The city streets of New York were busier than you would have imagined, and trying to maneuver them without touching anything or anyone was nearly impossible. You did your best to side step each person as they passed, but more often than not a part of your body would connect with theirs, sending an electric shock through them. Thankfully it wasn't enough to hurt them, but enough to quickly get their attention turned on you.
"What the hell was that?"
"Ow! What do you think you're doing?"
"Are you some kind of freak?"
The insults came so frequently that you found it easier to tune them out as the hours passed. You didn't know where you were going, only that you escaped and you were finally free after years in a laboratory cage like a rejected animal from the city pound. Your steps came faster as your mind raced, trying to formulate a plan to survive the city with no money, no food, and no shelter. You were watching your feet as you walked, but fate was watching you; a man in a leather jacket and jeans was walking towards you, also paying no attention to where he was going.
When you crashed together, the force of electrical current threw him backwards onto the sidewalk. He shook his head and looked up at you, unsure of what just happened. "Hey, you okay?" he asked, pushing himself up from the ground and standing to face you. "That was quite the jolt." He turned towards a souvenir shop next to you to look at his hair in a small mirror, "is my hair curly now? I've always wanted to try that look!"
This was one of the guys that was a threat to Hydra's cause? Really?
"Hey, I'm Clint," he held out his hand but quickly retracted it when he remembered what contact with you could do from just moments ago. His hand shifted to a small wave instead, "and you are?"
You hesitated, unable to get a clear read on the guy. "I'm (Y/N)." You stood motionless for several minutes, regarding each other and trying to anticipate the next move.
"Okay," he sighed, "I've got the name committed to memory, and I think your face is totally burned into my memory. Since we have such a close relationship now, how's about you tell me a bit about the zapper there?" He looked back down the sidewalk towards where he came from, "I have some friends who would probably love to meet you."
You shook your head, not wanting to be a hassle, but also not wanting to put yourself in a strange situation. "Thank you, but no. I don't want to be any kind of imposition." You took a step to pass by him, but he raised a hand in front of you without any contact.
"Have you ever heard of the Avengers?"
"Sure, who hasn't?"
"Well, I'm Hawkeye, but call me Clint." He sat on the step of a small landing and tapped the concrete for you to join him. "I think we may be able to help you, if you like. I'm sure Doctor Banner could come up with something to help you with...that."
You sat next to him, careful to keep enough space between the two of you and enough space between you and the pedestrians as they passed by. "I'm not even sure what that would look like, finding something to help me. It's hard for me to understand what's happened, so I don't know if you'll have any better luck than I have."
He took a deep breath and began to wring his hands together, "were you born with those abilities or were they given to you? Or...forced on you, maybe?" He watched as your eyes grew wide and your mouth hung open, but no words came. "Can you tell me who did this to you? Do you have family?"
You turned your attention to your hands, resting your arms on your thighs so you could hold them out in front of you. You held your fingers only a few centimeters apart, creating electric sparks that danced between them. You smiled to yourself when you noticed Clint watching with fascination at your skill. With a little more effort, you were able to create color changes within the sparks, causing a few children to stop and watch with him.
"No family, no," you murmured as you continued to concentrate on your hands. "If you're really an Avenger, you know the answer to who did this.'
"Hydra."
"Hydra," you confirmed with a small nod. "They trained me to fight you. They gave me information on each and every one of you, along with your weaknesses, aliases, skill set, and psychological profiles. I probably know more about you than you know about each other." You saw him become physically uncomfortable with this, his posture stiffening and leaning away just slightly. "Don't worry, Clint. I got away for that very reason. I can't be the person they wanted me to be."
Clint let out a small laugh and a smirk crossed his lips, "well that's a relief. I was trying to map out my escape." He slapped his hands on his legs definitively, standing quickly and gesturing for you to join him. "Come on, let's meet the team. If you want, that is." He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone to let them know you were on the way, but it was dead. He frowned at you as he held it up for you to see.
"Yeah, sorry about that." You waved your fingers in front of him, "tech hates me."
~~~
When you reached the tower, you looked up at the massive structure and felt immediately sick to your stomach. Between the nerves and the vertigo, you were a mess. "Clint, they're not going to trust me. When they find out where I've been and what I was trained for...wait, why are you trusting me anyway?"
