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VALOR
viii. EARTH'S MIGHTIEST IDIOTS

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  THE YEAR IS 2015, and finally, after all of these years, Riley O'Dair was at her limit.

  "Seriously, guys! Are we idiots!? Scratch that, are all of you idiots?"

  It's been a full year since the collapse of S.H.I.E.L.D., thus bringing forth the reemergence of the terrorist organization HYDRA. With S.H.I.E.L.D. no longer overseeing all operations regarding the national guard, all the globe had left to depend on was the Avengers.

  Yes, the Earth's mightiest heroes had finally reassembled for the first time in three years to track down and eliminate what remained of HYDRA, using Tony Stark's resources to aid them. Their true mission, on top of this, was locating and seizing Loki's scepter—the very tool utilized during the Chitauri invasion of 2012. Their task was simple, but it was time-consuming. They had been searching for the scepter for months until their journey led them to Sokovia, a small country in Eastern Europe.

  From what they could gather, Loki's scepter was in the grasp of Baron Wolfgang von Strucker, one of the notorious heads of HYDRA who had been using its energy to power advanced weaponry and even humans. Riley honestly couldn't believe they managed to leave Loki's scepter in HYDRA's grasp after S.H.I.E.L.D. was abolished. She understood that they had no way to protect that HYDRA would have taken it, but come on!

  "I know I talk about this all the time, but seriously! HYDRA's had Loki's magic wand for three freaking years! How did no one think, Hey, maybe we should keep a close eye on the scepter, especially now that S.H.I.E.L.D.'s over?" scolded the furious 14-year-old. "Are we Earth's mightiest heroes or are we Earth's mightiest idiots? 'Cause I can't tell the difference!"

  Don't get her wrong. Riley was ecstatic to be working with the whole team again. These past few months of bonding with the Avengers was a dream come true; however, the mission itself was taking way longer than she'd been anticipating.

  From beside Riley, Clint Barton shot his arrows and defended, "We're not that bad."

  Riley just scoffed. "I think someone needs to start babysitting you guys."

  Riley had a point, after all. Riley had been the one to ask endlessly about the scepter when S.H.I.E.L.D. went down, pointing out that they should really make sure that Fury or some other uncompromised agent was guarding it. Everyone had brushed her concerns off until they realized HYDRA had the scepter. Now, here they were in the middle of Europe looking for the damn thing.

  "SHIT!" Tony shouted. From his end, he had just flown directly into a transparent energy shield. He couldn't get any closer to their targeted base.

  "Language!" retorted Steve Rogers. He rode past the perimeter on a motorcycle, his shield on his back. "JARVIS, what's the view from upstairs?"

  "The central building is protected by some kind of energy shield," analyzed JARVIS.

  "What, like mine?" wondered Riley, genuinely intrigued. The Avengers hadn't experienced this issue when it came to HYDRA bases before. Riley used her forcefields to push trees onto their enemies while adding, "You think they have an Enhanced doing it?"

  "No, certainly not. Strucker's technology is well beyond any other HYDRA base we've taken," elucidated JARVIS.

  Thor Odinson, wielding his hammer and lightning at the tips of his fingers, quickly discerned, "Loki's scepter must be here. Strucker couldn't mount this defense without it. At long last!"

  Valor continued to work her way past the perimeter guards, detonations and blasts ricocheting in her path. Trees that once stood tall crumbled onto the freshly fallen snow. "At long last is lasting a little long, boys," commented Natasha as she fought beside Clint and Riley. Natasha had a point: the fights were short, but their enemies were steadily growing in size.

  "Wait a second," cut in Tony, soaring alongside the clouds past the warzone. "No one else is going to deal with the fact that Cap just said, "Language"?" Riley snorted.

  Before the Avengers reunited again, Riley had spent nearly all of her time with Tony. She enjoyed those two months where they were able to relax and do normal things that ordinary people did (for example, Riley and Tony had a knack for yoga these days). Even when the Avengers were called back for work, they were always together. Riley would train or study while Tony worked on his Iron Legion—a group of Iron Man armors and droids used to primarily guard and protect civilians while they fought perilous battles.

