Psych the Avengers Out

Stark Research Results

When Thor returned to Stark Tower later that night, he was surprised to find Rogers sitting at the kitchen island, slumped over a tumbler of faint amber liquid. He approached quietly, and Rogers shot a look over his shoulder and grunted, "Hey big man." Thor pulled a stool up and sat down next to the Captain and they both stared at the countertop for a while, neither really knowing what to say.

It was Thor who finally broke the awkward silence. "I was under the impression that drinking libations was a past time of Stark's," he said with a hint of a smile in his voice. Steve gave a snort of laughter.

"Thought I'd give it a try," he said, tipping his glass and looking at the sloshing liquid with distaste. "It seems to work well enough for Tony. Guess it's not really my thing." He gave a small laugh.

"Would this perhaps have anything to do with our most unusual guest?" Thor asked with a quirk of his eyebrow. Steve looked at him and shook a finger in his direction.

"You're sharper than you look," he joked and Thor begrudged him a smile, tapping his temple with his pointer finger. Rogers felt his grin grow. He was glad it had been Thor to find him like this and not Tony. That could have been really awkward. He sighed, knowing he should answer Thor's question.

"She's....different," he started. "Honestly, that's the only way I can think of to describe her right now. She's going to seriously shake things up at S.H.I.E.L.D., that much is for sure." He muttered the last part to himself but Thor caught his words.

"She seemed... fierce," Thor said, fishing for the right words. Steve cocked an eyebrow at him.

"She managed to surprise three of us, Thor. That's not something a normal person can do. She has abilities...abilities that could make her a valuable asset or a terrifying enemy," Rogers said, his fingers curling more tightly around his glass. Thor noticed how his eyes tightened at the corners when Rogers said the word "abilities."

"Do you think she is a potential threat?" Thor asked, concerned.

Steve thought about that for a moment carefully before replying. "I've seen some of the things she can do but she doesn't seem to want to use her abilities. She seems unsure about her powers even though she seems in complete control of her emotions. She's strong-willed and I'm worried Fury is pushing her too far and she'll resent S.H.I.E.L.D. as a result. She's a wild card and that makes me nervous. She would be an amazing ally; the ability to read minds has incalculable uses. But if she were ever coerced or forced to do something against her will that would negatively affect people, the effects could be devastating. Imagine. She knew how to get past all three of us earlier by reading our minds. She'd be unstoppable if someone trained her to read tactical maneuvers from a commanding officer's mind. The only thing working in anyone's favor right now is that fact that using her abilities tires her out because she is untrained. But that could change."

Thor absorbed all of this knowledge quietly.

He looked at Rogers haltingly, "Do we know how she came to be this way?" Steve shook his head.

"My guess is that it's all mixed up with this Warren Biochemical nonsense. It seemed personal when Fury was talking about it to her in the interrogation room. S.H.I.E.L.D. is invested in Warren Biochemical in some way that makes her actions important to them." Steve rubbed a hand over his face slowly. He stood and placed his glass in the sink and washed it out, drying it with a rag.

"Could she have acquired these abilities through medical or biological experimentation?" Thor asked and Steve turned, a dark look in his eye. He opened his mouth to speak but he was interrupted.