Peter grinned from ear to ear as we pulled into the hidden garage. He leaned up against the closed door that lead to the rest of the place. The Avengers were currently staying at one of Stark's towers in secret. The tower was originally for research on new weapons, but Tony had other plans. He wanted only his most trusted scientists to stay at the tower and help him find and figure out other worldly things, along with anything else the Avengers needed. The Avengers lived on the floor underneath the penthouse, while Tony, of course, lived in the penthouse. He had Pepper run the other tower and the company. That way, she was always safe from danger if the Avengers' tower was under attack.

I got out of the car with my stuff and smiled. "I thought I said don't look for me."

He raised his eyebrows and said, "I personally wasn't supposed to. Natasha went looking for you."

I scoffed and pushed him playfully. "You're such a smartass."

"But I'm your smartass cousin," he pointed out and lead the way to the elevator. He pushed the button to go to the eighteenth floor. "I already have a room for you that's all set up."

I nodded and motioned to Natasha. "Thanks for letting me stay here. I know it's difficult already with Peter around." Peter scoffed and chuckled. "I really appreciate it."

"It's not a problem," she replied. She stood there checking her wound to see if it was still bleeding the tiniest bit. "We always have room for more people with goals like us."

I felt as welcomed there as I did at Xavier's school. I counted that as a good thing. I had a home where I could be with some family and do things for the greater good. I knew there wouldn't be a welcoming wagon like there was with Logan's family, but I would just have to get used to it. I was in hostile territory for some of these people. I just had to figure out which. We walked into the living room, which was extremely nice. Gray tile covered the floors and the walls were a creamy white. Paintings of different varieties hung on the walls. A pinball machine was set in the corner behind the couch and television. Some game systems were set up next to the television. Bookshelves of books and movies lined one wall and a beverage machine leaned against the remaining wall. It seemed like a relaxation haven.

Clint Barton spotted us immediately when we walked into the living room. He jumped off the couch and crossed his arms, like he was defending his territory. His jaw clenched and his face nearly turned red in seconds. "Why in the hell is she here?"

"She's been compromised. She has nowhere to stay," Peter explained shortly. He grabbed my duffel bag and started to walk off until Barton spoke again.

"She can stay somewhere else." He tilted his head a bit and his eyes narrowed on me. This was starting to cause a big scene, so everyone else in the living room turned to me. Tony, Steve, and Bruce turned their heads to watch the scene unfold.

I crossed my arms to mimic Barton. "Peter's my cousin and I have the right to see him. He said he was taking me in until I can get on my own feet and somewhere safe. It's a free country, you know."

"Yeah, I fought tooth and nail to keep it a free country," Steve intervened on the conversation. His cold blue eyes stared right through me when we locked gazes. "And well, I don't think I'm comfortable with a double agent being here. For all we know, you could double cross us too."

I scoffed and glared at him. "Who would I give my information to? The people that tried to cut me up? Yeah, right. I got all that intel for you guys, and what, are you not grateful for it? Without me, you would be unprepared for this war."

Bruce spoke up after he propped up his elbows on his knees. "Steve has a point. We don't even know what you are. I-"

Peter raised his hand midway into the air to stop him from saying anymore. He knit his eyebrows together and stated, "Does she really need to explain? I've finally gotten her back. I have a family member that I won't put into danger. That's the best thing that has happened to me since..." He trailed off and choked on a breath.

Everything went silent and all I could do was look at the pity they held in their eyes. They had so much respect for Peter, all because he was a kid. All because he lost his girlfriend some time ago. They might have not known anything about me, but they were sure going to. I knew they wouldn't let me stay there without me telling them. "You know what? Fine. I'll tell you." 

I got closer to Barton and talked directly to him. Well, more like spat at him. "My family and I were kidnapped August 22, 1996. You wanna know why? William Stryker needed test subjects for his project. A project where we would become the most lethal beings in the universe. That is...if it were to succeed." I looked at Steve dead in the eye. "My parents...well. Let's just say they didn't make it. Then, he tested on me. The audacity of this guy really astonished me. What monster would test on an eight year old girl?" I held back the tears from the memory and bit the inside of my lip. I couldn't break. Not in front of them. "I sat through the longest excruciating day of my life as this...substance made my body its new home. It burned hotter than anything I've ever felt before and then had periods of cool down where my body would almost go into shock from frostbite. It was constantly back and forth, back and forth until it stabilized. That's when someone came to my rescue." 

I turned back to Barton, but backed away a little bit and softened my voice. "But you know what? Sometimes, I wish they hadn't. I wasn't going to comply to Stryker's demands, so he'd have to kill me, even if the test succeeded. I didn't want to start a new life as something I didn't know or couldn't control. I was scared to even be around people. I was eight! Now...now I can mimic any mutant's power after I touch them. I don't know if that power extends to other beings or not, but it's what I am." I glanced around at all of the men in front of me. My heart ached and I felt like I was going to break down. I hadn't fully explained anything since the incident happened. "And if you don't like it? Fine. I'll leave. You're going to regret it if I do."

