After breakfast Albany had received a call from Marshall, who was calling to check in and make sure she was still alive. She told him Hawkeye had a nickname for her and she was pretty sure he flipped his bedside table over in excitement. Albany had never been a big fan of the Avengers, but Marshall constantly convinced her otherwise. After chatting for about an hour, and constantly reassuring him she was indeed, okay, they hung up the call. Just in time for JARVIS to inform her she was wanted on the floor beneath her.
Albany walked down the halls of the Avenger's Tower, taking in its entire appearance. After this is over, she may never be able to come back. Hell, whatever inside her may kill her before she gets to do anything else in her life. She'd have to take as much of it in as she could. It only took her a few moments to find the meeting room where, well, they were all meeting.
The teen walked in to find everyone seated but Bruce across a sleek black table. The walls were coated with small tiles in every shade of grey and spots of light blue every now and again. "Do you guys hold meetings here often?"
The Black Widow released a smile. "More like Stark now has a reason to say it was worth building. I've never seen this room in my life."
Albany gave her a brief smile in response, taking a seat in the dark black chair next to Clint. Natasha was seriously intimidating, and she was just now truly realizing that. Actually, looking around the room she realized that the only person she trusted was Clint. Everyone else were strangers, waiting to be proved trustworthy in her mind. These were the Avengers, people who have taken lives. But nonetheless they were trying to help her. Despite knowing that they did not have to. Out of their free will the Avengers were taking time out of their day to help Albany. And that meant something of great significance to her.
Clint leaned closer to her, his eyes filled with worry. "You ready to hear everything? The good and the bad?"
Albany nodded with a light smile. "Like you said. I'm tough, and I'm really relying on that now."
Bruce walked in, his steps leaving a hollow echo each time they hit the ground. Albany swallowed anxiously, her eyes trailing him. He set down a MacBook and several stacked files at the head of the table. "Wow. I don't think we've ever all sat down together this seriously. Kudos team." He raised his fist in the air.
A light chuckle spread throughout the group but was silenced almost as soon as it came. "Alright alright let's just get straight into it." Bruce continued to speak as Albany worriedly sat foward and placed her hand under her chin. She didn't notice Clint's concerned glances.
"Let's start with what we know. Albany Winfrey Bynes-"
"Winfrey?" Stark let out a laugh, his voice startling the teenager out of her concentrated state. "Wow kid, that sucks."
Albany looked down, not taking the joke lightly. "Well I'm sorry I didn't have parents around to give me a better one. Apparently I spent most of my early childhood getting injected with shit. Sorry it's a burden to you, Stark."
She met his guilty eyes and he left her eye contact almost immediately. Tony had noticed that she hadn't used his first name like she had prior; but he didn't need only that to know she was pissed. Albany was in a sensitive mood right now, prepared for essentially the worse.
Steve didn't hide his face palm just as Clint didn't hide his angry stare. Bruce bit his lip. "Okay... moving on." He paused.
"Albany is 16 years old, born April 3rd 1997. She is 5'3 and was put up for adoption by her parents immediately after birth to Everyday Adoption Center located 3 hours away from here; coincidentally in Albany."
"Is that how you got your name?" Clint questioned, his head turned so he could look at Albany.
She pursed her lips. "Not sure."
"Any word on her parents?" Steve asked, eyebrows furred as he looked towards Bruce.
"That's the thing." He started. "Her parents chose to disclose their names, any piece of information about them and why they put Albany up for adoption."
"We could contact Fury." Steve suggested. "See if he or anyone on S.H.I.E.L.D can find anything else on them."
"We agreed not to let Fury in until we had it handled." Natasha countered, her gaze meeting the captain.
"Who's Fury?" Albany asked the group.
"Director of S.H.I.E.L.D." Tony replied, speaking for the first time since Albany's small outburst. Not as cocky as previously. "I'm sure you know what S.H.I.E.L.D is, right?"
She nodded a yes. "Okay so we don't let the director of S.H.I.E.L.D know I'm with you guys. My parents aren't that important anyway. I've been fine without them"
"They are if they knew Everyday Adoption Center was doing this to kids. Maybe you were born for the purpose of being an experiment." Clint replied, not looking to happy with the thought.
"Well that's just cheery. And isn't this whole, 'the adoption center injects things into babies' thing just an accusation?"
"As of now." Tony said. "We'll have to pay them a visit later."
Bruce cleared his throat. "Let just continue with what we know." He tapped a few buttons on the keyboard of his laptop. "The substance flowing through Albany's blood and stomach doesn't have a name. But it is strikingly similar to the Super Soldier serum used on Cap. I'm guessing an attempt to recreate it, or worse, an attempt to make it stronger."
Steve sat up straighter, Albany's fearful eyes on him.
"Although many ingredients were similar to the SS serum, many were not as well. That and the fact that Vita Radiation wasn't used. For Rogers over there, that was how his strength was activated." The scientist looked towards him.
"So this serum was injected in me as a child. And whoever injected it assumed it was a fail because I didn't get powers." Albany confirmed, earning a nod from Bruce. "But then all these years later, I take a sip of wine, and I pass out from pain outside a taco joint."
He hissed. "Yeah..."
Albany leaned back and spoke with the most sarcasm she could muster without her voice cracking. "Well. That's fantastic." With the back of her palm she wiped her wet eyes. "Let's talk side effects."
The team didn't hold back their looks of concern while she continued to wipe her tears before they fell. "Just get on with it."
Bruce's lips formed a flat line, as he looked towards the rest of his group. Making eye contact with the overprotective Clint, he cleared his throat and continued. "Okay. Side effects. They're completely unpredictable. There's no way to ever break down the components in this serum and give an accurate hypothesis." He walked closer to the table. "I am sorry Albany. We only have predictions."
The teen urged him to continue. And he did with reluctance, "It can range anywhere from activating the simplest common allergies or some form of power. But considering you were glowing when Clint found you..."
"It's most likely the latter." She sighed.
"I'm sorry." Bruce murmured.
"It's not your fault. You have done so much for me, Bruce." She faced upwards and made eye contact with the sitting Avengers and continued. "All of you have. Thank you so much."
"We're goin' to help you through this," Steve added. "Whatever happens, we're here for you."
"Thanks, Cap."
Tony gave a light smile towards Albany, still weary of her attitude. "I'm going to start looking into your orphanage. If what we think is true, we will dismantle the entire corporation without a second thought."
"Don't think that we will ever let them walk away from this." Clint rubbed her shoulder and she gave him a teary smile.
"For you, and for every child they've corrupted." Natasha added, much to Albany's surprise.
"We have your back, Ally."
In that moment Albany knew wholeheartedly that she could trust the Avengers. Whether she knew it or not, the team was someone she would grow to love and became very close to. For better or for worse. She knew for sure that she would be prepared for anything.