Choices

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Nineteen: Tasered

"Don't try to sleep through the end of the world, And bury me alive, 'Cause I won't give up without a fight." Panic! At The Disco: This Is Gospel

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 Clint and I are silent as we look up at the wall of solid rock. With no communication with S.H.I.E.L.D., we decided our best bet is to gain altitude in hopes to be seen by a helicopter or S.H.I.E.L.D. rescue team. When Clint and I realized that we needed to get back to S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters, we prayed that the jet that dropped us off would still be out there; but to our luck, we saw the jet. The jet was a burning, shattered mess of parts on the ground not too far away from the crumpled compound. The two of us scoped it out for any survivors but found only bloodied bodies of agents, as if we haven't seen enough of those today. We hoped for a radio but couldn't even recognize any parts of one. We even saw the bodies of the few snipers that were waiting outside.

 We have common sense not to stray but yards away from the collapsed cave. S.H.I.E.L.D. will look for any survivors by the rocks. I point to a part of the wall that doesn't have any projecting cliffs and looks like there are plenty of footholds to make the climb easier.

 I am skeptical that Clint will be able to get up to the top. He's so weak from captivity. Clint doesn't seem to think twice as he begins to ascension. I stay at the bottom as his spotter just in case he falls. He doesn't falter once on his climb. Not once does his hand slip, just as if he was never a prisoner. Clint heaves himself over the edge. He stands and looks down at me, giving me a questioning look as he thought I was right behind him. I scale up the wall to join him.

 Once we are up higher, I get a better signal so I can use my bracelet to contact Lucis. "Hey, bud, I have a few favors to ask you," I say as I am more than happy to hear Lucis's voice.

 "Anything, ma'am," Lucis replies with a cheerful voice.

 "First, send out a distress call to S.H.I.E.L.D. using my bracelet's signal," I command him, "Then send me Reinforcer. Also, try to find Tony's signal for me please."

 "Will do, is there anything else?"

 I look at Clint. He is abnormally pale and looks like the smallest of breeze could knock him over. Even if I brought him food, it has to light and easy on his stomach since his stomach hasn't been on a normal diet, "If you could grab a bag of beef jerky before you leave the house..."

 "Will do, ma'am."

 I regret not grabbing my earpiece from my suit, but there was no time. My bracelet only connects myself to Lucis and my suit. I don't have Reinforcer or Assassin coded to any signals to call them to me. I only have a signal for Reinforcer to go to Alex. Since I'll be working for S.H.I.E.L.D., maybe when I get home I'll connect S.H.I.E.L.D. to my bracelet too.

 "Ma'am, I'm afraid I have frightened your mother as I was in the kitchen getting the food," Lucis informs me. "She is demanding I tell her what has gone wrong and to let her speak directly to you."

 I don't want to tell her what actually happened because then she would freak out, "Just tell her that it may be a while before I can come home, but that I am okay."

 After a moment Lucis responds, "She is still demanding that I let you speak to her."

 "Tell her I can't," I don't want to listen to my mom's voice when she doesn't know that her boyfriend has the possibility of being dead. The upsetting thing is that I too have no inkling of the status of my own boyfriend. I know nothing.

 "She is threatening to override me," Lucis says.

 "Ha, tell her good luck with that and then get over here," I command him. Tony had issues trying to override Lucis; I know there is no way my mom can.