Chapter Eleven:
After the attack on the base by two of what we now knew to be Apocalypse's horsemen we were contacted by Professor Xavier whom I had gone to see earlier in the week about his people possibly being targets for Apocalypse. Apparently two of his students had gone missing and one we knew for sure was Pestilence,
"Her name was Polaris and she and another boy called Havoc had gone missing. Apparently they'd cut school and instead of returning with the other mutant teens who lived in Westchester they'd simply vanished,
"I know now of course what happened to them" Xavier said,
"And we're going to do everything in our power to get them back to you" Fury said sincerely
"You can count on it Sir" Steve said. We'd all gathered around in the main centre of operations where Fury was monitoring his many screens in the hope that the program Vivian and Banner had created would be able to find the missing teens.
I meanwhile wondered what use I would be against these horsemen. I mean when I faced the one we now knew to be a New York based mutant 'hero' known as Spiderman the bullets Vivian had designed didn't do a thing against him and since shooting things was really all I was good at I didn't see what possible use I would be against the other two or Loki or even Apocalypse himself when the time came to face him.
I played absentmindedly with the dog tags Steve had given me while I thought about what I could do in the event I did find myself faced with a horseman or Loki,
"Alright well with the facial recognition program created by Dr Banner and Miss Rose we should be able to identify the missing children if they appear anywhere in the world" Fury said as everyone else stood up and left,
"Miss Winters a moment" Xavier said once we left the main command centre
"Yes Professor?"
"I can't help but sense you're troubled about something"
"Well yes and no" so I told Xavier everything that had been running through my mind, "It's not like I have any lack of faith in my abilities. It's just what good are those abilities if they don't work against whatever I happen to be up against"
"It's like you say as long you have faith in your abilities they won't steer you wrong"
"Thanks" I said
"He has a point you know" Steve said leaning on a wall behind me, "As long as you have faith in your ability it won't fail when it counts"
"What's with all the grasshopper talk today? Do I just scream 'insecure' or something?"
"I was eavesdropping" Steve admitted,
"Yes well you can see my point. I mean y'all have something that makes ya special and me well I can shoot sure but you saw that thing yesterday my damn bullets had no effect"
"Then you just need better bullets" Steve said
"Yeah but those horsemen are human beings. Two of them are kids and that Parker is about the same age as me" I said "So I can't rightly kill em can I? Let's talk about something else" I sighed,
"Like what?"
"Like how the hell I'm going to adapt to this monogamy thing. I haven't had a 'boyfriend' since I was sixteen and it ended badly"
"What happened?"
"Let's just say it was the first and last time a man ever laid a hand on me" I said
"Well then how about I try and sell you on the ways of monogamy then?' Steve asked with a smile
"Sure and I can show you all the guns I keep under the bed. Along with, other things"
"But what about Vivian?"
"She won't be back for hours. Now stop stalling pretty boy and let's go!"
Vivian left the command centre with full intention of returning to the lab as soon as possible but was collared by Banner introducing her to a tall blue furry individual "this is Dr Henry McCoy"
Vivian shook his overly large hand "Nice to meet you, I'm Vivian Rose"
"I have heard many wondrous things about you Miss Rose. I was amazed that such a young lady would be interested in the ways of science. Though I am surprised that you're not a doctor" despite being over six foot in height and covered in fur, the intimidating doctor was very pronounced when he spoke,
"Aha, I'm no doctor" she laughed, "more like professional pyrotechnic. I just blow things up and cause endless problems for Dr Banner."
"There ya are Beast" A man with a distinctly Cajun accent called out joining the trio in the corridor, "Professor's lookin' for ya."
Beast nodded "I'll be right there" he turned back to the shield members "I wish you the best of luck with your research and it was a pleasure meeting you Miss Rose"
"Likewise Dr McCoy"
They went their separate ways; Vivian already had her tablet out sketching up a rough idea of one set of her plans,
We're going against people not tanks" Dr Banner reminded peering over her shoulder,
"People with tank like skin need to dealt with in the same manner," she replied setting the tablet on the desk when they reached the lab "Besides I'll only make it strong enough to take him off his feet"
"I'm glad you're on our side" Bruce took a closer look at the ammunition she had drawn up "Can I ask you how come you don't have a doctorate?"
