Chapter 6: What a Black Day

Pietro

Pietro tapped his foot impatiently as the elevator moved up. He could have already been up to the lounge if he had taken the stairs, but Steve had his stars and stripes in a wad about unnecessary use of their powers. Especially in the tower, after an incident involving Hawkeye, Thor, and a laser pointer. He reached the lounge and looked around, Clint was fiddling with some of his arrows and had earphones in, his sister was reading one of her novels on the couch, and Falcon was playing some car video game on the large flat screen in the center if the room. Pietro walked over to the couch giving Sam a fist bump as he passed the TV. Sitting next to his sister he plucked the book from her hands.

"Hey give that back!" Wanda exclaimed.

"I'm bored!" Pietro said sticking out his bottom lip in a mock pout.

"Well then go find something to do, I am reading!" she made a snatch for the book but faster than the eye could see Pietro whipped the book out of Wanda's grasp.

"Pietro stop bugging your sister." Said Clint not even looking up from his arrows. Pietro ignored this and in a blur switched Clint's arrows for Wanda's book.

"Damn it Roadrunner! Give me back my damn arrows!" said Clint standing up and dropping the novel.

"Hey watch it!" yelled Wanda freezing the book before it hit the ground, "You'll lose my page!"

Pietro ran past Clint a few times each time giving him a taunt like, "What's the matter slowpoke?" or " Catch me if you can old man!"

"Fine I didn't want to have to resort to using my new toys but you've forced my hand." Said Clint with a smile and a shake of his head. He pushed a button on his wrist communicator and Pietro felt the arrows in his hand snap, a gooey black liquid started to pouring out of them. The goo started to expand and encased his arm.

"What the hell-"

"Ha I warned you kid."

Pietro stopped running and skidded to a stop. The goo was rapidly growing and now had incased much of his upper half blowing up like a sticky balloon.

"Hawkeye get this stuff off me!" Pietro shook his arm at super speed trying to dislodge the goo but to no avail.

"Next time don't take my stuff!" said Clint pushing another button on his com.

"Yeah whatever you guys are no fun anyways." Pietro mumbled pulling the deflated slime off him. He turned and sped back to the elevator and punched in his floor. When the elevator dinged to signal he was at his floor Pietro stepped out and rounded the corner towards his room.

I'll have to wash this shirt now. It's all covered in Clint's trick arrow goo. Gross.

Pietro stopped walking. There were muffled screams filling the hall.

What the hell, who is that?

Pietro followed the sounds and they grew louder as he turned the next corner.

I swear to god, if walk in on Tony having sex I'm going to gouge my eyes out.

The sounds were coming from behind a closed door that was unused as far as Pietro knew. He approached the door and knocked lightly.

Nothing.

"NOOOOOOOO!" a high-pitched voice cried out, Pietro burst into the room without a second thought. It was dark and it took a moment to adjust to his surroundings. A girl lay on the bed in a tangle of sheets. They were wrapped around her limbs and she squirmed in them as though they were chains.

It's Annie!

Although her face was obscured Pietro recognized the mess of red hair. She was having some sort of episode.

"Annie." He called out his feet rooted to the ground. For some reason he just couldn't move them. She whimpered and thrashed.

"Annie!" he called out a little louder this time.

She trashed harder, the sheets pulled tight around her slim frame, her muscles strained and she let out a scream.

"ANNIE!" Pietro yelled, finally his feet moved and he started towards her, to do what he did not know but anything to stop her pain.

She sat up abruptly and was quiet. Her eyes were wild and her breaths came in gasps. Her head cocked to the side and she squinted through the dark towards him.

"What are you doing here?" Annie said in a voice that still shook.

"You were screaming… I came to see…" Pietro provided lamely.

Well this is incredibly awkward.

"Oh." She said simply.

"I uh-" Pietro started then stopped himself.

What the hell am I doing, how is comforting the new recruit possibly my job.

"Ahemmm…" he cleared his throat trying to think of something to say.

"Its fine. They happen." Annie said as she pulled her knees to her chin, hugging them close.

I want to help her. She reminds me of Wanda after our time at the compound.

