Serpent | The Avengers [1]

Chapter 23

3 Months Later...

I shot up out of bed, a grin on my face. Today was my first mission; rescuing a scientist from a kidnapping situation. I was going to be going with another agent, since my S.O., Natasha was out on a mission. I didn't know him, nor his name. I had climbed the ranks to a Level 4 agent, and to reach level 5, I had to perform excellently on a field mission.

Normally, Natasha would be supervising me since she was my S.O., but since she was on a mission, another agent would be supervising me. I went down to the locker floor, where I had been informed my gear was waiting. I found a bulletproof vest, 2 Smith & Wesson M&Ps, and an M24 Sniper Weapon System. I picked up the cargo pants and black t-shirt that came with the uniform, moving to the changing rooms and pulling them on. My hair had been cut really short, to the point it couldn't get in my face if it tried, and I couldn't brush it without stabbing myself with the hairbrush.

I went back into the locker room, put in the code again, and pulled on the bulletproof vest. I attached the pistols on either side of my hip, attaching the rifle onto my back. I had been instructed to meet my partner on the 1st floor in the lobby. I took the elevator, heading down into the lobby. I saw a tall, dark-haired man wearing similar equipment and went over.

"Agent Scotch?" He asked, looking at me. "Yep," I said. "My name is Agent Grant Ward. I will be supervising you during this mission. I am not allowed to interfere, so you die, so be it," He said. I nodded in understanding and we stepped out to the tarmac behind the building that housed the quinjets. We stepped inside, and he gestured to the pilot seat.

"I'm flying?" I asked, surprised. "Like I said: supervising," He said, and I got into the seat. "Where are we headed?" I asked. "Antofagasta, Chile. ¿Cómo está tu español?" He asked. "Dígame usted," I responded.

"Yeah, we'll be fine," He said. "Who are we rescuing?" I asked. "An Algerian doctor named Mostafa Agha. He was kidnapped by a cartel, specifically the Cartel de Serpiente de Cascabel," He said. "The Rattlesnake cartel. Any ransoms?" I asked. "20,000," He said.

 "Why so steep?" I asked. "It's S.H.I.E.L.D.," Ward answered like it was the most obvious thing in the world. I flicked the switches overhead, hearing the engine powering up. I pulled the steering wheel back, and the quinjet pulled into the air. I turned on the cloaking mechanism and aimed us towards Chile.

"Oh yeah, I'm supposed to give you this," He said, passing me some sort of headband. "What is this?" I asked. "It's designed to help with your senses. Stops them from getting overwhelmed during battle. Don't know why, but you're supposed to have them," He said. I sent him a smile, my fangs on full display. "What the heck?" He muttered, and I turned back towards the windshield.

"You remember the Scotch Lab explosion 2 years ago?" I asked, and he nodded. "I was there since it was my dad's lab. An unfortunate encounter with a radioactive cobra later, and I woke up in the hospital with superpowers," I summarized. We fell silent afterward, arriving in Chile a few hours later. I put on the weird visor, pushing the button to open the back. "Testing, testing," Ward said over the com.

"Okay," I said, and he nodded. "There are about 2 dozen guards. Agha's on the top floor, with 3 guards. Get in, get Agha, and get out. Simple op, I've done it dozens of times," He said. "I haven't," I said, stepping outside. "One more thing. Superpowers are off-limits, unless absolutely necessary. Like, you're about to die necessary," He said, and I gave him a thumbs-up before stepping off. We were at an abandoned factory on the outskirts of the city, and it was the middle of the night. I approached the side of the building, spotting a tree nearby.

I scaled the tree, jumping onto the roof, rolling to avoiding breaking any bones. I trudged over to the door, turning the handle. The door swung open and I stepped inside. That was easy. I thought. I was inside.

Time to find the doctor.

a/n The picture up top is what Ellie looks like. I didn't draw it, I used some sort of online character designer to make it, along with a bunch of other pictures.