SANCTUM | Avengers

5

Distracted by my sudden accident, a security guard comes over.

"Ma'am, are you alright?" he askes with a thick Russian accent. I smile as he offers a hand.

Graciously, I accept, standing up right in the scanner.

"Perfectly fine, thank you," I say, smiling and speaking in my best American accent, "just clumsy, that's all."

I laugh at my own words, and step through the scanner discreetly. Grabbing my bags and putting my shoes back on, I shoot the security guard another smile, this time, batting my eyes ever so slightly.

The man coughs slightly and smiles back awkwardly.

"Well, enjoy your travels," he chimes, waving slightly while walking away.

Smiling to myself, I proceed to the gate where my plane will take off. Relief floods through me, now that the security is over. If they had found the weapons, or confidential files, everything would have been over.

I continue to walk confidently through the building, going over in my head what will happen when I land.

"ALL PASSENGERS ON FLIGHT 682, SOKOVIA, BOARDING IN FIVE MINUTES," a mechanical, female, voice says, booming over the speakers.

Perfect Timing.

Sitting in an open chair close to the gate, I patiently wait for the next announcement. So, naturally, I spend this time indulging in my favourite pastime- people watching.

A chubby man walks by, sweat perspiring on his forehead and staining his ill-fitted suit. The shoes are worn, and his brief case is almost falling apart. On his way to a very important business meeting- a career breaker, even.

Another man walks by. This one, though, is casual, listening to headphones and bopping his head slightly to the beat of the music in his ears. Callouses on his left hand show his aptitude for the guitar. 

A small women struts down the hallway and sits a seat away from me, staring at me through her designer sunglasses. Even though we are inside she still wears the thick rimmed frames, which is undoubtedly strange. So, although I'm sure that it is not a usual custom, I stare back. At first she seems confused, but then she shakes her head and looks away from me. Smiling to myself, I refocus my attention on the people around me.

Before I can properly observe more people, a voice speaks through the speakers yet again.

"NOW BOARDING FLIGHT 682, SOKOVIA. NOW BOARDING."

I stand and pull out my passport. The picture looks strange, like the image has been made of many faces, constructed to look like mine.

"Savannah Bartlette" the name reads. It also says I was born in Ohio. The United States passport in my hands earns me a smile from the woman checking my boarding pass.

"Enjoy your trip!" she beams at me.

"Thanks so much!" I reply smiling and laying on the accent yet again.

As soon as I pass the booth, my smile drops and I quickly walk to my seat near the back of the plane. Soon enough, when the plane is full of people, we start zooming down the runway. The plane takes off moments later. My breath hitches in my throat at the sudden lift off, and extreme vertical angle of the plane. The feeling is gone quickly though, leaving a trace of it only in the erratic beating of my heart.

It truly is exhilarating. During my training, I even learned to fly a plane. Nothing, though, could have prepared me for this. The ground quickly becomes small and the snowy landscape blankets the roads in a bright white.

The flight will be only an hour long, so I try to make quick work of the files I need to read. Looking back from the window I pull them out of my bag but quickly stuff them back in when a tall man sits in the isle seat next to me. He gives me a curt smile and fixes his suit as he sits down. We don't speak a word to each other but I know that I need to figure out what I'm getting myself into on this mission.

One thing I learned that I will always remember is that nobody notices (or cares) if you look like you belong.

So, I pull out the files anyways, proceeding to read them as if nothing is wrong. Slipping the papers out of their "CONFIDENTIAL" packaging, I place them on my lap.

Skimming over the information, I see key words that stick out.

"Volunteered for experimental procedures "

"Not yet in control of powers "

"Only two survived "

My mission, as it would seem, is to gather all the files on these "experimental procedures" and the files on the people that volunteered. Reading deeper, one name keeps reappearing. HYDRA.  Through my years of training, I learned all about organizations like HYDRA. Their bases are huge and they will stop at nothing to do exactly what the set out to get done.

But so would I.

Some things would be easy. Some not. But this mission would be a success. It had to be.

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Thanks for reading ! I'm so excited with where the story is going! So let me know what you think! As always, all comments, suggestions, and votes are SO appreciated

Lots of love,

Brynn