Chapter Twenty-Two: Not This Again
"It is hard for me to be vulnerable, because I never learned how to do that. I was never vulnerable in a safe way." -Tucker Max.
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Happy pulls up to the front of the building. The windshield wipers squeak against the glass as snowflakes melt on top. The heater is on full blast as we are no longer on the warmer west coast. Happy was nice enough to pick us up a few coats since we now do not own any. With the bright purple puffer jacket on, I look like a walking grape. Where I look like a grape, Tony looks like a blueberry.
"I'm sorry, I was hired as security, not as your personal shopper," Happy shakes his hands before he puts the car in park.
"I'm just saying you've known me for over twenty years and when have I ever worn neon blue?" Tony asks.
"You didn't give me much of a notice! I just grabbed nine of the first ones I saw. They looked warm so they met the criteria," Happy retorts with a scoff.
"I mean, look at Brucey here," Tony motions to Bruce who sits next to me, "Why should one of the most intelligent scientists look like a walking traffic cone?"
"I gave you options of colors," Happy exasperates, "Next time you can give me a heads up and maybe exact styles."
"Next time I'm sending with you a stylist," Tony states as he opens his door.
The group of us follows and get out of the car. We are met by everyone who traveled in the second car, all also have colorful thick coats on. We look like a gang of children's characters as we walk into the front doors.
The once buzzing S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters is now a ghost of a building. The expansive lobby is completely silent; only the sound of our footsteps is audible as it echoes off of the high ceilings and walls. It feels unnerving as the main operation of such an agency that is usually more than crowded is now ridden of almost all life.
The group of is met by two large security guards dressed in the standard black suits. They stop us and ask to see our badges. My mom, Alex, Thor, and Bucky do not have badges and are not identified as cleared guests in the system. One of the men steps aside to ask for special clearance. He comes back a second later and nods. We have to go through an expansive amount of security protocols before we are granted permission to go down below the ground level.
"What level are we supposed to go to again?" Captain Rogers asks as we all step in the elevator.
"Press the star three times then show your badge," The one security guard tells him.
Steve does as he is told so. The automated voice welcomes Captain Rogers and the elevator begins to move downwards. The glass elevator passes down the dark shoot; an occasional light will pass at an interval. It takes only half of a minute until the box slows and comes to a complete stop. The doors slide open and all of us file out. We're met by another security guard who has to identify us again.
"Sorry about all the security," Director Coulson apologizes as we all walk in to the room, "With all these bombings we have to be extra cautious and secure."
"I would be concerned if you weren't," Steve steps forward and shakes Phil's hand, "Director."
"I'm glad you all made it in one piece," Director Coulson acknowledges us, "I'm terribly sorry about your loss, though."
"Thank you," My mom replies as I nod solemnly.
"Are you sure we are safe here?" Natasha inquires.
The underground bunker is lit up by white lanterns. The metal walls and flooring gives it an industrious feel. It feels as if we are in a steel catacomb. A large table sits in the middle of the metal room with a hanging ceiling light above its middle. A television that bears the S.H.I.E.L.D. emblem flashing on the screen hangs on the western wall. A row of filing cabinets line the adjacent wall.
"No," Director shrugs, "But it is the safest we have. We evacuated after the bombings and ordered for everyone to lay low and stay away. I even had to order my own team to hide at another location. I only have a few agents here. We were bombed once but we were able to keep it contained to only the top three floors. This shelter was designed to withstand any bomb and be hidden from any radar. We can continue our operations from down here just as well as we could from the entire building.
"You said over the phone that you had a jump on the Black Order's location. Do you still have all of your data?" Director Coulson asks.
"Yes, if you just have a place for me to work..." I look around the unfamiliar bunker.
"Agent Bly, if you would show Agent Potts to the tech room," A familiar agent steps out from in the shadows.
"Right this way," He motions to one of the two doors in the room.
I crank the handle to the side to unlock the door. Agent Bly walks behind me as we enter the room. "This place was added when the old headquarters was built in the '60s. It was built to withstand pretty much any type of bomb or nuclear fallout. It hasn't been used since New York, "Agent Bly casually informs me, "Nice to see you again, Potts."
"Likewise, Bly," I respond with the corner of my lip twitching upwards.
"You're off chasing the big leagues now. Tired of boring usual agent missions?"
"Trust me, what I'd do for a simple catch-and-arrest mission now during these days."
"Ha, at least you don't have to wear ridiculous outfits now. Except, you know..." Bly motions to my bright violet coat. As we pass through another room.
"Oh, this wasn't my choice," I unzip the coat and shrug it off of me.
"Whatever you say, Potts. I always thought you had an eccentric side."
"I was trying to get the neon pink one..."
"I don't doubt it," Agent Bly chuckles, "I'll let you do your thing. I'm not good with all this tech stuff. I'll go see what the boss man wants."
I take a seat in front of the multi-monitor setup. I plug in my flash-drive and wait patiently for the program to open up. I hear footsteps behind me. "So, who's Agent Bly?"
