Chapter Text
It was the morning of her 15th birthday, as Mara woke up shielding her eyes from the sunlight beaming directly at her. She groaned before begging her best friend to get rid of her problem. "J, please close the curtains."
"I was instructed to keep the curtains open after 7 a.m. to prevent you from sleeping-in." The AI responded with a playfulness in his voice.
“Every day J.A.R.V.I.S. Every day we have this conversation buddy. How am I supposed to consider you my best friend if you always take my parents’ side?”
“Ms. Mara, you would not want to waste your fifteenth birthday sleeping, now would you?” The AI pauses as the young girl lets out a loud frustrated groan. “You have been looking forward to this day since you were four Ms. Mara. Is there something bothering you?”
“Just you.” The girl smirks. J.A.R.V.I.S chuckles in response. The girl sits up, stretching her arms in the air. “As much as I love my parents, I really wish they would stop waking me up at midnight to wish me a happy birthday. They always complain about me not sleeping as much as I need, but they don’t hesitate to wake me.” The girl rolls herself off her bed and heads to her closet. “Where are they anyways?” Mara asks aloud as she pulls her pajama shirt off and puts on an Guns N’ Roses shirt with paint stains on it. “You’d think they would be bothering me to get ready for the party.”
“Your parents and the others had to leave for a quick mission. An unknown object appeared in the middle of times square and all were requested to analyze the object.” J.A.R.V.I.S. informs Mara.
A loud howl fills the room before a raspy female voice echoes, “Not all of them were really necessary.” Mara froze in place as J.A.R.V.I.S. sounded the warning alarm throughout the tower. “It looks more harmful than it really is. I just needed them to leave you alone for a few minutes.” A cackle overshadows the echo of the words. Mara continues to face her closet as she reaches slowly behind her drawer to grab her force-field pen Tony had created specifically for her. “I’m offended that they truly thought they got rid of me, as if I was just some powerless human.” Mara clicks the button on the bottom of the pen, causing blue light to run up her arms and enclose her body.
“Who are you?” She questions as she turns to look at the woman. The woman is about six-feet tall and as beautiful as a goddess. Her long black hair is pushed back by a golden crown, curling down her back and in front of her shoulders. Two snakes slither around her upper body. A low cut dark green dress reaches down to her feet. The color of her dress reflects that of her eyes. Mara takes in her appearance and her body tenses as they lock eyes.
“My name is Hecate, goddess of magic and witchcraft.” She smiles cunningly. “Your fathers’ killed my dog.” She exaggerates a frown before smiling again. “All I was doing was trying to gather up some useless souls to feed my animals and then your parents came and foiled my plans.” She pauses, shifting her tone to a more serious one. “And killed my dog!” She snaps. “I’m sorry to do this on your special day, but I think it is time someone makes your parents pay for their actions, don’t you think?”
“You’re going to kill me?” Mara crosses her arms in front of her chest as if to protect herself. The protective shield glowed at the contact.
“Oh, no. No sweetie.” Hecate laughs like that was a ridiculous idea. “That would be too easy. I want your parents to suffer. Especially that Stark.” A green smoke is emitted from her hands and flows around Mara’s feet.
“In the timeline where your father built their greatest rival,
You will be placed with one task at hand.
You are to persuade them into remembering you to ensure your survival.
If all fails within the 10 days,
Your life and there’s will be at stake.
You and your brother will disappear from the Earth and
All their lives will be filled with loneliness and hurt.
It is misery I seek, but I won’t be unfair, no.
With one condition at hand, you can stop the timeline.
Pick and choose one of your parents to reveal your secret to.
Be careful, and choose wisely, because I will show no pity.
If you choose the wrong parent to trust, then you will never be.
When the clock strikes 12 midnight,
Your soul is mine.”
Hecate finishes her monologue as the smoke circles around Mara’s whole body. The young girl screams as her body begins to fall into a pitch-black void.
***
Mara wakes up on the floor of what seems to be the communal living room. She pinches the bridge of her nose and closes her eyes tightly, groaning at the pounding pressure in her head. Sensing a presence around her she sits up frantically but breathes out a sigh in relief as she notices she is surrounded by her family --- or what seems to be much younger versions of her family members; she sees Tony, Steve, Natasha, Clint, Wanda, and Sam. She giggles softly before shaking her head as she considers the possibility of her nightmare having been a reality. “Hello.” She says cautiously.
“Who are you and why did you come here?” Her aunt Nat is the first to speak up.
