Red. | marvel [1]

t h i r t y - o n e

"Happy birthday, Elana!"
The girl offers a small smile at the S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. Elana couldn't recall her name, but the sweetness of the gesture warmed her heart ever so slightly. Eighteen; it felt so weird. It had almost been a year since she'd run away and a lot has changed in that time.

For starters, Elana is in America and working for an American intelligence agency. She knows more about her family and although Ansilov and Popov are still operating in Russia, they are scheduled for some form of external mission soon. Natasha has been helping Elana keep watch and she honestly couldn't be more grateful. Tony has been letting Elana help in the lab more and more. She'd given him ideas for his suits and he's been letting her help with her powers. And in terms of powers, she's stronger than she's ever been before, even though it's only been a few months since the Sofia Incident. She's been training harder than ever, but everyone has noticed the change in her attitude. It's no longer just survival, it's helping people along the way.

And for once, Elana is content in her position in life. She's climbed the S.H.I.E.L.D. ranks, been officially recognised as an Avenger and she has only had three run-ins with any Russian assailants.

She reaches the Tower earlier than normal. She had knocked off early at Fury's insistence and (although it breaks her strict routine) she thinks it'll do her some good to spend some quality time with some more of the Avengers outside of work and lab time. The elevator takes her up as she pulls the hair tie out of her hair. She runs her fingers through it to unknot it and then tucks some of it behind her ear.

The elevator dings lightly and Elana walks out, checking her phone for any new messages. The room is dark; darker than normal and Elana stops dead when she notices nobody is home. She immediately feels herself getting suspicious and she puts her phone away, putting her hand on her gun lightly. Suddenly, all the lights come flooding on and people are jumping up from behind sofas.
"Surprise!" they yell. Elana looks around at the people. Everyone she cares about is there; Tony, Natasha, Bruce, Thor, Clint And Steve, along with a couple of other agents she'd worked closely with in the past few months.
"Jesus, guys, you scared me!" she laughs, ignoring the lingering sense of panic in the back of her head.

Tony rushes forward, getting the first hug from the birthday girl. Elana laughs slightly as he lifts her off her feet slightly with enthusiasm. Tony had become something of a father figure to Elana over the year she'd been there, teaching her and learning from her in equal amounts and never once underestimating her. Next for a hug is Natasha; the only person Elana has ever considered a motherly figure. The two Russians embrace for a little longer than Tony and Elana had, but soon she's getting moved out of the way by Bruce. Elana moves around the people slowly, hugging Avengers and thanking the agents for being there.

Some people have gifts, others don't, but Elana really appreciates every well wish she gets. She'd only just turned seventeen before she'd been pushed into her physicals and she'd never celebrated her birthday before. The few gifts she did get, however, were destined to stay in her heart. Thor must've pulled a favour from Heimdall, as he'd managed to get a bottle of the Asgardian liquor they'd shared at Christmas. Natasha had gone towards their homeland again, this time producing what must've been the biggest bottle of vodka that Elana had ever seen. Tony, believe it or not, had gone simple, a gift card for a shop that Natasha had stated she likes and that Elana would hopefully enjoy. Bruce and Clint has both contributed towards a destabilising agent of sorts, a gas released at the push of a button that's designed to take out any opponents quickly and effectively.
"Not that you'd ever need it," Bruce had said, "but just in case, you know? For those sticky situations."
Steve had gotten her another couple of books. He'd noticed how she'd read and reread The Shawshank Redemption And had opted for more Stephen King. Probably his most famous books sat in her lap now, It and The Shining. Elana had thanked everyone numerous times and kept gazing over the to the small pile happily.

After a couple of hours (and a couple of drinks provided by Tony), some of the agents begin dispersing. Soon, the Avengers are left. It's at this point that Natasha brings out the cake and lights a couple of candles. Tony tells JARVIS to turn out the lights and they usher Elana forward. They sing a small, quick rendition of happy birthday and Elana blows out the candles with a grin. They cheer as she blows them out. They wait, but the lights don't come back on.
"JARVIS?" Tony asks. There's no reply.
"JARVIS?" Elana echoes. She takes off into the lab and looks around for any sign of JARVIS functioning. All the computers are switched off. She runs back to the living area and shakes her head. "We're offline."
Tony goes to the lab and returns wearing his suit. "JARVIS is still active in here," he informs them. "He's not connected to the Tower, though."

Elana sighs and takes off the denim jacket that has been thrown across her shoulder. She puts it down and pulls of her shirt, revealing the top half of her catsuit. Thor holds his hand out and Mjølnir comes soaring through into his hand. Steve sighs, grabbing his shield from behind the sofa and Bruce is behind Elana.
"No Code Green," Tony says. "I'm not up for rebuilding again after last time."
Elana thinks back to the throw down between Loki and Hulk and shudders slightly. "Good idea. Bruce, if you want to leave..."
"That's probably for the best," he says before exiting down the hallway just as the door bursts open.