When Louisa awoke, her first instinct was jump up and evaluate where she was and how much danger she was in. This plan didn't exactly work out though, as she was groggy and dizzy and all her limbs felt like jello. In fact, it took her about two more "wake-ups" before she could open her eyes without experiencing an agonizing headache, and three more "wake-ups" after that until she could sit up without wanting to vomit.
When Louisa was finally able function without danger of extreme pain or throwing up, she got a look around. She was in a small room, with a mirror on the wall across from her. To her right was a toilet with a pulled back curtain surrounding it. A gray door was farther down the wall her bed aligned too, and a small bedside table was stationed next to her. A very old book of Hans Christian Andersen fairy tales was sitting on top of it. The whole room was white, including the bed Louisa was seated on. She was even dressed in a white hospital gown.
The only possible ways in and out of her room was of course the door and a vent that was directly above her. She knew logically that the vent wouldn't be an option. It would be pitch black, tiny and probably not strong enough to hold her up. That left the door. She took a deep breath and stood from the bed on wobbly legs. She felt like the baby horse she'd once seen in a documentary. Slowly, she took another step and another. Nausea was crashing over her in waves and she had to sit down. The room was spinning and her head was pounding again. Yet, she was still relatively calm and unbothered.
The door swung open and she looked up at none other than Captain America. She should be afraid, she should be running towards the open door. But she wasn't and she didn't. Something was very off with her. They had drugged her for sure.
"What did you drug me with? Why aren't I feeling the way I should be?"
The Captain knelt down in front of her. "I'm sorry, I can't tell you what they drugged you with."
"Why can't I know that?"
"Oh, I'm sorry. It's not a matter of classified knowledge, it's simply that Tony and Bruce don't really tell me what goes on in the lab." He smiled at her, looking for forgiveness.
Louisa didn't smile back. She didn't think she could if she wanted to. Everything was bland. She couldn't feel anything other than neutral.
"How long until the drugs wear off?"
"That is also something I've not been informed of."
"Do they even tell you anything? Are you still just a propaganda caricature or do you actually do stuff?" She knew this was a rude and unwise thing to comment on, but she couldn't help herself.
Captain America looked taken aback. "I haven't been used as propaganda for seventy years."
"I don't think that's true. I think all the Avengers are still propaganda. It's just that none of you want to acknowledge it."
The Captain cocked his head. "How old are you?"
"Ten and a half."
"You're quite the kid, aren't you Louisa? Can I call you Louisa?"
"Yeah, I guess. What do I call you though?"
"Depends. I get called a lot of different things. "
"Like what?"
" Well, my name is Steve Rogers. So naturally I get called Steve as well as Rodgers. Captain or 'Cap is also a popular choice among some." He explained patiently.
"Oh come on buddy, we all know your best name by far is Spangles." A voice came from behind Steve Rodgers. Louisa tried to snap her attention to the door, but her reflexes still felt slow.
"Louisa, this is Tony Stark, Tony this is Louisa." Steve Rodgers smiled tensely. It appeared to Louisa that Tony Stark's arrival was not planned."
"You don't need to introduce me Capsicle, I went to a meeting all about her just a day ago." He replied, eyeing Louisa who was still on the floor by Rodgers.
"I don't believe I need an introduction either, seeing as he was the one who shot me full of whatever the stuff is that I'm on right now."
"Sodium Thiopental. It's pretty great for most things we do." Mr. Stark replied, examining his fingernails.
"The Truth Serum?" Louisa asked, still uncomfortably calm.
"My, my, we caught ourselves a smart one." He cracked a grin towards Rodgers who gave him a disapproving frown.
"Wasn't it also used to execute criminals up until a few years ago?"
"Yes it was Lou, but we aren't going to give you enough to kill you. Only make you relax. Isn't that right 'Cap?"
"Tony, her name is Louisa."
"Actually, I don't hate Lou." Louisa said staring blankly at the Captain.
"God, I love drugs. No one ever tells me they like my nicknames with out 'em." Mr. Stark grinned.
"Come on Tony, don't be cruel." Rodgers said, rubbing his temple.
"I'm not cruel. I'm cool. Now shut up so I can do what Fury told me too."
"Who's Fury?" Louisa asked looking up at both men.
"He's a regular old bucket of sunshine and smiles. You'll really get a kick outta him." Mr.Stark quipped. "But he's not what I'm here to talk about. How much do you know about your powers Lou?"
"I know I make things blow up, or I blow up, or something. It usually happens when I'm mad or scared or annoyed or something."
"Ok, so you know nothing." Mr. Stark remarked, glancing at the mirror.
"That's not true Louisa, you know as much as we do." Steve said, putting a hand on her forearm, which she supposed was supposed to be comforting, but really just made anxious. Or, as anxious as she could be while on Sodium Thiopental.
"Mr. Stark, is that one-way glass?" She Asked, noticing the odd ways the two men kept glancing at the mirror.
"Yes it is. How'd you know?" Mr. Stark raised an eyebrow, cracking a smirk towards the mirror.
"You and Mr.Rogers kept looking at it. Plus, isn't a little strange to put a mirror in a criminal's room?"
"Louisa, you're not a criminal." Mr. Rogers exclaimed. He looked very concerned and his eyebrows drew together so that there was a little wrinkle in between them.
"Then why are you interrogating me?"
"Because sometimes when we find someone who's.... special, we need to ask them questions to make sure that we can do everything we can to help them." Steve replied, kindly.
"Oh bullshit-" Tony said but he was cut off by Steve.
"Language! Come on Tony, she's 10."
