Note –

Wow – I know it's been over a few weeks since I posted 26. The world has gone and changed in that time. Life is crazy here. Work is insane. But I'm so happy to post 27.

The story is gearing up for the end, and I always want to make sure I give it the love and attention it deserves.

This chapter is my longest to date, and that is saying something. With that in mind, take as much time as you need ...and is anyone surprised at the length at this point?

I hope you soak in the chapter below. And there is an end note.


Memories & Reality

I do not own any of this or any part of Marvel or the MCU

Chapter 27 –Sacrifice


Sacrifice is not to be feared. Sacrifice is not something to regret or mourn. Sacrifice, is something to revere in our hearts.

To give of oneself? For country. For friends. For family. To give of oneself…requires love. And for those individuals, who display conviction and courage. For those who show strength, in the darkest of times. For those who stand tall, when the world is demanding they kneel. For those…who sacrifice everything…Everyone else, owes a debt of endless gratitude.

The strongest individuals sacrifice, so that others may live.

No, sacrifice is not to be feared. Sacrifice is something for us all to respect and honor. For if one has the strength and will to sacrifice, then they are truly showing, that their heart is filled with love.


12 Years Ago –

"I can't believe you actually convinced Fury to come out, Phil."

Phil smiled at Melinda in their small booth at Logan's Pub as they stared at the man they were talking about. Fury scoffed at Melinda's words as he took a sip of his scotch, "You realize that I'm not that much older than the two of you, right? I remember a time when we used to come out frequently. It's been a while since we've been here though."

"Damn straight. Been way too long since you've set foot in here. Think you're too good for me, Bub?"

The bar owner named Logan stood over the booth where the three Quantico instructors sat as Fury smiled, "Nice to see you too, Logan. I see your customer service is impeccable as always."

Fury scooted over as Logan sat down, puffing on his cigar, "Yeah well, if people are coming to a bar to be coddled, they should just stay home. Besides, your kids seem to like the place just fine."

Melinda and Phil both chuckled at the word as Fury gave Logan a sideways glance, "Kids? Logan, might I remind you that you were one of my 'kids' once, too." Logan gave a wicked grin towards Fury, "Yeah, well. That was a long time ago. I'm more than happy with my little hole in the wall that's mine, without anyone else bothering me now."

Logan was a promising graduate long ago under Fury. Somewhere in the timeframe between Melinda and Phil, and the current Scooby Gang that was under his thumb. Faded memories and past stories flickered through each of their eyes for a moment. But it passed, as faded memories sometimes do. That was another story. For another time.

Different memories and different realities.

Tonight's story. And the story from the previous five and a half months, didn't belong to Logan. And it didn't belong to Melinda or Phil…or Fury, even. They were observers, near and far. They were participants along the way, instructing and guiding, and testing the trainees graduating tomorrow.

It was Friday night.

The final week at Quantico had passed without any bumps or bruises, and the 11 trainees had completed final physicals, exams, and exercises with as much ease as was expected. The big revelation from a week ago was still marinating amongst the group. And each night was spent in the lounge or around the campfire, reveling in the calm before the whirlwind began, after embarking on their path at Graduation tomorrow.

So, they were all at the end of this chapter in their lives, soaking in each memory made, before the reality of their crazy life began. Their new reality - moving to The Big Apple. A new beginning, where their group of friends would start on a continued, but different journey. A journey that they'd still be on, 12 years from tomorrow.

Tomorrow.

Tomorrow, like a lion setting its cubs free into the wild, Fury would send this graduating class out into the world.

They would scatter to field offices all across the country. And Melinda May and Phil Coulson, were going to New York too. But not as part of Fury's group. They were working with their old boss from long ago, Assistant Director Hank Pym of the New York Field Office. And in a week from now, the couple was already set to embark on a long undercover operation, that would separate them for months.

Yes, it was the end to their beginning. To the prologue of their story – of how they all came together. So, tonight? It was a night to cherish and remember for a multitude of reasons.

11 trainees would graduate and become actual FBI agents tomorrow. They would move on, from this blip in time that was transformational in so many ways. It wasn't a goodbye. But it was a bookending, on a monumental chapter in their lives together.

For all of them.

May and Coulson were moving on, joining the field again. The 11 of them were moving on together, but were no longer going to be the bright-eyed and bushy-tailed trainees. And Fury, was going back to a place he'd started…long ago as a fresh-faced graduate.

Only this time? He would be the one leading the team.

Time can be a fickle thing.

They would all learn that harsh lesson, even more so than some already have.

But what is consistent about time…is that it moves. It never stops. The endless ticking is as reliable as the sun rising or the moon shining. Because it keeps moving. And as the second hand on each of their watches ticked by over the last week, nostalgia crept up on the instructors and Fury.

So much so…that yes, Phil Coulson was able to find a loose string, protected and hidden in Fury's heart, and he tugged on it.

Phil convinced Fury to come out to Logan's for a couple of celebratory drinks, before they all went to Graduation tomorrow and set off on their own new paths. It's not that they wouldn't see each other or never work together again. Not at all. But it would be different. And the last…almost six months, had enough of an impact on each of them. So much, that it led them all to a hole in the wall bar, sitting with a familiar face, and trying to revel in some of those last-minute memories at Quantico too.

Fury actually let a smile escape towards his old trainee. A man that'd gone down his own, different path, long ago. A solo one…that led him to open this bar. "You know, Logan. Even though I haven't been here much in the last year…I still know you'll miss my smiling face."

Logan's eyebrow arched, "That's about as true as you missing my cheerful personality, Fury…So, back to New York for all of you, huh? You know you're not going to find a diamond in the rough like this in the city."

"Cheap drinks in a smoke-filled bar, with a scruffy bartender as our personal entertainment?" Melinda grinned and raised her glass at him. She and Phil may not have visited all the time, but it was regular enough that they knew Logan well. He and his bar would be amongst the things that they would miss most about Quantico, Virginia as Phil added, "Yeah Logan, we may find a hole in the wall, but no one's sideburns can match yours."

Logan scoffed as he sat back and lifted his glass as well and took another drink, "So, you two are getting back into the action. And Fury? You're taking this group of idiots, all to…save the world? You realize if I told you everything that I caught them doing here a few weeks back, you may re-think your decision."

The four people in the booth sat back and looked around the bar.

They had it to themselves…with the exception of that aforementioned group of idiots, that was just spoken about. The 11 trainees that were graduating tomorrow…that Fury was taking with him to NYC, were in the same fine establishment at that very moment.

"Who wants shots? I'm buying!"

Tony had his wallet out, ready to have another legendary evening, but Steve stopped him, "Tony, how about we actually just enjoy each other's company, and enjoy the last night here."

Steve's attempt at reason, was met with about as much maturity as could be expected. Rhodey and Thor were already ordering a round of tequila for everyone as Loki came up and smacked Steve on the back, "Don't worry, Rogers. I won't be slipping anything into your drink tonight."

Tony was right on Loki's words, "Yeah, we wouldn't want Fury actually catching you and Red in any…compromising positions." Tony took a second and then grinned as he added, "I mean, now that we know he's basically caught like 90 percent of what we've been doing at Quantico, do you think he's caught you and Red…you know?"

Steve's scowl somehow became a little more severe as shots started being passed out, and as Loki made an obscene gesture with his hands to match Tony's words as Sam came up and even joined in, "You know Steve, I'd like to say I feel bad for anything these two are doing and saying. But you and your brother, have put me through five and a half months of embarrassment. Do you know how much time in my own room…I've had to sacrifice? All, so you and Bucky could have your alone time with your ladies?"

Loki and Tony were loving how red Steve's cheeks were getting. Natasha came up and caused Tony to cower away, but Loki and Sam were standing strong, as Bucky joined the group with a devilish grin, "You know guys…Steve might be a little stronger and better than me in most of the skillsets here. But one area that I have always bested my brother in…is lack of shame."

Wanda was behind Bucky, and he turned around and grabbed her by the waist to bring her in for an embarrassingly long kiss that had Maria and Tony whistling. But Sam and Loki just stood with their mouths agape at the heated display.

"James, what the heck was that for?" Wanda came away a little breathless as Thor handed her a shot. "Oh, nothing darlin. Just shutting my roommate and your best friend up, about how much they've had to suffer here with our smooches. I figured if they think they've had to deal with so much of us, a little more won't hurt…"

Wanda couldn't help but grin. Neither could Natasha, and she even pulled a smile out of Steve by nudging his shoulder a little. There really was nothing to be even remotely upset about.

Because they'd made it.

They were graduating tomorrow.

There were no more tests to pass. No more exercises to complete. No more made-up, foolish competitions to hash out amongst friends (for now.) This chapter in their life was at the tail end, and tomorrow would close the book on their time at Quantico. And tonight? It was for celebration. It wasn't a goodbye, not even close. Because they were all embarking on the next chapter in their lives, together.

That rarely happens in life.

As time passes, people come and go in each other's lives like the ebbing and flowing of the tide. Friends lose touch, naturally. Families grow apart, unavoidably. Because time and distance organically separate humans as other people and experiences fill their lives.

Things rarely stay the same.

And yes, it was true, their time at Quantico…At Logan's. Around the campfire and in the lounge. Those times were done. But something they could all take comfort in, was the fact that they were the exception to that rare rule for now.

For now, they would remain in each other's lives, growing and moving on, into the next phase of their journey. And they would only become stronger together. They would only have countless more evenings out, with Steve's scowls and Loki's lewd comments. With Maria and Sam's flirtatiousness. With Bruce and Rhodey and Thor getting into more betting matches over billiards and darts and machismo displays. With Tony's annoying yet irresistible charm, and Bucky's brashness. And with Wanda and Natasha playing innocent, but really…being just as mischievous as their partner in crime, Loki.

How many times can any person say that? That they get to be the exception to a rule?

That the people who are most important in their lives during one chapter, get to make the journey right along with them, onto the next. Not only were the group of friends all moving together, to New York City, but they were all going to be working, side-by-side. They didn't know it, but the next chapter would continue for five unforgettable years, and would only solidify the familial bonds they'd started to form, right here at Quantico.

Their foundation that was built, would only help them through the best…and the worst times in their lives, that they couldn't predict or foresee.

How could they?

No one could ever predict the madness that would unfold down the road. All they knew, was how they felt in this moment, right now. And they savored it.

As Loki winked at Wanda and Bucky, causing Bucky to laugh awkwardly. As Maria and Sam raised their shot glasses. As Bruce and Rhodey and Thor put their arms around each other. And as Natasha even pulled Tony over by the arm to stand on the other side of Steve and her. A natural circle was formed as Loki said, "To the last five months, and to the next five years…and many more." They all lifted their shot glasses and took a second…looking around at each other as they listened to Loki's words.

And then they threw the golden liquor back, that went by the name of Jose Cuervo, before grabbing their drinks to continue on with the rest of their evening. It wouldn't be a drunken stupor of a night, like it was three weeks ago. Many more of those awaited them in their future. Tonight, was truly about celebrating and reminiscing. Standing proud with each other and knowing, that when tomorrow came and went, and Graduation was over, they'd still all be standing together.

Natasha kept looking back to the door. After the third time, Steve finally asked, "Nat, who else are you looking for? The only people we ever talk to, are already here." Steve's arm was around her shoulder as she grinned, "I finally convinced someone to come and join me and you for a drink again. I think this time…it'll go better than the last."

Steve looked at her with amusement, before it dawned on him, just as the door to Logan's opened up, and Clint walked in.

It was no surprise to anyone by now, that Natasha always had this ability, to take Steve's breath away. With her looks and talent, and intelligence, yes. But more than that, it was her fiery spirit and personality that always left him in awe.

To put it mildly, the first attempt at meeting Clint was a bust. Yes, Natasha and her brother had made up since then, but Steve hadn't really been around him much since. He was really happy that Clint would be in New York for Natasha's sake, but he really didn't predict for her brother to start warming up to him, anytime soon. And he definitely didn't expect Natasha to warm up, to telling the rest of the group about Clint anytime soon, either.

She'd told Wanda and Bucky, when they'd gone out with Sarah a few months back. And after that, Loki and a few others had heard that Natasha had a brother, but they respected her and didn't push her for more than she was willing to share. With all of that taken into consideration…the fact that Natasha not only had convinced Clint to come and join Steve for a drink, but also meet everyone else in person? Well, yeah, Steve was in awe of Natasha Romanoff. Always. It wasn't the first time he gave her that smirk today, and probably wouldn't be the last.

Clint looked around the bar a little skittishly, before nodding at Natasha and coming over.

Bucky and Wanda and Loki put two and two together soon enough, and everyone continued on with their own little conversations, but kept an eye on Natasha the entire time.

"And here I thought you were going to force me into some fancy ass place since I was a jerk the last time, Tasha."

Steve had nodded to Tony to bring over a drink as Natasha leaned in for a quick hug and whispered so only the two of them could hear, "Рад видеть тебя, брат."

Clint grinned and responded in kind, "Good to you see you too, Sis."

Tony smirked as he handed Steve the glass. For the second time in his life, Steve held out his hand and gave Clint a drink, "Clint, it's nice to see you again."

Clint took the drink, looked at Natasha, and then back at Steve's hand, "You know, Rogers. The last time we started the night off like this, it didn't go so well."

Steve couldn't care at all about any of that. Because he saw the ease and comfort in Natasha's eyes, from having her brother here. And something in Steve's gut, told him that this time was going to go a lot better, "Well, I'm sure your sister has clued you in, but I'm pretty stubborn. And I don't really want the last time to be how I remember actually meeting Nat's brother. So, how about we just forget it, and we start over. It's really nice to see you again, Clint."

Steven Grant Rogers.

A man with a moral compass, a heart of gold, blue eyes like the sea, and the stubbornness of a mule, if provoked. But it was the genuine sincerity behind Steve's words that was the real secret sauce. Just like Tony said in his assessment, his words wormed their way into people's hearts. And Clint was no different, as he scoffed and nodded his head. And then he finally shook Steve's hand again, "Yeah, that sounds good, Rogers. It's…nice to see you again too."

Tony and Loki and Bucky had caught enough of the conversation to have their interest piqued. But they weren't going to pry right now. Eventually they'd be told, a somewhat true version of the first encounter of Clint and Steve - that Clint and Natasha were close, and Steve came out of nowhere in Natasha's life, and Clint didn't take it well.

It was true at the core.

But for now, Clint was here for his sister. He agreed to move with her. To try and follow her escape plan from Ivan and Oksana, which they would deal with tomorrow when they saw them…hopefully for the last time. Clint's feelings were somewhere between skepticism and curiosity, to see if they could actually make it work. And he hated to admit it to himself, but he was actually a little excited about the move to NYC. What he didn't hate to admit, was that he was damn excited to be around his sister again. The last almost six months, had been grueling in ways he would never actually reveal to Natasha.

But seeing how happy she was now? That warmed his heart too. It made him only feel more confident that the risks they would take by leaving Ivan and Oksana would ultimately be worth it. Natasha was radiant right now as Clint put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her into a side hug to kiss her hair.

Just like Steve and Bucky, the two siblings had each other to rely on since birth, essentially. They'd been through hell already, and they had no idea the hell they'd be forced to continue to endure in the future. Right now, was about celebration. And Natasha's joy and happiness, were almost pouring out of her eyes and smile, being surrounded by the two most important people in her life, Steve and Clint. And then her best friends, Loki and Wanda. And then her closest friends that had become family. And then…her fearless leader, and two instructors that stared inquisitively from the booth about 20 feet away.

It was a life Natasha had settled into. It was relationships she had formed. It was connection…to a world she'd always wanted to feel like she was a part of.

And damn, how could Clint not be happy for her?

Clint was scared the last time, that was all. Jealous? Maybe a little. Hurt? Sure. But overall, he was scared. He was scared of what would happen to them. He was scared of losing his sister. But seeing Natasha now? Well, she was the most important person in his life, and he realized that he was more scared, of her not having this happiness now, more than anything.

When you love someone, you want what's best for them, period. And this life? This family of friends…This love, that she'd found with Steve. It was all something, that had her happiness reflecting off of her, almost like the ocean in the sun.

And right now, for the first time in Clint's life, an idea of hope sprung up inside of him. Hope, that if Natasha could find something outside of the darkness that they'd been born and sold into, that maybe…Somehow, he could find something too. That idea wasn't anything solid, and it wouldn't develop into something concrete for years to come. But the seed had been planted. And that meant everything in the world to Clint right now. So, even though being in this bar with a bunch of strangers, was about as comfortable for Clint as wearing a hot wool sweater on a muggy, summer day…he was willing to endure it, for his sister. And in the end, for himself too.

The exchange and little hand shake had taken a couple of minutes. Steve thought that Clint would maybe show at Graduation and lurk in the background. So, he could see Natasha tell Ivan and Oksana that she wasn't going back to them. But Steve never predicted this, and he was really happy to be proven wrong by the siblings. And he wasn't about to say anything to anyone in the bar. He would let Natasha lead with what she would tell their friends.

Right on cue, Natasha smirked at Steve, and then nudged Clint's shoulders, "Come on, Clint. I want you to meet some other people besides Steve."

Loki and Tony were half talking with Wanda and Bucky, and half watching the siblings and Steve walking over to them, "Everyone, I'd like you to meet my brother, Clint. I haven't talked about him much. But all you need to know, is that we're pretty much cut from the same cloth."

Loki grinned, "So, scary and competitive, and has a thing for tall, strong men with blue eyes?"

Wanda about spit out her drink at Loki's joke, but Clint laughed, "I'm more hot-headed than Tasha, and I think she's got the market cornered on her taste in men. But Rogers and I sure had some fireworks, though."

Natasha quirked her brow at her brother. Did he have an odd sense of humor like her? Absolutely. But she didn't expect him to actually be quipping with the likes of Loki. It was a sign of how much he was trying for her, recognizing the importance of this occasion. And Natasha couldn't be happier.

Tony clapped loudly, "A brother for Red, and he's already making digs at Rogers! The name's Clint, right? You will fit in nicely with us. I bet Steve really put the goody two-shoes charm on and batted those baby blues at you, when you first met him, didn't he? God, he can be exhausting. Let's talk dirt. Did he tell you how Natasha almost schooled him on day one, in our time trials and weapons and fighting skills tests?"

And that was it.

When you love someone, you want what's best for them, period.

And Clint did want what was best for Natasha. So tonight, he tried. He wouldn't come out often, or hang out a lot in the future. Because decades of ingrained routine and life, caused his human nature to be more isolative. But eventually those walls would wear down, and he'd almost call the people in this bar his own close friends. And he'd get to a point down the road, where he would consider Steve his own family. Mr. Blue eyes and all.

But right now, was the starting point. And he was going to try his hardest to make sure Natasha had a really good night, because in the end, he loved her. And he was so proud of her. Not only for graduating and becoming an FBI agent. But for standing up for something she wanted. For taking something, she deserved. For looking at the crap existence of their upbringing and saying, 'No, I deserve better.'

Natasha had realized it long ago, but Clint was realizing it too, now. They'd sacrificed enough in life. And it was time to start living.

Yes, that was it. Laughs were shared. Drinks were exchanged. More introductions to the rest of the group, and even Fury, May, and Coulson were made. It was an evening that marked the end of their nights out at Quantico. But it was also a night that marked the beginning of something new.

An end, but a new beginning.


Present Day –

Sunrise in the morning.

How beautiful it is, to start a day with colors breaking through the dark, promising something new. Promising a future. Promising, that hopeful idea…that anything is possible.

Timing…can seem fickle. But time? The passing of time is a constant in life. Never changing and always following the rules set out for it. The sun rises in the east and sets in the west. Each day, the promise of tomorrow occurs. 60 seconds in a minute. 60 minutes in an hour. 24 hours in each and every single day. Those are the rules. And whether they want to or not, each living thing abides by those rules. Because time doesn't stop. It keeps moving, no matter what.

Day in and day out, those numbers trudge on. Some days, those numbers can seem infinite with hope. And other days? They only seem finite as dread fills each second.

For the individuals in the task-force compound, that were resting and waking at this hour, and spending each of those precious seconds with their loved ones…it was a mixture of both.

This was the present. This was the place where the sun rose and washed away yesterday. Or at least tried to. For the past…was a place for tragedy, holding memories that were both painful and joyful to remember. The past was where time froze and remained still. It froze, because nothing could change the past. That was another rule. Memories had used up their time. They were permanent. And each individual rising with the sun, had dealt with their past. And were still dealing with their past.

Isn't everyone? Pain and joy from our past, guide us constantly and shape us in one way or another.

But today…was not about the past. Today wasn't about being frozen. Today, was about breaking free from the shackles of pain and torment. From memories and tears. It was about starting anew, and setting things right.

So, as the sun rose, nothing seemed frozen right now. Yes, the dark became light. The cold became warm with the kiss of the sun. And the past, while frozen…now became a force for change. The sunlight crept into the windows of the safehouse right now, letting every soul inside of it know that today was here. There was no more waiting or planning.

Today was here.

There'd been three sunrises and sunsets, since the family of friends had all sat down for their thankful feast. Three days ticked bye, after they'd gone to see Fisk. Three days passed, after they found out where Poseidon was hiding.

And now, three days later, as the sun broke through the horizon, there was a promise of change. A promise for justice. A promise for a vengeance. And a chance, no matter how small, to honor those who'd come before them. To serve and protect. To take down the enemies that had grown from within.

Finally, once and for all.

Yes, today was the day. The team would advance on Poseidon. They would even leave this morning for the mission, after that sun had been in the sky for several hours.

But right now? It was the final calm before the storm.

Over the past three days, planning continued throughout each morning, noon, and night. The mercenaries and Daisy, Bobbi, and Lance returned from their scouting mission to Poseidon's hidden complex, outside of Niagara Falls.

Poseidon's location was more than confirmed when the scouting team checked in right away. But when they returned yesterday, Daisy and Jessica Jones and their teams, had video and photos to prove everything that the task-force was looking for.

Surveillance footage of pretty much every person in the task-force's lives, that had tormented them and caused them pain over the previous 12 years. Pictures of Zemo and Sitwell, who had orchestrated the raid on the FBI building weeks ago. Images of Stane and Hammer, with two other new faces, Senator Stern from New York, and his number two, Darren Cross. And then there were photos of Pierce with his leading henchman, Batroc. The men who were responsible for maiming, and almost murdering five members of the task-force's family. The same five members that were downstairs in the medical suite, and would not be able to embark on the mission today with their team.

Yes, the team took in every image. It was a real rogue's gallery of duplicitous servants to this country. When in reality, they were only serving Poseidon and their Mother Russia. Yes, every person in the photos were all in it together.

And the circles of lies and deception were crystal clear. Stark Industries was being used as a patsy, to supply weaponry for Poseidon. The infiltration into high levels of the government sickened Fury to his wit's end, when he saw the images of Pierce shaking hands with the likes of Stern and Stane, and Sitwell and Zemo.

All for what?

Power.

For some old-world mantra of destroying the 'west,' and returning Russia and Poseidon's maniacal beliefs to the top of their imaginary mountain. All created from the lust for conquest. To infiltrate, secure, and destroy.

Some of those details didn't really matter anymore.

The past was frozen. Facts were facts.

And the facts were, that Poseidon had paid Stane and Hammer money. They sold out Tony's father's company, taking advantage of Howard Stark's lack of presence, and were paid mountains of blood money. Money that was reaped by Poseidon's ties and missions over the years. Money that was drenched in greed and bloodlust for a false power.

And in return for payment? Poseidon got their ammunition.

And over the last three days, the task-force was able to see evidence of the weaponry Poseidon had acquired through photographs. They watched footage of Rumlow, taking inventory of Poseidon's stock of weapons, with a couple of other operatives. They were inside one of two warehouses at Poseidon's compound. The task-force saw Rumlow in one of the buildings, and assumed the other warehouse was full of similar weaponry.

The deceit and back-end deals had all circled through the Lemurian Star, and the players wielding and orchestrating these deals, were the enemies mentioned before.

But…the true enemies at the helm of Natasha and Clint and Steve's…and everyone else's pain, hadn't been mentioned yet.

Ivan and Oksana.

Yes, they were maniacal and fanatics for Poseidon and their homeland. They always had been. They had always had the goal, to return to their mother country too. And at first, they thought Clint, and especially Natasha, were their tickets home. But that wasn't how their past had played out.

Natasha and Clint, by causality of her choices, were never set to be on this path. Forced on it? Yes. But when given the choice, they always chose each other. And when Natasha chose Steve long ago…and her friends. When she chose the FBI and America, it meant that Ivan and Oksana's plans had changed too.

Now, Ivan and Oksana's planning for an attack in the States, was not only hindered because Natasha and Clint weren't working for Poseidon anymore…but were actually foiled by the siblings' actions as well. Kazakhstan, had truly set Ivan and Oksana's, and by default, Poseidon's plan back. And for almost two years, they took their hatred out on Natasha, carrying out the most sadistic of personal vendettas on her, and her love for Steve.

But they also…continued working.

They continued planning, with Pierce and Sitwell. And Rumlow and Zemo. They'd coordinated with their counterparts in other countries, to make this attack global. But they were also under clear orders and had crystal clear expectations.

To make their presence known in America. Make America hurt, and bleed, or they would be the ones to face consequences. Consequences, that Ivan and Oksana wouldn't come back from.

Clint and Natasha were shipped over to the States so many years ago, after being sold into the Soviet program. They were placed under their handler's watch. Ivan and Oksana were two adults in the siblings' lives, yes. They were handlers assigned to train and raise them as operatives. But they were the furthest thing from motherly or fatherly figures. They were cold and calculated, testing and pushing the siblings to unthinkable horrors. Like when the brother and sister had to essentially cage fight and kill, their fellow operatives in order to survive as teens.

All of the horrors. All of the menace.

It settled inside of Clint and Natasha like molasses, clinging to their souls for life. You couldn't ever erase those memories. But they could find a way to trudge through them…and live past them. And they had. Natasha started long ago, and Clint, finally started to believe he could too.

But it didn't mean the pain and anger…and hatred for their handlers wasn't there. It would always be there because of what they'd been through as children and teens. And then again as adults, when they were forced return to protect loved ones, by succumbing to Ivan and Oksana's will. And then again, as Natasha was taken.

Yes, the hatred was there. So, yesterday? When footage of Ivan and Oksana came on screen, as the task-force all looked on in the conference room downstairs…everyone's eyes involuntarily travelled to Natasha and Clint. How could they not?

