So basically I have this theory where the x men exist in the MCU timeline but mutants never get talked about because they exist in the post Days of Future past timeline where Jean's alive (for those familiar with the X Men) and I've decided most of the mutant problems (the cure, magneto being an ass) didn't happen on the same scale. So is this story Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters exists (Klara's not going there btw)
"Bella! Irina! Angie!" but her voice was lost with everyone else's. They were running away from the danger like smart people. Klara stopped and people ran around her. Not people, humans. Human beings were running way because there was nothing they could do. Klara took off running towards the danger. But someone screamed her name
"Klara Taylor Barton!"
Klara whipped around it was Bella. Standing completely still in the chaos.
"What the hell are you doing?!" Everyone had ran past the girls now, they were alone except for the sounds of destruction around them. The battle waging over their heads.
"I can help!" Klara called out. Her sister stayed where she was, about 20 feet away.
"No you can't! You have no control or idea what you're capable of!"
"But I have to try!" Klara called out, lightning formed in her hand. Bella was furious.
"How deluded are you? You're not a superhero!" she screamed, her voice cracked. She was terrified for her sister. Of what she might end up doing, Klara could seriously hurt someone. Bella was afraid her sister didn't understand that.
"I know! But if I can do something why shouldn't I!?"
"So you can run away! LIKE A NORMAL HUMAN BEING!"
"But I'm not normal. And I'm not human." She spat out the words, the first time she'd said them out loud. It was admitting them, she wasn't human and never really was.
Bella started walking towards her sister "I know that and it scares me half to death because you could hurt somebody! You could kill someone because of it!"
Klara felt her throat tighten "I know that, run away with everyone else. Away from the danger."
Bella swallowed back tears and took off running away from her sister. Klara could take care of herself, she'd have to.
Two Day's Earlier, May 2nd 2012
The day stared like any other. Wake up and go to school. Of course the morning routine of one of the Barton girls was far from normal.
Klara Barton's Morning Routine
Wake up and make sure there's no lightning in your hands and that you have your shit together.
Go for a run, make sure your heart doesn't control it.
Shower and have a momentary crisis over the fact that you're a mutant and that you don't want the government agency you parents work for to know.
Brush, teeth, wash face, do hair and makeup
Get dressed
Eat.
If you have anytime practice turning off the lights!
Practice electrocuting the shooting targets
Go to school with Bella
Call dad on way
Clint didn't pick up. Which was unsettling, he always picked up. Natasha was supposed to be back from a mission in Russia in three days. But she'd been pulled off due to an emergency. Neither of the girls think anything of it, SHIELD has crisis all the time. Neither Bella nor Klara are concerned when they come home to Irina and no one else. The girls tried to phone their parents but no one was answering.
"Typical SHIELD bs." Klara muttered as she chose to make everyone watch episodes of Law & Order SVU. Bella wasn't convinced.
May 3rd 2012
"Natasha is occupied. I don't know when she'll be in touch." Coulson said.
"Dad?" Bella asked. There was silence form the other end of the line.
"Phil?" Bella pressed. Klara frowned "Coulson!" she shouted.
"Your father is unavailable at the moment."
Bella sighed "When can we talk to him?"
Irina grabbed the phone "What happened to Clint?" she asked. For a moment worry passed over her face but the emotion was quickly hidden. Bella snatched the phone back.
"Clint's fine he's just not able to come to the phone." She reassured Irina and Klara.
Coulson didn't say anything.
"Phil, where's my dad?" Klara pressed, her voice was devoid of emotion but her anxiety was written on her face.
"Your father has been compromised."
"WHAT THE HELL DOES THAT MEAN YOU ASS?!" Klara yelled, the lights surrounding them glowed brighter and the appliances in the kitchen switched on.
"Klara go turn everything off." Bella ordered. Her voice cracking. Tears welled in Bella's eyes. "Compromised? What could that even mean?' she thought.
"Phil what happened?"
"I'm can't tell you." He said. Klara slammed a cabinet "FUCK YOU!"
The TV switched on. Irina reached for the remote. "Wait I got this." Klara said as she tried to will everything off. It didn't work, but Bella was glad she was trying.
"Is he alive?" Irina asked, unfazed. Bella stared at her. She reminded her of Natasha how she was when she talked about work. Cold, calculating a true assassin. A master spy.
"As far as we know." Coulson answered. He was calm, or he sounded like it. Calm and caring like he always appeared to be. Klara kicked the couch "Fuck!" she screamed, an outlet in the wall near her sparked. Irina glared at her
"Stop it." She growled.
