HESTIA ━ marvel

0.8 | LEFT HAND MAN

DAYS TURNED INTO nights, and nights turned into days. It was now Sunday, and Tony, Anastasiya and Bruce had been in the lab surviving on coffee and pizza. Since Anastasiya wasn't familiar with the lab, she just did as she was told. The equipment around her amazed her. She'd seem similar in the Hydra base, but never this advanced.

Pieces of large paper with sketches drawn on them were sprawled over the floor, and empty cups of coffee littered the worktops like it was a dumping ground.

"What did we miss?" Tony asked rhetorically, as he finally stopped.

"I'll continue to run variations on the interface. But you should probably prepare for your guests. I'll notify you if there are any developments."

"Thanks buddy. Come on Ana. It's time to go get ready. I'll take you to your room and I'll ask Natasha if she has anything you can borrow," Tony said to the redhead, as she pushed herself off from the floor. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders as they walked out together.

"Enjoy yourself, sir."

"I always do."

Tony led Anastasiya down a corridor and pointed at a door at the end. "That's your room. Have a shower, get ready, whatever you need to do."

"Thank you," the teenager smiled at the older man in front of her.

"Of course." He began walking away. "And kid? It was nice to work with you. Should do it again sometime," he called, smiling back at her, as Anastasiya disappeared behind the door.

The thirteen year old girl was shocked when she turned around. The room was stunning. The bed was big, it had a big window with a beautiful view of the city. Placed in the corner was a massive wooden wardrobe, and to the side of that was the door to the en-suite bathroom. Being in Hydra all those years, she'd never experienced luxury.

She walked into the bathroom, reaching into the shower and turning it on. She undressed herself, and got in, the hot water running down her back. She washed her hair and her body, and shaved her legs. She got out quickly, grabbing a towel from the nearest stack. Anastasiya opened the door cautiously, to see that a black dress had been laid on the bed neatly, a pair of heels on the floor beneath.

Closing the curtains in the window, she dried herself off, pulling the dress on carefully. It fit her perfectly. The enhanced went back into the bathroom and dried her hair, straightening it, and let it fall down down her back elegantly. Once she was ready, she pulled on her shoes and walked out her door.

"Um... which way is it again?" She asked herself quietly.

"Go down the corridor to the elevator, go to the 10th floor and when you get out, take a left." The voice startled her, but she recognised it at once.

"Thanks, Jarvis," the girl said, following the AI's instructions. She came to a room full of people, and instantly froze. What was she doing here? She didn't know anyone here. She started to turn around to leave, but before she could someone grabbed her arm.

"Hey Ana. You look beautiful," Steve said, and Anastasiya smiled.

"Thank you," she said to the super soldier. Steve pulled her gently through the crowds, until they came across a pool table.

"Ana, this is Sam Wilson. Sam, this is Anastasiya Maximoff." Anastasiya shook the man's hand, "nice to meet you," she said to him.

"You too. Come watch our game, I'm gonna beat Steve," Sam insisted, and Steve looked appalled.

"I don't think so," Steve exclaimed, and he grabbed a pool cue.

"No, no, no. Come back, come back, come back," Sam said, as he hit a ball.

"Steve I think he beat you," Anastasiya whispered into his ear, and Steve just looked at her.

"How dare you," he joked, whilst Anastasiya looked around and spotted Tony and Thor.

"I'm going to see Tony and Thor. I'll see you in a bit. Maybe next time Steve, you might actually win." Sam laughed at her remark.

"Hey Tony, Thor."

"Hey kid, this is Rhodey, my best friend. And this is Maria Hill, works for SHIELD."

"Hi, I'm Anastasiya," she held her hands out for them to shake.

"She's one of the smartest kids I've met. She's been helping me and Bruce in the lab the past few days. I was surprised,"

"That's really cool, kid. Do you want to hear war machine story?"

"I'd love to hear war machine story," Anastasiya gushed.

"Okay, you know the suit can take a lot of weight. So I take the tank and fly it right up to the general's palace, drop it at his feet. I'm like, "boom. You looking for this?" Rhodey finishes, looking proud of himself, but Thor and Tony look unamused.

"Boom. Are you looking for..." Rhodey repeated. "Why do I even talk to you guys? Everywhere else that story kills."

"That's the whole story?" Thor asked him.

"Yeah... it's war machine story."

"Oh, it's very good then," Thor adds.

"It's impressive," Anastasiya says.

"Quality save. And thank you, Anastasiya. Clearly, I like you the most," Rhodey claimed, and Tony looked offended, but his best friend ignored it and Rhodey decided to change the conversation before it got awkward.

"So... No Pepper? She's not coming?"

"No,"

"What about Jane? Where are the ladies, gentlemen?"

"Oh, Ms. Potts has a company to run," Tony says sadly.

"Yes, I'm not even sure what country Jane's in," Thor adds, taking a sip of his drink, "her work on the Convergence has made her the worlds most foremost astronomer." Anastasiya looked impressed.

"And the company that Pepper runs is the largest tech conglomerate on Earth. It's pretty exciting."

"There's even the talk of Jane getting a, um, Nobel Prize."

"Yeah, yeah they must be busy because they would hate missing you guys get together," Maria adds, before choking, "testosterone!"

"What about you Anastasiya? Got a boyfriend?" Tony jokes, and Anastasiya glares at him.

"Oh yeah, totally," she adds sarcastically, and walked off to talk to Sam and Steve.

"Hey Ana, we were just talking about the fight. Feel free to join us."

"Thanks. I don't really know anyone here so it's a bit awkward for me,"

"Yeah, I understand. I don't really know anyone here either. But it sounds like a hell of a fight, I'm sorry I missed it," Sam says to the two Avengers.

"It I'd have known it was gonna be a firefight, I absolutely would have called."

"No, no. I'm not actually sorry. I'm just trying to sound tough," Sam insisted, and Anastasiya laughed. "I'm very happy chasing cold leads on our missing persons case. Avenging is your world. Your world is crazy."

"You can say that again," Anastasiya sighed.