Chosen

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Chapter Twenty-Seven: Welcome to Space

"I know you feel these are the worst of times. I do believe it's true. When people lock their doors and hide inside. Rumor has it it's the end of Paradise." -Styx: The Best Of Times.

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 The commotion in the hangar is suffocating. I cannot hear myself think as dozens of voices overlap with the echoes of prepping a space shuttle. It is utter chaos as a crew helps suit up the Avengers in the Starwing suits. Various squads are designated to different jobs of prepping the rocket and us. Agents run around fueling the shuttle, testing everything, zipping us into our suits, storing War Machine and MKXLV, and other jobs I do not even recognize.

 We arrived an hour ago along with an armful of S.H.I.E.L.D. employees. Director Coulson had to call in agents who knew how to prepare a space shuttle for launch. With dozens of agents running around, today feels more like a typical mission. Everyone has a task they need to accomplish; no one is sitting around. With the bombings that occurred in Paris and Boston we cannot waste a minute. We need to end the Black Order before they unleash bombs onto more cities and towns.

 The S.H.I.E.L.D. hangar next to the launch pad is ginormous. The high metal ceiling only increases the vastness of the space. The walls are lined with various desks of monitors, technology, and other useful instruments. Large cases that were used to transport the Starwing suits and other necessities are scattered throughout the area. One lonely Quinjet sits in the back of the hangar as it is useless to us today. The only thing that matters is the space shuttle that is currently being prepped right outside on the launch pad.

 The space shuttle looks exactly like all of the other space shuttles you have seen. The only difference is that instead of its classic white color, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s is a sleek grey. The eagle emblem is painted on the top in black. The craft is also bigger. The size of a standard shuttle would not suit our needs of technology and passengers. Agents are buzzing around it as they fuel the tanks and run through the safety checklist.

 For me, the past hour has been spent helping everyone into their Starwing suits and explaining to them how to operate its features. The entire team was surprised when we unloaded the suits. They didn't believe such a thin suit would protect them in space; they are used to seeing the bulky white NASA suits. Doctor Banner and Tony had to assure them that they would be more than able to withstand space.

 Now every member is dressed in identical Starwing suits, minus Tony, Bruce, and I. After everyone was suited up, we had to help with more little odd jobs in readying for takeoff. I had to transfer my data about the Black Order onto the shuttle's programs and input the certain coordinates. Right after that, Director Coulson called everyone who was on this mission in for another brief meeting. He went over the same things he had already discussed with us just for extra caution. After that it was only a few more small jobs keeping us from the final countdown.

 A few of us who were helping others are just now finding the time to suit up. Tony doesn't have his Deep Space Suit on yet, so he too is only in the Starwing suit. I am used to seeing the other Avengers in skintight attire but not my dad. He looks kind of comical adorned in the snug S.H.I.E.L.D. uniform. Tony, Rhodey, and I are required to wear the Starwing suits underneath our armor just in case something happens to our suits.  I tried to explain to the director that my Exoskeleton is a viable backup option; however, he was unwavering with his decision. In the end, I cannot argue against extra safety measures. Now I am the one standing as I am being helped into the uniform.

 "Is that too tight?" Alex asks as he zips the back of my second suit.

 "No," I answer.

 "Alright, just let me check you oxygen supply and your thrusters," Alex moves to the computer that I am currently connected to.