War Torn || Civil War

Chapter Sixteen: Passage of Time

Music is "All Good" by Dave Thomas Junior.

Picture is of the Amazon River in Manaus, Brazil.

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CHAPTER SIXTEEN: Passage of Time

{February 8, 1991 -- Twenty-Five Years Ago}

M A N A U S

Peggy and I decide not to wait until the Starks and Dugans get back before leaving for Manaus. We packed what little we needed, changed into casual undercover clothes that hide our tactical suits, and armed ourselves with a choice of various weapons. I took my bowstaff, a German glock, Ukrainian pistol, an six-inch dagger. I also packed extra magazines and clips into a shoulder bag. Each weapon slips easily under my clothing, hidden from view but easily accessible.

I'm glad we're leaving before our family gets back. I don't think I would be able to leave if I had to see Rose's disappointment and worry again. She might be younger than me, but our relationship is a bit odd since I look young enough to be her granddaughter. We both worry about each other, and in my heart, I know she's right.

"You have a contact in Manaus?" I ask Peggy as she circles the helicopter over the landing pad in the suburbs outside the largest city in the Brazilian province.

Peggy nods, landing the aircraft perfectly in the clearing outside the city. "I do. Well, he's more of an acquaintance. But he should be able to get us a boat to take up the river to the SHIELD base. Because those are the only ways to get to the base. Either you drop in from a plane or we take a boat upriver. Since the aircraft route is no longer an option due to anti-aircraft missiles, we must find a boat."

I nod, hopping out of the helicopter with satchel in tow. I sling it over my shoulder as Peggy locks the craft and lands on the ground beside me. "Where to now, Director Carter?" I grin.

Peggy smirks and starts walking towards the suburbs. "My contact is a ferryman at the docks along the Rio Negro. It's an offshoot of the Amazon River. He'll get us a boat that we can take about thirty miles downstream to a place between Anori and Codajas. That's where the base is."

"Pretty remote, don't you think?"

"It had to be."

Manaus looks like a smaller, more rural version of Rio. Much less tall and touristy. The town is filled with colorful houses along the offshoots of the Rio Negro. They make up the streets of the city, all leading to the larger river off the coast of the town. Everywhere we walk, I see fishermen and ferrymen. The entire life of the city revolves around the water.

Peggy leads me to a little home along one such streams, a tiny red house with several boats in the water out-front. A man is working on one of them. When Peggy approaches him, he smiles at her and starts speaking in his native tongue, delight in his voice.

Peggy greets him with the same ease and joy. She introduces me, telling me that the name is named Javier Aldo. I shake his hand and nod a greeting. Javier smiles at me brightly, stating, "Bem vido a Manaus."

Welcome to Manaus.

We charter a boat from Javier in less than five minutes. Apparently, Peggy has had personal dealings with the man before. I'm sure this isn't the first time she's come to visit her niece while at work. After all, she's the Director of SHIELD. She can go just about anywhere she wants, even just to visit Amelia Carter.

The boat we charter is small, barely bigger than a car. Supposedly, it can hold twice as many people, but from the shape of it, I'm not sure I'd be that brave. Peggy pays the man, thanks him, then rows the boat into the watery streets. I hop inside, and we buy fresh produce from the market to add onto the SHIELD rations I packed earlier.