A/N: To be clear I know nothing about the Ebola virus and my science and biology throughout this fic will probably be cringe worthy inaccurate. I will try to make it as correct as possible but as I am not a professional I don't know. If you know it and want me to correct it then let me know. I also know that in Scotland children without guardians aren't sent to catholic churches as orphans with stern nuns watching over them. Obviously but I found the idea more amusing that way. There will be a lot of Scottish slang in this btw so just a warning to people who may hate that.
Mia sat quite contentedly with her feet propped up and her mobile phone in her hand. Or her version of an improved mobile created from various scraps and pieces of other phones. It wasn't anything flashy but worked just fine as she sat texting as well as surfing the net for anything interesting. She dangled precariously on her seat and nibbled on her lip idly. She was seated in the corner of the rec room, enduring her punishment like a champ. Everyone else was allowed their free time and by that meant socialising or board games or gossiping about their new 'guests' and not her for a change. She was to 'sit out' for her free time and she honestly couldn't care less. It wasn't as if she got along with any of the kids here anyway. They didn't get her, they were all exceptionally dull and ignorant so why would she want to associate with them anyway? None of that mattered now because nothing could bring her down.
Mia was having a great day. Things were finally getting interesting around here! Well, as interesting as things got in the middle of the Hebrides. The oddest thing happened, the CEO of Stark Industries up and decided to donate a large – well large to their standards – sum of money to their quaint little Orphanage. The question of why was burning into her mind as well as a mild sense of panic. She had been watching – with everyone else of course – the arrival of Virginia Potts, CEO of Stark Industries and wonder woman extraordinaire. Then the oddest thing happened, the rest of the Avengers came waltzing in after her! Oh my god, she couldn't believe it. The AVENGERS all coming to visit the church? No. This was not right. Something was way off. Mild panic bubbled up as well as excitement. Part of her knew that it was to do with her. Of course it was. Why else would they be here? It wasn't her first run-in with a high up member of Stark Industries. Her first run in with the Avengers though. The only question was... why were they here to see her? If it was merely an attempt to get her to join SI then a representative would do fine. If it was to do with her mutant abilities then it would be a member of the X-men and not Avengers. If it was to do with her experiences with HYRA then it would be SHIELD operatives and not the Avengers. For the life of her, she couldn't figure it out.
There were small clues though. For example, the saliva sample that they were told they needed to give. The flimsy excuse of Sister Margaret told her that the nuns did not understand and had been given a platitude and over-complicated but nonsensical reason and the church couldn't really refuse. Secondly, the arrival of Colonel James Rhodes and a security guard. Why would the bloody Avengers need a body guard? No, he was here for another reason as was the Colonel. A simple google search later revealed him to be the best friend of Tony Stark. Interesting. Although it did not tell her much either. Why is Tony Stark of all people coming here to visit her? Part of her worried it was to do with Wade. I mean, Deadpool had only very recently begun chopping heads and making a name for himself but she of all people knew that nothing was un-hackable. If anyone could break through and find out she had been texting the non-hero then it would be him. She had heard he was one of the smartest men alive, she could appreciate the fact that his intelligence probably outshined hers. He did have a good numbers of years on her after all. But Mia was certain that her association with Wade would be more of a SHIELD issue. Perhaps the Avengers were called in to deal with the silent sidekick to the notorious Merc with a Mouth.
If that was what it was then she could wiggle her way out of it. They would blame Wade for his 'negative influence' on her and maybe she would be afforded the best opportunity in a life time. To become a true sidekick to the most awesome and badass Avenger of them all! She would just need to play it cool. It is her life dream to be their sidekick and nothing was getting in her way. No siree. She helped Wade out sure, like he did her but she wouldn't say she was his official sidekick. Mia needed to be on her game to get what she wanted. An opportunity didn't come around like this often.
So she sat and grew bored quickly and began to watch her fellow orphans.
Sister Mary approached her with a slight kind smile that screamed 'I need you to do something'. Mia swung back in her chair a little more and raised her brows.
"What can I do for you, Sister?" She asked staring curiously at the older women. Older but not by much, Sister Mary was one of the younger nuns.
"Oh Amelia, I am so terribly sorry but we were wondering if you wouldn't happen to look over the DVD machine? It seems to be acting up and we aren't sure what..." The nun asked slightly and Mia stifled a laugh.
"Of course Sister Mary, I would love to help" She replied easily. Mia got away with a lot. She knew that but it was well deserved. I mean, she kept all of the Tech in this drafty place running and she used the term 'Tech' very loosely here. Therefore the nuns were a little more lenient with her than they were the others. Not to mention she didn't give a shit and if they took punishments too far then she would give it right back but she preferred to think that they appreciated her brilliance and behaved accordingly.
