The Legacy of Bella Regards Vol. I

Chapter 31

Bella

I changed into my Tron uniform. 

No, not my Avengers uniform. You could interpret it as making a statement or whatever. But in reality, I was much more comfortable in my own suit -- like it was my own skin.

The team split up into pairs. Ironically, I was paired with Steve, Natasha with Barton, Tony with Banner. When I received my assignment, I desperately regretted sending Merlin away. Spending time alone with Steve was the last thing I wanted right now.

I shook away anymore unnecessary thoughts and focused on the task at hand. One of the ship's engines had been disabled, and Steve and I were sent to take a look and repair it while the others put together a plan to protect and defend. 

"Watch your step." Steve's voice came in through my ear-piece. I had strayed to another part of the ship, a few yards away from him, and I suppose he was concerned for my safety. Sure that my back was turned, I rolled my eyes. 

"What do you see?" Stark's voice followed in my ear. 

"It seems to be running on electricity," Steve replied.

"Well, you're certainly not wrong."

I knew Steve had no idea what he was doing, and frankly neither did I. Why Fury had assigned us to this task, I didn't know. I returned to where he was crouched in front of the damaged engine, and impatiently watched as he tapped wires together. After a few torturous minutes, I ripped the wires from his hands and used my prior knowledge from my time at the Gallagher Academy to fix it myself. All first year students took a course on basic mechanical repairs, but by my second semester I had already developed a habit of scheming and skipping class. I was a fast learner, but I would've been the greatest spy to have ever graduated from the Academy if I had just applied myself a little more. At least that's what my mother had always told me.

I twisted the wires together until they sparked. Once they were tight and secure, I clicked them back into place -- the trickiest part was where, but I took a lucky guess. The engine came back to life with a thunderous roar. Steve looked at me with a sheepish smile.

"Sorry," he apologized. "Still getting used to this."

Before I could stand and dismiss his apology, we were hit with rapid gunfire. 

"Get down!" Steve dropped down beside me, shielding me with his massive body. He took matters into his own hands with his gun, but he was a lousy shot. I took my disk and flung it at the attackers blindly -- I didn't know where the bullets had come from. It came around like a boomerang until it found my hand again.

"I've got to get one of those," Steve marveled at my weapon. 

And as if the odds weren't already in my favor, the engine blew out with a dramatic sigh and whirled to a complete stop. I suppose my guess wasn't so lucky after all.

"Damnit," I exclaimed under my breath. I ducked when suddenly the gunfire resumed. 

"Cap, are you there?" Tony came through the coms system again.

"Stark, we need back-up," I replied in Steve's place.

"You'll have to hold your own for a while. We need to get the engine up and running first. The wires aren't the issue, it's jammed with debris. Another section of the ship was hit with a bomb."

Steve and I looked at each other. "Shit."

A slight tug in my stomach told me the ship had already started to dip towards the ground. We were falling, and if the ship gained any more momentum, we'd hit the ground fast and hard.