Avengers: The Recruits (On Hold)

Chapter 25

  Maddie's POV:
I grip the controls tight as we make our way back to New York. My knuckles are as white as snow as my throat begins to burn again. Don't look down, I remember telling myself...but of course I didn't listen. Water pools at the rims of my eyes as I remember what I saw; thick streaks of blood shine on the ground as if something bleeding was dragged across the earth, and that's when I see it. A puddle of blood surrounding a body, her body, and that's when I notice something strange...she's missing an arm.
I knew I heard an explosion, I recall my thoughts from before, I just thought she got away from it in time. Oh how wrong I was. I slowly bring the plane up further into the sky as I stare at her barely recognizable figure, and then I hear a weak voice mumble something in the coms.
"Harley?" I ask as my throat begins to tighten. I hear a soft mumble again, and I say with a shaky voice "Harley, it's me." My eyes begin to burn as my chest grows heavy.
   "Is this real?" I hear her whisper while taking in quick, short breaths of air.
I choke up as tears threaten to spill out of my eyes, and I answer "Yes, this is real."
   Silence fills my ears as my heart pounds wildly in my chest. "Harley?" I ask with fear in my voice, and I get no response. "Harley?!"
I hear her begin to gasp for air in the coms, and then in one final exhale she whispers "Mom."
   My heart falls apart.
   "No," Allie whispers behind me, and then I finally hear one of the vital sign monitors buzzing. "No!" Allie shouts.
   "Damn it," I break down crying as I begin moving the plane away from the scene below.
   "No, go back!" Allie demands shaking my seat.
   "We can't," I say with quivering lips.
   "Yes we can!" She shouts with fury as she begins trying to reach for the controls that my hands grasp.
   "No!" I yell as I shove her hands away from mine, and I then look back to find her blue eyes staring back at me with despair as tears flow down her face. I then turn back around and say as my lips begin to quiver "it's too late."

It was too late, and now I sit in the pilot's seat beating myself up about it as we get closer to New York. If only I had gone back and dragged her to the plane myself. We could've saved her- I cut myself off from that thought as I quickly think- no, you don't know that.
   Allie sits quietly beside her brother, not saying a word since her breakdown earlier after blaming her brother for getting caught in the first place and having this whole mission which lead to her being...I struggle to even think the word that I don't want to say. Be strong Madeline, I tell myself, be strong for the others. As we now reach 10 miles from arriving at the tower I hit a button on the control panel and hear a voice ask on the speaker "How may I help you?"
   "Get me Agent Reinés," I order.
   "She is in a meeting right now," the person responds "but I can take a message."
   "This is urgent," I growl.
   "I'm sorry ma'am, but your-"
    "DAMN IT THIS IS SERIOUS!" I shout with an unsuppressed burst of anger. I sigh as my throat tightens again as tears begin burning my eyes. "Tell her this is an urgent matter. We need to talk, and we will be back at the Tower in less than ten minutes."
Before the person can respond I end the call.

10 minutes later...
I landed the plane, opened the loading ramp, and walked out with my emotions pushed down somewhere deep inside me. I feel nothing, I tell myself as I walk towards a door and step inside the Tower. I spot Darin and John sitting on the couch playing some Xbox game, Alex is sitting in a chair near them while messing with her computer, and Victor is nowhere to be seen. Good.
   "Who's this?" I hear Alex ask from the livingroom. Allie, Dr. Foster, and I all turn to find Alex, John, and Darin looking at us. Darin makes his way over to Allie and happily embraces her, but she doesn't hug back.
   "I am Dr. Foster," Dr. Foster says with a small wave of his hand before he pushes his black rimmed glasses back up his nose. "I'm Allure's brother."
As Alex and John make their way over to us, I hear Darin whisper to Allie "what's wrong?"
"We need to go," I inform Allie and Dr. Foster as I turn my cold gaze back to them, "now."
They nod their heads and begin following me as we make our way closer to the elevator.
"Wait, where's Harley?" I hear Alex ask from behind us. "I need to talk to her."
My heart feels as if it is being tugged out of my chest as I press my lips together tightly and walk faster towards the elevator. Questions get thrown around in the hall as Alex, John, Darin, and now Victor begins following us.
"We can't say anything," I whisper to Allie and Dr. Foster, "not yet."
"That's smart," Dr. Foster mumbles behind me as we finally make it to the elevator. I press the button repeatedly as I hear the voices of my friends grow closer. The silver doors open and we three quickly pile in, and I rapidly press the "close doors" button. The metal doors closed just in time for me to see the faces of my concerned and slightly scared friends.