"Call me a sucker for hard luck cases. You looked a little bit lost, and I think that if I hadn't brought you here, you'd still be wandering the streets. How close am I?"
"Scary close." You sighed and reached for the handle of the main door, but when your hand connected you felt a searing pain that travelled from your hand and up your arm, into your back and chest. A sharp stabbing pain hit your chest, stealing your breath; you saw Clint's hand reach for you as you fell back into darkness.
~~~
"Stand back!"
Another pain in your chest pulled you back towards consciousness, but your body needed more energy for it to work.
"Clear!"
The second hit was much more painful than the first, but still not enough to bring you out of it.
"Give me one more, charge to 350!"
The third and final shock jolted your body forcibly from the asphalt, your breath sucking back into your lungs as you woke. Clint was still right next to you, his eyes full of terror at what he was seeing happen right in front of him.
"Shit, (Y/N)! Are you awake? Are you okay?"
You groaned and struggled to catch your breath, but nodded your head just slightly. You maintained eye contact with him, being the only trusting face that you knew in the crowd that had built up around you. "What the hell...was that?" you said, panting.
"The building is covered and filled with electromagnetic currents and power sources. When you grabbed the door handle, the feedback was too much and your heart stopped." The man you recognized as Tony Stark knelt down beside you, his face much softer than the pictures you had seen. "I want to bring you in for the doc to watch over you for a while. Can't say no."
You nodded and watched as Doctor Banner pulled you onto the gurney wearing thick protective gloves as he touched you. "Any chance that I can get you to hook me up with a pair of those, doc? Maybe a bit more flattering though?"
"I've already got a plan, (Y/N)."
~~~
Clint was at your side the entire time as you settled into the infirmary, taking care to stay close but to not make any contact. You looked around at the monitors, computer screens and tools scattered about, and it reminded you of the Hydra lab enough to feel nerves begin to build within you. The doctor moved to your other side, a needle and syringe in his hand.
"Can I take a blood sample, (Y/N)?
Your heart began to race and panic filled your eyes. Clint noticed the tremor in your arms and legs and grabbed the barrier gloves from Bruce's hands. "(Y/N), hey, can you try to calm down a bit?"
"I can't do this." You bolted up to sit, swinging your legs over the table, preparing to jump down. "Clint, I can't. I don't know what you're going to do to me."
"No, hey, we just want to make sure you're okay after all of that. We don't want to hurt you, I promise." He held his gloved hands up in front of you, hoping to keep you at least secure on top of the gurney.
"But that's how it starts! First they say they just want to run a few tests, then it becomes experiments, then one day you become a freak who can't touch another person for the rest of your life without fear of hurting them!"
Clint finally reached out and grabbed your arms, holding you to look at only him, only into his eyes. He was the only person that you felt safe with, even though you had only known him for a few short hours. You tried to calm yourself, but the anxiety had a grip on you and you could feel energy building in your hands and feet.
"Clint, you need to step back. Please." You looked down at your hands and saw sparks of electricity in your fingertips. "I don't want to hurt you."
Tony entered the lab at that moment, wearing his suit in an attempt to protect himself, and Clint turned to look at him with a disbelieving expression. "What the hell are you gonna do, Stark? Zap her?"
"Hey, can't be too careful. Not till Banner gets her suit and gloves ready. This suit is built to take a hell of a lot more energy than she can conjure up, that's for sure."
You took a calming breath, stepping towards him to study the bulky suit, turning back to look at Clint, who was now wearing a mischievous grin. With a wink he nodded towards Tony and waited for you to make your move.
You closed your eyes and fought to center yourself, calming the anxiety and focusing your energy in one place; your hands. Once you felt ready you opened your eyes and stretched out to lay your hands on each side of the suit.
"Hey, hey what's she doing?" Tony's voice became shaky and sounded nervous now. "Guys, things look a bit crazy in here."
You laughed quietly and smiled at the sound of Clint joining you. You focused one final burst of energy into the suit, finally fully disabling it and leaving Tony in the dark. "Feel free to let me know when you require my services for testing your improved suits, Mr. Stark. Until then," you put your hand on the arc reactor and sent a jolt of energy back into the suit, bringing it back to life, "maybe you should leave this stuff to the experts."