Young Avengers: Rise of the New Heroes

Chapter 5

It had been a couple of days since the earthquake, and school had remained close for the rest of the week. Due to the damage the earthquake caused, the school board thought it would be best to close down the schools in the area for safety purposes. Besides, it gave me an excuse to work on college applications.

I was trying to apply to the city's local tech university because I wanted to be a robotics technician and make robotic limbs for those who were born without them or those who lost their limbs through amputation. I thought it was a good career path for me.

After working on my application for a bit, I decided to take a break and check the group chat that I had with my friends. We had added Stella to the group, so it wasn't a surprise when I saw her messages.

Stella: Keep thinking about the earthquake and what happened
Samuel: Yeah it was weird.
Skylar: U think it could be aliens?
Stella: What do u mean?

Skylar: This could be an alien invasion. Or maybe Thanos has returned!
Samuel: Dude. Chill out. Thanos is dead, remember? It can't be him.
Chase: Skylar might be onto something, however. This earthquake was not natural.
Me: I agree with Chase. I don't know if it's aliens specifically, but it wasn't normal.
Janessa: I asked Dad about it. He says that if he gets a call he'll check it out.
Skylar: U'd think they'd be on it by now.
Stephanie: Our parents are busy with other things. Sadly, not all of the Avengers are able to solve this on their own.
Me: Yeah...Mom doesn't want anything to do with the whole "Saving the world" thing. Not since...well, you know.
Janessa: Yeah...

We continued to chat for the next few minutes until people started to head off to do their own thing. I sighed and leaned back in my bed and looked over at my dad's photograph on my nightstand.

"What do you think, Dad?" I asked. "Do you think we should worry about what's going on, or let it be? I mean, it's definitely not Thanos, but what if there is a threat? What are we going to do?" I shook my head. I didn't want to worry about it.

Just then my phone rang. I didn't recognize the number, but I still picked it up anyway. "Hello?" I said with uncertainty in my voice. "Hello, am I speaking to Tina Stark?" a voice answered. I sat up confused. Who was calling me and how did they get my number?

"Yeah? This is Tina, but how did you get this number?" The voice responded. "That's for me to know and for you to not worry about right now. What I need you to know is that there's a dangerous situation happening as we speak, and I need to know. Are you alone?"

"Yeah, I'm alone at the moment. I'm in my bedroom, but my mom and my sister are home," I answered.

"I need you to take the call outside. Just in case anyone could be listening in right now," the voice responded. I left my room and headed out to the front porch, making sure no one would follow me or ask me where I was going. Once I stepped outside I let the person know.

"Good. Now, let me introduce myself, but you most likely already know who I am. My name is Agent Maria Hill, and I'm calling you on the behalf on Director Nick Fury of S.H.I.E.L.D." I couldn't help but gape a little. Agent Hill from S.H.I.E.L.D was calling me? This was definitely a big deal.

"Wow, this is...this is such an honor!" I said, excitement filling my voice. "What can I help you with?"

"Miss Stark, you recall the earthquake that hit New York a couple days ago correct?"

"Yes I remember. I was in school when it happened. Does that have to do with something big?"

I could hear Hill smile on the other side. "You're pretty smart for your age, Miss Stark. Yes, the earthquake was caused by an explosion. SHIELD went looking for the source of the explosion and found an empty space capsule. Someone has landed here on Earth.

"About a week ago, we found a very similar capsule, but we weren't able to gain access inside it. Something appeared to be keeping it locked from the inside. When we tried to open it, a few of our members were catapulted backwards. Then we finally gained access inside.

"That's when we saw her. We discovered that the daughter of Loki, Leanna, was here on some 'official business', her words not mine. Apparently she has a mission of her own. We don't know the exact details, but it's something big, something that could be extremely dangerous."

"But why call me? Usually the Avengers would be on the case, so why not reach out to them?" I asked. It was an honor to hear from SHIELD themselves, but what I didn't get was them telling me about something as big as this. This wasn't something kids should be hearing.

Hill answered my question. "Because, Miss Stark, a lot of the Avengers are either unavailable or they have retired at this point. This is something that needs someone who's, well, about the same age. Leanna is in her 20s. She may have power, but she's still young. We believe you are the right call for this mission. Besides, she most likely won't listen to adults older than her if we send the team out."

I thought for a moment, and then it clicked. "Are you...are you asking me and the rest of the Avengers kids to come together as a team?" I asked. It was a longshot, but from what Hill was saying, this was exactly what she was implying. My questioned was answered as she responded. "Yes, this is what we're asking. I knew you'd catch on."

My heart fluttered with excitement. A team with all of us stopping something that could potentially be dangerous in order to save our world. This was exactly what I had dreamed of! I was finally able to fill my purpose in life, to do what my father had always done.

"Agent Hill, I would be honored. I'm glad you reached out to me. Do you want me to contact the others?" I replied.

"That's not necessary. We will do the reaching out. As for you, please meet at SHIELD headquarters tomorrow. There we will meet and discuss the plan in further detail. I will send you the address. Until then there is nothing else to discuss. Have a good day." With that Hill hung up the call.

I had to process the information a bit but it was clear that I was needed. A mission for me and my friends, others who were related to the Avengers. This was a very big deal for us. I didn't think I was going to be able to sleep tonight because of how exciting this was.

I didn't know it at the time, but this mission would change my life forever.

Hey readers! Sorry for the wait, but here it is! Chapter 5! I'm so happy to have finally gotten it done. Now we can move forward with our story! What do you think's going to happen? Will we meet new characters? What will Tina and the others call themselves? We will have to see!

So a little update in my life right now: school is continuing and I'm working on my Spring Quarter for the 2023 school year. Not a lot of stress, but I do have some mental health things to be worked on. Therapy is happening, and it's a lot. At least it gives me an excuse to write as a coping skill, LOL.

Chapter 6 is in the works at the moment, and I don't know when it will be published, but I hope it won't take as long as this chapter to be finished. But I do appreciate you all being patient with me as I work. In the meantime, feel free to check out some of the other stories I've written so far. Love you all, stay safe out there, and stay determined! <3