In the Shadows of Legends - A Winter Widow Story

Chapter Four

I stepped into the conference room we had met in just the day before. James sat at the head of the table head in his hands. He looked exhausted. Not a great sign for the start of a mission. His shield lay behind him, jacket resting on top of it. I pulled out one of the chairs a couple places down from his. James looked up and smiled.

"Mornin' Dash."

"You sure it's morning James? You look like you could still be in bed."

I smirked and kicked back, putting my feet up on the dark wood table. James groaned and rubbed his temples. I could see the stress in his poster. I couldn't imagine taking on a team and worrying about them, he was only 19. That wasn't an easy task to put on anyone.

"You doing okay?" I leaned foreword and he shrugged.

"Just worried. I've got four people I'm supposed to take care of. Make sure you all make it back. Make sure things all work out."

"James it's a simple task, and you don't need to worry about us. We can handle our selves. We've spent years training for this moment. It's not like we are going to forget everything we've learned and make a dozen mistakes. You've got this. You're a good leader. We trust you, we chose you for a reason. You're going to do great and you don't need to worry about us. We can handle ourselves against a couple low level Hydra goons."

He gave me a tired smile and shook his head. "I appreciate it. But truth is I'm gonna worry. You guys are more than just my team. You're my best friends. We've grown up together. And this might be a simple mission but what about the next one? Or the one after that?"

"I get it and I'm sorry. I don't want you to worry about me, I'm sure Torrun and Morgan feel the same. Francis probably does, just wouldn't ever admit it. But we are all worried about each other. Maybe once we get through this it will be easier to worry less."

He nodded and smiled at me. "Thanks Dasha."

He stood up, pushing his chair back and bending down to grab his jacket. He pulled the black Kevlar over his shoulders and zipped it up. The red lines met to form a star. A small emblem on the left shoulder reminded me of the old SSR logo from the war. An odd piece to include, but it did give me further proof to who his mom was. I had imagined him wearing a bit more star spangled banner but this worked. The dark colors suited him well. It worked well.

"Good morning James."

The bubbly voice of Morgan stirred me from my thoughts. Usually I'd be a bit frustrated but it was good. The last thing I needed was to sit around thinking about James, my mind needed to be focused on the task at hand. Besides was probably time to give up on that childhood crush anyways, especially considering how close he and Morgan seemed to be getting.

Morgan sat down in the seat next to James and gave him a flirtatious smile, she pulled her long dark hair up into a pony tail. Metallic bracelets shined at her wrists. She had painted them again. She never could decide what color she wanted her suit. It had been red and gold for a while, matching her Dad's. The switched to purple and silver, I assume to match her Mom's. And since then it had been a rainbow of colors. Now it appear to be a navy with red accents.

"Excited James? You're finally running an op!"

He nodded tiredly and lifted his shield around his back. It clicked into place on the magnet just as Torrun walked in. She yawned and stretched her arms as she walked through the room. Her hair was knotted and she still had red marks across her cheek. Had she really just woken up?

It wouldn't surprise me in the least if she had. She was the type to wait until last minute. But it worked for her. She could wake up minutes before training started and still take down anything sent at her. It honesty was pretty impressive. A skill that I would love to have. I felt like most mornings it took me at least a couple hours to feel awake. No way I could jump out of bed minutes before a scheduled mission.