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Children of a Lesser God

The Scientific Miracle

Natasha Romanoff watched silently as the South African woodland slowly passed by the window of the all-terrain vehicle. She and Clint Barton were sharing the vehicle with two agents from South Africa’s National Intelligence Agency. Natasha had learned the partners had been the pair to find the woman SHIELD was searching for when they had sent been on a mission to investigate rumors of illegal genetic research within the country.

The quartet was not traveling alone on this mission, instead being accompanied by members of both the South African Army and the South African National Defence Force Intelligence Division. While they had worked on missions with other intelligence agencies before, the thought of working with a foreign military force greatly unnerved the two SHIELD agents. They were assassins, after all, and therefore worked only with each other.

That is, when they weren’t saving the world as two of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, as Stark would refer to the group as.

The caravan of military vehicles was slowly traveling on some well-hidden roads en route to the supposed location of the facility. Despite the fact that the vehicles were traveling slowly, the unpaved and extremely rough roads were making for an uncomfortable ride. Clint, who was seated on Natasha’s side, let loose a groan as he was jostled against the door.

“Christ, someone really did not want curious onlookers to find this place,” he said quietly.
NIA agent Kaba Soeters turned in his seat so he could face Clint. “Of course. This certain facility is top-secret and their security is extremely tight, with only certain people being allowed on the premises. If one looks suspicious or is caught trying to trespass, they will be shot without hesitation.”
Clint’s eyes widened and he let loose a whistle. “Wow. They really aren’t playing around, are they?”
Kaba’s partner, Anneloes Verstoep, also turned to Clint. “Not in the least. Although it’s to be expected, since the experiments performed at the facility aren’t exactly considered ‘legal’ or ‘moral’ by the standards of modern science.”

“Frankly, genetic research has never been considered the most ethical type of science,” Natasha interjected.
“This is true, but the scientists at this facility are using unethical and inhumane methods to genetically modify living organisms,” Anneloes explained.
“They’re trying to create a new ‘super race’, if you will,” Kaba clarified.
“Similar to the Nazi experiments on concentration camp prisoners during the Holocaust,” Natasha observed.
“Which explains why they’d have our girl, since her genetic code is no doubt unlike anything these scientists have seen before,” Clint concluded.

“Correct. They consider her to be their Holy Grail of sorts, and you need a security clearance to enter the room where she’s kept,” Kaba told him.
Natasha turned her attention to Anneloes. “Can you tell us what you know about her?”
“We were told that she had avian DNA grafted onto her human genes before birth, which successfully rendered her ninety-eight percent human and two percent avian. The avian DNA granted her hollow bones, air sacs, raptor eyesight and needless to say, wings.”
“Do these particular scientists know how someone grafted avian genes onto an embryo?” Natasha asked calmly.

“They assume that the avian genes were added by way of an amniocentesis test, although they aren’t a hundred percent sure,” Anneloes answered.
Natasha sat in stunned silence for a moment before nodding for Anneloes to continue. “Go on, Agent Verstoep.”
“The scientists have confirmed that her avian DNA has originated from an Aquila chrysaetos, which is the scientific name for the golden eagle.”
“One of the largest and most well-known raptors in the Northern Hemisphere, as well as one of the most powerful predators in the avian world,” Clint commented.

Kaba nodded his head. “Captive birds bred for the sport of falconry can weigh twenty-seven pounds, have wingspans of over nine feet, and are capable of killing dangerous prey such as gray wolves.”
“Well, damn,” Clint mumbled and then turned his attention to Anneloes. “I’m sorry. You can go on.”
Anneloes gave him a small smile. “It’s quite alright, Agent Barton. Back on subject, though, avian DNA wasn’t the only addition scientists made to her. Also before birth, they further modified her with various strands of the x-gene. This, in turn, granted her various abilities.”
“Whoever created her made her into a weapon,” Natasha mumbled.
“A very powerful one who could prove to be deadly if she ends up in the wrong hands,” Kaba agreed.

