Chapter Ten:
Two days passed since both Vivian and Alice had set foot on the shield base. Vivian was feeling a lot better physically but not so much mentally, she had give a lot of thought to just leaving again. Alice would be fine here without her, but Vivian hated being tied down to one place especially under orders.
Sure they'd been threatened with jail but so what? Wouldn't be the first time she been in a prison but last time she was there a few hours before she freed herself. She could leave go some place no-one would find her a place where her 'parents' would have no connections at all. The only thing that held her back was her work, it had been sometime since she had had a job that interested her so much and she got the chance to work with other like minded people: notably Dr Banner.
"It's not like they know where I live or anything. Guess I'll go back my work a visit." she sighed dressing before leaving her room to find Alice had already left.
She greeted several people that knew her and asked about the British marine general that had been here; apparently he had gone back to England yesterday. Vivian peered inside the laboratory to see a lack of scientists "must be in a meeting" she mumbled,
"If you are looking for the green one he's not here, he is with Fury and the iron man"
Vivian jumped a good foot in the air when Thor leaned over her
"Don't do that you stupid god" she hissed kicking his shin
He laughed and ruffled her curly hair
"You are full of energy, Ferret"
"DO NOT CALL ME FERRET!" she snapped loudly, "where's Alice, I'm not used to seeing you without her draped over your arm"
"She's been draped over more than just my arm" he added smirking at his previous ventures,
Vivian cringed at the unneeded image
"I didn't need to know that. You're just as bad as her"
He leaned against the door and smiled down at her
"Do I detect jealousy?"
"I peg your pardon? Don't be so conceited" she spat, putting her hand on his chest in fail attempt to push him away
"Then again you prefer the company of the angry green one, do you not feel endangered around him?"
"No!"
"I suppose you haven't seen the monster he really is, which would explain why you are not afraid"
Vivian put all the force she had into one well aimed slap to the god's face
"Dr Banner is no monster! And he's twice the man you'll ever be you stupid god!"
"Thor what are you doing?" Tony and Dr Banner interrupted the conversation before Vivian could lose her temper even more
"Ah green one!"
Vivian used the appearance of the other two avengers to retreat into the lab.
"You have a fan! Little ferret -" Thor had gone to pat her head when he noticed she'd gone "where did she go?"
Vivian ignored the outside banter and checked the pod the side was covered in spider webs which adjoined to the nearby ventilation shaft. "I haven't been gone that long, how did no-one notice a spider web this big?" Vivian fetched a chair and set it under the vent, just to get her a little boost as she jumped up to the vent, pulling the gate open.
"What's she doing?" Tony asked noticing that Vivian was half hanging out of the vent,
"How did the ferret get up there?"
Vivian used her years of practise to pull herself into the vent, her legs and back kept her firmly in place while she fiddled around to find her phone to use as a light
"Hello darlin'"
Vivian looked up from her phone to be greeted face to face with large white eyes and a mouth full of very sharp needle like teeth, two pairs of arms were posted next to her head and another pair reached for her face "You look delicious" the face grinned at her very hungrily
Vivian screamed and removed her feet from the vent which had been keeping her in place, she fell out of the vent and landed on the chair which slid in the opposite direction, she hit the floor and quickly shuffled as far away from the vent as possible and into a safe spot under the desk. The spider webs slithered off the pod and back into the vent.
She jumped even more when Banner knelt down in front of her hiding place
"Are you okay?"
"There was something in the vent!" she blurted out "It had like six leg-arm-things!"
"It was probably a spider" Stark announced,
"It was a person!" she snapped,
"Yeah because there are so many people that could fit into that vent"
"Perhaps they were the same size as the little ferret" Thor added joining in with the banter
"Just go alert Fury that there might be an intruder" Banner ordered sternly,
"Don't get angry now" Stark joked walking out of the lab with Thor.
Vivian sighed with relief and tugged on the doctor's sleeve "sorry" she mumbled keeping her gaze on the floor,
"Don't worry about it. Are you sure you're okay?"