Clint looked like he was going to pop a vein when he saw Ivan standing in front of Rumlow in a photograph. And Natasha held back tears, as she watched Oksana speak with Pierce in a recorded video.

But they weren't only tears of pain.

Natasha had dealt with so much pain up to this point. And in a sense, it was overwhelming to realize that Ivan and Oksana…had been successful, up to this point.

Yes, Clint and Natasha had stopped the flow of money in Kazakhstan, true. That battle was 'won.' But this was a war. And right now? Ivan and Oksana stood within a day's span of time, of winning their war against America. Against the west and the world. Against every manufactured enemy that Poseidon could muster. All, to try and return to the summit on the mountain of world power.

It was overwhelming to think of how victorious they'd been. But it was also overwhelming…to be at the end of it all. And that's where the team was, as the sun woke each soul in the compound.

At the end.

After all the consequences.

After they'd almost lost five friends.

After…they'd already lost good people in their own lives.

After they'd all been made scapegoats by Pierce. After the media bought and drank every word in, spitting it back out on repeat into the 24-hour news cycle. If the team let themselves, the overwhelming inundation of horrifyingly fake news, could turn maddening - listening to the false accusations of how Fury and the Sibling Spies were trying to destroy America.

The end, could truly overwhelm if they let it. But the end…is when the strongest wills are required. The will to stand tall and fight. To overcome. To sacrifice.

Sacrifice.

Sacrifice was not something that was new to the anyone in the safehouse. They'd all ended up right in the exact spots they were in, because they knew sacrifice. They had lived it, and breathed it. And yes, they were all willing…to sacrifice.

Like Erskine. Like Natasha and Clint already had, with so much in their lives. They'd sacrificed more personally, than anyone could imagine. The sacrifice of their childhoods. Of their chance at happiness seven years ago. And the tragic memories, so raw and fresh…of Natasha's sacrifice from her time in captivity. The loss of Steve and Natasha's unborn child would always linger because of the cruelty thrust upon them.

Those sacrifices, were in the past. Frozen, just like other memories. As permanent marks in their ledgers of life. Unchangeable…but oh, so powerful. It's what drove the thirst for vengeance. It's what drove the desire to bring justice to Ivan and Oksana.

But in the end, if they couldn't win the day? Those sacrifices would be even more painful. It was harsh but true. So, right now, the possibility of more sacrifice lingered in every mind and heart. It was what every person going on the mission was thinking in some way, shape or form. It was the final calm before the storm, as everyone prepared in their minds, the willingness to sacrifice even more.

To rise with the sun and realize…that this might be it.

Yes, it was overwhelming when Natasha saw images of her tormentors in life. But it was even more overwhelming to rise and wake up with Steve right now. After finding each other again, when all hope had truly been lost…they'd somehow reconnected emotionally. And they both had to accept the fact that right now? Danger was high. And the chance and likelihood of sacrifice was inevitable. It was the same for everyone that would be going to fight today.

If someone wasn't willing to give their life for their brother or sister in the field. For their country. They'd be holding back. And if they let fear take hold, their chance of winning would lessen.

So right now, sacrifices from the past, truly didn't matter.

Was the pain from the past still so raw, it made Steve and Natasha look at each other from time to time, like they were experiencing their memories for the first time? Yes.

But in reality?

What was about to happen between the two of them and the team, wasn't going to be determined because of past events. What had happened, happened, and they had survived. They had sacrificed. They had all found each other again, and they were willing to sacrifice even more. For themselves, for each other, and for their country.

But it wasn't over.

They were at the end, but it wasn't over.


Fate. Sacrifice. Courage.

The sun-kissed compound had it all.

And the eyes of fate, soaked in the images inside as they travelled around, peeking in on each living soul about to embark on a day marked for the ages. A day that would test them, and show results.

There is a harsh reality in times of battle. History is told and written by the victors.

And while the battle that the team was about to leave their safehouse for, was not a World War…it was a matter of life and death for every person involved.

Life and death.

Terms thrown around in grandiose exaggerations by a person in conversation, to make a point. But to everyone right now, waking up? It truly was a matter of life and death.

Every single agent, mercenary, and team member involved today knew that. They knew it, just like each time they had before on a dangerous mission. Just like when they were in the military. Or just like so many times in Clint and Natasha's life. Life and death? It might as well have been their mantra. Or trademarked tagline. They all knew life and death scenarios so well. Yet today, felt different.

As overwhelming as the pain could be. As overwhelming as the past could feel…the reason everyone felt different this morning, was because…to put it simply, they'd found each other again.

All of them.

And several evenings ago, as they were all gathered around a feast that Sarah had made, they all realized just how much they had found, in each other and themselves again. Their family of friends.

Loki had given up his life of crime in a heartbeat, to be with his family again. And in it, he'd found a way to connect with his mother in spirit again, and heal. All through his heart and friendship with Wanda and Natasha. Rhodey and Thor and Maria, all injured severely, had almost given their lives already, but had found their team that they'd joined long ago, waiting for them when they woke up. And even though they were injured. Even though they couldn't travel on this mission with their friends, they felt closer to their team. To their family…more so, than ever before. Old friends and new acquaintances had been reunited and formed anew with the mercenaries and Fury's trio from the Pentagon.

For Tony, his anger revolving around his father's company was only eased by him letting go of what he couldn't control, and leaning into what he could. He could control his love for his family and friends. His deep-rooted friendships that never left.

Just as old friendships healed and formed again as they'd all found each other over the last two months, there were other promising blooms as well.

Clint, for the first time ever in his life, had a woman he was spending time with. Just for the sake of spending time with. Laura and he were at the start of something new. Something he never thought possible. And Maria and Sam's connection deepened. And Sarah and Fury's curious relationship was the talk of the compound behind their backs.

Friends and couplings, old and new. All soaking in the sun at dawn, trying to have a little more of that calm…before the storm.

And then…there was Steve and Natasha.

Better to have loved and lost, then to never have loved at all. Right?

Talk to Steve and Natasha about that. Two people who knew what they once had. Theirs…was the once in a lifetime love that'd been ripped away. They were two people who knew what they'd lost too. They'd lost each other. They'd lost time. They'd lost their child. Such visceral and gut-wrenching pain experienced by both of them over the last several years.

But they'd found each other again. They'd truly saved each other again after Steve rescued Natasha. After they worked through an ocean of grief to finally start trusting one another again. To finally forgive each other and themselves. To finally think…about moving forward instead of always looking back.

All of it. All of what'd been found. All of the love between the family and friends. It was all something to be thankful for yes. But it only made the realization of possible sacrifice, that much more painful to think about. And it wasn't the possible sacrifice of self that worried anyone leaving for battle.

It was the possible sacrifice of a loved one…of anyone else but themselves…that filled their hearts with dread. And it was almost too much too bear. Because they'd all found each other again, after already knowing what it was like to be without. And now, they knew the likelihood of loss was that much higher.

History is told through the victor's eyes. And there are harsh lessons in life, that the living finds in varying shades.

You don't win them all. Often times, you lose. Sometimes, even when you win, you still lose something. And sometimes, the greatest victories, require, the most painful of sacrifice.

Those lessons and stark possibilities, were lingering in every person's mind right now in the safehouse. Everyone that was needed and able to today, was going on the mission. It was too important. They had one shot at this. To try and stop Poseidon before they left their hideout and spread like a disease to their points of attack. It was the only chance they had to prevent any and all of their plan of attack on America. It was equivalent of stopping an airborne contagion at the starting point. This was their chance to quarantine Poseidon before it spread.

So yes, the eyes of fate crept in and found each individual who'd survived life's trials and tribulations, thus far. And as they travelled throughout the compound walls, they would truly see how this family of friends was handling the possibility of sacrifice…And the final calm before the storm.


Those eyes of fate would find Loki downstairs with Fury at this early hour. Fury and Sarah sat with him as he took in the morning. He was going on the mission today with Wanda and Bruce, and everyone else.

Sarah tried to keep the talking light as they shared a coffee. She knew an even harder conversation would occur with her sons, soon enough. But that wasn't going to stop her. The ones left behind today, would have to have strong wills too. And she found the resolve inside her, and did what she did every time she had to hug Steve and Bucky, as they went overseas for the Army.

Sarah smiled, and remained strong for the man before her, "Loki, I want you to know…that I'm so proud of you. It might be easy to make initial missteps. But it is not easy, to right your wrongs. We get one go around, at this thing called life, and I want you to know…I'm proud of you, for doing what is hard. For righting wrongs. For trying to fix mistakes. You have done that, over and over again, over the last two months."

Sarah took a sip and grabbed his hand and squeezed, "I sure hope you realize that. Because you need to be proud of yourself too. What we do after a mistake is made, matters so much more, than the fact one was ever made. And you helped bring Natasha home, and set everyone here on a path to make even more wrongs, right. You remember that, and please be proud of yourself."

It was a conversation between a mother and son, who belonged to neither, but both knew they needed to hear those words from each other. It was like Loki's mother was speaking through Sarah in that moment. And Loki, like so few other times in life, was almost at a loss for words. So, he simply squeezed her hand back and said, "Thank you, Sarah."

And all the while, Fury first looked at a woman, he'd gotten the pleasure to know and…form a connection with. And then, he looked at a man, that represented one of the greatest mistakes in his life - not fighting harder, when Loki had hacked into the NSA over seven years ago.

Loki pulled his hand back to take another drink of coffee. Words came back to him, but sarcasm was still nowhere to be found as he looked at his leader for the past 12 years, "Fury, I'd like to tell you…And I mean this, truly. Thank you. Thank you for giving me a second chance two months ago. For trusting me after my antics. And for letting me…help. The last two months have been some of the best times of my life. I mean that…because I've had my family back."

Fury had agreed to the deal that Loki had bargained with initially. But this conversation, that hadn't happened out loud yet, had been eating away at him for a while now. Sarah saw it, and smiled at the two men, "I'll leave the two of you alone for a minute. I'll go get more coffee going for everyone leaving in an hour."

Loki grinned at hearing Sarah's knowing words, "She's good for you, Fury. Her sons might not be. But she's good for you. Whatever is going on between you and Sarah Rogers, enjoy it. It's good to finally catch a smile out of you every now and then."

Fury shook his head, "When did the tables turn? When did you start giving me life lessons? I thought that's what my role was."

Feeling a little more like himself, Loki joked, "Not to be crass, Fury. But that horse has been beaten to death. We get it. You know a lot of shit, and have taught us well. Now it's time for us all to finally put all your lessons to their final test."

Fury smirked and let out a little laugh. This man in front of him…And this team. They'd been surprising him from the beginning. And Fury found the ability to finally say the words that've been resting in his throat for quite some time, "Loki, whatever happens today, I just want you to know, that I'm really glad you gave us a second chance. And I echo what a wise woman just said. I'm proud of you too."

Feeling emotional today was expected. Feeling emotional from one of Sarah Roger's warming and loving stares and advice, was almost predictable.

But feeling emotional from Fury? It felt off. Especially for Loki. But it was very much appreciated as Loki cut him off, "Fury, I think we've been through this enough. And I think we're both in a much better place than we were two months ago. So, don't go getting all sappy on me now. It would really ruin the tough guy motif you've had going for 12 years strong."

Fury looked at Loki and smirked, and nodded in agreement. And instead of saying anything further, he simply put his hand out. Loki looked at it and held back the emotion threatening to come out…and shook it in return.

The understanding was there, and no more words needed to be shared.

Growth. Connection. Love. Forgiveness.

It was there between both of them. And for the two of them? It was enough.

The eyes of fate kept a watchful gaze as they traveled along. And on the first floor, along with Loki and Fury and Sarah, they found the mercenaries spending their last little amount of alone time together. Luke Cage, Jessica Jones, and Frank Castle surrounded Matt Murdock and Danny Rand's hospital beds. They were their own little family. Their own little unit. They had become part of something bigger, yes. Just as the 11 friends, 12 years ago, became part of a bigger universe too. But at the end of the day, the mercenaries had found each other first, and they wanted to be around each other right now.

Their final calm before the storm.

Traveling through the medical suite, Thor and Rhodey were found sitting together…wishing they could go on the mission today too, of course. But they were also just calming each other's nerves and worries for their friends. The ones left behind, needed to have strong wills too.

A little farther down, Sam sat at Maria's bedside and held her hand. Something had shifted between them. It wasn't spoken aloud, but somewhere between flirting, and realizing how close they'd come to never seeing each other again, with Maria's accident and burns…Yes, something had shifted.

Maria ran her thumb over Sam's knuckle and got a little glassy eyed, "Sam, I need you to promise me something. I'm not going to be naïve enough to think today's going to be easy. But just promise me, when you make it back here, you'll finally quit wasting your time and get off your ass and ask me out."

There it was.

12 years in waiting. 12 years of flirting. 12 years of watchful eyes and listening ears, just like Thor's and Rhodey's ears that perked up right then. Because this…was almost too good to be true.

Sam was speechless and a little shell-shocked as she grinned at him. And after five seconds, Rhodey yelled out through a wince. The 'Bionic Man,' as Thor joked was still more than adjusting to the pain with his new joints as surgical metal adjusted to his body. But it didn't stop him from giving his friend a hard time, "Hey Sam, I know you're an idiot with women, but this is where you nod and smile, and just say, 'You got it.'"

Thor laughed and high-fived Rhodey. And Sam did just that. He smiled and nodded, and leaned down to Maria's cheek and brushed a kiss on it, "You got it, Hill. But if I'm asking, I better get a, 'Yes,' outta you."

They had flirted for 12 years, and there was finally enough courage on display between the two of them, to draw a genuine blush.

Thor and Rhodey whistled as the doctors smiled on. As the Mercenaries grinned. And as the Pentagon trio of Bobbi, Daisy, and Lance smirked at them from the living area, where they had their own little personal pow-wow. Little pods of friends and family were all over the lower-level, taking in each moment, and trying to make the most of each second.

All knowing that while they couldn't stop time, they could savor it.

Those eyes of fate kept watching and moving. And they would find the other members of the team, still upstairs. Still hiding out, for as long as they could on the upper level. In their rooms, all trying to remain calm.

The eyes would find Pepper and Tony, and Betty and Bruce, both in their own bedrooms right now, drinking in every second and breath. Talking. Kissing. Holding each other, and promising comforting thoughts to each other. Two couples. One married and one…well on their way to marriage. But both knew and were grateful for what they had in each other.

Those two couples were on one end. But the eyes of fate, also found a new couple, at the opposite end of the spectrum.

They would find Clint and Laura. A new blossom of promise. A new bullet on this scale of relationships, this safehouse held. Somewhere in between, where Sam and Maria and other established relationships were. They both knew something was there, but serious steps hadn't been taken yet.

Even so, right now? Clint and Laura found themselves needing to say…something.

This?

It was all new to Clint. He'd never opened up his heart in this way. Honestly, the farthest he had opened up to anyone in his life, beyond his sister, were the family of friends in this compound. Steve was at the far end of that emotional connection. Clint had even formed a dysfunctional family in his own right, with the mercenaries over the last few years.

But opening his heart up to something more? No, that was never supposed to be in the cards for him. He was too damaged. Too entrenched in the world he grew up in, with the notion that, 'Love was for children.' But something had changed.

Clint had seen the change in his sister, 12 years ago. Turns out, seeing can be believing. Yes, he was angry and cynical when Steve and Natasha had first gotten together. But he'd seen her walls come down, brick by brick, through her love for Steve, and while he didn't initially think that he would ever find that for himself, he did find himself in awe of the transformation within Natasha.

What had changed in Clint, was watching Steve and Natasha…but not just over their five years together. Much of that transformation after the initial shock and awe, was to be expected. Once Clint decided to give Steve a chance and move to New York after their graduation from Quantico, he found himself with…an almost brother of sorts, in his life. One that annoyed him with the genuine sincerity that oozed out, but still. Steve Rogers had wormed his way into Clint's heart too. And Steve's friends and family, slowly followed. Clint saw all the natural progressions of his sister and her partner in life, naturally unfold during that time period.

Clint saw Natasha get to live with friends. Actual friends. Something, neither of them would have ever dreamed years ago. He got to watch as Natasha and Steve grew as agents together. As they kept working away at Clint, to come to Sarah's with them on Sunday's for dinner. As they always invited him for nights out with the team. And occasionally? Clint even joined them. He saw them move in together. He saw them in domestic bliss, and in metaphorical knock-down, drag out fights. He saw the way Steve looked at his sister towards the end of their five years together, and knew. Clint knew that sometime soon…Steve was going to talk to Clint about asking him for his blessing, for Natasha's hand in marriage.

But their fated paths didn't allow for any of that.

Instead, Clint witnessed first-hand, the downside to finding earth shattering love. And at the opposite end of that pendulum? Soul crushing heartbreak.

Ironically, it wasn't Steve and Natasha's initial time together, that had led Clint to the point, where he was open to…believing…that something more might be possible for him in this life too.

No, ironically, it was witnessing the heartbreak…in both of them. It was witnessing the sacrifice that his sister forced herself through. Ripping herself away from the team. From Steve. Tearing both her and Clint away from the only normalcy, either one of them ever knew. All to try and protect their little family they had found.

He watched as his sister tried to form a wall of ice around her heart over the following years. But it was to no avail. Because what truly started chipping away at Clint's own wall, was seeing how through all the sacrifice that his sister gave…Through all that Steve endured.

They never stopped loving each other.

Never.

Anger clouded feelings. But the love was always there. It was there as he saw Natasha journal, and knew without question, who she was always writing to. It was there as he saw her keep tabs on Steve, through his own bouts of anger and depression.

Love was there as Clint relented, and agreed to help Natasha watch Bucky and Wanda's wedding and reception. And it was there in Russia, as he realized Natasha would never be over Steve, and Steve would never get over Natasha.

Steve travelled across the globe, under the guise of his foolish denial, thinking that he could find closure. It was a fool's journey, that only made him realize, that nothing would ever stop their love. Not time, nor distance. Not even betrayal and lies. And then Clint watched as Steve ripped himself away, just as Natasha had. Steve, without realizing and knowing details or exact truths, trusted his sister. And knew, in order to save Natasha at that moment in time, when she killed Alexi, he had to watch and let her go.

Clint was truly baffled at the two of them. He'd seen them fall in love, and then have both of their hearts broken. And then he saw them both, keep coming back to each other. Over and over. It's why he agreed to help Natasha, yet again, have her weekend with Steve at the cabin.

And then he watched both of them, go to the darkest depths they'd ever been in, afterwards. Natasha thought she was committing the ultimate sacrifice, by trying to truly let Steve go at the cabin through her goodbye. Steve had been foolish in Russia on his mission to find closure. Natasha, had been the foolish one at the cabin, to think that a goodbye could ever be possible between the two of them.

And then…Clint watched the unthinkable happen. Kazakhstan was a success. It was a plan that stood almost no chance at being successful, but it was. They'd brought Poseidon to a full-stop for a couple of years because of money. But then, more sacrifice was demanded because consequences from their actions rippled through their lives.

Clint would never stop feeling guilty, for not recognizing what was going on with Natasha at the end. It all happened so goddamn fast, and everything spun out of control before he could grasp onto anything. They were supposed to be out. Done. They were going to escape. Instead, Natasha was ripped away again, only from everyone including him. And Clint and Steve were ripped apart inside, thinking she was dead.

Clint even forced himself to read her journal entries in that time period. But her pregnancy wasn't written about. Because she'd only just found out about it. She'd only just realized the possibility of creating an actual new life, before it was stolen from her and Steve. And when Clint's hunch of her being alive, developed, after Steve received those horrifying pictures? Clint knew. He knew he couldn't go to Steve with a hunch, until he was sure.

Until they stood a real chance at saving her.

Being Natasha's brother, Clint was of course devastated, and riddled with guilt during that time period, but again, walls were chipped away at, and stone after stone was taken away. Because he still saw the undying love through Steve's downward spiral. And it obviously, wasn't Natasha keeping tabs on Steve anymore during the aftermath of her faked 'death.' It was Clint keeping a watchful eye on a man he once almost considered a brother. And he saw Steve's increased anger and aggression from afar…and his body filled with sobs and tears at Natasha's funeral.

Twisted irony and travesty riddled the three of them. They were all forced to watch a funeral with no body, from such different vantage points. Steve, who was convinced it was real. Clint, who was convincing himself she was alive, while also knowing he had to have a plan, before he gave Steve any amount of hope. And Natasha, convinced this was her life now, as she was forced to watch through a T.V. monitor in a far-off cell, as Ivan and Oksana's revenge unfolded.

And then Clint watched Steve's coping through drinking and tormenting himself. Steve's breaking point came and went as Clint watched him, trying to put himself back together again as time passed. But he wasn't ever the same. Steve had sacrificed his ability to truly enjoy life. He'd already sacrificed part of his moral compass, keeping secrets for her, and then forming his own secrets in the years that followed as he tracked her down. And Natasha? She'd sacrificed everything, both by her own forced choosing as she ran, seven years ago. And then, by no choice of her own, as she was taken and held captive. As her and Steve's child, was taken from this world.

And then Clint, truly found himself at the precipice of belief. It wasn't just acknowledging that love could exist between the likes of Steve and Natasha. No. Clint truly started believing that maybe, the something more he'd only heard about, wasn't just something for children.

That love wasn't just something for people with normal upbringings. And it wasn't just something for his sister. He watched as Steve saved her at the cabin. As they all saved each other with the mercenaries, and re-entered the FBI team's presence…During that long and twisted night.

Clint watched as Steve refused to leave her side, just like him. He watched Rogers torment himself, reading her journal, and then find out the fateful truth behind the mystery of what'd happened to Natasha. That she was pregnant when she was taken.

But against all odds, Clint also saw them…reconnect.

It was almost as unbelievable as anything that came before it. But if anyone could prove odds and chances in life wrong, it was Steve and Natasha and their undying love and sacrifice for each other.

He watched them swim through an ocean of grief separately, and then finally together, as they forgave and fell back into each other's arms and their love and trust followed. And along the way, as fate would have it, Clint met his own shot in the dark. He met his own chance at…something more.

Whether it was the fact that Clint was finally open to the possibility, of believing he deserved love too, or whether it was the fact that Laura waltzed into his life, helping his sister through the darkest time in her life…one may never know for sure.

But isn't that how fate and life work? Random moments, paired with the right timing, create life changing paths.

Whether it was timing or fate. Nature or nurture. Choice or destiny. It was all up in the air at times. Maybe it was one or the other. Maybe it was both.

Maybe…it didn't matter.

Because as Clint and Laura sat in his bedroom together, nervously wondering who was going to say something, they both knew that something serious had formed between them. And the possibility of that chance of happiness being cut too short because of sacrifice, loomed heavily around them. Just as it did amongst everyone in the compound right now as dawn officially became morning. As everyone was about to come downstairs to take off for the mission of the day.

The mission of their lifetime.

It was Laura who finally spoke first, "Clint. I know you've lived a life that I can't even begin to understand. And I know you've had your life on the line, more times than I care to even imagine. But…if it's possible, could you find a way today, to just be extra careful?"

Clint was fidgety. They'd kissed. Many times, at this point. But no serious declarations had happened. How would he even go about saying something from the heart, when he'd only ever said, 'I love you,' to his sister. They weren't at that point, and even an 'I care about you,' gave Clint's heart more palpitations, than having a gun in his face. But he also knew that Laura…whether it was by choice or destiny…was here in front of him. And whatever happened today, he couldn't leave without at least trying to convey how he was feeling.

"Laura, for the first time in my life, I'm scared of what today could mean, for someone outside of very few people I would call family. All of those people happen to be in this building. But with you, it's…more."

It was enough for now, as Laura leaned in to kiss the nerves away, "It's more for me too, Clint. Just be careful."

It was more. Everyone was feeling more. Because everyone was feeling, the possibility of losing that…something more today.

As the glances into each little world continued, those fateful eyes would find the small family at the compound, trying to enjoy a little more time alone.

The Barnes family.

Speaking of against all odds, they were a family that had found each other and began, 12 years ago. When everything seemed, almost normal. But they'd stood the test of time, and had weathered the torrential downpour of tragedies and heartache around them over the last seven years. Through Wanda losing her brother and two best friends, as they were kicked out and ran from the FBI. Through Bucky worrying endlessly about Steve…about if he'd ever be able to be happy again, truly. Through them feeling guilty at times, not trying to flaunt their own happiness in front of Steve, but knowing that was more of them talking, versus it being any sort of reality. And through the team breaking apart, and thinking they'd lost Natasha for good.

They'd weathered the outside heartache, and had remained a constant. A beacon of hope for everyone to look at and smile and say, 'Well, there's always Wanda and Bucky.' And then, that eventually became, 'Well, there's always Wanda and Bucky…and Peter.'

They'd carved out their own little world of happiness. They'd found each other, survived the heartache, married, and began their little life together as Peter came into this world. Peter, a name that Wanda thought of, and Bucky fell in love with, knowing it honored Wanda's love for her brother, Pietro, but also started anew. And Peter changed…everything. They truly knew what it felt like to sacrifice, every day in their job, and to know that they'd give everything for each other and country.

But the love for a child?

That was new. That was earth shattering and ground breaking. Peter came into this world, and turned their lives upside down. And the minute he was born, Wanda and Bucky knew instantly…an all new meaning of the word sacrifice. Yes, they'd give anything for him, and would give up their lives for him, sure.

But beyond that? It was the day to day grind.

They day in and day out sacrifice of time and devotion. Of emotion and love. Of somehow finding a way to keep going when they were bone tired, over worked, exhausted, and without as much time for each other. It's what all parents had to do. It's a sacrifice that all parents made. For the love of a child. You give up the life you know, so that your life can change and invite a child into this world. So, that the child may grow and know what it is, to feel loved and to have a better chance in their life than their parents did before them.

They had to watch Steve, who was closer than just a brother and best friend to Bucky. Everyone knew it. Especially Sarah and Wanda. But they had to watch him, go into his downward spiral, and know that there was nothing they could do for him, until one day…they intervened at the same time that Steve finally made a choice. It wasn't to move on. But it was to finally stop collapsing. They'd never get him back. Not fully. And that was painful for Bucky. And for Sarah, it was devastating in a different way. Steve's smiles didn't ever go as high. His laughs were never as hearty. His joy in life, wasn't as full, as it was when Natasha was in it.

But when she was gone from all of their lives?

