Steve POV
"So we finally get to see Holly's new uniform and lightsaber in action?" Barton asked from behind Steve as they followed Banner and Stark into the observation room above what Stark called the Danger Room, an idea he borrowed from Professor Xavier's school for exceptional students. Apparently it was a training room where various obstacles and threats could be used and generated so they could work not only on their own skills but on their teamwork. It took up over two floors of space with another floor for all the machinery and technology involved. Stark was explaining how Jarvis controlled the room and could push them just this side of hurting themselves, much like the real world.
"Yes, that you do, Katniss." He touched a button on the glass wall looking down into what looked like a nearly empty room where Holly was hopping on the balls of her feet, craning her neck and stretching. "Hey Skywalker, you ready?"
She grinned up at him. Her costume didn't look very much different. It was still a dark tan form fitting gee with matching boots, weapons strapped to her legs and no doubt hidden in the boots. She wore a dark brown robe with hood over that and twirled her new lightsaber in one hand. "Bring it, Iron Shorts."
He rolled his eyes. "When you're ready."
Steve watched intrigued as she lowered her head and took a visibly large breath. This apparently had been the big project she'd been helping Stark with. The last few days had had her locked up in the labs with Stark and Banner. What exactly they'd been working on, he had no idea. He was pretty sure it wasn't just slight wardrobe changes and a new lightsaber. "Jarvis, let's do this right."
Loud guitar music started as Holly flipped on her lightsaber, it's blades now green instead of blue and took a defensive stance. Small round globes flew into the room and the room itself began to change, levels and drops being created as well as what looked like gun turrets coming out of the walls. "Don't worry, those turrets only shoot the equivalent of strong tasers." Banner was quick to say before anyone could lodge a protest.
A voice yelled out in the song and then a rap began as Holly began to battle the small globes, each shooting what looked like small energy blasts. He wondered if they were like Widow Bites. Her saber seemed able to deflect them as she swung her saber around quickly, causing one globe to take out another before she sliced it in half and did a diving roll and then ran for cover from a gun turret that had just barely missed her.
I can't stand it, I know you planned it
I'm gonna set this straight, this Watergate
I can't stand rocking when I'm in here
Cause your crystal ball ain't so crystal clear
She moved like a dancer, like water, flowing and adapting to the room as it changed to challenge her. The floor and walls moved, portions rising, others creating falling hazards. She did a flying backflip that caused one of the globes pursuing her to be destroyed by one of the turrets before dropping down fluidly nearly flat and avoiding the blast of another. He could see similarities in her movements to Natasha's own style.
So while you sit back and wonder why
I got this fucking thorn in my side
Oh my god, it's a mirage
I'm tellin' all y'all it's a sabotage
He wondered if some of her acrobatic feats were thanks to the suit, only described as enhancing her abilities. He was pretty sure he would have difficulty pulling off some of what she was doing. Then she did something he strangely didn't expect, she reached out with one hand and made a fist, pulling it toward her and then back out. She was actively using her telekenesis, something she didn't do much. At the same time, one of the globes moved toward her, then back out, smashing into a new gun turret and disabling it. Then she made use of the wall to get up on top of a block and put out her hand like she was going to grab something and the wreckage of the first gun floated up and then forward, right into the combined blast of two guns, blocking it from her as she dove off the raised block into a somersault.
Hadn't she said that she wasn't an especially strong mutant but this seemed pretty strong to him. A look over to Barton and Natasha told him that they were surprised as well, Barton showing almost shock at how effortlessly she was using her abilities.
So So so So listen up cuz you can't say nothin
You'll shut me down with a push of your button
But then I'm out and I'm gone
I'll tell you now, I keep it on and on
She made use of the robe, whipping it off and twirling it around to knock another globe into the wall before tossing it to distract one gun before she threw her ignited saber at it, the robe serving as a clever distraction so the computer guided turret didn't see the threat of the saber until it was too late. Very impressive strategy.