"Not on purpose." Klara said, raising her hands in mock defense. The popping noise from the outlet shook Bell aback to herself.
"Keep us updated." She said quietly into the phone, then hung up. She looked over to her sister.
"What do we do?"
Klara had sat down on the couch with her head in her hands. She was breathing heavily. 'Her cells have mutated on a subatomic level. Her protons and electrons have exponential capacity to absorb, create, control and release electricity. This is not something I understand or could tell you more about, as far as I know nothing like this has been seen a human being.' Is what Marilyn had said in the warehouse. Once they'd gotten around to testing Klara. 'What could she be capable of' Natasha had asked. Marilyn had looked terrified "anything that has or runs on electricity could theoretically be in her control.' 'Even lightning?' Natasha questioned. Marilyn nodded. Neither of the woman had looked at Klara when they spoke. The teenager stood still behind her mother, wondering what the hell she was supposed to do next. Klara had thought she wanted her father with her then, she definitely wanted him now.
"I don't know wait?" Klara snapped. Bella looked down at the floor then to Irina.
"Any advice?" she asked. Irina huffed
"I don't remember my parents." She deadpanned. Klara sighed, everything was off again. Granted most of it she had to turn off manually but not the TV and not the outlet that Klara was pretty sure was now broken.
"Bella can't you hack stuff?"
"What like SHIELD? I've tried." She replied. Klara gasped and held her hand dramatically over heart.
"But… that just so… ILLEAGAL."
Bella was not amused. Irina watched the exchange. They were much better now, then when she'd first met them. Bella and Klara acted like siblings instead of ex-friends.
"I can." She said.
The sisters turned to Irina.
"I think I can. I used to be able to." She was staring through the other two girls. Her eyes were glazed over, Bella and Klara had seen the look before. She was searching for a memory, something she knows she knows. They'd seen it on Natasha and they'd seen it on Irina.
"How often is SHIELD even hacked?" Klara asked. Irina snapped back into reality. Bella glared at her sister
"You have no tact." Klara rolled her eyes "I have tact when I need it." She muttered. Irina turned the TV back on and found the news. "If anything major happens this will show us."
"It will only show us what SHIELD wants the public to know." Bella sighed. Klara turned up the volume.
"Well we are good bullshit detectors are we not?"
Bella stood up "I'll get my laptop, I have some programes that could help you."
Irina shook her head "We should wait. It's getting late anyway. What will hacking SHIELD tell us?"
Klara clucked her tongue "I would like to go through some SHIELD stuff though. For like mutant purposes."
Bella clenched her fists "HOW ABOUT OUR FATHER IS GOD KNOWS WHERE PURPOSES?"
Irina was taken aback by Bella's outburst. "Calm down."
Klara took off her socks "At least when she gets ticked there's no danger of electrical fires."
Bella glowered at her sister, who shrugged "Silver lining sis."
Bella sat back down "Fine we watch the news all night but we are not hacking SHIELD. What good could come of that? We could find out something we don't wanna know. We'll stay here or go into the city."
"Umm we have to go to school." Klara reminded Bella, who twisted strands of her hair.
"No. Not while our fathers off the grid. And SHIELD's being a dick."
Klara nodded "Fair, didn't wanna go tomorrow anyway."
Irina walked over to the fridge "You never want to go."
Klara pulled her hair back into a ponytail "Whatever. I'm gonna go change then go or a run."
Bella frowned "Seriously? We should stay together!" she snapped. Klara picked at her thumbnail and stared at the outlet in the wall.
"Run is code for practice." She said quietly. Irina glowered at Klara
"That's a safety risk to everyone near you."
"She's right. What does practice mean? Test what you're capable of? That's a terrible idea." Bella said. Klara looked away from her sister's face. She looked disgusted, but Klara didn't wan to call her out on it. Why would she? She felt the same way.
"Better then turning on appliances whenever I get ticked. I can use this… I don't know what to call it without emotions I'm just honing that ability."
Bella turned away from her sister and back to the news "It's late you're not going anywhere. Electrocute things tomorrow." Bella said somberly.
Klara turned and ran upstairs.
"Was that necessary? I'm allowed to be call her out on being reckless. I'm not her sister and don't have to support her always. You do, from what I've heard." Irina said sitting down across from Bella.
"She's dangerous and we don't know how dangerous yet!" Bella said loud enough for Klara to hear.
Irina rolled her eyes "How is anyone supposed to figure that out without experimentation?"
