Serum (Steve Rogers 18+ FF)

4

Banner stares at the x-rays, his eyes holding both horror and excitement.

"This is....," He searches for the words, "horrendous. How could someone do this to a child?"

"What?" Tinman says coming up behind the doctor's chair.

"Her entire skeletal system's been replaced with vibranium, a lot of her nerves in her arms have been severed off, her lungs have been reduced to a third of their size and her ribs were remodeled to accommodate the wings, her heart is encased is a vibranium covering," he looks at me, eyes wide, "they completely reconstructed and recreated the human anatomy within a living body."

"Yeah, thanks for the trip down memory lane, Doc," I say sarcastically, "now did you find the tracker?"

"Um yeah," he looks back at his screens, "they embedded it within your spine, between the T11 and T12 vertebrea."

"Good, can you get it out?"

"Yes, we'll have to put you under and surgically remove it," he turns back to me, "it should only take ten minutes tops, then we just have to wait for you to wake up."

"Good plan good plan," I nod, "except," I tilt my head, "you can't put me under. They made sure I could never be put to sleep using any chemical compounds, including medical. The only way I can be put to sleep is by being put on ice."

"Well then how are we supposed to remove it?" The dark skinned man asks.

"Cut it out," I say bluntly.

"While you're awake?"

"Been through worse," I shrug.

"They did all of this," Spangles gestures to the screens, "while you were awake?"

"Always," I look down at my hands as I hunch over, "at least I knew I wasn't gonna be put in a freezer for the next however many years."

"I'm sorry."

My head snaps up at him.

"Don't apologize for something you didn't fucking do."

The room goes silent.

"I-," I look back down, "sorry. I just-"

"Woah, never expected that word to come out of your mouth," tinman's brows raise.

"You were put in command," Barnes says softly.

"For thirty years on and off," I nod, "kinda use to barking orders and putting recruits in their place."

"Really? I couldn't tell," tinman says snarkily.

"That threat of burning your tongue off still stands."

"And right back to the hard ass."

"I'll show you hard ass," I snap, "now shut your fucking mouth and get the thing out of my damn back."

"We're gonna get it out just chill alright?"

"With an internal temperature of 170° fahrenheit, I quite literally cannot chill," I'm growing annoyed, "so unless you want everyone here to be able to enjoy some nice barbecued tinman shish kabobs, I suggest you hurry up."

"I seriously don't know wether I'm scared of you or if I enjoy pissing you off," he grins.

I narrow my eyes at him to which he just chuckles.

"Alright, we'll get it out," he moves so Banner can get his equipment, "do you want something to bite on?"

"No," I shake my head, "does anyone know how to play chess?"

They look at each other before Loki slightly raises his hand.

"Now why did I know you'd know how?" I smirk.

"I know how I'm just shit at it," tinman says.

"I don't need a pro, just something to keep me distracted."

"I find that an opponent that brings a challenge often allows a player to fall away from the world," Loki states, "unlike an opponent that has no real wit."

"Couldn't have said it better myself, Shakespeare," I grin wider.

Banner steps up behind me with a tray of surgical tools and I have to fight the urge to look back. I know that is I do I'll panic, scream in fear.

He's just getting it out, he's not putting stuff in.

I repeat this a few times as tinman puts a small table in front of me. Loki pulls up a chair and waves his, making a full chess board appear, pieces already set up.

I pick up one of the white knights in front of me. It's a bit heavy, gleaming as I shift it in the light. Marble perhaps.

"Ready?" Banner asks from behind me.

"Yep," I set down the price in a new spot, taking my turn.

I feel the sting of the scalpel as it breaks through my skin and let out a small groan of pain as Loki takes his turn, moving one of his pons.

"Just let me know if you need me to stop," Banner says before resuming his work.

Several more pieces glide and click across the board as we move, removing one another's pieces as we eliminate them.

"You're quite good," Loki comments as he pauses to think.

"I would hope so," I chuckle, watching him finally move a piece, "I've been playing on and off for the last seventy years."

I look at the board, scanning over the positioning of each piece.

"I'm done," Banner says coming from around me to look at the board.

I go to reach for a piece but he grabs it and moves it exactly where I had planned to.

"Check mate," he walks away and Loki looks at the board in disbelief.

I laugh as he reluctantly knock his king over.

"So it's not gonna ping when she uses her wings?" Tinman asks.

"The wings," I correct him, getting a few odd looks, "their not mine. I hate them."

While they do come in handy for fights, I've always hated them. They're a reminder of my past, a past I'll never escape.

"It shouldn't," Banner says, trying to ease the building tension, "but there's no way to be sure."

"Yeah there is," I get up from the table with a groan.

"I don't think testing it here is a good idea," Barnes says.

"And living in a giant building telling everyone that you stupid team lives here is?" I raise a brow, "who's bright idea was that anyway? You're literally giving people a target with big bold print saying 'WE'RE OVER HERE! COME AND GET US!' I'm surprised it hasn't been bombed yet."

They all look at tinman.

"You are literally the dumbest smart person I've ever met." He doesn't say anything. "At least you've learned to keep your mouth shut."

I clench my hands in fists, preparing for the pain as I feel the wings shift. I grit my teeth as they stab through, slowly tearing open my back as they push their way out.

A shuddered breath leaves me as they fully extend and the openings are sealed shut.

"You Okay?" Spangles asks, concern in his eyes.

"Yep," I reply, rolling my shoulders back then look to Banner, "anything?"

"Nope," he says after a moment of looking at the screen, "they can't use this to track you anymore."