"I know someone who can help with that if you want." Pietro blurted before he could stop himself.

"What do you mean help?" she said with a cocked eyebrow.

"Hold on-" he dashed out of the room in a blur. He ran back to the lobby not caring about taking the elevator of about using his powers in the tower.

"WANDA." He skidded to a stop in front of his sister who had relocated to an island counter top to continue her book.

"What now brother?" she asked not looking up from her novel.

"It's the new girl." He said slightly out of breath. It doesn't matter how fast you are twenty flights of stairs took a little out of you.

"What about her?" Wanda asked setting her book down on the counter with a concerned look on her face.

"I was on my way to my room when I heard screaming-"

"Take me to her." Wanda said standing up.

"Lets not rush into this we still don't know anything about her she might have some weirdo powers…" Said Pietro.

"That poor girl has gone through hell, it's the least I can do," his sister radiated with compassion for others. She always had, but it had also gotten her into trouble over the years. Trouble that he always had to out her out of.

"Lets think about this for a minute-"

"Oh just shove it and take me to her!" Wanda said cutting him off.

"Fine." And like that he picked up his sister and ran back to Annie's room.

He set his sister down and she introduced herself to Annie. The girl had obviously made an effort to smooth her tangled hair and clean her tear streaked face in the time he had been gone.

She kind of pretty….

Pietro shook himself, his sister and the girl were conversing on the bed, he still stood awkwardly in the middle of the room.

Whoa what the hell am I thinking! For all I know this girl could be a ticking hydra bomb.

His sister placed a hand on either side of the girl's head and told her to relax. Both girls closed their eyes. A moment passed then Wanda's red energy crackled and let out a mini explosion of power. Both girls sat up abruptly gasping. Pietro was at his sisters side in an instant.

"What is it? What's wrong?" asked Annie a slight panic in her voice.

"Its, nothing." Wanda seemed out of breath but covered up her own discomfort quickly with a smile.

"What did you do to my sister!?" Pietro growled at Annie.

"ME? What did I do?" Annie snapped back at him with almost as much venom as him.

This little red head has a bite.

"Pietro please!" Wanda berated him throwing him a 'We'll talk about this later' Look.

"I'm fine really, don't worry about him he's just protective." Said Wanda pushing off Pietro's hand. Pietro grimaced. His sister thought she knew what she was doing but this girl could be dangerous and she wouldn't see it until it was too late.

"Its not your fault you just have a lot of pent up memories and feelings in that head of yours. I don't think I was quite prepared." Said Wanda smiling at the girl like she was a lost puppy.

.

"Well since your up maybe we should take her up to Tony. I know he has been dying to run some tests." Said Pietro arms crossed eyeing the girl with a glare.

"Come on get out so she can get dressed!" Wanda pushed her brother out the door, and calling back to Annie , "I'll take you up to see stark when you are ready yes?"

"Okay sure!" said Annie her voice sounded relived.

"Great see you in a few minutes." Said Wanda giving him one final shove out of the room.

The doors whooshed closed.

Pietro grabbed his sisters arm and dragged her around the corner.

"What the hell was that?" He asked not letting go of her wrists.

"What do you mean I was helping her?!" Wanda Said indignantly ripping her hands out of his grasp.

"You could have gotten hurt!" said Pietro his voice rising.

"I was fine!" Wanda said softly placing a hand on her brother's shoulder. He calmed slightly. Only slightly.

"It's just we don't know anything about this girl, she could be a Hydra spy!"

"How?! Tony knew her for years and she's only a young girl!"

"Okay maybe not a spy but she could still be a trap. Hydra could have done something to her mind not just given her god knows what powers!"

"I think you're overreacting Pietro."

"That's just it why is no one taking this girl as a threat?" Pietro stressed.

"She's scared Pietro, just like we were." Wanda said meeting his eyes.

"No we were different." He said voice low, eyes on the ground.

Just then Annie rounded the corner, no doubt eavesdropping on their conversation.

"Hey…" She said shyly.

She may have everyone else fooled but not me.