“I’m-. You guys don’t know me?” She gets her answer as the once confused faces seem even more confused. “Well, alright. Okay so it was my fifteenth birthday and I was getting dressed so I could go searching for my parents. Then this scary lady showed up in my room and started hexing me? I guess you can say. Anyways I’m Mara. Hello.” She says lifting her hand slightly to greet them all. “I’m from a timeline that is supposed to be better than this one. I think that’s what the witch lady said. I have 10 days to fix everything and have my parents remember me or else all my family ends up living a life full of misery.” The female chuckles awkwardly as the team continues to stare her down. “Well until midnight on the 10th day so if it isn’t midnight then I probably already lost some time.”
“10 past.” Clint offers.
“Don’t tell her anything.” Steve warns Clint.
“What do you want from us?” Natasha questions. “How did you get here?”
“Who’s your parents?” Steve cuts off Nat.
With one condition at hand, you can stop the timeline. Pick and choose one of your parents to reveal your secret to. Be careful, and choose wisely, because I will show no pity. If you choose the wrong parent to trust, then you will never be. “Well the thing is-.” “Answer us.” Steve demands.
Mara takes a deep breath in before the words just fall out, “you’re my dad.” She whacks herself on her forehead with her left hand, regretting her choice immediately. Her right hand remains pointed.
Tony shutters as he stares at the finger pointing to him. Everyone’s eyes follow her hand and their questions become directed at Tony. Tony finally shakes the fearful expression off his face and offers a playful smile before walking into the kitchen joined with the living room. He pours himself coffee and takes a seat around the island, pretending it was just a normal day in the avengers’ tower. The team exchange glances before everyone but Steve follows Tony to the table.
Steve hesitantly offers a hand to pull Mara up on her feet. He doesn’t shift his gaze from her. She looks up at him and smiles brightly. He doesn’t smile back.
“Stark, can we address the elephant in the room please?” Sam pleads.
“Alright kid, I’ll bite.” He says turning in his chair to face Mara. “Which one-night stand did you result from? Huh?” The only response he gets is a loud gasp. The girl’s face turns a deep shade of crimson and her eyes fill with tears.
“Tony.” Steve shoots him a look and Tony just shrugs like he could care less.
“J.A.R.V.I.S.!” The girl shouts at the top of her lungs. “Jar! Show me to a room please!” Her voice falters slightly as she becomes choked-up. “J.A.R.V.I.S. buddy?” She squeaks before wiping her face with her forearm; ignoring the attentive stares from her family members.
“Sir, is she talking to me?” A female’s voice surrounds the room.
“I believe so F.R.I.D.A.Y.” Tony says nonchalantly.
Mara stops shouting as her shoulders slump and she walks out into the hallway with her head down.
“Should we follow her?” Clint studies the faces of his teammates.
“She’s just a kid. There’s only so much harm she can do.” Sam shrugs.
“F.R.I.D.A.Y. don’t you dare stop monitoring her, not even for a second.” Tony warns. He tries not to show it, but his teammates can see how panicked he looks.
The teen continues to drag herself down the hall, hoping to find an open room she could cry in. She settles in a conference room and shuts the door before throwing herself on a chair and folding herself over the table to cry. The team stays around the kitchen table as Tony pulls up a holographic image of the young girl. “No offense Nat, but I think she could out spy you any day. Look at this charade. I almost feel bad for her.” Tony says smugly.
“To be fair Stark, she looks just like you.” Wanda finally speaks up. The team nod in agreement, but before anyone can say anything the elevator door opens.
“Hello?” Pepper calls out before she joins the team in the kitchen.
“Your mistakes are finally catching up to you.” Wanda smiles and Tony quickly gets rid of the holograph.
Pepper approaches the table and studies the team’s faces, “What did I miss.”
“Pepper. It is so late. What are you doing here?”
“I’ve been gone for two weeks. I thought you would like to see me.”
“Oh. Oh yeah, of course.” Tony says. Pepper leans in to kiss him and he kisses her cheek.
“Are you okay?”
“It has just been such a busy day. Right guys?”
They all mumble awkwardly in agreement except Wanda. Tony shoots her a look.
“Oh. Sure.” Wanda says with a smirk on her face.
“Honey, you really need to take some time to relax. Let’s go up to your room and get some sleep.”
“No!” He says pulling his arm from her grip. He glances at his teammates with wide eyes. “I’m not tired. You can go up or you can go home. I think I’m going to go work in my lab.” He says frantically as he runs to the elevator.