Vivian was stood scrolling through the Helicarrier's inventory, seeing what she had to work with "I don't think there's a doctorate for 'blowing shit up'" she laughed "In all fairness, during my early university years I got into massive amounts of trouble in England involving M.I.6 it got complicated so I had to make tracks."
"So you've always been an arsonist?" She hadn't heard Stark sneak into the room,
"Yes and oddly enough it wasn't for arson" moving away from the screen Vivian located her phone "I have to go make a phone call I'll be back"
"Who you calling? You don't have friends"
Vivian stuck her tongue out at the billionaire "Hello, Merlin?"
Tony whispered to Banner "she's calling a wizard?" Bruce chuckled,
"Well if it aint my favourite customer. What can I do ya for little lady?"
"The usual, if you'd be so kind. Also what are the chances of D-38?" she lowered her voice when she asked for that didn't want to get herself into even more trouble,
Merlin almost chocked "Are ya serious?"
"Aren't I always?"
"Where are ya now?"
"NY"
"Got a favour to ask too, I need to skip country and-"
"I'm already on it." Vivian knew what he was going to ask,
"Thanks. Twenty-one hundred hours, Frank Sinatra Drive. The usual amount"
"Deal"
"Well that was the quickest conversation for a woman ever" Tony mocked, as Vivian walked back over to the desk to retrieve her tablet,
"Yes well we've discussed the fact that I have no friends and long phone conversations are annoying"
Vivian stood looking out at the river that passed through New York; it was a quiet and cold evening the moon was hidden behind a formation of clouds.
A shadowed man stood next to her "All the world's a stage,
"And all the men and women merely players;" she replied
"They have their exits and their entrances,"
"And one man in his time plays many parts,"
"His acts being seven ages."
She turned to the man and shook his hand
"Good to see you, Merlin"
He nodded at her "Likewise. I've got what ya asked for" he handed over a weighted satchel, Vivian double checked the bag out of habit "There's a surprise in there for ya"
She pulled out a block of sturdy metal and grinned inanely "now that is a surprise."
"It was just lying around, consider it a partin' gift"
Vivian closed the satchel and handed over an envelope,
"This is sick, how'd ya make it?" Merlin looked at the passport in the envelope,
"Magic" she joked,
"Well I probably won't see you again, but here's the number to one of my good contacts. I ya need anything call 'im"
"Pleasure working with you" Vivian shook his hand again, "Don't die" she advised leaning against the railing,
"Likewise." Merlin walked off into the night leaving to god knows where.
"Well I best get back to Shield so I can start my new toys" Vivian smiled and headed off in the opposite direction to Merlin whistling 'country road' as she went.
I was right about Vivian not being home for ages but wrong about the time frame of 'ages' she didn't come home at all which made me a tiny bit worried. After I'd snapped at her the last day I wanted to make sure she wasn't skipping town on me – or without me.
Yes it would be an awful thing to ditch SHIELD but they had some of the top minds and if I heard right a blue furry Doctor to help so really they didn't need Vivian and Me. Fury said they wanted me because I 'didn't back down' but they had plenty of people like that and all those people where trained in espionage and how to take down a man from six blocks without anyone knowing he'd been shot, so realistically they didn't need me.
And if they tried to send me to jail well they'd have to find me first. One thing I was very good at was disappearing. It didn't matter if I had to change my hair or buy coloured contact lenses whatever it took so no one would find me.
Of course I'd have to give Steve back his dog tags but I could just leave them on the pillow in the middle of the night and slip out the window and go back to what I did best, stealing from rich bastards who came to a city or a town to cheat on their wives and thought no one would notice the tan line on their finger where they took off their wedding ring.
I headed to the lab first knowing that's where I could find Vivian and bumped into said blue furry Doctor,
"Oh hello" I said more than a little startled at meeting the man
"Hello" he said politely, "Can I help you?"
"Yeah I'm looking for my friend. Female, black hair about 5'5 likes to blow things up"
"Oh you mean Miss Rose"
"Yeah" it was strange hearing Vivian described as 'Miss', "Have you seen her?"
