Avengers Acadamy

One: It Begins

Ebony sighed, pulling her legs closer to her freezing body. She was hiding in the shadows of an alleyway, ragged clothes hanging loosely on her thin frame. Fear was glazed darkly over her multicolored eyes, making them look black, all light voided. She looked almost blind, staring just in front of her feet, ignoring the pouring rain that pelted her forest green jacket. Her jaw began to shake, and strangely, the air around her began to burn. A black cat glanced suspiciously at Ebony as she clenched her eyes shut, muttering under her breath.

"Please no... not another one, please!" Shimmering tears tangled with the rain that already soaked her face. As the heat got worse, Ebony launched herself to her feet leaving scorch marks where her feet used to be. She knew they'd be there soon, they'd been tracking her for weeks, and she'd barely escaped the last time.

But leaving her safe spot was a mistake, as soon as she left the safety of darkness she was surrounded. Several SHIELD agents had guns pointed at her, while three of the Avengers stood before her. The highly famous, and playboy Tony Stark, the out of the world Thor, and strange enough, Bruce Banner, the Hulk!

Ebony ran her thin fingers through her fire like hair -that blended from crimson to gold- terror consuming her heart. Stark took a step forward, and Ebony toon a step backwards, only to feel a rifle press into her back, and she knew the person behind the gun wouldn't care if they pulled the trigger.

"Hello," Tony greeted, acting as if there wasn't 13 trained agents ready to kill Ebony if she made one false move. Shivering, Ebony refused to speak, her throat closing up, making it harder to breath. More tears began to spill down her eyes as Tony began the boring monologue she knew would come,

"I'm Tony Stark," as if that wasn't obvious. "I know you're scared, but I promise, SHIELD is here to help you." Ebony flinched, help was not the word she would use. After begin on the run from these people for weeks, they wanted to 'help' her. "Please, we know of your abilities, and your not alone-"

"So you've brought the muscle to come and take me away?" Ebony snapped, the air around her flaring with heat. She felt the man behind her tense as he felt the heat, jabbing her forcefully as a warning. The rain began to turn to steam as it landed near her. "And you point a gun at my back, how inviting," her sarcasm leaked through her teeth, though it was laced with venom.

"She speaks like Man of Iron, what is that called again?" Thor asked Dr. Banner rather loudly, altho he sounded as if he attempted to whisper.

"It's sarcasm, Thor," Banner sighed, looking extremely annoyed.

While the two argued in the background, Ebony's mind began to go into overdrive, her eyes secretly studying all her surroundings. She ignored the sharp jab in her back that the agent gave her, trying to get her attention. Instead of acknowledging the violent gesture, Ebony attempted to run, like an idiot, because there were three avengers standing in front of her. One of which was someone who had the ability to smash her into the ground. Well... Two of which could smash her into the ground.

Sliding between two agents, Ebony took off into a sprint, fear pulsating off her. The sound of scrambling feet told her that SHIELD was following. Within seconds she was halfway down the block, using her unnatural agility to dodge and weave through deserted cars. This was a sectioned off part of New York that hadn't gotten cleaned yet since the Chitauri attack, even though it was 3 years ago. Everything was severely rusted and broken, worn from years of weather. It was a mini dystopian society.

Suddenly she was surrounded by men, seeming to appear out of nowhere, fear filled her eyes when she noticed they all looked the same.

He was tall, way taller than Ebony, who was a average 5'8", curly black hair brushing just past his shoulders. He was dressed in some kind of leather cloak, black and green, with bits of metal chainmail running across his chest, under the cloak. Combat boots were laced up to his shins, their toes plated with silver, ouch. His eyes were an unusual green, almost inhumanly green, so deep that he could hide a forest in them. His pale lips were curved into a perfect smirk, most likely practiced in the mirror every morning. And there were 50 of him. Either she was crazy, or someone gave birth to an amazing amount of children who all look identical.

"Rudolf made it!" Starks voice interrupted Ebony's daydream. Her eyes flickered, fear changing their reddish tinge for a more deep golden yellow. She tried to think, but her mind felt like it was being swarmed, every part of it telling her to give up. She collapsed to her knees, tears streaming down her face, every insecurity, every fear, anything that made her weak began to resurface from the lock box they were in. The lock on the box began to tremble as Ebony tried to clamp imaginary hands around it, though her mental state collapsed and the box broke open, shattering into millions of pieces. She felt something among the nightmares and memories, someone was there with her.

"Get. Out. Of. My. HEAD!" She screamed, flames blasting off of her body as she curled on the ground in agony. The flames were a dark, rage filled red, melting the pavement beneath her knees. Though her light faded and quickly darkness pulled her into a nightmare filled sleep. Her battered body twitched as the avengers converged on her, one of the shield agents, chaining her up. She let out a mumble, silver tears leaking out of her eyes, as the sun broke through the sky, shining brightly despite the horror of Ebony's life as she was dragged into a black van. The doors slammed and she was driven off into the shadows of the city.