A Girl of the Future

by Vanessa Krowd

  She had said several times that she could watch Erik on her own, but Steve had seen the emotional strain she had been putting herself through. She looked much more tired

  those past days, and although she wouldn't say what was keeping her up, he would have bet his career on nightmares. He didn't want her to have to sit through anything more alone. Which is why he found himself sitting right beside her, his focus leaning more towards Nikki rather than the conversation between Simmons and Erik.

  "Do you really think Erik would hurt her?" Steve muttered, keeping his voice low.

  Nikki shrugged, "I'm never sure of anything with Erik."

  "Is he really like that?"

  The sigh she gave was long-suffering, but she shook her head, "Erik isn't a terrible person. Given what we've been through, he could have been much worse. He just…lashes

  out at people who don't understand. Sometimes, I can understand why he does it, why he looks down at regular people the way he does. They weren't very accepting in our

  world. They looked at us and thought, if one of us was potentially dangerous, then all of us were. So Erik began to look at them the same way. Ours was a world of monsters

  and men. And, sometimes, there wasn't a difference between the two."

  He nodded in understanding, watching as Erik gestured vaguely at the chair and levitated both it and Simmons an inch off the ground. Manipulation of magnetic fields, Nikki had

  said. He and Coulson had down a bit of reading up on the subject and the results weren't exactly reassuring. Coulson had stated that, with the extent of power that such a mutation allowed, it was unlikely that even Erik knew his exact limitations. It wasn't exactly a positive idea given that Erik had the disposition of – as Skye had put it – the

  human incarnation of the grumpy cat. Neither Steve nor Nikki knew exactly what she had meant, but didn't bother with asking.

  Nikki tapped him lightly on the shoulder, catching his attention once more, and nodded her head towards something behind him. He glanced over his shoulder, catching sight of

  Coulson motioning for both of them from the doorframe.

  "Do you think they'll be fine?" Steve asked.

  They both glanced back to Erik and Simmons, who know seemed to be have a much more casual conversation.

  "They seemed fine," she told him. "She finds him charming now, so he'll be fine."

  Steve had to stifle a laugh as they walked out of the room. Nikki spared the two one last glance before shutting the door, turning to look expectedly at Coulson. He motioned

  for both of them to follow him down the hall.

  "Have they found anything?" Nikki asked.

  "Not yet," Coulson told her. "You'll be the first to know if we find anything. This is actually regarding the Avengers."

  "Oh."

  There was a notably dejected edge to her tone, but she didn't say anything more.

  "Protocol for new initiates is still in the works as, quite frankly, we weren't expecting a situation like the one you presented," Coulson told her, giving an almost amused smile.

  "But it seemed only appropriate that you meet the people you're going to be working with."

  Nikki stopped walking, causing both men to stutter to a halt as they turned to look at her. She had her arms crossed over her chest and her lips pressed into a thin line and,

  for a woman who was just barely hit five feet and four inches, there was a distinctly no-nonsense air about her. It almost made her look intimidating.

  "Miss Eisenhardt?" Coulson said tentatively.

  "There are some things we need to work out if I'm going to be one of your Avengers," she told him. "I've got a family to look after, so I can't afford to go off on one of your

  away missions and never come back. We struggled to get by on the best months. I need assurance, if something happens to me, that my family will have everything they

  need.

  "And then there's the matter of privacy. I don't particularly care about myself, and I'll give you just about anything you want, but my kids stay out of it. All of them.

  S.H.I.E.L.D. has absolutely no contact with them unless it's absolutely necessary."

  Coulson nodded in understanding, a relieved smile crossing his lips at her words, "I'm sure we can acquiesce to your requests. Is that all?"

  "So long as you can guarantee those, we should be fine."

  "As Natasha and Clint are on the search for HYDRA and the rest of the mutants, and you seem to have acquainted yourself with Thor, you'll be meeting Tony Stark and Dr.

