DIVINE RETRIBUTION │barnes ²

fourteen

They landed at the Tower and parted ways, with Clint and Steve taking the Maximoffs to the residential floors and Evgenia heading to the labs. She still wasn't the biggest fan of them, but she'd gotten over her major discomfort. 

'Uncle Bruce?'

She steps inside and cautiously makes her way to a mop of brown hair as to avoid tripping over the files strewn across the floor.

'Uh.' The face turns to look at her and he pushes his glasses back up his nose bridge. 'Hey Ev. What can I do for you?'

'Do you think you can trace where the Super Soldier serum came from? I've been thinking about it and it makes no sense because they like, would've told me right? I mean, there's no reason to inject it secretly.'

'There's two people in the world, that we know of with the serum.' He peers at her from the top of the glasses (which have slipped down again). 'Apart from you of course. Sit down and let me take some blood.'

She clears the floor by kicking away the mess and crosses her legs.

'Not on the floor.' Bruce returns with a syringe. 'There's a chair right there.'

'Oh, is that a chair? For a person to sit on? I thought it's only purpose was to serve the boxes on it.'

He replies with a 'yes,' and then quietly mumbles, 'your mother is a bad influence. A ten year old shouldn't be arguing back.'

'I heard that.' Evgenia points to her ears as she sits down. 'Super Soldier serum and all.'

'Arm,' he demands.

'What are you gonna do with the blood?'

Bruce withdraws the needle and peels his latex gloves off. 'Run a few tests, see if the DNA matches Steve.'

Evgenia pretends to gag. 'He's my uncle, Uncle Bruce. That's so weird.'

He pats her on the shoulder awkwardly. 'I'll find you when it's done. Go help upstairs and tell everyone I'm coming.'

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'Uncle Bruce is coming. Have you found her?'

Evgenia marches into the room loudly, making her presence known. She pulls out a chair and glances warily at the Maximoffs who stand stiffly across the lab.

'Nothing yet,' Tony says.

She chews the corner of her lip in worry and picks at the remaining shards of nail polish. 

'But she's alive - not hurt or else Ultron would be rubbing our faces in it.'

'When we find her, are we going to fight him and take him down?'

Tony's eyes stay fixated on her but he doesn't open his mouth to speak and neither do any of the adults. Then he turns away with his mouth gaping.

'Anyone wanna tell her? I don't want to be the bearer of bad news.'

'Bad news? How bad news?'

'What bad news,' Steve gently corrects her.

'Well? What is it?'

'You're staying with Sharon Carter until this all passes.'

'What?' Her hands fly up in frustration and almost hit her face. 'That's not fair Uncle Steve! I can take care of myself. I can fight too!'