Enjoy! Hope I didn't make you all wait too long! Oh, and please review! I love reading them so much. It always makes me so excited to see that someone has commented on my work. So please, please, PLEASE send a few words my way! Thank you! And thanks to all those who have been reviewing thus far!
Chapter Fifteen
The screen glared back at me with a blaring light as I watched the most boring television show on the planet. What was this show, you may ask? Give you a hint; it was called: Rotation of the Earth. I had literally been sitting on the couch for three hours watching the Earth rotate. BORING. The sound of my uncle's voice triggered me out of my state of motionlessness.
"What are you watching, kid?" I could see his eyes move to the screen. There was silence as I drew my attention back to the TV as well. No matter how boring, the show had sucked him into its vortex of doom as well. He sat on the couch beside me and stared.
"Hey guys, what's up?" My uncle and I looked at Tony and motioned to the Earth. One by one, each Avenger started to show up. Before I knew it, we were all sitting on the couch and watching the planet.
"Why are we watching this?" I heard Bruce's emotionless voice say. It had sucked the life out of us, almost quite literally.
"Don't...know." I said dully.
"This planet is so slow." Thor commented.
"What are you all doing?" All heads turned to see Aunt Nat looking from us to the screen. It had no affect on her whatsoever. I would wager that she had some sort of force field surrounding her that protected her from mind-numbing television. Or she just hated TV. Take your pick.
"Earth...rotating... So boring. Can't...resist." We all turned back to the screen and became zombies yet again. That is, until the screen went black.
"Hey!" We all shouted in unison as we looked at my aunt holding the remote control.
"I think you all need to get outside." She suggested sternly. More like an order, if you ask me.
"Why?" Uncle Clint asked.
"You just spend God-knows-how-long in front of that television screen looking at the Earth rotate. You all need to get out and get a life."
"I have a life!" Tony protested.
"Then what are you doing here?" My aunt folded her arms and looked at him with expectation.
"Well, I...ummm...I have the day off."
"And you're spending it watching this?" Good point. "You could be out flying one your suits or something."
"And the last time I saw you actually work was weeks ago." Before Tony could protest, Bruce spoke again. "And I don't consider playing with chemicals and almost blowing up the lab work."
Tony folded his arms and sank back into the couch, pouting.
"And you." Aunt Nat looked at me.
"What?"
"I haven't seen you out of here in days."
"I've been working out." In fact, Steve and I had been doing laps down in the gym before I got sucked into the television.
"Inside." She protested.
"Oh, come on. It's not like she's some couch potato." Uncle Clint stood up for me.
"You haven't been out much either besides work."
"Well, look who's talking." He responded. She was quiet for a moment, thinking on the topic. It was true. She had been just as stuck inside these walls as he was. She whipped out her phone and started texting someone. There was a quick response back.
"Good news. We're all going out today."
"I don't have to do that." Tony immediately protested.
"Yes, you do." Pepper's voice rang loud and clear through the living room. He cringed. He was beat.
"Nat, I really..." My aunt cut her husband off.
"Yes, you will." He quickly shut up any remarks he had.
"And where, almighty master assassin, are we going?" The sarcasm in Tony's tone was anything but subtle.
"I," Pepper spoke this time, "was thinking we could go to the beach."
"The beach? Come on! It's crowded with people." Bruce said. "People are bound to come running up to get our autographs or something."
"Exactly." Uncle Clint agreed. Aunt Nat flashed him a look and he shut up again.
"Not if I can rent out part of it." Pepper said, taking out her phone.
"You can't just..." Pepper cut her boyfriend off with the start of a new conversation on the phone. Within a minute, she was finished.
"Done."
"I'm guessing that was my credit card?"
"Of course." She responded and Tony groaned.
We had all scrambled into two cars and made it there in thirty minutes. I had to admit when I got there to that secluded part of the beach, it was quite lovely.
"Race you to the water!" Someone shouted and off went the boys. However, I stayed behind with Pepper and Aunt Nat. My aunt had on a red bathing suit that complemented her red hair quite nicely and Pepper was wearing a pretty turquoise one piece that showed off her curves. I had decided to just wear some jean shorts and tank. I wasn't one for swimming. The last time I had gone out in the water, Dad had dunked me so many times that I swear I had water in my ears for a week.
"Not going out with the boys?" Pepper asked as she laid out on a towel with Aunt Nat beside her. "I figured you'd join them for a bit."
"I haven't had the greatest experiences with water." I answered as I watched the boys repeatedly dunk each other. Yeah, I was not missing that one bit.
"Stark, stop dunking me or I promise you I'll go Hulk on you!" Bruce shouted as he shook his wet hair from another shove into the salty water.