  Riley knew that the Avengers were melting away her cold exterior. It wasn't much, but she could sense it. Of course, Riley was still harsh and ruthless when necessary, but at least now, she was being more authentic to herself: witty, optimistic, and incredibly annoying. Of course, the Avengers still loved her and all of her unnecessary side-comments nonetheless.

  "I know," Steve lamented. "It just slipped out."

  Riley shook her head at the old man's excuse. She somersaulted across the soft snow, her body's imprint acting as the only indication that the invisible girl passed through. She stood tall once she slipped past the motion-sensing bunkers, sculpting the ultraviolet rays in the air into a spear-like object. With a grimace, Riley chucked it through one of the bunkers, humming happily as it exploded. Maybe her new training with Steve and Thor was paying off after all.

  Riley turned herself visible again as something caught her eye. In the snow, there seemed to be a particular set of footprints. They were almost moshed together, but Riley couldn't understand what could have created them. The person would have to be moving at incredibly fast speeds if their prints were smeared together like that...

  "Whoa!" Riley slipped, losing her balance as a blur pushed past her. She rolled onto the ground with an annoyed groan. "...Is it just me or are the ghosts of old HYDRA agents haunting us? Because I do not fuck with ghosts!"

  "We have an enhanced in the field," Steve reported seconds later. "Stark, we really need to get inside!"

  "Huh, I guess that would make slightly more sense," Riley mumbled before getting onto her feet. Meanwhile, Clint had just been struck down by one of the bunkers. Now that Riley was back on her feet and fully realizing that the Enhanced had powers she didn't know how to handle, she decided she'd be a little more cautious. Riley pulled herself forward and sprinted toward Steve and Thor.

  "Drawbridge is down, people!" Tony announced.

  Thor peered back at Steve and Riley, swinging his hammer around. "The enhanced?" he wondered.

  "He's fast. Like, seriously fast," Riley informed.

  Steve seemed to have briefly faced their new attacker, too, allowing him to nod. "He's a blur," he agreed. "All the new players we've faced, I've never seen this. In fact, I still haven't."

  Riley dusted herself off, declaring, "As soon as we get this scepter, we're all taking turns sleeping with that thing. I still can't believe we let HYDRA just take it!" With that, she marched past them to get back into the action.

  Thor and Steve just watched the 14-year-old. The God of Thunder looked rather concerned, mentioning, "Is the little one alright? She seems rather hostile as of late."

  Steve waved his hand dismissively. "Teenagers and their hormones," he joked. "She's fine."

  "Clint's hit pretty bad, guys. We're gonna need evac," notified Natasha. She crouched on the ground beside Clint, tending to his wound as much as she could as Hulk took out the bunkers near them.

  "I can get Barton to the jet. The sooner we're gone, the better," affirmed Thor. He nodded to Steve. "You, Valor, and Stark secure the scepter."

  "You don't have to tell me twice," replied Riley, particularly eager to secure the scepter. "Nat, when we're locked down, you get to Hulk."

  Steve agreed, "Time for a lullaby."

  "Got it!"

  Riley glanced back over her shoulder to see Steve. "You need a lift?"

  Steve shook his head. "Get to Stark, secure the scepter," he ordered. "I'll find Strucker." Though he wore a stern expression, he lightly smiled when the girl saluted him.

  Riley created a forcefield beneath her feet, causing her to project herself into the skies. It wasn't quite like flying, but it was the next best thing until Riley could learn how to fly without losing all of her energy. Riley created a catwalk with another forcefield to essentially allow her to run through the skies until she arrived at the HYDRA base. An invisible Riley wormed her way throughout the facility. She was too focused on retrieving Loki's scepter than fighting their enemies.

  Heeding the coordinates JARVIS provided her, Riley soon arrived at Strucker's lab. Her eyebrow cocked upward when she noticed Tony's suit in Sentry mode. Her eyes followed the shape of the room in search of the men, only to discover what appeared to be a secret door. It was wide open.

  Not thinking much of it, Riley followed through it in search of Tony. "Hey, old man!" she beckoned. "Find the glorified toothpick yet?" She turned visible once more and squinted through the darkness of the room.