Cuz what you see you might not get
And you can bet, so don't you get souped yet
You're scheming on a thing that's a mirage
I'm trying to tell you now, it's sabotage
Whyyyyyyyyy
Our backs are now against the wall?
He thought the demonstration was over, the gun turrets seemingly disabled or destroyed along with the globes, the last one with a roundhouse kick into the wall. Holly hadn't moved to recover her lightsaber, roughly 30 feet away and instead crouched in the center of the room, her fists placed on the ground along with one knee, her head down.
Listen all y'all it's a sabotage
Listen all y'all it's a sabotage
Listen all y'all it's a sabotage
Listen all y'all it's a sabotage
(scream)
The chant got louder and louder and Steve saw more globes and turrets coming up, the globes moving to surround Holly. It was thanks to the muttered question of "What the fuck?" from Barton that he noticed that her fists seemed to be crackling with some kind of white lightning or energy. Just as the singer screamed, she leaped to her feet, throwing out her hands to either side of her, literally releasing lightning that took out six globes, making the others fly for cover. That was decidedly new.
I can't stand it, I know you planned it
I'm gonna set it straight, this Watergate
Lord I can't stand rockin' when I'm in this place
Because I feel disgrace because you're all in my face
She ran from the combined blasts of the turrets, her hand reaching out into thin air and her saber seeming to fly to her hand like it was attached by a string. She reignited it midleap and made quick work of the new turrets and remaining globes in a similar manner to the first wave. Blocking the blast of one and redirecting the blast of another to take out the first.
But make no mistakes and switch up my channel
I'm Buddy Rich when I fly off the handle
What could it be, it's a mirage
You're scheming on a thing, it's a sabotage
With the final line of the song, she backflipped off the platform she'd been on and with an elaborate flourish, twirled her lightsaber before turning it off, returning to the defensive stance she'd begun in.
It was quiet for a long second before Barton let out a loud enthusiastic shout. "That was fucking AMAZING! Was that all the new suit? I can't even see the tech! I've never seen her use her abilities that much or that easily! And how did you do the Force Lightning? Holee shit!"
Natasha sighed and shook her head, rolling her eyes at her rather excited partner and boyfriend, if Steve was to define it. Bruce simply hid a laugh behind his hand while Stark had his usual self serving smirk on his face. Everyone clapped at the demonstration, Holly bowing to them with a smile.
"Sparky, come on up so Barton doesn't pee himself or something." He called out.
A few minutes later, Holly appeared in the observation room, a towel around her neck and her robe over one arm. Barton was still feeling enthusiastic and dashed over, giving her a hug that lifted her off her feet, making her laugh. "I'm glad you liked it, Hawkeye. Geez."
"I still don't get how it works." He made a point of looking at the arms of her gee and her hands, turning them this way and that, no asking for permission or anything. Territory that came with having been partners for years. "Where's the tech?"
She put down the robe and towel and pushed up her sleeves. Then she put her fingertip to the area just behind her left ear. "Jarvis, illuminate Mr. Barton for me."
She held her arms out and just under the surface of her skin, there was a light glow, not unlike Stark's chest reactor. Steve moved forward and reached out, running his fingertips over one arm. "I can't even feel it."
"There's a reason for that Capsicle. It's a part of her now. It's literally grafted to her, under her skin, to her nerves. It has potential to do more than superhero stuff too. Bruce is working on a version that would help those with severe nerve damage. Potentially, down the road that is, it still needs a ton of research for that."
"Is it just your arms? You were moving with such ease down there. More than usual. And Clint was right, you were showing more than Delta level mutant ability. At least from what I've seen you do before." Natasha asked, taking a chance to touch her friend's arm.
"No, I have them all over practically." She pulled down her gee a little so they could see that the skin below her neck glowing and then lifted up her pant leg to show the glowing there. "That's how I did the lightning. There's also a graft behind my left ear." She turned and moved her hair, it being lit up. "This gives me access to Jarvis and like he helps Tony, he helps me control the grafts along with these contacts. As for my telekenesis, that's just me. I've been practicing." She blinked and her eyes changed colors from blue to white to red and back again to show off the contacts. Steve wagered it helped her to see in different wavelengths and gave information much like Stark's suit readout did. "What do you think?"
