“We seriously can’t go anywhere without someone finding us?” Citana complained as she saw the two vans blocking the exit of the old Target Rie, Peter, and herself had been hiding out in for less than a day.
“Everyone wants a piece of a Red on the run, sweetie!” Rie teased, but not without a ring of bitterness in her voice. Citana knew that it wasn’t aimed towards her, instead about how screwed up the world turned out to be for them. They backed up to where the doors were, shoulder to shoulder, Rie’s once-shaved head, now sporting hair that was falling in her eyes as she turned her head from side to side, analyzing the situation. Citana felt the familiar dry heat as she focused on conjuring up something to get them out of here, visible to the observer as her dark eyes taking on a red hue. She could see Peter glaring at a desk as it shifted in its place and a rogue spark in between Rie’s fingers in her peripheral vision, but the real world was a blur, something out of focus as Citana descended into the depths of her mind, where the fire was. Where her trapped anger was. She felt her arm twitch as she struggled for control over her emotions. But before Citana could regain her usual control, a shout brought her back to the physical world, where a helicopter had landed and there was man in a suit shouting.
“Please, do not fire on us! We are not bounty hunters or PSFs, we’re here to help!” Citana rolled her eyes and started her descent over again, but she saw Peter set the desk down and Rie’s eyes lose the yellow glow that had appeared before Citana descended the first time, and she let go of her power.
“Hi, my name is Tony Stark, and I’m here to take you up on an offer.” Citana raised an eyebrow, her eyes flickering between the expensive suit, freshly trimmed hair, and designer sunglasses, and then to the clothes and shoes the three of them had stolen from various stores, Rie’s close-cropped hair, and Peter squinting at this man in the early morning sunlight.
“I have received permission from the government to take in a few Psi of each color to see if you could be rehabilitated into this world on a more individual level. Officially, this is known as the ROSY Initiative.” Citana made a motion with my hand for him to continue.
“I can’t say anymore in public, not without other, more hostile groups trying to take advantage of any of us,” he admitted. “But you may leave any time you wish.” The trio exchanged looks and had a silent conversation. At least two minutes passed before they seemed to come to a sort of consensus.
“We will go with you,” Rie said slowly. “But we hold you to your word that, in the event that we would like to leave, we will be able to easily and without apprehension.” Citana crossed her arms as she scanned the whole situation again.
“That’s fantastic!” Tony exclaimed. “Anyways, we are almost all the way across the U.S. from where you will be staying, so would you please hop in,” and gestured to the helicopter.
“Wait, actually?” Peter questioned. Tony just smiled.
“Yes, actually.”
o0O0o
Citana was the last one out when the helicopter finally landed. Stepping carefully off the pad, she realized how high up they were. Around the tower, there was a city, but there were no glows of streetlights, no people on the sidewalks, and, strangest of all, not a whisper of sound. Peter’s eyes widened.
“Uh, Mr. Stark?” he stuttered out.
“Yes, Peter?” They had had proper introductions on the long ride there.
“Are we in New York, by any chance?”
“Yes, we are. Do you know the area?” Tony asked.
“I grew up in Queens,” Peter said softly. Tony nodded. Rie and Citana knew that there was a lot more to the story, but the two girls remained silent. Tony cleared his throat.
“If you would like to come inside, you should be introduced to the rest of the team.”
“Wait just a second there,” Citana put up a finger. “ Team? ” Tony nodded.
“The Avengers team. Now you get to meet who you will be living with for as long as you’re here.” With a nod to the driver of the helicopter, he led the three teens down to an elevator.
“Hello, Mr. Stark,” a robotic voice greeted, making the trio jump.
“Hello, FRIDAY,” Tony responded. Rie and Peter exchanged wide-eyed glances. “Can we go to where the team is meeting?”
“Yes, we can.” A few seconds later, the elevator doors opened to a kitchen, full of people gathered around a large table. When they noticed the age of these people, all three teens stiffened. Adults . All looking about the same age as most PSFs at the camps, somewhere between 18 and 40. Tony, noticing their discomfort, turned to them and said,
“These men and women are some of the kindest people I have ever known. If they were any danger to you, I wouldn’t be having you meet them. Are you okay with this happening now?” The trio nodded, and Tony turned to the team.
“Guys, when I informed you about the Initiative, I had already had my sights on these three.” Rie and Citana shared a narrowed glance. “They are smart, resilient, have shown great critical thinking skills, and, most impressively, demonstrated extreme control over their abilities. While I have not even begun to learn their stories, I hope that they stick around for me, and the rest of you, to learn them. This is Citana, Peter, and Rie.” Tony gestured to each of them in turn as he finished. Then, the entire group of adults went around and said their names. Natasha, Clint, Wanda, Steve, Bucky, and a few others Citana couldn’t remember the names of. Tony then led them to a seemingly empty floor of the tower.
“You can pick any room on this level. Just please let me know which one you choose, so I or others on the team can find you if they need to. No one will be going into anyone else’s room without permission,” he told them. “Take as much time as you want.” Citana picked a room across the hall from the elevator, Rie picked the one next to hers, and Peter went with the one across the hall from the two girls. Upon looking at the bed, Citana was suddenly aware of her stiff muscles and the bags under her eyes. She lay down on her bed for a second, and was immediately pulled into the blackness of sleep.