What's Inside Me

The room was silent now, save for the soft hum of the broken lights above. A fine layer of dust still floated in the air, swirling lazily in the aftermath of Nia's uncontrolled outburst. The floor bore new cracks, deep and jagged. The walls—reinforced with Stark tech—showed visible scorch marks. It looked like the epicenter of a localized quake, but quieter. Too quiet.

Tony gently let go of Nia, stepping back just slightly, like he wasn't sure if the storm had truly passed. Her shoulders were still trembling, but her eyes had lost that wild glow. She looked drained—physically, emotionally. But she was still standing.

Then—

BAM. The door burst open.

Pietro was there in an instant, disheveled and clearly breathless, his chest heaving as he scanned the room with panic in his eyes. "What happened?" he demanded. "I felt it—like a wave. Energy, heat—coming from here."

He spotted Nia and rushed to her side, hands hovering near her arms as if afraid to touch her. His gaze flicked between her and Tony, trying to piece things together. "Are you okay? Are you hurt?"

Before she could answer, Sam Wilson entered behind him, also wide-eyed, breathing heavily. "Damn. I was halfway across the tower and felt the floor shake. What the hell was that?"

Nia took a breath, steadied herself.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly. "It was me."

Sam raised his eyebrows, stepping around the cracked tiles to look at her more closely. "You did this?"

She nodded, guilt written into every line of her face. Pietro stared at her, stunned. "This came from you? Nia, that kind of power—"

"I didn't mean to," she cut in, voice trembling. "It just... happened. I got overwhelmed."

Tony gave her a small nod of support, but didn't interrupt. This was her moment. Her truth.

"I told you they used the Tesseract on me," she continued. "What I didn't explain is what it did. They didn't just give me powers—they broke something open inside me. I'm not like Wanda or Carol or anyone else. Hydra didn't care what it cost me... they just wanted a weapon."

She closed her eyes and lifted one hand, palm up. A soft, eerie blue light flickered to life, quiet and controlled this time, swirling like smoke. "This is just one part of it. I can manipulate energy—absorb it, redirect it. I can twist matter, bend light, generate gravitational pulses. It depends on... on how I feel."

Sam let out a low whistle. "And all that's emotion-driven?"

Nia nodded. "Yeah. That's why I lost control earlier. I was remembering what they did. The pain. The tests. The way they... remade me."

Pietro took a cautious step closer. "They turned you into someone powerful... and unstable?"

"They tried," she said, eyes meeting his. "But I survived. And I am unstable—sometimes. But I'm also trying to learn. I don't want to hurt anyone."

The tension in Pietro's jaw eased, though his shoulders still stayed tight. "You didn't hurt anyone."

Tony stepped forward, placing a hand on her back, grounding her. "You did more than survive, Nia. You held it together for years. You didn't let them turn you into what they wanted."

Pietro looked around again—at the damage, at the remnants of barely-contained destruction—and then back at Nia. "This was your power uncontrolled?"

She gave a small nod.

"Then I'd really hate to be whoever pushed you too far."

The comment surprised a faint smile out of her. But it faded quickly.

Sam crossed his arms, looking thoughtful. "If she's running on raw emotional feedback, she needs control training. And containment backups. We've never seen anything quite like this."

"She'll get both," Tony said firmly. "Whatever she needs."

Nia looked up at him, surprised by the certainty in his voice.

"I'm not going anywhere," he added. "And neither are you."

Pietro's voice was softer now, but serious. "You don't have to hide what you are anymore. Not here. You've got people now. People who can handle a few shattered walls."

Nia exhaled, a shaky breath, but nodded. "Okay. Then I guess... I'll try not to shatter any more."

Tony smiled faintly. "Just maybe give us a heads-up next time."

"I'll work on that."

And for the first time since her return, Nia didn't feel afraid of what she was. Only of what she might become if she stopped trying.