My eyes slowly opened to reveal that once again, I woke up in a room I had not passed out in. In fact, I was in a bed and not on the hard floor that I fell on. Or did I fall on it? Did Steve catch me before I actually hit the floor? Ahh . . . all of these questions hurt my head even more than it already throbbed. I sighed and sat up, holding my head in my hands when I felt like I was going to black out again. I really needed to stop passing out, it kept confusing me. Not to mention, the fact that I passed out because I worked too hard definitely showed me just how soft I had gotten in this new country. If I was in Hydra, I probably wouldn't have passed out attempting what I did. Or would I? I never did that kind of manipulation before, so maybe the results would have been the same. Eh, whatever. It had already been done.

"You're up," I heard a gentle voice say to me.

I glanced towards the noise and saw Steve looking at me with relief in his eyes. Did he stay here the whole time to make sure I was okay? It was touching, really. But I didn't understand. Didn't he think I was a monster because of my powers? "Steve," I croaked softly.

"We thought you'd be out for a while longer than that," I heard a feminine voice speak up. "Well, I did, Steve kept worrying that you wouldn't wake up at all. Really, he worries too much."

I looked towards the new voice and smiled slightly as I saw Peggy beside me as well. Were they both waiting for me to wake up? Why? Did they actually like me like Anya did? Anya . . . the memory of her name brought small tears to my eyes. "Peggy. . ."

"You've got a lot of explaining to do for Steve," she said, "Here, drink this." She handed me a cup filled with what looked like water.

I took the cup graciously, but then eyed the water warily, remembering the poison teachings from my Headmaster. Water could easily be poisoned, and although I trusted Peggy, someone else could've tainted the water while she wasn't looking. I inspected the water, and finally relented, taking in a sip and feeling the sweet relief of the cool drink soothing my dry throat. "Thank you," I said quietly.

She nodded, "Where do you want to start?"

"Shouldn't we wait?" Steve asked, "I mean, she just woke up, and she still looks pretty groggy and shaky to me. I can wait a bit longer before the explanation."

"I agree with Steve!" I inputted a small attempt to try and get out of explaining anything at all. I really didn't like explaining things, it either meant that I'd have to add more to my intricate web of lies or finally fess up and tell the truth about everything. Neither of those options were ones that I wanted to do.

"We've gotta do it now, Steve," Peggy answered, "You and I both know that if you wait, Robin will never get to explaining it at all. She'd probably avoid it even longer. You think you can handle explaining it, Robin? Be honest with me."

I stared at her and sighed in resignation. "I can handle it," I said quietly.

Peggy nodded, "Good. Steve, go ahead and ask your questions."

Steve ran a hand through his short hair and thought for a few moments, "Where to begin?" He glanced at Peggy again, "Are you sure that this can't wait a day or so?"

"Steve," Peggy said harshly, her eyes glinting in a stubborn attitude.

Steve sighed and shook his head, "All right, all right." He cleared his throat and looked at me with a gentle expression, "Robin, that huge fire earlier . . . did you cause that?"

I sighed and nodded slightly, "I think so. I just got really angry and it kind of exploded things. S-sorry. . ."

"It's all right."

"I swear, Steve, it was an accident."

"It's all right," Steve repeated soothingly, "It didn't hurt anyone, and you stopped it from spreading." He patted me gently on the shoulder, "It's done, now, no need to dwell on it, especially after your day." He regarded me thoughtfully, "How long have you had those powers?" he asked after a few moments of silence.

"I was born with them," I said, "I don't know how, and I don't know why, but I was born with them. Found out about 'em when I was six and have been playing with it ever since."

"So not very long, then."

I gave Steve a perplexed expression. Not very long? I've at least been working with these powers for a little over seven years now. Was that a short amount of time? No. So why would Steve say that? Unless he thought I was still really young, which everyone seemed to be assuming. I nodded slowly, letting him think that. It was easier than trying to explain why I seemed to not age visually normally.

