DIVINE RETRIBUTION │barnes ²

thirteen

Evgenia, to be honest, was fed up.

When she had begged to go on the mission she had not anticipated that after, she would be stuck on a damn farm with a bunch of other kids.

Natasha had nudged her in the direction of Lila and Cooper Barton as soon as they had appeared, and Zhenya, with a roll of her eyes and a sigh had dragged her feet over to the kitchen counter to sit next to them.

It wasn't that she was opposed to making friends her biological age, it was just that she had yet to find a kid with shared life experience. Also, she didn't really care for the stupid conversations about the hardships of school and how Emily had borrowed Cooper's pencil last Tuesday and had yet to give it back.

For God's sake! She had better things to worry about.

'Mama.' She plops herself on the chair next to Natasha. 'Ya ne khochu risovat glupyye kartinki.' I don't want to draw any more stupid pictures.

'Zheni, it's not about the drawings, it's about making some friends that aren't fourty years older.'

'I'm older than Tony,' she says stubbornly.

'Not biologically you're not.' But Natasha leaves the conversation at that and turns back to the one she's having with Fury and Uncle Steve.

Evgenia slumps in the seat, paying little attention to the adult talk. She fiddles with the bracelet that Helen had given her shortly before she went to bed on the night of the party. 

Monitors your vitals, Helen had said.

From across the room, Bruce Banner narrows his eyes at the girl. 

Shit! 

'Has anyone been in contact with Helen Cho?'

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She is pleasantly surprised this time when they announced that she would accompany Uncle Steve to retrieve the cask.

Her performance on the ship had proved that she was capable of holding her own against fellow enhanced.

The back of the jet opens and without hesitating, Zhenya takes a leaping jump after Cap, her bionic leg absorbing most of the impact as she hits the concrete ground. She swings herself over the barriers separating the opposite lanes of the highway, neatly avoiding a black car whizzing past.

The path to the body of water surround the lab is steep, and Evgenia feels her heart rate increase as they swiftly dodge fast moving cars and the occasional pedestrian along the footpath.

'Down here!' Steve gestures with his hand and pauses to let her move in front of him. 'Towards the bridge and through the main door!'

The wind brushes her braids back and she finds herself squinting her blue eyes to stop them from watering.

The girl doesn't wait for Steve to throw his shield into the door to break the glass. Evgenia slows a little, just enough to balance herself on her flesh leg for just a second as her metal one punches the shards inwards.

'Upstairs?' she huffs in lilac purple.

'First floor.'