The good, the bad, and the high heels

Chapter 7

Chapter 7

After deserting the now destroyed electronics store, we began walking back towards the force field to hunker down and await help, if the message even sent.

We were walking for about a block when Betty stepped in the kangaroo poop.

"Ew! EW, ew, ew! What is that?" She whined as she hopped awkwardly backward on one foot.

I wrinkle my nose as I look at the glowing pile of...yeah.

"Well it sure doesn't look normal." Natasha comments from where she is crouched beside me, unflappable as ever.

"Maybe a dog ate a weird mushroom?" Darcy suggests from behind us.

I shake my head. "Unlikely. The only animals we have seen since the bar are..."

"...the rabid kangaroos! Well, crap." Jane groans from behind Betty.

"Yes, Jane, nice word choice. I don't think the signal was the only thing that got through."

"Which means we now have rabid marsupials roaming the street. Weapons out, girls." Natasha says as she scans the street for threats and readies her knife.

"Come on, we need to move." I mutter as I draw my gun and start down the street, my companions falling into the same formation as before.

"Taylor?"

"Yes?"

"Are we going to be okay?"

I glance at Darcy. "Just fine Darcy, don't worry. You'll get to see Steve again."

"Hey! That man has the shoulder to hip ratio of a Dorito! Can you blame me?"

I shrug. "Well, if patriotism and innocence are your thing. I prefer lean, mean, grey-eyed machines."

"Course you do, bolt bucket."

I laugh lightly. It echoes down the street.

"Hey Taylor, what's that on your two o'clock?" Natasha asks from my right.

My gaze follows her pointing finger to the side of a building about thirty feet away.

And then my eyes register that hey, that shadow is moving!

I gesture for Natasha, Jane, Betty, and Darcy to wait here while I begin to walk towards the shadow, my gun primed.

I creep around the corner of the building...

...and come face to face with a dog-sized crazed koala.

It leaps us at me and I fire two rounds into its chest.

And it keeps moving.

I turn and run back to the girls. "It is not a cuddly bear! I repeat, not cuddly!"

Betty quickly fires two shots in its eye...and then it falls limp.

"Huh?" I tilt my head. "How come your shot killed it but mine didn't?"

Betty frowns. "I guess we can check it...but be careful!"

I crouch next to the koala, careful to avoid the foaming puddle of saliva gathering beneath it, and poke it until it flops on to its stomach.

"See, that," Betty points to an area between the shoulder blades, "is where your shot exited. My shots, however, angled and exited here." She points to a spot where the base of the head meets the back of the neck.

"Weak point, do you think?"

Natasha shrugs. "Well, the shot took it down, so it is better than nothing."

"Hey Taylor," Jane speaks up, "isn't that near where your nano bots got injected?"

I nod as I reach up to touch the injection site, at the base of my own skull.

"Ironic, isn't it?"

Jane nods and opens her mouth to say something, but she's cut off by Darcy's frantic yell.

"Guys!" she screams while jabbing a finger down the street.

We all turn our attention to following her finger and see what has her so worked up.

A pack of stampeding, rabies-infected marsupials, that's what.

"Run!"

A~A~A

"What's our altitude, Clint?"

"We're at 32,000 feet, Tony. I don't advise diving." I tell him as I peer through the jet cockpit widows to the red and gold suit.

"I won't. Five miles is 26,400 feet, so we have 5,600 feet left until we drop like stones in water. Ease her down, Clint."

I let the jet descend ever so slowly.

"26,500! Stop!"

I hover the jet again, only one hundred feet away from the dead zone.

"So how do we get from here," Steve asks from the co-pilot's seat as he gestures around the plane, "to down there?" He points out the window, towards the dark streets of Australia.

I frown as my eyes sweep the streets below us for any sign of the girls.

"Tony, could you fly us down?" Steve asks.

"No." Bruce interjects. "The dead zone affects the suit."

"What he said. Could Big Green jump out with us?"

Now I intersect. "That might not be the brightest of ideas. We have zero idea what is down there or who is behind it. I would rather avoid risking Hulk or Bruce."

Bruce nods gratefully. "I second that. Could Thor fly us down?"

We all look towards Thor with questioning gazes.

"Let me check. I will return." Thor assures us as he pushes the button for the ramp.

"Thor, no-" Steve starts, but Thor is gone in a whirlwind before he can be convinced otherwise.

We all hold our breath as we wait for Thor's scarlet cape to become visible.

And then it does.

"There!" I exclaim, being the first to spot it.

Steve, Bruce, Tony and I cheer as Thor lands again on the ramp.

"It is safe. I will only be able to carry one at a time, though."

Steve nods. "Alright, guys, gather your stuff. Tony, I suggest getting out of the suit so it doesn't freeze up when we hit the dead zone."

"Roger that." Tony comes in and lands next to Thor on the ramp, quickly disassembling his suit. Once it's a suitcase, he sets it off to the side and walks over to Steve and Bruce.

"The plane is on autopilot, set to hover until manual is put back on." I announce as I unbuckle myself and strap on my bow, quiver, and gloves, and grab Taylor's just in case.

Tony does the same with her suit, condensed as a black briefcase, as Steve grab Natasha's bag of guns and his shield.

Everyone seems hesitant to exit the plane, so I summon all my S.H.I.E.L.D. training as walk forward.

"Come on guys, we've got dates with our better halves."