"I grew up in... a circus." Holding your thoughts for a moment, you went on, "and the other acts were from all over the globe, some spoke little to no English so in order to communicate with them, I learned their language," memories flashed by in your head from the nights you spent looking at bilingual dictionaries. Often they would correct you when they could.
"From Norway to Indonesia?"
"Mhm, one man, with a beard that could move and a woman who just conned people for money... Oleg was the man and Anna was the woman,"
"Neither spoke English?"
"Oleg didn't but Anna was fluent, she just taught me because she was bored, gave me books to study when I could after shows,"
"Shows?"
"I was a freak," your fingers patter along your thigh. "Sometimes filled in for the aerial and trapeze artists,"
Bruce let a red beam scan over you. "You worked from a young age?"
"$5 per performance, hardly getting by," Tony dropped his tools with a fire in his eyes. "Careful, tin can," you snicker.
"Do you realize that the circus was taking advantage of you?!"
"I was well aware, but they gave me a roof to sleep under, food, if you could call it that, and a working bathroom... kinda,"
"That's awful," Bruce mumbles as he placed a device on your head. "How did you leave?"
"Leave? Ha, you can't leave the circus... you escape it, but even then you can't escape it completely," you shut your eyes as a flash washes over you.
"Then how'd you escape?" This made you flinch, eyes snapping open to stare at the blank wall.
"How much did you get?" Fabian, the ring leader sat on his leather chair, holding out his hand to take the bucket of money.
"Enough," you whisper, the bucket only half full.
"It's half empty! That's enough?!" He kicks you down to your knees. "Come on, be a good girl and give me the rest," he ripped away your jacket and saw a bit of cash hidden away. "Stupid bitch,"
"Please, I'm hardly getting by," your whimper struck no mercy from him.
"Is the roof I put over your head, meals on your plate, water to clean you, not enough?" He kneels down and grabs your chin. "Look at me, little girl,"
"I'm not a little girl," your growl, voice hoarse from pain.
"You're right, after all you did turn 18 this year,"
"18? I can leave?"
"Leave?? Ha! You are adorable, you will never leave," he grabbed your neck and threw you into a crate.
"What are you doing??" You tried to get out only for his hand to clutch your face. A sadistic flicker held in his gaze made you tremble.
"Teaching you a lesson," Biting down against his skin, he fell back with a cry. "Bitch!" He yelled when you jumped on him, landing a blow to his face. Scampering back against his vanity, you saw him wipe blood away, taking his whip and grinning.
"Stay back," you take a small blade from the throwing knife act he would participate in.
"You won't kill me, you don't have the guts," he tried to whip at you, groaning when you dodged in time. Swiping him off his feet you raised the blade above his chest. "Do it," he laughs. "See? No-" The knife plunged right through, piercing the skin, blood oozing out.
"Y/n?" Tony waved a hand in front of you, seeing the familiar look of horror at appearing memories in your eyes. "Y-"
"What?" You snap out of it, your slightly ajar mouth shutting to twist into a smile.
"Are you ok?"
"Uhm, yeah?" Bruce and Tony stare at you, concerned, as you laugh. "You guys are odd... are we done?" Jumping off the bench, Bruce held you back.
"Just need cell samples,"
"Be quick, I want to get back to my room,"
~~~
Tests on the cells were run. Each one was simple and the reactions were as normal as could be. You were healthy, but when Banner accidentally touched a sample of blood he saw it bubble and move like non-Newtonian fluid. He took this and put it under the microscope, seeing it match the game signature his blood would. It slowly morphed and the radiation started to disappear.
This made his eyes widen. "Tony, look at this... her blood is adapting to the gamma radiation in my blood,"
"Shit," Stark says with an evidently impressed tone.
"If her blood can adapt to my radiation, and turn it into healthy cells..."
"Call Cho, tell her to bring cells infected by diseases,"
~~~
Even as human biology students idk if any of this would be accurate
- Anna ❤️