Kayla groaned as she watched the news, "Babe, do we need to go to D.C.? Stark's ward is scaling the Washington Monument." She called into the other room of their hotel suite. She sat on the maroon pull out couch with her feet up on the living room table, munching away on M&Ms that Sam had gotten her from the vending machine the night before. She passed the pouch to the pilot who happily shared with her. Zawadi sat across her lap, his head resting on Sam's leg.
"What? Why? Why's he in D.C.?" Steve yelped as he skid across the linoleum floor from the bedroom to see the television. Half his face was covered in shaving cream and he wore a towel around his waist.
Kayla shrugged, stuffing her mouth with more candy before Sam replied, "I don't know. He's a person. He can go places."
"Neither of you are helpful." Steve pointed at the pair, who watched the television with laser focus. Steve went back into the bathroom to finish shaving, passing Natasha as she moved into the living area, towel drying her hair. She was already wearing her outfit for the day, dark jeans and black boots, a blue top and caramel colored jacket. She moved to sit on the arm of the couch near Sam, watching the news along with her friends.
"They are shooting at him..." Kayla murmured, pressing her fist against her mouth thoughtfully, worry crushing her, "He's just a kid."
"Little asshole is what he is-"
"Sam!" Kayla chastised, whacking the Falcon harder than she meant to. "He's in over his head... we have to do something, he's going to keep doing this."
"Are you surprised?" Steve complained from the bathroom, "He looks up to Tony. He's picking up Stark's bad habits."
Natasha rolled her eyes, standing from her spot on the edge of the couch. "We've done enough recon the past week and a half, and we've come up with nothing. The kids the key. He's on the trail of whoever has these weapons. The best way to find them is to follow him."
At her words, Steve came around the corner, wiping his clean-shaven face with a towel. His eyes met Kayla's and he watched her, trying to figure out what she was thinking. She looked back to the television, worry etched across her face. She was worried about the kid. But they weren't here to babysit. It was dangerous enough being in New York, somewhere that each of them could easily be recognized. They were hiding in plain sight, but they couldn't risk letting their guard down. Even to protect the Spiderman.
"He... saved them..." Kayla uttered into her fist, eyes trained on the news report. "Perhaps he knew them. That could be why he's there."
"What did you just say?" Natasha asked, seeing Kayla's train of thought. If they knew who Spiderman was, they were far more likely to be able to find him.
"It was an Academic Decathlon team. From Queens." Kayla relayed, repeating the information she'd gotten from the newscast. "Spiderman is from Queens. That's the only other place we've seen videos of him on YouTube. That and Germany. He doesn't travel. If he's in D.C., he's there for a reason. Most likely with the Decathlon Team." She looked up at Steve, an unsure look on her face. "I can figure out who he is, but I don't know if that will help us any."
"More information is always better than less. He was at the robbery. And now something has blown up the Washington Monument and he's there again. Clearly, this kid knows something we don't. Find him." Natasha ordered, and Kayla looked to Steve for orders. He responded with a slow nod, knowing his wife didn't like seeking out the boy, but perhaps the safest place for him was with them. After all, Tony clearly wasn't taking care of him.
Natasha had an earbud wedged in her left ear, listening to a police scanner she obtained and downloaded onto her burner phone. She sat in a booth at a Starbucks in Brooklyn, drinking a latte while her comrade across from her read a paper spread across the table. The green-eyed eyed brunette scanned the restaurant as she sipped on her iced coffee, occasionally circling something in the paper before looking up again. Natasha eyed the red pen marks on the classifieds, not inquiring into why Mrs. Rogers was picking out apartments in Brooklyn. Nat didn't want to encourage her friend to have such wishful thinking.
"The NYPD is requesting extra officers at the St. George and Whitehall ferry terminals., Natasha muttered, looking up to meet Kayla's glance. Kayla scratched her head, subtly adjusting her wig to prepare for movement. They had a hit.
"I guess we're going for a boat ride." Kayla responded, stretching her arms into the air. It was a hot September day, but she wore a long sleeved jogging shirt and black sweatpants with tennis shoes so she could run if need be. Natasha moved out of the booth first, keeping the earbud in her ear as she waited for Kayla to slide out, taking her time in collecting her papers.
"I'll take Whitehall. Sam will take St. George. You and Steve ride the ferry. And leave those behind. You know you won't be needing them anytime soon." Natasha pointed at the stack of papers, causing Kayla's determined look to wilt, sadness and embarrassment taking over her features.
Outside, Sam and Steve were leaning against a railing, wearing sunglasses and baseball caps. They were chatting easily, not as focused on their craft as Natasha had been. When they saw Natasha and Kayla emerge from the coffee shop, they looked to them expectantly. Sam removed his glasses, his expression hard as he waited for their next move. Natasha nodded toward the road the boys followed her, keeping pace with the spy. "The NYPD is dispatching officers onto the Staten Island Ferry We'll divide and conquer, see what's happening. Sam will take one station, I'll take the other. You two ride the ferry, try to figure out what's going down."
