Accidental Avenger

Chapter 12

"The news is loving you guys," Hill's voice came through the speaker. "No one else is."

We'd been flying for a few hours by then. Bruce had woken up, finally, but he was exhausted and more than a little beaten up inside and out. Everyone was quiet and wrapped up in their own thoughts and minds.

"There's no official warrant out for Banner's arrest," Hill continued. "But it's in the air."

"Stark Relief Foundation?" Tony asked. "They're already on the scene?"

"Already on the scene, yes," Hill said. "How's the team?"

Tony paused. He looked at everyone in turn, Natasha, Steve, Thor, Bruce.

"We took a hit," He said. "We'll shake it off."

"Until then, I suggest laying low," Hill said. "And stay away from here."

"So, run and hide?" Tony said.

"Until we can find Ultron," Hill said. "Running and hiding is the best choice."

I sat down next to Natasha. "How're you feeling?" I asked.

"I'm fine."

"Liar," I said. "I've said my fair share of 'I'm fine's' in my lifetime."

Natasha smiled her first genuine smile in hours. "I will be fine, how about that? Not fine now, but I will be."

"I'll take that," I said. "Do you need anything? I found some painkillers in that container over there."

"No, I'm good," Natasha said. "I don't have a headache, surprisingly."

"I could use some," Bruce said. He had the blanket I gave him wrapped around his shoulders and had already changed into the clothes I found.

I got up and grabbed the bottle of pills and gave him a couple.

"Anyone else?" I shook the bottle and looked at Steve, then Thor, then Tony.

"I'd have to take the whole bottle," Steve said.

"Your Midgardian medicines don't work on me," Thor added. "But if you found some Asgardian Ale in there, I wouldn't be opposed to a drink."

"Sorry my guy," I said. "No ale."

Thor sighed.

"I'll take some," Tony said.

I tossed him the bottle.

"You should all get some rest," Clint said. "I'll wake you when we get there."

I looked at Natasha.

"Sleep," She said. "Then maybe tomorrow you can tell me why you wanted to come with us in the first place."

"That's not happening," I said. "But good night."

I splayed out on the floor of the jet and shut my eyes tight.

"Can you believe her?" Natasha asked.

I heard Steve chuckle. "If I didn't know better, I'd say she's yours."

"You're hilarious, Rogers."

"You don't have to tell me that, Romanoff, I already know," Steve replied.

I laughed.

"You're supposed to be sleeping," Natasha hissed.

"I am sleeping," I said. "I'm just also sleep laughing. And now I'm sleep talking. Haven't you seen the Nightmare on Elm Street movies? It's a common phenomenon."

"The what movies?" Steve asked.

"Stephen Grant Rogers don't tell me you have yet to see Nightmare on Elm Street." I sat up and looked at him.

"Who told you my middle name?" Steve asked.

"Hello? I come from a universe where you're a comic book character?" I said. "I Googled it once." I laid back down. "We're gonna watch those movies when we get a chance, okay? I'm going to make you. You'll like them. Or maybe you won't but that's not a me problem."

"You're right," Natasha said from the seats above me. "You really would think she's mine, huh?"

I smiled.

The cabin got quiet and slowly I started to drift. Despite wanting to sleep, I made myself take stock of what the hell was going on with me. First it was draining the phones, then it was turning them on, then draining them again. Then there was that weird thing with Thor and Wanda's power. Absorb was the only word I could think of to use. Absorbing the phone batteries. And then absorbing Wanda's power. I wanted to call it magic, but that made me feel silly even though no one could hear my thoughts. It didn't sound like anyone was saying she had magic in the movies even though she had magic in the comics.

My talk with Bruce didn't help, either. It didn't explain my own powers or how I could have gotten them or how I managed to get to this world in the first place. My world didn't have superheroes. We didn't have mutants or witches or sorcerers. We had comic books and movies that let you pretend that stuff was real for the few hours you spent taking them. But even as I thought it, I knew I was just trying to trick myself. I was in the Avengers, after all.

Maybe my world did have mutants and I just didn't know about it? But if there were people with wild abilities, it would be hard for them to keep themselves hidden, right? I mean, some of the X-Men were blue and red and covered in scales or fur.

Maybe I was the first one? Or maybe the scepter really did tear me out of my world and into this one somehow. Or maybe I did it myself without realizing. But I could absorb... stuff. Electricity for sure, and whatever the hell Wanda's powers were made up of, apparently. I thought back to that burst of energy in the armory at the tower. That was me. I did that, but I didn't know how. And it felt different than it had when I was getting here. What happened in the armory hadn't hurt, not really. It felt good, like when you finally get a splinter out of your finger. Like relief. Getting here had hurt like nothing else had hurt before.

I wanted to talk to Bruce about it again, but he was dealing with whatever Hulk had done back in that city. Natasha wouldn't be able to help me, either. Maybe Steve since he had his DNA altered by the super soldier serum, but he'd had a serum injected into him. I hadn't had anything like that. One minute I was in my own world and then the next I was in this one with powers I didn't understand and couldn't control.

I managed to fall asleep, but it was restless. When I was asleep, I had nightmares of exploding blue light and pain. The pain would be what woke me up, gasping. Sometimes one of the others was awake. Steve or Bruce or Thor. They would look at me curious, maybe even a little worried, but I would tell them I was fine and roll over and go back to sleep.

Eventually, I fell asleep and stayed that way, but my dreams were of nothing but darkness.