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shocked when they gathered in the board room and no chaos was ensuing. 

Alex's nerves were through the roof as she watched the most notorious heroes pile into the room. It was hard to think of them as normal people, because, well, they weren't. 

"Why exactly are we here, Tony?" Natasha Romanoff sat, her index finger resting on her temple. 

"You said it was urgent." Steve Rogers added. 

"It is," Stark smiled. "Ta-da," 

Alex waved shyly, feeling insanely insecure all of the sudden. The looks of confusion and disappointment swept the room. 

"What are we looking at, here?" 

"Is this a date for Steve? Because, believe me, I've been trying." Nat said. 

"Really, Tony?" Steve said. He then looked to Alex. "I mean no disrespect, ma'am," 

"I, uh, erm," Alex lost her ability to speak as Captain America was staring right at her. She awkwardly held up her left hand, displaying her ring. With a sheepish smile, she faked a cough. 

Tony rolled his eyes. He held out his hand to her. "Alexandra Clark. She can manipulate energy. I've been running tests on her for three months, and with Banner's help, we've discovered how powerful she really is. I give you: Project PANAMA." 

"I have to say, I'm shocked you gave me credit," Banner scoffed. 

"She can do what?" Clint Barton chimed in. 

"I can absorb energy, then manipulate it. I've had this ability since I can remember, but only recently discovered it. When I was a child, I had no idea I could do these things." 

"So, what brought you to Stark?" Steve asked. 

"I started to notice that when I got upset, lights would flicker. It seemed to be a coincidence, but as time went on, it always happened." 

"You're upset on a regular basis?" Nat rose an eyebrow. 

Alex shrugged, not replying. 

"How old are you?" 

"I'm twenty three." 

"She's so young, Tony." 

"Believe me, the things I've been through have aged me." Alex replied. 

"I don't think it's a good idea." Nat said to Tony. 

"Let her fight you then," Tony shrugged. "If she wins, she's on the team."

"I hardly see how that's fair," 

"Does she even know how to fight?" 

Alex's annoyance grew as they talked about her as if she wasn't standing right there. 

"Give her a chance." Tony plead. 

"Fine." 

They all stood up, following Tony down to the gym floor. Alex was unsure how she could pull this off, but knew all she needed to do was to touch Natasha in order to drain her energy. 

But, as she stood across the mat from the notorious Black Widow, she could feel the color draining from her face. 

Confidence, she told herself. Try it out for once. 

"I don't want to hurt you, kid," Natasha said, fists up. 

"I'm not a kid." 

Natasha smirked, running toward Alex. 

She wound her fist back, and Alex instinctively ducked. She stood, aiming to get a good punch in. She quickly positioned her fist like Andrè taught her, but she took too long. Natasha swept her ankle, causing her to stumble to the ground. 

Next to the mat, Tony bit his thumb. He had hoped that the Avengers would be more willing to allow a new member to the team, but he should've thought better. 

They were a tight knit family, and to protect themselves, it was easier to stay that way. 

Alex scrambled to get up, but was met with a swift punch in the nose. Natasha sent another one, and Alex was beginning to feel dizzy. 

Natasha wound up to send a final punch, but her fist was met by Alex's hand. Alex held on to Natasha's knuckles, grunting. Nat's brows knit together in confusion as she felt herself grow tired. 

Steve stood up at the sight of this, like he couldn't believe it. Nat was on the ground, a wave of fatigue hitting her like a truck. Tony grinned, clapping. 

"Alex Clark, everyone," He said triumphantly. 

"What the hell just happened?" Clint asked, dumbfounded. 

"She took Nat's energy, that's what happened." Bruce replied, grinning. 

"No one, ever speak of this," Natasha breathed. 

"Now, who's ready to listen?" Stark held his hands out. "Any objections? No? Didn't think so." 

"Tony, this isn't kickball. We can't just bring a member on every time we find someone who's a little different--"

"I'm sorry, Cap, would you like to have a go at her?" 

"With all due respect, um, Captain America--" Alex tried.

"Please, call me Steve," He waved his hand. 

"Mr. Rogers," She corrected herself. "If I'm not mistaken, there was a time when no one believed in you," 

Steve looked at her, his eyes growing soft. The girl had done her research, and she was right. He'd be lying if he didn't see a tiny bit of himself in her. 

"You're right," 

"So? Is Project PANAMA a go?" Tony tapped his fingers together, looking anxiously around the room. 

When he received affirmative nods from the team, and a groan from Nat still on the floor, his face lit up. 

"Alright, then how about a suit for the lady?" 

<>

Alex practically skipped back to her apartment. She was ecstatic that the Avengers saw something in her. She'd never felt that way before. 

She took a deep breath as she entered her apartment. 

"Hey, babe!" She said gleefully, setting the keys down in a dish.

"Hey, good day at work?" 

"I have something to tell you," She walked over to the living room where he was watching football. 

"What's up," 

"So, I may or may not be working closely with the Avengers from now on," She said. 

"What?" 

"You know, the Avengers? Iron Man, Cap--"

"I know who the Avengers are." 

"Well, I'll be working with them from now on." She held out her hands as if to say 'ta-da!' 

"Alex, I don't know if I want you working around them so closely anymore," 

"What? What do you mean? Why not?" 

"That's a lot of hours, you already spend enough time there as it is. You're never here with me anymore--

"Oh, cut the crap, Declan. What's really the problem?

"Fine. It's because, they're, well, a bunch of freaks." He replied. 

"Freaks?" She asked, the word stinging in her mind.

"Yes, freaks. You know what people say about them, and I can't have the guys at the firm knowing my fiancé--"

"The guys at the firm, Declan? Really?" She scoffed. 

"You know how important it is for me to rise at this firm. I need to make partner by thirty." 

"Since when do your dreams take precedence over mine?" 

"I'm not saying that--Alex, I'm looking out for you." He reached for her hand. 

"No," She yanked her hand away. "You're not." 

She pretended not to notice the lights flickering.

"Can we just be rational about this?" 

"You're the one not being rational. You want me to stay in this apartment all day, cooking for you and cleaning your shit, well I won't have it." She stood up. 

"What are you doing?" He sighed. 

"Packing a bag. I'm staying somewhere else tonight," 

"Like where," He retorted. 

"I don't know, maybe at Tony's," 

He got up, and followed her. Once he was close enough, he tightly grabbed her wrist. 

"Tony's? How'd you get this promotion, huh, Alex?" He said, his eyes darkening. 

She reversed his hold on her, and grabbed his wrist even harder. 

"Don't you dare," She breathed. "Touch me." 

With that, she drained his energy fully until he was passed out on the floor. 

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