"Were you going to tell me about them?"

I opened my mouth to say yes, but saw Peggy's expression that made me think twice. I guess I couldn't lie to Steve about that, but I would not tell him my origins. That had to be kept a secret, no matter what. I couldn't tell anyone about my past. It would only be one more loose end that Hydra could use against me. I was afraid I'd have to kill anyone who found out about my past. That couldn't happen. I didn't need more blood on my hands. I sighed and looked at Steve's expectant expression, finally answering his question, "No, I wasn't," I admitted, "I was afraid you'd react like . . . like my father. Y-You know how it is." I had to say, I was getting pretty good at faking my emotions, my voice was even quivering as I said that.

Steve nodded, "I understand," he said quietly, "But you don't have to worry, Robin, I won't ever treat you like that. I promise."

"Promises can be broken," I said quietly.

"Well, I try my best not to break them. So, will I have to worry about fireproofing our house?" he asked jokingly, his eyes glittering in a bit of amusement.

I managed a small giggle and shook my head, "I have it under control for the most part, so maybe not."

"Good," he said with a soft laugh, "because I have no idea on how we're gonna do that if that were the case."

"You don't think I'm a monster for having these powers?"

He smiled at me reassuringly, "Let's just say that these muscles I have weren't created naturally. I don't see you any differently, kid."

I looked at him in surprise. He was a genetic experiment, too? I would've never have guessed! He seemed so normal, so natural, albeit a bit stronger than normal. That was a bit of a relief, especially since he said he wouldn't see me as a monster. He was so understanding towards me, but I didn't get why. He was such a kind man, and he really didn't deserve to deal with someone as problematic as I was. But if he was a genetic experiment, why wasn't he scarred like I was? Did Americans treat their experiments more humanely here? Why couldn't I have been created here? Damn that Hydra! They're the ones that hurt me so much, that ruined my mind. They didn't deserve to continue their existence, especially with their cruel ways. They needed to be eradicated. My hatred and need for revenge against them only grew stronger. But I myself wasn't strong enough. Soon, soon I would be.

"Robin?" Steve asked, looking at me with slightly concerned eyes. I must've been spacing out with my thoughts of vengeance.

"Sorry," I said quietly, "I was just . . . overwhelmed with emotion." I smiled slightly at him, "Thank you for not seeing me as a monster."

"You're still human, fire powers or not," he replied, gently ruffling my brown hair.

I smoothed out the top of my head again and smiled, "Good." Though deep down I knew that I would never be completely human. I didn't even know what the hell I was or what I was supposed to be anymore.

"So why are your eyes purple? Is that part of the powers thing?"

I thought for a few moments before answering his question, "Honestly I have no idea. It might be, or it might not be. I'm not an expert with these things." Of course, my conclusion was that Hydra gave me weird eyes on purpose to make it harder for me to ever fit in anywhere should I escape. Tracking devices would only get destroyed by my fire powers.

"So that scientist was trying to figure out why you're like this?"

"Yep."

"He's not hurting you, is he?"

I shook my head, "No. He's annoying me beyond belief, but he hasn't hurt me yet. Though he keeps trying to get blood from me, which I really hate and wish he'd stop trying because he'll only get that from me if I'm dead. I hate needles."

"I'll see if he can stop the testing," Steve reassured me, "I personally don't like the idea of it, either."

"Thanks, Steve."

"Now, you get some rest, okay? You still look really tired and worn out. You really worried me there, kid, so don't push yourself like that again."

I sighed. If I didn't push myself, that'd stop me from improving. "Fine," I said, though I knew I wouldn't stop pushing myself for improvement purely because Steve didn't like it. I needed to become stronger if I wanted to have any hope of defeating Hydra. I lay back on the mattress and waved weakly to Steve as he and Peggy made their way out of the room. Then, I closed my eyes and let myself drift off to sleep.