I shot up, drenched in a cold sweat. I don't think you really understand how awful it is to have vivid nightmares, being forced to relive your nightmare of a life, as often as it happens.
"I can't run."
"You can't what?" Tony asks. I see the what...
The meeting started and I'm sitting out in the hall. Yes, I'm eavesdropping. What? I want to know what's going to happen to me as much as the next person.
Unfortunately, my hearing isn't anything special, so I can only catch small snippets of the discussion.
"-Run-.... -Pointless to have her-..." I hear Tony's voice say in an angry tone. That's not good.
"-Of her is fine. Why not just-..." I hear Clint say. I'm surprised he wasn't on Tony's side to be honest.
"-Yeah. There's no point in-... What? No! I'm saying that if Sabi is fine otherwise what's the point in throwing her out," I hear Natasha say. I press my ear close to the wall as Hannah walks up and stares at me blankly. I put a finger on my lips to tell her to keep quiet.
"-Liability!" Tony begins to raise his voice, which terrifies me and makes me happy all at once, "If she can't keep up with the rest of us, she's going to get in the way! She'll put the rest of us in danger, as well as any mission she goes on!"
"-Her because if she leaves then I'm afraid that-....-too. She's super smart. We could use her help," Bruce says, and I feel pride swell in my chest. Bruce thinks I'm smart. Wait- Oh. He's talking about Hannah.
"Why don't you just make something that would eliminate the impact?" Steve says very clearly, he knows I'm here doesn't he? Everyone knows don't they? "Then we don't have to worry about her being in pain."
I stand up, ironically as if to rub it in that I'm crippled, my left knee pops, and I jog on the balls of my feet (as I have discovered that if I do that I can't run very fast, but it doesn't hurt as much.) and bring myself back to my room.
I spend about an hour pacing in my room. Well- I'm not pacing, I'm really just moving my legs in a running motion whilst laying on a bed. It's the next best thing.
"Sabi?" I hear Steve say and I stop 'running'.
"Yeah?"
"Can I come in?"
"Yeah."
Steve comes in very quietly, and honestly looking a little afraid. What's so scary about me?
"You don't need to be afraid. I don't even have any weapons," I say, trying to make him feel better. That probably didn't help. Stupid, stupid, stupid.
Steve just stares at me and I laugh a little to try to avoid the awkwardness. As he's the closest in age to myself, I fear that he's going to think I'm a total flirt. Flirting and kindness are often confused.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Roge-"
"-Steve."
"-Steve, I- I'm just gonna shut up now, is what I'm gonna do," I roll over on my stomach and burry my head in the bed.
"Merrrrrrrrpppp."
"Merp? Is that a word people are using now?"
***
"Anyway," I sit back up, "What'd you come in here to tell me?"
"We have made a decision on whether you will be an Avenger," Steve says. Then he leaves.
"Hey!" I call out to him, and he turns around and smiles at me, blue eyes twinkling, he continues on.
"Wha-?!" I throw myself off my bed, "OW," My knees, "I'm so old," I mutter underneath my breath as I chase Steve in slow motion down the hall. Except he takes longer strides than myself, giving him the advantage. 5'7" vs. 6'0 1/2". Who wins? Not the girl who's 5'7" that's for sure.
Steve breaks out in a run, and I yell for him to slow down, "But I can't run!" I yell.
Steve turns around and jogs backward, losing no speed, nor missing a step, "Not for long."
***
"So," I say as I walk into Tony's lab, and everyone seems to be doing something different.
Hannah chats up a storm with Bruce as she fiddles with a part of the Iron Man suit, "Are you supposed to be touching that?"
"Yup. Tony and I are working together to make me a suit similar to his. I'm his... What was the word?" Hannah asks tearing her eyes away from the gauntlet, and looks up at Bruce.
Bruce smiles a little, "Apprentice. You have an apprenticeship with Tony."
Hannah smiles at me, and then returns to the materials she's given.
Tony looks at me, and then at Hannah, "That kid's super smart, not smarter than me, but a smart kid," Tony stops, "Shame she's not a few years older."
I glare at Tony, ew, "Anyway, why did you call me up here?" I ask, yet I very well know the answer.
"I, Tony Stark, have designed a special suit that will allow you to run with minimal impact."
My eyes widen in shock, "R-Really?!"
"Yep," Natasha says, and my head whips around so fast I can feel the vertebrae pop.
"For Lady Sabi!" Thor cheers.
Clint and Steve are here too, they're talking about something and Steve looks confused. I catch Steve tell Clint "She said 'merp', is that a word..?" I look back at Tony.
Tony pulls out a sheet of paper, "Are you familiar with Portal?"
Portal? Not really... "Like the concept of portals?"
Tony shakes his head, "Portal. Like the game. Where you shoot portals. Valve?"
Nope, "Briefly," I lie, "I didn't really get the opportunity to play video games out on the street when I was starving."
I hear Hannah's laugh from somewhere in the back.
"Well, in Portal, the main character does a lot of running and jumping, and they have something called 'Long Fall Boots'. They allow the character to fall very long distances with minimal impact. With a slight variation and touches, Stark Productions is proud to present 'Brace Impact Boots'."
Tony pulls a shoe off of a platform, and I'm trying to figure out how the crap I'm going to get that thing on my foot.
Ουπς! Αυτή η εικόνα δεν ακολουθεί τους κανόνες περιεχομένου. Για να συνεχίσεις με την δημοσίευση, παρακαλώ αφαίρεσε την ή ανέβασε διαφορετική εικόνα.
"This is just a prototype, the final product will be in black and light gray like the rest of your outfit."
