It all started with a field trip with some kids from a local college. Tony was always looking for fresh new minds to work with. And what better way to get new blood interested in working with him than to invite them to Avenger's Tower to tour the facilities and meet the hero's that had saved the world, repeatedly.

Of course, not all of the kids present were all that enthused to be there. Much less meet any of them.

And that was one of the first things that he and the others noticed about her. She didn't seem to care all that much where she was or who they were. If anything she looked...oddly annoyed to be there. Though she hadn't really said or done anything to let anyone know this.

Her body language practically screamed of her displeasure to them despite the fact that she'd been nothing but civil to everyone that had struck up a conversation with her so far.

At present they were in the training room, showing off their training area and all of the equipment lying around when Tony got an insane idea to allow some of the kids to pick one of them to spar with. He figured that it would give the kids a chance to 'strut their stuff' in front of their friends and classmates and give them something to really get excited about.

The only problem was, when he asked who wanted to be first, the entire group of kids as a whole stepped back and left...her as the only one standing her ground. She'd been messing with her I-pod at the time and not paying attention any. Which had made her reaction once she realized what had happened all that much funnier to them.

Even Nat and Bucky had tried hard not to laugh when she had turned her head and noticed that her friends and classmates were standing a good twenty feet or so behind her, earning not only a dark/disbelieving look from her. But also a snarled out, "You lot are just the worst cock sucking mother fuckers-" The language had been a little bit of a shocker to them.

Steve especially. But he'd managed to curb his usual reprimand towards foul language just in time to save himself from one hell of a tongue lashing if the way that she carried on was any indication at all.

Not that that wouldn't have been pretty damned funny too.

Still, once she was finished cheerfully cussing the group of uncomfortable looking/sniggering kids out, she'd then turned to them and sighed and asked what she was supposed to be doing. She'd started cussing again, this time with more foul language than any kid her age should have any knowledge of, once she heard that she had basically been volunteered to be one of their sparring partners.

She'd even muttered something particularly dark and foul as she brushed past him to see what her choices in sparring partners were. And since all of the Avengers were present in the room, sans Black Panther and Spider-man, she had quiet a few to choose from.

Weirdly though, the person that she seemed to have the most interest in was Wanda though she pointed at her and muttered, "I'll come back to you." Wanda's eye brows disappeared underneath her bangs at the statement and a odd look settled on her face.

Not quiet upset, or worried. Maybe a tad bit of concern mixed with nice side of curiosity. She must have been picking up on something from the kid. Because she had looked more than a little bit interested in her from the moment that she had walked through the damn door.

Bruce was up next. Though the kid simply muttered, "Too easy." Earning more than an bemused look from the good doctor before she moved on.

Tony merely got a roll of her eyes. Nat got a oddly gleeful, wide grin and a comment along the lines of, "That would be fun." Earning her a smile from amused the red head before she stopped in front of him for a moment.

"How good are your reflexes?" It seemed like a weird question for someone to ask him. But he answered anyways.

"Pretty damn good."

She nodded her head, her turquoise colored eyes looking him over appraisingly as she said slowly, "I would imagine that they would have to be in your line of work. Being an assassin isn't easy, after all."

He blinked, wondering how she could possibly know that he was an assassin. It wasn't like it was common knowledge or anything. Especially since he'd become an Avenger.

"You carry yourself like one," She said next, causing him to study her face for a moment, his expression questioning as she went on to explain. "You aren't the first assassin that I've ever met. Plus I've been watching you since I walked into the building. Assassins tend to move like death incarnate."

He blinked again, the amused look never really leaving his face because he figured that since she was a kid- she must be boasting to make herself look cool. It was simply what kids did. They embellished to look tough and make themselves stand out.

It was adorable really.

But it didn't really tell him how she knew that he was an assassin. Unless there was the off chance that she wasn't embellishing or telling stories to make herself look cool. Of course the chances of that were slim. Still... Weirder things had happened.

"Which person do you think I should pick to spar with?" She asked suddenly, derailing any plans that he'd planned on as far as asking her questions.

"Huh? Oh. Well, for a sparring partner, since you seem to have limited experience, I think I'd go with the boy scout over here. Steve's a nice guy. He'll go easy on you and you'll be able to say that you sparred with Captain America and walked away. It'll make a great story for your friends over there to listen too." He said as he pointed towards the group of kids all watching the exchange with rapt attention.

"They aren't my friends." The girl said. Her tone laced with annoyance and something else that he couldn't quite pin down. Anger? Maybe pain?

"Oh?" Was all that he could think to say as she reached up and rubbed the back of her neck. When she did, her shirt sleeve rode up her arm a little bit, exposing some of the previously hidden skin to his eyes and what he saw chilled his blood in his veins.

Scars.

Horrible, and overlapping in some places. Some of them looked like self harm scars and others looked as if her hand and arm just below the elbow had been removed several times by something sharp and jagged with vicious and flesh tearing teeth.

It was only for a moment or so, but for him- it seemed so much longer. However once she dropped her arm, the skin was covered again, breaking whatever little spell he seemed to be under as she turned herself to the side a little bit and her shirt collar slipped down some to expose the large and wicked looking scar there.

She was quick to tug her collar back into place. But not before he got a decent look at the pale, jagged, puckered flesh. And Jesus fucking Christ- how the hell had she managed to survive a wound like that?! He couldn't help but wonder as she made her way over to Bucky and told him that she'd spar with him.

Clint's eyes flickered from the kid to Nat's curious gaze for a moment in utter panic. He couldn't seem to help himself. He suddenly felt as if something was going to go horribly, horribly wrong and he needed to stop it.

Nat looked at him oddly, not understanding why he looked as he did and then turned her eyes back to the pair moving away from them.

Clint moved as if he wanted to go after the two, but Steve stopped him by asking him if he was okay. Which drew Nat's attention to him again. This time a frown crossed her pretty face as she heard Clint tell Steve about the horrible scars that he'd just seen on the girl and that he was worried.

Apparently he had good reason to be. Barely two minutes later Bucky was down on his back, pinned in place by the kid's foot and the sudden sound of a gunshot echoed through the room.

The girl's body jerked slightly as alarms started to go off and everyone began to scream and run with the exception of the confused Avengers who watched horrified as crimson blossomed across the girl's chest.

"Holy-" Steve started to swear as he took off running towards the girl. Bucky beat him to the punch however. And quickly flipped himself to his feet and grabbed the kid up in his arms and turned his body so that he could shield her from further injury as Tony, Bruce and the others all made their way over to the two as everything around them seemed to fall into chaos.