My life was simple.

Then again, it was simple when it was my life.

Simplicity at its best considered on the simple pleasures of life. Egyptian cotton sheets, goose feather pillows, mimosas every day, and the best part all the jewels and gems that I could dream of.

Oh, all the gems and jewels I could imagine.

I thought of my precious babies and how they gleamed and sparkled in all different shades and hues of colors, all of them, different shapes and sizes.

I don't discriminate; I love them all.

This is my life. This was my life.

I loved it, and I wouldn't change a single thing about it. I live for the lavish things in life. I believe life was made to be enjoyed and I was blessed with the proper gifts to enjoy it, which is something I don't intend on wasting.

Only a few days ago had I been completely spread out in my luxurious king bed. I looked at the yellow canary ring that shined brightly upon my index finger; thus far my favorite and most expensive finger accessory.

It was then that I heard the elevator door open. I thought it was my morning breakfast, eggs benedict and crab cakes with a Moet Mimosa. I sat up, the slightest of smiles on my face. It soon twisted into a frown when I was greeted by two strangers standing at the entrance of my master bedroom. One was a man who wore a simple, black suit, the other was a gorgeous woman who had short red hair and wore a skintight black and crimson suit- and it was just downhill from there.

Presently, I sat in a discrete private plane to India, it wasn't as lavish as to what I was used to, but it was something. A pair of pitch black sunglasses had been practically glued to my head. I had been threatened not to remove them despite any circumstance that might arise. I looked at my newest companion with a scowl through the shades.

Natasha Romanoff, also known as the deadly Black Widow looked back at me just as uneasily.

"Can I take the glasses off?" I asked in a bored town my voice drawling at the end.

"No," she retorted with absolutely no amusement in her tone.

"Couldn't you have at least made these Chanel?" I scoffed rolling my eyes. The Black Widow remained stoic, her answer obvious.

Her mood: frustrated and annoyed.

Feeling just as frustrated I snapped the sunglasses off angrily. In that instant, she pointed a cold gun at my temple. With a sly grin, I snapped my pale eyes towards hers. Hers, however, remained tightly shut.

"I just," sighing I looked around the small space in the jet. My mind racing as I sought an escape. "I still don't understand why I have to be of service."

"I didn't know your silly organization was this inefficient," I added.

The tension was escalating; anger was beginning to flood her mind. The edge of my lips tugged up into a smirk. "The organization is far from inefficient, not is it silly," she said sharply emphasizing on the word 'silly.'

"The problem is that he-it, it is too strong. No one can control it. Perhaps only you can."

"Will you look at me for chrissake? I'm not going to do anything to you. It's not like I can, considering that this hideous vest that I'm wearing will literally kill me. Not to mention how unflattering it is," I ripped open my Versace jacket to show the Black Widow the control belt bomb that had been locked around my torso. One wrong move and "Boom!" I would be split splat, just like a Pollock.

Agent Coulson, the man who got me involved in this, had managed to get this bomb on me. If I misbehaved, it would only take one click of a red button for my life to cease.

"Chill B.W.," I said once again rolling my eyes and looking at her gun annoyed.

The Black Widow ignored her new nickname and finally opened her eyes and dared to look into mine. Her tense mood did not falter.

"See," I said smugly buttoning up my fancy jacket.

I barely got some sleep in that uncomfortable seat. I spent half of the flight either drowsing off or brushing my dark brown hair while looking vainly in a pocket mirror.

It seemed like the Black Widow didn't sleep. She was almost robotic.

The only reason I was sure she was human was because her emotions were painfully obvious to me. It wasn't long before the bump of the plane hitting fresh ground awoke me.

It was dark outside; the sun was setting.

The Black Widow wouldn't speak to me unless spoken to, and even then she refrained from saying much. During the flight she had several files at hand, one was mine, another was the thing we were dealing with.

I wasn't allowed to look at either.

"So where in India are we?" I asked carefully stepping around the dirt in what appeared to be the middle of nowhere. "Kolkata, West Bengal," she retorted in her monotone voice.

"Is that near the Taj Mahal?" I asked ignorantly.

Her mood: annoyed.

She was rather irked.

"Can we go visit the old Indian mines. I've heard the rubies are just divine."

