Chapter 1
I was in the middle of a maths test. It was admittedly the hardest maths test I ever had done. And while I would give anything not to be in my maths classroom writing the answer to (2x+3) (x+4) (x-5) down, I didn’t want to leave. I’d missed enough classes as it was, and I didn’t want to delay the inevitable algebra test that by the looks of things, everyone was struggling with. Normally my mind would be so focused on even getting one full question done that leaving the test part way through it was never be on it. But my hidden implant was vibrating. It was getting increasingly annoying. Can you even imagine having a solution to a problem but if you do it your whole life would be ruined? Looking at the classroom clock, I saw that I still had 40 minutes of class left. Maybe taking a quick break to regather my thoughts would be a good thing. I put up her hand to get her teacher’s attention.
“Yes Abigail?” Mr Deo, my math teacher, said
“Can I please go to the bathroom Mr Deo?”
“Just hurry back,”
Securely hidden in a toilet cubicle, I touched my implant. The vibrating stopped, making it the only problem I had been able to solve at all in the last twenty minutes. The implant turned into glasses with a hub screen. I could only assume that the hub screen was similar to what Tony Stark saw inside his helmet. The hub screen showed I had an incoming call from Hawkeye. Of course, my mentor was the source of the only problem I could fix. So, I answered it, if only to feel like I had accomplished something.
“About time kid, I’ve been calling you for the last five minutes,” Hawkeye said
“I know that – I was preoccupied with something,”
“Like what?”
“What day is it Barton?”
“Friday,”
“And what usually happens for teenagers on Mondays through to Fridays?”
“You were in class. Sorry,”
“No problem. Algebra test is kinda doing my head in, so I needed a break anyway”
“How much longer?”
“40 minutes – you need my help?”
“I should be able to hold off until you finish your test,”
“Okay. You wouldn’t be able to tell me what the fully expanded and simplified version of (2x+3) times (x+4) times (x-5) is?”
“Get back to your test Abs. You’ll do fine,” Hawkeye cut the connection and I touched my implant again, making her glasses retract back into it.
Using the mass of students at Midtown High changing classes, I snuck out of the school grounds and changed from her outfit for the day into her uniform. Now dressed as the superhero protegee Slingshot, I touched my implant for my glasses so that I could conceal my identity a little bit. I called Hawkeye as I hid my school bag behind a dumpster.
“Where do you need me?” I asked when Hawkeye answered.
“1st avenue,” I shot a grappling arrow from her crossbow at the top of the one of the buildings in the alleyway.
“Can someone come to pick me up? It’s gonna take me a while on foot,” I tied the end of the grappling arrow to my belt before pull on the arrow to make sure it was secure.
“Iron Man started heading for your location when you called me,”
“Thanks, I can hear his repulses,” I used the controls in my right glove to activate the grappling arrow’s automatic winch system.
“Hey Slingshot,” Iron Man interrupted the call “I’m about 30 seconds from your location,”
“I’ll meet you on the roof,” I told Iron Man as I pulled myself over the top of the roof. Sure enough, Iron Man was touching down.
“You my ride?” I asked.
“More like the delivery boy for your ride,” Iron Man said as his mask retracted into the rest of his helmet. I frowned in confusion. Then Tony Stark retracted his suit and took out what looked like a miniature skateboard without any wheels
“I noticed that it makes the team less efficient if one of its members has to leave to pick up another. So, I made you a hoverboard,”
“You do realise that I’m 5 foot, 7, right? That miniature is not going to hold me,” I pointed out.
“Just hold a second,” Tony smirked as the hoverboard grew in size “You can control the hoverboard through your glove controls if you need to and your hub screen has voice activation for the hoverboard should you need to use it in a hurry,” The application for the hoverboard turned up on the right corner of my hub screen as my glasses recalibrated with the new software. Using the controls in my right glove, I turned the hoverboard on, making it hover only inches off the ground. I cautiously stepped on it. Once one foot was place on it, the hoverboard created a foot hold, locking it in place. When my other foot came down on the surface the same thing happened.
“You know how to skateboard right?” Tony asked, his suit reforming.
“I know the principal of it,” I admitted.
“Well you’ll have to learn on the way – we’re needed,”
“Don’t worry I’m a quick learner,” I said willing my hoverboard to rise further of the ground.
Iron Man stayed with me as we travelled to 1st Avenue. As I had told Iron Man, I was indeed a fast learner which meant we were quicker and arrived at the battle site earlier than we expected to. I lowered my hoverboard to the ground before using my controls to release my feet. I quickly hopped off the hoverboard and made it shrink. Some rubble from one of the buildings fell, causing me to roll out of the way while grabbing my hoverboard. My roll made me end up next to my mentor, Hawkeye.
“I was beginning to wonder if you’d gotten stuck in traffic,” Hawkeye greeted as he fired another arrow. I watched as the arrow meet its target – a mecha controlled by a man – and explode.
“Who’s the guy?” I asked, putting my miniature hoverboard in one of my belt pockets before taking one of my slingshot shots from the dispenser on my belt. I loaded it into my slingshot and fired it in the direction of the metal husk. The shot made contact and covered the impact zone in ice.