"Looks to me like you are a real Jedi now." Natasha said simply. "Well done."
Steve was still hesitant. He'd been a science experiment himself and he knew none of it was an exact art. Banner of all people should know that. He was surprised the quiet scientist went along with this. Of course, he wouldn't do anything to hurt Holly, neither would Stark. But accidents happened. "How do you fix it if it's under her skin? What if she gets cut? Can it short out?"
"It's made of micro-minute flexible polymer, Cap." Banner explained. "It would take a great deal to damage it but it's self repairing for the most part but it can be removed if need be."
Holly nodded. "It's really neat because I don't even feel it. Getting them wasn't fun, it stung and itched, but now they don't bother me."
"How is it powered?" Clint questioned.
"Remember the Matrix, Clint? How much energy they said the human body can create? I'm my own battery."
"Will it affect your metabolism?" Steve questioned. If these grafts were powered by the innate energy of her body, he'd assume she'd have to bring in more fuel to deal with what additional energy was going to the grafts. Just how much energy could she generate? Would it be increased by activity or lessened? His mind filled with questions.
"That's a good question Cap." Bruce praised genuinely. "It depends on just how much she uses them. They can store a great deal of energy, so that she doesn't run herself ragged with just one bit of lightening or whatever."
"But if we have a big fight, I'll probably need to clear out the nearest Burger King." Holly quipped. "Speaking of!"
"Road trip!" Clint announced with enthusiasm, finishing her sentence . "My treat too."
"We really need to just get a Burger King established inside the Tower for us." Tony muttered. "Jarvis, find out what it would take to get our own Burger King on site."
"Yes sir, I will give it my immediate attention." The AI answered wryly.
Holly POV
"Holly, what made you suddenly decide to use your ability more?"
She looked to Clint who was scrutinizing her with his eyes as he munched down on his third Whopper. Tony had had Jarvis call ahead and they'd bought out the restaurant for the night for privacy. All anyone from the outside saw was a dark store with a sign saying due to an electrical problem, they were closed for the evening. That was thanks to a bit of SHIELD tech that Delta had used many times, called a Blackout Fakeout. It turned glass opaque.
"What'd Peggy always say, Clint?"
"That if she was 60 years younger, I'd get the spanking I richly deserved?"
That made Steve roll his eyes and Tony laugh right outloud. Classic Peggy.
"Besides that. One must use all the gifts they are given, that's why we have them. She was always so supportive of me despite all the anti-mutant shit out there."
"People are afraid of what they don't understand." Bruce spoke up, actually eating a salad at Burger King. Tony had ranted about that until both she and Natasha had given him a look to shut him up. "Look at all the garbage that Professor Xavier has had to deal with over the years. You know."
Holly turned to Steve who looked curious. "There've been violent protests up in Westchester. Delta Strike helped take care of more than one of them. Fucking bigots. Some of those kids don't given have abilities that could even hurt people, it just makes them look different."
"I can kind of sympathize with looking different." Steve said, sitting back in his chair. "When I was a kid, before Hitler and Schmitt, eugenics was a huge thing. I can't even tell you the number of teachers I had that used me as an example in class for what eugenics would prevent."
Holly gasped and even though those teachers were long dead and simply ignorant, she still wanted to knock them into next week. How could anyone say something like that to a child? "That's awful!"
"And yet, people like Erik Lensherr, a near Omega level mutant, who survived Hitler's holocaust as a child, believe that eventually, homosuperior will supplant homosapiens."
"Well then I'm fucked." Clint said bluntly.
"Me too there, Legolas."
Clint shook his head. "Nah. You're a supergenius and didn't that get you tested for a mutant gene as a kid?"