She glared, "we are not on vacation."

The black widow continued barking orders as we skulked around the ghettos of Kolkata. People were dying in the streets of sickness and disease. I could see them, clear as day, elder women, children, men, even sick dogs lay with gaping mouths in hunger. Their only company seemed to be the hovering flies.

Pests, trash, and the dead cluttered the crowded streets which stanch of feces, urine and decomposed corpses. There was so much pain in these streets, so much suffering. It was overbearing.

"I need a moment," I said holding onto my aching head.

B.W. Looked at me curiously.

"Do what you have to do, it's just... my head," I held onto my temples with both of my hands. My mind went blank for a minute. I didn't realize how much time had passed until Natasha returned and found me leaning against a wooden post clenching my teeth. I could feel that she was somewhat concerned.

"Come. It's all arranged," she said putting her emotions aside. I once again followed her in the dusk to a tiny hovel with broken walls and curtain windows. It stood alone in the distance.

"Should I be ready?" I asked slipping my hands into my pockets. She didn't respond.
I hated her silent charade.
"This is so pointless-" I kicked a nearby peddle away.

"Stop!" She suddenly snapped losing her cool.

Her mood: anger and frustration.

It seemed like I was only able to have two mood effects on the poor woman.

"Listen. Whether you like it or not you will cooperate. You have a long track record so be grateful that we didn't just throw you in barred four by four cage," she snapped.
"Be quiet and do as I say. This is a delicate situation." She couldn't emphasize it more.

Natasha then explained how she had hired a local child to bring our target to the isolated, broken down shelter where we were stood. She said that our cue was when the child escaped the room. I couldn't handle this place anymore. The mood, the insects, the horrid stench. I just wanted this to be over so that I could be back in Las Vegas, anywhere else other than Kolkata. I was also getting hungry...

It was just then that a little Indian girl ran inside of the shed and sprinted out through an open window. A dark-haired man followed after her and was left standing alone like an idiot. He stopped dead in his tracks. He knew.

His mood: annoyed.

He had been made a fool, and he knew it. He had been tricked.

It seemed like there were no positive emotions surrounding these people.

"Should have got paid up front, Banner," Natasha stepped forward from behind the curtains. She had bothered to dress down to the colloquial attire of the area. A black shirt and a crimson red shawl.

Her trademark colors.

I refused to change my outfit, not caring if I stood out like a sore thumb. Like hell, I was going to remove my Dior Tribal earrings and my Versace outfit in the middle of nowhere India. Why couldn't we be in Bengal? New Dehli? This was so frustrating…

He turned around quietly and eyed both of us cautiously.
Banner was for less of a better word your average Joe.

Dark hair, dark eyes, there wasn't anything particularly outstanding about him. He wore cheap clothes. A brand less maroon shirt and dark pants. He carried a messenger bag with him. He had thick, bushy eyebrows and rounded facial features. His skin was tan from countless of days or walking under the harsh Indian sun.

"You know, for a man who's supposed to be avoiding stress, you picked a hell of a place to settle," Natasha continued.

Wait-

Was this our dangerous subject?

Once again I scrutinized him. My eyes were snaking up and down his figure and poise. How was this man threatening? He certainly didn't fit the part. Did he have to avoid the stress due to heart problems?

"Avoiding stress isn't the secret," he retorted dully.

I felt like I was missing something.

"Then, what is it? Yoga?"

I was clearly out of the loop of this conversation. Not that I cared enough to inquire, I merely wanted to get out of here. I didn't even bother in making an effort to hide my scowl.

"You brought me to the edge of the city, smart. I uh... assume the whole place is surrounded?" He looked around the room anxiously and at both of us. I'll admit that I droned out for most of Banner and Natasha's conversation until I realized they actually addressed me.

"And you?" he asked.

I snapped my colored eyes to his. He blinked twice taken aback by them.

His mood: curious.

"Does it matter?" I retorted smugly keeping my eyes peeled wide open.

If it weren't for this man- ugh...

"Are you both here to kill me? Because that's not going to work out for everyone."

"For who else?" I muttered to Natasha growing more and more annoyed by the second. An effect I realized I had on her.