  Banner," Coulson said as they continued down the hall. "You've likely seen Mr. Stark on TV, but Dr. Banner came all the way from Mumbai at our request."

  "Stark is Iron Man, right?"

  Both Steve and Coulson spared her a glance over their shoulders. Ignoring the confused expressions on their faces, Nikki gave a shrug.

  "He's Douglas's celebrity crush," she explained. "Ever since the…issue in New York with the" – she gestured vaguely towards the sky, as though she felt too ridiculous to say

  the word 'aliens' aloud despite being a self-proclaimed 'mutant' – "you know, Douglas has harbored a bit of a crush on him."

  "Don't tell Stark that," Coulson chuckled.

  "Do not speak to Stark of what?"

  The booming voice of Thor caused all three to stop short. He came sweeping down the hallway in his usual manner, his cape and chainmail gone so that he was wearing only

  his breastplate, vambraces, and trousers – an outfit which the Avengers had come to think of as Thor's casual armor. Nikki's expression brightened considerably when she

  caught sight of the King.

  "Thor!"

  "Lady Nikki," he replied, smiling in return. "What is it which we should not speak of to Tony Stark?"

  "Nothing important," she answered. "I haven't seen you around the ship recently."

  Thor almost looked apologetic as he said, "I have been away, conversing with Heimdall in regard to the search for Balder and your family."

  "Heimdall…the man who can see everything?"

  "Yes."

  "Any news?"

  He shook his head sadly, "None yet, my lady. It would seem they are being concealed fairly well, but we shall find them."

  "I know," she sighed. "I just wish it was sooner."

  It was clear that she had meant for the last bit to be heard only by herself. And with Coulson and Thor now talking about further strategies for finding the missing mutants,

  she almost succeeded. But Steve had just barely caught the words, her voice so hushed and yet the worry was clear as a ringing bell, and he caught her eyes when she

  looked back up. Thor and Coulson began to walk further down the hall as they spoke, leaving the two behind. They stood in silence for a handful of seconds.

  Just as Steve made to speak, Nikki shook her head, "Please don't."

  "I don't-"

  "I know what you're going to say," she told him, holding up a hand as if to stop him. "And you've said it already. Coulson has said it a few times – just about every agent tells me the same words. But don't tell me not to worry. I'll always worry about them, even if they're not in any immediate danger, because they're my kids."

  Before he could reply, she had turned abruptly around and walked off in the direction of Thor and Coulson. He stood there in confusion, watching her leave, with the question

  of how the conversation had turned so quickly. Never mind the fact that he had never planned on telling her not to worry. They were her family, in the hands of HYDRA, and

  he had no intention of saying something so ridiculous. Of course she should be worried.

  Steve gave a soft sigh before walking after her, knowing that he was going to want to act as a buffer between her and Tony. They all knew that it took time for the billionaire

  to grow on people, and Nikki was a particularly withdrawn person upon first meeting others, making him worry about how the two might react to each other. He still
>
  remembered the disasters that had ensued between Tony and Freyja upon their first meetings. Though they had eventually come to a sort of mutual agreement, it had been

  obvious that the two hadn't known what to do with the other.

  Before he could get very far, a hand clamped down hard on his shoulder. The motion shocked him, as very few people in S.H.I.E.L.D. deemed it appropriate to even touch him, much less quite that forcefully outside of training. Unreadable green-grey eyes met his when he shot a glance over his shoulder. He frowned at the sight of Erik, his blue eyes

  glancing from the man's face to where his hand was on him and back.

  "Rogers," Erik said, the word oddly sharp for how impassive his tone was. "I believe you and I need to have a discussion."

  Steve allowed himself to look over the man that had been Nikki's husband once upon a time. He was still in the strange purple armor-like get-up, which was certain to gain a

  comment from Stark if the two ever met, but had apparently left his asymmetrical cape in his temporary room. It didn't stop him from looking ridiculous, Steve thought idly. He

  could certainly see what Coulson had been talking about when he had dubbed him as 'one of those'. Steve hadn't particularly liked Erik when he had first dropped into the

  Helicarrier, but his distaste for the mutant had grown exponentially after what Nikki had told him regarding their daughter.

