Forever and Always

Chapter 2

         After all the children went to sleep, Clara went out into the field and waited for her ride. As she sat in the field, she whispered the trigger words silently under her breath over and over, making sure she was pronouncing it correctly. Shuri gave in to letting her read the words, agreeing that someone close to Bucky should do it, and few days prior, Shuri sent her via Dora Milaje guard the Russian words as well as their pronunciations and meanings. Whenever Clara would get time alone, which wasn't very often since she was in charge of watching six to eight kids, she would sit in her little hut or go out in the woods so recite the words over and over. Clara didn't mind getting these trigger words to practice, but what did bother her was that they sent response phrases as well if...if for some reason their work wasn't 100% effective. She tried not to focus too much, however, on those short phrases because she preferred to believe that she wouldn't have to use any of those phrases.

         Clara heard the low rumble of a jet engine, and she stood up in the field and looked up. She only saw the stars, but somewhere up there was the jet. She stared into the sky, staying alert until finally she saw the bottom of the jet appear from the sky as if a piece of the sky just broke off. The jets were still very quiet and she watched as it floated down and landed a few feet ahead of her. Clara stared at the jet in amazement, and a second later, the hatch underneath opened and put came a single Dora Milaje guard. She was in her armor garments as well as holding her spear. She had a hard stare as she made it to the bottom and stood there.

       "Ms. Peters." The guard announced her name as she approached her. "I am Ayo of the Dora Milaje. I have come to escort you to where Sergeant Barnes is located for the final test. Follow me." She turned back around and made her way back onto the ship, and with one last glance at the lake behind her, Clara followed Ayo into the jet.

        So Bucky is already...where he needs to be?" Clara sat down in one of the chairs behind Ayo. She watched as Ayo pulled a lever and the jet lifted off the ground.

         "Yes. Princess Shuri has assigned me to watch over you and assist you, but I am not to butt in unless deemed necessary." Not once did she turn her head back to look at me. She kept her head towards and her eyes on the sky in front. Clara shifted uncomfortably in her seat when Ayo said she would interfere if deemed "necessary".

         "Well, when would it be necessary?" Clara asked a question she felt like she already knew.

          "You will know." Ayo answered in a very straightforward tone. "When we arrive, it will be a short walk, and then we will see Sergeant Barnes being overseen by two other guards. I will dismiss them, I will give the information to Sergeant Barnes, and then you read. And Princess Shuri requested that you give him his space until we see the results. Any questions."

        "No ma'am." Clara shook her head and folded her hands in her lap. She was very intimidated by this Ayo, and there were hundreds more who were probably just like her or even scarier.

        "Oh and one more thing." Ayo brought up. "If worst comes to worst, I am to protect you. So don't try reasoning or fighting back. I will handle that. If Sergeant Barnes is still uncontrollable, then you will run when I say." Clara swallowed hard. She didn't want to think about all of Shuri's work not working, but she also had to accept that it was a possibility. And she also knew that she couldn't go against royalty.

       "Alright...I mean, yes ma'am. I'm just hoping that won't be necessary." Clara sat in her seat and looked around the jet. It looked a lot more different than the Quinjet. It looked more modern, more advanced. There weren't many buttons and switches that were found on a casual jet, and there was no staring wheel. Clara actually managed to look over Ayo's seat, and she saw that she was using some kind of touch screen to control the jet. To the side of Ayo was a giant holographic GPS that Ayo was following. In the right corner of the hologram she saw the time was 21:34.