It only made Bucky and Wanda, that much more grateful for the life they'd carved for themselves. Two things could be true at once. They could feel awful for Steve and mourn for the loss of Natasha, while still loving and soaking in every second they had with their son. And when their worlds shattered in a new way and re-shifted, welcoming back Natasha and Loki, two months ago…They welcomed Steve back too. They hadn't seen the brightness Natasha brought out in him, in seven long years.

And they were all so happy for it.

But as a result, just as with everyone else? It only left them feeling, worried now. They'd regained their family outside of their Barnes' family, knowing how painful it was before with loss.

So, yes sacrifice loomed heavily in Wanda and Bucky. For the life with their family of friends…With Bucky's family…And their own little world. They were the constant beacon of hope for everyone else. But for each other? They were just the duo that fell in love 12 years ago, and became a trio as Peter bulldozed his way through their hearts. And they were perfect to each other.

And right now? They were all together. In their room. Doing the same as everyone else. They were taking in each moment. They were realizing that sacrifice was sometimes needed, and wanted to make sure they were enjoying each second and breath to the fullest.

It's what Wanda and Bucky were doing with Peter.

They both had to go on the mission today. Wanda's brain and Bucky's Braun were too vital. And they were soaking in every second with Peter in their own bedroom, before they reported downstairs in an hour. They were letting him show them the magic trick that Loki had taught him. They were reading him a story, as a special, 'let's do anything you want right now,' sort of time. They were letting him jump on the bed. And as they let him color for a few minutes on the floor, Bucky grabbed his wife in his arms and held her tight.

They didn't do this in front of others. This was their time. It was their world. And they knew how much they potentially had to lose…how much Peter had to lose. But Wanda and Buck signed up to serve this country. It was the job. And right now, this country needed them to fight an evil, that not everyone in the nation even knew it was facing.

The gravity of what was potentially at stake, was weighing heavy in both of their hearts, as they let Peter be as clueless as he could be. Bucky asked Wanda to dance with him, in the early hours of the morning, in their quiet little bedroom, in a far off and hidden compound.

Bucky smiled at her, and she grinned at him. "Mrs. Barnes, what do you say you give an ol' flirt like me a chance, and honor me with a dance?" Wanda grinned back at her husband, "Well James Buchanan Barnes, I'd say that you've come a long way since your flirting days at Quantico. And I think a dance is exactly what we need right now."

The Bee Gees, 'To Love Somebody,' started playing on Bucky's phone as the old classic tune rang through their quiet reprieve:

You don't know what it's like, baby
You don't know what it's like

To love somebody
To love somebody
The way I love you

You don't know what it's like, baby
You don't know what it's like

To love somebody
To love somebody
The way I love you

As the words played on, they started with joking moves. Even a playful dip. But as the middle chorus arrived, the seriousness lingered, and the playfulness was gone. Instead, they gently swayed and touched their foreheads together, holding each other close and taking a moment to just feel each other. And as the last refrain came through Bucky's phone on their bed, Wanda smiled and called Peter up.

He didn't know what was going on, and it was far from the first time, Peter saw his parents dancing. But something in the air, told him he needed to not make a face at the love on display. To not fight it, but just follow. And follow he did, as he came up and Bucky picked him up, and held his family close, as Wanda sang to them both, "To love somebody. To love somebody." And Bucky finished it off, by mouthing to her and holding Peter tight, "The way I love you."

No matter what happened today, the profound emotions felt in this tiny room, would be felt for the rest of their lives. It would be a memory that would be frozen…and cherished for the rest of their time on this earth.


And then there were two.

The two people whose stories had been tossed around and tested. Who'd endured more pain and heartache than all other's combined in this compound. The two, who this story began with and, was really about. The two people, who had found and lost each other, and themselves in the process. And had found each other again.

Maybe it was timing or chance or fate. Maybe it was because of the wit and determination of Loki and Clint, and everyone who followed, as they stood and fought again and again. Maybe it was because once Steve knew Natasha was alive, he was willing to sacrifice everything just to save her.

What was likely, was that it was probably a combination of it all.

But this story began with a green flashing light, and a crashing, 'meet-cute.' on a running path, and had wormed its way through endless passion and love and fun memories. Equal amounts of pain and heartbreak followed. Then sacrifice and grief. God, was there ever an ocean of grief. And then finally, they found their way back to love and forgiveness and trust.

Yes, the eyes of fate were finally upon Steve and Natasha.

They had not gotten the best sleep the night before. But they also hadn't moved from holding each other. Steve's lips against Natasha's hair. Natasha's head in her nook, right under his chin. Feeling his warmth and beard and arms surround her. They were quiet for most of the night, even though they knew the other was awake off and on. They held each other and breathed, and felt the other's presence as fully as they could.

They'd loved. Oh, how they'd loved. And they'd lost. They'd lost so damn much in this life.

And it was overwhelming to think of that pain and loss at times. But they could think of it now. They'd found a way to do it, with each other. They'd found a way back into each other's arms, almost in every way as they forgave and loved each other.

Yes, Natasha was overwhelmed with anger at what Ivan and Oksana had been successful at. But she was more distraught, thinking of trying to live without the man she held onto so tightly last night. The man she had drank in, over the last two months. Who she'd held onto and swam towards in the darkness of her nightmares. The man she knew, she needed in order for her heart to survive.

It wasn't the physical.

Against all odds, somehow Steve had pulled himself out of his spiral, to create a shell of an existence. But as Bucky and Sarah and everyone else close to him knew, he wasn't the same after Natasha had died in his life.

And Natasha? Even though there were times when she'd truly resigned and wanted to give up, she'd found a way to physically hold on in her captivity. Wilting away to almost nothing, she somehow found the will to survive. But after running from Steve initially. After being ripped away from her plan to escape. After being taken. And after her child was ripped away from this life. The physical presence of each other was one thing, yes. To be in each other's arms. And yes, the thought of reconnecting in the only way they hadn't yet, was more than wanted.

But that wasn't what weight heavily in the air around them right now.

What lingered in Natasha's heart now, was that she was simply…scared to think of how her heart could survive without Steve if something happened today.

Steve was thinking the exact same thing…Each nightmare and taunt. Each bad dream and torment. It was soothed, as he held her in his arms again over the last two months. And what he knew…was that he couldn't go through it again.

He couldn't.

Another harsh reality in life? The human spirit is capable of immense heartache and loss. Of unimaginable pain and tragedy. There are countless human stories all across the globe, that have experienced even more pain…than yes, even Steve and Natasha. But that harsh reality didn't make the feeling of dread and fear lessen in this moment.

It was often the build and worry that overwhelmed. When in the midst of battle, they had control and could fight. But right now? Waiting for what the future would bring…was again, almost maddening.

Steve had finished putting on his tac pants as he tucked in his shirt. And he found Natasha staring out the window. Staring at that sunrise that brought on the approaching day.

Natasha was in the middle of the rays of sunlight creeping in. Her face was aglow with the pinks and oranges, as shadows fell behind her. The day was coming. It couldn't be stopped. Because time always kept moving.

Each second ticked away as she closed her eyes. The past was solidified, but she couldn't freeze what was in front of her now. Because the sun kept rising, and it was overwhelming because today was here. Natasha was already showered and dressed, and Steve followed.

And now, Steve felt almost like he had, after she'd first woken up from a coma. He knew how to hug and kiss her, always. And while they'd talked and forgave, and shared everything over the last two months…this was another new place they stood in.

Their final calm before the storm.

The wreckage after the storm seven years ago? They'd been living in it. And they'd cleared away that wreckage of heartache, piece by piece. But now, here it was again. Another storm. It was unstoppable, approaching with each new ray of light that crept into their bedroom window.

The words of Walt Whitman had been heeded once before, as they took steps towards healing with each other.

Keep your face always toward the sunshine – and shadows will fall behind you.

Steve took a breath. And then he took a step. And another…and one after that.

Until finally he was right behind her, feeling the warmth the sun provided on his own skin. He wrapped his arms around her, and ran his beard along her cheek as she curled her own arms and hands over his, that were holding her tight.

"What are you thinking over here, Natasha?"

Natasha tried to fake her way through with a joke at first, "Oh nothing important, just the fate of all of our closest loved ones, and the lives of how many thousands of people all over this country and world are on my mind. How we need to stop Poseidon before they get out of the gates today…Yeah, nothing important."

The sarcasm fell as flat as one could imagine, and Steve took a breath and whispered, "Don't do that, Nat. Talk to me…You look like you're a million miles away."

He broke through the weak attempt at a wall right away, and Natasha's hands squeezed tighter around his forearms, "I wish I were, Steve. I wish we all were…away. All I keep thinking is, I know we all need to go. I know…everyone that is being rounded up to help, outside of even everyone here at the safehouse, is going to be needed. Because we'll still be short changed. But I keep thinking the same thing over and over."

Natasha held on a little tighter as her fingers curled into Steve's skin, "That I don't want Pepper or Betty to be alone after today. I don't want Loki to never have his freedom again. I don't want Maria to never get a chance with Sam. Or Laura to never be able to help my brother finally find what he's been missing in life. I don't want Sarah to lose either of her sons. And Peter. God, I don't want him to grow up without either one of his parents."

That had done it.

Natasha was shaking as Steve squeezed a little tighter, "Shhh. Natasha, listen to me. Each person you just mentioned…every single one of them…they know who they are and what they're doing. They know what they're fighting for. Tony and Bruce are fighting for Pepper and Betty. Sam and Clint are fighting for their chances with Maria and Laura. Loki is fighting for all of our freedom, not just his. And you better believe, that Wanda and my brother, are fighting for Peter. The Mercs. Daisy and her team. They're all fighting for that chance at life too, Nat."

Steve leaned a little closer as his lips were right against her ear now, "We all are. Don't put all of that on you. I get it. But that's not on you, Natasha. This is everyone's choice to be here, because Poseidon is threatening a heck of a lot more than just you and me…and us in this compound right now."

Everything Steve said was making sense. And all of the guilt and worry Natasha was feeling, was understandable. But it was a fallacy on both fronts. They used the fear for others, and their family of friends' choices as proxies for their own worry…about each other. About their biggest worry. Losing each other.

But the façade had fallen, and now they were left with nothing but their own memories of what it was like to be without each other, and the fear of never wanting to experience that again.

Natasha turned around so that her hair met the sunlight now. She looked equally ethereal and haunting in that moment. Her red hair glistening like a halo of fire. But shadows cast over her face, showing all of that fear and dread.

The dam of emotions burst, and Natasha looked up at him, "Steve…I can't think about living without you again. I mean it. I can't. I can't do it." Her eyes became glassy as she held onto his arms, "I need you, more than I've ever needed you before. I know it's foolish. I know it. And I know you'll partially be lying to me when you say it, because we just can't predict what will happen today."

Steve had an idea with what Natasha was going to say, because he was thinking it too as her words came…out a little more desperate as her hands dug a little more into his skin, "Steve, I know there's part of you that might not want to do this, but you promise me anyway. You promise me, we will be here tomorrow. That we will be together. And that we will both survive."

Natasha was right. It was a promise that in reality, couldn't be kept. Not for sure.

In war. In battle. On a mission.

Things happened. You planned and prepared, and relied on strengths and teammates to make it through. But the higher the risk and unknown, the more that preparation could be outmatched. Today represented that. They'd planned as much as they could. But they simply didn't have the time to prepare as much as they normally would.

They simply were going to be outnumbered. They simply…were flying straight into a hornet's nest to blow it up, all the while, hoping no one came out stung.

But Steve…felt the same exact way, so he did what she asked as he kissed her cheek. And then he whispered in her ear and really spoke to both her, and himself, "I promise, Nat. I promise we will be here together after today is done. You listen to that, and you believe it. You believe it with everything you have, because I need to hear it from you too."

A couple tears had fallen out of her eyes as she bit her lip and shook her head nervously. But then she did the same as Steve had, and said what they both needed to hear as she fell into his chest, "I promise it too, Steve. I promise we'll be here together."

It wasn't enough though. Steve lifted his hands up from her sides and held her cheeks in his palms, "Natasha, I've said this before. And I'll say it for the rest of my life. You are the strongest person I know. You trust your instinct out there today. You rely on your strengths. You work with me, side-by-side. Stronger together, remember?"

She nodded and ran her cheek along his palm and took a deep breath, "Steve, you're my forever. No matter what."

Natasha couldn't say anymore, because Steve's lips cut her off. They were on hers, feeling that love. That promise of forever. Showing her that strength. Making good on both of their words. Maybe they couldn't predict exactly what was going to happen today. But they loved each other enough, and believed in each other enough…to feel like their words could almost be true. They'd made it through so much already. So, if they needed to tell foolish promises to each other at this final calm before the storm?

So be it.

One more day. One more day to stop the darkness in their lives for good. That's what they told each other. That's what they told themselves.

Steve wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her in closer, somehow. They didn't have much distance between them already, but it was erased from existence, just as the darkness of night was fully gone now.

Time ticked on. Each second and minute passed as the hour waned and as they stood there. Holding each other. Kissing each other. Loving every breath and touch. Every sound and glance. Every hand hold, and brush of her hair and his beard, along each inch of her skin. As they kissed gently, and just lived a little of this life that they were fighting for.

The promise of tomorrow always came. The possibility of sacrifice always lingered. But right now, they were able to take a true moment together in the calm before the storm, and just exist in that forever, that they had promised each other so long ago. A promise that was still as true today, as it was 12 years before.


That promising hour had passed.

The sun was fully up, and the eyes of fate were on everyone gathered together downstairs now.

Sarah was kissing her sons on the cheek, and giving hugs to Wanda, Natasha, and everyone else. Peter was in Natasha's arms as Steve gave the same promise to him, as he did to Natasha an hour ago. That everything was going to be okay. He truly meant it to the toddler.

No matter what happened, Peter would grow up with love. He'd have Sarah, and countless other people in his life, guiding the way. Bucky and Steve turned out the way they did, because of their mother. No matter what, Peter would know love in this life. But it was still as hard to see his eyes fill with worry, as it was to deal with Steve's own emotions about the woman that held Peter.

Bucky and Sam were trying to joke their way to calmness. Everyone from the medical suite had made their way to the living area as well. Even though they couldn't go, they were going to see their team and family off. Danny stood, with his arm in a cast by Matt's gurney that had been wheeled out as they all gave their handshakes and good luck nods.

Thor nodded at Bruce and Steve and the rest of his team as he said, "You know I'd give anything to be going with you, my friends."

To which Tony thankfully made everyone laugh by responding, "Yeah, yeah. Thor, we're onto you. You gave your eye up, just so you could sit this one out."

But the joking didn't last for long. Because Rhodey found a way to stand. He'd been with Tony every step of the way since the beginning, 12 years ago. Through the FBI and CIA. And they never delved into these types of emotions, but this time was different. Because Tony was going on today's mission without Rhodey. Rhodey held out his hand to Tony but spoke to the rest of his team, "You watch each other's sixes out there. Got it?"

Tony took the handshake, but pulled him in for a hug, "Yeah. I got it, Rhodey."

Pepper and Betty came to stand by Rhodey and Thor and the doctors. They'd already had their moments, and they weren't going to go through the motions again that they had upstairs, because it'd be too hard. Right now, the team needed to focus.

But Maria called Natasha and Wanda over. She stood up too as they gave her a gentle hug through her bandages as she put on a strong face, "I don't want to copy Rhodey. But I will…You two have each other's backs out there, and everyone else's. And we'll see you soon, okay?"

Tears were being held back as loving looks and worried glances were exchanged.

And Sam…felt like he needed to get a little something more out of his system. He and Maria, in a way, had taken the first tiny, baby step into this idea they'd been flirting around for the longest time. But what he was about to do hadn't happened yet, as he interrupted the women's heartfelt moment, "Ladies, if you'll excuse me, there's one last thing I'd like to tell Maria before Fury gives his 'don't let me down,' speech."

Wanda and Natasha smirked at each other as they parted off to the sides of Maria, and looked on as Sam took a step forward, "Maria, in case there was any vague feelings from a little while ago, I just want to make sure you know, I'm asking you out. And you're saying yes when this is all over."

Maria's façade started to fall, but Sam cut anything she was about to say off, by leaning down and grabbing her non-bandaged side's waist and pulling her in for a gentle kiss on the lips that was over a decade in the making.

Wanda and Natasha were giddy as they stood by each other and Loki came over to them and started clapping. Everyone…started clapping and cheering and whistling. It was an emotional and promising reminder, of what everyone was fighting for today.

A chance. Hope. The future. Everything that this life had to offer, by living it.

The promise of tomorrow.

Thor high-fived Rhodey again, as they said together, "Thatta boy, Sam."

Bucky stood by his brother now, holding onto Peter now. He and Steve both just smiled and nodded, looking on at their very dear friend and family member, and old roommate for that matter. The Brooklyn Boys both stared at a good man, finally taking his shot at something he'd been hemming and hawing with for a long time.

Sam had every intention for the kiss to only be for him and Maria. But he finally unhooked the plow, and did it at maybe the most non-private time. And it turned out to be just what the room needed, in order to lift their worried spirits. And as Sam stepped back from Maria, separating their lips, and leaving her red-faced, she was at a loss for words. They both were.

But neither of them were the ones to speak next.

It was Fury, who broke the cheers and laughter, and found the right moment to finally start talking, and officially begin the mission.

"I feel like I've been doing this for each of you, ever since you first came into my world at Quantico, 12 years ago. And while some of you might be late additions and new arrivals in this room, rest assured. I mean this for every single one of you here."

And what he was about to say, he did mean. Fury meant it for his original 11 trainees, both those that could go today and those that couldn't. He meant it for his Pentagon trio. He meant it for the mercenaries and Clint, who were those new arrivals into this family of friends, but had proven themselves as worthy and courageous, and having the will to stand and fight…and sacrifice, when others couldn't or wouldn't.

He meant it for everyone else that wouldn't be going – the doctors, Sarah, Laura, Pepper, and Betty. And Peter.

And Fury meant it for those late arrivals, that had shown up in the last hour as everyone had made their way downstairs to stand in this very living area right now.

Secretary of State, Thaddeus Ross was present. He'd been at odds, to great extent over the last weeks with Fury. But right now, he knew which side he stood on. He stood with Fury, and had even worked with his connections to provide help where he could. He'd contacted trusted generals, that he reached out to in a couple of branches of the military, in order to provide a little more support for the task-force.

Ross had just let the team know, that Army Sergeant 'Dum Dum' Dugan and his Howling Commandos would be meeting Steve and the task-force outside of Niagara Falls this morning after their plane landed. Ross was also in contact with a trusted air-force ally, that was sending Air Force Captains, Carol Danvers and Maria Rambeau with a team of fighter pilots to assist with air support today.

The move was unexpected by Secretary Ross, but Fury wasn't going to complain. They would take all the help that they could get. Because they needed it. The Secretary had shown up with a couple of other late arrivals as well.

FBI Director, Hank Pym, and CIA Director, Everett Ross. Both men had promised teams of trusted CIA and FBI Agents, that wanted to help the cause and had been chomping at the bit, ever since the FBI had been attacked weeks ago. Loki had reached out to his counterparts on the web, and his main point of contact, Valkyrie…and her team, were going to meet the task-force outside of Niagara Falls too. It was a hodge podge of people trying to stand up and do what was right.

The task-force was flying out, after they left in their SUV's. A small plane was waiting for the team at a private airfield. They would be high in the sky in an hour from now. Then they'd be landed and on their way from Niagara Falls to the reserve in a couple of hours from now. And by early afternoon, they'd be making their raid on the Poseidon complex.

Everyone who could be trusted was there. Everyone who could be trusted and was willing to fight, would be meeting Steve and his team, hours from now. And Fury took that all in as he stared at the Secretary and Directors, and then looked to his team again, to continue what he had started saying.

"I look around at this task-force, and I see in all of you, what I saw in my team at Quantico, so many years ago. Resolve. Grit. Bravery. The willingness to sacrifice for each other and self, and country. You've all worked together, separate and with each other, so many times. Trust your instincts out there. Trust each other. And know that you are all the finest agents…and people, I've ever had the pleasure to lead."

Loki smirked and he couldn't help himself, "Aren't we the only people you've ever commanded, Fury? I'm beginning to think, you might actually be attached to us."

A few chuckles came out as Fury smiled back at the man, he'd shaken hands with only a little while ago and said, "You're damn right I'm attached. And I've commanded you all, because it was my choice. I didn't know what the future held when we all went to New York after your graduation 12 years ago."

Fury paused and looked around the room at the 11 of them. His team…and soaked it in for a second before he continued, "You never know. You hope for the best, then you make do with what you got. I happened to hope for the best and get the best. So, you all do the same today. You get there, assess the scene, complete the mission, by making do with what you got. It's what you've always done."

Fury wasn't trying to get emotional, but damn was this hard. His team. His family that he'd known and loved for such a long time, was backed into a worse corner than they'd ever been. And yet, they were here together, standing tall.

Fury had never been prouder.

"I know it's easy to feel like you're outmatched today. I know it's easy to get angry, knowing how despicable it is, thinking of people that were supposed to serve and protect, have betrayed everything we stand for. And they're trying to hurt innocent lives in this country. But we have always found a way to stop people like this. Maybe there's more of them this time. But this team…each and every one of you…has always had the ability to surprise me."

Everyone was feeling the motivation behind Fury's words as Tony took a step forward, "We bring the fight to them. That's our advantage today. The element of surprise."

Clint fed off of his words, "Yeah. And then we turn their own mission on them. We infiltrate. We secure the area. And destroy Poseidon, once and for all."

Nodding heads followed as Wanda went and stood by Bucky with Loki beside her, and Natasha came to the other side as she stood by Steve, now. Everyone was feeling the emotion, but also the resolve and fight build inside of themselves as Fury went on.

"You've always found a way to stop criminals like Poseidon. You each remember that, when you leave today. Because in the end, they're no different. They're terrorist thugs, who are trying to spread chaos. Whose desire is to rule with fear, and lead with the hate in their hearts. In the end, you have your wit and will. You have each other. And you have all impressed me so damn much over the years, taking down criminals like this."

Fury took one last glance around at his team and finished, "I know you're going to impress me today, too. I know that. And so do all of you."

There wasn't much left to be said. Steve would wait to give his final orders until everyone was gathered after they landed in Niagara Falls. This was Fury's role right now, being the leader overseeing this task-force. And the final words had just been spoken. Steve nodded to Fury and then gave the nod to everyone as they started to leave.

One-by-one, the task-force left the safehouse. Left the security of their reprieve.

The Pentagon trio, and the mercenaries were first to leave. Then Clint, Tony, and Bruce as they all gave one final nod to the women standing strong, next to the five task-force members that would stay behind because of their injuries.

Then Sam gave one last smile and wink to Maria as she held back any sign of worry, believing in her heart that he would be okay. Then Loki and Natasha left together. Two people who'd been on the outside, looking in for seven long years. Two friends, who were so grateful to be in the presence of each other and their families again. To have found each other and everything they held near and dear in their lives. Two people, who'd lost the love and trust of their family of friends, and had somehow found a way to regain it too, appreciating it even more this time around.

Wanda and Bucky gave Sarah one final hug, and then took a few seconds longer with Peter, easing any worries that were creeping on his face, "We'll be gone for just a little while today, Peter. You do as Nat and Loki and Steve and everyone here has taught you. You help everyone here, okay?" Bucky told his son.

Wanda was a very strong woman. She was the emotional heart of this group. But this was one of the hardest things she'd ever had to do. "Peter, I love you. Mommy and Daddy love you. You know that, right?"

Peter nodded his head and hugged her back as she kissed his cheek, "That's all that matters then. You help Grandma and everyone else here, while we're gone, okay? And just know that we love you. And we'll see you soon."

Bucky nodded at Sarah to come and grab Peter, otherwise, this was only going to get harder for Wanda. For him. For everyone still in that room. Bucky helped Wanda stand and they looked back at Steve, before walking out the door.

Steve was the last man standing. He looked at his mom. She'd already kissed him and Bucky, but she came up to him anyway, "You listen to me. Steven Grant Rogers. You do what you've been doing, since you were a little boy. You go and protect. You finish the job. And you come back home, do you understand?"

So much for trying to keep emotions in check.

Sarah had tears in her eyes and had to look away. It wasn't just Steve. It was the true end to the calm before the storm. And her sons, and everyone important to the people left at the safehouse, were heading right into the eye of that storm. Steve, took on the role of being the rock though. The unwavering post in the ground that refused to move, and found the strength to wipe her eyes, and wipe the emotions inside of him away.

This was his mission. And he had to stay calm for everyone that had just walked outside.

"Yeah, Mom. I understand."

And then Fury and Steve were at the door.

"You know, Rogers. You've been a stubborn man since day one. A man who's surprised me to no end, but one thing you've always been, is the leader to this team. The leader on a mission. Today is no different."

They didn't need to say much. The heartfelt moments had already happened upstairs and down, an hour ago, as the eyes of fate travelled through the compound walls. The final words from Fury had been conveyed. And now, the final action from him, to his team leader from day one, was given…Fury extended his hand towards Steve, "You're calling the shots now, Cap. We'll be here waiting for you after you're done."

Steve smirked at Fury and shook his hand back, "Yeah, Fury. When we're done."

And then Steve was gone.

Every task-force member had left and piled into the caravan of SUV's. They were now officially in the storm, preparing to fight, and trying to right some of the wrongs. Each man and woman, charging into battle today, was prepared…to sacrifice for each other. For their country. And for every person that was left back at the safehouse.

Sacrifice is not to be feared. Sacrifice, was a part of their lives. Sacrifice, was something that was unavoidable at times. And this storm, was one of those times where another harsh lesson in life would be lived and learned.

The eyes of fate drank in the last calm before the storm. Each person in every scene. Every wish and dream. Each and every memory in their realities. The eyes of fate closed on the morning as the task-force took off. As they traveled into the heart of battle.

They closed, absorbing that harsh lesson that everyone would realize soon enough.

Not everyone who left the safehouse, would be returning.


12 Years Ago – Graduation Day

11 friends stood together.

11 friends…who'd gotten themselves into more shenanigans than they could count, on all 10 fingers and toes combined, during their five and a half months at Quantico.

They were all hanging out together with their black suits all on, as they stood in the mid-morning sun between the dormitories. Nothing but excitement, surrounded them. Unlike some of their classmates, who were sad about having to leave new found friends, and even in some cases, new loves formed…they weren't sad. Because no one was leaving their Scooby Gang.

And they couldn't wipe the smiles off of their faces, even if they tried.

