Sam
"Playboy, Barns is running!" Nat yelled over the com in a panic. I paused he could not run. We keep the gun fire to
"Guys, we need you back to the Jet." Dimitri spoke solemnly.
"After that blast, I am not sure there will be a jet to go back to…" Flint said quietly
"That is not the main issue." Dimitri spoke in a monotonous manner clearly trying to suppress his emotions
"Guys we just took down a huge criminal operation!" We all let out a temporary sigh of relief.
"Just get to the Fucking Jet" DImitri snapped, hearing our semi celebration.
"Like I said there is a high probability that we won't have a plane" Flint growled
"I don't want to hear about probabilities, just please come this is much more important." Dimitri pressed on.
"Call Manda," I heard Nat say "If the plane exploded she would know" Nat suggested logically
"I'm not getting any signal from her, just static" Dimitri responded.
I pressed my com link button hard "Cinnamon, this is Playboy come in we need to know if the Avenge jet has been compromised." I called quickly
"I'm getting Static as well." Ashlyn added
"I'll try reaching her." Scott added
"Maybe she is injured" Maggie yelped in fear
"Her Com link probably broke." Bobbi added rationally.
"Why don't we split up," Sterling Suggested. "Spider, Hawk, Playboy, and Clock I want you guys searching around here. Everyone else with me to the blast site.
"Good idea, I can look through any news sources to see if I can find anything." Corey added.
"Okay," I nodded. "Break!" we all shouted and went our separate ways. I started off next to Nat and Flint as we walked through the rubble to the sounds of sirens and wails of pain, shock, and grief. It made my gut twist. Where was Manda? My hands squeezed her necklace in my pocket.
"Manda" I called out through the city Nat and Flint followed suit Eva and Ashlyn had gone to look at the medical treatment areas.
"I don't know, maybe Manda is unconscious," Nat huffed in concern.
"I…" I opened my mouth to speak but then I caught a glimpse of a gold bracelet and section of Chestnut hair. "Manda!" I cried and ran in the direction but what I found was shocking. I could barely see her face under the rubble. I scrambled to pull back the rocks. There she was Mandy laying still, covered in blood with two bullet wounds. At first I simply grabbed her and tried to stop the bleeding and attempting CPR but her lips were cold and her blood was starting to dry.
"Nat, Flint, I found Manda," I cried in pain. I cradled her in my arms as I shook. "Oh Manda, no I am so sorry, I love you, I was so stupid" Hot tears rushed down my face. Nat and Flint rushed over to me. Nat got one glimpse of Manda and fell to her knees and a piercing wail left her mouth.
Flint held her close as they both cried. Nat sniffled
"We have found Cinnamon. But she is down I repeat completely down," Nat managed
"Emergency services are headed your way…" They responded
"No, that won't be necessary, we need um… a body bag" Flint muttered as Nat sobbed harder.
"A- Body Bag?" Ashlyn whimpered
"I repeat Cinnamon is down, we need a body-bag on site," Flint continued slowly.
"Wha.." Maggie's next.
"Just get a fucking body bag out here," I snapped holding Amanda's cold limp body in my arms. I guess it was true what they say only the good die young.
That was what she was...Amanda was good she was pure...I had been in love with her but had been so stupid I was a commitment phobe and I had hurt the most important woman in mylife. I loved Amanda and I had never gotten to tell her that. She was gone.
We had to take a military plane home. It was a somber mood. Mandy's body was stowed in the back of the plane. Flint was fixing large gashes on Nat's thigh and side. She had patched one on his pectoral muscles after that I noticed that Flints duffle bag was whining and he was stuffing bits of sandwich meat inside.
"Flint, what's in the bag?" I asked curiously.
"We just found this little guy wandering around when we were searching for Manda he was very skinny sooo." Nat opened up the bag and pulled out a little yellow lab mix puppy.
"It is so cute!" Everyone including me flocked to Flint and Nat's new dog.
"Lucky" Nat cooed affectionately.
"I don't know we felt bad leaving him and I figured we might as well." Flint shrugged and scratched behind the puppy's ear. They were both smiling down at the puppy like a baby.
I however, was angry angry. We are so young and stupid why the hell did nobody stop us? We needed to be put in check. We had saved a lot of people yes but we had also killed so many. Sterling, that damn punk and this stupid system. If we had been put in check Amanda would be next to me or fawning over a puppy. This would be addressed soon enough. But as I watched Nat and Flint play with their new puppy, I knew I couldn't lose anymore people I loved.
I tried to nap as we flew to Amanda's family house in New Mexico where she was buried in a nearby plot.
As we sat there, as her body was lowered down. There was nothing I was more focused on than changing our policies. I had been in touch with multiple high power parties that were displeased by the events in Berlin and now we were working out reasonable deal. But the team didn't need to know yet. It was their time to mourn and my time to act responsible.