  Riley's eyes widened at all of the advanced robotics in the room. She ignored it and the unsettling feeling that descended in the pit of her stomach as she walked forward. Riley tilted her head to the side when she finally noticed Tony. Though his eyes were stuck on the scepter that was mounted before him, a dazed look swirled in his deep brown eyes. His entire body was stiff, unmoving. It was like his mind was transported elsewhere.

  "...Tony?" continued Riley as she joined his side. She waved her hand in front of his face, puzzled.

  Without warning, Tony suddenly jolted upward with a sharp gasp. He looked down at the girl, alarmed. "Dio Cristo, Riley! You tryin' to give me a heart attack!?"

  "Huh!? I didn't even do anything! It's not my fault you were standing there like a freakin' statue!" she defended. She shook her head before raising her hand, securing a forcefield around the scepter. The scepter floated toward them as Riley manipulated her forcefield. "I swear, I can't trust you boys to do anything!"

  Tony rolled his eyes, following behind the teenager as they exited with the scepter. Their incessant bickering flooded the once silent room. Tony quickly dismissed whatever had just happened to him, figuring that seeing the scepter for the first time in years must've triggered something in him.

  The two heroes left, not even stopping to realize that a certain pair of twins were lurking in the shadows, watching with a sinister smile.

  The Avengers soon regrouped aboard one of Tony's new aircrafts to bring them home. Riley still wasn't used to traveling in anything other than a S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier, but she was getting there. Being with her team made processing what happened to S.H.I.E.L.D. easier. Riley felt stronger when she was with the Avengers.

  Bruce sat in a nearby corner, his headphones blasting a playlist composed entirely of opera music (which he and Riley worked hard to put together a few months back when the team discovered that lullabies helped him destress). He was simmering down after Hulking out today. Meanwhile, the others were going over the mission and periodically checking up on Clint, who laid in a gurney with a few IVs punctured into his body.

  Tony could be found piloting the aircraft with Riley by his side. She sat on the dashboard, invisible. She did this often, merely gawking at the skies, in awe of how beautiful the world could be when she wasn't so consumed with what was happening to it.

  Riley tore her attention away from the heavens to turn to Tony. She was worried about him after walking in on him all dazed out earlier. That never happened unless his anxiety was worse than usual. "Are you sure you're okay?" Riley gently asked.

  Tony kept his attention trained ahead as he focused on the skies. "Uh-huh. Never better."

  "...'Cause if you're not..."

  "Why wouldn't I be? I'm in tip-top shape."

  "I'm just saying..."

  Tony narrowed his eyes at where he assumed Riley was sitting on the dashboard. "Spit it out, Tink," he calmly commanded.

  Riley shrugged. "You know... You don't always have to be okay," she mumbled shyly.

  Riley always felt inflated knowing she wasn't alone anymore. She had to remind herself of it often, but whenever she remembered it, she became relieved. All of her life, Riley fought her battles alone. It got to the point where she preferred to work independently, despising work with others, especially her asshole colleagues.

  But things were different now. 2012 changed everything for Riley. Now, she had the Avengers, her village, to make life a little bit easier. Riley was still learning about herself and the world she lived in, but if there was one thing she knew for a fact, it was that she was going to show the Avengers the same warmth and kindness they all showed her. They were a team now. Nothing could change that. Nothing could break the Avengers apart other than distance.

  He sighed. "Seeing the scepter again was just... harrowing. That's all. It must've triggered something in me."

  Riley scoffed. "Liar."

  Tony mocked her, scoffing, as well. "What makes you think I'm lying?"

  Riley raised an eyebrow. "I'm an agent. I always know when someone's lying," she insisted, even if that definitely wasn't true. She just knew Tony like the back of her hand. She huffed. "Fine. Don't tell me. I'll get it out of you eventually."

  Brushing off her words, Tony glanced back at the others. "Hey, Banner, Dr. Cho's on her way in from Seoul. Is it okay if she sets up in your lab?" he called. Riley hopped off of the dashboard as Bruce gave him the go-ahead. Tony briefly ordered JARVIS, "Tell her to prep everything. Barton's gonna need the full treatment. JARVIS, take the wheel."

