Steve had to work on his landing that's the first thing she thought when they returned but with the smile on his face she also thought, maybe they could work on it later.
Tony took one look at the suit retracting from Steve's body and smirked at her "looked a little unsteady on the landing there cap" Steve looked up clothing rumpled and smirked a little "we've been flying for how long? My legs went numb"
She and tony exchanged a look "yeah, that's something you never get use to" she held out the bag shed been carrying and Steve took it slinging it over his shoulder.
"So we were briefed on the way here, how bad was the attack?" she asked taking the shield Steve had been carrying and attacked it to her back.
Tony looked up at her "only one major injury, a lot of people were hurt, no shield agents died, it looked like hydra was more looking for information than anything else" she tilted her head in thought "what all did they get?" Steve asked "not much, they stopped digging once they found out where the stark manor was"
Beth gave a snort "and what was shield doing with that information? I shuffled it around a dozen different shell corporations. All of them without any ties to us or our company, and I made sure tony didn't touch anything while I was doing this"
She was looking at Natasha that had wandered out to greet them and saw the Russians lips twitch up into a smirk as her brother scowled at her "someone on the staff is a shield agent" she guessed.
Natasha's lips twitched further "are you really surprised?" Beth tried to look indignant but then she deflated suit making a soft metal shifting sound as she slumped "I should have expected it"
Just about that time there was an explosion from inside the building and they all jumped "that came from the lab" Beth said helmet returning to her head as she bolted jumping off the balcony and flying for the suits entrance.
Tony sighed "I really hope she doesn't do anything stupid" Steve's head tilted to the side in confusion but tony just motioned him to follow while they went to the lab.
Flying into the lab through the tunnel she found a single person in the room filled with smoke and lunged graving them by the shirt "wait wait wait!" someone said, she looked to the left her fist still drawn back and saw Bruce coughing.
She looked forward again and squinted closely, the person in her hands was a woman with long blond hair "what the fuck?" she asked recognizing the shield agent number 13 aka Sharon.
Putting her down she looked up "Jarvis open the ventilation, get this smoke out of here" "yes ma'am" the AI said then she heard a slight whooshing sound fans kicking on and within a minute the smoke had dissipated.
Looking over when she saw the unnamed machine had wired attached to it and a scorch mark in its open panel the antenna array slightly charred clearly the center of the explosion and not the first time by the looks of it.
"Would have been helpful to know about that trick" Sharon said looking up, the machine started whirring again softly and Sharon and Bruce had similar looks "it's doing it again" she said scrambling.
Beth just marched to the machine and drew back her foot "don't it'll-" her words fell on death ears because Beth let fly a kick making the entire machine jump and slide about an inch, since it weighed at least a ton it was impressive.
It stopped whirring.
Turning back she found Sharon and Bruce staring at her dumbly "it takes finesse to make the bitch listen, now what is going on?" Sharon looked ruffled at the way Beth spoke but Bruce just sighed and started cleaning his glasses.
Or he was about to but noticed his shirt was less than clean.
Beth tossed him a clean shop rag from the table she kept around just for that reason "me and tony couldn't make heads or tails of this machine so we called in some help, shield sent their best engineer they could spare"
Glancing around Beth could barely hold in her snort as the elevator dinged and out walked tony Natasha and Steve, it took Beth a minute to wonder why Natasha was there but then she decided she didn't really care.
"Did it blow up again?" tony asked Bruce nodded as Beth's brows shot up into her hair which was rumpled now that she had retracted her helmet again "again?" Sharon and Bruce both had the decency to blush "it was about to send out another light show to but Beth stopped it"
Tony looked at her with interest "I kicked it, really hard" Beth walked over to her work station and let her suit dismantle itself then attach to a mannequin she kept down for just that purpose.
"Where did you get that?" Sharon asked pointing as the shield Beth still had in one hand she rose a brow at the woman "I own it. Came with the suit and and good looks" Steve sighed "Beth" he warned.
She pouted at him but his voice drew Sharon's attention and she gasped softly "they did say it was that bad" she said staring at him.
Beth curled a lip as she saw Steve fidget and rub his arms, waling over she stepped behind the man and dropped her arms over him like she normally stood when he came to visit in the lab.
