Marvel · Y/n story by @imogen123

The compound was quiet, save for the low hum of servers and the occasional clink of a coffee mug against a table. Eight figures were gathered around the main monitor, their eyes fixed on the grainy satellite feed.

Tony Stark

She's been in there for forty-seven minutes. No heat signatures besides her own. No exits used.

Steve Rogers

arms crossed, jaw tight And we're sure she doesn't know we're watching?

Natasha Romanov

She's smart, Cap. But not that smart. Not yet.

Clint Barton

leaning back in his chair I still don't get why we're doing this. She's a kid. A kid who happens to have powers we can't classify, sure, but—

Bucky Barnes

voice low A kid who's dodged us for six months. That's not normal. That's training.

Peter Parker

quietly, from the corner Or she's just scared.

Tony glanced at Peter, a flicker of something unreadable crossing his face before he turned back to the screen. The girl had moved. She was crouched by a rusted radiator, pulling something from her jacket. A small device. She pressed it to her wrist.

Bruce Banner

adjusting his glasses That's new. She didn't have that last week.

Steve Rogers

Zoom in.

The image sharpened. The device was clamped around her left wrist, metallic and tight, with a faint red light pulsing in its center. As they watched, Y/n's hand trembled—barely, just barely—before she forced it still.

Natasha Romanov

frowning That's not tech she built. That's not even tech she bought.

Tony Stark

quietly No. That's a suppressor. A power dampener. And it's not shutting off.

The room went still. Peter took a step forward, his eyes fixed on the screen, his voice barely above a whisper.

Peter Parker

Why would she need one of those?

No one answered. The silence stretched, heavy and uncomfortable, as they watched her rise and disappear deeper into the shadows of the building.