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CHAPTER XIV. Strength
The quinjet streaked through the sky for miles, cutting through clouds and leaving a trail of anticipation in its wake. The rhythmic hum of the engines was the only sound in the cockpit until the navigation system began to beep insistently. They had reached the designated coordinates. Both Elina and Xavier exchanged puzzled glances as they peered out the windows. Below them, there was nothing but a vast expanse of open land stretching out as far as the eye could see.
"Is he... messing with us?" Xavier finally asked, his brow furrowing in confusion. The landscape was barren, devoid of anything that might hint at a mission location.
Elina shook her head, dismissing the notion. "Fury doesn't have time for games," she replied, her voice tinged with certainty. Whatever this was, it wasn't a joke.
As if on cue, Elina's satellite phone buzzed in her pocket. She answered quickly, her instincts on high alert. "Hello?"
"Look above you," came Natasha's voice, crisp and clear through the line. Both Elina and Xavier craned their necks upward, their eyes widening as they spotted a massive jet hovering silently above them, dwarfing their quinjet in size. The sheer scale of it was awe-inspiring, a testament to SHIELD's reach and power. "We'll be up there in a few," Elina said before the line went dead.
Elina pocketed the phone as Xavier expertly maneuvered the quinjet upwards, the smaller craft gracefully aligning itself with the massive jet above. The landing was smooth, almost imperceptible, as the two agents prepared to disembark. Xavier glanced back at the prisoners they had left tied up in the rear of the quinjet. "So, what do we do with them?" he asked, his tone half-joking, half-serious.
Elina gave a casual shrug. "They're not going anywhere," she said, her confidence in their restraints unshakable.
Xavier nodded, already thinking ahead. "I'll deal with them. You go find out what this is all about."
With a quick nod, Elina stepped off the quinjet, her boots clicking against the metal floor of the hangar bay. Waiting for her were Natasha and Blake Collins, both standing with an air of expectation. Natasha's lips curled into a sarcastic smile as she spoke. "Took you long enough."
Elina shot her sister a smirk. "I like to make an entrance," she retorted, but her tone quickly shifted to one of curiosity and concern. "What's this all about? Fury mentioned something about a briefing."
Natasha exchanged a brief look with Blake, who stepped forward and handed Elina a tan file. The weight of it felt significant, like the mission it represented. As she opened the file and began to scan the contents, the three women moved toward a larger group of agents gathered nearby.
Blake started her explanation, keeping her tone direct and no-nonsense. "I'll keep it short. The Tesseract has been stolen by someone claiming to be a god-a man named Loki. He plans to take over Earth."
Elina's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "He's confident," she remarked, her voice laced with skepticism.
Blake nodded, her expression serious. "Big time."
Elina turned to Natasha, confusion knitting her brow. "Sounds like a blast, but I don't see how I fit into this. Isn't this a little above my pay grade?"
Before Natasha could respond, another voice cut in. "Because you have something that many lack, Miss Romanoff." Elina spun around to face Phil Coulson, the ever-calm SHIELD agent who had a knack for appearing just when he was needed.
Elina raised an eyebrow, curious but skeptical. "And what would that be?"
"Strength," Coulson replied without missing a beat. "Not just physical, but mental. Not many people could survive being crushed by a collapsing building, but you did. And we need that kind of resilience."
Elina rolled her eyes, more out of habit than disagreement. She noticed Natasha doing the same, both of them silently acknowledging the truth in Coulson's words despite their instinctive resistance to flattery.
As they spoke, a man in a blue and red suit walked by, flanked by a group of agents. His presence was commanding, and Elina recognized him immediately. "Maybe he can," she muttered, half to herself.
Coulson followed her gaze and chuckled softly. "Yeah, he probably can. But this isn't just about strength. It's about teamwork, and everyone here has a role to play."
Elina looked at Coulson, then at Natasha and Blake, who stood silently beside her. She knew this was bigger than anything she'd faced before, and the stakes were higher than ever. Fury's cryptic message, the looming threat of a god-like adversary, and the presence of some of the world's most formidable heroes-all of it combined to create a scenario she hadn't quite anticipated.
"Others are waiting to meet you," Coulson continued, his tone more urgent now. "And we're almost at our destination. So, are you in or not?"
Elina didn't hesitate. She snapped the file shut with a decisive motion, her eyes locking onto Coulson's. "Obviously, I'm in."
Coulson's lips curled into a satisfied smile. "Then let's get to work," he said, turning to lead the way.
As they moved deeper into the jet, Elina couldn't help but feel the weight of what was coming. This mission was unlike anything she'd ever encountered, but she was ready. After all, she wasn't just a survivor-she was a fighter, and now, she was about to prove it on a whole new level.
