scottish electronics

"I don't do knocking. Not really my style."

Avengers Facility - January 12th, 2016

Christa should have known it from the start.

Hydra. She knew about it more from her history books than anything else--knew of its reign of terror over the human race in World War II. Knew of its way of sneaking up on people when they least expected it.

Knew of the death toll it brought with it.

Knew panic was beginning to rise into her stomach faster than the speed of light.

Knew she wished her life just wasn't so freaking messed up.

Christa really wanted to scream right now.

Before her and the others in the room and through the glass, she saw Hill's eyes widen, and then her brow furrow, an expression of what might have been badly hidden annoyance on her face.

The woman handcuffed to the table wouldn't give any more information, even after Hill pried and pried--the best of the best unable to get a single useful word out.

"Can I go now?" Christa said suddenly, as a silence fell on the two rooms, Hill finally calling it a day and exiting the interrogation room.

Heads turned in her direction.

"I really need to scream. Maybe punch something. That okay?" An attempt at sarcasm was made.

Steve gave a small chuckle, and Stark looked like he was about to speak but stopped himself.

"I'm asking you, Anthony."

"Okay, first of all, it's Tony--" the man said before he could stop himself "--and second of all--uh, why is that even a question...?"

"Just giving you a chance to boss me around--something you've gotta start catching up on." Before Stark could reply, Christa had left the room, the door swinging shut behind her.

| | |

Christa

hey, can I ask you something?

It was less than a minute later that Angus responded.

Nerd

Yeah... what's up?

Christa

are you alone?

Nerd

It's just me and my books

Christa

Awesome. Because I need to scream and I'd prefer it if I don't disturb anyone aside from your nerd-tools while doing so

Before waiting for a response and either the press of a button, her phone was dialing his, he had answered, and, tucked away in an isolated corner of her bedroom, Christa let out a scream worthy of Mjolnir.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

There was a ringing silence in the room.

Then--

"You know, they have these things called pillows that are just made to be screamed into. Just a suggestion."

Christa's eyes widened.

"Who was--" came from the other end.

"Hey, I'm gonna have to call you back. The man of iron awaits my response to him."

She hung up the phone. Tony Stark stood beside her bedroom door, head tilted to the side slightly and an unreadable expression on his face.

"It's polite to knock," Christa said.

"I don't do knocking. Not really my style," Stark quipped back, beginning to leisurely walk towards the girl. "Mind if I...?" He gestured towards the place beside where Christa was sitting near the edge of the bed, and she shrugged and he sat down.

"What do you want?" Christa asked, a sort of deadpan expression on her face. She wasn't really in the mood to talk right now.

Stark sucked in a breath. "Well... a couple of things. One, you really need to get something more than just a t.v. and closet the size of Texas in here--I don't know much about teenagers, but it seems like they need a decent amount to be entertained."

"Just get me some alcohol and I'll be good," Christa responded.

Stark's gaze turned to one of concern and, essentially, "NO WHAT THE H*LL?!" all in one quick second before it slid just as quickly back into a mere raised eyebrow.

"Just... kidding...."

"Second," Stark continued, "funnily enough, Dr. Cho needs to run some more tests on your 'special abilities', but more on the physical side. Running and practicing your abilities and stuff."

Christa raised her eyebrows.

"And third." Stark paused for a moment. "She found something while looking at your results."

"And?" Christa said, a little wary.

"Dr. Cho found something... genetic."

The girl froze.

"And?" she repeated.

"Apparently, your powers weren't wrought from some blast of lightning or super serum or whatever--not directly, anyway, we still don't know the original source.

"They were from your mother."

| | |

So it turned out that Dr. Cho didn't want to see Christa quite yet; analyzing lab results came in portions, she said, and apparently she wasn't done with one of them.

Despite the fact that Christa loved getting out of things, this one thing resulted in her being stuck next to the man who she knew would want to begin pursuing the question of her mother, particularly after this revelation. And she didn't quite want to do that.

"I'm just going to go... hack something..." Christa said hesitantly, standing at the doorway to Dr. Cho's private lab. She took an energy-filled step, as though about to swiftly exit the room, but a hand on her shoulder prevented her from moving further.

"Bu-bu-bup. You are not going anywhere. You know we have to get to the bottom of this."

