had a hand raised – his palm towards her – to protect his eyes.
"Not all that scary, is he?" She thought to herself. "Maybe he's even a nice guy. Maybe-" There was a shift in the cabin as the helicopter touched down. Amira didn't have the luxury of being afraid now. Her body was on autopilot as Aaron slid the door open and prompted her to step out. She looked back only once after disembarking from the aircraft. Aaron gave her a little wink and nodded towards Steve as if to say 'Go get 'em, Tiger.' She took one step.
"You should have worn flats you moron." She screamed internally. The instability was immediate. She walked unsteadily towards the Captain and tried not to completely eat it on the way. A fine blush crept it's way up her neck the closer she got.
"Miss Mizrahi." Thoughts of anxiety were pushed away and the cool mask of a professional took it's place. She was going to shake Captain America's hand and it was going to be no big deal.
"It's a pleasure to meet-" Except she wasn't going to shake his hand, apparently, as Tony Stark had completely crashed the introduction and taken her hand, as well.
"This isn't my fault, right?" She panicked.
"Tony Stark. Master of metal. Armored Avenger. Really smart, handsome guy." She fought a snort. "It's a pleasure to meet you." He was just as showy as he was on television, it would seem. No disappointment there. She opened her mouth to respond but Tony was an expert at not letting others get a word in.
"So what is it? Fury wouldn't say and, well, your file was a little vague. What's your deal? How'd you get your-"
"Here it comes."
"-thingy." He finished. Amira nodded at his predictability, her lips were pressed together in a knowing smirk. Fury usually left it to her to reveal her mutant status at her own discretion, which she greatly appreciated. Some people still reacted...poorly to that kind of announcement.
"Science experiment gone right?"
"Is he always like this?"
"Science experiment gone wrong?" Amira balked at Tony's mention of Bruce's condition. The man himself met her eyes for a small moment and then looked to Tony.
"Was that necessary?" Came the gravelly response. At least things had progressed from awkward to amusing. Amira could deal with this shift, as she did so love to laugh.
"Alien?" His eyebrows were lifted and his tone was almost hopeful.
"Nothing as impressive as that." She replied, feeling almost forlorn that it truly wasn't anywhere near as impressive as that.
"You're a mutant." Bruce proclaimed plainly. He sounded impatient, like Tony was taking too long to figure it out. His arms were crossed and he was looking at her expectantly. She nodded an affirmative.
"Beta class." She felt as if she was being heavily scrutinized. He was lightly baring his teeth and peering at her intensely from behind his glasses. She visually dissected him right back. He was a broad man; stocky and strong in appearance. He towered over her, but then again, most people did. He had haphazardly swept his wavy dark hair out of his eyes – brown eyes, she noted. "He's sizing me up. Fine. But why the blatant skepticism?" She jerked slightly when he cleared his throat.
"Did you come up out of Professor Xavier's school?" He asked. She opened her mouth to answer but before she could reply he unwound his crossed arms and introduced himself. "I'm Bruce Banner, by the way." He extended his hand, palm facing slightly up. She grasped it cordially. His hand was warm and dry and his grip was snug.
"Amira. And, yes, I'm proud to say that I did." Amira dipped her head very slightly. "And it's my honor to meet you, Dr. Banner." She added. And she meant it. Suddenly he looked very agitated, indeed, he was even bold enough to scoff directly at her statement. Her expression faded to one of confusion, but only for a brief moment.
"Is it?" His grip tightened.
"Oh." She thought, suddenly – almost gleefully. A smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. She couldn't hide her mirth; it was too absurd not to laugh at. "He doesn't want me here." She realized. "I wonder why no one saw fit to inform me that he wasn't a willing participant in this experiment." After being harangued for months by Fury to take part in this "job" it turned out that she was being foisted onto an unwilling subject. Because that always cultivates really healthy and productive relationships. Amira couldn't come up with a single appropriate thing to say to him in reply, so she said nothing at all.
"We're glad to have you on." The Captain America addressed her. His tone was almost apologetic, but she barely noticed. He had the same winning smile from all of her pictures. "Steve Rogers." Her odd exchange with Dr. Banner was miles away as soon as Steve's baby blues crinkled with his smile.
"Call me Amira." She inwardly fist pumped at how cool and confident she came off. "And I'm happy to be, well – on!" If only she could have maintained her cool confidence.
"Well, hey, you're a perfect fit. I, for one, am eager for a demonstration!" Tony exclaimed.
"'Mira won't mind showing off, I'm sure." Aaron joked, insinuating himself into the conversation. He had such a knack for that. "I'm Aaron – her brother and your new standby pilot." Steve gave him a very soldier-esque, terse nod.
"Fury told me about you – said you're a real ace." He remarked as they shook.
"I do alright." Aaron's arrogant tone betrayed his true feelings on his own piloting skills.
"And you just pilot helicopters or...?" Steve issued a challenge. Playfully, of course.
"I can pilot anything that flies."
"Anything?"
"Yes, sir. I can even show you my logged Harrier hours, if you like." Aaron crossed his arms triumphantly. Steve chuckled and gave Aaron an approving smile.
