Chapter Eight
Making our way back to the flight hanger wasn't a quick trip. There was more traffic and the driver decided to take all the wrong routes. Suddenly as we made our way along the busy New York streets, our car turned and parked.
"What's going on Phil? I asked as I felt a relapse of my last experience in these cars,
"Fury paged me. We need to escort another person alongside us to the hanger to board the Quinjet. We're not getting out of the car." he explained, as ahead in the darkness, a tall figure jumped into the car in front of us.
"Who is it?" I asked inquisitively. Phil paused in thought, unsure whether he should answer me, "No more secrecy. Please." I begged.
"Steve Rogers a.k.a Captain America." he spat out, I could see the excitement wash across his face. I laughed hysterically. In his dreams!
"Really... tell me the truth!" I said starring him down.
"I'm not joking."
And he wasn't. But this was indescribably weird, I already read the files and it came as no surprise that he was still alive but to meet him in person! I wasn't obsessed with him like Phil was; he'd practically joined S.H.I.E.L.D because he wanted to be a hero like his idol. Me, on the other hand, put up sharing a bedroom half decorated in Captain America posters, pillows, action figures and other Captain America themed novelties. It was hard to escape the propaganda. Low and behold if I ever dare insult him about it though I was in for a nasty chinese burn. Now I was going to be placed in between the incarnation of all my brothers hopes and dreams as we flew for hours to get back to the hellicarrier. Oh joy!
The whole car ride I couldn't help but twiddle my thumbs and stare nervously out the window. I had a lot to ponder about. My new found abilities, my role in S.H.I.E.L.D, my new 'team-mates'. By the time we would get back to the hellicarrier everyone should have arrived. With the exception of Stark, Phil and I would arrive with Rogers and I assumed Phil had called Agent Romanoff about Bruce Banner. If the 'big guy' comment didn't refer to Stark, it most likely meant how Banner became that freaky green monster. I shuddered for a second, forgetting that I could have had some crazy side effect like that... I potentially still could. Though I tried to steer clear of those sorts of thoughts.
Agent Romanoff for instance, I had never met before in my lifetime, but everyone around H.Q. spoke of her as the super agent; same league as Barton. It would be a real honor to meet her. If I ever had an idol or a role model it would definitely be her.
"Oh, I forgot to give you something else." Phil said, interrupting my train of thought. He opened back up his briefcase that held the hard-drive and instead pulled out a electronic tablet.
"If the serum worked correctly, this will be of great use to you. Keep it on you at all times." he clarified.
"What is it?"
"It's a data-base. Of books. All kinds of books. Every other test subject experienced enhanced memory properties. You can absorb information like a sponge. There's tutorials and interactive things on there too. I had a go at a Captain America quiz. Full marks. You should try learning another language too."
"Um... thanks? I think... I've always wanted to learn french."
"I promised you I would take care of you. Didn't I?" he smirked, closing the briefcase back up again. We went back to silence and I began to look through the tablet. Pre-saved in the favourites was a file entitled 'twelfth grade math test'. Must have been Phil's idea of a joke. I was mindlessly scrolling through, when it hit me. I'm not sure why but it jumped to the top of my 'list of worries'. Everyone else around me had code names or at least hero names and I was just Em. Captain America, The Hulk, Iron Man, even Natasha had her own nickname; Black Widow. If I was supposedly 'in training' I needed a name. It needed to be something catchy and cool. Something that rolled nicely off the tongue but wasn't generic. Code names came from your talents or personality. What was I? Overly-analysing girl?
"If I was to have a codename, what would you say it be?" I said, not directing my comment to anyone.
"Why do you ask?" Phil questioned.
"I've never really had one and I think I need one. It needs to be something relating to my abilities or be unique to me."
"Hmm... how bout Brainiac?" the driver said.
"Nah. It's too, I don't know, uncreative." I shot down.
"What about Smarty-pants?" Phil said. Now that was just pathetic.
"Thats just... yeah. No." I began criticising Phil on his stupid attempt at code names, "There's a reason why everyone just calls you Coulson."
"I hate to break up your brainstorm session—," the driver said.
"Now thats a good one. Brainstorm." Phil interrupted.
"Shut it."
"Yes, well we have arrived at the hanger."
My heart skipped a beat. What? We were here already. I hadn't thought of my game plan yet. Should I come across arrogant, uninterested, sarcastic, shy, happy? I opened my door and hastily made my way to where the Quinjet was. I was going to be silent and avoid eye contact. That usually worked when I was unsure how to approach people. The back of the jet opened slowly, too slowly, and I found myself nervously twiddling my thumbs– a new trait I had noticed I'd picked up. I wanted to be seated and occupied when the Captain entered so that he wouldn't bother me and also so that Phil practically had him to himself. Finally the door hit the ground with a heavy thud and I walked on in. There was a clipboard hanging from a nearby wall; I grabbed it and started to check things off, pretending I had an extremely important task to do. From outside I heard Phil begin to talk abnormally loud and I knew who just to. I made my way up towards the pilot and eyed off his equipment.
"Would you mind sitting down and buckling up?" he said, creeped out by my silent staring.
"Sorry, I was just interested in how exactly someone flies one of these. I don't exactly know how to fly them." I said obviously, "What's all the buttons for?"
