Choices

Chapter Two

Chapter Two: Invisible

"With our backs to the wall, the darkness will fall. We never quite thought we could lose it all. Ready, aim, fire, ready, aim, fire." -Imagine Dragons: Ready Aim Fire.

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 The light above the cockpit blinks orange to inform us of the nearing drop zone. Agents all around me suit up and prepare to take the dive into the mission. I stand already equipped in my suit and wait for my call to leap into action.

 "I wonder what they stole that's so important," I ponder from where I stand in front of Steve and Natasha.

 "I guess we'll find out soon enough, huh?" Captain Rogers pulls his mask down over his eyes, "Where's Barton, Nat? I thought this would be his type of mission."

 "He's on a mission over in Australia- terrorist hiding out in the desert," She answers, "He'll be back in a month or two."

 "Any contact with him?" Captain America inquires as he secure his shield on his back.

 "Oh come on, Rogers, you know the protocol," Natasha walks to the cockpit of the plane.

 "You'll learn all the little quirks of being an agent," Another S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, Agent Bly, chuckles softly as he struggles to strap on his parachute.

 "While I figure out those quirks, you might want to work on putting on a parachute," I tease him.

 "Ha-ha, you're hilarious," He jumps a little bit and finally gets the backpack strapped to him, "They got new designs now; they're different."

 "Ready?" Agent Romanoff appears with a parachute perfectly strapped to her.

 I flip my mask down as the hydraulic hatch opens. I watch as the two along with a handful of other S.H.I.E.L.D. agents jump out of the plane. I go a few minutes after everyone else, allowing the agents to secretly secure the building and get into their positions. Once I'm completely healed and able to walk on my leg without any exceptions, I will not always be sent in on missions with my suit.

 Director Fury was kind enough to issue me a dose of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s healing serum. My fractured ribs and burns were healed in just a week. I was still supposed to wait a complete month before I began receiving missions again; however, my first mission was two days ago. I was just a simple catch-and-arrest mission, but an urgent one when S.H.I.E.L.D. was shorthanded on agents in Los Angeles. I succeeded my part without any hiccups, so Director Fury decided I was cleared.

 It has been three minutes; I take a step towards the open hatch.  I propel myself out and downward. The sandy colored ground glows as the summer sun beats down onto it. With only a few scattered patches of green, it becomes easy to lose focus in the sea of orange.The hazy humid air radiates off of the dry, barren land as I close in on the bungalow that sits near the beach.  There's a small but steep drop from the dry ground to the beach.

 "This is the house where the thief retreated to?" I ask when I see that the straw hut lacks obvious defenses, "It looks so vulnerable."

 "Well, you're not inside," Captain Rogers replies with a small chuckle.

 "Whoa..." I mutter as Lucis opens up a scanned layout of the complex. Apparently the little hut is just a masque for the large compound underneath the ground. An intricate, busy web of tunnels and rooms remain sprawled out just under the visible surface.

 "Hang tight outside, don't let anyone escape," Captain Rogers commands me.

 "Roger that." I circle the tiny perimeter, watching for any escapees. I hear conversations between the agents in the building. They move downwards to where the main level of the complex is. They take out guards and bust through doors, eradicating anyone who stands in their way. I hear there is a trail of unconscious, handcuffed guards and enemies left by Black Widow. Captain Rogers takes the back-way down, insuring that our case will not slip through our fingers.