Illusions (The Avengers)

4. A Day off Interrupted

"You know, shouldn't you be, I don't know, chilling out on our one day off?" Stormy shook her head as she watched Jaelyn slaughter another punching bag.

"Yeah, I should. I should be swimming in Tony's hotel-sized pool right about now with an iced tea in my hand," Jaelyn replied harshly," and Hydra should be nothing more than a lost cause by now. Then again, we live in reality, where the government enjoys taking our rights."

Stormy bit her lip, she couldn't blame Jaelyn for being pissed at the government, but she tried not to dwell on the accords to much. After all, half the things the government said they'd do, they don't.

"Come on, you really think that Tony's going to let the Accords go into affect after what happened last time?" she said.

"Tony may not have a choice," Jaelyn said pointedly," but I know one thing for sure; if the Accords do go back into affect-"

"Then we won't be fighting anymore," Stormy finished.

"Yeah, and then we're screwed and I'm going to Asgard."

"Don't pull that card!" Stormy snapped," You can't just go up to Asgard whenever your life here gets difficult."

Jaelyn turned to stare at her, her eyes narrowed. "Watch me."

Stormy huffed, she loved Jaelyn, but she could only take so much of her when her attitude went south.

"Enjoy your punching bag," she said, walking around to stomp upstairs to the kitchen in the facility and find something decent to eat. She found Tanya upstairs at the conference table, a Starbucks cup in one hand and a pen in the other.

"Tell me that's not homework," Stormy said as she opened the stainless steel fridge.

"Some of us actually plan on getting a diploma," Tanya replied loftily, spinning her pen in her fingers as she skimmed her algebra homework.

"What's the point of getting a diploma if we already have a job?" Stormy asked, pulling a piece of left-over pizza out of the fridge. After a second thought, she added," and a billionaire playboy, business magnate, ingenious engineer who can't die."

"Well, if the Accords are reenacted, that may not be the case and I'm not going to be the wannabe cheerleader captain who thought she had a job secured and didn't get anything done in school."

Stormy fought the urge to roll her eyes, Tanya Stark was her mother's reincarnation, and if you didn't know her, you'd think she was the typical rich girl with nothing better to do than criticize others, which she did, but there was more to her than that.

"And when you refer to a cheerleader captain, you're referring to Chloe."

Tanya didn't reply, but took a sip from her Starbucks cup before looking up.

"I still don't get why you hate her so much," Stormy said, sitting down next to her, picking the pepperonis off of the pizza.

Tanya shrugged," She's a cheerleader captain who thinks she owns the world; look at our reality and tell me that's not naïve."

"I think you just don't like the fact that she hangs out with us," Stormy said pointedly. Tanya had never been real fond of Chloe James, in fact, Stormy couldn't remember a time when they actually got along.

Tanya rolled her eyes," Whatever. When's your mom coming back? I need help on an essay."

"Not for another few days." Jane Foster was one of the world's top astrophysicists, she'd been in a different country every other week for the past few months now.