Pepper stares after him, but then turns to the others. “Did I do something?”
“He’s just a little shaken up. He’ll be fine, Pepper. Go home and get some sleep. Give him some time.” Steve says as he walks over to Pepper. “I’ll walk you down.”
***
Mara’s crying finally subdues. “What time is it?”
“It is 3:17 a.m. Ms. Mara.” The AI responds.
“Thank you.” She wipes her eyes. “What do they call you?”
“F.R.I.D.A.Y.”
“Do you play music, F.R.I.D.A.Y.?”
“I can, if you’d like.”
“Can you play The Way You Look Tonight.”
Frank Sinatra’s voice fills the room and Mara smiles slightly before falling asleep.
***
Tony swerves in his chair, holding his pen to his mouth. He runs his hands through his hair nervously. “F.R.I.D.A.Y., send a voice message to Bruce: I’m going to need you to do me a favor. Run some blood tests on the girl. Find out who her parents are and make sure she isn’t overdosing on some weird hallucinogenic or something. I don’t want to see her until the tests are done. If she’s not mine, I want her out on the street. If she’s not as crazy as she sounds, let her stay.”
He lets F.R.I.D.A.Y. send the message. He shakes his head as he sits back in his chair. Music suddenly plays through his lab, causing him to sit up. “F.R.I.D.A.Y.? What is that?”
“Frank Sinatra, sir.”
“I know that F.R.I.D.A.Y. Why is it playing in my lab?”
“Your daughter requested it, sir.”
“She’s not my daughter. Stop being a smartass F.R.I.D.A.Y.”
“I am only a learning artificial intelligence sir.”
He tuts, “funny F.R.I.D.A.Y.” He pushes his chair away from his desk. “Pull up the holograph.” The blue hologram appears in front of him. Mara has her head on the conference room table and her chair has rolled away slightly, causing her body to stretch awkwardly. “Dammit. She is going to fall off that chair.” Tony swipes away the graphic and stands from his seat.
***
Natasha opened the door to the guest room, standing on the side of the bed where the young girl slept. Mara stirred and lifted a hand to cover her eyes. “J.A.R.V.I.S. buddy, the shades please?” She groans when she doesn’t get a response. She lays covering her eyes for a couple more seconds before sitting up abruptly. She stares at Natasha and then rolls her eyes, “you’re still a redhead. Wait, how did I… I was in a different room. What time is it anyways?”
“What was I supposed to be?”
“Huh? Oh, you dyed your hair blonde after an undercover mission, because tío said it was a good look on you.” Mara’s face scrunches slightly, unsure of what she’s allowed to admit.
Natasha ignores her comment, yanking the blanket off Mara’s body. “How did you sleep?
“Uh… Pretty good.”
F.R.I.D.A.Y.’s voice fills the room “Subtracting the five times Ms. Mara woke drenched in sweat, she slept for approximately 2 hours and 29 minutes.”
“Snitch.” Mara whispers.
“It is almost 6. We are going sparring. Now.” Natasha says as she walks out the room. Mara rolls herself out of bed and follows quickly behind her aunt. They walk down the hall and turn the corner, stopping in front of two metal doors. The doors open for them and Mara continues to follow Natasha. “Did you sleep in your shoes?” Mara looks down, noticing that she did. They walk along a smaller hallway; the wall is covered in glass so you can peer inside the mini gym. At the end of the hall, Natasha slides open a door and they step in.
Mara sits down on the bench to adjusts her pants and tie her hair.
“In this timeline you claim to be a part of-.” Natasha begins, “-what is our relationship?”
“You’re my aunt.” Mara smiles to herself. “You’ve taught me everything I know about fighting.” She says as she takes off her shoes and socks. “One of my parents, let’s say parent #2, wanted you to be my godmother, but they already picked my godfather so you couldn’t be my godmother, but you are my brother, Peter’s, godmother.” Natasha adjusts her clothing, but keeps an eye on the girl as she speaks; trying to find a reason to not believe her.
Natasha stands and gets into a fighting stance on the laid-out mats. Mara follows suit and smiles as she stands a safe distance from her aunt. Waiting for a second in hesitation, Natasha makes her move. She goes to kick the girl in her chest, but Mara grabs her ankle and flips her aunt over. Natasha’s stern expression shows a hint of surprise before hardening again.
From the corner of her eye she can see that Steve and Sam entered the hallway and were watching from outside the glass window. She got back up swiftly and jumped towards the female, kicking and punching. Mara seemed to know all her moves before she did them, giving her the upper hand. Once more Mara is able to flip the Black Widow on her back. She smiles down at her aunt and jokingly says, “don’t worry, in my timeline you kick my butt all the time.”