I was going to make sure that everyone stayed safe, I wanted to make sure nothing like Berlin ever happened again.
Soon we were flying back to base. I saw my friends grieving. Scarlet and Dimtri had canceled their Rome wedding plans. Nat and Flint basically never talked to anyone else and I didn't either. Ashlyn was staying at Amanda's family house, helping her family get through the loss of her cousin. I never realized those two were related, but it didn't matter. Back on the island things were solemn and slow.
That was when the Secretary of Homeland security, and Defense showed up in our main lobby. Soon the entire team was there. We looked wide eyed at them.
"Hello, esteemed secretaries" I said politely. This was what I had set up.
"What is this about?" Nat questioned suspiciously.
"Glad, you asked Miss Volkov." Nat looked shocked by the use of her given name. "When I was your age, I joined the Marines, It was something I never regretted but I learned something recently that my training had never taught me… I got perspective, and I learned the importance of the greater good." Secretary Rich (Defense) stated. "This idea is genius, I do believe that utilizing talent is needed, but the execution was poor."
"What do mean sir?" Sterling piped
"You are kids, skilled and mature but still kids," The Secretary of Homeland security spoke next.
"I think we have done pretty well at keeping the world safe," Sterling retorted.
" , maybe but to the world, the words reckless and impulsive come to mind." Secretary Rich snapped
"So what do we do?" Nat asked flatly
"Supervision," Secretary Conse spoke up next. "Your irresponsible behavior is because you are not being properly monitored, or held in check. Because your mentors are busy, you mostly are unattended to by any authority."
"You will be moved to a military base in Geneva, where you will be monitored by a multinational military force and deployed only at the discretion of consent of all military powers and the leader of the territory that is being threatened , just until, you become Official members of the Avengers." Rich continued.
"What if we don't agree?" Flint cocked his eyebrow.
"Then you leave the NAI program." Conse said flatly.
"We are all meeting in DC to formalize the decision." Rich continued "We would like you to be there, to sign the paperwork necessary." With that they turned and left for the hanger.
"What is this?" Sterling looked over the packet they had left with disgust. I sat alone back into the leather chair.
"This is right you all know it," Dimitri said flatly
"You don't know that," Maggie shook her head
"I agree, why should some older people tell us what to do?" Bobbi said annoyed "We aren't kids, Yes, Berlin did not go well, but who is to say that the nations won't put us in a similar spot or worse, they won't let us into a situation that we could solve!" She asserted
"That is stupid Bobbi, these people know what is best!" Corey snapped "Berlin was a disaster because we didn't think about what could come out of it. These officials give oversight they take reasonable actions after actively assessing the situation." She said with perfect logic.
"People are corrupt, people are greedy, people have agendas, we can't let ourselves be influenced by that" Sterling nearly shouted.
"Mckinley you have been unusually quiet," Nat asked.
"That is because he already knows that he is going to sign" Sterling rolled his eyes.
"Wow, you guys really know me," I growled "Look, at these pictures," I snapped and pulled up the projections as they all whizzed by the bright faces. I noticed Nat's eyes start to water. "We murdered these people in Berlin" I snapped
"Sam what happened to Man…" Sterling started
"Don't you drag her into this" Scarlet growled
"We need to be put in check, Manda would still be alive if we had been stopped, if they had kept us in check." I growled angrier.
"The world looks on us as kids but if we signed it we might be able to patch some holes, build some bridges." Nat started
"Excuse me but aren't you the woman who used to be part of an organization designed to undermine the government?" Scott started
"Did you just agree with me?" I smirked
"Don't make me regret it,"
"No givises backies," I laughed
"Sam, do you think that Manda would still be alive if we had been put in check?" Luna whimpered.
"Yes," I huffed
"Then I am in" Eva sputtered
"Same," Luna agreed
"I have seen too much senseless violence, I am in" Ty shook his head
"It is the safest way," Scarlet nodded
"It will protect us...and I have seen too much carnage…" Dima shook his head.
Corey wrapped her hand around mine "For Manda and the world," Corey nodded.
That was when the most shocking thing happened. Nat stood up.
"Sam, do you honestly think that if we had this system Manda would still be alive?" She asked solemnly.
"Nat!" Flint cried
I clenched my fists and looked straight into Nat's stormy ocean eyes.
"Yes" I responded matter of factly
"Then, I am in" She spoke softly
"Nat," Flint grabbed her shoulder softly
"Flint, Manda...and the rest of the world needs to be protected this is the right political move and it will save innocents," She reasoned.
She pulled him into a deep kiss and they started to hard core make out.
"Get a room" Thomas whinned. And they disappeared into the halls.
Then Sterling's phone buzzed. He looked down at it.
"I-I am sorry I have to go," He sputtered and tore away from the group.