Chapter 9

I glance over my shoulder as someone shouts on the ground and I almost sigh in relief when I see Steve, Thor, Clint, and my dad standing alongside the girls staring up at my little daredevil acrobatic stunts.

I look for a little longer than I should, because I soon feel my hands start to slip.

I clench my teeth as I clench my fists around the rungs and pull myself up onto a rung the helicopter, shoving my legs through so I am sitting on the rung like you would a railing. I curl my left hand around a beam that attaches the rung to the body of the helicopter as I curl out of sight and stare up at the blades, wondering how I can take this down without going home in a body bag.

My eyes widen as the blades whip by in front of my eyes and I ease my right hand towards the back waistband of my dress, where my gun is pressed against my back.

I slip out my gun and make sure that it is loaded with the right amount of bullets before aiming it to my left, right at the fuel tank.

One shot is all it takes for there to be a perfect little hole in the gas cover and therefore the gas tank. The copter shudders as black fluid begins pouring out of the newly made puncture wound, and I know I have to get off fast.

I aim my gun again, this time at the blurred blades above my head. I stay focused on them for a minute, letting my eyes adjust to the quick, repetitive movement as I line up my shot.

Two bullets. That is all I have against helicopter blades moving too fast for even my agile brain to follow. And I need them to work now.

The odds must hate me.

I shake myself out of my thoughts and steady my hands and mind for the shot.

Bang.

I just barely hear the bullet ricochet with a metallic ping. The helicopter does rock unsteadily though, so something is better than nothing.

I tense as I line up the last shot. I inhale….

Bang.

I duck to avoid the piece of a blade that snapped off and cheer quietly as the helicopter rocks, shakes, and shudders before falling still.

And then just plain falling.

I pull my legs up and stand on the rung, my stomach and heart in my throat as I begin to calculate the distance from here to the ground and where the safest landing place would be.

"Taylor!" That's Natasha screaming. "You need to jump! Now!"

I bite my lip as I continue calculating distances and angles and curves-

"We will catch you! Now, Taylor!"

I exhale and close my eyes as I Edge towards the edge of the rung, bend my knees, let go, and jump.

I freefall for what feels like forever, feeling like I left my stomach on the chopper, and curl into an armadillo-like ball, dropping the gun, as I prepare for certain death.

Except it never comes.

Once my brain registers the stop in movement, I crack open a hesitant eye to be met with four sets over concerned and relived eyes.

Natasha's scarlet hair and emerald orbs are positioned over my head, Betty's chocolate eyes and hair are on the left of ribs and back, Jane's caramel eyes are on my right, and I can barely make out Darcy's glasses by my feet.

Judging by the fact that I'm still supported and there are knots pressing into my back, I'd say they've locked arms and made a human hammock of sorts.

I don't truly care as long as I'm somehow not dead.

I sag in relief against Natasha, and I can feel her chin on my head as I work to regain my legs.

Once I do, I'm gently eased onto my feet. Darcy links her arm with mine, and she goes to tug me towards the jet, but we don't get too far, seeing as I'm soon half tackled, half smothered by someone smelling of leather, wood, shampoo, and spice.

I recognize who it is a second before their lips are on mine in a kiss full of worry and desperation and security and relief and all the other emotions Clint can't say out loud.

I barely recognize Darcy slipping her arm out of mine and stepping a few feet away as my boyfriend wraps his arms around my waist and just holds me to make sure I'm alive.

I eventually need to breathe, so I pull away and rest my head on Clint's shoulder. "I'm okay, Clint. I'm alive, it's okay."

"Why does everything happen to us, Taylor?"

"Part of the job description?"

Clint pulls away and looks at me, puzzled. "Was this in your contract, with the rabies and all? Cause I can get a lawyer on that."

I laugh and shove his shoulder playfully.

He smiles and laces our hands. "Now come on, the jet-"

"Un-uh!" Darcy marches back up to my side with an indignant remark. "Nope. Girl's night isn't over yet, lover boy!"

I laugh as she pulls me towards the jet, Clint doing the same when I look back.

We end up surrounded again by Tasha, Jane, and Betty, all of which look relieved and exhausted, their guns probably forgotten on the street.

Tasha and Darcy each throw and arm around my shoulders. I smile as the night's events sink in.

"We did it. We actually did it." I breathe in an awestruck whisper.

Each of the girls nod slowly as it all sinks in and we come together in a giant group hug, jumping up and down and laughing like idiots.

"Taylor?"

"Yeah, Jane?"

"Back in the warehouse, you called us heroes. Didn't you mean girlfriends of heroes?"

I smile and shake my head. "No. With what we did tonight, we found some new heroes in odd places."

A~A~A

Still Taylor's POV

Once safely on the jet, I give my dad a bear hug and collapse into a seat with Darcy on my left, Jane on my right, and Clint across from me. Betty is sitting next to Bruce and my dad on Clint's left, Thor is next to Jane, and Natasha and Steve are flying the plane.

"So," Bruce speaks up. "What exactly happened?"

The girls and I grin and share a twinkling glance as Darcy starts the story.

"Well, it all started with a bar and some drinks…."

We all take turns retelling our night. The guys grin at our weapons distribution method, I can hear Steve's wince over the PA system as we encounter the animals for the first time, and Bruce and Tony bounce in their seats as Jane, Betty, and I describe the machine. They all look fearful when we describe the stampede and curious when we mention the warehouse.

As soon as I'm finished telling the part about finding Joe the drug dealer, my dad cuts in.

"How did you deal with that? Do you have illegal drugs tucked somewhere?" He looks my up and down with narrowed eyes.

I shake my head. "No. I left Rhodey a bright punk note and used my necklace transmitter on emergency broadcast. As soon as the shield goes down, he should be on his way."

My dad nods, satisfied, and sits back as Betty goes on to tell about my "stupid decision of the year award winning move" of helicopter jumping. My dad and Clint pale and look like they're going to keel over from heart attacks by the time Darcy wraps up the story.

"You know," Steve's voice echoes through the cabin, "Taylor sounds like an amazing commander."

"Yes! The Lady of Iron seems to be a worthy general of men!" Thor's voice reverberates around the plane.

We all give him 'the look'.

"Eh, women, my apologies."

All the girls glance at each other and nod before looking at me.

I blush and scratch my neck. "Um, I, uh, didn't-"

"Yes, you did." Darcy stops my stuttering reply. "You came, you saw, you lead, and you kicked major Australian butt."

The rest of the girls agree as I nod. "Okay, so, next time, who wants Steve to come as our gay best friend?"

The decision is unanimous.

"Hey Steve, guess what?"

"What?"

"You're gay now. Hope that's okay."

"Wait, what?"

The laughter is also unanimous.

I lean into Darcy as I look around the plane at the high-heeled heroes I led today.

My troops, I guess. Kinda.

And they're right. I stepped up and led and we saved Australia and possibly the world tonight.

And the crazy thing is: I would lead them into battle again. Anytime.

Except first, another girl's night.

With less rabies.

And much more alcohol.

A/N

All done! Hope you enjoyed. By the way, I'm thinking of doing another book (like, actual book, not short story) with my take on the fall of S.H.I.E.L.D. It'll go more in depth with Taylor's past and it should happen when she's eighteen or nineteen at the most.

It should be called What to do when your world explodes.

Keep and eye out for that, but don't forget to read and review this!