Wanda was playing with Bucky's tie, trying to straighten it out as Sam and Bruce and Rhodey and Thor made fun of them. Yes, they were all in suits and ties. A professional appearance, blanketing the five and a half months of training and grueling tests they'd passed. They were all biding their time, as they were about to be given their badges and sworn into the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Steve and Natasha stood side-by-side, a few feet away from the rest of the group, "Nat, are you okay?"

Natasha knew what Steve was asking. He wasn't asking if she was okay with the fact, that they were about to turn the page on Quantico, and all start the new chapter in their lives in New York.

Steve was asking, if Natasha was okay with the fact that she was about to see Ivan and Oksana.

When?

She didn't know exactly when, but it would be soon. The graduation ceremony began in an hour.

"Wanda, come on. I look fine." Bucky's voice broke through their conversation as all of their friends laughed at the couple. Loki made some crude joke, which caused them all to laugh again.

But Steve wasn't laughing, and neither was Natasha. She looked up at him and finally answered his question quietly, "I just wish they weren't even coming today. I want this to be over. In some ways, being done here, means I'm done with my past too, Steve. I just want to move on from it. With Clint. With all of our idiot friends. And with you."

Steve tried to reach down to grab her hand, but they were interrupted again as Loki asked, "Hey Natasha, isn't that your brother, Clint? Wow, he looks real excited to be walking with those two stiffs over there."

Parents and friends and family members were filing in across campus. They were full of anticipation and pride, walking into the auditorium to reserve a seat early.

But the two 'stiffs,' as Loki put it, weren't proud. They were hungry…to get Natasha back in their lives. They wanted today to be over with too. Steve saw Natasha's face shift entirely as she turned her head.

Her red waves blew in the light wind outside as her face and body tightened. As she watched Ivan and Oksana walk in front of Clint towards the auditorium. Clint looked about as good as Natasha felt. Tight. Worried. Nervous. Just wanting and waiting for the day to be over.

Always stubborn. And ever a fighter. It was ironic. Those were qualities, and part of who Ivan and Oksana trained Natasha to be. But they didn't anticipate her heart and spirit never fading. It was ironic, because that fight inside of her? It was stoked immediately after seeing Ivan and Oksana for the first time in over five months.

Yes, something was triggered inside of Natasha as her face drew into a tight expression. She whispered to Steve, "You stay here. I'm going to go…say Hi."

Naivety. Or maybe ignorance.

Maybe both…fed Steve's actions as he said, "Then I'm going with, Nat. I want to meet them."

Two worlds colliding. And the man that she loved was still trying to stand by her. Steve might have known about all Natasha had done, but he didn't know Ivan and Oksana. No amount of preparation, could prepare him for his first encounter.

Natasha…didn't want to argue with him about it. And she could've never predicted what chain of events would occur after the provoking actions taken today. No one could have. No one, not even Clint and Natasha. Yes, they knew the depths of Ivan and Oksana's love for their mother country. But they didn't understand, how deep their obsession would go for revenge.

So, Natasha simply gave Steve a little nod to follow, as Wanda smacked Loki on the side of the head, "I think that's Clint and Natasha's adopted parents. It doesn't look like she's excited to see them, so be nice, Loki."

The nine friends looked on as Steve walked right by Natasha. And as Clint tapped Ivan's shoulder and pointed his head towards his sister. They walked off toward the side of the dormitory. Away from the lines of people arriving to see their loved ones. Away from their friends that kept looking at the cold encounter.

Stiffs may have sounded crass for Loki to say. But it was accurate. Ivan and Oksana looked like they wanted to be at Graduation about as bad as a pig wanted to show up to the slaughter house. They were two handlers of homegrown spies, with the goal of returning to Russia someday. Their primary objective in life, was to take down Western ideals and advancement, only for Soviet rule to reign. So yeah, they wanted absolutely no part of this celebration for more FBI Agents. For more security in America, 'the Land of the Free.'

They were here for one reason only. To retrieve their property.

And they thought, up to this point, that they were going to get their little Yelena back after the ceremony today. It was the deal they had made after she was done in the Navy. Scratch that. It was the deal they forced on her, dangling five last months of freedom.

Natasha had a change of plans. And she'd kept quiet prior to today because she didn't want them to somehow screw up her graduation. After today, she'd have her FBI Badge, would move to New York, and start her new life and Clint was coming with.

The siblings would be rid of Ivan and Oksana.

All because of Natasha's insurance list of 100 operatives from Russia she'd stolen from Ivan and Oksana, months ago. Two separate plans set for collision. But Natasha was naïve and bold enough at this age, that she truly believed her actions would be enough. They would be enough for Ivan and Oksana to retreat, but only to come back years later with more lust for Natasha's pain.

During all of her time at Quantico, Natasha's plan was to tell her handlers after the ceremony. To ensure she got that badge and that they didn't screw it up somehow.

But right now? As Natasha walked next to Steve, something shifted. A last-minute change occurred within her. Because even having Ivan and Oksana at Quantico, made everything feel tainted.

Quantico represented change. Her new life. Steve.

And she didn't want them here.

Tony's Dad. Wanda's brother. Rhodey, Bruce, and Loki's fathers. They were all present, along with the family members of their friends who were loving and supportive, like Maria's family. Thor's Uncle Heimdall. Loki's mother. And of course, Sarah Rogers. But regardless of having loving or challenging parents or troubled siblings. None of the others' family members compared to Ivan and Oksana.

Ivan and Oksana were cold and hard. Proper and regal. Calculating and like stone. They'd raised Clint and Natasha and others under their thumb, to be stubborn against Western culture. To fight with the same desire to return to Russia, just like them.

Stubborn and fight?

Damn right. Natasha learned it, but not how they wanted. And she became even more of a fighter and more tenacious, since coming to Quantico. That stubbornness and fighting spirit, only had her refusing to let them blemish her day right now.

Yes, something had shifted in Natasha. She had started to discover who she was as a person. She discovered she was a person, worthy of a life. And what she knew right now more than anything, was that she didn't want Ivan and Oksana to have any part of her life here at Quantico.

She wanted them gone.

Now.

Natasha decided to move up her ultimatum to now. It was bold and a little reckless. But being out in the open like this, almost assured Natasha that Oksana would stay quiet. They were cold and vengeful. But they minded their p's and q's when it came to keeping up public appearances.

Clint smirked at Natasha because he saw her wheels spinning already. He looked curiously at Steve and Steve just kind of shrugged his shoulders.

They were out of earshot from everyone as Ivan spoke first, "Yelena. What a momentous day. Your last day of your little vacation. Now, you come home after."

Ivan and Oksana…wouldn't even look at Steve as Clint came to stand by him.

And if Natasha was set off before. She was truly almost unhinged now. For over two decades, she had to deal with their control and forceful ways of life. And while she had made the attempts at escaping and leaving before, she knew she was done now. She'd felt the desire before, but Steve had only solidified her dream for wanting something more in this life, than the set-out path she was sold into under Soviet Rule.

Natasha stared straight at Oksana, "I was going to wait. But instead of having to deal with the thought of you being…at something that is very important to me today, I think I'll just say it now. I don't want any sort of darkness infecting my life today. I would like for you and Ivan to leave, Oksana."

There it was.

Oksana's cold stare…like stone.

Steve would never forget the image. It was like Natasha poked the thin veil that Oksana had attempted to put up, and it shattered before Steve's eyes, leaving him looking at a very icy stare from her to…Yelena.

Ivan hated the thorn that was Natasha Romanoff, for many years. He hated the trouble it caused him, and that she never made things easy. She never just followed orders. He hated how talented she was, knowing that if she did just follow those orders, it would have made their American operation run so much better. And he hated…how obsessed Oksana was with her.

Maybe it was jealousy. Maybe it was because Oksana was a fanatic and control freak from the old country, and hated that she was placed in America. Or maybe it was just that…Oksana, believed in what would be known as Poseidon down the road. She believed that Russia would return to the top of the world stage of power one day. And Natasha…the little red-headed spitfire that was sent to them decades ago, had never just simply complied.

Oksana didn't just hate Natasha. It was personal to her.

Natasha had defied and challenged. She'd bucked against orders, but they always kept her around. Because they had her on a leash growing up. And that leash was her brother. She eventually came around, completing their tests time and time again. And when she did, Oksana hated even more, how goddamn talented and gifted Natasha was.

So, when Natasha made her last defying move of going off to join the Navy, Oksana was going to take her back…because to be quite honest, their smaller operation at this moment in time? Needed someone like her. They needed someone with passion and fire, that could lead and fight with the skillset Natasha had.

But then, Natasha went and defied them again, and joined the FBI Academy. So, Oksana had spent the last five months, figuring out a way to tighten that leash. It was unbeknownst to her or Ivan, that Natasha had her own plan.

So, the fact that Oksana was being challenged yet again, by the woman who was all fire and spirit in front of her, made her want to…lose her shit, to put it bluntly. But she didn't. Because Oksana, above all else…knew how to keep her shit together in public. Too much could be revealed by a public scene.

Oksana also knew…that Natasha knew that as well. And boy, did the woman feel set up in this moment. Which only infuriated her more. Oksana looked like she was about to crack as she took a step forward and spoke in a very low tone, "Like? You would 'like?'" Oksana narrowed her eyes, "Yelena, you will realize, either by your own choosing, or by my choosing for you one day…that what you would like, matters not in this lifetime. Your life, is at home with me and your father. And your brother."

Natasha felt like laughing hysterically. Oksana had no idea that Steve knew about Natasha and Clint's truth. Oksana was trying to keep up the charade of her and Ivan being Clint and Natasha's adoptive mother and father.

And Natasha's first mistake of the day, was letting her pride and anger get the best of her. She wanted to see the flicker of anger in Oksana's eye, when she made the woman aware of how close her and Steve truly were.

"Oksana, if this is your way of playing puppeteer to see if you can get me to call you mother, you are sorely mistaken. I will never call you that again. You have never been, never wanted to be, and never will be my mother. My mother sold me into slavery, and you make her look like fucking Mother Teresa."

Steve saw the coldness wash away as Oksana's face became a little red. And Oksana, for maybe the first time in a very long time, lost a little control in a public place. At least…her idea of losing control. Natasha talked about her biological mother and slavery, in front of this sandy-blonde haired and blue-eyed man that was standing by Clint.

Which meant, Natasha had told him…something.

That was all her handlers needed to know to take them from angry to livid.

Oksana stepped forward and gripped her hand around Natasha's wrist firmly while Ivan crowded in on the other side.

Steve had heard stories, but his visceral reaction right now at the aggression shown towards Natasha made his jaw clench, "What the fuck?" They were still out of earshot from anyone looking on, but Steve was loud enough for Oksana and Ivan to hear.

Clint put his hand on Steve's shoulder and shook his head, and Oksana positively gleamed, "So, Natasha left little Yelena in the dust, and found herself a real American hero here at the FBI." Oksana cocked her head as she dug her nails into Natasha's wrist.

Steve saw the flicker of emotion in Natasha's eyes, but she shook it off and stared back at her handler, "What are you going to do, Oksana? Make me pass a test right here? Try and fight me in front of 100's of Americans? Your precious homeland won't be too happy with mess they'll have to clean up, will they? You're not going to do anything that would cause any sort of PR nightmare, right now. And you're only embarrassing yourself by pretending. So, back the fuck off of me."

Oksana's eyes travelled over to Steve, and met his. Steve felt a chill run down his spine as he heard her speak to him next, "She's got you convinced she's changed for you, hasn't she? This nice little pamphlet of information on the graduates really paints a picture of you. A real hero. Army Captain. Stand up son. What are you doing, wasting time with trash like Yelena?"

Now Steve's blood was boiling, "Listen here. I'm not going to stand here and let you talk about Nat like that." Before Steve could go on, Clint grabbed his arm, "Rogers, don't. It's what they want. We're in public. They're not going to do anything."

First, they had to listen to Natasha spit at them, essentially with her words. Then they had to realize that this physical manifestation, in the form of Steven Grant Rogers, knew more than he ever should. His little biography in the pamphlet represented everything that they hated about the West. And it made them want to wipe the ground with his perfect American smile.

And on top of it, Clint was showing signs of defiance like his sister. They'd only seen him act like this maybe once or twice in front of them. But now? Ivan and Oksana could see it on his face and in his demeanor. He was standing with Natasha. And the fact that Clint also knew, that Steve had been clued in on their life, with whatever Natasha had told him? It only angered them more.

Natasha knew that Oksana wanted to scream, but she also knew without a shadow of a doubt, that she wasn't going to make a scene. Was this the smartest way to deliver her ultimatum to Ivan and Oksana? Most definitely not. But Natasha was done.

She'd sacrificed her entire childhood and youth to the two of them, for a cause she never believed in or wanted. She thought she'd sacrificed any chance at that American dream she had always hoped for growing up. And then Steve came along, and now the two of them stood at the start of a new beginning. At a chance of a real life together. And Clint? He was coming along for the ride, and Natasha couldn't be happier because of it.

She was done.

She was done with the sacrifices she'd already given to the man and woman before her. They represented everything dark and ugly in her life. A past she wanted to close the book on, and a future she wanted to change. Her future was Clint and Steve. The FBI and New York. Her friends.

Her future…hadn't been forcefully written for her yet, and that was beautiful.

So no, this wasn't smart. But Natasha didn't care. She wanted them gone from her life. She wanted to rid the darkness and have today truly be about her, and Steve, and everyone truly wanted around her.

All of those emotions were coursing through her veins. The stare in her eyes matched the fiery color in her hair as she yanked her wrist away from Oksana and put her own finger into the woman's chest to push her back a step, "You can say anything you want right now, Oksana. You can try to poison the air with your twisted words all you want. You can try to control Clint and me, like you always have."

Natasha glanced over at Clint, and then Steve. She could see her classmates and friends, looking on from a distance. She knew they couldn't hear or really tell what was going on. But she also knew from the look of this scene, they could tell it was at the very least…awkward and tense.

She took a breath and grabbed the USB drive out of her pocket. One of them. She had multiple copies. One back in her room. And another in a safe deposit box at a bank. This copy…was for Ivan and Oksana to have, to know she meant business.

Natasha held it in her hand as her handlers looked down at it and then back up at her, knowing she was more than just being obstinate. "You can try and say anything you want, Oksana. But I am done. This isn't just about the Navy or FBI. This is about me and my brother, being fucking done. So, you take this drive, and you read the list of every operative's name that I have on there. And that I have saved on my own copies. And know…that if you don't back off, and let Clint and me go, I will give the list over to everyone I possibly can."

Ivan and Oksana, were old world operatives. They believed in the cause and didn't ask questions. And they always maintained control in public. Natasha was always the exception to a lot of their rules they lived by. And now, was no different, as some of the color faded from Oksana's face as she flipped the drive over in her palm. She could tell Natasha wasn't bluffing. And while any authorities may not be able to find hard enough evidence on the files to actually do anything about most of the names on it, it would be very problematic.

Especially for Ivan and Oksana.

Natasha knew that as she continued, "You can kiss any chance of ever returning to your precious Russia, goodbye, Oksana. If I put that list out there, it might not bring down your boss or their boss, or whoever is above them. But it will end you, and you know it. It'll cause enough of a splash in the news, that you and Ivan will be done for."

Oksana was almost shaking with vitriol. Ivan stepped forward and put his hand on her shoulder, reminding her of where she was. He was obviously infuriated, but not to the personal extent Oksana was right now. Not to the extent where she was about to lose control. He spoke over both women, "Yelena, I want you to think long and hard about what you are doing. You have a choice to make, once and for all. You come back to us, so we may all return to Russia one day. Or you choose this country. Your blue-eyed savior, and this fallacy of a life you think you want."

Natasha had been worried for weeks leading up to today. She had been nervous to go through with it, and what the result would be. But now? After she'd said what she had initially, it was like her eyes were fully opened at how sad and pathetic Ivan and Oksana truly were. They'd always been the villainous handlers in her life, forcing her and Clint to perform test after test and to work for them.

But right now? They just looked pathetic. Alone. They were two people washed up from a world, they wanted to desperately return to. They were two people convinced they were fulfilling their destiny by carrying out order after order from the mother country.

But in reality? They were almost pitiful. Empty shells of humans, without the capability of love or compassion. Two people who consumed and used. Who manipulated and twisted. Two people who forced Clint and Natasha…to sacrifice, when they couldn't even fathom the true meaning of the word.

And it was like Natasha could truly see how pathetic it all was right now.

Had Natasha always feared them? Yes. But right now? All she could think, was…Yes, they were pathetic. And they would never know love. They would never know what it was like to care for someone so much, to be willing to do something as reckless as steal a Russian operative list from two people who had imposed their will from day one. All to give Clint and her a chance at a life.

They would never know peace or joy. Or serenity.

Their pathetic excuse for a life ran through her mind as she almost laughed at Ivan's words, "Choice? My choice? If you and Oksana would have been paying attention, I made my choice when I ran out on you to join the Navy. I've been fighting, even when I've been controlled by you. You've tried to rob me of my option to choose for my entire time with you. But today? My choice is final. I choose, anything but you. I choose my brother. And I choose this life, that I am living. I choose the man that I love. And I choose this country that I am going to fight for."

Natasha was provoking them, and she knew it. But she didn't fucking care anymore.

She. Was. Done.

It was defiance and attitude, and fight and spirit all wrapped into one. It was Natasha standing tall, in a naïve and proud way, that only a woman on the cusp of a life could. She had no idea the horrors the future would bring, after this moment. There was no way she could. She was just naïve enough, and just arrogant enough with her skillset and intelligence, that she truly thought this would work.

And it would work, for five beautiful years.

She looked at Ivan. And then Natasha stared back at Oksana, who looked like she was hot enough to crack. And Natasha gave a little smirk before finishing, "That's my choice, Ivan. It always has been. I would rather die, than fight for you. Clint and I? We're done sacrificing our lives. So, it looks like the only ones left with a choice, are you and Oksana. You can try and do something to force Clint and I back under your thumb. But know that this list will be released…and you'll be finished. Or you can swallow your fucking obsession with us, and keep controlling mindless Neanderthals like Alexi, Rollins, and Rumlow. You can choose to let us go, and be done with us. And know this list will never be released…and you'll still have your chance at returning to your precious Mother Russia."

Oksana looked like she wanted to rip Natasha limb from limb, but Ivan, had enough control to know, they needed to leave.

"Оксана, пошли."

They continued to talk in Russian for a minute after Ivan had told her they needed to leave, now. It was clear what their choice would be. They weren't going to try and stay. Natasha had played the ace up her sleeve, and seemingly had finally gotten a winning hand in this life.

But it didn't stop Oksana from getting in the final word. First she looked to Clint, "Foolish you are, Clint, for following your sister. You'll see that one day."

She looked at the man standing by Clint, who didn't cower under Oksana's stare, which only pissed her off even more. Steve was glaring at her as she said, "You'll find out one day, Steven Rogers, that she isn't worth the worry you've put on yourself for her. You'll find out that that all she does is cause people pain and disappointment. And anything you've given up for her, will be useless."

Natasha went and stood by Clint and Steve, as Steve put his hand protectively around her waist. And Oksana turned to the fiery redhead that had been a thorn in her side since day one, "You think you know the word sacrifice, Yelena? You know nothing. And you remember that. One day, you'll finally learn what sacrifice means."

Oksana was about to leave, but she did something out of norm for her, and she walked quickly over towards Natasha. Steve and Clint both stepped forward but Oksana stopped and sneered at the three of them, "Freedom is America's great lie. And you are foolish to betray your homeland for it."

Oksana repeated a line that had been told to Natasha throughout her life. And had played on repeat in her darkest dreams, "Елена, ты глупый ребенок. Разве ты не знаешь, что никогда не будешь свободным?" And then she turned around and grabbed Ivan's arm as they left as quickly as they arrived, with the USB drive in hand.

The ripple effect that'd started, as Natasha cast that stone on graduation day, wouldn't be known for years to come. The depths of pain and loss, and yes, sacrifice would be felt between Steve, Clint, and Natasha over and over again. All, after Ivan and Oksana made their move to rip her away from the life she so desired. As they exacted their sadistic lust for pain on her, when they took her, beat her, and tortured her for almost two years.

But right now? Those ripples didn't matter.

That's what happened in the present. When someone stopped worrying about the past or future and just acted. In Natasha and Clint's mind, they'd won that day. Ivan and Oksana retreated. They were together, and going to Graduation in less than an hour.

Their future had never looked brighter.

But Oksana's words lingered as Steve kissed her forehead and asked, "What did she just say to you, Natasha?"

Natasha looked to Clint first, and then back at Steve before she answered, "She told me, 'Yelena, you stupid child. Don't you know, you'll never be free?'"

Natasha shook off the worried looks both her brother and Steve gave her, "It doesn't matter though. I'm not going to let them ruin today. So, don't either of you. They're gone and today isn't about them. God, I don't want to think about them at all anymore. Today is about, us. About all of us and our futures."

Clint leaned down to hug her, "Я горжусь тобой, Наташа."

Natasha grinned at him as he walked away and said, "I'm proud of you, too, Clint."

That left Steve and Natasha, dressed in their black suits, about to receive their badges for this country. They were ready, and about to join an organization that they had to be willing to sacrifice it all, in order to save a few. They left as they were about to begin their lives as FBI agents together.


Present Day – Niagara Falls, NY

There was a strange duality in moments like these.

The end of a long battle, with the tease of tomorrow was on everyone's mind. They were all the strongest people that everyone present could imagine. But in moments like these, nerves and worry still crept up. But also, in moments like these, beauty was still to be found.

The team had touched down minutes ago at the airport. Steve and Natasha, and everyone else on board, soaked in Niagara Falls from the air. Waterfalls of moisture and natural wonder filled their horizons as they descended from above.

The flight had been silent for the most part, and soaking in the falls of beauty from the sky had calmed the feeling of dread in the air. What a magnificent site to see at any time in someone's life.

But now?

They all were about to meet up with CIA and FBI agents helping, that Everett Ross and Hank Pym had promised. They would soon be greeting the military's aid that Secretary Ross arranged, with Danvers' and Dum-Dum Dugan's units. And they would also encounter Loki's acquaintances, who'd offered their assistance too. Yes, everyone was about to stand tall together, who was willing to fight.

With all of that on their minds, the task-force took in their surroundings and realized a harsh reality. That final calm before the storm was over. Their flight, that descended on the beautiful scenery, and allowed them all to absorb all the beauty this earth had to offer was it. Because they were going to be in their SUV's shortly after.

So yes, the strange duality was present in each and every one of them. Respect and fear. Undeniable respect, for the breathtaking landscapes around them, filled with sunshine and clear skies and thunderous water. But unstoppable fear as well. Fear of the unknown today. Fear of potential loss. Fear that…this might be it.

Their SUV's waiting for them as they got off the plane, but first there were introductions.

Tony greeted a few men and women in the CIA that he knew. Nods of respect and admiration were given between familiar FBI agents and the task-force. Handshakes of introduction were exchanged between Sergeant Dugan and his Army Soldiers to the likes of Steve and Bucky. A lot of talking wasn't needed because a common thread was shared among everyone present. It was the only commonality needed in times like these.

Each teammate. Each soldier. Each agent.

Each and every one of them, shared the willingness to sacrifice. And the courage, to do whatever it takes.

Transport vans and SUV's lined the runway, ready to take them all to the hidden wildlife reserve. To Poseidon. The Mercs stood by an SUV, as did the Pentagon Trio. Dum-Dum Dugan's unit of 20 men, were taking two transport buses and one SUV. The CIA and FBI combined, had 50 agents present, willing and wanting to fight along Tony and Steve and everyone else. They had their own caravan of transport buses and SUV's and vans waiting to take them into battle.

Carol Danvers and Maria Rambeau were patched in over comms. The two captains were able to find several other fighter pilots to assist with taking out the other locations that held more of Poseidon's weaponry.

Each of the other locations were empty, but the stock of weapons needed to go. After a much-heated debate over the previous two days, discussing whether or not the government should able to reclaim the weapons, Steve took control and simply told Fury and the team, "This grew under all of our noses. This is how it ends. None of these weapons or compounds are saved. It all goes."

So, after Captain Danvers and Rambeau ran drones over the other four warehouses across the country, they discovered they truly were empty. Danvers's crew had one job - take out the warehouses with an airstrike. Eliminate Poseidon's stock on weapons in this country, while the team completed their job. To take care of Poseidon's actual army, hiding out near Niagara Falls. To try and gain any more intel they didn't have possession of. To truly end Poseidon.

The CIA, FBI, and Army were all present with the Air Force team on comms. That left Loki's 'criminal friends.' Much to everyone's surprise, they showed up. Valkyrie and her crew gave the Mercenaries a run for their money as far as appearances went. They looked…rough. Natasha and Wanda asked if Valkyrie was drunk, and Loki just laughed, "Oh my dears…that's just how she functions. Honestly? I think she fights better the more liquor she has in her." They listened to Korg and Miek's weird quips, and then took in the men that went by the aliases of The Collector and The Grandmaster.

They were all low-key criminals, signing up to help out the law. What a thought…the criminal underworld, standing alongside with the FBI, CIA, Army and Air Force. Mercenaries were in the same boat. There was this weird seize fire between everyone present, with who was supposed to be representing law and order and everyone…who was more fluid with the ideas of law and order.

Were Valkyrie and her crew, criminals? Sure. Had the Mercenaries, and Clint and Natasha and Loki…and Steve, flirted with the lines of the law and right and wrong, more times than they could count? Absolutely.

But everyone had a commonality – the willingness to sacrifice and courage. And no one, wanted to see mass genocide and thousands of people become Poseidon's victims, all because some pathetic terrorist group was trying to regain Soviet power on the world stage. No. No one present, wanted any of that.

The enemy of my enemy is my friend.

It was as true now as it ever was, and they were here to help as the rogue criminal allies stood by their own SUV, but along with everyone else.

And then…there was the actual task-force. Bruce and Tony, Wanda and Bucky, Loki and Sam, and Clint and Natasha and Steve. With Thor and Maria and Rhodey, each there in spirit.

They were all there, lined up by two SUV's they would be travelling in. It was an hour drive, but before they all got in to drive off to the wildlife reserve, Steve was going to say something. Roughly 100 people were standing today, together. A mismatch of agents and soldiers. Of rogue criminals and mercenaries. Of people standing up in a crowd against the enemy to say, not today. Not on our watch. Not as long as we can stand.

