Run For Your Life
Run For Your Life Chapter Three
“Right jab. Left hook. Julia, when I say left, I very clearly mean your left. LEFT hook. Try again. Right, left, right, KICK!” Tony shouted loudly, trying to instigate me. Arms up tight, blocking when not in the offense. Muscles clenched. Right jab, left hook. Left jab, right hook, duck when attacked, and KICK. My foot flew outwards, stopping just before it crashed into Tony’s throat. Tony’s eyebrows furrowed, and he frowned at me. “Aim to maim, not to kill. Remember, I’m your teammate. You kill me, game over.” Tony explained, knocking my foot away from his face.
All of a sudden, he nodded towards a table in the room. “Come here.” Tony demanded. I followed him over to the table, wiping sweat off of my face from the little boxing match between the two of us. Tony reached over and pushed a button, and all of a sudden… “Where did that come from?!” I gasped as a small shelf rose up from inside of the table. Sitting on the shelf was an exquisite bow and quiver. The bow was silver, and the quiver was a crisp white color with a black phoenix on it. “I’ve made it so that if you focus your energy with the arrows, the fire will create a very concentrated explosive in the tip. When your arrow locks into its’ target, the arrow will explode. Thus… KABOOM. All in all, quite the excellent way to spend your day.” Tony explained.
A second shelf appeared, and Tony grabbed up the dagger that sat there. “This dagger is for when you’re stuck with close range fighting. It’s pure silver. Does quite a bit of damage. And be ABSOLUTELY careful when handling it, the tip’s been poisoned.” He warned, sheathing the blade before handing it to me. I ran my finger along the hilt of the dagger, admiring the small emerald right in the center. “Would you like to know something interesting about this dagger?” Tony asked, lowering his face to eye level with a smile. “What’s that?” I asked quietly. “Well… You see this emerald? It’s a chip off of a bigger gem from King Tutankhamen’s tomb in the pyramids. Legend has it that this gem has magical powers.” Tony explained, winking at me.
I frowned at the older man. “I don’t believe in magic, do you?” I retorted. “It’s magic that made you what you are. I believe in science, but what happened to you denies all science. So yes, I believe in magic.” Tony responded before walking away.
I looked over to where Bruce and Steve stood, watching me quietly. “What is the deal with you two, anyway? You barely talk.” I said loudly before walking over to the pair of them. It had been two days since I had become an “Avenger”, but I barely had gotten to know Bruce and Steve. Tony had been quite the talker from the get-go, and Thor was the funniest guy I’d ever met, despite being a Demi-god. But Bruce and Steve were both still absolute mysteries.
Steve stared at me with wide eyes before rushing out of the room. Bruce started to laugh, looking down at the computer he was studying. I sat down next to him, and he smiled. “Steve’s a virgin. I think the most action he’s ever gotten was when you hugged him the other day.” Bruce explained. I burst out laughing. “That’s a terrible thing to say! How old is he?” I wondered. “Well… Would you like an honest answer?” he said. I nodded, and Bruce looked at me. “Steve Rogers is 94 years old.” He told me with a straight face. I shook my head, laughing. “Nice joke, Banner.” I said, rolling my eyes.
Bruce shrugged. “If you want to think that I’m lying, you go ahead and do that.” He responded. “Okay, why don’t you tell me why you think that Steve is 94?” I demanded. “I know that Steve is 94. Steve was born on July 4, 1918. It is now 2012. Do the math, Julia.” Bruce explained. I ran the numbers through my head, and all of a sudden Bruce pulled up a picture of Steve with a group of military men. “Oh.” I said softly. My life just kept getting more and more complicated, and to top it all off, I was officially attracted to a man old enough to be my great-grandpa. I leaned back in my chair as I began to feel dizzy.
“Run this by me again. Thor is a demi-god. Steve’s been around since what, the first World War, Tony’s got a machine in his chest… and what is it that you can do exactly, Bruce?” I said. Bruce stared down at me, his smile dropping. “I don’t want you to see.” He told me gently. “Well, I don’t think you’ll be able to hide it from me forever.” I warned. Bruce pulled me to my feet and led me to the training room. He opened the door and turned to face me quickly. “Lock the door. Whatever you do… Don’t open it.” Bruce said. I felt a hand on my shoulder as Bruce walked into the room. “Is the big guy showing off for you? Oh, this’ll be fun.” Tony said from behind me. I looked up at him, and he reached over and locked the door.
We walked over to the bulletproof glass screen, watching as Bruce stood there awkwardly in front of us. Tony cleared his throat and walked over to a microphone attached to a panel of buttons. “Well, Bruce, your mother is a rotten potato mongrel, and frankly, you can let her know that I didn’t enjoy the sex one bit.” Tony said into the mic. My eyes widened, and Bruce furrowed his eyebrows. “Also, I sense that you’re attracted to this young lady, but I must tell you that we spent the night together last night, and she is quite the little firecracker. I doubt that you could even keep up with her, you are a bit lacking in that department.” Tony continued. I gasped and hit him in the arm, and Tony grinned at me before pointing at the window.
Bruce was on the other side, but he wasn’t quite… Bruce. His body was morphing, stretching and growing. And he was turning GREEN. My eyes widened, and Tony was clapping his hands with a grin. “That, Julia, is the Hulk.” Tony whispered. I watched as Bruce stomped around the training room, throwing things and pulling them apart. Then as suddenly as it started, it was over. Bruce started to shrink, and he stared at the ground before walking over to the door. Tony unlocked it, and Bruce walked out. His eyes wouldn’t leave the floor, and I frowned, placing my hand on his now bare chest (his shirt had been ripped off in the process).