Natasha doesn’t return the smile as she slips a leg between Mara’s and sweeps her off her feet, causing her back to slam into the ground. The girl lets out a loud grown and grimaces in pain. Natasha flips herself over and is eventually on top of Mara. She clasps her left hand around the young girl’s throat and raises the other in the air, ready to punch. The girl tries to pry Natasha’s hand from her throat, but it won’t budge. “Alright, alright. Tasha. I fold.” She manages to get the words out with a giggle before the Black Widow squeezes harder. Mara’s tone becomes serious as she begins to speak in Russian, “Please auntie, you’re really hurting me now.”
Natasha steps back in bewilderment. For a second she stares at Mara with a shocked expression but snaps back into reality. She turns to leave, “there’s a bag outside the showers for you. We can wash your clothes later.” Natasha walks out, passing Steve and Sam.
“What did she say to you, Nat?” Steve chases after the red-head. “Come on, talk to me! You’re obviously shaken up and you never are!”
Sam begins to slowly follow after them as Steve continues to yell. “If you realized she really is a spy then we could all be in danger.”
Natasha turns back and Steve stops abruptly so he doesn’t bump into her. “I believe her.” And with only that as an explanation, Natasha leaves Steve and Sam in the hallway.
***
As she gets out of the shower, Mara goes through the duffel bag Natasha left her. She pulls out five big t-shirts with cheesy puns on each, 2 pairs of raggedy gym shorts, a pair of holey joggers, a pack of panties, and two sports bras. She decides on the “everything happens for a reason… and that reason is usually physics” t-shirt and joggers.
She leaves her hair wrapped in the towel and lugs the bag out into the main hallway. Opening the door to the conference room, she is surprised to see Bruce on his tablet with a plate of pancakes in front of him. “Hello.” She greets him. “Is it okay if I leave my bag here?”
Bruce looks up at her and nods, “yeah, no one ever comes in here.” He looks back down at his tablet, swiping occasionally. Mara throws her bag under the table and takes a seat across from the focused man. She leans back in her chair and starts to mindlessly tap her fingers on the table. Bruce puts down his tablet and looks up at the girl again. She notices him staring and shrinks down in her chair, looking towards the large screen in the room. “Here, eat this,” he says as he pushes the plate to her.
She accepts the plate cautiously. “Um. Thank you.”
“Are you afraid of needles?”
The girl looks up at him, raising an eyebrow. “No?” She replies with her mouth full.
“Good. That’s good.” He says as he nods. He scratches his chin, studying the females face.
Mara finishes her plate before jumping up from her seat in fright. Vision comes out of the wall and stands at the side of the room. “What the heck?” Mara shouts, looking at Bruce for an explanation.
“Hello, Ms. Mara.” Vision greets her.
Mara’s body relaxes slightly as she looks at Vision with hopeful eyes. “J.A.R.V.I.S.?”
“Actually, Mara, Vision here was made by Ultron. He is a mixture of Ultron and J.A.R.V.I.S.” Bruce explains.
Mara huffs as she crosses her arms in front of her chest. “My father’s worst and best creations mixed together.” She glares at Vision, “so which side do you lean more to?”
“I am not here to hurt you or the avengers, Ms. Mara.”
She glares at him for a second longer before relaxing her arms to her side and sitting down again. “Okay then.”
“Vision is here to help me help you.” Bruce says, getting up from his seat. “It’s good you aren’t afraid of needles.” He says as he gestures her to follow him. Vision stands by the door, waiting for the girl to exit first.
“Got to be honest with you Vision. Vis. Is it okay if I call you Vis?” The girl questions as she glances over her shoulder to the android.
“Yes, that would be fine Ms. Mara.”
“Okay. To be honest, hearing your voice is the most comforting thing about this whole situation.”
“Happy to be of service.”
Bruce leads them into the elevator and then onto his personal floor.
As they step out of the elevator, Mara lets out a relieved sigh. “I thought you guys would trap me on that floor the whole 10 days.” She stretches her arms exaggeratedly and smiles at the two, hoping to soften the mood. Vision smiles back at her, but Bruce just continues walking.
“I’m going to run a few tests. First, we will find out if you really are Tony’s daughter.”
“You know I am.”
Bruce ignores her and continues explaining their to-do list. “Then we will try to figure out who your mother is.”