"She should be!" Bella trailed off. Should be what? More Careful? Human? Bella buried her head in her hands. Irina watched her.
"Cry all you want, it'll be a while before I can care the way I should. She should be what? Normal? She's not. Your sister isn't human anymore. Not really."
Bela sobbed "I know but what's gonna happen? SHIELD will found out, soon if she keeps 'practicing'. Imagine what could happen to her if she gets strong enough to be a threat. I don't know what they do to people like her and I don't want to find out!"
"I doubt she does either but are so blind that you can't see that she's struggling? She woke up one morning and her life changed, a lot. And she tried to ignore it and to hide it and that didn't work. SO now she's trying to work with it and accept the fact that she's not human. Imagine that? She's literally a different species. I want you to imagine waking up and realizing you are very far from normal."
Bella stayed quiet. She didn't have to imagine it. Bella pulled out her phone and texted Angie
I'm ditching school tomorrow, want in?
Why? Ok. But why?
Personal reasons, my sister and her friend will come with.
Pick me up?
Yep.
"I'm going to bed." Irina said. Bella put the phone back into her pockets.
"Same."
Klara stared out her window. She's called everyone at SHIELD she could think of including her parents but no one answered. There was something major happening. She knew it. Klara glanced at the clock midnight. She grabbed her laptop and tried turning it on without touching out. She almost shrieked when the computer came to life. She smiled this is a step towards control. Almost three months of training had amounted to turning on things sometimes against her will. To most people this isn't a major feat but to Klara this was a step towards control. She wasn't stupid she knew SHIELD would find out eventually but she wanted to be stable when they did. As soon as her computer loaded she opened the tab she had pinned Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. They had a summer program like a camp and Klara wanted to apply. She wondered if these kids were on the index, if SHIELD bothered keeping track of them. Most of them probably didn't know about SHIELD and didn't have parents who worked for the agency. So probably not. Why keep track of hundreds of harmless kids? They were just kids maybe some of them were dangerous but they were still just kids. Would SHIELD see her that way? She wondered if they would just see her as another mutant. Something told her they wouldn't, Klara was too close to SHIELD to be ignored. Irina yelled for Klara
"Captain America is on the news!"
Klara shut her laptop and ran downstairs. Bella stumbled down after clearly having been asleep, Klara wondered how uh Irina slept. She never looked tired.
"Stuttgart Germany. Some lunatic crashed a fancy party and stabbed a guy in the eye then he all of a sudden had a weird outfit and told everyone to kneel. The Captain America appeared out of nowhere and that's all anyone knows. Also reports of security guards being found with arrows in their chests. Also Iron Man." Irina recapped.
Klara and Bella turned to each other no longer interested in the news "Arrows like…" they trailed off. Realizing what "compromised" meant.
"He's not a traitor." Bella said quickly.
Klara frowned "Umm he seems to be working with a psycho in a cape."
"There's an explanation." She sad quickly though she couldn't think of one.
"Maybe we'd get one if SHIELD was answering their phones." Irina imputed. Klara turned to her.
"You've been calling to?"
She nodded "Natasha phones me all the time, making sure I'm still alive and haven't tried to kill anyone. It's strange that she stopped."
The girls turned back to the news
"Eye witnesses say a large jet was prepared to fire on the man, a woman inside the jet called "Loki". There has been no confirmation of military interference so it begs the question 'Where did that jet come from?' more after the break." The reporter said before it cut to commercial.
"How much do you want to bet it was our mother in that jet?" Klara said. Bella sighed
"Let's go to bed. We're going into the city tomorrow for some fun. And we're bringing Angie."
Irina tilted her head "Why?"
Bella shrugged "Because I have a real friend now she's coming with us."
Klara headed for the stairs "Whatever." She mumbled.
The Next Morning May 4th 2012
"Anything from SHIELD?" Klara asked as they got into the car. Bella shook her head.
"What are we assuming, I bet aliens." Klara said with a smile. Bella rolled her eyes
"There's no such thing."
Irina looked out the window "With the vastness of the universe it's foolish to believe we're alone."
Klara clucked her tongue "Exactly."
Bella pulled out of the driveway "Whatever. We're are going to assume a massive threat to national security that requires immediate attention."
"So aliens?" Klara joked. Bella nodded and turned her attention to driving. For a few minutes the girls were silent on the way to Angie's home. Klara sighed
"We're not gonna talk about it?"
Bella frowned "What?"
"Arrows in the chests of security guards. Who else uses arrows except out father?"
"Someone you don't know about." Irina offered.