Even though Kaba hadn't noticed it, Clint clearly heard the sympathy in Natasha’s voice and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. The redhead never openly showed emotion, simply because she was trained to keep them in check. The Soviets had taught her that to show sympathy was to show weakness, and that lesson stayed with her when she came to SHIELD. But this was different, since Natasha sympathized for this girl because she understood.

When she was a child, she had been trained by the Soviet Union to become a weapon herself.

Natasha’s green eyes flicked to Clint’s blue ones and she mouthed “thank you” to him. Clint gave his partner a reassuring smile and then returned his attention to the two NIA agents.
“Is there anything else you think we should know about her?””
“Well, she’s not the…safest…person to be around,” Kaba admitted tentatively. “Two of her abilities are purely offensive and while they’re not without their limits, they’re both extremely dangerous. Not to mention that her physical strength is incredible, being much greater than that of the average human.”
“She’s not exactly mentally stable either, being prone to angry outbursts and lashing out,” Anneloes continued. “However, the scientists can’t be sure if it’s because of her clashing genetic code or a traumatic event in her past.”

Clint considered sarcastically commenting that anger and violence were completely out of the ordinary for someone being used as a guinea pig, but quickly determined it was against his better judgment to do so. Instead, he ran a hand through his short hair and acknowledged his fellow agents with a head nod.
“Well, thank you. We’ll keep that in mind.”
“If I may ask, Agent Barton, why exactly is your agency is so interested in this girl?” Kaba questioned.
Clint’s lips curved into a small smirk. “Isn’t it obvious? SHIELD specializes in dangerous loose cannons.”
Her partner’s comment caused Natasha to roll her eyes and elbow him. “Our director thinks that she can save one of our own.”

Before Kaba could ask the SHIELD agent to elaborate, the driver called to him in Afrikaans.
“Ons is minder as 'n myl weg van die fasiliteit, meneer.”
“Dankie,” Kaba thanked the driver in Afrikaans before turning to Clint and Natasha. “You should take some time to prepare yourselves, as we will be arriving at the facility shortly.”
The two SHIELD agents quickly nodded their heads and began to prepare their weapons; while Natasha inserted the magazines into her handguns, Clint dialed up the armament setting for his tranquilzer-tipped arrowheads.
Anneloe, who was silently silently as the agents prepared their gear, suddenly acnknolwedged them.
“Something isn’t right. Stop and listen.”
“ophou die voertuig,” Kaba instructed the driver.

Cint and Natasha dutifully stopped their preparations and listened to the sounds coming from outside the vehicle. But rather than shots being fired at the caravan or angry guards shouting in Afrikaans, there was only the sounds of birds chirping and other small forest creatures. The SHIELD agents exchanged an anxious glance then returned their attention back outside.

At that moment, everyone in the vehicle was wondering the same thing.
Just why was it so quiet?

“Dit is nie reg nie,” Anneloes told Kaba in Afrikaans.
The NIA agent let loose a heavy sigh and then responded in English. “I know. We should be seeing guards and hearing gunfire right now.”
“It’s not supposed to be like this,” Anneloes commented quietly. “It’s too quiet.”
“Far too quiet,” Natasha agreed.
Clint, who had been watching the exchange in silence, suddenly grabbed his bow and swung his door open. Before he could climb out, hoever, Kaba stopped him.
“Agent Barton, are you sure?”

“Of course I’m sure,” Clint answered. “I’ll only be gone for a minute. You guys stay here. Besides,” he paused so he could climb out of the vehicle, “I need the air. All the jostling around was starting to make me feel a little car sick.”
Natasha followed the blond out of the vehicle without so much as a hesitation. “I’m going with him, since I don’t trust him by himsef. We’ll be back soon,” she told Kaba and Anneloes.
“Do be cautious,” Anneloes warned them.
Natasha gave her a small smile. “We will be. Thank you, Agent Verstoep.”