  "Yes, sir. Approach vector is locked."

  Visible again, Riley joined Thor and Steve by the scepter. The two had been staring down at it in silence. The blue gemstone inside glowed brightly, a peculiar aura surrounding it that sent shivers down Riley's spine. Riley sneered at it.

  "I can't wait to get rid of that thing," Riley admitted, folding her arms over her stomach. "Something about it... I swear, it feels like it's calling my name or something."

  "Well, that's Loki's trademark," Thor reminisced. "He was always one for apparatuses that could lure people in. That's how he'd trap them in his schemes."

  Riley frowned. It felt like so much more than that, but she decided she wouldn't press further. Meanwhile, Tony had joined them. "It feels good, yeah?" he chimed in, looking to Thor. "I mean, you've been after this thing since S.H.I.E.L.D. collapsed. Not that I haven't enjoyed our little raiding parties, but..."

  "No, but this..." Thor lingered. "This brings it to a close."

  "As soon as we find out what else this has been used for," reminded Steve. "I don't just mean weapons. Since when is Strucker capable of human enhancement?"

  Riley pursed her lips. "Not sure, but it makes sense they'd been looking into it. I assume after HYDRA found out about my powers and how I got them, they knew it was possible," Riley suggested. "I just wanna know how many of the Enhanced there are. There could be hundreds and we'd never know."

  "Banner and I'll give it the once-over before it goes back to Asgard," declared Tony. He turned to Thor. "Is that cool with you?" Thor nodded. "Just a few days 'till the farewell party. You're staying, right?"

  Riley frowned. She'd been dreading saying goodbye to Thor. The farewell party would act as his send-off before he returned to Asgard with the scepter. Riley knew that one day, Thor would have to leave, but that didn't mean she wanted him to. Riley wanted the Avengers to stay together.

  Thor perked up. "Yes, yes, of course," he promised. "A victory should be honored with revels."

  "Yeah, who doesn't love revels?" Tony nodded toward Steve. "Captain?"

  Steve acknowledged, "Hopefully, this puts an end to the Chitauri and HYDRA, so..." He smiled. "Yes, revels."

  Thor glanced down at Riley, seeing her deflated exterior. He patted her back with a strong force. "There, there, small one," Thor comforted, almost teasingly, "there's no need to be sorrowful. I know it's hard seeing your favorite Avenger leave, but—"

  Riley scoffed while straightening out her posture. She hardly winced at the impact, thankful for her enhanced strength. "I'm not sorrowful," she mocked.

  "I'm sorry, weren't you just saying that it's okay to be sad?" Tony taunted.

  "Oh, I was just saying that because I don't want you to feel bad about yourself when I finally kick your ass."

  Thor and just chuckled good-heartedly at her words. No one wanted to admit it, but when the Avengers parted ways after being together every day for months and months, they would miss each other. It seemed like being mean to one another was just their way of showing each other love.

  Or, well, something like that, at least.

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  Riley couldn't lie: when she learned about Strucker's human experiments, she was intrigued. She was so unbelievably curious that it was all she could think about.

  Riley didn't specifically care about the fact that Strucker's experiments were illegal or how all of his test subjects were volunteers. She didn't care about anything regarding Strucker, who had been arrested and was now being dealt with by NATO. She was just fascinated by the survivors, the ones they called the Enhanced.

  There were only two test subjects that survived Strucker's experiments: a set of twins by the names of Wanda and Pietro Maximoff. Riley didn't just want to know more about the twins, she wanted to meet them personally. Their powers interested Riley because she was just like them.

  At first glance, Pietro had super speed and Wanda had psionic powers, which Riley had initially brushed off, disinterested. But then Maria revealed to Riley that Pietro was discovered to beget increased metabolism and improved thermal homeostasis, which was why he could move at such incredible speeds. On the other hand, Wanda's gimmick was neural electric interfacing, telekinesis, and mental manipulation. Their powers seemed simple and straightforward at first, but they were developed and expanded upon, thus granting them further abilities.

