ahahaha, is it just me or did a whole month passed away since my last update OTL;;;;

Disclaimer: I own nothing except my OC Jackie Walker and Bertie Spencer


Chapter II

In Which We Embark For a Road Trip

"I'm at a payphone, trying to call home, all of my change I spent on you."

"Bertie."

"Where have the time gone, baby it's all wrong, where are the plans we made for two?"

"Bertie."

"Yeah I know it's hard to remember, the people we used to be. It's even harder to picture, that you're no- don't touch the radio! I've got it right there where I want it!"

"Then keep your eyes on the damn road and- THE LIGHT WAS FUCKING RED!"

oOo

"The number you have dialed is temporally not available, please try again later or leave a message after the signal- BEEP."

"Hi Peter, it's me, Jackie Listen, I'm kinda on a sudden road trip right now with Bertie. Y'know, Roberto Spencer AKA Bertie? Yeah, and I – DAMMIT BERTIE LOOK OUT, THERE WAS A DOG – could you pass this message to the others, I don't want to face their wrat-"

"Thanks for leaving a message."

"… Fucking voice mail."

oOoOoOo

I always thought that – beside Peter – Tony was the only human on Earth who ignored all the rules and laws about driving.

Imagine my surprised when I was proved wrong.

Bertie was an even worse driver. He wasn't just driving over the speed limit; he didn't even fasten his seat belt! OF course the car he was driving was one of those that automatically make beeping noises when someone doesn't fasten its seat belt. How does one solve this problem?

The seat belt was kinda fastened, just not around his body while driving. He was basically sitting on it.

I don't even want to know where he got that idea.

Did I mention that it was snowing and thus it makes driving a lot harder? Well, probably not harder, but I imagine the people ought to be careful.

I don't have a driver license yet. I did want to get one, but when I told certain people about it (coughNatashaandClintcough) both of them tried to teach me how to drive. Well, naturally it didn't end well. I hope Fury hasn't found out about the big dent on the car yet.

What was I even thinking that time, confronting the Avengers about my daily life?

Payphone was running for the zillionth time. I used to like that song. Now I just hate it.

"How long have you had a driver license?" I finally dared to ask, thinking this would explain Bertie's oh-so good driving skills.

He tapped to the rhythm of the song, while thinking about my question, which only made me more worried.

"A couple of years." He finally answered.

I raised an eyebrow. "How old are you?!"

"18."

Nice. Eighteen years old. I wonder during those two years, how often has he been pulled over by the police.

It suddenly occurred me just how dangerous the situation was. Me, a pathetic sixteen-years old, sitting a car with a legal adult, on a out-of-nowhere-road-trip.

Just like that.

Well, fuck.

What the hell was I thinking yesterday?! Do we even know where we have to go? Going on a road trip for a school project during the Christmas holidays, yeah sounds easy peasy, but fuck fuck fuck, we should have planned it more carefully.

Also, there was another thing that bothered me. Me and Bertie. Alone. You see where I was going with that? Yeah.

Sometimes I wonder why there was no one to stop me from doing dumb things.

Oh right, that's because I tend not to tell anyone about it until the last minute. Good thing I just called Peter a while ago.

Am I not a genius? Well, what's done is done. I just hope bad things won't happen to me.

"So, Walker." Bertie spoke up after having sung the refrain rather badly "What have you found out about the Mandarin yet?"

I shrugged my shoulders, and then replied: "Terrorist, leader of the Ring." Which I find off since I thought Tony destroyed those terrorists completely "And uh, there was one attack in Rose Hill, Tennessee. Similar to his previous attacks, though it is not sure whether it was really the Mandarin or not."

"And that's where we're heading right now." Bertie finished my sentence and then went back to driving.

Well, I certainly hope we are heading that way.

A stretching silence followed, where the song finally changed to something else.

We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together.

… Okay…

I decided not to bother Bertie about his choice of songs anymore and checked my phone for new messaged.

There was one from Peter, with a video attached to it.

Curious, I turned off the radio, turned up the volume of my phone and played the video.

There was an old man with a long beard sitting on a chair. No, it's not Santa Clause, it was the Mandarin.

"What's this?" Bertie inquired.

Instead of replying I just hushed him and pressed the play button.

"True story about fortune cookies. They look Chinese, the sound Chinese, but they're actually an American invention." The Mandarin revealed.

My whole life has been a lie.

"Which is why they're hollow, full of lies, and leave a bad taste in the mouth. My disciples just destroyed another cheap American knock-off, The Chinese Theater."

There was a bombing at the Chinese Theatre?