"She called a wizard and left" Stark said brushing past me with an armful of bits and pieces that would probably make some kind of weapon,
"Oh well I suppose I'd better go find her" I said leaving the lab and fishing my phone out of my bag to call Vivian, she picked up after the third ring,
"Mistress of Pyrotechnics"
"Yeah where are you? I went to the lab and you weren't there. How could you leave poor dishy Doctor Banner alone" I teased
"He wasn't alone. He had Stark and a blue furry Doctor" Vivian said
"Yeah I met him. He seemed nice" I said leaving the base, "So where are you? I'm craving Chinese food"
"Why don't you go with your boyfriend" Vivian laughed
"You're hilarious" I said sarcastically, "And besides Steve isn't my boyfriend ... I think"
"You think?"
"I haven't had a boyfriend since I was sixteen and when you're sixteen it's beers in the back of his truck and let him put his hand down your pants. With Steve he wants to hold hands and stuff and its weirding me out"
"Alright Miss Drama Queen, where do you want to eat?"
"I'll get take out and bring it back to the apartment"
"Alright I'll meet you there. Get me dumplings will you? And something with curry"
"You got it. See you soon" I hung up and pulled the collar of my Dad's hunting jacket up, there was a nip in the air I wasn't used to being from the southern states, hell I'd never really seen snow, "So Chinese food" after wandering around the city for an hour I finally found a Chinese takeout.
I just got a little of everything and a little pot of curry so Vivian could dip whatever she liked into it as well as her dumplings and some fortune cookies. Heading back to the apartment I decided to cut through an alley for a short cut, I was almost out when a couple of tweakers stopped me,
"Give us your purse and you don't have to get hurt" one said rubbing his nose with one hand while pointing a switch blade at me with the other,
"Please" I scoffed and tried to walk past them but the one with the knife wasn't having it and he slashed at the air,
"I said give me your money!" he yelled,
"In case you haven't noticed I have food in my hands, food that's getting cold so if you'd like to let me past" I said forcefully but they still weren't having it so I took my .44 out of my pocket and shoot an explosive round into the wall behind the tweakers making them run past me and out of the alley, "Honestly" I sighed putting my gun back in my pocket, "This food better not be cold when I get back or I'm sending Steve after them" I said to myself before walking back to the apartment,
"Hey what took you so long?" Vivian asked as I walked in through the door,
"Got lost then got stopped by two rude tweakers" I said, "So if the foods cold blame them"
"I will" Vivian said opening the first box of rice, "I heard an explosion, was that you?"
"Yeah I fired one of those explosive rounds into the wall to make them get out of my way. Worked too they ran like little bitches" I said sitting down on the floor with Vivian, "So where'd you get to today?" I asked
"I had a couple of errands to run" she said, "But don't worry I'm not about to skip town and leave you with the Puny God and the Cap, I have big plans!" she said excitedly
"I can only imagine"
"Oh don't worry it's nothing awful"
"That makes me feel better actually"
"So come on then we have Chinese food and beer. What's bugging you about the Cap" so I told Vivian of my woes and she listened which was really all I wanted, "Just tell him you don't want to hold hands and cuddle. You already have one vag you don't want another one"
"Yeah that'll work I can just see his face" I laughed covering my mouth so no rice would fly out, "What do you mean you don't need another vagina – no he wouldn't even say the word"
"He wouldn't would he?" Vivian agreed, "Well if it's any help I like him better than the Puny God for sure"
"You just don't like Thor because he calls you small"
"I already know I'm small and I don't need him pointing it out every time I see him!" Vivian fumed,
"So tell him next time"
"Nah I'd rather just make something blow up in his face" Vivian said,
"What like loony toon style hand him a present and have it blow up in his face so that his face is backwards?"
"Yeah just like that!" Vivian said, that's when her phone rang, "Oops gotta go do something illegal" she said standing up and stretching her legs,
"You have an alarm on your phone to tell you it's time to do something illegal now?" I laughed
"Should I lock the door?"
"Nah if anyone's stupid enough to try and break in I'll just shoot them" I said, "Have fun with whatever you're doing"
"See ya" Vivian walked out the door and I binned the boxes that were lying around,
"What to do now?" I wondered aloud, "I think I'll soak in the tub till she gets back" but she never came back