Project Ultron

Seventeen.exe

I waited in the hall for some news. Robert was with me; he had insisted on being there, saying that I would be less nervous with some company. It wasn't working.

It had been hectic since we came from the mission. Shortly after I had shot the murder bot that had crept behind Robert on the field, Maria Hill had come with Agent Langen and the rest of the team and they had helped get Agent Eversley into the quinjet. After that, Agent Ruzicka had flown us out of there as fast as the engines allowed him. When I boarded the quinjet and I saw Leslie, I froze. She was there, a little banged up, but she was alive and well. She was safe. I had been pushed out of the way so they could carry Agent Eversley onto the ship and, when Leslie didn't look our way, I started to grow anxious. I approached her and saw that she had been knocked out.

"There was a small fight," Robert had explained, "She got pushed against a machine. Hit her head pretty hard."

"She'll be fine," Ms. Hill had said putting a hand on my shoulder reassuringly.

Now I was pacing the hallway of the hospital while Robert followed me with his gaze, sitting on one of the benches. I hated hospitals. I felt like they were places where only bad things happened. I didn't like to come when some of Leslie's friends had a baby. I even hated places with white walls as they reminded me of hospitals too much.

"So, uh," he started, "I noticed you go by Atwood now."

I stopped my pacing and a nurse had to swerve to avoid me.

He really wants to go there?

"Yeah," I said.

"Why?"

I narrowed my eyes a little. "Isn't it obvious?" I said. He rose his brow surprised and looked down a little embarrassed.

I sighed and shook my head. I didn't mean to snap at him but I really wanted to leave the past there, in the past. I sat down next to him and gathered my thoughts. "I didn't want to have anything to do with him," I explained.

He looked at me, I noticed, but I looked forward, avoiding his eyes. "During the trial, they kept calling me Miss Walker," I continued, "I hated it. It made me sick." I shook my head a little and looked down. "So, I changed it."

"Why Atwood?" he pried.

I smiled a little bit. "My mother," I said, "Her last name was Atwood." I stopped for a second, debating whether or not to open up to him. "She died," I ended up saying. I frowned. I wasn't going to cry, even if it hurt me; I had cried enough. I looked at him and chuckled. "It's dumb. I never knew her. I don't know why I care."

He looked at me with pity and, for the first time, I didn't mind it. He seemed to be comprehensive, I liked that.

"She died when she had me. So, I guess it's the only thing I have of her," I finished.

He nodded slightly and opened his mouth to answer but a doctor came out of the room Leslie was in.

"You can come in now," the doctor said.

I jumped up and hurried inside, leaving Robert in the hall. Leslie was on one of the beds. She had her arms crossed over her chest and looked positively bored. I ran to her side and hugged her. She tensed up and gasped because of the pain.

"I'm sorry," I said, "For everything."

She relaxed and hugged me back.

"What are you sorry for?" she asked.

"If I hadn't had the drive-"

She pulled me back gently. "If you hadn't had the drive none of this would have happened," she agreed, "But other things could have. We don't know the future."