"Which makes her old enough to know the truth." Tony countered before turning his attention to Louisa. "Listen Lou, you're different. You can do things you shouldn't be able to do. That scares people and when people are scared, they send the government. When the government doesn't know what to do, they call S.H.I.E.L.D. Sometimes though, S.H.I.E.L.D doesn't care enough and some sneaky little bastard named Nick Fury gets interested in some obscure file he finds, but can't do the work himself so he calls us. That's what happened with you. Now Fury wants answers about who you are and we're here to give them to him"
"Ok." Louisa felt numb, but Steve looked worried.
"How long have you been in foster care?" Tony asked.
"Six years."
"How many different families?"
"Twenty."
"Why so many?"
"A lot of times it was the explosions. Sometimes I scared them. Sometimes I ran away."
"Do you you think you can do anything other than the explosions?"
"I think I'm smarter than kids my age. Everyone in my classes always seemed slow and I was always bored."
"Not a power, but I can relate." Tony chuckled.
"Are you really a genius?"
"I'm the one asking the questions, but yes. I am."
"If you're the one asking the questions, why is Captain America here?"
"Because he's nicer than I am. Also, call him Steve. It makes me throw up my mouth a little when people call him 'Captain America'.
"Oh."
"Do you have a background in any fight style?"
"Karate and Boxing. Fencing too."
"Fencing's for dorks. It doesn't count. Do you still do Karate or boxing?"
"No, Karate got boring and my family stopped paying for the boxing lessons."
"Were you any good?"
"Yes."
"At both?"
"Yes."
"Are you good at any other things?"
"Yes. Lots of stuff."
"Do you pick up on things quickly?"
"Yes."
"How do you feel about staying here with S.H.I.E.L.D and learning about what you can do and how to control it?"
"I don't have a choice, do I?"
"That's true, you don't. But that also wasn't the question,"
"Ask me once I'm off the drugs."
"That might be awhile."
"Tony! Come on!" Steve stood as he spoke, looking positively furious.
"I'm telling her the truth! She deserves to know the truth!"
Steve pulled Tony aside and whispered something to him that Louisa didn't hear. Tony gave him an absolute murderous look but didn't say anything back. Louisa felt a glimmer of unease which she took as improvement. The drugs must slowly be wearing off.
"Lou, how to you feel about maybe meeting some of my team?" Steve asked.
"See, now you're calling her Lou too. Next you'll be introducing yourself to the higher ups as 'Spangles'."
Steve sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose.
"I think you're making him angry Mr. Stark." Louisa piped.
"Alright, come on Louisa. Everyone should be waiting." Steve sighed as Mr. Stark cocked an eyebrow and grinned.
"Uh, I'm sorry Mr. Rodgers-"
"Please, call me Steve."
"Um, ok, Steve, I don't think walking is gonna to go too well."
"I would have to agree, those drugs really mess you up for a bit." Tony said matter of factly and Steve shot him a glare before turning back to Louisa."
"I'll grab a wheelchair, just, uh, stay here with Tony." He walked out of the room, giving a nervous look back as he left.
Tony watched him leave and then turned to Louisa, his demeanor very much changed. "Listen kid, if you pull any funny business we will not hesitate to put charges against you. That means you will stay in this room, drugged out with only an hour out of this room a day. So, when we leave this room, you will not run, you will not detonate and you will not threaten anyone. If you abide by all of this, you'll get a nice a room, classes that fit your IQ and training. Understood?"
Louisa's mind flashed back to the night before, when he had held her down and drugged her, no mercy in his eyes whatsoever. "Yes Mr. Stark." This was a very dangerous man she was dealing with so there seemed to be no other option.
He lightened up almost immediately after her answer. "How do you feel about the training?"
"It seems illegal."
"Why?"
"It sounds a bit Child soldier-y."
"Technically, Yes. But, since you are an enhanced person, the law gives us the right to train you, since if we don't, you could turn into a bad egg."
"Will I be an Avenger?"
"You'll be living with us and my guess is some of us will be training you, but you'll have classes with actual tutors."
"But am I an Avenger?"
"No. There's no way we could send you on any missions. Not when you look this young anyway. If you stick with us, you might be able join when you look old enough."
"Oh."
Tony reached down and ruffled her hair and she flinched away, it didn't seem to faze him. "You're an alright kid Lou."
"Well it's nice you're finally being nice." Steve said, pushing a black wheelchair through the door.
"Hi Steve."
"Hi Lou."
"Is it alright if I help you up into the chair?"
"Yeah."
He wheeled the chair back behind her and helped her up so she could sit back. "Thanks" Lou added as he started wheeling her toward the door.
"We're in possibly the most technologically advanced building in America and you got her a wheelchair you have to push yourself?" Mr. Stark groaned.
"It was the the first one they gave me."
"Whatever. Skip-to-my-Lou, you ready to meet the meet the team?"
Lou closed her eyes and took a breath. She was ready.
Hello! Thanks for reading my second real chapter! (Third if you count the kinda crappy prologue.) Just a quick disclaimer, fencing is not for dorks, I fence currently and it is very fun. I'm still looking for suggestions on scenarios you want written in. Sorry this wasn't the most thrilling chapter, these next few will mainly just be Lou getting her bearings and relaying some important information for the rest of the story. What do you think of Tony? He's a hard character to write, so am I doing ok? What about Steve? He he too cliche'? Too brooding?
Fun Fact: Sodium Thiopental is an actual drug that will knock you out and relax you. This is why it was dubbed a "Truth Serum", because you would supposedly be so relaxed that you didn't have much of a filter and confess to what you did. It was also part of the first injection used to kill someone until it was changed a few years ago.