Atlas | Avatar!OC x Bucky Barnes

28 - Her Kind

Friday, July 3rd, 12:32 am

After the five-hour flight, the Avengers were all eager to get off the quinjet and stretch their legs. As the hatch opened, everyone quickly shuffled out. There was an eleven-hour time difference between Manhattan and Laos, so no one was surprised that it was nighttime.

"Make sure you guys have everything. Once we cloak the jet, we're not coming back 'til we leave," Steve said to everyone as they were all outside. Atlas doubled checked to make sure she had everything - not that she had brought a lot to begin with. She was casually wrapping up her hands as her backpack rested on her shoulders. The outside of the wraps almost felt like sandpaper, while the inside was smooth and silky, and Atlas didn't mind.

"I still don't get why we can't just stay in the jet overnight," Atlas said, directing her speech to Steve and Tony.

"Do you really want the nine of us sleeping in there all night? 'Cause we can barely spend five hours in there," Sam said.

"And we need to stay closer to the base without drawing too much attention. It's safer if we camp. That way, we don't risk the jet getting damaged and it's easier for us to stay hidden," Steve said.

"Yeah, because the red, white and blue really blends in with the woods," Atlas said sarcastically. Her remark brought a chuckle out of everyone. Steve smiled at the avatar before turning around to talk to Tony to see where they were headed. "Did we really have to land ten miles away from the base?" Atlas asked.

"Yes," Tony deadpanned.

"So we have to hike ten miles?"

"Well..." Tony started.

"What?" the airbender asked. Tony walked into the quinjet one last time before closing the hatch and walking out with four bo staffs that looked exactly like Atlas's glider, minus the detailed engravings that she had on hers.

"I still couldn't figure out how to compress them, but they'll do for now," Tony said. Atlas knew what he meant; she was supposed to fly everyone that couldn't fly over to the base. "We'll walk for a mile, and then fly closer to the base, and then split off into teams for recon."

All the Avengers understood why they need to walk a mile before taking off into the air. As of a few minutes ago, they were in enemy territory, and they needed to take every precaution so that no one got hurt - especially because many members on the team could only do so much to defend themselves against a potential army of brainwashed benders. They were walking a mile so that if they were caught taking off, it would mislead HYDRA into thinking the quinjet was there instead of its actual location.

~

12:50 am

It took the Avengers just under fifteen minutes to walk a mile towards the base, and now it was up to Atlas to walk everyone through how to take off and land with the gliders.

"It's kind of like an airplane," Atlas started. She positioned her glider above her own head and held it parallel to the ground. "It's easier for me if we all run into it, and then I'll get you guys off the ground. And when you're in the air, you have to hook your feet around the back of the glider." Atlas then brought the glider down to her feet to demonstrate how she usually hooked her feet around her glider when she flew. The only people she was really talking to were Steve, Nat and Clint, but they all paid attention, making it much easier for Atlas to explain. "When we land, I'll slow down, and you unhook your feet. And when you get close enough to the ground, run with the glider until you can gain your-"

She heard a noise in the distance - a twig snapping. She wasn't the only one who heard. All the Avengers looked over in the direction of where the sound came from. It was only seconds later when Atlas tapped into her senses and could feel a large elemental shift with water. And then, she could feel the earth moving around herself and the team.