Trust Me, I Will Never Trust You.

Chapter 16

After the therapy session ended, Xpel walked out of Dr Reynor's office and started making her way back to her room. As she walked down the hallways of the tower, lost in her thoughts, she didn't notice Tony and Bruce approaching her until they were right in front of her.

"Hey, Xpel," Tony greeted her with a smile. "How was your session with the shrink?"

Xpel shrugged noncommittally, still closed off and not willing to share much.

Bruce noticed Xpel's reluctance to engage in conversation and decided to get straight to the point. "We were wondering if we could start running some of those tests we mentioned?"

Xpel's expression remained blank, but inside she felt a surge of anxiety at the mention of tests. She wasn't sure if she was ready for that yet.

Tony noticed Xpel's discomfort and tried to reassure her. "Don't worry, kid. We'll make sure you're comfortable throughout the process."

Xpel nodded, not trusting herself to speak. She followed Tony and Bruce to the lab, her heart racing as she tried to block out the memories from her past at Hydra.

As she sat down in front of the equipment, Tony and Bruce started running their tests. They asked her questions, had her perform various tasks, and monitored her brainwaves as she used her powers.

Xpel complied with their requests but answered with no more than a nod or shake of the head. Her mind was elsewhere. She couldn't help but think back to her conversation with Dr Reynor and how difficult it was for her to open up. 

Tony and Bruce spent the next two hours running tests on Xpel's abilities, trying to determine the extent of her powers and how they worked. They were both impressed by what they found.

"Her telekinesis is off the charts," Bruce said, looking at the readings on his monitor. "I've never seen anything like it."

"And her strength..." Tony added, tapping away at his computer. "Must be similar to what they used on Barnes."

But then Tony and Bruce noticed something odd. Her telepathy, while still present, was not as strong as they had anticipated.

"Xpel, do you know why your telepathy readings are lower than expected?" Bruce asked, looking up from his monitor.

Xpel hesitated for a moment before responding. "Hydra..." she said quietly. "I failed."

Tony and Bruce exchanged a look. They knew all too well the horrors of Hydra's experiments, which pained them to think of what Xpel had been through.

"You haven't failed, kid. They failed you," Tony said, his voice full of empathy. "Seems like they tried to pump you full with all kinds of concoctions."

Xpel nodded as she sat silently on the bed, watching them continue their work. 

But as the results continued, Tony and Bruce noticed something strange. Xpel's vitals were all over the place, and her body showed signs of extreme malnourishment.

"That can't be right?" Bruce exclaimed, looking at the readings in disbelief. 

"Let me have a look," Tony asked. "Her vitals are completely out of whack."

"How are you feeling? Energy wise?" Bruce asked, concerned.

"Fine," she replied with a shrug as Bruce reviewed the results again.

"It's like she's been in some kind of stasis. But that's not possible, is it?"

Tony shook his head. "Not unless she's been kept in a cryo-freezer. Like Barnes."

Bruce nodded slowly. "That would explain a lot. So her body is older than 18, but the levels are of a malnourished 18 year old female."

Tony turned to Xpel, who was still watching them impassively. "How old are you?" he asked, his tone gentler than before.

Xpel didn't respond, but her eyes flickered towards Tony momentarily before returning to her blank stare. She didn't know.

Just then, Steve and Bucky walked into the lab, interrupting the conversation. Bucky's eyes immediately went to Xpel, and she could feel his coldness towards her.

"What's going on?" Steve asked, looking around the lab.

Tony quickly filled them in on what they had discovered, including Xpel's telekinesis abilities and the strange readings in her vitals.

Bucky remained silent throughout the conversation, but his eyes were fixed on Xpel the entire time. She could feel his gaze on her, but she didn't dare look up.

"Any idea how long she was kept in stasis?" Steve asked, his voice filled with concern.

"We're not sure yet," Bruce replied, still analysing the data. "But it looks like it could be a while. Possibly even decades. But the more pressing matter is her malnourishment."

"You need to eat more, Xpel," Steve said gently, trying to break the tension. "I know it's going to be difficult to get used to eating a regular amount, but you got to try, alright?"

Xpel gave a slight nod in response. Despite her reluctance to open up, she couldn't help but feel a glimmer of hope that maybe, these people were indeed different from those at Hydra.

Bucky remained silent, but his expression softened slightly as he watched Xpel. He knew what it was like to be manipulated and experimented on, and he couldn't help but feel a sense of kinship with her. 

As the others continued their discussion, Bucky's mind drifted off to the past. He couldn't shake off the feeling that he had seen Xpel before. The memory was vague and fleeting, but something about her stirred a sense of familiarity within him and he hated it.

He remembered the countless missions he had been on during his time as the Winter Soldier, some of which were shrouded in secrecy. Could she have been a part of one of those missions? Did he harm her? Bucky's thoughts raced as he tried to piece together the puzzle.

Suddenly, his train of thought was interrupted as Tony called out to him.

"Barnes, are you with us?" Tony asked, snapping his fingers in front of Bucky's face.

Bucky shook his head, trying to clear his mind. "What?"