As the partners were trudging through the underbrush, Clint gazed at Natasha from over his shoulder.
“You know you didn’t have to come, Natasha. I can handle myself.”
“Well, the last time I left you alone, you did end up under the control of a vengeful god,” Natasha reminded him.
Clint frowned and reached over, gently touching the Russian’s hand. “That wasn’t your fault.”
Natasha gave him a weak smile, not willing to admit that perhaps the comment Loki made to her the year before was correct.
Clint suddenly elbowed Natasha lightly, wrecking her train of thought. “My god, Natasha. Look.”

The female followed her partner’s gaze to the surreal and equally unsettling sight laid out in front of them. Cutting through the serene forest scenery was a twelve foot tall chainlink fence topped with perilous barbed wire, no doubt marking the perimeter of the research facility. Several guard towers were erected at random points along the perimeter, along with a security checkpoint situated at the entrance.

Even though the sight of chainlink fence, concertia wire, and guard towers in the middle of a forest was disconcerting, neither agent was particularly bothered by it. After having nearly destroyed the island of Manhatten the previous year while battling an army of extraterrestrial beings, a genetic research facility hidden in the woods wasn’t all that surprising to them.

The pair was more unnerved by the absensce of human activicity in the area; each of the guardtowers was vacant, along with the guardhouse present at the security checkpoint.

“Where the hell do you think everyone is?” Clint asked quietly.
“I have no idea,” Natasha replied. “Let’s get back to the others, though.”
While the agents were walking back to the vehicle, the Russian radioed back to SHIELD. “Home base, this is Black Widow reporting on mission status, come in.”
“Black Widow, this is home base. Tell me your location, over,” Nick responded.
“We’re at the facility where the subject is being held, although we have a problem, over.”
From the tone of his voice, it was clear the Director was not happy. “What do you mean you have a problem?”
“Home base, this is Hawkeye. From what we could see, the facility where the subject is located appears to be abandoned.”

“And what exactly did you see?”
“Several empty guardtowers and an empty guardhouse,” Clint responded. “When we noticed the lack of resistance en route to the facility, Black Widow and I seperated from the caravan to investigate. We were approximately a hundred yards from the facility grounds.”
“So, you weren’t actually on the property.”
“Negative, sir. We’re currently en route back to the carvan.”
“I don’t care whether it’s abandoned or not. Get yourselves back to the others, get inside that facility and perform a full search for the subject. Do not report back to me until you’ve searched every last inch of the building. Do you copy?”

“Wilco,” Natasha answered.
“Good. Home base out.”
After the Director ended the transmission, Clint swore under his breath. “If everyone just up and abandoned the place, they probably took her with them,” he remarked to Natasha. “The chances of finding her are slim to none.”
“Remember that Fury has been searching for her for awhile now, Clint. You know that he’s not going to admit defeat without being one hundred and ten percent positive that she’s not in there.”
“You do have a point there,” Clint conceded.
Natasha laughed quietly. “I thought so.”

When the partners arrived at the vehicle, they found Kaba and Anneloes waiting outside of it.
“Thank god,” Anneloes commented as Clint and Natasha approached them. “Did you find out why it’s so quiet?”
“Well, either the creeps decided to just up and abandon the place on a whim, or the whole security team had to be let go because of budget cuts,” Clint replied. “Personally, I’m vying it’s the former.”
“So, you’re telling us you think they just abandoned the place,” Kaba said doubtfully.
“We’re not entirely sure, but there’s no trace of people anywhere. The guardtowers and security checkpoint are all empty,” Natasha elucidated.
Kaba exchanged a glance with Anneloes before turning his attention back to the redhead. “So, what happens now?”