"I look around right now, at friends old and new. At family. I look at allies that have come from our past and from connections in our lives. Some of you don't know me well, if at all. Some of us may not know each other well after today. But that doesn't matter. Because when I look at each and every one of you here, with me, and this task-force…I know everything that I need to about you."

Steve had a way with words. He always did. It was part of what naturally made him the leader of this team, 12 years ago. It was part of what made him who he was. It wasn't that he was a motivational speaker or had the most rousing speeches like a coach in a locker room. It was that he was the moral compass. Even with all of his dishonesty, related to his love for Natasha and her life, and searching for her over the years. Even with his breaking of laws and bending rules, to try and bring her home, and then ultimately saving her. Even with each of those steps into the gray in life, Steve was…Steve.

He was a big brother to Bucky, even though they were essentially the same age. He tried to stand up and be a protector, early on in life, to an abusive father and unfair circumstance of their own. He was a Captain in the Army, and then grew to be a leader of this family of friends. He was Steven Grant Rogers, and one thing that never wavered, was his ability to know when to stand.

To stand against bullies. To stand against what was inherently wrong. To stand against enemies, like Poseidon.

Steve was the leader of this team from the beginning, and what made his words so compelling, weren't the actual words. It was the heart behind them. Tony had said it long ago in his reluctant assessment of his friend back at Quantico, 'I guess that's Steve Roger's greatest strength. Worming his way in, with his morality and heart.'

They would all need that today. And the heart behind Steve's words, only helped them find the strength in their own.

"When I look at all of you. Each Agent. Each Soldier. Each citizen of this country. I know that you are standing with me. You are choosing, and standing against something you know is wrong. Against lies being spread all over the news. Against an enemy that has twisted and found their way into high ranking parts of this government over the last 50 years. And when the time came, you made a choice. You made a choice to stand…and fight."

Loki was grinning. Natasha bit her lip, looking down at the ground, feeling every part of Steve's heart. Tony…was even smirking, knowing how the CIA and FBI, the Soldiers and yes, even the low-key criminals, were all feeling. The nerves were inside all of them. The hint of fear lingered in their hearts. How could it not? But, what Steve did. What standing with each other did, was let everyone know…they weren't alone. And they never would be. They were in this and would be, stronger together.

"It is people like each and every one of you, that always right the wrongs. That shines the light in the dark…The world is in our hands. It's left to us, and we have to do something with it. And today, we will."

Sam put his hand on Bucky's shoulder, and Wanda smiled and gave him a nudge on the other side, telling him silently, 'Yeah, you should be damn proud of who you are, and that, that's your brother. We should all be proud.' Clint couldn't help but even smile. He'd grown up, being motivated by fear and having no choice. And Steve, was at the opposite end of that spectrum. He saw that same feeling of strength…and hope…as he looked around and saw the same hands on shoulders, and nudges. The same smiles and nods around, as he looked at the groups of CIA and FBI men and women. At the soldiers and everyone else.

There was a strange duality in moments like these.

Steve took a look around him, at the clear sky that covered all of them and one of most beautiful, natural wonders of the world. And then he turned to look at this mishmash of men and women, standing together, to try and do something right, no matter the cost.

No matter the sacrifice.

And then he looked to his team. At Bruce and Tony. At Sam and Bucky. At Wanda and Loki. At Clint…and then Natasha. There was a secret to Steve's heart and words. His team all figured it out, with their years together in the FBI. But they never really talked about it. He was the leader, and led with his morals and heart.

But the secret? It was a two-way street. He didn't only give strength. Steve received it.

Steve wasn't just providing strength with his words. He was feeding off of it, from his allies. From his friends and family. From the love of his life. He wasn't alone either, and that was the point. He found the strength in his heart, and the courage he needed, from everyone around him too. They all needed each other, in their shared commonality. By being each other's lights, to guide them through the dark.

Steve reflected for a moment longer before finishing, "Alright. We have a plan. There's roughly 100 of us, by land and air today. There's a lot more of them, but we have what we need. Each other. We get one shot. So, remember, we've all lost something because of Poseidon."

The reflection of what they'd lost ran through their minds. Innocence. Peace of mind. Trust in government. Innocent lives had been taken at the attack at the FBI, and in the Embassy and Consulate in Australia and Sweden.

"People have lost friends. People have lost family. In some ways, some of us have lost part of ourselves." Steve looked directly at Natasha and they shared a glance, knowing that what they'd lost, they would never get over. But they would get through it together. "Today, we have a chance to take it all back. You know your team. You know your mission. One round trip today. No mistakes. No do overs. We're going somewhere we don't know, all that well. But that doesn't mean we shouldn't know what to expect."

He looked over at Tony and all of his team one last time. Clint and Bruce. Loki and Wanda. Sam and then finally Bucky, and then Natasha, "Be careful. Lookout for each other. This is the fight of our lives and we're gonna win. Whatever it takes. Good luck."

Castle and Jones and Cage were all even smiling at Steve's words. Everyone was. It was what they needed to hear as repeated lines of, "Whatever it takes," were heard throughout each group.

Carol and her pilots wished the team well and ended the comms link for now. And everyone else loaded into their transport vans and buses and SUV's, driving off and feeling internally, what they'd just heard and said out loud. To do whatever it takes.

To sacrifice.

To stand tall and finish this today, in the fight of their lives.


12 Years Ago – Graduation

Graduation was not the end. It was only the beginning.

Graduation…was occurring right now.

As families and friends crowded into the auditorium at Quantico, the entire class found their seats. They were all dressed in professional suits, each looking ready to become an Agent for this country. Music played over speakers, before an orchestral band took the stage initially. And all while the music played, Wanda and Maria and Steve, tried to keep the joking natures of Loki and Tony, and Rhodey and Thor in check.

Everyone was in a great mood, no matter what was going on in their personal lives. Because each classmate and trainee had made it to this point. Nothing could change that, and it was something to celebrate and be proud of.

Yes, nothing could change that…but it didn't change the fact, that everyone came from very different backgrounds. And those differences were on display as the friends all saw the wide range of familial connections present before they had taken their seats.

Rhodey's dad seemed reluctant to be there. His friends knew that his father was still upset that Rhodey decided to follow this path, instead of becoming a politician. Loki and Wanda both looked a little sad, when they'd seen their families, with his mom and her brother especially. They had smiled and hugged both of them. But it was clear to Loki and Wanda, they didn't seem to be doing all that well today.

Thor's Uncle Heimdall was present, and spoke with odd verbiage, just like his nephew, but was very happy nonetheless. Sarah Rogers made everyone smile, of course. Just like she would for years to come. Sam's family seemed just as lovely as Sarah. And Maria's family was large and loud, and extremely supportive. Most everyone else in their class seemed to fall in that range too. Some students had large and loud families. Some had small and loving ones. Some had troubled ones. And some had family members that looked as excited to be there as kids going back to school after summer vacation.

But the outlier, among the group of friends, was Natasha. And everyone that noticed that. They noticed how close her and Clint were last night at Logan's. But they'd all seen the cold nature of Ivan and Oksana's abrupt exit only an hour ago.

"Man, I thought my Dad was cold," Loki had commented.

Tony and Bruce and Rhodey each jokingly argued with Loki, for that particular challenge. But they knew, without truly knowing anything specifically, that Natasha and Clint's 'mother and father,' made their Dads all look like father of the year. It was actually Bucky who saw all he needed to in Natasha's eyes. Whatever had just happened when Ivan and Oksana left, he didn't need to know the details. None of them did. But Bucky knew he recognized something from his and Steve's own past.

Nature versus Nurture.

A lot of the trainees shared troubled lineages, and set them up for a challenge of a lifetime. Who this world sets you out to be, versus who you choose to be.

Whatever the relationship was between Natasha, and 'her parents,' wasn't good. Bucky saw it immediately. He also recognized that Natasha didn't need or want to talk about it. So, all he did, was go up and put his hand on Natasha's shoulder right before they all took their seats and said, "Just know you have your brother and Steve. But you also have us, Natasha. Think of that today."

Wanda and Steve, couldn't help but smile at the sincerity behind Bucky's words.

Natasha did think of that. She felt free, yes. But it was still a hard thing to think of right now. Her whole life, she'd been forced to live with two people who didn't know the meaning of words like love and support. And now? They were gone. It was what she'd wanted, but it still left her feeling a little empty, seeing all of the other parents there for their children today.

But Natasha wasn't alone. Neither was Clint. And she leaned into what Bucky had just said. She had her brother. She had her family of friends that had formed at Quantico. And she had a man that she'd fallen hopelessly in love with. Steve held her hand as the opening music played on stage in the auditorium. And Natasha leaned over and smiled at Loki on her other side as he finally stopped joking with Tony after she nudged him, "Quit trying to act like this doesn't mean as much to you as it does to me, Loki. I know you. And this means a lot. To all of us."

Loki couldn't argue with Natasha, as he nudged her back and turned his attention with everyone else as the first speaker came on stage. The Director of the FBI at the time spoke first, talking about the history and development of the FBI. And the long lineage that each graduating classmate would be joining.

Before the group of 11 knew it, the ceremony…was half over. Were each of the words spoken thus far, important? Sure. But their personal connection to Quantico and the FBI, came from each other, and their own personal journeys here. Their emotions resonated because of their own paths and with each other. And with May and Coulson and Fury.

Quantico was where they learned how to become an agent, yes. But more importantly, it was where their memories were made with each other. It was a shared commonality among the 11 of them, that no matter the hurdles and pitfalls they had in life, they each found pride and patriotism and bravery within themselves. And they all found the desire to become an Agent to begin with.

So, it wasn't that the previous speakers telling them that today was big, wasn't connecting with them. It was. Their words just weren't moving them emotionally.

But then? Fury and his mind games.

Nick Fury took the stage. It would be the last time he stood on this auditorium in front of them. For most of the class, it would be the last time that Nick Fury would be giving any sort of speech to them at all. Most of the trainees were starting their own individual journeys. In Texas and California. In Chicago and Washington D.C. Most of the class was separating from each other, and headed all of over this country. The country, that they were about to pledge an oath of servitude and protection to.

It was the closing of a window and opening of a door for everyone in the auditorium.

But for the 11 of them specifically, it was an end and a beginning. The end of their prologue, but the beginning of their real story…and journey together.

And the man on stage, had led them from the beginning, and would continue to lead them after. Which is why, when Fury took the stage, every single one of the 11 trainees, stared straight at him. They'd grown into a misfit island of toys, style of family, and he was their leader. So, they all sat up a little straighter. A little more at the edge of their seat. And their eyes were wide open as they listened.

Fury looked around the auditorium and then at his class. He looked at Steve and his team, that he'd be embarking on this new journey together with, and couldn't help, but give a little grin.

They. Were. Exhausting. They drove him crazy from the start. But…they were his team, and Fury knew he was in for a grand adventure too.

"Fidelity. Bravery. Integrity."

That was how Fury started. And it all sort of made the class, and the 11 of them take a deep breath. This was it. Fury would speak, and then the oath would be taken. And then they were no longer trainees.

"That's the motto of the FBI. Yes, the FBI is the Federal Bureau of Investigation. But who makes up the FBI? That is where, fidelity, bravery, and integrity come in. We train to serve and protect, and we have all come here in this very room from all walks of life. But it is this common interest that binds us and unites. To have fidelity, bravery, and integrity. To be loyal. To have courage. And to remain true."

These words.

Fidelity. Bravery. Integrity. They were words that represented who some of the 11 friends were from the get go. And it represented who some of them became, and were still becoming in this life. But they all found themselves on this path together, and felt the words that Fury was speaking to them now, more than any other words he'd spoken before.

Were they excited beyond belief, when he shared the news they'd be going to New York?

Of course.

But right now, these words resonated in their heads. In their hearts. And in every part of who they were. They were at the end, but also the beginning. And through it all, they were together.

"I could stand up here and tell you about my path, and how I became an FBI agent…and then picked you all as the lucky ones, that got to have me as your lead instructor here at Quantico. But…that's not what today is about. And that is a story for another day. Today? Is about you. It is about your journeys, and how you've ended up here. All the ups and downs that life has thrown at you, that made you fight harder and stand taller. But you're here. And that isthe point. You're here. Choosing to serve and protect. Choosing to follow in the footsteps of all the agents that came before, to serve the motto of this agency. Fidelity. Bravery. Integrity."

"I've warned you all about the tests and pitfalls and challenges that you'll face, undoubtedly, as you embark on your new chapter as agents after today. So, hear this one final lesson. This one final test."

The class and the 11 of them, had never been so enthralled by Fury's words. The emotion of the moment and day was finally hitting them, as they recognized this milestone in each of their lives.

"Your one final lesson…is that the test never ends. You will be tested in ways we've tried to prepare you for, and countless ways we can't. But rely on what you've learned. Rely on knowing that you've all come from different pasts and paths, but have all chosen to serve this country. To fight for that mission. To be loyal to the constitution and what the founders of the United States believed this country should be. We don't serve leaders. We serve this country. We serve the constitution, and the idea…of freedom. That all men were created equal. To pursue life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. That's what this country was founded on. That's what this country represents, at its best. But there are those, foreign and domestic, and unknown, that will fight against those ideals. Always."

Natasha had chills as Steve grabbed her hand as they continued to listen. Fury was a man of poignant, yet few words. But today, was a day when he was not holding back, as he hammered them with emotion. Because graduating and joining the FBI wasn't just a job. It was a duty. It was truly to serve and protect. And what Fury wasn't saying, was that every person graduating, along with serving and protecting, was willing to sacrifice themselves for the idea that this country had been founded on. For the ideals that the FBI represented.

"You will always be tested. Because you can't have good without bad. Light without dark. Freedom…without sacrifice. Hear these words today as you take the oath. Remember the lessons here. Trust yourselves and choices you make in the field. And believe in your teams you find yourselves in. Your life, and their life…and most importantly…the lives of innocent civilians, will depend on it. That is the ultimate test, always. Keep working. Keep fighting."

Out of context. Out of the frame of the day and away from the moment of Graduation, maybe his words could have seemed…almost cheesy. But not today. Not when they'd all worked so hard. Not when they'd made it through this on their own, yet together. And not when without a doubt, they knew that Nick Fury meant every single word he was saying.

Fury may have not been fuzzy or fluffy or easy on any of them. But he was a soldier, and then an agent. He loved this country, and had taken the same oath to serve and protect, and be willing to sacrifice for this nation, long ago. He meant every word of what he was saying.

"Some of you joke that I'm not the most positive person at times. To everyone in the audience, who hasn't had the pleasure of being a trainee under me at Quantico, I'll clue you in. I'm not."

Laughter from the audience and the class followed as he went on, "But through all my…mind games as I know you've called them, I've been preparing you for the known and unknown. I may be hard on you. I may have pushed you to the end of your rope. But I want you to know, it was only to see if you all had what it took. And you did. You do. You may think I'm not positive. While that may be true sometimes…it isn't always. What I always am, on the contrary, is hopeful."

He took a pause and looked at the 11 friends, "I'm hopeful with every class that graduates. Because it represents another group of citizens standing up to serve. To protect. To sacrifice, for the ideals of this country and this Agency. It makes me hopeful, that in a world filled with so much bad and dark at times, there are still people that are willing to fight for the good."

Fury took a breath and continued, "At times, legend tells us one thing, history another. But every now and then, we find something that belongs to both. That's what I see in people that serve this country. In people that are willing to sacrifice everything, to serve…not a leader. Not one person. But a country, founded on the idea of freedom. To stand and fight and be willing to give your life for that? That's…heroic, whether you want to admit it or not. A true hero, isn't in it for splendor or accolades. They are in it, for what the FBI represents. They are in it, no matter what, to do whatever it takes."

It was no secret by now, that this was Fury's last rodeo with giving his speech and swearing in his last class. Maybe that's why he was speaking a little longer than he usually does. Maybe that's why he was soaking in every second that he could today, too. Maybe that's why, he was feeling more of that hope he spoke of right now, because he'd be embarking on a grand new adventure with his exhaustive group of 11 trainees and friends, in New York City after this.

"I see that in each and every one of you. I still believe in heroes, because I see that in every class. I see that in each and every one of you. Take a second to think about that, because you'll see it in each other in the field. Try to hold onto that hope that you feel now, and that yes, will be tested in the future."

Natasha squeezed Steve's hand. She was doing the same with Loki on her right. And it started a chain reaction, as Loki did the same to Wanda. And her to Bucky. And Bucky to Sam, and then Maria, and Tony, and Rhodey, and Thor and Bruce. 11 friends. 11 friends that would become closer than family. 11 individuals, who'd found each other, and held hands at this moment because for good or bad, they were in this together as Fury finished his speech.

Fury asked them all to stand, and they did. And then he asked them to stand tall and take the oath, as they each pledged and said their name and repeated the following:

"I, do solemnly swear, that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God."

It wasn't like a switch had been flipped after the oath was done. But things certainly were different. Before? They weren't official agents. Now, they had been sworn in, as graduates of Quantico. It was the end, before their new beginning.

Natasha wiped a tear from her eye. Steve held back ones from his own, thinking of his brother and Natasha. Loki, and Wanda and Bucky. Tony and Maria and Sam. Bruce and Rhodey and Thor. Each of them held back their own tears, while family members like Sarah Rogers, and Clint, and Maria's family, all happily shed a few proud tears of their own.

The pomp and circumstance followed, as each classmate went on stage, shook the Director's hand, smiled at Coulson and May. And shook Fury's hand as they received their badge and credentials, marking it official. They were now FBI Agents.

There were no tassels. No caps and gowns. Suits and badges were their markers here. And they all had a great feeling of weight being lifted off of each of their shoulders, as the promise of tomorrow came.

The promise of a new beginning.

And as the ceremony officially concluded, laughter and a few whistles and cheers were let out from the class as a whole. They had been through five and a half months of grueling training at Quantico. And they'd all made it to the end, only to be right back at a new beginning.

And now, was the time to celebrate and feel proud.

And feel proud they did. The 11 of them hugged and laughed, and yes cried a little more. And Sarah Rogers was there, fully and officially introducing herself to all of them, letting them know she'd be having them over for Sunday dinners soon, and asked them all to stand together to take a photo.

An entire class picture was taken. Small snapshots of duos and trios were captured as well.

But this image?

This was a group picture of the 11 of them. The small group, about to embark on this grand adventure to New York City, not possibly knowing what the future held. But they knew they had each other, and that was what mattered. Stronger together.

So, as they all stood in front of the stage, with the American flag in the background. With the FBI seal on the podium, as the words, 'Fidelity. Bravery. Integrity,' all peeked through. They were all filled with full smiles and sheer joy and pride. Pride in themselves and each other, for being here together. They soaked it in, and took the picture.

Pictures have a way of capturing a second in time and freezing it. To be able to look back at a moment and remember and reminisce, no matter how beautiful or painful. Because it connects the visual to the heart. The picture to your brain. It is another sense, that recalls that moment in time, taking in smiles and glassy eyes from prideful tears. Taking in the surroundings the 11 of them stood in. The 11 of them, all matching in their black suits and their brand-new FBI badges, were the end of their journey at Quantico. It was a picture they would all have years down the road, representing a frozen memory of their reality.

Yes, it was the end. But it was also the beginning of their journey, in the FBI.


Present Day –

If you want something you've never had, you must be willing to do something you've never done.

"Barton, how are Loki and Wanda and Bruce coming? We can't let any of those vans leave this compound!"

Steve's voice rang over comms to the main task-force, and Clint yelled back, "The Mercs and I, and Daisy and her team have the building covered. But you have to take care of their advances, Cap. I don't know how many operatives Poseidon has coming still, but we're gonna run out of ammo here soon. We carried all we could from the other warehouse for extra ammunition, but everyone is running low!"

"Hey, Barton! How about you fucking mention the tower too? Rogers, take out the goddamn tower too. The aerial gunfire is getting harder to defend. And our three braniacs inside, still need more time! That's 17 fuckers, dead as a doornail for me. Castle, what's your count?"

Franks low, almost growling voice came through with a single phrase, "21 Jones, now pipe down and keep your eyes focused."

They may have been bantering over numbers of dead Poseidon operatives, but the truth was…that their voices sounded as desperate as Clint's a moment ago. They were trying to remain calm, but 30 minutes into all of this? And their resolve was there, but worry was starting to creep in the longer this went on.

The task-force and allies had arrived an hour earlier outside Poseidon's compound. It had been a little over two-hours since Steve gave his speech outside the airport in Niagara Falls, New York. The transport vans and buses, and SUV's caravanned their way to the Iroquois National Wildlife Reserve. And as one would expect, the hour-long ride was eerily quiet.

Each agent, soldier, and friend succumbed to silence.

How could they not? Each team member went over what they needed to in their brains…over Fury's words and Steve's speech. They each re-traced their own individual paths, that led them to this moment. They'd all made a choice long ago. A choice, signing up and taking an oath to serve this country. To serve the flag and the idea of freedom. To protect and defend the constitution, against enemies…both foreign and domestic.

Foreign and domestic.

Somehow, both of those words were one and the same right now.

Foreign terror, grown domestically. Inserted and twisting its way through America over decades. But each person was here, against whatever odds they'd faced, and were still standing tall and fighting. They were still passing that test that never ended, just like Fury said at Graduation over a decade ago. They were willing to do whatever it takes. That's what defending meant. To defend, was to give of yourself for others. What were they defending? It wasn't their own physical bodies. They were defending what was at risk.

If Poseidon's attack came to fruition, thousands of American lives were at stake. Tens of thousands of lives, potentially world-wide. And Poseidon wasn't just trying to take lives. They were trying to hurt this country to its core…Hurt its defense structure, by targeting the military bases. Hurt its security structure, by targeting the CIA, FBI, NSA, and Homeland Security. Not only would innocent lives be lost, but the future of defense and security would be impacted for years to come. It would weaken America, more than just the number of lives lost. And it would take away the actual feeling of safety and security, from the rest of the country's citizens.

There was a reason dictatorships and terrorist groups like Poseidon tried to rule with fear. Fear, when succumbed to, drowns out hope. It drowns out any inspiring thoughts, that things might get better. When given into, fear can cripple the spirit. Grief and loss are one thing, and they are awful. But adding fear? It blankets an already dim light with darkness. It forces a situation to go from grim to hopeless.

Fear and hope.

Two words at the opposite ends of the spectrum. And Poseidon's followers fell in line. Poseidon's operatives had been ruled and run by poisonous fear for their entire lives. Clint and Natasha knew that well. But hope…was the antivirus for that poison. Hope was a serum, that kept every one of the agents and soldiers going.

Just like Fury had said, there was always hope.

The team had hope, that people were willing to sacrifice before their time, and the time before theirs' and so on. Each service member and protector of the Constitution and this country, would be proud of the task-force's strength today. This was the task-force's time, yes. But there would be generations of agents and soldiers that followed all of them…that would all take the same oath.

So, today? Yes, the task-force had hope. For the past. For each other and the present. And for the future. For future protectors, defending the same constitution that they were. To stand and fight against enemies, both foreign and domestic, too. To do what the task-force was doing today, when it was their time, and when their own storms came calling. That was how Fury felt 12 years ago, and the task-force truly understood what he meant, right now.

Hope eased their worries like salve on a burn, as they drove the hour to the outskirts of the wildlife reserve. Hope helped them battle the fear in that silence, filling each of their heads.

The SUV's, vans, and buses found a well-timbered area, about one and a half miles west of the reserve. Everyone from the Army and CIA. From the FBI and even Loki's ruffian resistance group. From each member of the task-force. They all stood outside of their vehicles now. Dressed in tac gear with helmets on. Loaded with as many clips and as much extra ammo as they could carry. They were prepared for battle mentally and physically.

And they all looked to Steve once again.

He'd given his speech before. Now it was time for his orders, but Tony had one last thing to add.

"Cap's good at making us all feel like we can take on the world ourselves. I'm not. But make no mistake. We got one advantage right now. Surprise. They don't know that we're here. And we have to make it count. We haven't been able to stop what's happened or protect who it's happened to before now…"

Tony looked over at Natasha. And he thought of how his family's namesake and company had been used as a tool, providing the weapons that they would be fighting against right now. He swallowed his desire to vomit and nodded at her. And then he looked at Steve again, "But you can be damn sure we'll avenge every wrong they've committed. We gotta make this right. Today."

Clint stood next to Tony, and felt every part of what he was saying, and thought of Steve's words from before and said, "Today, we are the ones infiltrating. Today, we're the ones that are going to secure this base. And we're going to destroy anyone standing in the way."

Natasha added to her brother's words, "Regimes fall every day. This day is no different. Today, we're taking the fight to them, and ending this once and for all.

And Steve concluded, "Poseidon has tried to rule their followers, pledging freedom from the West and returning their mother country to power. That isn't freedom. It's fear. And today, we end the fear. We end them. Whatever it takes."

Every one of the roughly 90 soldiers and spies standing with Steve, used those words as fuel for the motivation coursing through them. They all started nodding their heads and repeated quietly to themselves, "Whatever it takes."

There was roughly a mile and a half on foot ahead of them over rough terrain. Daisy and her team, along with the Mercenaries, had scouted the best way for the task-force to sneak in and start taking out the enemy. This mile and a half long hike through the timber would lead them straight into a clearing that housed the compound.

Steve kept talking, "Alright listen up, our scout team assessed this entire area for two days. They estimated at least 300 operatives are at the compound. And there are more operatives out there in this country, probably finding their way here now. The terrorists across the globe are doing the same in those locations, and Fury is working on that with our allies and Secretary Ross. Yes, we're outnumbered, so we use the advantage of surprise and our skills to stay quiet as long as possible. We take out as many combatants, grab the intel from the command center, and then work our way out, when it's all done."

Steve looked around to the different groups, present. He nodded at Dum-Dum Dugan and his 20 soldiers, "Sergeant Dugan, your soldiers and you will case the perimeter. Stay hidden. Take out as many enemies as you can from the outside, and keep watch. This compound is about 10 acres, so you have a lot of ground to cover. If you can start working your way in, do so, but hold the perimeter. Dugan and his men took off through the woods.

The downside to being in the middle of nowhere, in a wildlife reserve and forest area, was that they were away from a lot of help. The upside? They were in the middle of nowhere, with forested trees and timbers surrounding their compound from within. Poseidon tried to hide, and now, Steve and his team were going to take advantage and sneak up on them. There were no easy escape routes that they could see. If Dugan and his team could hold the perimeter? Poseidon would be trapped.