All of the men stared at me in awed silence. No one knew what to say, and the atmosphere was unclear of what they would say next. Tony cleared his throat and got off his seat. "Well...Guess that solves that mystery." He used his hands to talk and raised them up in the air, "Anyone up for a drink?"

I looked at him square in the eye and calmed down. The gentleness came back and I declared, "I could really use one right now."

Stark pushed his way out of the living room and walked down the hallway. I followed him and tried to carry myself with confidence. I just released the biggest secret ever. I didn't know how to feel about it. My eyes searched around as I attempted to take in the scenery around me. The hallway's flooring was tan tile and the wallpaper was a medium gray shade. A giant window looking out onto the city was at the end of the long hall, and I was sure the rooms here were where the Avengers stayed. Tony turned to a room on the right and opened the door. A room full of Metallica, Black Sabbath, and ACDC posters hung on the walls. There was a long bar in the back of the room on the plush brown carpet. A giant stereo and karaoke machine leaned up against the opposite and a black leather couch was perpendicular to that. Tony went behind the bar and poured some drinks together. "So. Let me see what you can do."

I narrowed my eyes at him and sat on one of the barstools. "Well, Mr. Bossy, I can only do a limited amount of things." I grabbed one of the knives and handed it to him. "Cut my arm," I ordered.

He took the knife, looked me in the eye, and cut my arm horizontally. Tony set the knife down in the sink attached to the wall and watched my skin heal itself. His mouth hung agape and immediately shut it after he glanced back up at me. The words wouldn't make it out of his mouth until he forced them to, "Do you know what this could do for the world?"

I took my drink and swished it around in front of my face. I inhaled the smell so my lungs would get used to it and stared Tony directly in the eye. "Nothing, Mr. Stark. If this were to get out into the world...It would be nearly impossible to kill people. People would use it against each other. The world would become overpopulated. We would literally kill ourselves trying to live on this planet with a power like this." I drank a little bit, cringed from the sting, and set it back down. "It needs ice." I froze the liquid just a tad and watched ice cubes float up to the top.

Tony's eyes lit up. He cleared his throat, "And you can freeze things?"

"And so much more..." I licked my lips and thought for a moment before I added, "Let's talk about you, Stark." I set the glass down and folded my arms on the bar counter. I needed a shift change of conversation for once. "Where's Pepper?"

He cocked his head and asked, "How do you know about Pepper?" He shifted uneasily in his stance and drank some of his drink.

I tapped some of my fingers against the marble. I sighed and looked into his eyes with a saddened expression. "Hydra knows about her. They've known for a while."

"Hydra...Last time I remember anything about Hydra, it was that they were useless. Taking down S.H.I.E.L.D.? That took decades. If they're going to do anything to her, I think I'll be the first to know." He gulped down the last of the alcohol and slammed his glass down on the bar.

I grinned and nodded. "You'll definitely be the first to know. I know how their system is laid out, and I've got a username for you. You just need to do the hard part and find the password to go with it."

"Hand it over and I'll have Jarvis working on it right away," he poured scotch into his glass and set it down. "Is there a way for you to heal other people?"

I scrunched up my eyebrows and my hazel eyes nearly glazed over. "Back on this?" He nodded. I wrote the username on a napkin and slid it to him. "No, I can't. I haven't found a way."

"Can you turn into a big green monster like Banner?" A smile played on his lips in the most playful way. He adjusted his shirt, revealing a bright blue light radiating from underneath it. The thing that was keeping him alive was beautiful to witness in person.

I chuckled and stole his glass. I scrunched my nose to fix my glasses. "No. That wouldn't be as fun as I think it would be." My smile faded and I glimpsed up at Tony. "How is Banner with that, anyway?"

"He's uh..." Tony eyed me for taking his drink and poured another one, "He's doing the best he can with it."

I chugged the whole drink and put it down. "So, why are all the Avengers cooped up in one tower? I thought Peter said you all split up."

Tony rubbed the back of his neck and glanced at me in the corner of his eye. "Yeah...We did. Natasha and Clint got attacked the same night you did. They called to notify me, and Bruce and I left where we were staying. Pepper had to be taken to another tower just in case there would be an attack. We all met up here. The Avengers' Tower." He began to tap his fingers against the counter top. "I built this tower as a cover. It's a laboratory, but mainly one for our special use."

The conversation was winding down. I knew I could either go to my new room and stay there or open up to Tony more. There wasn't anything else to do. Half of the team already distrusted me. "I know it's going to be hard to trust me, Tony, but I swear I will stick with you guys. The...the only place I have to go back to is a school. I love everyone there, but I don't know if I could just sit around all day when I could be here helping you." I put my head in my hands and rubbed my eyes. I could feel my heart falling faster. Half of them don't like me. I didn't realize I could be kicked out of here in no time at all... I pondered. "Just give me a chance."

"Anyone that throws themselves over their loved ones to protect them in a crisis is good enough to bunk with the Avengers," he clinked his glass against mine and smiled genuinely. "I'm sure some of the others will think the same." Tony pointed a finger at me and his eyes formed slits, "Now, about those powers..."