I left Vivian alone for a couple of days after meeting Daddy dearest in shield. I didn't bring anyone over either figuring she wouldn't enjoy the company,
"Where's the arsonist?" Stark asked on the second day she didn't come in,
"She's at home. Remember three hundred thousand volts. Bed rest all that" I told him I was only in myself to test out the new guns I'd finally been able to get. Stupid waiting period,
"Yeah but that didn't stop her before" Stark said leaning against the partition
"Yeah well after the Doc was 'disapointed' in her she kinda took it to heart and has sort of taken his advice" I said loading some bullets into my .44 and taking aim at the stupid paper target.
As always I managed to hit the parts that would cause the most damage but not kill right away. Of course Stark had something to say about it,
"What's all that about? Can't you make a kill shot?"
"It's better to cause the target pain than to kill him right away" I said, "I shoot you in the shoulder then dig my finger in there you're gonna be in a world a hurt"
"I'm sure" Stark laughed
"Wanna test the theory?" I asked aiming my gun at the target again this time hitting it right between what would have been its eyes, "What was that about a kill shot? I learned to shoot young. I can bring down a 200lb buck from 500 yards" I said, "Now don't you have some meeting to go to? About Apocalypse and the puny gods butthurt brother wanting to be the supreme ruler of all mousedom?"
"Mousedom?" Stark raised an eyebrow but when I reloaded my gun he just shrugged and left
"You're a really good shot. Almost as good as Hawkeye" a familiar voice made me jump. I had no idea I wasn't alone anymore,
"Shit don't do that to a body!" I said hitting Steve as hard as I could on the chest which admittidly hurt me more than him but I wasn't going to tell him that
"Sorry" he smiled and my legs almost gave out, "Stark told me I could find you down here"
"That Rat Bastard. I'll kick his ass for this" I muttered, "So what do you want? Here to make another case for monogomy?" I said setting my gun down and turning to face Steve fully.
Steve didn't say anything he just closed the gap between us putting his hands on the counter. His face was dangerously close to mine when - a scream rang through the ventillation system,
"Viv!" I yelled pushing Steve away and running for the lab. When I got there Banner had his arm around her shoulder and Vivian wasn't pushing him away so I decided to just let her be.
Vivian had calmed down considerably after the encounter in the vent; Bruce had sat quietly comforting her,
"I should get back to work" she muttered pulling away from the doctor.
"You're looking better than you did, I'll just have to keep an eye on you" Bruce put his glasses on watching Vivian prop a chair under the vent and vaulted back into it, "do you enjoy inuring yourself?" the doctor jumped when Vivian dropped back out of the vent upside down,
"Of course not, I'm seeing if our guest left anything behind" though besides a few cobwebs all that was left was a thick luminous green slime, which Vivian scooped into a think glass vial "I found some-"
Disaster after disaster today was not a good day. Everything shook violently for a few seconds, Vivian dropped out of the vent this time much more gracefully.
"What the hell was that?"
The sirens started to ring loudly, were they under attack? Steve almost broke the labs sliding door as he tried to open it forcefully,
"Trouble on the deck" he announced then ran off pulling his mask over his eyes,
"We best join the party"
The deck of the Helicarrier looked like a warzone; the shield army had the intruder surrounded. Black six arms, large white eyes and monstrously large teeth dripping with the same green slime Vivian had found in the vents, it wasn't as scary in broad daylight.
"Think he was hungry?" there were limbless bodies of soldiers scattered around and with the sight of blood smearing across the monsters face it was clear who had eaten them.
Things were looking well until the presence of a second intruder appeared riding through the air on a pale horse; a green suit that matched the rider's emerald locks,
"Famine, you've had your fun. The Lord wishes you to return." she ordered gaining the black things attention,
"I' haven't finished my meal" it argued licking its lips eagerly "Give me five more minutes Pestilence"
'Pestilence...'