“Well, our Director is sending us into the facility to investigage. If they did in fact leave, hopefully we can find out some clues about why they left and where they went. Even though the assistance would be appreciated, we’d understand completely if you don’t choose to join us,” Natasha told them.
“No, it’s fine. We’ll go with you,” Anneloes decided quickly.
Clint was surprised by the NIA agent’s quick reponse. “Are you sure?”
“We’re positive. It’s not a problem in the least,” Kaba agreed. “We know both the language and where exactly in the facility the girl is kept.”
Natasha gave the pair a small smile. “Thank you, both of you.”
“It’s our pleasure, Agent Romanoff,” Anneloes answered before motioning toward the vehicle. “Shall we?”
“Yeah, what exactly are we waiting for?” Clint remarked. “Let’s get to it.”

The quartet climbed into the vehicle without another word and retook their seats.
Kaba immediately addressed the driver. “Gaan voort op die fasiliteit.”
“Ja meneer.”
As the vehicle started moving, each pair of agents radioed their contacts for additional support; while Kaba radioed the SA Army to request artillery support, Clint radioed their Quinet pilot to request air support. Even though the lab seemed to be abandoned, no one in the vehicle could be sure that it was and the thought of being caught in a trap lingered in everyone’s mind.

It was always better to be safe rather than sorry, afterall.

Even though the vehicle was traveling slowly beacuse of the terrain, it took well under a minute for the facility’s barbed perimeter fence and vacant guardtowers to come into view. The sight of the deserted watchtowers and guard station caused the NIA agents to wordlessly exchange a look of utter disbelief then turn their attention back to the eerie sight in front of them.

The driver cautiously pulled up to the checkpoint gate and turned to the agents.
“Iemand gaan te hê om die hek oop te maak.”
Kaba motioned toward Clint. “Agent Barton en ek sal uit te gaan en dit te doen.”
The female agents remained in the vehicle, watching as their partners climbed out of the all-terrain vehicle and opened up the gate to the facility. The two men then stepped through the open gate and proceeded several feet prior to clearing the driver to follow them. After a moment of hesitation, the driver did so leerily and followed them onto the facility grounds.

The first thing that everyone noticed were the unpaved parking lots that surrounded the facility; similar to the guard towers and guard house, each parking lot was completely empty.
“There’s not a single car in sight,” Natasha affirmed quietly.
“It’s very strange indeed that everyone just up and vanished,” Anneloes aceded. “I wonder why that is.”
Natasha stared across one of the vacant lots, noticing a menacing sign posted a few feet away from the fence.
“Agent Verstoep, what exactly does that sign say?”
“It’s warning people that the fence is electrified and therefore dangerous to touch.”
“If the fence is electrified, then why bother using concertia wire?” Natasha wondered.
“Let’s just say that electricity doesn’t harm your particular girl,” Anneloes answered cryptically.

The driver slowly crept by the parking lots and stopped the vehicle a few dozen yards away from the facility, which consisted of a two-story brick building that looked like it was from the mid 1900’s. Several barred windows were etched into the walls, and the shingles of the slanted roof were a faded shade of auburn. Ivy-colored vhines sprawled across the right half of the structure and the forest was casting eerie shadows across the grounds.

“Maak 'n sirkel rondom die gebou,” Kaba instructed the artillery support via radio.
As Natasha and Anneloes climbed out of the vehicle, the silence was suddenly disrupted by the roar of a SHIELD Quinjet as it flew in from high above the trees, followed by a few F-22 Raptors. Everyone on the ground listened for a moment to see if the presense of the jets would cause a reaction from inside the building, but there was nothing. The Quinjet hovered a couple hundred feet above Kaba and aimed its retractable machine gun at the facility.

Even though it was extremely unlikely that there was anyone in the building, Kaba nonetheless sent a radio transmission inside.
“Aandag! Dit is Kaba Soeters, 'n agent van die Nasionale Intelligensie-agentskap. Ek is vergesel deur die Suid-Afrikaanse Weermag, F-22s, en agente van die Strategiese Homeland Intervensie, handhawing en Logistieke Divisie. As jy die binnekant van die gebou is, buite kom en drop enige wapens wat jy mag hê.Versuim om dit te doen, sal beskou word as 'n daad van hosility en jy sal aangeval word. Maak ek myself duidelik?”

