Ava stood in front a huge statue between her big brother, Ben, and best friend, Reed Richard. Ava has long black hair that reached to her mid-back with dark brown eyes with tan skin. She was dressed in navy blue jeans, a white long sleeved shirt, a black leather jacket, and sneakers. Her hair was pulled back into her ponytail. She stood staring at the statue with annoyance. "Typical of Von Doom to make a thirty foot statue of himself." Ben scoffed. Ava rolled her eyes.
"He's probably just compensating." Ava said icely. Ava was many things. She was serious, cold, painfully honest, sassy, and fierce. She had a very icey personality most times, but she is sweet, caring, and funny to those she cares about.
"Well, it's obviously aimed at first time visitors to create feelings of smallness or inadequacy." Reed said causing Ava to roll her eyes and look up at the enormous building behind the statue.
"Good thing it ain't working." Ben says smiling as he clapped Reed on his shoulder encouragingly. Reed gave a small nervous smile in return.
"Don't worry Reed, you're way smarter than that idiot." Ava said with a smile. Reed has always been like another brother to her. "Come on, let's get this over with." Ava sighed.
"Reed, what are we doing here? This guy is fast food and strip mall science." Ben complained. He hated Victor just like Ava. Victor dated Ava back in high school and broke her heart by stealing Susan from Reed. Ava hated him ever since and so did Ben especially with what happened between Reed, Susan, and Victor. Although Ava found not many liked Victor. She came to hate him for more than just what he did to her. No she came to see the real side of Victor. Spoiled, cruel, selfish. She saw how he was nothing, but a spoiled rich kid who took pleasure in other people's misery.
Ava looked over at Reed wanting to know his reasoning also. "This isn't our first stop in case you haven't forgotten." Reed said causing Ava to sigh.
"I know, Reed, but why Victor." Ava sighed. "He's such a…" She sighed.
"Beside Victor isn't so bad." Reed said with a shrug. "He's just a little hard." Ava rolled her eyes.
"He seems awful to me." She muttered before they headed for Victor's office.
…
Ava stood with her arms crossed as Reed explained what he wanted to do with our experiment to Victor. Ava found Victor staring at Reed like he was ready to kill him. It wasn't too great.
"My research suggests that an exposure to a high energy cosmic storm formed on solar winds might have triggered the evolution of planetary life." Reed explained as the holograph he had going above the large table showing an example of the storm. "In six weeks another cloud with the same element profile will pass Earth's orbit. A study conducted in space could fundamentally advance our knowledge about the structure of the human gene, cure countless disease, extend life, give kids a chance to live longer, stronger, healthier-" Ava smiled as Reed explained this. It was so confident and to Ava it made her want to agree right away, but Victor cut Reed off.
"Turn it off." Victor interrupted making Ava glare at the man.
"I don't think I've explained my proposal fully." Reed said hoping to convince Victor to agree.
"Oh, I think you have." Victor said as he gave a smile that sent shivers down Ava's spin, and not in a good way. "Sam old Reed always stretching and reaching for the stars with the world on his back, but dreams don't pay the bills. DO they?" Victor slid a magazine down the table with heading that Reed had gone bankrupt. The picture showed him going into the Baxter Building. Technically the magazine was right and Ava moved forward, determined to get him to agree.
"Victor, this project is amazing. It holds great promise and could help bring your enterprise even higher up. This could benefit you in so many ways. Don't you get what an idiot you would be if you were to pass this up?" Ava asked. Victor's eyes met Ava's and she saw surprise in his eyes to see her here. She could see Victor's eyes all over Ava's body and as uncomfortable as it made Ava, she simply went with it. Ava took the remote from Reed and clicked the button. "The storm is very deadly, but with the shields on your station's control room are designed to protect any of the people inside. We could be able to conduct the experiment with the right amount of time that Reed had calculated and be able to stay safe inside the station without having to worry about getting hit by the storm." Ava said.
"I see you are the same as always Ava Grimm." Victor said and Ava straighten up to look more fierce. Refusing to show any weakness to someone like him. Victor turned and faced Reed. "So it's not just my money that you want, Reed, but it's my toys." He said causing Ava to frown.
Reed looked down sheepishly and nod with a very small smile. Victor gave a very unfriendly smile to Reed. "Tell me. If NASA doesn't trust you, then why should I?" Victor asked as looked at both Reed and Ava. Reed looked at Ava hopefully, but she already had stepped forward.
"But that's you isn't. Doing what others refuse to do? Showing them who you truly are? A risk taker that always comes out as the winner?" Ava asked. "Or…. At least that's how I remember it." She said causing Victor to look her way. Victor smirked from where he stood behind his desk.