"I do not have time for this!" a viscous olive smoke loomed around Pestilence like green clouds,
Vivian ran forward "RETREAT!" she screamed loudly, gaining only a few odd glances. The loud speakers cackled signalling someone was going to speak
"Retreat!" this time it was Nick Fury's voice and everyone took notice. Just in time as the green smoke descended down onto the carrier, not everyone got away unscathed those that been the furthest away were subjected to the strange mist. In all the confusion the two bizarre intruders fled.
"Why did we retreat?" Steve asked,
"Because Cap, did you see the crazy leather clad woman on the flying horse? That was 'Pestilence' one of the horsemen and do you know what the term 'Pestilence' means?" Vivian enquired bitterly, helping the med team with the injured,
"A plague?"
"Correct. That's why we ordered a retreat because Einstein, it's better to save as many people as possible from being infected by god knows what"
"I don't know what it is" Thor chipped in,
Vivian spat back "Well you're not a proper god are you?"
I was still in the firing range when the sirens sounded and Steve ran into the room,
"There's trouble on deck" he said almost ripping the door of it's hinges, "you should get somewhere safe. Whatever this thing is its been eating people"
"I'm helping" I said firmly grabbing some explosive rounds Vivian had made and loading my .44 and the 9mm I'd bought with them and following Steve upstairs.
I was faced with something I'd never seen before. It looked human or looked like it might have been human at one point. It had six arms counting its legs and long white teeth dripping some sort of green slime,
"The hell is that?" I yelled taking aim as the thing lunged for me. I managed to put a few rounds in its head but they didn't have any effect, "shit" I tried quickly to find the flash bang bullets but fumbled trying to load them with the sirens blaring and people yelling.
Thankfully Steve was on hand and when the spider - thing lunged for me again he jumped in front of me and the spider-thing bounced back off his shield,
"Are you ok?"
"Yeah thanks"
Steve managed to push back the spider-thing until its back was against the wall.
Things were looking well until the presence of a second intruder appeared riding through the air on a pale horse, a green suit that matched the riders emerald locks,
"Famine, you've had your fun. The Lord wishes you to return." she ordered gaining the black things attention,
"I haven't finished my meal" it argued licking its lips eagerly "Give me five more minutes Pestilence"
"Pestilence. That does not boad well for us"
"I do not have time for this!" a viscous olive smoke loomed around Pestilence like green clouds,
Vivian ran forward "RETREAT!" she screamed loudly, gaining only a few odd glances. The loud speakers cackled signalling someone was going to speak
"Retreat!" this time it was Nick Fury's voice and everyone took notice. Just in time as the green smoke descended down onto the carrier, not everyone got away unscathed those that been the furthest away were subjected to the strange mist. In all the confusion the two bizarre intruders fled.
"Why did we retreat?" Steve asked, as we gathered up the injured and took them to the med bay
"Because Cap, did you see the crazy leather clad woman on the flying horse? That was 'Pestilence' one of the horsemen and do you know what the term 'Pestilence' means?" Vivian enquired bitterly, helping the med team with the injured,
"A plague?"
"Correct. That's why we ordered a retreat because Einstein, it's better to save as many people as possible from being infected by god knows what"
"I don't know what it is" Thor chipped in,
Vivian spat back "Well you're not a proper god are you?"
"Vivian!" I snapped, "This isn't the time for us to fight amongst ourselves. We have people who are badly injured and need our help"
"Since when did you become a team player?"
"Since the spider thing tried to eat me and Steve jumped in the line of fire!" I said, "Look Viv you're the smart one here. You're possibly the only one besides Banner that can find a way to stop this lunatic. I know you aren't a team player but damn it girl we need to do something here or we're all dead!"
"Alright. Alright. You don't hafta yell" Vivian laughed
"Sometimes its the only way to get through to you" I said with a smile making everyone else stare at Vivian and I strangely, "Oh and Thor? We're done k? Steve if I live through all this I might just take you up on your monogomy offer. Just don't hold your breath. If this is anything to go by we'll be lucky to survive the next two horsemen"
"Oh don't worry" Vivian said with a grin, "I think I have a plan"