The nun gave a small pleased smile and proceeded to collect the thrice fixed and ancient DVD player that was the sole purpose of entertainment in this little hole. Genius she may be but try as she might the nuns just wouldn't get Netflix. Oh the suffering she had to go through in life.
Mia lost track of time as she took apart the player and hummed absent-mindedly. She had just taken it apart when she heard the clearing of a throat.
She blinked rapidly and looked up to see a man standing over her with a sheepish smile on his face. It took her all of a few seconds to take him in. Bruce Banner: fluffy looking brown hair, nervous smile, curious eyes, fiddling with some equipment, standing near her but not too near to be deemed threatening, excited eyes, shy demeanour. Very curious.
Although she looked at him he did not say anything, she preferred directness, "Can I help you or are you just here to cough in my general direction?" She asked curiously. Although she didn't want to, she kept half her attention on the work in front of her.
She heard his throat clear again, "I'll take that for a yes" She muttered under her breath let her full attention to back on her work. She heard a few attempts at muffled laughter and wondered just who was with the good old doc.
She didn't want to appear too eager so she played it cool.
"Uh-sorry but I was just wondering- I am uh here to take you saliva sample" The hesitant voice of the doctor came through.
Mia stopped for a moment to look back at the man. He was handsome, for an older guy. She liked his face. The sheer uncomfortableness radiated off him so strongly it was almost visible, although one look at the pulse on his neck and it was firmly at a normal rate. Interesting but she would have to do something about that. She looked behind her to see... most of the Avengers. Captain 'merica sat on the sofa a short while away, he was pretending to make polite chat with some kids that crowded around him but his body was angled suspiciously towards her. Next was Miss CEO who was standing ram-rod straight a few steps behind Banner and when Mia glanced at her she sent a watery smile her way. The way she was standing was like she was at Mia's beck and call. She liked her immediately. Next was the Colonel who looked more relaxed but prepared, eyes not on her but rather the man standing between the two of them. Tony Stark. She didn't let herself linger on him for more than a split second and didn't make eye contact. She heard a slight hitch in his breathing as she looked and frowned minutely. Focusing on the man without looking she heard his heart rate was elevated and even from here she could tell the man was sweating profusely.
The plot thickens indeed.
She did this all in less than two seconds and turned her attention back to the Doc. She leaned back in her chair in a more casual pose hoping that this would make Banner relax. It didn't.
"Saliva sample? Why's that?" She asked, hoping to glean something from him.
"It is just a standing testing procedure. All I will have to do is swap this little cotton bud on the inside of your mouth and that's it" The Hulk's alter-ego explained and held up his equipment to show how non-threatening he could be.
She sighed a little, "Yeah, no, I asked why you want my spit not how you are going to take it from me"
The man seemed a little unsure of what to make of her. It was cool, most people did. So she decided to try to relax the guy.
She looked into his eyes – a hazel green colour – and gave him a friendly smile, "Calm down there, brown eyes, no need to get so flustered. Have a seat" She motioned to one of the pathetically small children's chairs next to her and ignored her little audience, "You know, get comfortable, no need to loom over the small child. Your not going to offer me sweets, are you? because you should know that I will eat them anyway" She answered with a shrug. She heard a slight choking noise come from someone behind them. Mia didn't bother to look.
The man seemed to respond to her friendly attitude and immediately took the seat. He sat his supplies down on the table, he gave her a 'reassuring' smile.
"I apologise, I am just collecting samples from all of the children here to run some small tests to look for any signs of harmful pathogens originating from the Ebola virus. It is just to make sure that during Miss Potts visit she is not in any danger of becoming infected with the virus. It is just a standard procedure" The man smiled and began arranging his 'equipment' which she strongly suspected was to just keep busy.
Mia, however, was no fool, "Rubbish" She declared.
The man didn't seem to know what to make of it. She explained, "What you said to me was complete and utter rubbish. First of all, if you really were looking for signs of the Ebola virus then you would be taking a blood sample not saliva. It is virtually undetectable taken in such a flimsy way, it would tell you nothing of the state of my immune system. Secondly, there was recently a nationwide testing of this and everyone that did not pass was shipped off immediately to a containment unit and no one from at least fifty miles from here was infected. This information you can glean from our government website. Thirdly, the virus can only be exchanged by certain bodily fluids and unless you suspect me asking Miss CEO woman to kiss my boo-boos then it's doubtful she would become infected. Thirdly, it would take three days minimum to determine if someone was infected and surely testing should be done before endangering the woman? I sincerely hope that your just trying to have me on and your aren't stupid enough to believe what you just said to me"
Mia heard a slightly muffled guffaw from behind them.