“I already know who my biological mother is.”
“Then we will make sure your health is okay.”
They enter his personal lab and Mara looks around with wide eyes. “This isn’t so different.” Choosing to continue ignoring the girl’s comments, Bruce stands in front of a table, patting it so the girl knows to sit there. She pushes herself up on it and dangles her feet.
Vision moves to stand in the corner of the room, watching the two at a distance.
“So, Vis. Do you sleep or eat?”
“No. Ms. Mara.”
“What do you do for fun around here?”
“I like to have conversations with Wanda. I like to watch Wanda practice her powers. I like to help Wanda cook.” Vision stops as the girl starts shaking in her seat from laughing. “Did I say something wrong?”
“Stop moving.” Bruce warns Mara, cleaning her arm with an alcohol wipe.
“No, you didn’t say anything wrong.” Mara assures Vision. “So, you like hanging out with Wanda?” She flinches as Bruce inserts the needle into her vein.
“I really do enjoy spending time with her.” Mara smiles widely, forgetting the needle in her arm.
“Okay, eat this.” Bruce hands Mara a cookie half the size of her face. “I will be running the tests, it might take an hour or so. Tony said you have to stay here until they are done.”
She clicked her tongue. “Incase I’m not his child, you can remove me?” Bruce offers her what might be a sympathetic look before moving to place the vials of blood in a machine she has seen before. “You know I’m his child.” Bruce types some codes into the machine before leaving Mara and Vision in the lab. She finishes her cookie and then brings her attention to the android. “What do you think, Vis?”
Vision takes a second to think about his answer. “I think you undoubtedly look like Mr. Stark and I have seen no indication on your face that you may be lying about what you say. Bruce explained to me what you told them. How about you explain it to me.”
Mara lays down on the table, clasping her hands over her stomach. “Well. I remember waking up sometime after 7 in the morning of my 15th birthday. I changed out of my pajamas because I wanted to go look for my parents. They promised to help me get ready because I was going to have a quinceañera later that night. J.A.R.V.I.S. explained to me that they all went on a mission. I froze when I heard a lady’s voice in my room. I thought she was going to kill me. She said my parents and the other avengers killed her dog. She said she would put me in a timeline where my father built their greatest rival."
“Ultron.” Vision notes as he moved towards the girl.
The girl nods and continues, “She said I had 10 days to get them to remember me or else my brother and I will not be born and the avengers will live lives filled with um-.” She squints her eyes as she tries remembering the words. “Filled will loneliness and hurt. I could tell one of my parents that I am there child. And when the clock strikes midnight, my soul is hers to keep.”
“What else?”
“I was covered in green smoke and then I wasn’t in my room anymore.”
“Where were you?”
The girl shivers and wraps her arms around her middle. Closing her eyes tightly, she continues, “It was pitch black all around me and I was falling. Then suddenly, it was like if a screen was above me. I saw my father and Bruce attempt to build Ultron and it failed like it was supposed to, but then when they left the room he came alive. He was smiling right at me like if he was waiting for me.” She opens her eyes and stares at the ceiling.
“What happened next?”
“I was in the living room surrounded by my family, but they didn’t look the same. They looked at me like I was a threat.” Mara wipes her eyes.
“I believe that you aren’t lying.” She turns her head to smile at the android who was now only five feet from the table. “However, I cannot confirm that what you believe had actually happened.”
She lets out a long sigh, “Yeah, I understand.” She jumps up from her position when she hears a loud, long beep. “Uh.”
“Your results are done. I will go retrieve Bruce. You are not to move Mara.” But as Vision heads towards the exit, Bruce is already walking in.
“Alright, kid.” Bruce says aloud as he walks over to the machine. He opens a holograph above the printer and does some scrolling and swiping, before about 15 sheets are printed out. He hums loudly as he reads through the results, looking over at Mara occasionally.
“So?” The girl questions as she shifts her position on the table. “I’m his kid, right?”
“Did you have any doubts?” Bruce says, still reading through the sheets.
“No, but the anticipation was fun.”
“You are his kid.” Bruce confirms with a tenseness in his voice.
“Awh man.” The girl frowns and kicks her feet. Bruce looks over at her, not entertained. “You know-.” The female starts. “-you used to be the cool uncle.”
“Kid.” Bruce quiets her. “Your cortisol levels are abnormally high. Your blood sugar levels are fine right now, but-.” He turns through his sheet with a concerned face. “But there is a test to measure long term-.”
“The A1C test?”
