Marble Statues ⏃ Captain America [4]

two

02. | TWO DOLLAR WATCH

THE QUINJET LANDED gently on top of Avengers Tower, and a ramp quickly slid down. Medical support staff hurried to unload Clint on a stretcher, then transported him to Dr. Cho's hastily assembled med lab.

    "Cho's all set up, boss," said Maria Hill as Tony walked down the ramp with the rest of the team behind him.

    Christina offered the woman a small smile, which she gratefully returned. Hill had once been a top agent and an important leader inside S.H.I.E.L.D. When the organization fell, Stark hired her right away. He wanted someone with her skills, and she wanted a position where she could still make a different. It was a natural transition and Christina was thankful for another woman in the Tower.

    "He's the boss," Tony said, hooking his thumb over his shoulder at Steve. "I just pay for everything, and design everything, and make everyone look cooler."

    Steve ignored Tony's comment and turned to Maria. "What's the word of Baron Strucker?"

    "NATO's got him," Hill replied matter-of-factly and Christina moved to join them.

    "And what about the two Enhanced?" Christina asked. She wouldn't feel comfortable until they got a read on these two new super-powered enemies, knowing all too well what Hydra was capable of.

    In response, Hill handed them a file and began briefing them.

    "Wanda and Pietro Maximoff. Twins, orphaned at age ten when a shell collapsed their apartment building. Sokovia's had a rough history. It's nowhere special, but it's on the way to everywhere special. It doesn't have any resources, but it's been 'liberated' about a half-dozen times since nineteen-seventy. Some U.S. presence, but we're not well liked."

    As they listened, Christina and Steve flipped through the file, seeing photos of Wanda and Pietro, first as small children with their family, and then older, holding signs that read "AMERICA OUT OF SOKOVIA" and "NO JUSTICE, NO PEACE."

    "What about their abilities?"

    "He's got increased metabolism and improved thermal homeostasis," reported Hill. "Her thing is neuroelectric sensitivity and microcellular manipulation."

    Steve gave her a look that said, In English...and Christina smiled at his confused face, much rarer to see nowadays than when they first met.

    "He's fast, she's weird," Maria summarized. "We also found that her abilities are very similar to Christina's new ones. We're guessing that these similarities were completely accidental."

    "Nothing Hydra does is an accident, Maria."

    Steve frowned at this. "They're going to show up again."

    "Agreed," said Hill, nodding. "The file says they volunteered for Strucker's experiments. It's nuts."

    "Yeah, what kind of monster lets a German scientist experiment on them to protect their country?" Steve deadpanned, making reference to his own past as they approached the elevator.

    Maria registered the point he was making, but it didn't change her opinion. "We're not at war, Captain," said Hill.

    "They are," Steve responded.

    Those two words hit Christina hard in the stomach as they stepped onto the elevator.

    "Are you okay, Chris?"

    Christina sucked in a breath through her teeth, hand awkwardly rubbing the healed wound on her bicep. She could see the look on his face and knew there was absolutely no point in lying to him. "Yeah, I think so. I got distracted out there today."