The man appeared amused but speechless at the same time. His face was a mixture between 'dear caught in headlights' and 'oh my god, did that just happen?'. It made her smile.
"Are you a doctor?" She asked immediately. Already knowing the answer but curious as to his response.
He cleared his throat again, "ah, yes but not a medical one. However, I can as-" He began but she was growing bored and stood up. Before anyone could comprehend what she was doing she plopped on his lap.
The silence that reigned was amusing. Tilting her head so slightly she could hear breathing coming from higher up in the very tall room. There were a lot of nooks and crannies for someone to climb in a stone church such as this and evidently there were two people watching them from above. One much higher than the other but also a lot louder. She wouldn't be able to make out the other one if it wasn't for the heartbeat. They even breathed silently. Nobody breathes silently.
As an explanation, all she said was, "Good. I hate medical doctors" she replied and begin prodding his stuff. The man tensed very noticeably but seemed to make an effort to relax. Looking into his eyes to check he was fine she saw a warm sense of happiness that confused but made her smile.
The man gently pried her fingers from his stuff and started preparing her sample. She placed her arm comfortably around his shoulders.
"Do you mind if I ask why you uh-" He asked a little unsure, his eyes flickering between his lap and her face.
She shrugged, "Oh, doctors are the worst. Always telling you what to do. What you can't do. Poking and prodding you like an animal. Thinking that they always know best" She explained and her arm tightened a little desperately trying not to remember her experiences with HYRA and their 'doctors'.
He shook a little with silent laughter and said, "Oh no, not that, I mean why have you decided I am a better fit that your chair? Don't you think that's a little strange?" He said easily in a friendly manner. She beamed at him, glad he was finally relaxing around her and being more direct.
"Well, it will be easier for you to collect your sample this way and you are a lot comfier than the chair. It isn't exactly hug central around here you know, I take my physical contact with people where I can. This is a little better than snuggling with Hairy Steve down by the river. No I don't think this is strange really, you don't strike me as the kiddy fiddler type" She said honestly.
An incredulous burst of laughter slipped from his lips and immediately he looked sheepish going back to his work. He held up a cotton swap and said, "Open your mouth please" He requested.
"I may have to rethink my assertions" She got in before opening her mouth wide. His mouth was the same but his eyes smiling as he took the swab. He collected it and placed it into a small container then slipped it into his coat pocket.
She looked at it curiously, "Well, I let you collect my DNA but don't even know your name. I'm pretty sure the nuns give very long lectures about this kind of thing. Maybe I should listen to it" She finished thoughtfully, wondering if any of the 'lessons' may actually be useful to real life.
She was certain she heard Tony Stark's heart stop for a minute and gasp silently.
The man shook his head and gave her a very small but genuine smile, "I apologise, I really should have introduced myself, I am Dr. Bruce Banner and you are Amelia Wilson. I listened to your song" He explained.
She scrunched her face up and said, "Just Mia really, well you've gotten what you wanted so you should really get to collecting the other kids samples. I'll leave you to it. Have fun doing whatever it is you need with the spit of a bunch of children. Top secret spy stuff I am sure" She said and then stood up.
Mia returned to her seat and picked up her small screwdriver again.
She could feel the doctors eyes on her, "It was very nice to meet you Mia" He said in such an earnest tone she had to smile.
She heard him shuffle away and begin asking other children for their spit. She took note of the fact that their samples were collected in a bag while hers sat alone in the front pocket of the Doctor.
Mia was allowed a few minutes of work before she was interrupted again.
"Miss Wilson, I just wanted to offer my thanks for the ehm-wonderful song you wrote for me. You have quite the musical talent" The impeccably dressed woman in front her said spoke. Mia took her in and released she was very quite beautiful.
She was standing tall and proud but held a certain nervousness to her and openness that contrasted with her purely professional attire.
"Please, call me Mia, Miss Wilson was- well someone I don't know because orphan and all that- but really it's just Mia" She gave a big grin her way and saw pity shining in her eye.
"AMELIA" A strict voice hissed from behind her.
She simply rolled her eyes and began working again silently. Sister Margaret was not pleased. The nun shuffled over to the CEO and began speaking immediately, "I apologise deeply for whatever she's said or done"
The strangest thing happened, almost hysterical laughter bubbled up from the CEO's throat. It was loud and abrupt as if she just couldn't help it. Mia had to look and saw that the Colonel and Captain were laughing quietly and looking so very amused but Tony Stark looked amused, proud but mostly... sheepish?
What is that all about?