"Sounds like a plan. Keep communication, we'll meet back here at nineteen hundred hours. Take photos if you can. Hopefully, this will lead us to our weapons dealers. We need to snuff this out quick, and get out of here." Steve ordered, earning a surprised look from Kayla. She thought he'd be happier to be home. He'd always talked about settling down in Brooklyn. But Kayla was forgetting what her husband did for a living.
Steve wrapped his right arm around Kayla, rubbing her forearm lovingly with his thumb as the pair laughed and walked onto the Staten Island Ferry. Between his black baseball cap and glasses and her brown hair, nobody would ever expect the former Captain America and wife to be behind the giddy facade. She looked to be heading out for a run while he looked a bit like a tourist, but they meshed together like puzzle pieces, and their easy public displays of affection turned away anyone who would be a curious onlooker. Kayla looked up at her husband lovingly, easily able to blur the line between acting and truth. She truly smiled, taking in Steve, adoring him with every fiber of her being. She would have loved to go sightseeing in New York with him, but they were just working. It wasn't real.
Kayla led them to the middle floor of the ferry, finding a bench in the middle, where they could easily survey everything around them. Kayla snuggled into Steve as he held her tight, resting his chin on her head dotingly. From this position, he gazed over her, eyes scanning the ferry for anyone suspicious. From her spot nestled against Steve, Kayla could see the opposite side of the ferry, and her eyes stared straight ahead, a grim smile on her face.
Steve noticed two men talking quietly while facing away from each other, something he knew spies to do to pretend they didn't know each other. It was subtle, but Steve knew it was fishy. "I think I've got a lead." He whispered, barely audible, but Kayla nodded against him, eyes narrowing in on the window.
"We've got company. The kids here." She replied, her body tensing at the brief sight of the red-clad hero outside of the ferry window.
"Did he spot you?" Steve pressed, knowing Spiderman would complicate their investigation.
Kayla shook her head, barely moving but it was enough for Steve to feel against his chest, "No. He seemed to look past us."
"Probably to the men who I saw. One of them already got up and walked off."
"We're on the same side then." Kayla decided, lifting her head to look at Steve, giving him a sweet kiss. "Shall we go?"
Steve stood and held down his hand to the girl, and she giggled and took it, pulling his hat down playfully, but it worked to disguise his face even better. She led him toward a staircase and they trotted down the stairs, him shushing her every once in a while as she pretended to laugh. Once downstairs where the cars were parked, Kayla led Steve behind a large black SUV and they knelt down. Once out of sight, their giddy charade ended and they focused on moving toward the bow of the boat where talking could be heard. Both Steve and Kayla were thankful for their heightened hearing because they didn't need to get close to hear what the men were talking about.
"White pickup," Steve repeated and Kayla didn't answer, but began to slink away to look through the cars for the weapons. Steve stayed behind to watch the thugs, knowing he'd be better matched for a fistfight than Kayla. As Kayla moved through the cars, she finally spotted an old white pickup near the very back of the ferry with a man still sitting in the cab. She crouched down, moving slowly along the ground to not be seen, but the man was staring ahead at the deal before him. Kayla slowly rose to peak under the tarp in the pickup's box, but a second man approached and the driver got out, causing her to hit the ground so she wasn't seen. Without a word, the driver pulled back the tarp and allowed the first man a glimpse under the tarp, but Kayla silently cursed herself for losing her chance to see. It could be the tech they were looking for. She was merely a foot from the driver, and she held her breath, not daring to move with him at the back of the box. She looked toward Steve who was staring at her, panic written on his face. Kayla shook her head quickly but slightly, just enough movement for Steve to see she wanted him to stay back. She could handle this better without him springing into action.
Steve and Kayla's attention was quickly drawn to a new player at the front of the boat as Spiderman leaped from the top floor, effectively allowing Kayla to roll under the pickup without being seen. The teenager made quite a ruckus and the driver pushed his way to the front to help his coworkers. Steve quickly moved away from the fight to join Kayla, seeing as she had found what they were looking for.
While Spiderman kept the thugs occupied at the bow, Kayla slowly attempted to lift up the tarp while the one remaining man was distracted. As she slowly looked under the tarp, Steve saw a new threat and grabbed Kayla by the calf, pulling her to the ground away from the pickup. She was about to swear at her husband but he quickly covered her mouth harshly, and the man from upstairs bashed the other guy's head into the side of the van next to the pickup. Kayla's eyes widened, seeing Steve had saved her life, and their investigation.
