Hello all, it's Starry. It's been a while, I know. Stuff in the background has been complicated. ; I have a chronic condition that flares up occasionally and puts me in debilitating pain. Along with imposter syndrome making me second guess my writing, I kinda put it off. I had to make a decision and prioritize my mental and physical health and pause writing. That left The Windspeaker with an unstable backlog. Hiraeth has a surplus of backlog, but the Windspeaker… has not. Unfortunately until I have what I deem a satisfactory backlog I won't be able to update twice. But, I have been working on world building The Windspeaker. It's fun :) I will do my best to keep a steady schedule, and Fridays fall perfectly for updates! I'm very glad my work changed my shift schedule as it'll give me more time to work on my stories! Thank you so much for your patience, and please enjoy this installment of The Windspeaker!
Nova snatched up her suitcase and stepped into the futuristic aircraft. She was practically salivating, taking in the tech that she knew was cutting edge.
She threw questions at the amused duo, questioning the functions of specific devices and absorbing the information given.
Nat passed up her usual seat beside Clint to allow the scientist to sit next to him and watch how it worked. Clint chatted with the Base, getting permission to go airborne. Entering the coordinates Nova provided, Clint engaged a series of switches and buttons. The blades roared to life outside, a distant rumble within the aircraft, Clint eased the jockey up, retracting the wheels as they slowly lifted into the air.
With practiced ease, Clint maneuvered out of the hanger and into the sky. Once they reached altitude, he triggered the retro-reflective panels, making the aircraft invisible. Clint grinned at the fascinated Nova, winking. "Fun, isn't it?"
"Very," she agreed. "Can it do barrel rolls?"
"Absolutely not." Nat quickly shot down.
Nova and Clint made disappointed noises, hopes dashed for a fun adventure.
"Killer of fun." Clint grumbled.
"I'd rather not have to file an incident report with Fury." Nat replied coolly.
The two made noises of agreement. Nova was surprisingly afraid of the eye-patched man, even though she could absolutely destroy him in a fight. He seemed like the type of guy to enact a 'kill-will' where he would demand his killer's death post-death. She shuddered, recalling how he seemed to try to lift her secrets out of her brain before shaking her head and focusing on the scene outside.
The afternoon sun shone above, the clouds skimming the aircraft below. Nova wondered what it would feel like outside, what the wind could tell her. Her mind wandered, questioning whether or not she would have enough oxygen to reach that altitude herself.
"What's got you staring so intensely?" Clint asked, turning the aircraft on autopilot.
"Just wondering if I could make it this high," Nova answered with a shrug, propping her head up with her hand.
"I dunno." Clint shrugged.
"Probably not." Nat replied, "we're about 32,000 feet in the air currently. You'll pass out in, say… 15 minutes at this altitude. There isn't much oxygen up here."
"Huh. Good thing I haven't done that." Nova replied. Silence fell over the cockpit. "How high does this thing get?"
"130,000 feet," Clint replied easily.
"Really?" Nova turned to Clint in surprise, "that's like, really high into the stratosphere!"
"We can briefly reach 220,000 feet with afterburners." Clint said, enjoying Nova's reactions.
"Wha-uh- that's! That's into the… what's it called?" Nova tried to recall the next atmospheric level above the stratosphere.
"Dunno, Nat, do you know?" Clint asked.
"Mesosphere." Came Nat's reply. She was buried in a book.
"That." Clint said, pointing to the engrossed woman.
"That's insane!" Nova breathed.
"Don't encourage him." Nat replied.
"Airplane." Clint observed, spotting the larger aircraft in the distance.
"Go higher then." Nat said, turning a page.
Clint, getting a mischievous look in his eye, disengaged autopilot and pulled back on the throttle.
"Gladly." He chuckled.
"Don't get any ideas now, keep it in the stratosphere." Nat warned.
"Aye-aye, Captain." Clint joked, grinning at Nova.
Nova watched as the earth shrank below them with fascination. She had *8never flown this high.
"We'll reach Wyoming in about two hours." Clint said.
Nova nodded, leaning back and enjoying the ride.
»»——*——««
They descended through the clouds, reaching another S.H.I.E.L.D. base in the middle of nowhere. Clint got onto the local comms. "This is Agent Barton, requesting landing, over."
Nova couldn't hear the base's response, but Clint eased up on the jockey, hovering a distance aboo the hanger, waiting for it to open.
The barrier lifted slowly, and Clint guided the aircraft into the hangar, following the instructions of an Agent with a reflective vest and handheld beacons.
They landed and disembarked with their luggage, Agents filing into the aircraft to check it over and see if it needed repairs.
"Agent Barton, Agent Romanoff, I'm Agent Ephraim." Agent Ephraim said, standing in front of the trio. " And you are?"
"Galewind." Nova replied, extending her hand.
A spark of recognition came over Agent Ephraim. " Ah, you're the one who fought in the Incident?"
"Incident? Is this about the nuke that was launched? Horrible idea, by the way. We were handling the battle quite efficiently with my people on hand, and the destruction to our Mother Earth that could have possibly happened? Disgraceful." Nova's expression grew icy.
Agent Ephraim cleared his throat uncomfortably. "I ah, had no say in what the Council decides."
"So it's the Council that made the decision." Nova said, expression warming slightly.
"Easy, Nov." Clint said, placing a hand on her shoulder, relaxing the angry Windspeaker.
"I apologize, Sir. My… culture is very protective of our Mother." Nova sighed, massaging the tension in her brows.
"And your Mother is…?" Agent Ephraim questioned.
"Mother Earth." Nova explained.
"Huh." Agent Ephraim said.
"Agent Ephraim." Clint stepped in, "is there a vehicle we can use?"
"Of course. Follow me." Ephraim said, gesturing for the trio to follow.
They traveled through the base and arrived in a parking garage of nondescript black vans.
"Do you have anything that'll blend in more?" Nat asked.
"Of course, Agent Romanoff." Agent Ephraim quickly moved to a far corner of the garage where there were sedans, vans, and trucks.
Nat chose a sedan, and the three packed their suitcases into the back. Clint climbed into the back with Nova, ignoring Nat's annoyed look. They set off into the Wyoming scenery, Nova entered her parent's address into her phone and they were off.
"So, Lingle, huh?" Clint asked.
"Yep. My parents own a ranch there." Nova replied, gaze on the scenery outside.
"Have they always had it?" Nat asked from the wheel, curious.
"Mhmm." Nova nodded, "it's where I grew up."
"What was it like?" Nat asked.
"It was home. I liked growing up there, was glued to the saddle since I was five." Nova said, hand threading through Clint's.
Nova stared out the window, absently tracing the contours of Clint's knuckles as she spoke. "It's a pretty small town, but it's got its charm. My parents moved to Canada before I was born and started the ranch."
"So, you're first-generation American then?" Clint asked.
Nova nodded. "Yeah. They met at a ballroom competition. My mom was a phenomenal dancer before-" Nova hesitated, "before she got into an accident."
Nat looked into the rearview mirror, meeting Clint's gaze while he squeezed Nova's hand. They recalled Nova's conversation with her Elder.
"How did it happen?" Clint asked, keeping his voice soft.
"She was hit by a drunk driver when I was twelve," Nova said, subdued. "She was paralyzed from the waist down."
"I'm sorry, Nova." Clint said.
Nova remained silent, staring out the window. The Wyoming scenery passed by in a blur of bush and distant mountains. Slowly the scenery turned greener and they grew closer to the fertile farmlands. As they grew closer, Nova eased out of her silence, pointing out landmarks and recalling memories from her childhood.