"That's an optimistic thought that I don't believe." Klara said bitterly. Bella took a moment to glare at her sister.
"Don't get upset in the car I don't want it to break."
Klara huffed "Not today."
Irina nodded "Your parents are AWOL be nice."
Everyone fell silent. The silence was thankfully interrupted by the always bubbly Angie who easily struck up a conversation between everyone.
"So where are we going?" she asked. Klara turned "Where are we going?"
Bella smiled "Manhattan."
Clint awoke to himself in restraints. His world was spinning, images were flashing before his eyes. What had he done? What was going on?
"Clint." It was Natasha. He knew her voice anywhere "You're gonna be alright."
"You know that? Is that what you know?" He said. He wanted to take it back, that wasn't like him. He didn't talk to her like that.
"I've got a window, have to flush him out." Clint muttered. He could do this, it wasn't that hard. "Come back to yourself Clint." He thought. "Think about your kids."
"You've gotta level out it's gonna take time." Natasha said. But he wondered how much time.
"You don't understand. Have you ever had someone take your brain in play? Pull you out, stuff something else in. You know what it's like to be unmade."
Right after he said it Clint regretted it. Of course she did. He'd helped pull her out of it. Now she was returning the favor.
"You know that I do."
Clint sat up "Why am I back? How'd you get him out?"
She smirked "Cognitive recalibration. I hit you really hard on the head."
"Thanks." He said as she took off the restraints. "Tasha, how may agent did I-" she cut him off.
"Don't. Don't do that to yourself Clint. This is Loki, this is monsters and magic and nothing we were ever trained for."
"Loki, he get away?" he asked. "How are the girls?"
"Don't suppose you know where?" she said.
"Didn't need to know. Didn't ask, and the girls?" he asked again, panic growing in his gut. Had something happened to them?
"Haven't spoken to them in a few days. It's been busy. Coulson's down."
Clint froze "What? Did I?" he railed off, not wanting to finish the sentence.
Natasha shook her head "Loki."
Clint clenched his jaw "He's gonna make his play soon though, today." He sipped the water Natasha had poured for him. She turned around
"We've got to stop him."
He looked up at her "Yeah, who's we?"
She shrugged "I don't know, whoever's left."
Clint nodded "Well if I." he paused "Put an arrow through Loki's eye socket I'd sleep better I suppose."
Natasha sat down next to him again "Now you sound like you."
He turned to her "But you don't. You're a spy, not a soldier. Now you want to wade into a war, why?" he studied her "What'd Loki do to you?"
"He didn't, just." She looked away from him, down to the floor. "Natasha." He whispered.
"I've been compromised. I got red in my ledger. I'd like to wipe it out."
Natasha remembered her conversation with Loki.
"Love is for children, I owe him a debt." She'd said. Natasha didn't think he'd know. But maybe Clint talked while we was under Loki's control. Maybe this man playing at being a god knew all her secrets.
"Tell me, about Barton. We can discuss the children later." Natasha had ignored that. "Talk about yourself, how indebted you are to Clint." She told herself. It was true she still felt like she owed even after years of him saying otherwise. She'd talked and he'd listened.
"Your world in the balance and you begin for one man. But I bet he means so much to them. What are their names, Klara and Izabella? How is the youngest coping with being the black sheep of the family?"
Natasha smirked "You could sympathize with that, couldn't you?" For a moment Loki looked shocked. She paused "Regimes fall every day, I tend not to weep over that I'm Russian. I was."
"And what are you now, a loving mother?"
Natasha stood up "It's really not that complicated, I've got red in my ledger I'd like to wipe it out."
He smiled "But can you? Can you wipe out that much red? Drakov's daughter, Sao Paulo, the hospital fire? Barton told me everything. Obviously. Your ledger is dripping its gushing red and you think saving a man no more virtuous then yourself will change anything? But of course your daughters, using your love for them to feel better about the horrors you've done. This is the basest sentimentality, this is a child, a prayer! Pathetic!" he moved closer towards the glass.
"You lie and kill in the service of liars and killers. You pretend to be separate, to have your own code. Something that makes up for the horrors. But they are part of you and they will never go way."
It wasn't hard to make it look like each word stung, like it was getting to her. Loki was. He hit the glass and Natasha reeled back.
"I won touch Barton." He hissed "Not until I make him kill you, and your precious children. Slowly, intimately in every way he knows you all fear. And then he'll wake long enough to see his good work and when he screams I'll split his skull!" he growled.
Natasha turned away. Let him keep talking, let him think he's won.
