MAGIC TRICKS [PETER PARKER]

THIRTY-FOUR

"FIVE YEARS?"

Nadia couldn't believe her ears. Bruce Banner, who was still technically Bruce Banner but looked more like the Hulk, rubbed his hands together nervously. "Uh, yeah... We encountered a few problems developing the tech you needed to... live."

The girl glanced down at her hand, a piece of metal wrapped around her wrist and snaking up the back of her hand gleaming on her skin. "So... Am I twenty one now?"

Natasha, the only one still living in the compound, glanced at Bruce, unsure of how to respond. "Well... Technically, yes. But in the cryostasis chamber, the rate of bodily functions slows down to almost zero, meaning you haven't aged, per say." Nadia stared at him blankly, confused. "So yes, you've been alive for twenty one years, but physically and mentally you're still sixteen."

Nodding, she swallowed dryly. Five years.

"I recommend that you stay here for a few weeks and regain your strength," Banner said, his big green hands fumbling with the tiny IV,
"We can contact your family when the time comes."

Nadia glanced down at her hands. "I don't have any family," she mumbled sadly. Bruce faltered, but continued on thumbing through the wires that he detached from her body. "I'm sorry... You can always stay here, I'm sure Nat wouldn't mind the company."

The red haired woman offered an awkward smile, pursing her lips after in a blank expression. "I'll be back in a while to make sure everything's still holding up," he finished, gesturing at the debilitation device. She nodded, watching as the big green man left.

Natasha stood uncomfortably in the corner, her arms crossed over her chest. "Where is everyone?" Nadia asked to clear the silence.

"Well, Tony got better and moved upstate with Pepper— they have a daughter now, by the way," Natasha reminisced, a sad look crossing over her face as she spoke of the tight-knit family she once had, "Steve and Rhodes got their own places, Banner— well you saw him... And me... I'm just here."

Nadia was quiet again. Her mind was racing and her head pounded with thoughts, the girl quietly grasping and hoping to hold on to at least one of them. So had they just given up? Was that it?

"Do you want me to call anyone for you?" asked Nat, curling a piece of her blonde tipped hair behind her ear, "I'm sure Tony would want-"

"No." Nadia shook her head abruptly. "I-I don't want to bother him. He's got a family, a life now..." Natasha didn't say anything else. "Could I just stay here a little while?"

The redhead had agreed whole-heartedly, and the girl recovered in the hospital ward for a week before she was on her feet again. She stayed with Natasha most times, only ever leaving the compound to attend the small support group Steve Rogers held in an abandoned cafe.

That's how most things were then. Rundown, empty, desolate— the world was nothing like it used to be. It no longer bustled with energy, but rather remained eerily still and dark, the ashes of half of the planet blocking out most sunlight. She wondered what would happen to them; would the unattended nuclear plants explode and kill everyone? Or had that been taken care of? This is what Nadia chose to think about as she sat in the fold-up chair with her knees touching her chin, tuning in and out of the conversation.