  Just like them, Riley's powers seemed basic at first, too. She could turn invisible and generate forcefields. That was until she learned that she could manipulate all ultraviolet rays, thus imparting her more extensive abilities. Riley was always looking to improve and expand upon her powers.

  Riley wanted to know how the Maximoff twins and HYDRA were able to figure out all of the specifics regarding their powers. Maybe then she could apply that knowledge to herself and become even stronger.

  For now, Riley would have to brush all of her bursting curiosities under the rug. There were still a few more things that needed to see completion before Thor's farewell, and as much as Riley wanted to ponder upon her and her powers' potentials, it would have to wait.

  "You sure he's going to be okay? Pretending to need this guy really brings the team together."

  Riley lightly laughed at Natasha's comment. The Avengers were back at their HQ in New York. Some were winding down after their mission was finally completed, whereas others watched as Dr. Helen Cho, a world-renowned geneticist and close friend of Tony's, tended to Clint's injuries. Riley marveled at Dr. Cho and all of the technology she used.

  "There's no possibility of deterioration. The nano-molecular functionality is instantaneous," informed Dr. Cho.

  Riley's eyes widened. "Whoa... So, how's his body meant to react after bonding to the simulacrum? Is there any possibility of infection?"

  Dr. Cho shook her head."His cells have no idea it's happening."

  Bruce was just as awe-struck as Riley. "She's creating tissue."

  "If you brought him to my lab, the Regeneration Cradle could do this in 20 minutes," mentioned Dr. Cho with a proud smile. She turned to the youngest Avenger. "You'd love it. Tony tells me you're interested in cell composition and biology."

  Almost as if on cue, Tony strutted by with a glass of water in his hands. "Stop telling the kid I talk about her. Her ego's already cumbersome," he commented. He glanced down at Clint. "Oh, no, he's flatlining. Call it. Time?"

  Clint waved his hand. "No, no, no, I'm going to live forever," he insisted as Tony handed the glass to him. "I'm gonna be made of plastic!"

  "You'll be made of you, Mr. Barton," Dr. Cho promised. "Your own girlfriend won't be able to tell the difference."

  Clint paused. "Well, I don't have a girlfriend."

  "That I can't fix," returned Dr. Cho, causing the others to laugh. She nodded to her equipment as it worked on Clint. "This is the next thing, Tony. Your clunky metal suits are going to be left in the dust."

  "Well, that is exactly the plan," encouraged Tony. "And Helen, I expect to see you at the party on Saturday."

  She shook her head. "Unlike you, I don't have a lot of time for parties." Then, Dr. Cho faltered. "...Will Thor be there?"

  Tony snickered. "I think it's safe to say everyone on the planet is in love with that guy," he pointed out. "Which, you know, I totally get."

  "Well, not everyone," Natasha lightly argued, her eyes glued to Riley. The room erupted with laughter while Riley's face burned a bright shade of pink.

  Somehow, everyone had figured out about her little crush on Steve Rogers, but she would never confirm it, no matter how hard they teased her. "Hey, since when were we bullying me?" whined Riley. "All I did was breathe!"

  "That's all it takes, really," taunted Clint.

  Riley just sunk in her seat, pouting as the others continued to tease the baby of the family.

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AUTHOR'S NOTE:

welcome to the age of ultron!!! i'm SO mf excited to write everyone all together again!!

SO, it's been another year! riley's still a baby, but she's grown a lot as expected. she's stronger, smarter, and learning more every single day. the collapse of shield has impacted riley greatly. she's accepted what happened, which means that we're going to see her be a little more open, both, as an agent and as a person. that means, for example, riley will be more vocal about her opinions on things like upcoming missions and planning them. she's more open about her feelings and she's eager to show the avengers that she cares about them just as much as they care about her. the avengers are her family, after all.

riley's also still adamant on being a hero, so she's going to try to prove herself now more than ever. she still has lots to learn that she'll discover from the avengers throughout this next arc in her life! riley's become incredibly attached to the avengers in the last year. this is to set up for civil war, which we'll see immediately after aou.

BUT until then, expect lots of softness b/w riley and the avengers! i can't wait to show you guys what i have in store for this next part of riley's life hehe <3 :')