Steve and Tony spoke to the FBI and CIA units about the layout of the compound. There were four main bunkers on the grounds, which they assumed housed Poseidon's army. Each bunker, rested on the four corners of the clearing. The 50 men and women from the FBI and CIA, were tasked with securing three out of the four bunkers in the northwest, northeast, and southwest corners. There was a large building in the middle. The scouting team determined it was the command center because it was where Pierce and Sitwell, and Ivan and Oksana were spotted entering several times over the course of their surveillance.

In addition to the tower, the bunkers, and the command center, there were two large warehouses behind the bunker in the northeast corner. The task-force, along with the scouting team made up of the Mercs and Daisy and her team, and along with Valkyrie's…crew, were going after the warehouses first.

The surveillance team did the best they could, but they hadn't been able to get inside any of the actual bunkers or buildings. They'd taken some snapshots of Rumlow inside one of the warehouses. That was when they saw the massive stock of weapons on hand. But they hadn't actually seen inside the second warehouse, any of the bunkers, or in the command center. So, part of their plan today, included going in blind essentially. Steve and his team knew they needed to secure the warehouse full of weapons first. They needed to eliminate the possibility of endless ammunition for Poseidon's operatives.

First secure the perimeter, and then cut off their supply of weapons while everyone else charged on the bunkers.

After that? They would move on the command center. Border. Ammunition. Bunkers. Command center. And somewhere in between, they had to figure out if Poseidon's plan of attack, just included the roughly 300 combatants with an endless supply of military grade weapons, or if something else was in the works.

They knew where Poseidon was planning to attack, and when. They knew how…via their terrorist army. But the details on what the specific plan of attack involved, was never discovered by the team. Steve was hoping it was just the terrorists and weapons. But he had a feeling it was something more.

One step at a time though.

"Valkyrie, Clint, Jones, and Daisy. You and your teams are going to act as a secondary perimeter to that warehouse we saw footage and photos of." Clint was with his team, and they understood their orders well. The people who Steve spoke to next, were the ones that were truly needed today. And were also the ones, that never came into the field.

"Loki, Bruce, Wanda. You know your orders. Get in those warehouses. Run your diagnostics. Figure out if there is a bigger plan in the works, besides the weapons we saw footage of. Figure out exactly how they plan to attack the military academies and the CIA and FBI. It's most likely in your wheel house. Stay in contact with us and do what you can. The warehouse will be protected, but you have to move quick, because as soon as our teams start taking out combatants, we won't have long until Ivan and Oksana and Pierce start to scramble."

Bucky looked like he could be sick, but he pushed his nerves away. It wasn't from being in the field. The fear he felt inside himself right now? It was all due to Wanda. Honestly? Everyone felt a little nervous about the science and tech trio being here. But it was unavoidable. Whatever else was in that warehouse, or in the second one, was likely to be above any of the actual agents' heads.

In short? Wanda, Bruce, and Loki were geniuses when it came to tech. Everyone else, in varying shades…were not. It was the reason they were here. And in a way, the three of them were the most important part of the mission right now. They were needed today, because the task-force had one shot to get this right. So, there was no question. Wanda and Loki and Bruce were officially field agents today.

But it still left everyone worried…like Bucky right now as Steve directed orders towards his sister in law. Orders, that Bucky had to stop focusing on, because he had his own directives to follow. To protect the warehouse. Take out the southeast bunker and tower. Then move on the command center.

Loki coped as he always did…through humor, "You know, feeling all of your worries and doubts right now, as every one of you looks at Brucie, Wanda, and me like we're lambs going to the slaughter house…is sure inspiring."

Wanda hit him on the head as Bruce sighed, and Steve looked at Bucky who was about to burst. This whole mission was going off of sheer grit and determination, and two days of planning. It wasn't enough time, but they didn't have a choice.

Steve spoke a little louder, "Loki, you three are the most important part of this mission right now. You know that. We will make sureyou have as long as you need inside the warehouses. Just stay in contact with us, okay?"

Loki and Wanda and Bruce all nodded, as Steve gave out individual orders.

Orders that reinforced four walls of protection, so the three tech geniuses could determine and dismantle the threat.

*Dugan and his team of soldiers had the outer perimeter defense.
*The CIA and FBI teams were moving on the southwest, northwest, and northeast bunkers.
*Steve's task-force needed to take out the tower and bunker in the southeast corner.
*And then Clint, the Mercs, and Daisy and Valkyries' teams would act as the final perimeter defense as Wanda, Bruce, and Loki went inside the warehouses in the northeast corner.

They all had their teams and orders, and it was time. Poseidon caught the FBI off-guard weeks ago, when they attacked the FBI. Now it was time for vengeance. It was time for Steve and everyone present to return the favor, as they started their mile and a half hike through rough terrain, towards Poseidon's compound.


All of the transportation was on the other side of the woods with everyone officially through their hike. They were all on foot, as a voice broke through comms, "Captain Rogers, my soldiers are in place. The CIA and FBI Units are ready to advance on the bunkers. We've already taken out five Poseidon operatives while surrounding the perimeter. No shots fired. When you're ready."

Dum Dum Dugan's words served as the confirmation Steve needed. The perimeter was secure. The CIA and FBI teams were in place around the other three bunkers. And Steve's team surrounded the southeast bunker and tower.

No one was in the tower right now. It was the perfect time to advance.

"On my signal. Barton, it's you and Jones and Daisy and Valkyrie. Lead your teams to surround those warehouses. Get Wanda, Bruce, and Loki inside the first one. We will give them as much time as they need, got it?"

"Got it, Rogers. We'll get em inside. And we'll do whatever it takes to buy them as much time as needed."

Steve looked over at Bucky and turned off his comms for a second, "Buck, I'm only gonna say this once. I trust you out there as much as Natasha or anyone on the team. But I gotta hear you tell me you're okay. Wanda is surrounded by everyone, and she knows how to handle herself with a weapon. She's going to be fine, and we need her. You know that, right?"

He did. Bucky knew it, but it didn't make this moment any easier.

Natasha and Steve were dealing with the same situation, but it was different for them. Just like with Wilson Fisk's bust eight years ago, Wanda wasn't a field agent typically. Bucky didn't have as much experience dealing with these kinds of nerves related to her being in danger.

Him? Yes, Bucky and Wanda dealt with it all the time. But they didn't have the muscle memory to fall back on, like Steve and Natasha. They didn't actually fight in combat with each other. Wanda was safe back at headquarters usually, while Bucky was the one on the mission. It was unnerving to him, and he had to get it together.

Natasha saw the struggle in Bucky and added, "Bucky, you listen to me. Peter and Wanda? They need you to shut it off right now. You think of that. They need you to stop thinking of them, and focus on the mission. It is the only way we all get through this. It's the same for all of us. We let our guards down? And bad things happen. You know that. So, stop being a sap, and turn those goddamn emotions off. Focus."

Easier said than done…for all of them.

Steve…couldn't help but give Natasha a little smirk. She wasn't just talking to Bucky. She was talking to both of them right now, too. Bucky looked back at her and couldn't help but grin and repeat a line between them, that'd been shared several times over the last couple of months, "Thanks for not pulling any punches, Romanoff. Steve? Yeah, I'll figure it out. I'm good."

They were good…and they were ready.

Steve turned back on his comms, "Let's move, everyone. Head's up and eyes open. Keep quiet as long as we can. One step at a time. Stay in contact. Let's go."

Steve's team wasn't the only well-oiled machine in play. The heavily-trained CIA and FBI operatives proved their abilities and credentials over and over through their actions. Stealth moves. Quiet skillsets on display. No shots were fired for over 10 minutes as the entire task-force and other teams advanced. Wandering Poseidon guards patrolling the grounds were taken out, one-by-one, until each bunker was ready to be breached.

Fury listened to his team, with the injured task-force members at his side back at the safehouse. He listened to the messages over comms as Dugan reported more and more operatives being taken out. And as the CIA and FBI reported that their three bunkers were ready to be breached.

Loki's voice was heard next, "First warehouse entered, Rogers. And I think Stark Industries has been more than busy with fortifying this compound with materials. Those photos and video that we saw of Rumlow in here? It didn't do it justice."

Clint entered the building with Loki, Wanda, and Bruce, while the rest of the Mercs and his team surrounded the outside, hiding behind electrical boxes, shrubs, and a couple of jeeps. Bruce spoke up next, "Rogers, you remember that militia group you and the team raided and stopped about nine years ago in upstate New York?"

Steve did. There was a group of about 50 men who'd taken an open forest area, claiming it as their own, and had even built a large steel building for shelter, housing their own supplies and ammunition without anyone knowing. Until Steve and the FBI found out. When they raided the militia group, they found enough ammunition and black-market weaponry, not unlike what Clint was staring at, at that moment, to serve a militia 10 times their size. For a very long time.

Steve recalled the militia's weaponry that was confiscated as Bruce added, "Well, think of that, Steve. And multiply it by 10. There's enough ammo and firepower in this warehouse alone, to serve probably an army of 1,000."

Bruce, Wanda, and Loki…went to work. The warehouse was about 4000 square feet, and the second warehouse they hadn't seen inside of yet, was almost identical. The three of them each had backpacks on.

Bruce and Wanda pulled out hand-held scanners called IONSCAN devices. They were set to detect common explosive devices and materials, like C-4 or nitrate-based material. The scanners could also detect other potentially harmful substances like particular gases used in warfare. The warehouse had one way in and out – the front overhang and very large garage door that was open. It served more as a blast door than anything when closed, as Clint took in the reinforced steel behind the entrance.

Wanda and Bruce made their way to the back of the warehouse. The middle of the building was open with a walkway, or for trucks to come in and park to unload stock. But the sides were filled with rows and columns of metal scaffolding and shelves, all full of crates of weapons.

Bruce and Wanda started scanning toward the back and moved as quickly as possible, but they couldn't reach every tall storage shelf. That was where Loki came in. Clint was looking around for a door opener or something. He hated that the entrance was open, leaving them somewhat exposed, but Loki stopped him quickly.

Loki pulled out a portable drone with his own scanning device attached. He was checking for sensors, other electrical components, and it could pick up heat signatures too. All the information was running through his tablet that he held in his hands. His fingers moved fast on the device as he read data but looked up at Clint, "Barton, I wouldn't try to shut that door if I were you. It's either controlled through the command center, or by remote. We don't have access. And the door that's above? It's thick because it's a blast door."

Clint looked at Loki a little like he wanted to say, 'So fucking what,' so Loki went on, "Barton…If I override the electrical box here, and shut that door? The system it's on, will re-set and open again…but not for probably 10 or 15 more minutes. We'll be trapped in here like rats until then…and we don't know everything that's in here yet. So, let's leave it open, and have a way for us to get out of here if we need to, shall we?"

Barton nodded, still not having a clue what Loki was actually saying with tech talk, but he knew the essentials…if they forced the door shut, they were stuck for up to 15 minutes possibly. And they didn't know what type of sensors or triggers were in the building on top of that. So, Loki was basically telling him…to not fucking touch anything.

Wanda and Bruce were far enough away that they both spoke to Loki through comms now, "Anything yet, Brucie?" Loki asked.

Bruce responded after moving up and down five rows on his side, "Nothing out of the ordinary, except for the sheer volume of stock here. There are some forklifts at the back end of the warehouse here, for lifting and lowering crates from the top shelves. But nothing too surprising as far as weapons go."

Loki answered, "I picked up the trigger switch on the blast door with my electronic scans. Nothing else has been detected for electronic switches in here though. And no heat signatures. Wanda? What about you?"

Wanda spoke right away, "Wooden crate after wooden crate, Loki. Shelve after shelve. Row after row. But it's all stock and volume. Rocket launchers, machine guns, knives, handguns…ammunition for pretty much every gun you can imagine. My scanner picked up small traces of explosive material, when I got to some crates of grenades and landmines and teargas. But other than that, it's just firepower and ammunition. No traces of larger explosive material. And if you're not picking up electronic signals either, that's strange."

A second passed as Wanda added, "This can't be it, right Loki? Poseidon can't be planning their big attack with knives and teargas and guns…"

Loki nodded and looked at Clint as he talked to Steve, "You hearing this, Rogers? Wanda and Bruce have about half of the warehouse to go. My drone hasn't detected anything. This warehouse can't be it. This is just your run of the mill, black market weaponry. I should know…I used to trade and sell material like this all the time. I mean, Poseidon might be able to attack people with this, yeah. But this isn't what they've been planning 'their big attack,' with. It can't be."

Steve was staying quiet as his team approached the southeast bunker, but he was listening to every word as he whispered back, "Loki, get in the other warehouse as soon as you finish scanning all of the crates in the first one. I agree…firepower alone, can't be it. Keep talking to me, even if I'm not talking back, okay?"

"Roger, Rogers…"

Wanda was close enough to Loki, that she caught his face when he said the bad joke…but she gave him a smirk. It was a long running little quip, that they didn't use often. But she still smiled and shook her head at him as he nodded to Clint, "Barton, just a few more minutes while Brucie and Wanda finish up. Then we'll move to the other warehouse. This isn't so bad right now, is it?"

Clint frowned at him, "Loki, I don't know tech like you and Bruce and Wanda. But I do know enough to not say shit like that right now. One step at a time, remember?" Loki nodded as he brought his drone back down to him, just as Wanda and Bruce were finishing up.

The CIA and FBI teams covering the three other bunkers were all reporting to Steve, that each of their bunker doors had been breached. It wouldn't be long now, before Poseidon sent out its forces to counter attack. Steve looked up to the tower as Tony yelled over comms, "We're inside the southeast bunker, Cap. Looks like the barracks section is empty in the front area."

Steve stood outside the bunker, trying to keep track of the large acreage, but everything was flying at him at once. More CIA and FBI reports. Dugan and his team, letting Steve know that they had taken out two other guards. And then finally, a couple of minutes later, Barton came through, "Rogers, we just got inside the second warehouse. I don't know exactly what the three of them are looking at, but I know…it ain't good."

"Barton, you really have a way with words. Do you have eyes on my wife, or not?"

Bucky had spoken over everyone on comms, and Steve clenched his jaw and knew he needed to get inside the bunker to see if everything was alright. Bucky was obviously getting distracted.

Natasha was right inside the bunker door…and currently in a fight with an operative. She had stabbed the man in the leg with one of her blades in her utility belt, and he was almost unconscious from her choke hold with her legs. She had blood on her hands from his stab wound and a few strands were out of her ponytail, but she had the situation more than under control.

Steve looked down at her in concern, but she just smirked, "Nice of you to join in on the fun, Steve. I thought you were going to miss all of this." The man's head fell to the floor with a thud as Steve walked over to offer her his hand to stand up, "Sorry, Nat…"

Natasha shoved the man away from her as she stood up, and then bent over to wrap zip ties around his ankles and wrists, behind his back, "I was adding a little fun. Don't worry, you need to make sure everyone is in line out there…including that stupid blockhead of a brother of yours. I think he's currently taking his anger about Wanda being here, out on a guard down the hall. Tony and Sam found the meeting room at the end of the corridor, where about 50 operatives were. They barricaded it, after we tossed a canister of knockout gas inside it…but they were able to sound the alarms. Poseidon officially knows we're here."

The fact that they were able to take out 50 Poseidon operatives, with pretty much the toss of a canister, was a godsend. Taking the southeast bunker would be a lot easier than expected. But Tony was right. They were able to sound the alarms, or communicate with the command center, and the rest of the compound had been alerted. Tony and Sam put their masks on, that the entire team had attached to their belts, and went inside the room after a few minutes and started zip tying all the operatives up, so they couldn't escape or hurt anyone.

As for the stray operatives inside the bunker? Natasha and Bucky had handled them…or were handling them.

Right at the same time, Loki's voice came through on comms, "Rogers, we found what we're looking for. There are 13 armored vans in this warehouse. We were able to open one after Wanda's IONSCAN went over it and my drone showed there was no electronic triggers on the back door to the van."

Bruce was currently walking up and down the other 12 vans, finding the same thing on each one, as the one Loki and Wanda were gawking at. Enough C-4 was inside each van to do a hell of a lot of damage.

Each and every one.

Loki went on, "Rogers, there is enough explosive material in just one of these vans, to take out a city block. You do the math on how many people that could harm if one were to explode at…oh, I don't know. West Point, or Annapolis? Or Quantico? Or worse…in a large populated area like New York or D.C."

Natasha's face went a little white as Steve heard multiple curses over comms, from allies and task-force members hearing about the armored vans, being used as transportable bombs. Just as Bucky was about to yell out again, Loki beat him to it, "Barnes, just shut up. Wanda is fine and figuring out a way to neuter these bombs."

Natasha spoke back to Loki, "13 Loki? Do you know where they are planning to go?"

Loki grinned. Natasha couldn't see him, but she could tell, because of course he knew, "There is a manifest here, Natasha. I found a lockbox in the warehouse. The USB drives that you and Rogers stole from Pierce's estate? It pretty much confirmed the locations these vans are designated for. 13 vans, traveling to seven military academies and bases. And Quantico and Langley. And then headquarters for the CIA, FBI, NSA, and Homeland. Lucky number 13, Natasha."

Steve answered right back, "Loki, be honest. Can you, Wanda, and Bruce do this?"

Steve heard a little arguing in the background on comms, and Bucky was running down the hallway, to stand by Steve and Natasha now. He had a cut by his eye and blood was running down his face. He was heaving from whatever anger he'd just taken out on a guard. But he still spoke up, "Wanda, if you can't do it, you get out of there, do you hear me?"

The fact that Wanda was out of Bucky's site, only added stress to the situation.

But Wanda wasn't faltering. She took a breath, only adding to the nervous expressions on her husband, and Natasha and Steve's faces before she spoke, "James, you need to trust that I'm not going to throw my life away for some fleeting chance. I am more than confident the three of us can dismantle these vehicles and bombs. They each have an electrical component. If we can get to them without triggering any wires, we should be in the clear. You need to trust me and us."

Bucky was going to say something back, but Natasha stepped in front of him, and turned off his comms device, "Bucky, you remember what I just told you about 20 minutes ago? It's important now…more than ever. Wanda needs steady hands. So, the last thing she needs, is for you to make her think of you or Peter. Grow some thick skin for fuck's sake, and let's go kick a little ass."

Steve almost scoffed, but he had this pitted feeling in his stomach. They'd been advancing on the compound for about 20 minutes, before getting detected. How long they would be able to handle Poseidon's advancements, now that they knew the task-force was here? He didn't know.

And in battle, when Steve didn't have a solid feeling on something, it was never good.

Clint's voice rang over comms, "Rogers! We got operatives coming out of the back end of the northwest bunker. They're headed straight for the warehouse. Looks like they're all onto us. You gotta take out as many of them as you can because we can't shut the door or will be trapped in here with these vans!"

The overhead door on the second warehouse was the same as the first. Poseidon controlled the switch. If Clint or Wanda or Loki or Bruce figured out a way to shut it manually, they'd be screwed and stuck for at least 15 minutes while the system reset.

Gunfire rang over comms as Jones's and Castle's headcounts started to rise. Steve and Natasha ran back through the front of the bunker. Two Poseidon guards were coming inside and met them head on, and the two of them worked together just like they always had. Just like they had a couple of days ago in the elevator after they'd met with Fisk.

"Got it!" Wanda's voice yelled as Bruce added, "Steve? We figured it out. The bombs are rigged to an electrical panel, so they can be detonated remotely. I don't know if they haven't put trip wires or triggers in yet, or if they just didn't plan on it because they were going to be dropped off and detonated immediately. It doesn't matter though."

Loki interrupted and took over, "No, it doesn't matter because these two geniuses have it, Rogers. They got one electrical switch out and fried the control board in the first van. It's busted, and we're taking it with. But we need more time to get the other 12 out."

Steve was in the midst of getting a solid uppercut punch to the jaw as he groaned, but Natasha had taken out her combatant with a leg sweep and a then a throat jab before she was zip tying the man's arms behind his back. "Steve, quit messing around and take out your damn guard!"

Steve groaned at Natasha's lambasting, and starting wailing on the man. First three punches to the stomach, then a roundhouse kick to the face as spit and blood from the man's mouth made its way to Steve's cheek. The man was square on his back. Steve hit him in the head again, knocking him out all the way, and had him tied up shortly after.

The situation…was getting more chaotic.

Steve took a look around, and saw that dozens of Poseidon operatives were pouring out from the northwest bunker towards the warehouse with the vans. Reports came in a minute ago, that the CIA and FBI were successful in securing the northeast and southwest bunkers, but they weren't so lucky at the northwest bunker.

Poseidon's soldiers were in the barracks area of the northwest bunker. While they didn't know that the task-force was here, they were ready when the CIA and FBI agents came busting through, and killed 10 men and women on the allied team. The agents fought and pushed back with everything they had, and they were able to hold the front entrance. But the remaining Poseidon operatives were coming out of the back end now.

Cage and Daisy and Valkyrie were on the roofs of the two storage buildings, and the rest of Clint's team surrounded the outside. Steve put the call out, "We've cleared the southeast Bunker. The northeast and southwest bunkers are cleared, with operatives tied and apprehended. But the northwest bunker is a problem. Clint, it looks like there are over 20 men headed towards you."

"No shit, Rogers…I see them. Valkyrie! Jones! Daisy! Heads up, we got company."

Clouds of smoke were seen from the North and South. The CIA and FBI used a lot of grenades to try and help their comrades to the northwest. And Dugan's Army soldiers at the perimeter, had blown up a jeep and a gasoline truck for distraction to try and help their brothers in arms, hold the bunker. It all worked for a few minutes.

But that chaos was spreading fast. Because the stealth operation was over. It was starting to look more like a warzone with the fire and smoke, and frantic yelling and orders over comms. But the cherry on top of all of it, was the booming vibrations coming from the military tower now. Poseidon had made its way to their bird's nest, and was sounding out orders through the speaker.

"Все солдаты сообщают. Мы под атакой."

The message played on the loud speaker from the tower over and over on repeat, as several guards started running machine guns from above. "Hey Red, what's that message saying?"

Tony was asking the questions, and Clint yelled the same thing over comms as Natasha at the same time, "All Soldiers Report. We are Under Attack."

Steve looked around, and saw more of Poseidon's soldiers coming out from the command center, and a couple of facility sheds in the northwest corner. They were all headed towards the warehouse. And the gunfire from the goddamn tower was only making matters worse.

"NO! You goddamn mother fuckers. You're gonna pay for that!"

That was Jessica Jones, as she screamed and yelled and then grabbed Luke's gun to start firing with his automatic rifle from the roof she was on. Jessica and the team on the roof, had the aerial advantage a couple of minutes ago. But not anymore. The Tower was higher. And Luke Cage had just been shot in the stomach, and was bleeding heavily.

Steve spoke back, "Barton, we're coming to help, what's going on?"

Clint was out of breath, working back to back with his ground team, "Goddamn it. These sons of bitches are like rats. Steve, Cage is alive, but shot in the lower stomach. Korg was hit in the leg. We're holding it together…but we need backup. Now!" Barton sucked in a couple of ragged breaths before adding, "Loki, Wanda, Bruce! I know you're handling delicate explosives. And I don't really want to get made into Poseidon chum here, but could you guys find a way to speed it the fuck up?"

"Three down, Clint! 10 to go."

That was Bruce. They were working on the electrical switches as Wanda added, "Loki, let's just blast the damn steel doors shut? That way no one can get in here."

Loki was arguing back with her, "No Wanda. I already told you, the door has a trigger on it. We'll be trapped in here while the system goes into its reboot. First, we don't know what any sort of reset will do, when we don't have all of those electrical switches out. We don't need any signals getting crossed."

Loki took a breath and added with a little more emotion, "Second, we need to get out of this hellhole, not stay in it. Just move faster! That's four, Steve. Wait. Nice job, Brucie. We got five, Steve. Five van bombs have been spaded and neutered."

Sam interrupted Loki's count on the vans, and sounded more than a little weary, "Cap, we're here, but need a little help, the north side to the warehouses are getting surrounded by Poseidon soldiers. And that goddamn tower is a fucking pain in the ass! We can't advance with them constantly shooting from above."

Steve and Natasha's voice became as ragged as Clint's and as worried as Sam's, as they sprinted off towards their voices.

Wanda and Loki's count went up to six, and then seven, and another 15 Poseidon combatants were taken out. But the desperate screams from CIA and FBI men and women, were flooding into everyone's ears too, as two more of their agents were fatally shot from the men in the tower.

Just like that, two more were gone, just like their 10 comrades that were killed at the northwest bunker.

Steve felt the tide starting to shift. There were too many enemy combatants, and the gunfire from above was raining down on them. Things were going to get out of control quickly. Steve put the call out, "Every CIA and FBI agent. Get to the warehouses now! Dugan, if the perimeter is solid, start making your way inside, and work your team towards our position."

Dugan yelled back at him, "We took out another 10, Cap…We're on the outskirts, but you got it! We got your six and will be there shortly."

Steve was starting to get really nervous because the gunfire kept increasing and more and more grenades were getting thrown around the acreage. Bruce yelled out the number eight, and Wanda and Loki yelled out nine and 10 shortly after.

Natasha couldn't help it. She was worried sick for her friends, and looked to Steve, "We gotta get to that tower, Steve. But they keep pushing us back."

Another minute passed as Steve and Natasha took out more Poseidon operatives. This time…they didn't need zip ties. Standing back to back, they spun and turned together, moving smoothly like the gears in a clock. They were in sync, covering each other's blind spots and working their way towards the warehouses.

Poseidon's operatives were running out of the command center. They made the mistake of running out of the building first, before dressing fully in their combat gear. Their mistake was a deadly mistake.

Natasha shot first. Two men were running straight at Steve and her, and she hit them square in the head because their helmets weren't on yet. They were reacting to the tower message, still blaring on repeat through the speakers, but their mistake cost them their lives. Natasha didn't flinch as she saw their brains splatter out the back of their skulls as her bullets made contact.

Spinning around quickly, Steve emptied his clip in four more soldiers coming toward them. He shot at their knees and legs first, and then hit them multiple times in the chest as they fell to the ground. Each of their lives were over just like that, as blood drained out of them.

Both Steve and Natasha were breathing heavily as everything moved faster and faster. Adrenaline filled them as they spun around again so Steve could re-load, and Natasha shot four more guards coming at them. She pulled a second handgun from her holster to use because two of the guards had actually gotten their gear on, and were only knocked to the ground with her shooting. They were rolling around in pain from the impact on their vests, and took their helmets off in confusion. They were killed seconds later by Natasha's deadly aim as their corpses fell to the ground.

