Loving The Hawk

Chapter 9

 Nat and I rushed to the armory, where we suited up and I grabbed my special quiver of arrows out of my locker. This is the one that held my special arrows like incendiary arrows and ones with grappling hooks. Those definitely came in handy in a fight. I wasn't sure what to expect so I just grabbed them all. I slipped into the suit that I had designed with Clint about two years ago and thought of him as I zipped it up. I was going to get him back no matter what it took. I clipped my utility belt around my waist that held my pistols and slid my two long knives into their sheathes on my legs. After I was ready, I turned and nodded to Nat and we rushed off to the hangar to meet up with Captain Rogers.

"Captain, I look forward to seeing what you can do," I said as we boarded the quinjet.

"Please call me Steve," he replied smiling. I nodded and went to sit in the pilot's seat. I started up the jet and Nat came to sit in the co-pilot's seat.

"They still got you co-piloting?" I teased her.

"Hey just don't forget who taught you how to fly," she replied.

"Oh I didn't. It was the same person who taught me how to kick ass with a bow and arrow. You taught me hand to hand combat, gun and knife skills," I replied, laughing. She laughed with me.

"Ok you got me there," she said, holding up her hands in defeat. I turned back to the controls and took off. I got us to a safe altitude and turned on auto pilot. I turned my seat around to look at Steve and Nat both.

"So what's the situation?" I asked, crossing my arms. 

"Loki is in Germany," Steve began, trying to pull up a hologram of a map. After a minute, Nat got up and showed him how to do it properly. "Thanks. We know that he is looking for something called iridium. Not quite sure what for yet."

"Iridium is a stabilizing agent. What on earth does he need that for?" I mused out loud. "Nat please put in the coordinates for where we need to go. We should be there soon." Nat nodded and turned around. I was struggling to understand this new development. What on earth was Loki up that would require iridium? 

"Earth to Rory!" Nat's voice called. I jerked out of my thoughts and looked up at her. "You ok? I can see the gears turning in that big brain of yours."

"Yeah, I'm ok. I just can't figure out for the life of me what he needs the iridium for. It doesn't make sense. If he was trying to make some sort of machine it would make more sense, but then what kind of machine is he trying to make?"

"We will figure it out hon. How are you holding up with Clint being gone still?" Nat said wrapping her arm around my shoulders.

"I'm a wreck. I honestly don't know what to do right now. I miss him so much it's killing me," I whispered. "Nat, I love this man and I swear to god if Loki has hurt him, I'm putting an exploding arrow through his eye socket." Nat laughed.

"You sound like Clint. You two really are perfect for each other," she said soothingly. "You know he wants to marry you?"

"What?" I asked sounding surprised. "It's only been a year. I figured he would want to wait longer than that."

"Oh he isn't planning on proposing right away. He wants to wait until you are more comfortable and are ready to tell your dad so that he can ask for Tony's permission," Nat smirked. "I never knew he could be so old fashioned."

"Sounds like him," I replied. "He's been bugging me about telling my dad. I guess that's why. He met dad for the first time as Cal Miller the other day." Nat laughed. Just then there was a beeping on the dashboard. We were coming up on our destination. I turned back around and put my headset on so that we could communicate a little better. I turned off auto pilot and reengaged the controls.