"Alright, I'm impressed." He admitted. "There's no shortage of talent between the two of you, it would seem." Amira mentally bookmarked these words so she could fawn over the fact that Captain America had said them. About her. Well, halfway about her.
"It runs in the family." Aaron replied. His boastfulness made her blush furiously. She reminded herself to scold him later as he made his introductions to the other two Avengers. He seemed to make a really great impression. It didn't surprise her.
"It was great to meet you guys but Maria and I have a date back at the hangar." Aaron bent slightly at the waist. And held his two hands out in a shrugging gesture, palms up. Tony, Steve, and Bruce looked at him quizzically. "She promised me a private tour." He said, as if it were some great secret.
"Aaron." Amira warned. "Go." Aaron frowned at her and sighed. She could hear him muttering about how she was a spoil-sport. She had asked him to be professional. He never listened to her, though. Aaron sauntered back to the helicopter, which roared to life at his signal. All four people looked on in silence.
"I-Uh, your brother seems...nice." Bruce offered.
"He's not going to be breathing anymore if Maria finds out what he said." Amira flatly drawled.
"Can't blame a man for trying." Tony reasoned. He unfolded an arm and gestured toward the door. "Let's take this party inside, shall we?"
For the umpteenth time that day Amira craned her neck to get a full view of her surroundings. Tony had lead them all to a very fine looking lounge. Soft amber light spilled out of expensive fixtures and up the walls. Rounded bar stools were neatly arranged around a sleek black marble bar. The mantle behind it was crammed with liquor which was, no doubt, the toppest of shelves. That was just the bar; the entire lounge was open and awash with natural light from the large plate glass windows. There were a few, very comfortable looking chairs nestled around a fireplace island, and next to it, a coffee table with some books for the lounger's perusal. Amira had never seen such wealth. As elegant as the room was, it exuded a warmth that could only come from being well lived in.
"A water for the lady." Amira jumped slightly, Tony expectantly held a condensating glass. When had he even prepared that? She accepted the cool drink with thanks and took a dutiful sip.
"This room is gorgeous, Mr. Stark." Amira complimented. He gave an exaggerated wince.
"For the love of God- Just Tony, please." He protested, his tone flat but amiable. "And, thank you. Pepper decorated it. She'd be tickled to hear you say that you like it." Tony picked up a minimalistically designed pitcher filled with ice water and a few perfectly round lemon slices. He tossed his head to indicate the space behind him. "If you'll just follow me to the board room." He walked past the bar and up a couple of steps to an elevated 'board room' which was actually just a large oblong table, with white lilies for a centerpiece. Amira crept cautiously up the steps, followed by Bruce and Steve. She picked the seat on the farthest end. The beautiful rosewood of the table shimmered beneath her fingers. The three men chose seats that were opposite her, with Tony at the head of the table, Steve on his right, and Bruce on his left. Exactly as they had been arranged when they greeted her on the helipad.
"So, Amira – may I call you Amira?" Tony did not wait for an answer. "Amira, we are going to have a discussion about your place on this team. I realize that this sounds incredibly boring, and believe me it will be, but it has to be done. Now, do you know why you were brought on?" He inquired while pouring himself and his comrades some waters. Amira looked doe-eyed and dumbfounded where she sat all the way on the other side of the table. Her little hands were crossed – one over the other – before her. She pursed her lips and began thus.
"I'm under the impression that I was brought on for the purpose of-" She chose her words carefully. "-aiding Dr. Banner." She enunciated, wishing to be as diplomatic as possible. Bruce's gaze flickered to her own and then back to his water. She cleared her throat and tucked a loose curl behind her ear. "And for the incidental occasion where my abilities may come in useful to the team in some other way." Tony took a hefty swig of his beverage and looked down his glass at her. After swallowing he released a mighty sigh and shook his head.
"Well, actually yeah. You pretty much got it pegged. But-" He held up his finger here, "the devil is in the details. So let's talk details." He inclined and rested his intertwined fingers on his stomach. "I have developed – with Dr. Banner's almost willing participation – a little device that we're calling the 'Halo Cuff' – Halo for short. It's a cute little name we've been throwing around the office. We created it when Fury told us he had a possible candidate for, how did you put it? Aiding Bruce, here." Tony leaned forward to delicately open the silver case with two hands. The sunlight pouring in through the windows reflected off of it and painted streaks of golden light across Amira's face and set her eyes alight. Tony turned the box around and slid it toward her. Within was a simplistic, matte black object set in the velvet of the box. She made a move to take it out of the box but first gave Tony an inquisitive look.
"May I?" She marveled.
"Go nuts, kid."
She turned her attention back to the little bauble in the box and ran a few exploratory fingers over the side of it before plucking it out of it's abode. It was exactly as he described, a discrete cuff. It was about an inch in width, by Amira's estimation, and weighed almost nothing. There was a small black inlaid square on one side, made of the same matte black rubber material, and a clasp on the other. The clasp, she assumed, was for affixing the Halo Cuff to one's wrist. She peered up at Tony from behind her eyelashes; a silent question.
