Copper Feather

1

She stood on the rooftop of the Louvre, red hair whipping around her face. She extended the gun in her hand once more. "You want to visit the prison?" She was facing a man wearing all black and a mask. You could tell he was grinning. "Oh, so you don't know?" he taunted, laughing as he swung his gun into firing position as well. The girl's stance faltered for a fraction of a second, but the man noticed. "Shoot me, Evie. Let me see your father, after all, I miss my partner in crime. Let me take a visit to prison!" The girl's hair, which had once been pulled back into a ponytail, flipped sideways around her, creating an alarmingly formidable view as the sun rose over the treetops in the distance. The sunrise cast the surrounding area into a golden glow, momentarily blinding the man long enough for the girl to pull the trigger. The following gunshot was inaudible to the girl's ears, as she'd experienced so many explosions in the last few hours her hearing was nearly gone. The sun rose completely over the Paris skyline, making the girl's messy red hair resemble thousands of Copper Feathers.

***

Evie Romanoff woke up, gasping. She sat bolt upright, red hair catching the sunlight that was streaming through the window. It was the same nightmare again. The memories of what she'd done last fall haunting her, time after time. She seemed to brush it off, standing up. She walked towards the bathroom, turning off the alarm just as it made its first beep. She walked into the bathroom, washing her face and brushing her teeth. She had just started to pull her hair into a ponytail when she noticed her phone ringing.

She picked it up, raising her eyebrow at the unknown number. She answered regardless, raising the phone to her ear. "Miss Romanoff?" asked a voice that sounded very official. "Yes? To whom do I owe the pleasure of talking to?" she responded, clearing her throat. "Mr. Stark, Tony Stark." She inhaled sharply, eyes flying to the poster on the wall. It was a picture her mum had sent her a few weeks ago. It was her mum and her friends. Most people knew them as the Avengers, but Evie knew them as friends. "Yes?" A phone call from Tony either meant good news or bad news. Normally, it was bad news.

"It's not about your mother, she's fine." Evie exhaled in obvious relief. "It's the case you took last fall." Evie's relief vanished, and she tensed. "You did extraordinarily well. Better than we expected, actually. I'm calling from Bolivia to personally welcome you to the Junior Team." Evie's eyes widened in shock. "Really?!" She went from nervous to ecstatic in a few seconds, bouncing slightly. Tony chuckled. "Yes. I'm assuming you're ready to move right now, right?" Evie looked around quickly. Most of her stuff had remained in boxes. "I've been on call for weeks, of course, I'm ready to go. Give me ten minutes to finish getting ready." Tony responded, "Okay. I've got a team on the way for your stuff. Pack up the security system and get a move on." Evie nodded. "Bye Tony." he 'mhmed' and hung up. Evie finished pulling her hair into the ponytail she'd started earlier, a new spring in her step.

She practically bounced around the small apartment, snatching cameras from walls, window sills, and ceilings. Her seemingly normal outfit was riddled with hidden abilities, and she knew it. She took full advantage of her, well, advantages, swinging down from the ceiling to grab the voice recorder/tracker in the flooring. Having Tony Stark as an 'uncle' had its perks. Five minutes later, she was ready, boxes behind her, hair a mess.

She stared impatiently at the watch on her wrist. It dinged a moment later, chiming a perfect fifth up from the doorbell. She opened the door quickly, enveloping the awaiting Thor in a quick hug. She exclaimed rather loudly, "Thor, buddy. Help me?" He nodded, rolling his eyes affectionately. He grabbed all six of the fairly large boxes, sighing when Evie jumped on top. "You can fly!" he exclaimed exasperatedly. "You can carry!" she retorted, making him chuckle. Evie's apartment was on the bottom floor of the nearly-empty apartment building. Thor walked straight outside and towards the large van.