"Yes, Ava, that is what I do. To stay ahead and know what other men don't." He says as he came around and leaned on the front of his desk.
"I can't take this." Ben complained interrupting Ava before she could respond.
"Ben, this is business. Just work." Reed tried to say soothing Ben, which did not work.
"Ben, it's just business, let's not make it anything out of it, ya?" Ava said giving him a pleading smile. Before Ben could respond someone else did.
"Reed's right, Ben. It's just business." Ava turned to see the one and only Susan Storm. Just as beautiful as always causing Ava to feel small and insecure around Susan. When her and Reed were going out, Ava was best friends with her…. But things changed.
"I think you all know my Director of Genetic Research, Susan Storm." Victor said smugly causing Ava to force a smile.
"Susan." Ava said with fake cheerfulness, that only Ben and Reed could detect.
"Ava, it's great to see you again." Susan said as she walked over to them. "It's been too long." Ava just smiled.
"Hi, Susie." Ben said as he swooped her into a hug. Ava looked away and at Reed. More than one heart broke that day. Ava knew how Reed felt. A few months after Reed and Susan broke up, Ava and Victor did because he wanted to take Susan from Reed instead. Ava didn't hate Susan for it, she was hurting and needing someone, but Ava couldn't help, but feel so useless and pathetic near Susan now. As if she would never be as good as the great Susan Storm.
"It's so nice to see you." Susan said truthfully as she looked Ben over. "How's Debbie." Ava glanced out the window wishing for this to be over soon.
"She's great." Ben said nodding, obviously wishing things had worked between Reed and Susan. In some ways Ava was glad it didn't work. In a ways Susan helped Ava see Victor for who he really was. Something she will always be happy for.
"How've you been?" Reed asked nervously drawing Ava back out of her old memories.
"Never better." Susan said without a smile as she shook Reed's hand. Ben and Ava both looked at each other. They both could see Susan still had feelings for Reed as he did with her.
"This isn't going to be a problem. Is it?" Victor asked.
"And why would that be, Victor?" Ava asked in her fake kindness.
"Oh, no." Susan said shaking her head and agreeing with Ava, even if she was lying to herself.
"Not at all." Reed claimed loudly.
"Good then you are just in time to hear the great Reed Richards ask me for help." Victor said smugly as he walked over to us, gently hitting Ava's hand on the way causing Ava to pull her hand sharply away as if it burned. He continued walking until he stood next to Susan. "You know you made a lot of people at MIT feel like they belonged at Junior High science fair, so you'll excuse me if I savor the moment." Ava crossed her arms as Victor had a giant smile on his face.
"You back up this mission and I'll sign over a fair percentage of any applications-" Reed started, but once again Victor interrupted.
"The number is seventy-five." Ava froze as Victor said this.
"Victor, Reed did all the work for this. You can't just take such a percentage of something you didn't even do. All you are doing is funding it and allowing us to use the ship. It's Reed's research." Ava said coldly as she crossed her arms. "But isn't it always." Reed swallowed as he felt the tension between the two growing.
"What about his first born?" Ben snapped angrily at Victor.
"Ya, so he could use the baby's genius for his own just like he does Reed." Ava snapped surprising Susan.
"You changed, Ava." Victor said and Ava glared at him.
"I like to call it improved." She said icely.
"Twenty-five percent of a billion is enough to keep the lights on for awhile isn't it?" Victor asked going back to Reed. "Maybe you can pay off your fourth mortgage on the Baxter Building. Deal?" Victor asked and Ava knew they lost.
Reed slowly reached out and shook Victor's hand causing Ava to drop her gaze to the floor.
"Well then to a new future," Victor said as he wrapped an arm around Susan and looked straight at Ava and Reed as he did so. "Together. It's funny how things turn out, isn't it?" Victor asked.
"Hilariously." Ava said coldly before she walked out of the room. Reed and Ben caught up and we headed for the elevator.
"He knew about NASA. Maybe he made the call to shut us down." Ben said warningly as he shot an angry look at Victor as they waited for the elevator.
"Ben he is an evil selfish monster. He would do anything to ruin Reed." Ava said coldly.
"Ben, Ava, think about all the people that we could help if this works." Reed said causing Ava to let out a heavy breath. "We got what we wanted and that's enough. By the way, thanks for putting your anger passed to stand up to Victor for me, A." Reed said and Ava gave a sigh.
"You're like another brother to me Reed, don't thank me. I was just doing what I would always do for you both." She said and Ben smiled at his baby sister.