“You are NOT a monster.” I told Bruce quietly before pressing my lips on his cheek. As I turned around to walk away, I saw Steve standing against a wall in the back of the room with his arms crossed over his buff chest. His lip curled up in the corner, and he nodded to me before walking away.
All of a sudden, he nodded towards a table in the room. “Come here.” Tony demanded. I followed him over to the table, wiping sweat off of my face from the little boxing match between the two of us. Tony reached over and pushed a button, and all of a sudden… “Where did that come from?!” I gasped as a small shelf rose up from inside of the table. Sitting on the shelf was an exquisite bow and quiver. The bow was silver, and the quiver was a crisp white color with a black phoenix on it. “I’ve made it so that if you focus your energy with the arrows, the fire will create a very concentrated explosive in the tip. When your arrow locks into its’ target, the arrow will explode. Thus… KABOOM. All in all, quite the excellent way to spend your day.” Tony explained.
A second shelf appeared, and Tony grabbed up the dagger that sat there. “This dagger is for when you’re stuck with close range fighting. It’s pure silver. Does quite a bit of damage. And be ABSOLUTELY careful when handling it, the tip’s been poisoned.” He warned, sheathing the blade before handing it to me. I ran my finger along the hilt of the dagger, admiring the small emerald right in the center. “Would you like to know something interesting about this dagger?” Tony asked, lowering his face to eye level with a smile. “What’s that?” I asked quietly. “Well… You see this emerald? It’s a chip off of a bigger gem from King Tutankhamen’s tomb in the pyramids. Legend has it that this gem has magical powers.” Tony explained, winking at me.
I frowned at the older man. “I don’t believe in magic, do you?” I retorted. “It’s magic that made you what you are. I believe in science, but what happened to you denies all science. So yes, I believe in magic.” Tony responded before walking away.
I looked over to where Bruce and Steve stood, watching me quietly. “What is the deal with you two, anyway? You barely talk.” I said loudly before walking over to the pair of them. It had been two days since I had become an “Avenger”, but I barely had gotten to know Bruce and Steve. Tony had been quite the talker from the get-go, and Thor was the funniest guy I’d ever met, despite being a Demi-god. But Bruce and Steve were both still absolute mysteries.
Steve stared at me with wide eyes before rushing out of the room. Bruce started to laugh, looking down at the computer he was studying. I sat down next to him, and he smiled. “Steve’s a virgin. I think the most action he’s ever gotten was when you hugged him the other day.” Bruce explained. I burst out laughing. “That’s a terrible thing to say! How old is he?” I wondered. “Well… Would you like an honest answer?” he said. I nodded, and Bruce looked at me. “Steve Rogers is 94 years old.” He told me with a straight face. I shook my head, laughing. “Nice joke, Banner.” I said, rolling my eyes.
Bruce shrugged. “If you want to think that I’m lying, you go ahead and do that.” He responded. “Okay, why don’t you tell me why you think that Steve is 94?” I demanded. “I know that Steve is 94. Steve was born on July 4, 1918. It is now 2012. Do the math, Julia.” Bruce explained. I ran the numbers through my head, and all of a sudden Bruce pulled up a picture of Steve with a group of military men. “Oh.” I said softly. My life just kept getting more and more complicated, and to top it all off, I was officially attracted to a man old enough to be my great-grandpa. I leaned back in my chair as I began to feel dizzy.
“Run this by me again. Thor is a demi-god. Steve’s been around since what, the first World War, Tony’s got a machine in his chest… and what is it that you can do exactly, Bruce?” I said. Bruce stared down at me, his smile dropping. “I don’t want you to see.” He told me gently. “Well, I don’t think you’ll be able to hide it from me forever.” I warned. Bruce pulled me to my feet and led me to the training room. He opened the door and turned to face me quickly. “Lock the door. Whatever you do… Don’t open it.” Bruce said. I felt a hand on my shoulder as Bruce walked into the room. “Is the big guy showing off for you? Oh, this’ll be fun.” Tony said from behind me. I looked up at him, and he reached over and locked the door.
We walked over to the bulletproof glass screen, watching as Bruce stood there awkwardly in front of us. Tony cleared his throat and walked over to a microphone attached to a panel of buttons. “Well, Bruce, your mother is a rotten potato mongrel, and frankly, you can let her know that I didn’t enjoy the sex one bit.” Tony said into the mic. My eyes widened, and Bruce furrowed his eyebrows. “Also, I sense that you’re attracted to this young lady, but I must tell you that we spent the night together last night, and she is quite the little firecracker. I doubt that you could even keep up with her, you are a bit lacking in that department.” Tony continued. I gasped and hit him in the arm, and Tony grinned at me before pointing at the window.
Bruce was on the other side, but he wasn’t quite… Bruce. His body was morphing, stretching and growing. And he was turning GREEN. My eyes widened, and Tony was clapping his hands with a grin. “That, Julia, is the Hulk.” Tony whispered. I watched as Bruce stomped around the training room, throwing things and pulling them apart. Then as suddenly as it started, it was over. Bruce started to shrink, and he stared at the ground before walking over to the door. Tony unlocked it, and Bruce walked out. His eyes wouldn’t leave the floor, and I frowned, placing my hand on his now bare chest (his shirt had been ripped off in the process).
“You are NOT a monster.” I told Bruce quietly before pressing my lips on his cheek. As I turned around to walk away, I saw Steve standing against a wall in the back of the room with his arms crossed over his buff chest. His lip curled up in the corner, and he nodded to me before walking away.