  "I doubt it, Lehnsherr," Steve replied, knocking the man's hand away.

  He made to turn around, to walk away and after Nikki, but the walls around them suddenly pulled together with a screech loud enough to make him wince. The two pieces

  seem to smash together, rather than weld together, into a makeshift wall in front of him. Steve turned to Erik with a dark expression.

  "Shouldn't you be speaking with Agent Simmons still?"

  "I finished early," Erik replied, his tone dry. "You're not leaving until I've said my piece."

  "Then you'd better make it quick," Steve all but snapped. "Because I'm walking away in two minutes."

  Erik took three slow steps forward, a predatory edge to his gait as though he was trying to intimidate, and closed the distance between them. But they were roughly the same

  height and Steve was reminded of when Tony had tried to do the same thing so long ago.

  "I couldn't help but catch the last few minutes of your rendezvous with Magda."

  "Is that so?" Steve remarked, sounding much more aloof than he felt.

  Though his expression remained neutral, it seemed Erik couldn't hide the anger burning low like kindling in his eyes, "I don't know what you're playing for, but I suggest you

  back off. Magda doesn't need anyone distracting her, much less romantically, and you seem to be very keen."

  "I rather think that's her decision to make," Steve pointed out. "And her name is Nikki now."

  A muscle in Erik's jaw twitched. Ah, Steve thought as he saw the subtle change in the man before him, that struck a nerve. It was only when the mutant's eyes widened

  slightly that he realized he had said it aloud. A small part of him leapt forward at the sight, wanting to hurt this man for what he had put Nikki through. She was so scared of

  him, so terrified of what his very presence could mean in regards to her kids, and yet she still faced him every day since he had decided to force his way back into her life.

  Steve couldn't seem to stop himself.

  He wasn't entirely convinced that he wanted to.

  "It stings, doesn't it? Knowing she's not your Magda anymore," Steve said, taking a step forward for every time Erik stepped back. "It must hurt to know she doesn't need you

  anymore. And that's exactly what this is, isn't it? The whole time you were together, she was dependent on you, and you liked that. But she isn't the same person anymore.

  She's stronger than she ever was, capable of standing on her own feet, and she doesn't need anyone unless she chooses to. And that's what scares you, I'd bet. That she

  won't choose you. That she'll choose no one."

  Erik's face twisted into an almost feral snarl, and his hand shoots upward, his fingers splayed. Steve braced for a blow that never came. Instead, he was suddenly pulled back

  by the various metal fastenings and buckles in his S.H.I.E.L.D.-standard uniform. His feet left the floor, Erik's hand rising with him.

  The shock of the events seemed to act as an epiphany and Steve realized just how much of a line he must have crossed in Erik's eyes. He still can't find it in himself to feel all

  that bad about it. It's clear what the man wants, but they both know that it won't happen. No matter how much Erik didn't want to hear it, Steve knew that he had to let

  Nikki go. Because Nikki had closed that chapter of her life for good and had no intention of so much as looking back through the pages.

  "Walk away, Lehnsherr," he said, his tone softer now. "I'm not going to fight you."

  "You can't take her," Erik hissed, but the anger had seeped out of his voice, as well. "I won't let you."

  "It's not up to us."

  Steve felt himself fall a fraction of an inch as Erik's resolve wavered. Emboldened by the fact, he pressed a little further.

  "In the end, it's not really about us, either."

  Erik looked up at that, his lips parting in surprise. For a second, he looked as though he was going to speak, but he simply shut his mouth and dropped his hand. Steve

  promptly fell back on his feet as Erik turned away from him. He waved his hand as he walked away, sending the bent walls back to where they had been before. One word was

  all Steve got as he watched Erik leave.