As the unconscious man fell to the ground, Kayla and Steve heard calls of the FBI coming from the front of the front of the boat, guns pointed at Spiderman. Kayla and Steve shared a confused glance, "We've been struggling to get even a small lead for almost two weeks, how did the FBI know to be here? They must have called for the police backup." Kayla hissed, seeing their chance to investigate reappear with the absence of the man from upstairs. She launched herself to her feet and quickly pulled the tarp away, revealing several weapons far too advanced to have been made on Earth alone. "Steve..."
But before they could decide what to do next, a mechanical whirring came from the van behind the pickup, and both Steve and Kayla hit the ground once more, rolling together under the pickup to stay hidden. They watched in disbelief as a creature emerged from the van, tearing it apart with its wings before flying forward with a weapon in hand.
Steve looked toward the back of the ferry to see the Vulture throw a car and knock somebody into the water. "I'm going after him."
"What?!" Kayla yelped, turning to see Steve running toward the stern of the boat. "Going after who?"
"Whoever it was, they were here. They are either working with that monster or they are the buyer. Either way, I'm going after them, they are the best lead we've got. Stay here and guard those, don't let anybody leave with them. I'll come back for you." Steve dove off the back of the ferry into the water, leaving Kayla to gape at him in disbelief.
"Damn it!" She yelled, then looked over her shoulder, seeing Spiderman flying through the air, suspended from the Vulture. "Come on, kid. You just don't know when to give up." Kayla started to move forward toward the fight, but a laser shot through the boat, cracking it in half. Kayla stumbled a little as the boat churned. "Damn it, Steve!" She called loudly, no longer afraid of being seen. She was frustrated and alone. The ferry was falling apart, and there were hundreds of people on board, about to get dumped into the bay. Kayla wandered into the middle of the cars, looking to see if Spiderman was okay now that the Vulture was gone. As she looked around, a burst of water came up from the floor and slammed her harshly into the ceiling. She felt her back crack as she hit the concrete, then fell back to the ground with a thud. She rolled over, allowing the water to soak her clothes as she groaned in pain. Her wig was blown off from the water, but Kayla didn't care. Her back hurt.
Suddenly gravity was working against her, and she felt the ferry leaning toward the side as sputtering words came from her waterlogged comm. "Kayla? Kayla, do you hear me? Steve? Anybody? Are you two still on the boat?" Natasha shrieked, and Kayla pressed her comm gently, moaning in response.
"Steve dove in to get a suspect. I'm still on the boat."
"Well, you better get off the boat because the two halves are falling apart!" Sam yelped, but Kayla shook her head, rolling herself over to crawl onto her knees. If the boat collapsed, the people would die, and if the people died, Steve would have more mess to clean up and it would take longer to finish the job. No, she had to stay and help save the people. Kayla looked up to see Spiderman swinging wildly, connecting all the beams of the boat with his webs. She pushed herself to her feet, and despite the pain, she started wandering toward the stairs before remembering what Steve had asked of her. She had to stay and protect the weapons. She moved back toward the pickup, flinging the tarp open to reveal several different guns on the inside. She jumped up into the box and crouched down until she heard a loud snap.
"Aww fuck," Kayla swore as the boat began to fall apart again, and water flooded the bottom floor, taking all the cars with it. The pickup began sliding across the floor toward the front of the ferry with Kayla in it. She launched herself off of the pickup and grabbed a pole with another woman just before the truck went over the rail, plummeting into the water below and taking its weapons with it. She grabbed the woman and chucked her away from the chasm, and the lady returned the favor by offering Kayla a hand once she was away from the rushing water. "We've got to get upstairs!" Kayla yelled, pulling the blonde woman with her. She made it up the stairs to the second floor, seeing the electrical wires of the ferry sparking as it continued to lean sideways, Spiderman holding it together by two webs. Kayla looked up at him in horror, he couldn't fix this he was just one boy.
All of a sudden, the boy started feeling slack, and he was seemingly lowered toward the second floor as the boat came back together. Kayla looked around, unsure of what was happening, but thankful it was. She found herself feet from Spiderman, but he was just as amazed as she was. Suddenly, a familiar red helmet appeared outside the window, seemingly staring at Spiderman as he pushed the boat upright.
"Shiit!" Kayla screeched through clenched teeth as she dove to the side, out of Tony's view. She was suddenly presented with an unusual conundrum: she'd tried so hard to not get washed off the boat and now she needed to figure out how to get off the damn boat.
"Kayla get out of there NOW." Natasha yelled as she saw Iron Man pushing the boat back together. It wasn't that Tony would hurt Kayla, it's just they'd get nothing done if they had to stop and hash out their Civil War.
"Damn it." She whimpered, seeing Stark's drones attach themselves to the side of the ferry. Whatever she was going to do, she had to do it now. She looked to Spiderman, then took off running, not realizing she'd caught his attention. As the Stark drones began pushing the boat back together, she dove off the second floor into the water at the bow. By some stroke of luck, she managed to miss the cars that were beginning to sink, but the impact from her high jump knocked her out as she hit the water.