"Mr. President, I know this must be getting frustrated, but this season of terror is drawing to a close. And don't worry, the big one is coming; your graduation."

After having watched the video, I started to wonder whether it was a good idea to research about a terrorist for a school project.

It was as stupid idea, and I'm sure Bertie knew that too. So why did he agree to it?

At this moment I couldn't help but think how everything was just like in a bad made movie. Except this was reality.

But then again, movies could be realty, right?

oOoOoOo

"We're awaiting the arrival of Tony Stark. We're hoping he'll give us the reaction… His reaction to the latest attack… Mr. Stark! Mr. Stark! Our sources are telling us this is another Mandarin attack. Anything else you can tell? Hey Mr. Stark! When is somebody gonna kill this guy? Just sayin'."

"Is that what you want? Here's a little Holiday greeting I've been waiting to send to the Mandarin. I just didn't know how to phrase it until now. My name is Tony Stark and I'm not afraid of you. I know you're a coward, so I've decided that you just died, pal. I'm gonna come get the body. There's not politics here, it's just good old-fashioned revenge. There's no Pentagon; it's just you and me. And on the off-chance you're a man, here's my home address: 10090, Malibu Port, 90265. I'll leave the door unlocked. That's what you wanted, right?"

oOoOoOo

I actually willingly did some math.

Okay not really, Google Maps told me how long it would take a normal person to get from New York to Tennessee.

Approximately 17 hours. Maybe even a bit longer since it was just Bertie driving he was human after all. He needs his break. So technically it should take us two days to get there. But alas, as I've mentioned before, Bertie was about to break a record on breaking the speed limit et cetera. It wouldn't surprise me if we arrive in Tennessee tonight.

Still, I insisted on stopping at the next gas station and take a break. Food and stuff. Plus restroom break.

Right now I was standing at the counted, waiting for our hot dogs. A far screen TV (you know, those old ones) was running. A crowd gathered in front of a hospital, cameras and microphones all pointed at one person that stepped out of the hospital.

I wasn't interested in watching the breaking news until I heard the name Stark.

I have a bad feeling about this.

Almost scared, I turned my head around and looked at the screen. A really mad looking Tony Stark send out a matching mad message at – hold on – the Mandarin. Including his address and all that jazz.

Why was he involved with the Mandarin?

Funny how we decided to research that guy for school project and poof – Iron Man was involved in it too.

This just smells like trouble.

Perhaps we really should cancel this trip and return to New York before it's too late.

I made a 180 degree turn on my own heels, ready to walk out of the gas station and confront Bertie about it, when suddenly he was already standing behind, staring at the TV screen with a rather unimpressed look.

Uhm okay, was he a ninja?

"Was that just Tony Stark giving out his address?" he asked, playing with the car keys.

"Yeah." I replied and then let my eyes wander around the room, not knowing how I should phrase my next sentence.

Well, it was an exciting idea, to go out like this and I do feel a bit bad about saying that we should return back to our old boring life.

I heard the shop keep yelling 'Hot Dog's ready'. Bertie reached with both arms over my shoulder and grabbed them, handing one to me. I took it with an uneasy smile and bit down, savoring the taste.

"It shouldn't take us too long to get to Rose Hill now. We've come really far today, so I think we should be there around eleven in the night maybe?"

While Bertie was filling me in with information I didn't ask for, my mind was constructing a speech about how we should return home now. It usually looked like this: I let every sentence go through my mind ten times, change the structure here and there, think about possible reaction from the person I was about to confront and then end up not saying anything at all.

But this here was serious business. Believe, after the alien invasion and the giant lizard attack I really don't want to experience another near-death-experience. So I took a deep breath, and tried my best to say in a stern voice: "Listen, Bertie."

Said person stopped talking and looked at me with big green eyes, waiting for me to continue talking.

"I think we should return."

There it was. Delivered with no fuss and long talking. Straight forward and honest.

I stood there and waited for a reaction from him. He stopped chewing on his Hot Dog, took few seconds to process what I just said, and then asked: "Why?"

"Did you see the news? Iron Man is now involved in it. And I guarantee you, if that jackass is in it, then we'll definitely in deep shit." I hissed out.

"... No."

"No?!" I repeated. Did he just hear what I said?

"No." He said again. Before I could open my mouth again to deliver an argument, he explained. "We are already half a way through with getting there. You should never start something and not finish it."

"But you don't understand!"

"Remember that it was you in the first place who suggested the idea."

"And who was stupid enough to go along with it?"

"Me, but I have my reasons."

"Oh, really?"

"My family lives there, waiting for my arrival to spend Christmas with them."