  "Go."

  "-see what's so special about me or my family," Steve heard Nikki say as he walked in.

  "It's not difficult to understand the importance of you just standing here with us," Bruce pointed out. "You're living proof of the meta-universe theory."

  "I know quite a few scientists who'd love to meet you," Tony said, grinning ear to ear. "And half of the physics community would shit a brick."

  Nikki laughed at that, looking more at ease than she had that morning, much to Steve's relief. It seemed that the four hadn't needed a buffer anyway. But if he had to guess,

  Steve wouldn't have been surprised if Bruce had reigned the genius-billionaire in a little bit. It was still a relief to see that they weren't at each other's throats.

  "Was something amiss?" Thor suddenly asked him, having the good graces to speak quietly enough for only Steve to hear him. "You were hindered for quite some time."

  "Lehnsherr felt the need to talk to me."

  "Lady Nikki's previous husband?" Thor asked in surprise.

  Steve nodded, "Apparently, he thinks he can dictate what she does with her life."

  Thor opened his mouth to reply, but was promptly cut off as Tony called, "Steve, you should have introduced us sooner. She even gets Godfather references!"

  She shrugged at Steve, a sheepish kind of smile on her face, "It came out the year before I left. It seems our worlds weren't so different – apart from the whole superhero

  schtick you have here."

  "Which doesn't make sense, by all rights," Tony pointed out. "You come from a world where people are born with powers created by natural genetic mutation, and none of you

  thought to play superman?"

  "Do you know how much prejudice there was in the '50s and '60s?" she countered.

  Bruce nodded in understanding, "She's got a point. People in our universe didn't know how to react when faced with people of different skin color. Imagine the response to

  people who can change reality on a quantum level."

  "It was easier for me in some respects," Nikki told him. "My mutation isn't obvious until something triggers it or I choose to use it, so the only thing I had to worry about in

  public was someone throwing me out of their store because they didn't want to serve a 'hajji' or a 'paki'. I learned pretty quickly that I co
uldn't wear a diklo in the States

  without someone mistaking it for a hijab."

  Bruce gave her an apologetic smile, as though he was apologizing for what she might have been through. But she didn't seem to notice, her eyes trained on Tony as she

  shrugged, and continued.

  "It was harder for those of us with physical mutations. Pietro faced a few problems for his silver hair alone. Kurt can't go out without applying enough makeup for him to be one

  of the Face-Off contestants. It was a good thing he lived at the mansion or he would have likely been locked up away from the world."

  "The mansion?" Tony asked.

  She nodded, "Charles's home. He sort of turned it into a boarding school for mutants. Usually, we didn't have students who stayed all year, but Kurt was different. I found him

  on the doorstep with a note asking us to take care of him."

  "People would drop their kids off and never come back?" Steve asked, horrified.

  "There was a lot of prejudice towards mutants," she said. "And towards the families of mutants, particularly if they were proud of their children's gifts. We had a handful of

  students whose parents just wouldn't turn up to take them home on any given year. Those are the kids I took with me when we came here. The kids who had been kicked out

  onto the streets or whose parents had left them at the mansion."

  "You just up and decided to go to another world with a dozen superpowered kids?" Tony exclaimed. "With a handful of temp jobs to support them and no identification? How did

  S.H.I.E.L.D. not track you down before that?"

  At that, Nikki grinned, "Ariana's a technopath. I don't know how exactly she does it, but she managed to get us most of what we needed. And, now that there's internet and

  satellites, she said it's easier to access what we needed and what the government didn't. Bali helped with the rest of it when he found us. He'd been falsifying his identity for

  centuries, so he knew a lot of people in that sort of business." – Nikki looked to Thor with a smile – "Your brother's got a big heart. I don't think we'd have made it all that long

  if he hadn't decided to help us."

  Thor returned her smile, "Balder has always been the most compassionate of us. I am glad you and your family gave him a home when we could not."