Shadows (Sequel to Rip My Heart Out)

Chapter 6

I used to hate running. Before I had the Space Stone in my chest, my workout routine was pretty much nonexistent. I might have gone to the gym every few weeks, convinced that would be the time that would make it stick, that I would finally be getting into shape, but it never was. I hated anything that made my muscles ache and my heartbeat race.

But now, I can do all the things I used to hate without even breaking a sweat. And, I can do them much better than I used to. I can run at speeds that would give a normal person whiplash, and I can do it for as long as I need to without getting tired. But, that doesn't mean I'm good at it. For some reason, even as my skills improve, running is the one thing I can't quite get the hang of.

As if to prove my point, I skid to a stop after running around the track Tony designed specifically for Pietro and I to practice on. Only skidding is the least of my concerns as I topple over, falling flat on my face. Because of my speed, I skid something like twenty feet before coming to a halting stop.

I groan and roll over onto my back. Luckily, Tony made my super suit extra durable for situations just like this. So, even though my hands are scraped and have a very bad case of road rash, my suit remains perfectly intact.

I felt Pietro's rapid approach before I saw him. He stopped beside me, hardly even skidding along the track as he did. He was kneeling beside me with a hand on my arm before I could let out a huff of irritation at his perfectly executed stop.

"Why is this so hard?" I ask, meaning to sound extremely frustrated. Instead, I just sound like a whining toddler.

"You're thinking about it too much, Em." Pietro said in a gentle tone. His tone was masking the fact that he was trying not to laugh, but I knew him too well to be fooled by it. "You just need to stop thinking so much and let your body do the work, instead of your head."

I wrinkled my nose at his answer. That was the last bit of advice I wanted to hear, being that 'clearing my mind' was the one thing I definitely couldn't do. Believe me, I wanted to, more than anything, I would love to be able to stop thinking, but that just wasn't going to happen.

Steve and the rest of the team had left early this morning for Lagos where they had a mission to apprehend former SHIELD agent Brock Rumlow. So, my head was filled with not only my normal concerns, but also anxiety over the mission. I was going to be shadowing everyone, helping to ensure the mission went without a hitch. But, in my current vulnerable state, with the gold light's visions looming over me, I was more anxious than usual.

Pietro chuckled. "How badly are you hurt?"

"Not bad. Just this." I held up my hands to him, revealing half healed gashes in my palms, and turning my thoughts back to the current problem. By now the injuries on my hands looked like they were a week old, and were healing nicely.

"No broken ribs this time?" Pietro asked, his eyebrows wrinkled together.

I took a deep breath, testing my ribcage. "Nope." I said. "All good."

"Ready to go again, then?" Pietro asked.

I sighed. The thought of training while my friends were off, preparing for a mission wasn't sitting well with Pietro or me. We were both trying to distract ourselves until it was time for me to go and shadow them.

Piet noticed my hesitation. "We'll figure out what the vision meant. You know we will, and everything is going to be fine today."

He was right. He had to be. We would figure out what the vision I had been plagued with two days ago meant. And today's mission was just like every other mission the team had been on since Sokovia. I shouldn't be worrying so much.