More soldiers were coming at them because they recognized Natasha and Steve now. Spinning faster, they kept knocking out more and more guards. One, and two more. And then three at once as they got closer to the warehouses. All of the operatives were dead that had come near them, but they were getting swarmed now, "Valkyrie. Someone. We need a little aerial coverage, now! Rogers and I are getting pinned."

Bucky had made his way to the roof to help Jessica and her team. He used his assault rifle, got into his sniper position on the ground. His rifle was loaded with armor-piercing bullets, and he took out 10 operatives before another minute had passed.

Bucky's aim was as sharp as Steve and Natasha's at short range. But at long range? Bucky had always had the upper hand, and his skillset was needed and shining bright right now, as one enemy after another, dropped dead around Steve and Natasha.

Blood shot out of chests and helmets and legs and stomachs, landing on Steve and Natasha as Bucky literally thinned the heard, "How's that for coverage, Romanoff. Looks like you have two more coming your way, think you can handle em?"

Steve groaned and wiped a little blood from his face as Natasha yelled back, "Thanks, Buck. Now take out that goddamn tower!"

Just like in Russia, seven years ago when they took out the group of thugs. Just like in the elevator a couple of days ago. Just like so many other times in their life, fighting together in the field, Steve and Natasha stood side-by-side with each other again and nodded to each other. Covered in dirt and blood from slaughtered Poseidon terrorists, with adrenaline pumping through them, they ran towards the two operatives.

The men's guns had been dropped because they were caught off guard from Bucky's aerial onslaught of shooting. Another fatal error. Just as one of the guards was picking up his gun, Natasha jumped up, wrapped her legs around him with her dagger in hand, and stabbed him brutally in the neck. Steve had the other combatant in a choke hold. He was grabbing a grenade from his utility belt, and Steve groaned in frustration, "You mother fuckers never learn."

Natasha flinched at the loud crack that sounded as Steve snapped his neck clean. Two more guards down. Dead.

28 men and women dead, just like that. Because they were fighting a war against the West, on American Soil. For a cause and a terrorist group that they'd fallen in line with long ago. 28 more people gone, on top of all of the other Poseidon soldiers killed today. On top of the 12 CIA and FBI men and women, that made the ultimate sacrifice. On top of the injuries to Korg and Luke Cage. And they weren't even close to being done yet.

Steve and Natasha took only a few seconds to collect their breath as their circle of death and shooting spree was over. Steve was hunched over, with his hands on his knees as he nervously asked, "Barton, how are Loki and Wanda and Bruce coming? We can't let any of those vans leave this compound!"

Steve's voice rang over comms to the main task-force, and Clint yelled back, "The Mercs and I, and Daisy and her team have the building covered. But you have to take care of their advances, Cap. I don't know how many operatives Poseidon has coming still, but we're gonna run out of ammo here soon. We carried all we could from the other warehouse for extra ammunition, but everyone is running low!"

"Hey, Barton! How about you fucking mention the tower too? Rogers, take out the goddamn tower too. The aerial gunfire is getting harder to defend. And our three braniacs inside, still need more time! That's 17 fuckers, dead as a doornail for me. Castle, what's your count?"

Franks low, almost growling voice came through with a single phrase, "21 Jones, now pipe down and keep your eyes focused."

Tensions were growing higher and higher, as Steve heard more CIA men and women fall as cries came out. And it wasn't just them. Sam's right bicep had been shot. Tony's knee had been almost hit. The gunshot missed him, but a guard caught Tony as he was checking his leg and smashed his boot into the same knee. Bucky shot the man square in the head from above, as blood landed on Tony and Sam. They looked at each other in disbelief as they looked at Bucky and nodded in thanks from above, and as Sam tied a handkerchief around his arm and Tony rubbed his knee.

More grenades. More gunfire. More screams in pain from members of the task-force, but most from Poseidon's thugs. They had more men and women on their side. But the men and women fighting with Steve and Natasha? They outmatched them, in almost every talent level and skillset.

Poseidon wasn't planning on overrunning military academies by special forces and skill. They were planning on sneaking in, leaving 13 vans with bombs, and detonating them from afar, like the fucking cowards they were.

But…it was more than chaotic. The compound had been on its way to looking like a warzone 15 minutes ago. But it was an actual warzone now, and chaos was everywhere, with the screams and blasts and gunfire, and that fucking message blaring from the speaker in the tower.

Bucky had made his way down from the rooftop and was checking over Tony and Sam. The three of them looked at each other as they caught a glimpse of the man that'd hurt three of their dear friends and two of the mercenaries' team members.

Georges Batroc was one of the men running to the tower. He was up there now, and was responsible for the death of several CIA and FBI agents. And for Luke Cage's bleeding stomach. And for Korg and Sam's injuries. He was still shooting his goddamn machine gun at their friends around the warehouse.

Sam had the idea first, "How about we get that asshole back with a taste of his own medicine?"

Tony grinned and Bucky smirked. They were on the same page as they nodded at Wilson, and then covered each other, sprinting towards the first warehouse. The one with the large stock of weapons. The one with…rocket launchers. Or in laymen's terms. Bazookas.

What goes around comes around.

They made it to the warehouse as the three men found three separate crates with rocket launchers all inside. They probably only needed one. But they all wanted a piece of this son of a bitch. "Clint, cover us. We're taking out that fucking tower, now!" Bucky yelled out.

Clint saw what they were doing as they came out of the first warehouse. They lined up, side-by side with a little space for comfort in between them. They drew the tower in their site, and counted down from three as Tony yelled out, "On my count, boys. Three…Two…One!" And Bucky finished, "Light the fucker up!"

Batroc caught the men in his peripheral and started screaming at his men, but it was too late. Even with their last-ditch efforts and desperate gunshots, they couldn't hit the three men. Tony yelled out, "This is for my Rhodey!"

Sam added, "This is for Maria!"

And Bucky finished, "And for Thor, you fucking asshole!"

Right at the same time, the men shot the rocket launchers. Three bazookas. Three shots. One tower. Five Poseidon terrorists, and one man named Batroc who tried to kill five of their friends.

The tower erupted into a fireball from the three rocket launchers. And the gunfire from above was done. And finally, that goddamn message stopped playing on repeat. The eruption of fire and smoke and a little debris from the tower was floating down to the ground. Along with a couple of the men's bodies who were in it. It all only added to the scene around the task-force, being a complete war zone. Smoke and fire. Gunfire dying down as moaning from Luke Cage and Korg came through. And now tears followed, from CIA and FBI agents who'd lost some of their partners.

But the wind had shifted in the task-force's favor.

Steve felt it. They all did.

They had the upper hand again from their aerial advantage as Jones and Daisy and Valkyrie and everyone else on the roof took out Poseidon's men and women who were still trying to shoot, one-by-one with their armor piercing bullets. And the ones who were still alive, were all tied up in zip ties, just like in the bunkers.

Steve and his team had the strong advantage now. The task-force had taken the bunkers, the warehouses, and finally the goddamn tower. They had secured the grounds, and had essentially taken out Poseidon's infantry.

Thank fucking god.

A few of Dugan's men had been shot, and two were killed. The CIA and FBI team was hit hard. Korg and Cage were wounded severely, and Steve, Natasha, Tony, Clint, Sam, and Bucky all had blood on their faces and hands and gear. Both from their own wounds, and from the men and women they had fought and killed.

They had protected the warehouse, as the 11th, 12th, and 13th vans had been dismantled and Loki yelled out, "Let's get the hell out of here. We've dismantled the bombs and torn out the wiring under the steering wheel in each van. They're not going anywhere. Rogers, where to next?"

They'd protected the warehouse. Now it was time to advance on the command center.

Now it was time to find the people they were truly after.


Steve ordered the CIA and FBI agents and Dugan's team to start tying up all the remaining Poseidon operatives they could, both from around the compound and inside the bunkers. He told them to line them up, and then gather the fallen men and women from their teams.

The leaders of the CIA and FBI and Army units were retrieving the transport buses, back at the edge of the wildlife reserve. They were going to bring them into the compound and get everyone loaded up and head out immediately. They were fallen soldiers and agents, and injured comrades to attend to.

Plus, Steve didn't want to be here longer than was necessary. The Poseidon operatives needed to be arrested, and Steve didn't want to take any chances. So, while Dugan and all of the CIA and FBI allies were working at his orders, he and the task-force would advance on the command center.

Bucky ran over and covered Wanda in feverish kisses, and Natasha and Steve looked at each other with relief. But this wasn't over. They'd encountered roughly 250 Poseidon operatives. They got really lucky with three of the bunkers, and paid the price with the fourth.

They didn't know how many of Poseidon's soldiers remained in the command center, but the remaining task-force needed to take it and find out. The fact that there were no more operatives or enemies coming at them right now, was a very good sign. But they still didn't know what to expect from inside the last building.

That pitted feeling in Steve's stomach kept growing as he looked back at his very intact task-force. Clint came up and hugged Natasha as she looked at a cut on his cheek and forehead, and he shook her off. Valkyrie and Jessica Jones were getting Korg and Luke Cage loaded on a transport bus with the wounded allies and fallen soldiers and agents. Dugan sent that bus off right away, once they got the bodies on it. That was first priority – help the injured and their own.

Everyone else was doing the same thing as Clint and Natasha. Each person on the task-force was filled with sighs of relief, grateful smiles, pats on the back, and quick hugs as they gathered right in front of the command center. Dugan and the allies, and Daisy and Valkyrie and Jessica Jones kept loading captured Poseidon men and women onto the other transport buses.

And that left the taskforce and Clint. There were nine of them.

Steve. Natasha. Tony. Bucky. Wanda. Bruce. Loki. Sam. Clint.

The nine of them looked at each other. They'd made it this far, and more hugs and kisses were shared. Loki and Natasha and Wanda all embraced. Clint nodded at Steve. Sam shook off Bucky's attempt to help his bicep. He was okay from the clean shot, and he already told his team, he wasn't going anywhere. Bruce and Tony hugged. It was just them now, and they'd even managed to take out Batroc and the tower.

Fury had been listening the entire time and was trying to hide his emotions over the link, but it was evident. Everyone back at the safehouse was just as relieved as they all were.

But the short-lived reprieve didn't last long, because Tony caught the site of Justin Hammer running out the side entrance of the command center. "That son of a bitch!"

Without thinking, Tony took off after him and Sam took off after Tony. Hammer was headed for the other warehouse. The weapons warehouse. The vans might have been dismantled, but the weapons were all still very much intact.

Steve looked at the remaining seven of them, "We go inside, stay as a team, and find Ivan and Oksana and Pierce and end this. Watch each other's backs. Let's go."

The command center reminded Steve of the safehouse right away. But it only had two floors. The first floor was open and had computer units everywhere. They didn't waste time as Bruce and Wanda and Loki and Bucky all started going up to the 15 Poseidon operatives at the computer stations. They weren't field operatives or fighters. They were…office workers or computer operators…or both. They didn't have weapons on them, and didn't even try to fight as the task-force zip tied them and lined them up, along the front wall.

Steve, Natasha, and Clint kept moving to the interior of the building as Steve spoke quietly, "Tony, you and Sam get your asses back to the command center now."

Sam's voice was the one that answered, "Uh, Cap? Tony…is busy right now. He's in a fist fight with Justin Hammer. He said he can't talk right now."

Emotions might have been wearing on everyone, but Steve looked at Natasha and looked like he wanted to be the one hitting Tony right now, "Sam…Do you think, you could maybe help Tony not be busy? That way you could both come back and help us here?"

"Don't you think I'm trying? I've already taken out two other guards that were lingering and tied em up. Turns out all the stray Poseidon soldiers have the same idea. Get to the warehouse with all the guns."

"Shit," Steve took a large breath.

"Dugan, how's it looking out there?"

"Captain Rogers. I'd say we have about 175 operatives lined and ready to be taken away. We have a body count of around 100. And…we've lost three of my men, and another 15 FBI and CIA agents. We already sent the bus off with the wounded and our fallen soldiers. But we need to get out of here ASAP."

Steve looked at Clint and Natasha before saying, "Dugan have a few of your men and agents get the tied-up operatives out of here on transport buses. Check in with the bus that already left. It should be at the nearest hospital soon. You stay back with any soldiers and agents that can, to check over the grounds and perimeter again. We need to be fast and thorough."

Dugan gave the affirmative as Steve gave the nod for Natasha, Clint, and him to keep advancing.

Clint caught two older men out of the corner of his eye, paired with one middle-aged man. Natasha recognized Obadiah Stane from pictures, immediately. Steve…recognized Senator Stern of New York. The other man with him was his number two, Darren Cross.

Clint was ready to run, but Steve held him back, "No wait, Clint. They're going to lead us to where we need to go."

He looked around and saw Bucky and Wanda were behind them again as Bucky said, "Loki and Bruce went out to help Sam and Tony. We're here helping you. What's the plan now, all the operatives out there are all tied up and gagged. They didn't even put up a fight. Dugan and his men will be in shortly to get them."

Steve was about to yell over comms again, but Tony and Sam came sauntering through the corridor of the command center, grinning ear-to-ear, as Tony spoke with a cocky tone as he got closer, "I'd like you to know, that Justin Hammer will no longer be an employee of Stark Industries, effective immediately. He won't be seeing the light of day ever again. That son of a bitch was trying to make it to Obadiah's goddamn red Ferrari that was parked behind the warehouses when he realized we were chasing him. He won't ever be taking a drive ever again, either."

Steve wasn't pissed that Hammer was dead. He was pissed that Tony went off half-cocked. Sam was winded, and still hurting from where he'd been shot earlier in the arm, but shook it off, "That asshole would have killed me, Steve. He slipped away after he was fighting with Tony and had a gun on me. But Tony caught him, dead to rights and put three bullets in him, square in the chest."

Natasha asked, "Where's Bruce and Loki then? They were coming to help you guys."

Tony was catching his breath, "Saw them on our way in, they were going to go help Jones and Castle and Valkyrie, and make sure no one got near those warehouses still."

"Bruce, Loki. Do you copy? Are you okay?"

"Yes Rogers, why it's so nice of you to check in with me and show me your concern. Natasha, don't get jealous that your man might have a thing for me. I've known it ever since our moment in the elevator, when we got all close and personal."

"Loki, I mean it. You let us know if you or Jones or Castle need help, you got it?"

Bruce answered this time, "Yeah, Steve. We got it. Now go get those bastards."

Loki chuckled on the other end, "Fine, fine, Rogers. We're good on our end. We'll see you soon. Nat, Wanda? Show those men how to kick a little ass."


There were seven of them again, now. And Tony caught the glimpse he needed to, to re-charge – Obadiah Stane's bald head. But Steve held him back, "Tony, no more running off on your own. We need to stay together."

Tony didn't want to listen, but he did somehow, as the seven of them advanced down the narrow hallway.

Random gunfire and yelling were constantly coming through the comms, but reassurances from Jones and Dugan and the other leaders reassured the task-force, that they were all okay and were just finding stray operatives.

The element of surprise had given them that. And ironically, it was because of the assistance of Wilson Fisk that they had that advantage.

It was at that same time that Loki, noticed something out of his peripheral, at the northeast perimeter line. He couldn't quite tell what it was yet, so he used his drone to work quickly, trying to see what was moving just at the edge of the compound in the woods.

The seven members of the task-force were inside the command center, approaching a small office area where Obadiah Stane, Senator Stern, and Darren Cross were talking to a shorter middle-aged man with dark hair. Bucky recognized the voice immediately as he whispered to his brother, "Steve, that's the man that was talking on the radio the night of the FBI attack. I think was his name was Zemo."

They listened from around the corner to the heated exchange.

"All of these FBI agents have found us, with nothing but themselves. We were assured we would be safe here. What the fuck is going on, Zemo?"

That was Obadiah Stane as Zemo responded, "We have Ivan and Oksana to thank for this. They're obsession with the girl has led us down this path."

"We're fucking toast. Stane, even if we get out of here, we are toast."

That was Darren Cross, as Stane yelled back at him now, "Shut up, Cross. We just need to get to the warehouse. My car is parked behind the weapons building. We can load it up with my weapons and firepower and get the hell out of her." It was all wishful thinking from older men, who hadn't been in an actual fight either ever, or in decades.

Yes, Obadiah's car was parked behind the warehouse, and it was what Justin Hammer had been trying to escape in. How cliché. Tony was half tempted to shoot the red Ferrari to pieces because it was one that was bought with Stark Industry funds. With blood money, for selling the same weapons Poseidon had used to shoot the task-force and their allies.

And Steve…couldn't hold Tony back anymore if he wanted to, "Yes, you are toast you sons of bitches. And Obadiah? I got news for you. Those aren't your goddamn weapons. It's my father's name on the company, and I'll restore it, if it's the last thing I do. Hands in the air, you piece of shit. I'm with the FBI, and you assholes are under arrest."

Typical of the men in charge, they weren't heavily armed. And even if they attempted to fight, their older bodies and lack of training would be no match for the task-force.

Dugan and Valkyrie and Jessica Jones were all on comms, letting Steve know they were loading up the remaining Poseidon operatives from all over the compound into the transport buses. And that there were no more men or women on the actual grounds with guns.

"Jones, get a team into the command center when you have everyone else loaded up. We have 15 people apprehended inside this building, and we just found Stane, Zemo, Stern, and Cross. Justin Hammer is dead. Tony, Sam…Get what data and intel you can from their computers in here."

"You got it, Steve," Sam answered.

Tony was about to start screaming at Obadiah, but Sam stopped him, "Not worth it right now, Tony. We're here and he's under arrest. Everyone else has to keep moving. You and me need to get the data off their computers. We'll stay here, and make sure Jones and Valkyrie get these assholes and everyone else at the entrance loaded up. You guys keep moving, and find Ivan and Oksana and Pierce and everyone else."

Tony calmed down and wiped his face, knowing what Sam and Steve were trying to do - help him calm down. But he relented and nodded at Sam, and got to work on the computers at the front.

There were five of them again. Steve knew there weren't that many people left in the building. If Poseidon had enough operatives to go on attack right now, they would. Their forces had all tried to get to the warehouses earlier, unsuccessfully. And now, the people in charge were left.

Steve and Natasha led the way, with Clint, Wanda, and Bucky behind them. The building seemed empty, but they knew it wasn't. Natasha looked like she was a live wire, about to shock anyone that came too close. Clint looked the same. They all did to a certain extent. But the siblings in particular, were so close to the end, they could taste it. But they hadn't found their handlers yet.

The team of five approached a T intersection, and heard the sound of voices coming from both directions. They looked to the left, and Jasper Sitwell was running past the end of the hallway and made eye contact with them…for just a second.

"That goddam son of a bitch." Steve was about to go in that direction, but Natasha held him back, "Steve, I hear voices at the opposite end…and I swear, one of them is Oksana's. We need to cover both directions."

Steve looked back at Bucky who was already moving towards Sitwell, "Wanda, you and I will go after that asshole. There's not that many people in this building. That much is clear. Steve, stay on comms and cover the opposite direction."

Steve took a second and stared at Bucky.

Just like in war, there was an understanding with that look. They had already had their heartfelt moments before this. They couldn't dive into any of that again right now, but there was a look. A look they both knew well, that summed everything up they were feeling inside. A look that meant, 'This better not be the last time I'm seeing you.'

A nod and similar glances were exchanged between Wanda and Natasha. But suddenly, Steve, Clint, and Natasha were on their own, going to the right at the T intersection. They reached the end of the brightly lit hallway, and turned left, because they heard voices from the same direction.

They were all covering each other's backs as they moved 50, then 100, then 500 feet, checking small room after small room. And a couple minutes later they were right outside, where the voices were coming from. It was a large open room, and the three of them stood outside. Four distinct voices were heard from the inside.

Rumlow. Pierce. Ivan. Oksana.

Four people. Four people that had been pulling the strings and tormenting the three of them for the past seven years. Four people that'd been trying to run and ruin Natasha and Clint's lives, for the entirety of it. Four people, that were so obsessed with the idea of Russian power, that they were willing to hurt and kill…and sell out as many people as possible or deemed necessary, for their cause. For their precious fucking mission – to infiltrate, secure, and destroy.

Steve looked at Natasha and Clint and motioned with his hands, that he would go in first. Natasha looked like she wanted to fight him on it. But Steve wasn't being over protective. Well, maybe he was deep down, but truly, he was the commander of this trio right now, and he was going to lead the way.

The three of them took a deep breath, gave that similar glance to each other, they'd just exchanged with Bucky and Wanda. That they'd just given to Tony and Sam. The look that meant, this is it…one way or another.


"Rumlow, where is our transport out of here?"

Oksana's voice was higher than usual while Rumlow was on the phone. Oh, how the tables had turned. They were acting as similar and as desperate as Tony and Steve and Bucky were, weeks ago at the FBI Headquarters, when it was attacked. Right now? In this moment? They were more than on their heels.

Poseidon's U.S. operation. This hidden compound outside of Niagara Falls, had more operatives and fire power than the task-force and its allies. They had the advantage. On paper, it should've been more than Steve and his team could handle.

What was true on paper, didn't always transpire to how reality unfolded.

The element of surprise, the will power and skill level, and the teamwork between the agents, soldiers, and task-force, all worked in the task-force's favor. This wasn't a David versus Goliath scenario. Anyone that knew Steve and his team, wouldn't ever have thought that his team were underdogs. It was a Goliath versus Goliath matchup. And Steve and his teams' talent and skills, outmatched Poseidon in every capacity today. And right now? They out matched Poseidon's remaining numbers that were left, too.

Rumlow was clearly agitated and worried as he snapped back, "Oksana, for once in your life, why don't you shut the fuck up! I'm working on it. The pilot says the chopper will be here in 10."

Alexander Pierce walked up to the other man pacing in the background right now, "Ivan, this is a disaster. What the hell kind of operation have you been running here? I thought you said this compound was well hidden?"

Pierce's voice sounded more than desperate as Ivan yelled back, "Don't try and blame this on me, Pierce. You're the one that didn't catch onto Secretary Ross helping out Fury over the last month. How could you not know where your old war comrade was hiding out? You're not pinning this on us to the mother land."

The knives were out. And one had to wonder…if Steve and Clint and Natasha, weren't about to barge in to arrest the four of them, if they would just end up killing each other…

But they did barge in.

Steve led the way with Clint and Natasha right behind him as he yelled out, "This is the FBI. Alexander Pierce, Brock Rumlow, Ivan and Oksana Petrovich. You're under arrest. Put your hands in the air."

Rumlow scoffed as he backed away from his handlers and Pierce, and moved back into the shadows. Pierce, ever the politician, tried to actually talk his way out of this, "Captain Rogers, you and I have a lot in common you know. Not the least of which is our love for this country."

Steve glared at him, "You love yourself. And the idea of gaining more power. That's it, Pierce. I don't know what happened to you, after Vietnam. But frankly, I don't give a damn, either. Batroc is dead. Hammer is dead. I just got word from my team that the few remaining Poseidon terrorists here, have been apprehended too. Just like everyone in the command center. Stern and Zemo, and Stane and Cross. Everyone here is done."

The anger flashed through Pierce's eyes, "Fury's leading man. The man with the plan. The man that would give up everything, all for his love for a Russian spy. What is the world going to think, when they find out the truth, Captain Rogers? You won't be revered as a hero. You'll just be seen as someone who would do anything, for his Russian muse. Willing to sell out his team and country…"

Steve had enough of his bullshit. He didn't sell anyone out. He had stretched his own morals and lied to family and friends about his own safety and whereabouts, to find Natasha. Period. And he would do it over and over again. It was to save her. It was to try and figure out the mystery of all that'd happened to her. It was not, to try and gain more power and pledge his allegiance to the hammer and sickle. Pierce was soap boxing in his great last stand.

And it all sounded as pathetic as he looked right now.

Pierce kept trying to talk until Steve went up and knocked him unconscious with the butt of his gun. The Secretary of Defense landed on his back on the ground with a solid thud, instantly, out cold. Steve tied him up quickly with zip ties. Now it was three on three, but Steve couldn't tell what Rumlow was doing, "Rumlow…get out here before you end up just like your partner, Rollins. He went off on his own and got killed at the FBI. Remember?"

Rumlow…didn't get a chance to respond, because Ivan talked first.

"You traitorous whore. And you…pathetic coward. We raised you both and gave you everything."

Clint tried to contain his laughter from shock, but a couple of disbelieving shrills came out of him, "Everything? You gave us nothing. You made us murder our teammates decades ago, all to make us follow your goddamn tests. You made us lie and steal and cheat and kill. You tried to make Natasha into a whore as a teenager, all so you could what? Prove a point, that you have control over us. Thank god, Natasha said goodbye to Yelena long ago, and realized she deserved better. And thank fucking god, my love for her at least led me a long to follow her. I didn't think I deserved better until I finally got away from you two. But now I know…I always deserved better."

Ivan hadn't seen Clint in years, ever since Barton had escaped their camp after Natasha was taken. But Clint…never talked back to him like that. Never.

So, the fact that Ivan was at the end of his rope right now, was only one of the factors as to why he looked so shocked. Clint's sheer defiance added to that.

But he didn't have a chance to respond because Oksana was as livid as she always was around Natasha, "You've thrown away everything, Yelena. Everything! We could've risen to greatness in the motherland, but you gave it all up, for what? Your perfect, Captain? He'll see what a waste you are someday, and he'll throw you out just like you threw out your life."

Oksana spit at Natasha, and it landed right at her feet, and Natasha's boiling point had been reached. She went right up to Oksana and punched her square in the nose. Blood began spurting out instantly as the older woman moaned in pain, "Don't you ever fucking call me, Yelena again. Yelena was who I was born as, but it is not who I am. And I didn't give up anything. I found everything you kept me from."

Natasha's emotions were almost overwhelming her, as she looked back at Clint and Steve quickly. Her eyes were glassing up, but she couldn't help it, because her words were true. She had found everything.

All she'd ever had in her life growing up, was Clint. Until she had the courage to run from Oksana's clutches. Until she kept running, and finally found something worthy of holding onto. Until she literally ran right into Steve, 12 years ago. Natasha knew she wanted nothing to do, with the horrors of the life that were forced upon her. But she didn't know what she was looking for until she'd found Steve. And Clint was saved right along with her.