“No idea,” Black Widow said before moving on to fight from a different angle. Iron Man had also left, joining Thor in the air. I reloaded as she watched the ice from her previous shot shatter. As I did so, I observed the multitude of heroes working together on this mission. I was pretty sure I glimpsed the other teenaged heroes helping out the adult heroes.
“Ice is not working Slingshot. So far, the only thing that has any affect is the frequency arrows,” Hawkeye said, “The explosions are good distractions though,”
“Have you tried the slime arrows?” I asked, firing my second shot.
“No,” Hawkeye said, dodging a laser blast from the mecha. My shot landed at the feet of the mecha and it splattered green coloured slime everywhere. The man controlling the mecha tried to move the mecha’s feet but was unable to due to the slime connecting the mecha to the asphalt of the road. I had no time to celebrate as the mecha’s laser cannon was turned on her.
“Hawkeye, do you think you could use your slime arrows to trap the mecha’s arms?” I asked over comms.
“Sounds good – you should use an emp bolt to disable the mecha once I’ve got it slimed,” Hawkeye agreed.
“Gotcha,” I slid my slingshot back into its loop on my belt before retrieving my crossbow from my belt. I then touched the panel on my left thigh to retrieve my crossbow bolts. When the panel came out far enough to show my arsenal, I picked up one of my three emp bolts and loaded it. Touching the panel again caused it to return into my suit. As Hawkeye and the other Avengers worked on sliming and distracting the mecha, I was constantly on the move, avoiding laser blasts and falling rumble while re-aiming my crossbow.
“Now Slingshot!” Hawkeye’s voice came through the comes. In a split second, I aimed and shot the bolt. The bolt hit the mecha’s chest and the emp blast came out, shutting down the mecha. Due to the small blast radius, none of the hero’s own technology was affected. I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding. Everyone was safe again. Hawkeye made his way through the other heroes.
“Good job,” He told me. I smiled.
“Thanks,”
“How did your math test go? Did you get the answer for the one you asked me about?”
“I don’t even want to talk about it – I gave up in frustration. How they expect us to do this as an exam is beyond me,” I answered, “What are you guys going to do about the dude in the mecha?”
“We’ll take him in for questioning – he’s not the first person to arrive with new tech,”
“Okay – anything I can do to help?”
“Not at the moment,”
“Okay then. We still on for the weekend?”
“At this moment yes,” Hawkeye smiled “Now get back to school,” I took out my new hoverboard and enlarged it. I hopped on it and left 1st avenue in the direction of Midtown High.
I had a last period study hall. The teacher, the unlovable Mrs McFarlane, ruled the room with a deadly silence. I sat at one of the solo desks, working on my history report. Every now and again I would look around the room. In the back corner was a few of the academic decathlon team members Ned and Peter. Ned looked eager to talk to Peter about something, but Peter was trying to keep to Mrs McFarlane’s rules. In the other back corner was one of the new girls in my year. Anastassia? Anastasia? Unsure exactly what her name is since I’ve never actually meet her, and she isn’t in any classes. I think. Further in front was the surprisingly never on time military brat, Darcey Stephens and some of her friends. I had a few classes with Darcey – she seemed interesting from what I overheard. Having surveyed enough of the room, I checked the time on my laptop screen. There was still ten minutes left. I sighed and continued writing about the battle of Passchendaele.
When the bell signalling the end of the day rang, I was one of the first people out of the study class. I couldn’t help but be excited. While Slingshot and Hawkeye were mentor and student, so were the people behind the masks. Clint Barton was once a SHIELD agent who had been my instructor at the archery range. I had been an assignment after I, as a 12-year-old, shot and killed 3 aliens with a slingshot. That put me on SHIELD’s radar and after 2 years of rigorous training with slingshots, crossbows, bows and throwing daggers, I was almost as deadly with my accuracy as Hawkeye. Hawkeye had been my hero after the Battle of New York so when Clint had revealed who he was and offered me a position within SHIELD’s agent training program I jumped at the chance. I’d managed to gain level 3 clearance when SHIELD was dismantled. It was Clint who explained what had happened. Although SHIELD had been dismantled, Clint decided to continue training me. His latest unit – wilderness survival. Over a period of two months, I’d spent a few of my weekends at Clint’s house in the countryside with his family learning the skills and even camping out with his two oldest in their backyard. This weekend was the weekend that Clint and I were putting my skills to the test by going on a trek in the Colorado Rockies. Other than the occasional trip to upstate New York to the Avengers’ base, I rarely left New York City. I also had only been on a total of three planes in my entire life. I was excited. I managed to beat the after-school weekend rush to the front gate, allowing me to have my escape unhindered. I saw Clint’s old pick-up truck parked across the street. Making sure that traffic was going to allow me through, I crossed the street and almost threw my backpack in the back.
“I’m so ready for the weekend,” I told Clint, gently putting my backpack in the back.
“Unfortunately, we’re going to have to put it on hold for now – there’s a new plan,” I sighed a Clint’s news.
“What are we going do instead?”
“I’ll tell you on the way upstate,” Clint smiled and opened up his car door.