"Come on, big man. Loosen up!" Tony splashed some water in the man's face. He looked furious now.
"Don't worry, green one. I've got this." Thor took Tony and shoved him under. Tony came up choking out water and Bruce was laughing hysterically.
"Hannah, come help me dunk your uncle!" Steve yelled.
"No thanks! I'm good!" I shouted from the comfort of my beach towel.
"Is someone afraid of the water?" My uncle teased.
"Shut up!" I retorted.
"They're ridiculous." Pepper commented as she pulled out a magazine and started reading.
"No kidding." Aunt Nat agreed as she laid out in the sun. I repeated the same motion and closed my eyes. For a moment, the world was peaceful. The wind was blowing gently and the smell of seawater and sand wafted into my nose. I must have been really relaxed because when I woke up, I was met with a mountain of sand. And I was under it. I could hear the sound of giggles and chuckling behind me.
"Hey!" I shouted as I tried to wiggle my way out of the sand, but to no avail.
"Sorry, young Hannah. But we couldn't resist." Thor's voice answered with a mighty laugh. I pushed my head backwards and could see all of them, even my aunt and Pepper, now laughing very loudly.
"You're all mean."
"Maybe..." My uncle said mischievously. "But only because you made it so easy." A little bit of the sand slid down and hit me in the mouth.
"Jerks." I said in-between coughs of sand.
"Come on, get her out of the sand." Pepper told them when she knew I'd had enough. When they did, I threw a wad of it at them.
"Hey!" One of them shouted.
"Try being buried in it." I muttered.
"If you'd go in the water, that'd get the sand right off." Tony said suggestively. There was no way I was getting the water with him. He'd dunk me so many times that I'd be filled head to foot with water.
"No thanks." I quickly refused.
"Come to think of it, none of you girls have been in the water." My uncle said. He flashed an unreadable glance from us to the boys. "All nice and dry, I should say."
"Too dry, actually." Bruce commented.
Aunt Nat saw where this was going and quickly took off, leaving Pepper and I on our own.
"Every woman for herself!" I yelled and took off on my aunt's heels.
"Tony, no!" Pepper screeched. I didn't look back, knowing that Tony was carrying her to her watery doom. I saw a figure dash past me and right on the tail of Aunt Nat: Uncle Clint. Boy, was she in for it. She may be good at taking out bad guys, but outrunning her husband? Not so much.
I suddenly felt a pair of strong arms catch me.
"Steve!" I yelled as I tried to squirm out of his grip. He had this devilish smirk, very uncommon for the goody-two-shoes super soldier, as he made his way over to the water.
"Lady Hannah, don't worry. This is going to be fun!" Thor's assurance did not bring me much relief as I saw Pepper trying to couch out some of the seawater whilst Tony laughed hysterically.
"I got you. I got you!" He jeered childishly.
"Shut up." Pepper snapped.
"Here you are." Steve said, dumping me unceremoniously into the water. The water filled my nostrils as I went underwater. I quickly emerged and proceeded to cough it back out.
"Have you gotten over your fear of the water yet?" Bruce asked and I glared at him.
"No." I shoved him over and he fell back in the water. I didn't get to see him emerge as I heard my aunt scream.
"Clint, you put me down now!" I don't know how he had done it, but he had her slung over his shoulders and he wasn't letting go.
"Relax, Nat. It's just a little fun."
"This is what you call fun?"
He threw her in the water and responded, "Yep."
However, his plan backfired. In the next five seconds, his feet were pulled out from under him.
"Hey!" That was his last word before being jerked underwater. Aunt Nat emerged satisfied.
"And that's what I call fun." He came back up and gave her a glare.
"You asked for it." Those were the words out of her mouth before he even had a chance to make some snide remark.
The next hour or so was one of lots of dunking. I even got Thor! Okay, maybe that one was a group effort, but we still got him! However, I couldn't help but feel like someone was watching us. Every time I looked around, however, there was no one.
Somewhere in New York...
That old man from the antique shop was more useful that I thought. He had provided far more information than I had thought possible. And now, my plans were complete. I had even scrapped my previous ideas because this one was so perfect. Elaborate even. It would add greatly to the pain and suffering I wanted those S.H.I.E.L.D. agents to feel.
"Sir, Mr. Erickson has returned." Oh good. The old man had returned for his payment. He came in, walking slowly because of his age.
"I assume you've come for your wages?" I asked and he nodded. "Of course." In a second, I pulled out my gun and shot him. He was dead before he hit the floor.
"Dispose of him." I ordered. As he was pulled away, I could only imagine how my dreams were quickly becoming a reality. Revenge. It was all I wanted. And I was going to get it, no matter what it cost.
This does not sound good at all! Reviews are much appreciated!