Reed smiled and looked at Ben. "Beside, Ben, a few days in space! It'll be great for all of us. What's the worst that could happen?" Reed asked and Ava gasped.
"Reed! Hush now before you jinx us!" Ben and Reed laughed as the doors to the elevator opened. They got in and were surprised when Susan quickly walked in before the doors closed. Ben and Ava stood in the back as Reed stood by Susan.
"Reed, you should know that those clouds have been picking up speed." Susan warned helpfully.
"Oh, don't worry. I've factored that in already to my coordinates." Reeds said trying to show off his intelligence, which was a bad idea. Susan looked hurt as she said.
"Right, of course you did." She said with a bit of a snap. "In theory, anyways. It's a little different when you're out there."
"I can assure you-" Reed started to say bristley at the indication that he didn't know what he was doing.
"When are we leaving?" Ben asked and Ava sighed as the fight ended.
"I'll be scheduling the launch, so you can call me in the morning for resources and crew." She said as she handed Reed her card.
"I think I can remember." Reed said smugly.
"It's been changed." She said confidently. Reed's smirk dropped as he took her card. Ben cleared his throat as Ava raised an eyebrow.
"As far as crew, I was hoping Ben could be the pilot and Ava with mechanics. She is good with mechanics and machines and the likes." Reed said to Susan who looked at Ben with an apologetic smile.
"I'm sure that's fine with Ava, but we already have a pilot on payroll. You're welcome to ride shotgun, Ben. Do you remember my brother Johnny?" Susan asked causing both Ben and Reed eye's to wide.
"Heard of him, but never met him." Ava said and Susan smiled.
"You will." She said and Ava nod.
…
Ava stood with her hair in it's usual ponytail. She was dressed in her usual clothing choice; Jeans, a long sleeved shirt, her sneakers, her leather jacket, and she had a pair of sunglasses over her eyes. They were at the Von Doom launch site a few weeks later. They would be launching the rocket to go into space to the station by tomorrow.
Ava stood outside as Ben looked through binoculars at Johnny Storm. She sighed and looked at Ben. "Come, let's see. He can't be as big of a party boy as you say he is." Ava said as Ben handed her the binoculars. She looked through them and frown. The boy was cute and all with a buzz cut and blue eyes. He was in a leather jacket with jeans. He was also on a motorcycle kissing a girl who driving a fancy car. "Or he's worst than you said." Ava said a she rolled her eyes and handed back the binoculars. She hated guys like that who thought they were all that. They really pissed her off actually.
"Can't do it. I cannot do it. Ben said as he started walking away from the railing. He looked annoyed and frustrated already at this Johnny Storm guy.
"Benny." Ava said grabbing his hand. "If not for the project then for Reed. This is his big chance, Ben. Do this for him." Ava begged and Ben sighed.
"External SRBs, orbital system engines. It's just like the shuttle that you flew-" Reed started causing Ava to groan. This was just making Ben worst.
"No! I cannot take orders from the underwear model." Ben said getting angry just thinking about it.
"Underwear model?" Ava questioned annoyed just having to work with a guy like that.
"That wingnut washed out of NASA for sneaking in two Victoria Secret wannabes into a flight simulator." Ben complained and Ava rolled her eyes at the stupidity of such a guy.
"Youthful high spirits." Reed said shrugging his shoulder as he gave Johnny the benefit of the doubt.
"They crashed it into a wall! A fight simulator!" Ben yelled appalled by the idiocy of the guy. Reed looked at Ben shocked.
"How did the guy even get hired for NASA?" Ava said annoyed. "If this guy even takes one look at my ass, he's getting his wrist broken." Ava snarled.
"When have I ever asked you to do something that you absolutely said you could not do?" Reed asked. Ben held out one of his hands in front of Reed's face.
"Five times!" Ben yelled as he started away.
"I had it at four." Reed called out to him.
"This makes it five!" Ben called back to them and Ava laughed.
"Well have fun you two." Ava said, but Reed grabbed her arm.
"Av you're the only one who can keep Ben calm, I need you up there." Ava glared at Reed.
"I am not working with some womanizing party boy or working with the guy who broke my heart, remember!" Ava yelled causing Reed's face to soften.
"Ava, I know this is hard for you. It's hard for all of us, but we need the money that this will bring in. Av please. Just this once can't you put up with Victor for just this one project." Ava closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
"Just this once, Reed. Just this once." She says before walking away. Reed sighed in relief and smiled happily.
"Thank you, Avalon!" Reed called, Ava flipped him off as she started down the stairs. Avalon Carmen Grimm was someone who was as cold as the Arctic, but she was only going to get colder.