"Altitude levels, pressure gauge, back-up fuel, that sort of stuff. Again, would you mind?" he gestured towards the seats. As he did two figures stepped on board. Great timing... not! I went back to my seat and avoided eye contact, like I planned.
"This is Agent Emily Coulson." Phil said introducing me. I whipped my head around at the sound of my name, as if I hadn't heard them entered, and saluted the Captain.
"Nice to meet you." he said leaning over and outstretching his hand. I starred at it momentarily and shook it back. There was no need to be rude.
"Emily will join you and the other member of the team shortly. Once she has completed training." Phil added.
"What's your trick?" Captain asked me, interested.
"Not really a trick. Genetically enhanced intelligence, still learning the ropes." I said honestly, clearly trying to brush him off. My stomach was in knots and I had no idea why! Phil was the one obsessed with him, not me. It was almost like Phil's nervousness had rubbed off onto me and he was able to keep himself reasonably composed, while I became a nervous wreck. From the corner of my eye I starred at him. So normal, so content. Under the surface (we all knew it) no one was content, but he concealed his worries so well. Captain America, the down to earth one.
"Everyone buckled in and ready to go?" the pilot said.
"Yep." we all replied. I was buckled in nice a tightly, as the plane began down the runway, lifting up into the air at the speed of light.
"This thing's fast!" I mumbled to myself. I wondered if my tablet would have anything about flying planes on it. Whipping it out I quickly searched through it's database to find a whole detailed chapter on flight. From it's history, to how to fly each and every plane ever used in the S.H.I.E.L.D aircraft hanger. Then I came across it; the Quinjet. The very plane we were in now. The information was lethargic and at first glance it seemed impossibly complex. But at second glance the diagrams linked up easily with the information and I attempted to stare over the pilot's shoulder at the buttons again. He was right. Above his left ear sat the altitude monitor and in front of him sat the high tech GPS flying system. I followed his eye level, noticing he was keeping a close eye on a few red dots up ahead. That didn't seem good. All of a sudden BAM! Something hit the windscreen and my heart jumped out of place. I chucked my tablet up in the air with fright and clinged to the sides of the jet. I closed my eyes and panicked. What did we hit? A missile? A grenade? Was the freaky man that killed Paris coming back to get me?
"I've lost control of the jet. Something's pulling us off course." shouted the pilot. That made me panic even more. We were going to die, here and now over the ocean. No one will ever know that we went down and we'll wash up on shore a foreign island and be tortured by the natives, have our organs ripped from our bodies while we're still alive and... and,
"Emily. You're messing with the plane's navigation system. Calm down. We just hit some birds!" Phil yelled at me, "Emily! Look at me. Breathe, breathe!"
I opened my eyes and loosened my grip on the side of the plane, stuck on the roof was Phil and I realized what was going on.
"We just hit birds." he repeated. I took a deep breath and Phil fell from the roof.
"Navigation back. All systems on course," the assistant pilot shouted. We were going to be fine.
"We're forty minutes from home-base."
"Sorry. I'm sorry." I apologized, taking off my belt and helping Phil up from the floor. Stuck next to the Captains head was my tablet, still magnetized to the wall. I grabbed that too.
He was really confused and a bit freak out.
"I tend to over-react. Again, I'm sorry." I kept repeating.
"It's okay..." he smiled weakly, he looked like wanted to puke.
"Can I take your tablet for a minute? Phil asked once he regained himself, "Rogers hasn't been briefed. You don't mind if I call you Rogers?" Phil directed at the Cap'.
"Nope."
I handed my database over to Phil and he tapped it a few times before handing it to Rogers.
"This is everything on the Avengers Initiative." Phil said as the screen lit up and projected a small holograph like video. The Hulk (aka Bruce Banner) filled it as he tore apart a city and information about him popped up beside it. I was impressed, I didn't know my gadget could do that.
"So this Dr. Banner was trying to recreate the serum that worked on me?" Rogers questioned.
"A lot of people were." Phil glanced over at me, then back, "You were the worlds first superhero. Banner thought that Gamma radiation might hold the key to unlocking Erskin's original formula."
"Didn't really go his way, did it?" the Cap' said with a slight chuckle.
"Not so much. But when he's not that thing though he's like a Stephen Hawking."
Rogers looked up confused, he wouldn't know who Stephen Hawking was, "He's like a smart person...I gotta say, it's an honor to meet you in person. I mean I sorta met you, I watched you while you were sleeping. I mean I was present while you were unconscious. From the ice..." Phil splurted out awkwardly. I had to cover my mouth to stop myself from laughing. Rogers shared a funny glance with me, at Phil's expense. Rogers got up and stretched.
"You know it's really...just a, a huge honor to be on board this—," Phil followed him down the plane.
"I just hope I'm the right man for the job." Rogers replied, trying not to sound creeped out. I didn't blame him.
"Oh you are. Absolutely. Um... we made some modifications to the uniform. I had a little design input."
"The uniform? Aren't the stars and stripes just a little, old fashion?"
"Everything that's happening, the things that are about to come to light, people just need a little old fashion."
"How poetic!" I snickered. They turned there heads in my direction.
"Ah... that reminds me," Phil started, ignoring me, "Emily needs a superhero, I mean codename. I had a few suggestion myself but she turned them down." he ranted.
"How bout' Panic? I saw what she did before. Sounds about right." he proposed. Actually I didn't mind it much, in fact it was quite fitting.
"Panic. I like it." I smiled.