Wanda was all smiles. She walked over and took Annie's arm in her own.

"Ready?" she asked.

"Um yeah I guess…" Said Annie an uncertain edge to her voice.

"Great then lets go!" then with a flip of her hair, "Pietro coming?"

He grumbled a 'see you up there' more or less and than shot off in a blur closely passing the two girls.

Annie

She and Wanda made their way to the elevator and pushed the button for Tony's lab.

Annie had been there so many times it seemed so natural. But this time she wasn't assisting Tony on his latest experiment, she was the experiment.

No Annie get that out of your head. Tony would never hurt me.

"You okay?" said Wanda shaking Annie from her thoughts.

"Oh yeah its nothing." Said Annie still arm in arm with Wanda.

"You say that a lot but I know you don't really mean it." Wanda said keeping her eyes on the view outside the glass elevator. Annie was taken aback.

Is this girl reading my mind? Oh my god can she hear me right now?

"Can you-?" Annie looked at the dark haired girl next to her,

Pizza bagel.

Fedoras.

Humpback whales.

Goblins.

Captain America's butt.

What the….Holy Hell! I hope she didn't hear that last one!

"Don't worry I cant read your mind without a connection," She smiled.

Phew that would have been awkward.

"But I do get the feeling that you're nervous." She patted Annie's hand in a reassuring way.

"I'm a little nervous. I've always been on the other end of Tony's experiments so it's a little weird.

"Trust me I understand," She said with a small sad smile.

Before Annie could ask what she meant they arrived at their floor and Wanda led her through the sliding glass doors she had been so familiar with once. Tony was waiting beside what looked like a teched out MRI machine.

"Hey Red!" he said looking up from his tablet.

"Hi Tony." Annie said with a small smile.

Come on Annie Put on a brave face.

"Well if your ready to begin we can figure out just what those Hydra-ass hats did to you." He said with a dark chuckle.

"About that, " Annie said slowly, "I sort of maybe have power…"

"You already know what they are?" Tony asked looking surprised.

"Yeah well up until a few months ago I was being trained on how to use my powers until they started locking me in my cell and slowly waning me off food and water to make me weaker."

"That's barbaric." Said Pepper stepping out from behind the machine; Annie hadn't even known she was there.

"I think they didn't want me in any condition to fight back or try to escape once I had mastered my powers." Continued Annie.

"Sorry to press the question but what are your powers exactly?" Tony asked pen poised over a pad of paper.

"Well it's hard to explain," Annie started lamely

"Try." Said Tony.

"Okay so I if I concentrate enough I can sort of see a persons energy, and how it flows through their body." Annie said making a weird flowing motion with her hands.

"Well that doesn't sound to bad," Said Pepper giving a small shrug.

"Well because I can see the flow I know exactly the points to hit to stop it, temporarily or otherwise."

"Hmmm I see." Tony started scribbling notes on his pad at lightning spped.

"That's not all." Annie said with a slight cringe, "you see to use my ability I would have to be fast and agile and not a little strong."

"What are you saying?" Tony Asked eyebrows raised.

"They had some sort of serum,"

"Like a super soldier serum?"

"Yeah but it didn't work, don't worry I wont be wearing a flag and swinging a shield or anything, but it did make me more flexible, and slightly stronger for my build." Finished Annie.

"So could you use your powers now?" asked Wanda, Annie had almost forgotten she was there.

"No, I don't think so. I'm still to weak. Using any abilities takes a lot out of me. I'll have to train if I were to get back to the level I was at."

"Hmmm. Okay Red let me just take a few blood samples and we can-" Tony said moving towards her with a syringe.

And like that Annie fainted.

Authors note: Hey guys sorry about the wait and thank you for being so patient with me! I really appreciate your support and reviews, thanks for the good wishes on my finals J hope you enjoy the chapter they will progressively get longer as I have more time to write, also I'm trying to think of a good Super hero name for Annie and now that you guys know her powers you can help me! If your still fuzzy about her powers it's a play on Tylee from avatar but with my own twist. So if you have any names send them my way in a review or pm. Next chapter should be up soon. Thanks!