Tony sighed. "Yes. My father wanted to see if his son was a freak." At Steve's shocked look, he added, "Howard didn't care that Holly's mom was a mutant. He was more worried about his own progeny. You know that whole, not in my family thing."
Holly spoke up, her heart breaking for Tony and for Howard too. "And my father wanted to see if his oldest boy was a gifted child that Xavier could help." She gave him a tender look because he knew that her father had always referred to him as his own.
He gave her a nod. "Yeah. Yeah he did. Eddie and I were tested together. Mostly because of your mom, there was more of a chance for Eddie."
"Is it unusual for siblings of a mutant parent to not both be mutants?"
Bruce spoke up again. "Usually Cap. But you have to consider that there is still much they don't know how the mutant gene is passed. Or even where it began to show up. Some theorized it had to do with the use of the nuclear bombs in Japan, but that wouldn't explain Xavier, Lensherr or even Holly's mother."
"Hols, didn't you tell me that there were Lakota legends that could be stories about actual mutants even centuries ago?" Clint spoke up after devouring what was left of Natasha's fries.
She nodded. "There are tons of stories in Native legend about shapeshifters, medicine men with amazing gifts and the like. I'll have to ask Thor if some of those legends are actually mischievous Asgardians. The biggest difference is that Natives revered these people, whether human or otherwise, believing the Great Spirit had blessed them and thereby blessed The People. That's how they viewed gay people too, they were blessed with being unique, not shunned, not shamed."
"So your mom didn't have to hide her abilities?" Steve asked, curious.
"Not on the Rez she didn't. From what my dad told me, it wasn't until she moved on from
ARM and joined SHIELD that she had to learn not to use it on instinct." She paused, balling up a wrapper. "Sometimes I wonder what it'd have been like to grow up not knowing there was part of me I had to hide from others." She flinched and looked at Tony, remembering how he'd been so hurt when he found out the truth about her family when they had trusted him with her status as a mutant. "Sorry, Ony."
He waved her off. "No apologies. I get it."
"You were the first one to see me actually use my telekenesis." She added, remembering that day so many years ago. "What were you building that day?"
Tony furrowed his brow in thought. "Christ, maybe a prototype for the first arc reactor?"
She nodded and turned to the others who didn't know the story. "Bruce probably has seen this but when Tony gets frustrated, he has a habit of throwing things. Wrenches usually."
Bruce nodded.
"So here I am at 12 years old with this headache that was just about breaking my head in half. I took a taxi from Queens and decided to surprise Tony in the hopes that he could distract me from the headache. Or something." She smacked Clint's hand as he moved to grab at her fries. "I walk into the playroom in this condo he had at the exact wrong time and there was this wrench coming right at my head."
"I didn't aim for you! I didn't even know you were there or anything. I just threw it!" Tony defended after getting a couple looks from his teammates.
Holly laughed. "That's true. Anyways, I put up both my hands, thinking I could either smack it away or something and it just stops. Right there in midair about two feet from my face." She illustrated the point with a plastic knife, having it hover in midair facing her. "Neither of us said anything until I stepped to the side and then it moved on to crash through the glass door."
"And then you didn't have a headache anymore." Bruce assumed. "Right?"
She shook her head and tapped her nose with one finger. "Well deduced, Dr. Banner." She turned to Steve who looked confused. "Many mutants with mental abilities, whether it's telekenesis or telepathy or more suffer headaches until their first manifestation. After that it's just headaches from trying to learn control."
"Remember Eddie's reaction?" Tony asked with a smirk.
"Oh he was just about...well Hulk green with envy." She remembered his near whining about how it just wasn't fair that she had gifts and he didn't. It was funny and sad considering he'd been nearly 28 at the time. "Peggy was so excited. I showed her by instead of bringing her a cup of tea, I floated it to her from across the room. Nearly gave myself a nosebleed in the effort and spilled most of the tea, but she was so excited to see it."
"You forgot proud, sventa." Natasha added softly.
Holly nodded in agreement. "With Peggy, that was a thankful given."