Oh. Okay. Sounds reasonable. But why was his whole family in Tennesse and not in New York? That doesn't add up together, somehow. As I thought about it longer, I began to worry more for my own safety. Can I really trust Bertie?

Bertie seemed to notice that. "Look, Walker. I know you're scared, it's written all over your face-"

"Damn right I am!"

"- But I promise, nothing will bad will happen. We're just going to check the place where the attack was, have dinner with my family and continue with your math tutor lesson. That's it. Okay?"

I don't like how he planned math into it. And having dinner with his family together, that sounded like we just got married. Ew.

Now he was looking me with his huge green eyes, almost pleadingly. I sighed and gave in. Bertie then smiled happily and flicked my forehead for whatever reason.

"It's settled then."

With that we walked back to the car and continued with our journey.

oOoOoOo

"I've compiled a Mandarin database for you, sir. Drawn from SHIELD, FBI and CIA intercepts. Initiating virtual crime scene reconstruction."

"Okay, what do we got here? His name is an ancient Chinese war mantle, meaning 'Adviser to the king'. South American insurgency tactics, talks like a Baptist preacher. There's a lot of pageantry going on here… Lots of theater…"

"The heat from the blast was in excess of 3000 degrees Celsius. Any subject within 12.5 yards were vaporized instantly.

"No bomb parts found in a three mile radius of the Chinese Theater."

"No, sir."

oOo

"Report, Agent Hills."

"According to our undercover agent, Walker has left New York City this morning. They are on their way to Rose Hill, Tennessee."

"What are they doing there?"

"It is apparently for a school project of them. Unfortunately we don't have any further information."

"Contact the agent and make sure he sends a report as soon as possible."

"Roger that, Director Fury."

"Oh, and Agent Hills."

"Yes sir?"

"Keep an eye on Stark too. God knows what that guy is up to now."

"Understood sir!"

oOo

"Any military victims?"

"Not according to public records, sir."

"Bring up the thermogenic signatures again, factor in three thousand degrees."

"The oracle cloud has completed analysis. Accessing satellites and plotting the last twelve months of thermogenic occurrence now."

"Take away everywhere that there's been a Mandarin attack… That, you sure that's not one of his?"

"It predates any known Mandarin attack. The incident was the use of a bomb to assist a suicide."

"Bring it around."

"The head signature is remarkably similar. Three thousand degree Celsius."

"That's two military guys. Ever been to Tennessee, JARVIS?"

"Creating a flight plan for Tennessee."

oOoOoOo

A sudden wave of dizziness overcame me. It was the same on when you've been sitting for a long time and suddenly stand up too fast and all the blood rushed into your head. Except this time I was still sitting, watching Doctor Who on Bertie's iPad.

I closed my eyes and shook my head a few times, making the feeling go away. It worked too.

Well, that was weird.

I don't randomly get dizzy feeling. Does that mean I just caught some rare disease that you can only get during winter road trips? That wouldn't be good at all.

A tired yawn escaped from my mouth, and I tried my best to cover it with my hand.

"Don't fall asleep now." Bertie commented "We'll be there soon."

"That's what you've been saying for the past two hours."

He simply shrugged his shoulders and didn't say anything anymore. I felt slightly bad that he had to drive the whole time why I could chill there and watch movies. But then again, he was against returning so it was his fault, in some way. I leaned back onto the seat, and glances into his direction. His face profile shone under the street light, eyebrows knitted in concentration while staring at the street in front of him.

Bertie was quite good looking, somehow. Could compete with peter. I really like his green eyes. Way prettier than my blue one.

"Is something the matter?" He suddenly spoke up with his smirk, that just said 'I know you've been staring at me'.

Blood shot up in my face and I turned my eyes back to the road, replying with the first thing that came into my mind.

"Why do you bother around me?"

Silence.

That gotta be the dumbest thing I could've asked out loud. Sure, it was something that I have been asking myself a lot lately. Why do all the people even bother hanging out with me or look out for me? I mean, I can understand SHIELD, because you know, there is that girl who knows a lot of stuff she shouldn't know, so they need to keep an eye on me. But for example, Steve? I think it's nice that he looks out for me, but sometimes I do wonder why he even does that. The same goes for Tony and Bruce. I just found it weird. There was nothing interesting about me, really. In fact, I think if I meet myself, I'd hate me.

Few minutes has passed and Bertie still hasn't answered my question, so I though he simply pretended not to have heard it.

Just when I was about to really fall asleep, I heard him mumbling mostly to himself: "It was an order."

But at that time I wasn't awake enough to comprehend whether I just imagined that or not.


A huge thank you to all those readers who still bother to stick around my stories even though I haven't been updating as regularly as i used to!

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