Everybody waited silently for a reply, but unsurprisingly, none came. After an excruciatingly long moment, Kaba and Clint joined the two women.
“What do you say we do?” Kaba asked the other three.
Natasha turned her attention to the building. “I don’t see why we shouldn’t just go in, since we’re not accomplishing a single thing by staying outside.”
“She’s right, Kaba,” Anneloes remarked.
After several seconds, Kaba let loose a rather reluctant sigh. “Well, alright then. If you’re sure.”

After Kaba motioned for some SANDF-ID agents to join them and for the ground forces to stay on guard, the two NIA agents started walking toward the entrance to the facility. While Natasha followed behind the group, Clint took off in the opposite direction toward the nearest guardtower. Anneloes noticed this and gazed at Natasha with an arched eyebrow.
“So your partner won’t be joining us?”
“Don’t worry, he’ll radio us if anything is amiss. It’s just that he sees better from a distance.”
Anneloes looked like she was about to say something, but decided against it and instead simply shrugged.

When the trio arrived at the door, Kaba put a hand on the doorknob and pushed down. Surprisingly, it moved down easily and the door popped open. He and Anneloes stepped hesitantly stepped into the building, while Natasha removed one of her guns from it prior to following them inside. The first thing that everyone noticed was the ominous stench of decaying flesh.

One thing was certain; something had died and was left to rot inside the building.

Natasha was feeling nauseated from the overwhelming stench, causing her to turn away quickly when one of the SANDF-ID agents kneeled down and puked on the floor. She instead turned her attention to Kaba and Anneloes, who were looking a little green themselves. She took a moment to gain her composure and make sure she wasn’t going to vomit herself before acknowleding them.

“Which way do we go?”
Anneloes motioned down a long corridor in front of them. “This way. Follow us.”
Kaba turned to the SAND-IF agents. “Julle ouens hier bly. Ons sal radio jou as ons jou hulp nodig,” he instructed them.

While the trio proceeded down the hallway alone, Natasha found herself gazing into the rooms to find a macabre sight; each room was completely empty except for the presence of motionless experiments locked in steel crates of varying sizes. The experiments ranged from mice and various other animals to what look like genetically engineered human-plant hybrids, a la Poison Ivy.

The redhead imagined that this was how the troops who liberated concentration campus such as Auschwitz or Bergen-Belsen must have felt.

“Дорогой Бог,” Natasha finally muttered in Russian. “I feel like we’re walking through Auschwitz.”
“None of them are alive,” Anneloes added. “They were left here to die.”
“The scientists must have realized that someone was onto them, and deciding that there was no time to conceal their atrocities, decided to simply hightail it out of here,” Kaba concurred.
“What exactly are these room used for?” Natasha asked, changing the subject.
“They’re used for holding the experiments,” Anneloes explained. “The laboratories and test rooms are located downstairs, while offices for business affairs are located upstairs.”
”Your girl is kept downstairs because it was convenient,” Kaba added. “Needless to say, she spent more time in the labs and test rooms than any other experiment here.”

The three of them walked the remainder of the corridor in tense silence, not knowing whether SHIELD’s girl was in the laboratory or she if had met the same tragic fate that the “experiments” had. Immediately upon arriving at the end of the hallway, the pair ushered Natasha through a pair of double doors and down a stairwell. They subsequently led the redhead through another set of doors at the bottom of the stairs and into a shorter hallway, this one containing a few doors that led to laboratories and test rooms.

