Avengers Generations

Chapter 23

A cold breeze blew quietly over the surface of the earth as Tori and Jake waited for their rescuers. Dust from crumbled buildings stuck to their skin and hair, and bits of torn paper danced along the ground, following the course of the wind. The two stayed by the pay phone in the refuse-pile formally known as Portland, hoping and praying that Clint's phone had been bugged. If S.H.I.E.L.D. hadn't heard their message, they - as well as the organization - were in deep trouble. They waited for hours, then a day, then a week slowly crawled by as the two teenagers ate vending machine snacks and slept in the dust. As the sun rolled over the sky and set every evening, they lost hope in their plans.

"Jake..." Tori's voice croaked with underutilization "Do you think they'll come for us?"

The boy looked with squinting eyes at the white, dusty horizon for a few minutes before responding. "I don't know." He admitted.

There wasn't much they could talk about, and nothing they could do, so they sat silently by the phone for hours - they knew that if S.H.I.E.L.D. would come to get them, that was where they would look first. But in truth, they didn't know if S.H.I.E.L.D. had heard their message to Jake's dad, or if Director Fury even thought it was a priority to save them. They could be here for the rest of their lives... even though that probably wasn't a long time anyway.

A few, lonely leaves drifted by in the cool breeze, and Tori was suddenly reminded that it was nearing on Fall. She furrowed her brow in thought.

"Yeah?" Jake said, recognizing she had a question.

"What's today?" She asked him quietly.

Jake thought for a while before answering. "August thirteenth?" He guessed "Why?"

"That would make tomorrow my birthday..." Tori said with a tone of sadness.

"Oh wow, happy birthday," Jake said, mustering some enthusiasm "How old will you be?"

"Jake Barton-Romanoff." Tori said dryly, raising an eyebrow "Never ask a woman her age."

Jake sighed and rolled his eyes with a small smile. "Excuse me." He said "I never thought you were so sexist." Tori gave him a breathy laugh and a confused look. "Asking a man his age? That's fine." Jake continued "But a woman? No way. It's prejudice, I tell you."

Now it was Tori's turn to roll her eyes. "Fine, Mr. Politically Correct." She smiled "I'll be eighteen."

"Oh, your transition into adulthood!" Jake said, digging in his somewhat-deflated backpack and pulling out a stick of beef jerky and a lighter "This deserves a celebration."

"A stick of jerky?"

"A birthday stick." Jake corrected, setting fire the tip of the beef and singing the first few words of Happy Birthday in a flat tone.

"You're weird." Tori grinned when he finished the song.

Jake smiled at her for a few seconds expectantly, but realized she didn't know what he was going for. "Make a wish," He told her, nodding toward to flaming beef in his hand "Before I burn myself!"

Tori shook her head and closed her eyes for a few moments.

"Any day now." Jake said, watching the fire lick dangerously close to his fingers.

"Ok, ok..." Tori said, blowing out the flame "There."

"What did you wish for?"

"Like I'm going to tell-" Tori was interrupted by the faint sound of tires over rubble-filled streets.

"Oh god..." Jake said, dropping the charred jerky "Good job, Tori!" He stood up suddenly and grabbed his backpack in one hand, and her arm in the other, running toward the sound.