"You do realize that 70% of the people I work with and interact with are male, right?" I retort as I begin to upload the files.
"I'm not implying anything! I'm genuinely asking!" Alex raises his hands in offense.
"Okay, good, because I was going to say I had to trust you for a whole year..." I chuckle.
"And you can trust me for infinite more," Alex puts a hand on his chair as he leans over to look at the computer screen.
I try to keep the blushing in my cheeks hidden as I hum, "Well, he's been on my team for multiple missions. He is like my right-hand-man in the field. Probably one of the agents I trust not just because I have to."
Alex makes a noise in acknowledgement. I get everything up and downloading on the computer screen. All of the relevant data I had saved on my hard drive in my garage is now being uploaded to the S.H.I.E.L.D. devices. The progress bar shows that it will take eight hours since the home programs are different, Lucis isn't assisting, and my programs are outdated. Not being around in Oakley for the past two years has allowed me to let my equipment go outmoded. I became used to Tony's programs that are always way ahead of the technological curve.
"What's the word, nerd?" Tony walks into the room with the director following behind.
"We'll have it all tomorrow morning," I respond as I spin around in my chair.
"Were you able to keep the connection with the Black Order spacecraft?" Director Coulson questions.
"I hope," I answer. The three men look at me with quizzical expressions as they thought my connection was permanently secured. "It's like a kite. The flash drive is the handle and the ship is like the actual kite. Anytime you walk somewhere with a kite, especially long distances, you run the risk of breaking the string and losing the kite. Now I'm going to find out if the string is broken or not."
Phil and Alex nod slowly. "That may just be the best metaphor I'll hear this year," Tony comments with a flip of his hand.
"Shut up," I stand up from the chair. Alex suggests trying an elementary trick to help speed up the downloading process. I step aside to let him take a seat.
"Well, I came to tell you that everyone is turning in for the night. I figure you aren't staying up for this to download..." Tony rubs his chin as even after Alex's aid, the download will still be many hours.
I tell him that I am not. Even with the quickened progression it will be many hours before the transfer will be complete. These past few days following the death of my grandparents I have not had my usual amount of energy. All of my energy has been spent containing my emotions and forcing myself to move past this. I have been drained of my last energy reserves by keeping everything to myself. I have not shed a tear since the day of my grandparents' funeral and I plan to keep it that way.
I follow Director Coulson and my dad into another room I have not yet been in. I find myself in a large open room full of bunk beds. Metal beds with basic white sheets and blankets are laid out in a uniformed repetition. I see the Avengers scattered out in pairs or small cliques to claim their sleeping quarters in the vast room.
"This bunker was designed to hold 'all,'" Director Coulson uses air quotations, "of the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents during a time of fallout. Of course, this was when we were nothing but maybe one hundred employees here."
"You should really expand it," Tony comments.
"I know," Director Coulson smiles softly before leaving the room to go to his own private sleeping area.
"Lights go out in twenty minutes. Locker rooms are back there," Tony points behind him, "Your mom already put your clothes in a locker for you.
"Goodnight," Tony heads to one corner of the room.
Alex and I both head to the locker rooms. I find myself alone in the area since the only other two females have already changed into their sleepwear. I take my time getting ready for bed. I leisurely wash my face and brush my teeth. I hear someone shout a five minute warning before the lights went out. I wander back out to where Alex and I have called in the farthest wall to right.
"Do you want top or bottom?" Alex inquires.
"Or you could sleep on the bottom on one of the fifty other beds by me?" I ask without emotion, "Top bunks suck."
"I literally did not even think of that..." Alex shakes his head as he takes a seat on the bed next to mine."
"Lights out!" An agent calls out just before a loud click resonances in the room followed by total darkness. I shuffle under the thin blanket as I settle in for the night.
With no clocks visible I have not an inkling of what time it is. It is hard to fall asleep with almost twenty people trying to sleep at the same time. The mixture of snores, beds creaking, deep breathing, and whatever noises being underground has generated is enough to make sleep come slowly to you. Nevertheless, I eventually feel myself drifting off into a dreamy unconsciousness.
I wake up to the climax of another nightmare and the sound of a bed squeaking loudly. I involuntarily groan softly as I feel the unwanted tremor pulse through my body. My nerves are on hyper-alert as the overpowering fear of death overcomes me.
I think how if there was a fire down here there would be no escape. Even if our suits could make it to us quickly, there is no way two of us could get everyone out in time. We would all be trapped like in a burning furnace. Something is coming, something that will entrap us.
I whimper as the feeling of dizziness and nausea sickens me. I am helpless as the anxiety attack overcomes me. My thoughts are a jumbled mess but one deep, raspy voice suppresses all. My mind is quieted at the sound of his command.
"Kill everyone, no exceptions," He instructs me.
Here we go again.
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Dedication to @Marvel_lover21 <3
x JLG