BORN TO BE AN AVENGER

05: Game Changers

After breakfast Albany had received a call from Marshall, who was calling to check in and make sure she was still alive. She told him Hawkeye had a nickname for her and she was pretty sure he flipped his bedside table over in excitement. Albany had never been a big fan of the Avengers, but Marshall constantly convinced her otherwise. After chatting for about an hour, and constantly reassuring him she was indeed, okay, they hung up the call. Just in time for JARVIS to inform her she was wanted on the floor beneath her.

Albany walked down the halls of the Avenger's Tower, taking in its entire appearance. After this is over, she may never be able to come back. Hell, whatever inside her may kill her before she gets to do anything else in her life. She'd have to take as much of it in as she could. It only took her a few moments to find the meeting room where, well, they were all meeting.

The teen walked in to find everyone seated but Bruce across a sleek black table. The walls were coated with small tiles in every shade of grey and spots of light blue every now and again. "Do you guys hold meetings here often?"

The Black Widow released a smile. "More like Stark now has a reason to say it was worth building. I've never seen this room in my life."

Albany gave her a brief smile in response, taking a seat in the dark black chair next to Clint. Natasha was seriously intimidating, and she was just now truly realizing that. Actually, looking around the room she realized that the only person she trusted was Clint. Everyone else were strangers, waiting to be proved trustworthy in her mind. These were the Avengers, people who have taken lives. But nonetheless they were trying to help her. Despite knowing that they did not have to. Out of their free will the Avengers were taking time out of their day to help Albany. And that meant something of great significance to her.

Clint leaned closer to her, his eyes filled with worry. "You ready to hear everything? The good and the bad?"

Albany nodded with a light smile. "Like you said. I'm tough, and I'm really relying on that now."

Bruce walked in, his steps leaving a hollow echo each time they hit the ground. Albany swallowed anxiously, her eyes trailing him. He set down a MacBook and several stacked files at the head of the table. "Wow. I don't think we've ever all sat down together this seriously. Kudos team." He raised his fist in the air.

A light chuckle spread throughout the group but was silenced almost as soon as it came. "Alright alright let's just get straight into it." Bruce continued to speak as Albany worriedly sat foward and placed her hand under her chin. She didn't notice Clint's concerned glances.

"Let's start with what we know. Albany Winfrey Bynes-"

"Winfrey?" Stark let out a laugh, his voice startling the teenager out of her concentrated state. "Wow kid, that sucks."

Albany looked down, not taking the joke lightly. "Well I'm sorry I didn't have parents around to give me a better one. Apparently I spent most of my early childhood getting injected with shit. Sorry it's a burden to you, Stark." 

She met his guilty eyes and he left her eye contact almost immediately. Tony had noticed that she hadn't used his first name like she had prior; but he didn't need only that to know she was pissed. Albany was in a sensitive mood right now, prepared for essentially the worse.

Steve didn't hide his face palm just as Clint didn't hide his angry stare. Bruce bit his lip. "Okay... moving on." He paused.

"Albany is 16 years old, born April 3rd 1997. She is 5'3 and was put up for adoption by her parents immediately after birth to Everyday Adoption Center located 3 hours away from here; coincidentally in Albany."