To say Sharon gapped at them was a understatement, Beth's lips twitched into a slight smirk as Steve looked up at her then rolled his eyes and jabbed a boney elbow into her left kidney but he didn't pull away so she didn't move away even though she hissed like it hurt and pouted at him again.
"Meanie" she said he rolled his eyes again and shook his head, all she cared about was he wasn't fidgeting anymore.
And Sharon was still staring like shed been caught in a headlight.
Not moving she looked over at Bruce "how's it been going with the bitch"
"Language" Steve said and she rested her chin on the top of his head in retaliation "I'm not a leaning post" he told her but she felt him standing completely relaxed she she just rubbed her cheek against his hair "but your soft and warm"
Bruce rolled his eyes at them and cleaned his glasses some more "it's been going explosive, we haven't been able to run a full diagnostic on the machine, every time we get only part way though some type of fire wall or virus crashes our computers and causes a minor explosion"
She rose a brow at Bruce "that sounded like more he a minor explosion" he shrugged "big bang in a small package" shaking her head slightly she sighed slumping but made sure not to put too much of her weight on Steve "so we still don't know what it does other than shrink hungry superheroes into pipsqueaks"
"Hey!" she looked down with a placating smile "I say it with love" he made a face at her and slumped rebalisly into her arms hands shoved in his pants "I believe I may be able to answer what the machine dose ma'am" she looked up at the ceiling like she could see the AI and grinned.
"JARVIS you dog, why didn't you say you cracked the data earlier "you were distracted ma'am" rolling her eyes she lifted on hand and rolled her wrist "don't keep us waiting"
"judging from the data that was uncorrupted and the changes caused in captain rogers body from being hit with the energy created by it, I believe in a way you are right but the machine would only affect him or you" she tilted her head to the side biting into her lip.
"How so"
"By reverse engineering the serum that has attached and thus enhanced your genetic code"
She tilted her head "so it's basically a aint serum gun" Steve piped up "that is correct sir" she smirked "and I thought you didn't understand smart talk" she got a bony elbow to her other kidney this time "with you or your brother I don't"
She laughed "but hang on" Natasha said from where she leaned on a counter "how would they know what to reverse if they didn't have a sample of Steve's blood or work up of his genetic code"
"I was not finished"
Everyone looked up "the machine is dialed in so that it will only work on miss stark or captain Rogers but not primarily because of the serum, it is because even in a crowed it would only hit you"
Now she was confused "uh... Why?" Sharon finally got with the program "it is targeted to your DNA" she and Steve both made sounds of shock "what" she released Steve and took a step away "how would that happen? We don't share any DNA" she looked at tony then met Steve's eye did they? No then it would try to hit tony as well.
"The serum you were given was derived from Captain Rogers blood ma'am. That along with the minor transfusions you have needed in the past for injuries you sustained has allowed a small amount of captain Rogers DNA to remain in your body"
She blinked slowly "so if I get hit by that thing I'll have to be checked back into my room at the hospital" Steve rose a brow "what?" she turned her head "I was in the hospital weekly when I was younger for blood testing and a checkup, had to stay so many times I knew everyone" tony snorted "should names a room after you"
"they did sir, sun brook hospital installed Lizzy grace daycare three years ago" Steve looked up "grace?" he asked quietly "middle name" she looked up "I since a 'and' in that sentence jarv" there was a moment of silence and she thought he wouldn't answer, Jarvis had a bad habit of keeping some things to himself that he didn't deem appropriate for her to know about.
"There is ma'am. Should captain rogers not have arrived to be hit by the machine, you would not be with us" her eyes shot up "what?" she asked "the deterioration of cells occurs so rapidly without outward physical evidence other than loss of appetite it would cause irreversible heart erythema thus sending you into cardiac arrest in your sleep because of sleeping condition"
She blinked slowly then sighed and slid a hand through her hair pushing it back "that would be a problem wouldn't it?"
"Yes ma'am" JARVIS' voice dripped with sarcasm she shook her head then looked over Sharon and Bruce were bent over a table furiously working on something "what sleeping condition" she looked back at Steve and scratched her head "Well"
Tony spoke up for her walking passed "she randomly stops breathing" she glared at the man "thank you for that" she said then looked back at Steve "don't give yourself an asthma attack, it was only when I was stressed, hasn't happened since new York" he looked more surprised "you mean the serum didn't fix it?"