"I'll let Dr. Banner expound. He is much better with words than me." Bruce's eyebrows shot up and he turned to his friend. His mouth formed what could be called a smile but his eyes promised violence. After Tony reciprocated his look with a winning smile of his own, Bruce removed his glasses. Ceremoniously, he slipped them into his shirt pocket.
"The Halo Cuff," He sarcastically enunciated the title, "is the best of the many ideas we considered for solving the problem of, well, me. It wasn't actually supposed to go into development until we discovered whether or not your abilities would even work on the Other Guy, but Tony got excited and advanced an early prototype." He stopped to scratch the stubbly flesh beneath his chin. Amira watched intently, waiting. "That one is yours. I have one that is identical. They communicate to one another via satelite."
"We have discovered, through extensive research, that when I am in the process of...changing-" He paused. "My heart rate takes on a very unique rhythm, one that Halo now recognizes and can report to you and JARVIS immediately. Now-"
"Sorry-" She interrupted. He cocked his head. "Who is Jarvis?"
"Right!" Tony crowed. "JARVIS say hello, please."
"Good morning, Miss." A congenial voice greeted her.
"Good morning, omniscient computer...guy." Amira replied, uncertainly.
"JARVIS will do just fine, Miss." He corrected her, his tone no less polite.
"JARVIS here, is like our very own Hal 9000, only a little more even keel." Tony proudly announced.
"As far as you know, Sir."
"That's incredible. He understands subtle humor." Amira said, amazed.
"He takes after me." Tony beamed. She certainly had more questions for later but she remembered Halo in her hands.
"Sorry, you were saying Dr. Banner?"
"Should you choose to take this on, we can't reasonably expect you to follow me around everywhere I go. Halo allows for more flexibility." Bruce summated. Like Amira, he seemed to suffer from lack of rest. She imagined he must always feel like that, like he can never let his guard down. And The entire prospect of the Halo seemed wearisome to him.
"I have put together a sort of plan of action, should he start to lose control." Steve added. "And after reviewing everything we know about the Hulk's pattern of behavior, Tony and Bruce have helped me formulate a few drills we can run for multiple scenarios. Again- provided that he isn't immune to your abilities." Amira gently placed the bracelet back into it's case and laid her hands flat on the table. Steve sat straight up in his chair, appearing to be as much of a captain as his moniker suggested. "Ideally, if you ever have to answer the call of that bracelet, you will be prepared for anything that's coming."
"So!" Tony bellowed like an over-exuberant emcee. "Now that you know all about our dysfunctional little family and what living with us entails," He leaned forward, his whiskey colored eyes boring into hers, "are you in?" Amira had been holding her breath the entire time. Of course, it was easy enough to guess what he was going to ask her but actually hearing it was still electrifying.
The entire situation was all so new and tantalizing. Living in a house with an fancy butler-bot, taking tea with Captain America, or fighting monsters from outerspace were things Amira never imagined she'd be doing in a million years. Her brain was lashing out at her to say yes now! That part of her that wanted to do good for mankind was cheering her on. She could do good with the Avengers. The Avengers. She said it over and over in her mind. She could even help Dr. Banner.
But did he even want her help?
She let her small hand rest on the open lid of the Halo cuff and slowly pressed it closed. In and out, she breathed – slowly, methodically.
"Dr. Banner, what is your opinion?" She said, her voice sounded muted but not meek. He snorted and gave her a mocking look. It disheartened her. She wanted to give him a chance to say no. It seemed like no one else had.
"Pertaining to what, exactly?" He sneered at her, baring his slightly crooked teeth at her once again.
"Do you want any of this? The cuffs? The drills?" Her tone wasn't incredulous or impatient. It was even and tender. She had hoped it would diffuse his own sour demeanor.
"It's not about me." He replied quietly. Steve and Tony watched on, stiffly. His voice was heavy with something she could not decode. The lines under his eyes seemed to be etched deeper than before. His head was angled slightly down and one wavy lock of his hair flopped down to rest above his troubled brow.
"I want to give you a way out." She said. At this he stared at her. Into her. Confused. After a moment he spoke.
"The alternative to this is that I continue to walk around one of the most densely populated cities on earth betting on luck." His voice was rough and exhausted but it wasn't dishonest. "You must understand me when I say that I don't have any other choice." Amira soberly nodded through all that he said and realized that, that was the most concise answer she supposed she would get from him. It was neither yes nor no. It was exactly as he said. He didn't have a choice.
After a while, she looked down at her folded hands on the table top. With a resolute scoot forward in her chair, she appraised each man at the other end of the table before resting her gaze on Tony Stark. She swallowed.
"Very well. When do we start?"
Kind of a fun exchange from her point of view, huh? Six chapters in and she is just now becoming an Avenger. Well, quasi-Avenger. Also, grumpy Banner is best Banner, I don't care what anyone says. I promise he won't be such a buzzkill for long, though. Get ready for a bit of a slow burn you guys and don't forget to let me know what you think. I try to pm responses to every review so if you leave one, check your inbox! 'Til next week.