The Unknown Enemy ∘ Marvel [3]

Chapter 29: The Highway

Agent Caris hadn't received a message back from her contact in the last twenty minutes. She hadn't received confirmation from the leftovers of the team tasked with capturing three rogue agents. That was, in the most simplest form, a sign all had gone to hell for Bradley.

She had been allowed to sleep, finally, but had not left the small room in over a day. A total of four consecutive hours was a blessing, but it did nothing to really improve her mood or appearance. Her red hair was twisted in knots, spun up in a horrendous excuse for a bun. Deep, pigmented circles that had dug themselves into her skin under her eyes the last few weeks were prominent. She also didn't smell the best.

She was terribly exhausted.

Despite the rubble the old army base had been reduced to in New Jersey, Rogers and Romanoff's bodies weren't found. The mission to apprehend Firman and her group had gone awry, just as she thought. But the Winter Soldier failing to trigger the Avenger? That was surprising. Now it seemed their man on the inside had been rooted out.

In summary, HYDRA was currently failing at keeping a few rogues in check. The threat to Project Insight was growing.

A boisterous noise caused a severe tremble to shake Caris into more agitated condition. She rapidly blinked as she reached for her cell phone on the desk, a tiresome sigh leaving her lips while rubbing her eyelids. Her hoarse voice was apparent as she took the call, "Communications, sect 4."

"You sound terrible. You even up for field work?"

"What?" The agent's cloudy head didn't understand exactly what the man's tone relayed.

"It's Chandler, the savior who got you a transfer. Don't ask me how I did it, but Sitwell won't know. Go grab a gun."

~~~~~~~~~

"Layla, I need you to move over." My hands wrapped around her own, her lithe fingers fidgeting against mine. Her pulse was erratic, "I need you to move over into the passenger's seat, okay?"

Maybe the woman nodded, I couldn't tell. She was shaking, shaking like her core was crumbling away from her inside. Her breathing was violently attempting inhale in air, sobs constricting her throat and only causing more chaos to be wracked on her fragile state. She didn't look at me with her puffy eyes swelling with tears, her mouth trying to sputter out sound but all that emitted from her were fitful cries that couldn't process the shock of what had just happened. She kept trying to vocalize something, anything besides breaths of broken whimpers. She had become disabled by the acute alarm overwhelming her.

Panic attack.

I kept my voice steady as her grip tightened around my wrist, every torn attempt to speak on her part evoking more worry, "Listen, I need you to move over, please. Now."

Her chest was heaving too fast, but her quaking form managed to awkwardly slide into the passenger's seat. I reached over to help her as I got in, Zerina shutting her door once she climbed in the back. I immediately started the ignition again with my left hand crossing under my right arm so she could keep ahold of my wrist. Shifting the gear, I sped out of back parking lot and onto the road out of lousy Sodville.

Layla's cheeks had flushed to a scarlet hue and her palm grew slick with sweat as she grappled onto me. Her tremors continued as she desperately forced out in a tone two octaves too high, "I can't-I cant breathe-I can't-"