"Can we get out of here?" I added whining like a child.

"No. No. Of course not. I'm here on behalf of SHIELD."

"I'm not." I butted in shamelessly. Natasha ignored me.

"Can we get out of here? We can talk about this on the plane, yes?" I repeated almost pleading her.

"Where are you taking me?" He asked, his eyes narrowed.

"We've always kept our distance from you doctor, but never lost sight. We've even helped keep some other interested parties off your scent."

"Why?" I beat the man to the question asking with knitted eyebrows.

"Will someone tell me what I'm doing here? That is, besides wasting my time!" I exclaimed frustrated. "This man isn't dangerous!" I said approaching him carelessly. "He's a doctor," I drawled annoyed. "He saves lives," I added matter of factly.

Natasha began to become exasperated once again. Her glare said it all.
'Don't you dare,' her eyes threatened.

Banner couldn't help but chuckle.

"I think... the other guy might disagree with you," he said dangerously his mood becoming darker. I huffed cockily.

"Whatever, I'm not scared of anybody," I said tossing my long hair over my shoulder. It slapped the doctor in the face as I walked away. He brushed his nose and frowned at the rude gesture. Natasha proceeded to explain how the world was about to face a potential global catastrophe. She spoke about something called a Tesseract and potential power it possessed to wipe out the planet.

This caught my interest...

That thing, whatever it was, had to be absolutely priceless. The Tesseract, I wondered just what it was… It was then that Natasha pulled a tablet from her messenger bag and displayed it for the doctor.

My eyes slightly widened at the sight of the glowing cube like- gem.

Was that a shaped blue diamond? I could feel my mouth greedily watering at the pure thought of-

I momentarily escaped reality and pictured myself in an even fancier penthouse, wearing, perhaps a necklace made out of the Hope Diamond? No one to bother me, no one to tie me up to explosives and boss me around... I didn't realize that my emotions were beginning to manifest until Natasha snapped the image from her tablet off and her attention was back from the doctor and me.

"Quit it," she almost growled out at me.

"D-Did your eyes just change color?" Banner asked looking at the vanishing green hues in them.

"No," I lied rudely, scoffing, and stepped away from both of them.

"Her eyes just changed color," he stated the obvious, shocked. His eyes remained on mine. I didn't remove my now colorless eyes away from him. I could tell he was intrigued by my unnatural gaze.

"Nick Fury trusts you." Natasha swayed the conversation.

"He wants you to find it. It has been taken. It emits a gamma signature that's too weak for us to trace. There's no one that knows gamma radiation like you do. If there was, that's where I'd be." She explained.

"Gamma Radiation? But isn't this man a medical doctor?" I asked. Once again, I was ignored.

"So Fury isn't after the monster? He doesn't need me in a cage?" Banner inquired, his mood shifting, eyes hard.

"No one's gonna put you in a..." Natasha persuaded.

"STOP LYING TO ME!" he suddenly snapped in a thunderous tone. Natasha quickly grabbed her gun and pointed at him. She exchanged a confused look with me since I had no reaction at the man's outburst.

"He's not mad," I retorted feeling that the man was actually feeling sheepish.

He stood straight up like an arrow smiling. He had an odd sense of humor.

"I'm sorry. That was mean. I just wanted to see what you'd do. Why don't we don't we do this the easy way, where you don't use that, and the other guy doesn't make a mess? Okay?"

"The other guy? You talk as if you were Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde," I commented.

"Something like that..." He said with that same smile. His eyes marked by exhaustion.

"You won't be locked up," Natasha continued. "And I won't need to use my weapon. That's why she's here," she nodded her head towards me. I crossed my arms over my chest tapping my foot anxiously.

"Can we go? Now?" I asked insensitively sincerely not caring that the world was in peril.

"And what are you going to do?" He asked with a charming smile towering over me.

"Hold the Big Guy down? Rattle your jewelry to distract him with glimmer and glam?" He clearly wasn't threatened by me.

I glared at him and smugly smiled at him. For a brief moment, I allowed my white irises to flash in a bright orange hue of annoyance. He felt this emotion rapidly shift and gave a step back started by his sudden change in mood. His jaw tightened, and instead of fear, I could sense the growing curiosity in him.