Halfway down the hallway, Kaba and Anneloes lead Natasha through one of the doors into a room that contained tables covered in beakers, syringes and other laboratory equipment. Present on the left wall was another door, this one possessing both a key card lock and a coded lock.
“They used this particular lab room exclusively for her,” Anneloes told Natasha and motioned to the door. “She is, or was rather, kept in that room.”
The trio continued to the door, where Kaba nonchalantly removed a key cad from his pocket and swiped it through the keycard lock. He then entered an eight-digit passcode into the coded lock, which caused the lock to pop open.

The agent sucked in a breath and pushed the door open slowly. “Here goes nothing,” he mumbled as he stepped into the room. He then flipped on the light switch and turned to his fellow agents. “Come on in.”
After exchanging a brief glance, Natasha and Anneloes stepped into the room behind him. It was a claustrophobic room, containing only a gurney and a sensory deprivation tank.
“They kept her in an isolation tank!?” Natasha exclaimed in abhorrence.
“They considered her violent and extremely dangerous,” Anneloes reminded her.

Kaba strode to the isolation tank and opened it up, letting loose a chuckle when he looked inside.
“Son of a gun. I can’t believe it.”
His comment caused the female agents to rush over his side and peer into the tank as well. A woman, who looked to be in her mid-twenties, was motionlessly floating in the Epsom water. She was tall yet possessed a small and skeletal frame. She had a pale skin tone and long, brunette locks with tawny highlights. A line of dark feathers extended down her side, barely visible through the thin hospital-esque gown she was wearing.

However, it soon became evident that something was seriously wrong; the woman hadn’t moved a single muscle since Kaba opened the sensory deprivation tank.

Natasha was finally the one to bring up the dreaded question, her voice hardly above a whisper. “Is she alive…?”
Disregarding the Russian’s question, Kaba instead rolled up his sleeves and removed the woman’s limp body from the water; as soon as Kaba placed the woman down on the gurney, Anneloes placed a hand on her neck to check for a pulse.

After an agonizing minute, the agent frowned. “My apologies, Agent Romanoff. It would appear that we’re too late.”
“Damnit,” Natasha said. “Well, then. Let me break the-“
“Hold on!” Anneloes suddenly exclaimed, cutting Natasha off midsentence. “My god, she is alive.”
Natasha was taken aback by Anneloes’ statement. “She is!?”
“Make no mistake. She’s alive, all right,” Anneloes confirmed.
“But, you told me that you couldn’t feel her pulse.”
“That’s because I actually couldn’t a minute ago. But, I can definitely feel it now. It’s picking up both speed and power.”

“Absolutely fascinating,” Kaba discerned. “It’s as if her body slowed down all of her major organs and entered a state of minimal functioning. Perhaps she found a way to slow down her bodily functions out of her own free will, or more likely, her body did so automatically as a defense mechanism.”
“Similar to what happened to Steve,” Natasha mumbled to herself.

The trio of agents stood together in silence for a while, not knowing what to say as they stared at the woman lying in front of them. She finally began to stir slightly, much to everyone’s relief; they didn’t know how long the woman would spend in an unconscious state or if she would require any medical attention. A minute later, the female’s green eyes slowly opened up. Before anyone could acknowledge her, however, she let loose a bloodcurdling scream.
♠ ♠ ♠
Shout Outs To:
Synyster Gates for your comment.
Synyster Gates;, cocopuffs, The Pies Endure, and xVampyraxHavocx for your recommendations.


Happy (belated) holidays and happy New Year, everyone! I hope that everyone got what they wanted over the 2012 holiday season. Wow, I actually posted this at a humane time. Hah! This chapter took longer to get out than I originally expected; I originally planned to have it up before the New Year, but work got in the way. Also not going to lie, I had a hell of a time with this chapter. I had the whole thing planned out, but just had trouble putting it into words. I will begin Chapter 3 after work tomorrow, and will work on it over my upcoming time off when I'm not playing Arkham City or CoD: Black Ops II. I can promise you right now that the next chapter will have lots of action in it. That's all for now, since I am in some serious need of sleep. Goodnight, everyone. xo