The misfits

2: Emma

"SIGNS ARE NORMAL." Lily reported as she scribbled away on a notepad, turning to her husband.

"Good. I wouldn't want to start over a fourth time. It should survive this one. If not, it would be two whole years of work down the drain."

"Clint, 'she'. She's our daughter. Not just an experiment." Lily chided reproachfully, as she glanced down at her child. She smiled at how innocent the child was, gurgling happily. Oblivious to the beeping machines, the walls with bulletproof floor-to-ceiling frosted glass. They took every measure to make sure that they would never be discovered. It was too dangerous a risk.

Clint Barton dutifully ignored her as he gently pressed the transport pads onto the subject's small, frail body.

"Project 0295: Operate."

Lily was furiously typing into one of the computers in a corner as she replied, "Beginning formula at ten percent." The subject began to gurgle as Lily sucked in a breath. They could not fail this time. Clint would want to experiment on their second child and Lily could not bear to have another risk. Their children were not born just for this experiment.

However, was that not exactly what she was doing now? Experimenting on children? A tiny voice in her head told her.

No. She could not. They had to finish what they started.

"Increasing to twenty percent."

Another gurgle.

"Skip formula volume to sixty-five percent."

Lily held her breath as she glanced at the subject.

A squeal.

It was working.

"Eighty percent."

"This is the farthest we've ever gotten." Clint breathed as he turned to Lily, giving her a lopsided grin.

Lily nodded, not taking her eyes off the subject.

"Ninety percent."

A high-pitched squeal. Clint glanced at Lily worriedly as they both wondered if that was just a natural baby reaction or a result of the formula.

"Set the formula to ninety five percent."

The subject continued to smile with a grin plastered across her face.

"One...hundred...percent!"

The subject—Emma began to gurgle happily, unaware of whatever her parents had just done to her. As Emma waved her left hand, a ring of fire spread rapidly around the cot, Emma unharmed while she touched her waist, and her diaper was burnt to crisp, a layer of black soot surrounding her butt.

Lily watched in shock, amazement and relief as she glanced at Clint. Their experiment had worked. Project 0295. A success.