✓ | escaped [ ➀ ]

[ chapter three ]

Andi couldn't stop staring outside the windshield of the jet she was now on. She hadn't seen so much sky and daylight in a year, let alone in those few minutes. Conversation was going on behind her, but she only mildly paid attention. Her ears perked up when the conversation took an interesting turn. Andi was not surprised. A stranger was now on a jet with the Avengers after having come from the facility they just raided. If she was one of them, she would have been suspicious too. 

"Do we know anything about her?" she heard a woman's voice asking. She was probably talking to Tony since he was the one that brought her there. "You say she has powers. How do we know she's not playing some sort of game here to try and get the scepter back?" 

"Because she led me to the scepter," Tony explained. "She helped me get away from those freaky twins and she was willing to take the fall for it. That, to me, doesn't seem like she's playing a game." 

"You know Hydra. You know how they mess with people. This could all be a set up," the woman continued, clearly uncertain about this whole scenario. 

"She's a child," Andi heard a more deep voice now, and she turned around briefly to see a much taller man with long, blond hair. "How much could she be capable of?" 

"I'm not a child," Andi finally interrupted, turning her body completely so she faced them. "And I'm capable of more than what you've already seen," she told them softly, crossing her arms over her chest. The woman with red hair eyed her curiously but Andi continued. "The Maximoff Twins accepted experimentation with the hopes that they'd be able to destroy you," she said, looking to Tony. "If I was on their side, I would have done that for them the moment I saw you. I didn't, because I they're need for vengeance is misplaced." She looked toward the redhead again. "I'm not here to trick you. All I want is freedom. Once we land, I won't bother you ever again." 

There was a bit of silence after that. One of the men, the one with the shield that Andi knew to be Captain America, was working on hooking up one of their other members to an IV. He looked like he was hit pretty bad. Andi then let her gaze drift toward another man in the corner, seated with headphones over his ears. He had his eyes closed. 

Turning her attention back to the three that stood before her, the woman nodded, but said nothing as she left them, instead going over to the man in the corner. Tony looked at her for a moment. "I guess introductions are in order?" Andi understood that. She hadn't even introduced herself. 

"Andi," she said softly, not wanting to bring out her full name. That was how her mother always referred to her -- when she wasn't referring to her as subject number 7. 

"Right, well I'm Tony," he said, placing a hand on his chest and then gesturing to the long haired guy. "This is Thor. That there is Natasha, and she's with Bruce. Over here we have Clint. And over there--" He cut off when he turned to see Steve standing by the scepter. "That's Steve Rogers," he said, his voice faltering a little before he and Thor both moved to stand beside the captain. 

Andi hesitantly moved to stand there as well, and she looked down into the box that contained the scepter and the glowing stone at the top of it. 

"We need to find out what else this has been used for," Steve said. "And I don't mean weapons. Since when is Strucker capable of human enhancement?" 

"Since a while ago," Andi replied, causing the three male gazes to turn onto her. She continued to look at the scepter as she spoke. "He wasn't the one heading it before though. There was another man. And at the time they resorted to... other means of experimentation. They only got the scepter two years ago." Andi was not overly fond of going into detail about the various things she had endured so she remained vague. "I'm pretty sure the facility you just destroyed isn't the only one in existence but... on the bright side, they don't have the scepter for the other experiments." 

"The Maximoff twins, that's how they got their powers?" Steve asked, nodding to the scepter. "With this?" 

Andi nodded. "I did too, partly," she explained, not wanting to lie about that. "They tested it on me first, to see if I'd survive it." 

That earned a little more silence till Tony broke it. "Well, we're going to find the rest of those facilities and put a stop to all of this," he said, and Andi recognised a bit of determination in his voice, which made her smile a bit. She looked up from the scepter and at him. 

"And of course," Tony looked to Thor. "Bruce and I will look over the scepter a bit once we get back, if that's cool with you?"

Though seemingly hesitant, Thor nodded. He seemed about to say something when another voice piped in. A voice that Andi did not recognise and it seemed to be coming from... the jet? 

"Sir, we're going to be landing soon." 

Tony looked up and toward the flight controls. "Thank you, Jarvis," he said and walked over to sit down in the pilot's seat.  

"For what it's worth, I'm sorry for what you had to go through," Steve spoke, and Andi glanced to him. "I don't know the whole story but I have dealt with Hydra before and nothing is ever pleasant with them." 

Andi nodded. "Thank you," she said softly. Truthfully, she was just relieved to be free of them. For the time being at least. She didn't want to get her hopes up completely. 

"Ladies and gentlemen, prepare for landing," Tony called out, and Andi walked over curiously. She stood behind his chair and looked ahead and through the windshield to see a large tower getting closer and closer. It had a huge 'A' on the side of it, and Andi didn't need to be told what that stood for. 

"Kid," Tony spoke without looking back at her. "I know you want to leave and put as much distance as you can between yourself and Hydra, but you need to rest up," he explained as she jet flew in and settled in it's spot which Andi thought of like parking a car. Only this wasn't a car. 

She was hesitant about spending time there. Not because she believed they would wrong her or treat her the way Hydra had, but because she feared that staying in there would lead the twins right to Tony and the others. Not to mention, anyone else from Hydra that was looking for her. 

"Look," Tony continued, now standing up as the jet doors opened and the others filed out. "Just stay today, have a hot meal, get some sleep that isn't on a cold cell floor and we can talk about the future tomorrow," he suggested, looking down at her. He seemed to have this slightly awkward stance which gave her the impression that he didn't talk to people her age that much. Nor did he seem used to offering such care. "Look at it this way, I can't have it in my good conscience letting a fourteen-year-old run off on the streets without supervision after just being rescued from a Hydra facility." 

Andi pursed her lips but food and a proper bed did sound incredibly tempting. And if she left after this, who knew when she would ever experience that again, or how long it would be till she got to. So, eventually, Andi nodded. 

Tony, seemingly pleased, nodded as well and then held out a hand to gesture for her to exit the jet first. "Well then, for the time being, welcome to the Avengers Tower, formerly known as Stark Tower," he gestured to himself before following her out, and it was all Andi could do not to let her jaw drop at the mere sight of the whole place. "Welcome home."