"What happened?" Bruce asked once the couple returned.
Elsie was still processing what had occurred. The day felt like a dream to her, too surreal.
"I'm an Avenger," was all she could get out.
The team erupted into cheers, Tony, Steve, and Nat with knowing smiles on their faces. Elsie was elated to begin her journey as one of "Earth's Mightiest Heroes." They were big shoes to fill, but she had proved herself.
"And you, Miss Ma'am, are following me and your uncle," Natasha says as she pulls Elsie away from the rest of the group.
"To where?" Elsie asks.
"You'll see."
The trio headed to the elevator, Nat pressing a button to a lower level. Elsie wondered what was going on as they made their descent.
The elevator soon stopped, and the doors slid open with a soft ding, revealing the Avengers' tech floor bathed in a cool, bluish glow. Elsie stepped out behind Natasha, and her curiosity piqued. She had been here many times before, but never like this.
Rows of display cases and suit pods lined the sleek walls, flickering with holographic schematics and faint pulses of arc reactor-blue light. The heart of Tony Stark's tech haven. But today, it felt like something more.
"Uh… am I gonna be given some form of a super serum?" Elsie joked, unsure of what was happening.
"Your own strength and heart are your superpowers," Natasha replied, smirking as she led her toward a round platform in the center of the room.
"Plus, I know you have a fear of needles," Tony adds as he steps towards the pod.
With a tap of a button on his touch panel, Tony activated a smooth metallic case to rise from beneath the platform, slowly rotating and unfolding like a flower in bloom. Inside stood a suit.
Elsie's eyes widened.
It felt like the room itself held its breath, even the arc reactors paused to admire what stood before her. At first glance, it looked like nothing more than a suit designed just to fit Elsie's frame; however, it held the signature tactical strength of Captain America's: functional, strong, built for the battlefield. But this one was hers.
The base color was a bright, clean white. A rich blue star gleamed proudly in the center of the chest, catching the glow of the lights above. Her bodice displayed alternating stripes of red and blue, forming a sleek pattern that evoked both power and elegance. The gloves and boots mirrored Steve's in structure, but were laced with finer detail—more refined, more agile. Her mask only covered the top half of her face, allowing her to let her hair flow freely if she chose.
The wristlets caught her eye. They were streamlined and subtle, but clearly high-tech. The small rockets laced on them made them dangerous.
She smiled widely. "This is…mine?"
Natasha gave her a soft smile. "Designed it myself."
"And I built it," Tony added, tablet in hand and a smug look on his face. "Well, the bots did, but I told them how to do it. And an absurdly high thread count."
Elsie turned in slow awe, eyes shining. She then paused. "Wait, Fury just put me on the team today. How did you know-?"
"We've been talking with him for a while," Nat confirmed. "Between S.H.I.E.L.D. collapsing and how solid you've been on missions, it wouldn't be right not to have you as an official Avenger."
"But how did you have the time to design it?"
"Well, when you're benched with cracked ribs and too much time on your hands, designing a superhero suit becomes weirdly therapeutic," Natasha said, folding her arms. "As for what to call you, Lady Liberty felt right. Kind of a dynamic duo thing. You and Steve? Kind of a match made in heaven."
"And we figured the pageant world would sue if we called you 'Miss America,'" Tony added dryly.
Elsie let out a joyful laugh, still stunned. "It's perfect."
She stepped forward and placed her hand on the wristlet. Her heart swelled in her chest.
Natasha turned back to Elsie. "So? You ready to suit up?"
Elsie nodded, her voice a whisper: "More than ready."
"Welcome to the team, Lady Liberty."
The doors to the Avengers' briefing room slid open with a hiss. Elsie stepped into it with Natasha, a cool and confident smile on her face, and her heart was pounding beneath the weight of her brand-new suit.
The elevator makes its ascent. When it stops, familiar voices echoed—Tony's sarcastic banter, Steve's calm authority, Sam's steady confidence, Bruce's soft-spoken logic, and Clint's deadpan snark. It was all so normal. But this? This was anything but normal.
"You're about to make one hell of a first impression, kid," Natasha said from beside her, adjusting her red hair behind one ear.
Elsie took a deep breath, squared her shoulders as the elevator opened.
The room went quiet. All heads turned as Lady Liberty stepped into the room.
There she stood. Her suit gleamed beneath the lights, the blue star on her chest catching every eye. She stood tall, steady. The red-and-blue striped bodice hugged her frame like armor forged from purpose. The cherry-red ends in her hair tied the look together perfectly. Her eyes sparkled behind the navy-blue mask, her confidence rising with every passing second.
Steve gave her a proud smile.
"Lookin' like justice herself walked in," Sam nods in approval.
Tony gave a dramatic slow clap. "And that, kids, is what happens when you combine Stark tech, spy fashion, and actual taste."
"You clean up better than most of us," Clint complimented.
"You look incredible," Steve finally says.
"So I fit in?" Elsie smiled, warmth blooming in her chest.
Steve took a step closer. "I think you were already part of the team before any of us knew it."
"Sokovia," Maria Hill announced as she entered, eyes scanning the gathered team. "Hydra has a facility there, and intel confirms they've been experimenting with powered individuals. It's going to be a coordinated strike."
The team was now focused as a holographic map of Eastern Europe was then projected across the table. The mood shifted in a blink.
"Loki's scepter is believed to be there," Hill continued. "And we're going to get it."
"Lady Liberty," Steve said, glancing over at her, voice steady and sure. "You're with me."
Elsie nodded. "Let's bring the fight."
And just like that, she wasn't just Elsie Walker anymore.
She was Lady Liberty.