"Yeah. No. I'm going to get to the bottom of this--by myself. You're gonna go shut the h*ll up and--oh, I don't know--impregnate some other woman without the kid's permission!"

Stark sighed loudly. "Look, kid...."

He looked up and stared at nothing in front of him, as though deciding to do something he really didn't want to do. He put a hand up to his ear as though there was an earpiece there--and he was communicating with someone.

He sighed again.

"Okay--you've forced my hand." Stark looked like he really didn't want to say whatever he was about to say. Christa noticed for the first time that there was an earpiece in his ear--a little speck of black gave it away.

" 'The love between father and daughter knows no distance.' "

Of course. It must be Pepper on the other end of the line, or maybe even Steve.

So of course Christa had to whip up a snarky reply.

"Funny, 'cause the distance between us is even smaller now, and I still don't even like you."

Loud clapping could be heard from somewhere nearby. The two's eyes narrowed simultaneously, and they both looked around in confusion before landing on Christa's phone.

"Is it just me or does that sound haunted to you?" Stark asked. Ultron's reign flashed before his eyes.

Not saying a word, Christa slowly leaned towards the bed, on which her phone lay.

"Angus?"

"You call your phone Angus now?!" Stark said before he could stop himself.

"Yes, I call all my electronics Scottish names, didn't you know?" Christa turned her face to the phone. "Ang?"

"You two... I'm sorry... oh my gosh, I'm sorry, it was really rude to listen to your conversation, but... you two are the exact same person, I swear--"

Apparently, she hadn't hung up the phone like she'd thought.

"Excuse me, who is this?" Stark lifted up a hand to point a finger at the phone.

Putting the call on speaker, Christa said, " 'This' is Angus, the nerd. Angus, this is Tony Stark, the nuisance. Now you two have met and it's time for the nuisance to leave. Bye!"

She began pushing the man out the door.

"Christa--"

"Hey, why do you want him to go? I've--I've never--well--he's Iron Man--"

Christa could just hear the blush rising up in Angus's cheeks.

"Yeah, and he's trying to force me into doing something I don't wanna do."

"You--Mr. Stark, sir--I'm sorry if I'm being a bother, but--"

"How much does he know?" Stark questioned quickly.

Christa paused for the briefest of moments. "All."

Stark sucked in a breath, before yelling, "I'm just trying to figure out what the h*ll happened with Christa's mother! Is that too much to ask?"

There was a silence.

And an even longer silence.

Finally--

"Hey, Christa... I can come over. To... you know. To help. With that stuff."

Pause.

"Finally! Some sense! Yeah, Ang, come right on over!" Christa exclaimed with an exasperated sigh laced with a bit of relief. Now she wouldn't be constantly pestered by Stark to get on this--and if she had to do the researching with him, at least she wouldn't be alone with him while doing it.

"But--"

"No buts, *ss," Christa interrupted.

"That was me, Christa," came the voice from the phone.

"I know."

"But--Christa, I don't even know how to get there. And with my... uh... familial situation...."

Christa wave him off (despite the fact that he couldn't see her). "We'll get you here--won't we, Mr. Stark?"

Stark opened his mouth as though to speak, and then closed it again. Then he pressed a finger to his earpiece.

"Cap, get me on the line with Pepper."

Piercing, ear-shattering wailing began to penetrate the room.

Hands over ears, Christa felt a ringing begin to blossom in both of them as she realized one had just gone out.

And then the other.

"GUYS--"

Her phone dropped from her hand to the floor. Panic started racing through her, icy waves of it crawling fast as lighting throughout her veins to the tips of her fingers.

"Tony Stark, if this is a drill--"

The look of fear on the man's face made her very certain that this was not a drill. Stark began walking towards the door to her room very, very quickly.

"Pepper, what's--?!" he said, almost incoherently.

But the woman--who had evidently been on the other end of the line--wasn't as far away as Christa had thought. No--she was much, much closer. A strawberry-blonde came around the corner and to the door of the room as Christa lunged towards Stark as he moved. Fear crossed her face, and she panted as though she'd ran here from a thousand miles away.

"Tony--Christa!--oh, thank goodness you're okay--it's Clint and Lila! They're being attacked!"