Elemental Mimicry

7: Tower tours

Crystal tugged the strap of her dark red bag to her collar bone as it rested on her shoulder, the sixteen year old glancing wearily up at the tall tower that stood before her. Beside the nervous female stood Ruby, her eyes narrowed in a glare and arms folded tightly across her chest. Both girls now had brown hair to hide their identity slightly, Ruby having mimicked the colour from a young woman they had met not long after moving into their temporary apartment. Both stood silently as they thought about what had happened the evening before.

Ruby grumbled as she sat herself beside Crystal on the old brown leather sofa that was in the centre of what was meant to be a living room. Glimmer and Mimic both had their mission files in their hands, having not read them while transferring only hours before. Neither girl moved for a few moments, both staring at the brown files they held loosely. "I can't believe Strucker has us interning for Stark! Of all people!"

"No, we're interning for what was Stark tower. If I remember correctly it's now the Avengers main building." Countered the older female, folding her legs under her and leaning to the side slightly. "But Stark will still be there." Crystal groan and threw her head back, looking dejectedly towards the ceiling before tilting her head to face Ruby who held her gaze.

"Let's see who we are and what we're doing then." The green eyed girl spoke, flicking open her folder and scanning the information before reading it aloud:

"Name: Crystal EastWood
Nationality: Norwegian
Age: 16
Skills: Martial arts expert, dancer and gymnast. Well trained with a bow and arrows.
Internship: The Avengers"

The younger blonde (now brunette) huffed slightly and rolled her eyes, she hadn't agreed with the mission in the first place. Ruby placed a hand on her best friends knee before opening her mission folder and reading aloud:

"Name: Ruby Jenkins
Nationality: English
Age: 17
Skills: Well trained in combat, mainly throwing knives. Able to speak many language and play many instruments.
Internship: The Avengers."

"So we're working for the Avengers." Crystal spoke after several moments of silence.

"At least we can keep an eye on them, it'll make it easier to report back to Strucker."

"I'd like to know how he managed to get us in."

"I'd rather not ask about his methods, last time I did that-" Shivering slightly the seventeen year old shook her head and kicked her feet out until they landed on the wooden coffee table.

After that the two young woman had gone to bed, having to rest for the next day. It wasn't until they  stood before the building that they realised just how much of a bad idea it was. They knew they couldn't disobey Strucker, so with deep breaths the pair entered the lobby. Captain America stood before them, a soft smile spread across his face and arms folded over her casual clothed torso. "Mr Rodgers." Ruby spoke, stepping forward and holding her hand out for him to shake.

"Ma'am." He replied, shaking the seventeen year olds hand before shaking Crystal's hand.

"Please, none of that." The green eyed girl shook her head with a light giggle. "We're only young." Her put on Norwegian accent was very light, almost unnoticeable.

"Of course. Well Miss Jenkins, Miss Eastwood shall we go and meet the rest of the team?" Steve held his hand towards the elevator at the other end of the large room. The Duo nodded and followed the largely taller man towards the metal container. Once they entered the oldest blonde pressed the correct floor and stood with his hand folded in front of him, waiting patiently as the elevator moved towards the sky. Miss 'Jenkins' sighed quietly while Miss 'Eastwood' learn against her to put some distance between herself and the Avenger.

Everything was silent as the elevator came to a halt and Steve lead the way into a large open kitchen/living room conversion. Five other people were sat on the sofa's and chairs, their gazes snapping towards the new arrivals instantly. "Hello." Ruby spoke, waving her right hand slightly before slipping both of her hands into the pockets of her coat.

"Hello." Crystal echoed, her hands gripping the straps of her bag tightly as she gazed around the room.

"Good to see you got here on time!" Tony Stark grinned, standing to meet the new girls. Both blondes, now brunettes, tensed as he approached, unsure of how to react to the billionaire. However when he arrived in front of them the pair shook his hand without a word or expression. Soon after everyone had rose from their seats and introduced themselves, some more enthusiastic than others to have fresh new faces to work with. Natasha and Clint were the most weary of the two new people in the tower.

"How about a tour?" Tony suggested, throwing his arms around Crystal's and Ruby's shoulders, causing them to tense slightly, Unknown to the smiling male. As Tony began walking from the room the two HYDRA Agents dropped from under his arms and stood behind him, giving him sheepish grin as he turned with a raised eyebrow. "Okay." Shrugged the billionaire lead the Duo through the many halls of the tower, introducing S.H.I.E.L.D agents as they walked by.

They continued the tour of the whole morning, only stopping when they entered a room that Tony liked to talk about, which was most of them. When lunch time finally rolled around Ruby and Crystal we're glad to have some free time, being aloud an hour to get out of the tower and eat before returning. "I'm surprised I haven't stabbed him." Ruby muttered as she and Crystal sat down in the small café across the road from the tower, the large structure gleaming in the midday sun.

"How would you-" The green eyed girl cut herself off as her blue eyed companion lifted the hem of her t-shirt up, revealing a small dagger tugged into the waist band of her jeans. "I swear to God Ruby!"

"Says the girl with a compact bow and arrows in her bag." The older shot back, a smirk adorning her lips and eyes twinkling.