Valor ↠ Prequel [0] ✓

11 | The Assembling

╔══════════════════╗

VALOR
xi. THE ASSEMBLING

╚══════════════════╝

   WHEN RILEY IMAGINED ASSEMBLING a team of kickass superheroes, she honestly wasn't sure what she was expecting. But had she known things would end up like this, Riley was sure she would've done a few things differently.

   It all started 48 hours after Loki of Asgard appeared on Earth. With the compromise of Clint Barton and Dr. Erik Selvig, the agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. were certainly shaken up. Riley hadn't expected Clint's brainwashing to affect her as much as it did. She was concerned for his wellbeing and safety, but at the same time, Riley didn't have the time to worry about Clint Barton. She had to leave it to the fates.

   All agents were assigned a task as word spread regarding the upcoming war. For Riley, she and Natasha were assigned to locate and recruit someone named Dr. Bruce Banner.

   Dr. Bruce Banner, a globally acclaimed scientist, was the victim of an awry experiment he conducted in an attempt to recreate Captain America. His body was exposed to an excessive amount of Gamma Radiation, causing him to develop a violent and uncontrollable alter-ego named Hulk. Since his accident, Dr. Banner was peacefully living in Calcutta, India, which was where Natasha and Riley were right now.

   "Do I really have to do this?" whined Riley into her comms. She scanned the busy streets of Calcutta whilst adjusting her headscarf.

   "Yes," confirmed Natasha for the third time. "Just go in and say it like I taught you. Agents your age do this stuff all the time."

   Riley ignored her colleague. "This feels weird."

   "That's not my problem."

   "You're annoying."

   "I don't care."

   Riley rolled her eyes. She knew Natasha would be in charge of leading the mission of recruiting Dr. Banner, but she wasn't expecting to be downgraded to a job any other child agent could do. To say she was offended was an understatement.

   With an exaggerated sigh, Riley scurried across the dirt road and entered the building Dr. Banner was last seen in. It was reported by a few undercover agents that he was living his life treating the people of Calcutta as they combatted an illness that had spread across the nation.

   Riley hurried up a short flight of stairs, where she was greeted by a small family. Just as expected, Dr. Banner was treating a few ill children. A woman was the first to spot Riley, causing her to shout in her native tongue, "Who are you? Get out! There's sickness in here!"