Heroine ϟ Marvel [3]

8.1

CHAPTER ONE

Viva La Bagalia

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HALF MOON BAY AIRPORT
SAN FRANSISCO

Bagalia wasn't exactly a popular holiday destination. Planes weren't packed with civilians looking to explore another mysterious part of the world. They weren't even featured anywhere on Trivago's website. That was enough for Ana's skepticism and hesitation to reach a whole new level. Rumor was that Bagalia, the Red Light Nation, was a dumping ground for all sorts of wicked people. High profile criminals were extradited there. Street level thugs ruled the suburbs. All sorts of gangs battled it out for territory in the hazardous city. The government was in ruins and no justice system was in place whatsoever.

In blunt terms, Bagalia was no place for anybody with a shred of morality.

So why would the universe's Sentinel take refuge there in the first place? Ana wasn't sure. She was anticipating the answer. She felt sick to her stomach as she trailed closer to the front desk inside Half Moon Bay Airport, located on the Pacific Coast of San Fransisco. Ana had to walk a few miles to make it to the airport. In that time, she was stuck in her mind, thinking. Something she didn't enjoy. She wouldn't stop going over the argument she had with Fury. Part of her felt betrayed, the other felt angry. It was a monumental secret that he hid from her for years. Ana saw Fury as a father figure, which made the entire situation worse. He helped her when she needed it most. He was always there for her. It was hard to process the fact that he was lying to her the whole time, especially when Ana would go to Fury about her life at home. It was no understatement that her foster family weren't exactly the friendliest people on Earth. At the time, Fury and Ana weren't aware that they were Hydra. It made sense when Ana found out. It made her need for a family grow.

Ana stood second in line at the mildly busy airport. Nothing but her bag of essentials by her side. She had turned her phone off to prevent Fury from tracking her. She knew that wouldn't stop him. He had other ways to find her, which is why she wanted to get on a plane stat. Ana wanted to go dark until she found Marcus, but before she could cut off contact entirely, she had to let Bucky know. She spotted a payphone on the way in, and made a mental note to use it. Ana sighed tiredly, stepping forward when the customer in front of her was called to a desk.

"Next!" A receptionist lifted her hand in the air as she stared at Ana to approach her.

Ana walked to the desk and slapped her credit card on the shiny surface. "Bagalia. One way, please." She spoke up, almost robotically.

The receptionist frowned with her red lips. "I'm sorry, hun, did you just say Bagalia?" She asked.

Ana nodded. "Yes. One way." She said again, hoping to speed the process up.

Taken aback by her request, the receptionist, Darla, began typing the destination in the computer. Ana watched as Darla's gaze switched between the monitor and her a couple of times. She didn't say anything. Darla reached for Ana's card and swiped it. Ana looked behind her, eyes narrowing. She thought she heard something. A voice. Her eyes flickered over the unfamiliar faces passing through the main terminal. When the eftpos machine Darla swiped Ana's card through beeped in refusal, Ana's head turned back to the front where she sent Darla a look.

Darla raised the card, and quietly said, "I'm sorry, your card is declined." She stated.

Ana shook her head. "That can't be. I just got it. Look, no flaky edges." She picked at the sides of the card that were still intact, showing Darla as if she couldn't already see how pristine the condition of the card was.