"This is my bargain you mewling quim." He said.
Natasha had no idea what that meant. But she knew what to say next.
"You're a monster." She said, letting her voice waver enough to make it real.
He laughed "Oh no, you brought the monster." He stepped back from the glass.
Natasha suppressed a smile, there it was. Exactly what she wanted. She turned on him.
"So Banner that's your play?"
"What did Loki do to you?" Clint had asked. He'd gotten under her skin, something very few have ever been able to do.
Clint and Natasha exchanged glances in the quinjet.
"Should we call them?" he asked.
"Probably."
Steve yelled up to them "Who are you calling?"
Natasha turned around to him, eyebrows raised "Seriously? You met my youngest."
It took Steve a moment to connect the dots between the young girl who called the Black Widow her mother and the actual Black Widow and Agent Barton. Stark's voice came through the comes
"Wait you two have children? What?"
Clint shut him off and dialed Bella.
"Dad! Oh my god!" Bella said.
"Ask him where the fuck they've been." Kara's voice sounded in the background.
"Aliens are about to invade New York." Natasha said.
Klara gasped "WHAT DID I SAY? I SAID THAT!"
"Umm what's happening?" a voice said that neither Clint nor Natasha recognized.
"Angie shut up." Said Klara. Bella had started hyperventilating.
"Are you in the city?"
"Yep." Stated Irina. "Manhattan."
"Shit." Natasha muttered
"Girls get as far away from Stark tower as you can. Convince as many people as you can to come with you." Clint said. Natasha nudged him
"I think it's too late."
The portal had opened, right over the tower.
All four girls looked up "This here is some bullshit." Klara said and stood up on the table. They'd decided to sit in a café right next to the tower since Bella was obsessed with Iron Man. Klara didn't know but Angie did.
"EVERYBODY RUN! WE'RE ALL SCREWED!" Everyone looked up at Klara confused and annoyed. But just as she said that glass rained down from the building and none other than Tony Stark had fallen out of it. Bella grabbed Irina and Klara by the arms "We are going. Angie come on!"
But Angie was staring up, the other three girls looked to the skies.
"Aliens." Irina pointed out. Angie stood shell shocked, Bella grabbed her
"WE ARE RUNNING AWAY!"
Soon they each let go of each other's hands that complicated running. People were screaming, the girls could feel thing flying over their heads. Something exploded behind them. Suddenly the idea of aliens was not as exciting for Klara as it was terrifying. But she had to keep calm, if she didn't not only would aliens be attacking but who knows what dastardly effects she could bring to the table. But as she ran just ahead of Bella, Irina and Angie a thought entered her mind
What if she could help?
Klara was trying to make peace with what she'd become, maybe it'd be easier if she knew she could do good. A car flipped in front of her she darted to the left while the others sprinted to the right. Klara stopped and tried to find them in the crowd she called out their names.
"Bella! Irina! Angie!" but her voice was lost with everyone else's. They were running away from the danger like smart people. Klara stopped and people ran around her. Not people, humans. Human beings were running away because there was nothing they could do. But Klara could help, she had enough of a handle on this to so something. Anything would be better ten running away. She took off running towards the danger. But someone screamed her name
"Klara Taylor Barton!"
Klara whipped around, it was Bella. Standing completely still in the chaos. Irina and Angie had kept running, Bell had told them she was going back for Klara. They'd argued but Bella had already stared sprinting away.
"What the hell are you doing?!" Everyone had ran past the girls now, they were alone except for the sounds of destruction around them. The battle waging over their heads.
"I can help!" Klara called out. Her sister stayed where she was, about 20 feet away.
"No you can't! You have no control or idea what you're capable of!"
"But I have to try!" Klara called out, lightning formed in her hand. Bella was furious.
"How deluded are you? You're not a superhero!" she screamed, her voice cracked. She was terrified for her sister. Of what she might end up doing, Klara could seriously hurt someone. Bella was afraid her sister didn't understand that.
"I know! But if I can do something why shouldn't I!?"
"So you can run away! LIKE A NORMAL HUMAN BEING!"
"But I'm not normal. And I'm not human." She spat out the words, the first time she'd said them out loud. It was admitting them, she wasn't human and never really was.
Bella started walking towards her sister "I know that and it scares me half to death because you could hurt somebody! You could kill someone because of it!"
Klara felt her throat tighten "I know that, run away with everyone else. Away from the danger."
Bella swallowed back tears and took off running away from her sister. Klara could take care of herself, she'd have to.