Lieutenant - Daughter of the Captain

Chapter 26.0 - Avenger?

Carter woke to a brand new pair of E.A.R.S., and more and more endless scans and irritating tests.

Bruce had heard her end of the conversation, and they had a theory whoever was on the other end was the one using the scepter.

"Maybe the Scepter has some frequency readings we can scan for, instead of radiation?" Bruce suggested, looking up from his charts.

Tony shook his head, "We wouldn't be able to read them if it's as far away as we think, maybe if she-"

"No," Steve interrupted him. Apparently they'd had a heated argument while she was unconscious, and Steve had come close to punching Stark for suggesting they use her to find it.

Carter had long wanted to leave. Not because she was tired. In fact she was mostly hungry, and annoyed.

But what she really wanted, was to know what the person on the other end was going to say.

They were going to help her, she could have felt their pity and pain in her sleep.

They felt what she felt.

She didn't know why, or how, but she was sure she had remembered what she saw during the incident. A part she'd forgotten about after her nightmare.

But even then, she thought back to it, and she knew now.

She'd been seeing through those glowing red eyes, as they beheld Loki's scepter, and felt the connection the person and it shared.

She wondered if she would feel the same. If perhaps Tony was right, and she could feel it's presence.

"Can I leave?" She said abruptly, interrupting their conversation- one she hadn't bothered to try and read through.

Steve sighed, but nodded.

So, without another word, the girl got up and left the room. She didn't have a destination in mind, so she let her feet carry her...

...to the spot on the balcony.

She almost scoffed at herself for being so cliche, but sat down in the light of dawn.

They'd tested her powers at night, and yet she'd still been overwhelmed. She'd passed out from the effects, and the surge had destroyed another set of her E.A.R.S..

She would never tell them, but she'd grown to hate the devices. Besides her slightly-burned hands and their slowly fading capability to control her powers, they took away her hearing.

She was going through life deaf, short one of her basic senses.

She knew Tony had been working on a solution here and there, but now with the scepter their full focus had set on finding the weapon.

And even then, she was getting in the way.

Carter watched the horizon grow lighter and lighter, and eventually stood to return to her room.

But then she froze.

She brought out her phone and peaked at the date, a sigh escaping her.

She held the little gold charm that hung around her neck, whispering to herself, "Happy Birthday, New York,"

******************

Steve wanted to do something for her birthday. He wanted to celebrate, maybe cheer her up after recent events.

But she didn't. She knew they had work to do, as they'd just found the location of several secret H.Y.D.R.A. bases where they might've been keeping the scepter.