✔ᵉⁿᵍˡⁱˢʰ a.k.a. Part I - Infinity War✔

02

Admittedly, it had really been one of the best offers Jyn could ever get, ever get or ever could have got, but this Avenger number was a thing that fit more to other people than to her. Not to be in the public eye because of the whole thing or because all eyes were on her, because that wouldn't have been anything new, because she knew this long ago. From both points of view. Once as a person reporting about someone and once about someone who was just reported. And not all too rarely. Some of these reports were only negative. Anyway, she knew both sides of the coin in positive and negative respects.

So Jyn would badly claim away that she knew what she was getting herself into. To a life in constant focus. And this time completely. In the permanent center. Nothing more with freedom or privacy. In the big sense. The eyes of the whole world on one person. Everything that it does, does and says will be scrutinized, analyzed and judged by everyone. Does a person want that at all? On his own? If someone did not have the choice because someone is a public person, because of the job or the parents, it has been so from the beginning and on a certain 'normal' only a certain privacy everyone wants to keep. Especially when you're not at home like eating or on vacation for example.

It took a whole three days until Jyn could finally decide to give the whole Avenger topic at least a chance. Just for the simple reason that she had no idea why Tony thought..... Better said, the opinion was that she could be an Avenger. Hello-o?! In America she was known for three things..... became known. Not known to a certain or special target group, but nationwide. Known not famous only known. First, through her job. Second, through the marriage.... Ex-husband. Third, through her brother. And with all three you could say one thing: In terms of popularity, none of them stood at the very top. Journalists are hated; the ex-husband, a little bit to get used to, and the brother who topped everything once again. Best conditions to be an Avenger. Without abilities well noticed.

It wasn't particularly difficult to get to the address of the headquarters. Even if Tony hadn't given it to Jyn. Thanks to Google Maps. The destroyer of all privacy. There she was again on the subject of privacy. Yes, the Internet. She rolled up the street to the main building, took a look over the area and put her '69 Mustang, next to a brand new Audi, at the end. Who only owned this one? Well, it said STRONG on the license plate, but that didn't mean anything.

"When it comes to punctuality, you can't do anything," Tony reported, who seemed to have just arrived himself and now got out of his car, "So it takes three days to decide to become an Avenger. One should actually think that everyone would say yes immediately, without having to think about it. Then you will come."

"Hey, my name isn't Stark and I need the media hype," laughed Jyn, greeted Tony with a kiss on his right and left cheek and then followed him up the way to the entrance, "Especially since I don't have to start a discussion in all the media about whether this was such a good idea or whether you're all still in your right mind. Big on the front page of the Times, as headline: 'Tony Stark's new Avenger'. Including as a subline: 'Genius or madness - what did he think of his new member? At least that's my article about me. But I'm here to give it all the chance it deserves. Just don't expect too much."

A cough was heard from Tony. One of him was pretty sure. True to the motto: Nobody in the world would ever refuse this invitation. A group of people with extraordinary abilities, who do good, it says in the Avengers Initiative. People with extraordinary abilities. Bold marked and underlined. So the question is still what is so 'extraordinary' about Jyn. Nothing. No state-of-the-art combat suit, no godpower or agent training. Nothing of the sort.

What could you say about the Avengers' headquarters? Typically strong. Bright, modern and equipped with every imaginable high-tech bells and whistles on the market today. You couldn't say anything about style, even people who didn't like him couldn't say it any other way.

"I know you," a red-haired woman greeted Tony and Jyn, "as soon as they came in through the front door, halfway down the hallway and already held their hand to Jyn, "you are......."

"Yes......", Jyn interrupted the woman in a friendly manner, as she did not want to go into it any further, because it didn't have to be, and reached out her hand as well, "Pleased to meet Miss Romanoff, too. I was present at your speech in Washington at the time and must say..... it didn't do much good in the end. It was still worth a try, but a badly thought-out one. Things happens."

Then Romanoff's gaze wandered directly to Tony, who just tilted his head slightly to the side, which meant so much, you'll understand each other perfectly, I'm sure of that. But in order not to spend the whole day between door and angel, Tony made a hand movement to go on. Across the main corridor we continued into a daylight-flooded living area where a purple person, Vision, and a young brunette woman were staying. Abruptly, as soon as Jyn saw the brunette, she stopped, nodded her face and the feeling she was feeling was not too good.

"We have a guest," Vision noted with an emotionless voice and simply threw it into the room as if guests were something completely self-evident and something daily, "I hear a certain tension.

"No Guest Vision," Tony corrected immediately on what made the brown-haired woman curious, "I chose her for Avengers. We can always use someone like her."

"A new member. I didn't realize you were looking for new people," said the woman with a Russian accent and came over to the group to introduce herself.

"Not guaranteed," Jyn immediately raised both hands, rejecting them, closing them again and again to a fist and finally only raising both index fingers, while one step back from the brunette, "I'm sorry. I can't do that.... No. This unsuccessful experiment..... Never. Ah ah. Forget it."

There was much, really much that Jyn could come to terms with and arrange, if necessary, but not with this. She didn't have to give it to herself. No. That's why she quickly said goodbye to Natasha and told Tony that he had to expect mail the next day. Nothing more.

In a small but well-attended café in the city centre, at one of the free tables, Jyn supported her elbows from the table top and crossed her fingers in front of her mouth, where she kept tapping her lips with the backs of her thumbs. This woman was nothing more than an unsuccessful experiment. One that unfortunately had to survive all experiments. People would now say that she didn't even know this woman and should therefore give her a chance, but unfortunately there was a problem in order to be able to do this. A few circumstances that did not allow it. Namely that she did not want it in the first place, because what this woman had done could never be made good again. And in a certain way she already knew this witch experiment.

"I already know", without turning my eyes away from the opposite park, Jyn pushed aside a file with the S.H.I.E.L.D. logo, which had put her Romanoff in front of her nose on the table, even before the redhead could sit down on a chair opposite, "Some of them are mine in some ways. I've done more for him than most people know."

"Blood for blood," Romanoff replied, giving Jyn a sobering look, "Your words. From the Sokovia article. But to talk about your problem with Wanda. It should never go that way."

"Surely 'A life for a life' tells you something, too'", unimpressed, Jyn stuck a note under the cup, stood up and looked at her mobile phone to see if anything interesting had happened, "Two in my case. At some point the experiment meets the right person and then gets what she deserves. I would come up with a few things right away, but it wouldn't change the fact any more and something like that, I don't have the joy. Leave it alone, it won't work."

The years will go by, that's what it's called, and what remains are the beautiful memories. Well, the last one, however, was not a beautiful one and has truly burned itself into the memory. It was more than just blood for blood.