He looks up at her with his eyebrows scrunched together, “Yeah. You have high blood glucose levels. What do you eat at home?”
“It is because the chronic anxiety, or at least that is what my doctor back home says.”
“I guess that would explain why your heart rate and respirations are constantly elevated.” He scratches his head. “You’re going to need to start taking care of yourself.”
“I go to therapy once a week. I live with a doctor. I have J.A.R.V.I.S. to monitor my vitals, hours of sleep, and everything else needed.” She thinks about that for a second. “Well of course not right now. Too be honest I’m not even sure I will survive the 10 days.”
“If you need someone to talk to-.”
“Okay.” Mara cuts him off, noticing how uncomfortable it made him to even begin that sentence. “Thank you.”
“Well. Let’s go talk to Tony.” Bruce says nervously. Mara and Vision follow him out of the room. Vision takes Mara’s hand and she lets out a breath she was holding.
As they exit the elevator, they pass Wanda in the hall. She glares at Mara, tensing up when she sees Mara holding hands with Vision. Mara pulls away abruptly, continuing to follow Bruce into the kitchen.
“Tony.” Bruce states apologetically.
Tony stares at Bruce and then back at the girl before muttering, “Awh, fuck.”
***
Mara slumps into the couch, listening to Tony and Bruce having a shouting match in the hallway outside of the kitchen. The others sit around the kitchen island, staring the girl’s way.
“I told you to get rid of her!” Tony shouts.
“You said to kick her out if the tests show she isn’t your child!”
“You couldn’t have lied to her?”
“She’s not stupid Tony! I wasn’t going to kick her out!”
“I do not want her here!”
“She can hear you!”
“Good! I want her to hear me.”
“Why don’t you just consider that she might be telling the truth! If she is right then this effects all of us, not just you! Stop being so self-involved!”
“Guys! Guys! Stop fighting!” Steve gets involved.
“Easy for you to say Captain Perfect! You don’t have a strange child claiming to be your kid from some other dimension!” Tony shouts.
Mara sighs and sinks into the couch more. Natasha walks over to her and flops onto the cushion next to her.
“It is just 10 days okay? You can handle this for 10 days.” Steve tries to compromise with Tony.
“Where’s her birth certificate?” Tony looks at Bruce.
“She doesn’t have one. She said she wasn’t even supposed to be born for another two and a half years.” Bruce responds.
“Can you at least tell me her mom is hot?” Tony stops shouting and seems curious.
"Um. Well-.” Bruce avoids eye contact with Tony.
“Um. Well. What? Banner!” Tony mocks.
“She is about to turn 23 in a month.” Bruce says as he stares at his feet.
Tony looks at him with disgust. “Oh my god.” He stomps into the living room, causing the female to shift in her seat. He goes to grab her, but Natasha jumps in between them. “I need to talk to her.”
“Don’t touch her.” Natasha warns.
Tony takes a step back. “Your mother is a child.”
“My biological mother is quite younger than you, yes.”
“Why do you keep dancing around everything!”
The girl brings her knees to her chest.
“Tony.” Steve warns from behind the couch.
“You can’t have kids. My other parent can’t have kids. Amanda entered her graduate studies at Cornell University and she decided to do research on the effects of childbearing on a woman’s body. You got two kids; she got her tuition and loans paid off. You help her, she helps you.” Mara explains.
“Who is your other parent?”
“My only condition is: I can only tell one of my parents that they are my parent.”
“You are unbelievable.”
“Actually, sir.” Vision interjects. “She is most definitely believable. I can promise you, she is not lying. She believes everything she is saying.”
“You couldn’t word that differently, Vis?” Mara whines.
“Sorry, Ms. Mara.” Vision replies.
“Vis? We are letting her give us nicknames now?” Tony throws his hands up in the air like he can’t believe everyone has betrayed him. “Is everyone really falling for this?”
“I believe her.” Natasha says.
“I don’t.” Clint replies, smiling when Wanda and Bruce agree.
“Steve?” Tony pleads.
He shakes his head, “I don’t. I don’t know.”
***
Mara locks herself in the conference room for the rest of the night, playing music loudly. Eventually Natasha and Sam stop trying to get her to open the room. She scribbles drawings on the sheets of paper Bruce offered her. The ink in the pen she has begins to run out and she scribbles hard, trying to get it to work. When she realizes it is no use, she flings the pen across the room. Eventually all her papers are on the floor and the conference room chairs are scattered on the far end of the room. She tires herself out and eventually passes out on the conference room floor.