Beth chuckled to herself "that's not something a super serum can fix, sleep apnea is all up here" she tapped her forehead "and Jarvis monitors my breathing at night wakes me up if I stop, not that it matters much now since I can hold my breath for a long ass time"
"Language" she rolled her eyes and nudged him "I'm fine, and like I said it only happens when I'm really stressed" he looked like he wanted to say more but a shout stopped him "what?" they turned and looked at Sharon who was dancing around.
"What did you do?" Steve asked confused and that made the woman rush over stopping just short of touching him "what I had to do and I know now" she did reach out now the hand she put on Steve's shoulder making Beth bristle "I know how to fix you!"
Beth saw the way Steve flinched at her words shoulders raising just an inch and he lowered his chin hands curling into fists his smile was forced "that great" Beth's lips curled at the sound of his voice and the strain in it and Sharon yelped when she graved her arm and removed it "fix? He's not broken agent there's nothing to 'fix' on him"
Sharon yanked her hand away and put her hands on her hips "excuse you but he's defenseless like this. I mean asthma, chronic colds, high blood pressure, heart erythema" Beth took a threatening step forward "he's not a broken doll, and I know his health issues" Sharon's eyes narrowed.
"He's a liability like this, we can't be worrying about him while were facing off against hydra or any other of numerous organizations that would and have killed to get information about his condition"
"Don't act like its contagious agent! And if memory serves he fought just fine when we were ambushed before backup arrived"
"We need captain America back not-"
Sharon had lifted a hand to motion toured Steve but she graved it "don't you dare finish that fucking sentence you bitch, captain America is Steven G Rogers, he is still captain America"
Sharon looked at where Beth held her arm and raised a brow "take your hands off me"
"or what?" she taunted lips thin the woman's eyes sparked like she had the upper hand in this "or I'll remove it for you, I've seen the way you and your brother fight the messes you make, you're not wearing your suit now"
Beth flexed and the tightened her fingers on her arm lips curled into a snarl as she leaned closer "the suit doesn't make the hero and you leave my brother out of this"
The women's eyes also narrowed "tell me something Beth, where were you while I was here doing your job? Did you run away so you didn't have to deal with it?" her eyes lit up like fire "just pay someone to do it for you that's the stark way isn't it"
The sound of her hand meeting flesh was loud in the still air everyone standing still and watching as she latched her hand into Sharon's shirt and pulled the stunned woman closer "you have no idea the challenged me and my brother had to face to get where we are, what we had to do, we worked for the respect we fought to earn and keep, we weren't the greatest people in the world but we were fucking honest. Do you wanna know where I was?" she asked lowly lips curling into a smirk leaning close enough only Sharon could hear.
"I was taking a break with my boyfriend after saving the city from an army of robots" she shifted away just a little bit "where were you during that battle anyway? I didn't see you putting your life in danger"
The boot to the stomach was sudden enough to make her gasp and stumble backwards releasing Sharon who landed and flew at her with a shriek.
Beth let the woman get one blow in her nails raking Beth's cheek before she turned throwing her body into it and punched her in the face she flew back nose gushing blood but she had tilted her hand at the last second so she didn't send fragments into her skull.
"Elizabeth!" Steve's voice boomed as hands graved her she looked at her brother holding her left arm Bruce holding her right Sharon stood up rage in her eyes and took a step and suddenly Beth relised what Natasha was there for as she stepped fluidly in the way and let out her as Beth called it evil deadly assassin face show.
She looked over at Steve biting at the bit to go after the woman but holding back fighting her rage "walk it off" he said looking aggravated she frowned regretting having annoyed him then looked back at Sharon who was smirking at her over Natasha's shoulder.
With a growl she turned away "uh before you go could you turn it off again?" she looked at Bruce then at the machine she hadn't noticed it started up again, she marched over drew back and kicked it using it as an excuse to vent some of her anger.
The sound of her boot colliding with the machine was loud and made everyone jump the machine itself flew a yard away disconnecting from some of the wires and this time it stayed silent.
She turned back around and looked at tony "we have all the specs and data have Jarvis create a 3d rendering and then dismantle that fucking thing" she waited just long enough for him to nod in agreement before walking passed, with a glance she saw Sharon gapping at the show of strength but her eyes darted to Steve and she saw he was rubbing the space between his eyes like he had a headache.
Ducking her head she made a quick exit.