Natasha didn't stop, "God, I used to look at you and be afraid, Oksana. I used to do everything you asked. Every lie and task. Every goddamn test. And Clint and I passed all of it, and never received anything except more disgusted looks and hatred from you. I don't know if you were jealous, or you just were born as the sociopathic bitch you are. But I stopped caring about your approval a long time ago. Because I found everything I needed in life in Clint. And in Steve. And in my family at the FBI."

She stepped back and pointed her gun at Oksana. Natasha looked over at Ivan and made eye contact, telling him that she was finally done letting them have any hold over any of her heart anymore, "You used to rule us by fear, but that's over. You tortured me for almost two years, murdered Steve's and my child, and didn't even bat an eye. I hope you know, that where they are going to put you? It's going to make my 21 months look like a fucking cake walk in comparison. You're both finished."

It wasn't Ivan or Oksana's voice talking anymore. It was Rumlow's, "Always the strongest. Always the prettiest…although I bet your back and your thigh don't look so pretty anymore. You see what I did to your girl yet, Rogers? Or is she so damaged, that you haven't been able to get the goods again, yet?"

Rumlow was trying to goad Steve into fighting, and it was working. Natasha and Clint were holding strong, but Steve hadn't dealt with this bullshit for three decades, like the siblings had. Steve knew Natasha for 12 years, and loved her every second. Over the last seven years, he found out how ruthless the three enemies in the room could be.

And over the last two years?

Steve realized just how truly sick and twisted they could be. But Steve had only felt the depths of their sadistic nature at this primal level, for the last couple of months. Ever since finding Natasha hanging from those rafters, and seeing what the three of them did to her. Steve experienced almost the same level of hatred towards them, as Clint and Natasha did. After knowing that because of what they did, he and Natasha had lost a baby, how could he not?

Steve stepped over towards Rumlow, with all the anger and vitriol feeding his movements, as Rumlow sneered, "Sorry I damaged your precious cargo, Cap. But here's a newsflash. She's been garbage for a longtime."

Steve…went off as Natasha tried to gain her bearings of what was going on. This didn't feel right. It felt like Rumlow was…wasting time.

Steve's fists hit Rumlow's face first, over and over again, "You're going to pay for everything you've done, Rumlow."

"Steve! Stop."

But Steve didn't hear or listen to Natasha, and Ivan pulled a gun from the back of his pants, and shot first at Clint. His aim was typical of a man in charge who hadn't seen any actual action in decades. But he shot Clint in the thigh as he fell to the ground.

Rumlow, used the advantage of surprise and took his switch blade out, and caught Steve as he was looking back at Natasha and Clint. Rumlow may have not been as gifted as the siblings, but he was still smart as fucking hell and a really skilled fighter. And he knew just where to shove the blade into Steve's side…right in between the Velcro straps of his vest, into his lower abdomen.

And Steve felt it instantly.

He'd been stabbed in the side of his stomach with a two-inch blade, as the pain shot through him. Natasha looked at her bleeding brother, and Steve at her other side as she screamed out, "Steve!" Clint and Steve were both okay, but it was enough of a distraction for Rumlow to yell out, "Ivan, Oksana. Now!"

Rumlow threw a canister of tear gas in the room, and unlocked a steel door behind them. The door looked like it could have just been a closet. But it wasn't.

The gas was going off, as Natasha and Clint and Steve all covered their faces and put on their masks they had attached to their belts. A little of the gas had been inhaled, so they were coughing relentlessly, but it wasn't anywhere near the level they'd all experienced in the past, like when Steve was at the cabin.

Adding fuel to the fire, Steve saw Rumlow running after Oksana and Ivan through the steel door, as he turned around and put his middle finger up towards Steve, and then followed by grabbing a grenade and tossing it through the door, right in the middle of the open room.

Steve was coughing heavily, but saw where the grenade landed. He maybe had two seconds but ran over to where it landed about five feet away from him. He kicked it back through the steel door and dove towards Natasha, bringing her to the ground. They landed right by Clint as he covered both of their heads with his hands.

Steve bellowed out in pain into his mask, from the knife wound in his side as he landed on the ground. The explosion rang through the room, and shook the floor, but the blast had been far enough away, and contained in the hidden hallway, that no one was hurt worse than they already were.

They were all shaking and covered in smoke and dirt. Pierce was still unconscious and tied up, and Natasha…was covered in Steve and Clint's blood now too. She was starting to freak out because the three people that she needed to capture the most, had just ran out through a fucking hidden hallway.

They all took off their masks and Natasha took a flannel off, she had under her coat and cut it in half. Natasha was just in her double vests, and T-shirt as she gave half to Clint as he tied it tight around his thigh, and then looked at Steve, "You tell me you're okay. You tell me that wound isn't hitting anything deep, Steve. Tell me now, and you fucking mean it."

Steve grabbed her hand tight, and then pulled the blade from his side as he shouted out in pain again, shaking a little this time, "I'm okay, Nat. I promise. The blade wasn't that deep. It's just into the muscle tissue."

But he was bleeding as Natasha gave him the other half of her shirt and packed it into his wound, "Good, because I'm going after those fuckers. I only need three bullets for them."

She wasn't listening to her brother or Steve as she ran up to the door. She kicked it open as the fire from inside was trickling from the blast of the grenade. The ceiling to the hallway was crumbling and part of the wall had collapsed, but there was a big enough hole for her to run through.

Clint and Steve were yelling, but she wasn't listening. Natasha didn't care as she chased after her white rabbit through the smoke. As she chased her past and representation of all the pain in her life.

"Fuck, Clint. Are you okay to watch over Pierce? Bucky just said he was shot in the shoulder from Sitwell, but he's okay. He and Wanda have Sitwell apprehended. And Tony said Dugan and his team are working their way back to get Pierce, now. Just stay with him. They'll be here soon. I'm going after Nat."

Steve was a little woozy standing up, and Clint nodded at him as he grunted to stand up against a wall, to stay on his one good leg. He kept a gun on Pierce the entire time and knew there was no way he was getting in between Steve chasing after Natasha.

Steve groaned as he made his way through the small pile of rubble as spikes of pain shot through him. The flickering lights in the narrow hallway only added to his senses being overwhelmed as he muttered, "Where the hell is this going?"

As it turned out, the four bunkers at the compound each had a hallway, leading underground to the command center. And the door they were going through, was leading them through one of those hallways, all the way to the northwest bunker.

Steve was bleeding and hurt, but it wasn't anything he couldn't handle and kept running as he held his stomach and Natasha's shirt tight. He ran 50 feet then 100, then 300. He kept running as fast as he could, until he caught the site of Natasha's feet, "Nat, wait up!"

Natasha wasn't listening to him though, just like Steve wasn't listening to the pain in his own body. She climbed the narrow staircase first, and Steve was right there behind her as he barely grabbed her arm, "Natasha, please. Wait. You can't run off like that!"

Natasha looked back at him and was frantic, "Steve, we have to get them. Please!"

Steve breathed heavily through his pain and shook his head, "I know, Nat…but together. You can't run off like that on your own!"

She shook her head as they opened the door to the northwest bunker, and they heard an indistinguishable rumble from outside. They both knew in the pit of their stomachs, what was happening as Natasha screamed out in desperation, "No!"

Natasha sprinted up the stairs now, with Steve just behind her, trying with everything to push through the pain and stop her. He knew. He knew the sound. And then knew what would happen even before they reached the exit.

There was a reason Rumlow was stalling and why the three of them were trying to buy a little time.

Escape.

They were at the end of their rope, and were more than fine with sacrificing Pierce and Sitwell, and everyone else at the compound, as long as their own asses were saved. That's how they operated in this life. And it was why Steve and Natasha knew the indistinguishable sound, of a helicopter.

They got to the exit of the bunker and both ran out the door. They were immediately met with gunfire at their feet as the black chopper was taking off. It was from Rumlow and a rifle he now held in his hand from the helicopter. And Steve didn't let anything else happen as Rumlow yelled out, "I'm gonna fucking kill you, Rogers. You remember that!"

Steve fought through the immense pain in his stomach as Natasha tried to kick against him. She didn't even know what she was doing anymore. But he didn't stop as he pushed her back into the bunker and shoved her against the wall, "Nat, stop. We're gonna get killed if we go out there."

"NO! No, Steve we have to."

Natasha wasn't trying to fight Steve. She was fighting her past. She was fighting every ounce of pain that she felt in her life from the three people escaping right now. Honestly? She was losing it a little bit, "We have to. Please, Steve. We have to get them."

Rumlow's gunfire seemed endless from the air as Steve pressed Natasha tight against the wall, pushing through the stabbing sensation in his side, "No, we don't, Nat. I'm not letting you get hurt. That is the most important thing. Not what is in that chopper. Look around, Natasha. We've won. We took down Poseidon. We stopped the attack. And we will get the three of them, but not now. I'm not losing you again!"

Natasha knew he was right, but still couldn't bear it, as she grasped Steve's arms and then fell into him as she finally let out a few tears. She held onto him as she took a few breaths.

And then, a little logic and reason came back to her. She focused on Steve holding her, and after a few more seconds, she realized what'd just happened.

Natasha kissed him desperately, because Steve was hurt and had still run after her. She finally realized what had just happened over the course of the last 10 minutes as she began to shake a little, "Oh, thank god you're okay, Steve. I'm so sorry. I just…how can they be getting away?"

The gunfire had finally stopped. Steve grabbed her hand and held her tight for a few more seconds before they walked through the bunker entrance and saw it with their own eyes. The black chopper was high in the sky now and flying away. The three villains in Natasha and Clint and Steve's lives, were getting away.


It was a hard pill to swallow any day of the week. The pill of winning, but not being satisfied.

Because the task-force had won. And won big.

Fury had checked in over comms as Steve and Natasha walked outside, back to the command center. Fury had praised their work and patched in the dispatch that was being played over the news right now.

A source, also known as Colonel Phillips, sent information from Europe. He was in communication with Ross and Fury…and Marvel's 616 broadcast. Fury grinned and told Rogers, "Listen to this yourselves as you guys get the last of Poseidon's operatives out of the compound. The clean-up team will be there a little later to get the weapons and 13 armored vans."


News Report:

CE: I'm Christine Everhart with Marvel's 616 Live Broadcast. This just in. We have breaking news at this hour.

We will go more into detail later as reports keep pouring in, but we've just received word on this nation's leading story. The story that every news outlet in this country…and in the world, has been reporting on over the last couple of weeks. Those news outlets, including this one, have been wrong. Everything you've heard about Natasha Romanoff, Steve Rogers, Clint Barton, and Nick Fury and his FBI team, has been false, and we are here to tell you the correct story.

Alexander Pierce is a spy, a terrorist, and a traitor to this country. Yes, that's right. The Secretary of Defense, to the United States of America, is a terrorist. A traitor, that he claimed the siblings from Russia were. The FBI Headquarters attack? The attacks in Sweden and Australia? They were all at the hand of a Russian terrorist group, known as Poseidon. And when Pierce's estate was broken into, it was because of the brave efforts of Romanoff and Rogers and their team. They were gathering vital intel, in order to prevent an attack.

An attack that was planned for America and throughout the world, for only days from now.

That is not the most important news at this hour, as hard as that is to hear. To all of my loyal listeners out there, please take a seat. Because all of this information I am about to share has been confirmed by our military and The White House, and by our allies overseas.

The FBI, and a brave team of Army and CIA and FBI agents and soldiers…and allies from overseas on each continent, have thwarted the efforts of Poseidon, to harm innocent countries and citizens all over the world. We are getting reports, and are receiving short messages, translated through old Morse Code, that again, have all been confirmed the White House, and by Secretary of State, Thaddeus Ross and his counterparts in each country:

*In Britain, the famous Carter sisters, Sharon and Peggy, have led their country's efforts and taken down Poseidon's warehouse. They arrested the leading Poseidon operatives inside their European faction, Johann Schmidt and Arnim Zola. It is unknown at this hour still, where the plans of attack were set for, but they have been stopped. The Carter women have always stood strong against authoritarian figures and have risen in the ranks of British Intelligence over the last decade. The entire country, and looks like the entire continent of Europe, has Agents Sharon and Peggy Carter and their allies to thank.

*In Africa and the Middle East, the close allies to the U.S. Military from the small, but strong country has stood up and saved the day. The Wakandan Military, led by General T'Chaka and his children, T'Challa and Shuri, have stopped the African faction of Poseidon, led by two men named Killmonger and Klaue.

*In Asia, it was the United States' own Melinda May, longtime FBI Agent, and colleague of Nick Fury, that led the defense. She partnered with our allies in Asia, General Shang-Chi, and their forces were able to stop the attack. A man named the Mandarin led the Yakuza and joined with Poseidon operatives, but were defeated by May and her team's efforts.

*In South America, it was the United States' own Phil Coulson, who also is a long-time friend of Nick Fury. Folks, it looks like every newspaper and media outlet in this country, is going to owe a very long apology to Nick Fury and his team. Coulson, also a seasoned FBI Agent, led his team to take out the small faction of Poseidon operatives being led by Commander John Garet and Grant Ward. It is absolutely incredible. These stories of brave men and women standing up all over the world, against this terrifying group known as Poseidon.

*In Australia, it is being reported that a group of mercenaries have helped the Australian military to come in and save the day against the Poseidon forces there, led by a man named Ronan. But they have been stopped, and thank goodness. Like America and Sweden, Australia has already been terrorized by Poseidon.

But wait…we are receiving our own Morse Code message from this mercenary group in Australia. It is separate from what Fury, Ross, and Colonel Phillips have coordinated and sent out to the News Outlets.

The message states, "We are the Guardians of the Land Down Under. Let any terrorist group know, if you come for any Blokes or Sheilas here, you come for us. And if you come for us...Rocket, what the hell are you doing? Wait, that's not supposed to go out on Morse Code. Goddamnit Groot, I was trying to show how tough we are. Don't type that in the message. Drax! Get control of Rocket and Groot. Where's Nebula and Gamora and Mantis? Well, fuck. Groot's still typing this message. Okay, right. Everything is under control here. Yes…this is Peter Quill. And the Guardians of the Australia have saved the day. You're welcome."

There you have it, folks. The Australian Military was helped by this rag tag group of mercenaries, calling themselves the Guardians of Australia. And it seems their fighting efforts are a lot better than their communication.

*Which leaves us with America. Listeners, the following people have been apprehended or stopped today at a location in upstate New York, that hasn't been disclosed yet. This location, along with four other bases in America, housed supplies and weapons for the terrorist group. That's right, listeners. In our own backyard, Poseidon…this terrorist group, grew and kept weapons in stock, planning this attack. But those four other bases have been taken out by the brave fighter pilots in the Air Force who stood up with our courageous men and women under Fury's leadership.

Due to safety concerns, so the military and government can step in and secure the area, and assist the brave men and women under Captain Steven Grant Rogers' command today, we don't know more specifics at this hour. But we will report them to you as soon as we know. Captain Rogers, under the leadership of Nicholas Fury, kept fighting for this country, even when the media falsely accused them of betrayal.

Their leadership, along with Natasha Romanoff, Clint Barton, Bucky Barnes, Tony Stark, Sam Wilson, Bruce Banner, Loki, and Wanda Barnes, have led an allied group of Air Force pilots and Army soldiers, mercenaries, and FBI and CIA agents. Their brave efforts have stopped Alexander Pierce, the secretary of Defense. He has been arrested, along with Darren Cross, Senator Stern of New York, Obadiah Stane of Stark Industries, Jasper Sitwell, and Barron Zemo.

They have all been taken down or arrested today, along with hundreds of other terrorists captured in this country and overseas. We will be able to sleep well tonight, knowing that this brave FBI team, with the help of its allies…This brave team, led by Rogers and Romanoff and Barton, under Fury's command, have stood tall in the face of evil. They kept fighting, even when the story being told was pushing the narrative that they were the traitors.

How wrong we all were, and how sorry we all are. We cannot say it enough times, but we will say it again and again. But most importantly, how thankful we all are to their service and their bravery, because they've kept the freedom and ideals of this nation alive. They've protected the citizens of this country, and we cannot thank them enough.

We will keep you informed as details keep pouring in. This is Christine Everhart with Marvel's 616 Live Broadcast, signing off for now. We are your eyes and ears when you can't be. And we will keep you abreast throughout the day and evening as this story continues to unfold.


Steve and Natasha had such a mix of emotions on their walk back to the command center, listening to Marvel's 616 broadcast.

Fury cut through their train of thought and the broadcast, "Rogers, it sounds like Dugan and Valkyrie and Jones and Castle have loaded up every last Poseidon operative. Even Pierce and Sitwell. They're headed out on the transport buses. Ross has been on the phone with each military branch. They're coming in to collect all the weapons in a couple of hours."

Steve had already had the beginnings of this argument as he became irritated, "Fury, it all goes. Those weapons were made and sold in blood, all to destroy and murder more innocent lives. They all go."

Fury sighed, "Steve, you're calling the shots, I get it. And I agree. They all go. You can personally see to it. But right now? You and Barnes and Barton and Wilson are all injured. So, get Romanoff and Barton, and the rest of the task-force out of there. There's nine of you left. Come back to the safehouse, and then we'll take care of the rest, together."

Natasha cut through, "Sir, I'm sorry. We failed."

Natasha wasn't focused on the big picture. They had won. And won big. But she started shaking a little again, as Steve held her and finished their walk back to the command center. Fury answered her right away, "Romanoff, you listen to me. You are many things, but a failure is not one of them. Stand proud and look at what you did. You…all of you, saved the day. And there are thousands and thousands…10's of thousands of Americans, that will never realize how close they came to not being alive this week, because of each of you. I am damn proud of every one of you."

Natasha wiped her eyes and smiled as Steve grabbed her shoulder with his side that wasn't oozing blood and puss as Fury finished, "Rogers, check in when you get back to your SUV's. There are only two vehicles left, back through the woods at the edge of the reserve. Let me know when you're on the road. And Romanoff? Don't worry, you'll get Ivan and Oksana and Rumlow. We will all help you do it. Focus on the win right now, because Poseidon is done."

She wiped her eyes and Fury signed off, just as they were getting back to the command center. Clint was standing outside and hugged Natasha right away as he tried to stay upright on his one good leg. Sam was holding onto his bicep and Tony was still rubbing his knee from where it'd been beaten before. And Bucky, was kissing Wanda while his left shoulder drooped in a sling from where he'd been shot.

"Buck, what happened?" Steve went over to him and gave him a small hug, both avoiding his stab wound and his shot-up left shoulder. Bucky groaned, while Wanda tightened his sling, made from her jacket as he answered, "I had Sitwell pinned, but the slimy asshole threw a grenade that we dodged, but he pulled a gun out and had it pointed at Wanda."

Wanda frowned and cut him off, "And this stupid idiot, you call your brother, Steve…jumped in front of me after Sitwell shot his gun. James, you could've been killed!"

Some of the tension and emotion was being tapped into as Bucky answered her right back, "Wanda, I'm fine. The bullet went straight through. My shoulder's just a little banged up."

"Yeah but you didn't know that, James. If you would have jumped a second sooner or later, the bullet could have hit your heart."

Steve groaned from the pain in his side, which caused Bucky and Wanda to stop their small argument and shake their heads in relief again. None of it mattered right now. They were both okay, which was the only thing that mattered as Wanda hugged Bucky and kissed him again.

Steve was looking around again and spoke into their comms, "Bruce, Loki? What's your position? Did you catch a ride with Jones or Dugan on one of the buses?"

Bruce came walking up to his friends by himself, hugging his team and looking very relieved, "Steve, Loki, and I got separated about 20 minutes ago with all the chaos. He said he'd catch me back at the safehouse."

Steve started looking around, but Loki's voice came through on comms, "Oh Rogers, don't you worry your perfect little ass about me. I'm fine. I decided to take that nice little red Ferrari that was behind the warehouse for a joy ride and left with the last transport bus. I deserve it right? I mean I love all of you a great deal, but how could I resist? I'll meet you all back at the safehouse. Just getting on the highway now."

Loki's voice cut off from comms as Natasha and Wanda smirked, listening to him. He sounded…happy. And had even told them all that he loved them. Loki sounded free in that moment, and it was something that he'd been searching for, for a very long time. They all looked around at the destroyed compound. Smoke still filled the air. Broken windows and torn down doors, and bodies of Poseidon's combatants scattered the grounds.

But it was the other bodies that were taken away that the team thought of. Men and women in the Army, CIA, and FBI gave their lives today. That had sacrificed everything for the mission. For the cause. For this country and each other. For their own families back home.

Steve spoke to Dugan for a minute, and then checked in with Danvers, who reported that the four other bases had successfully been taken out. This base would be heavily watched, but they weren't going to risk those other bases falling into some rogue Poseidon operative's hands, and risk some of the weapons falling back on the open market.

It was a mission, that was successful beyond compare. It was their biggest win any of them had ever been a part of. They had won. Poseidon had been stopped. There would be no attack. Tony and Sam had backed-up data from the command center, which gave them a massive amount of information to sort through in the future.

Yes, it was an incredible victory. But Ivan, Oksana, and Rumlow were in the wind right now.

Which caused silence to fill the air between the eight friends, as they made their way out of the compound, and through the forested area. Wanda helped Bucky. Bruce helped Clint. Tony and Sam helped each other. And Natasha helped Steve. They walked over one and a half miles of rough terrain, and 20 minutes later, found themselves standing outside their SUV's again. Yes, they were quiet but started nodding at each other in relief, realizing that they'd come out of this in once piece. And together.

It was the last time they'd feel that way, before everything changed.


The eight friends piled into the SUV's and took off, all winded and worn from the day. But they tried to stay focused on the picture as a whole. They'd won. The ultimate sacrifices had been given by other soldiers and agents, but they'd beaten Poseidon.

The team made it 15 miles away from the reserve and Poseidon's compound. They were heading back towards Niagara Falls when they realized, that the term sacrifice hadn't actually passed over their tiny group and family of friends today.

Wanda was driving the SUV with Bucky in the passenger side, and Steve and Natasha were in the back. Bruce was driving the other vehicle, with Tony in the passenger side, and Sam and Clint in the back.

Loki's voice broke through their ear pieces, "Hey Steve, did you miss me?"

It wasn't that Loki called him Steve. It wasn't that he was talking to him so quickly after they'd just spoken with him, a little over 20 minutes ago. It was something that Steve felt, though. That pitted feeling he'd had all morning and afternoon was back. And he knew in his gut, that something was wrong, "Wanda, pull over. Bruce, you too"

Both SUV's were pulled over instantly, and the eight of them jumped out. Steve looked right at Bruce, "Banner, what happened when you and Loki got split up?"

Bruce looked confused, "I…Steve, what's?" He sighed and tried to collect himself and continued, "We went to find Valkyrie and Jones and Castle, and started helping them with getting all of Poseidon's operatives on the transport buses that Dugan had waiting at the entrance. Loki was with me at first, and I turned around after about 10 minutes, and I couldn't find him. I thought he came back to you at first."

Steve didn't need to ask anything else, because Loki came back through on comms, "Oh Rogers, I'm right here. You don't need to interrogate Brucie."

Natasha looked at Wanda. She felt how nervous Steve was as she was helping him stand with his side that was still bleeding, and she started getting that feeling too. So did Wanda.

So, did each and every one of them.

In battle, even the most planned defenses and attacks…can't account for everything. And today was no different. They had a shortened timeframe to plan, and surprises met them at every turn today. But the biggest surprise had yet to be discovered by them.

The biggest surprise had just been discovered by Loki. The surprise of the hidden player, who wasn't trying to pick sides or win today's battle, that was looming in the dark. The criminal, that was waiting on the edge of the woods to make his move. He didn't care about the Task-force or Poseidon. He and his team, were only concerned about his own skin. Their own unit. His own…chance at money, and money for his boss.

That pitted feeling was pretty solidified as Loki spoke again, "Well what a great two months this has been. Steve, do you remember when you first arrested me at that farmhouse that I made you come to? I was going off about you still trying to be the noble hero and righteous man. I didn't know it at the time, but I think I was foreshadowing my own desire…and fate…to ultimately do the right thing."

Tony and Bucky and Sam and everyone else were all looking around nervously as Loki went on, "You all know that I have a thing for surprises. Well, I guess fate and timing knew that too. I fear this is going to be my final surprise."

Natasha and Wanda yelled at the same time, "Loki, where the hell are you?"

Loki didn't answer them directly as he spoke, "Natasha, Steve. We went to make a deal with Fisk, which was my fault, but it gave us this location of Poseidon's hideout. So, I guess that's a good thing. But, there's a price to dealing with crooks and criminals…even for me, I guess. What did I say? If we dance with the devil, we're going to have to be prepared to pay him his due. And I don't think Fisk's deal was enough to cut it. It wasn't enough…"

"Loki, stop. Take a breath and tell me what's going on." Steve was trying to stay calm, but Loki just kept…talking, "It's the nature of their beasts, Steve. You know that. Criminals like Fisk? They just can't help themselves. They just can't be trusted. I stopped all of that nonsense two months ago. But Fisk? He was trying to fuck us over. And not even on purpose. It was all to try and help himself out."

Another second passed, "Brucie, you didn't lose me. I kinda lost myself. When you were helping the team load up Poseidon operatives, I caught a glimpse…of something at the edge of the woods. I'm curious by nature. You all know that…so I used my drone to explore. Adrian Toomes, was hiding and waiting with a team of men. Fisk calls him the Vulture, Rogers. I only recognized him because of my dealings in the criminal underworld…which I guess is all very serendipitous. Almost like there was a reason in the end, that I did everything I did. It was so I'd recognize him and stop him."

Steve felt that tightening in his throat, that he's felt before. The unstoppable force of knowing that something awful was about to happen. He felt it the day Natasha ran. He felt it the day he received the pictures of her. And when she woke up, about to reveal that she'd lost their child.

He felt it again right now, "Loki, you goddamn idiot. Where the hell are you?"

Steve didn't mean any of the words like he said them, but he couldn't help it. Somehow, he knew. They all did, as they started looking around with fear in their eyes, trying to stop the impending emotions that were about to wash over them all.

Loki's voice came through again, "It's pretty simple, Steve. Fisk didn't just know about the hideout here. He knew about the bombs and weapons. And he sent Toomes…his second in command. He sent, 'Vulture,' to collect the bombs and as many weapons as he could, and escape after we were all gone. All so Fisk could start making money again right away after he was out of prison from our deal with him. They were going to run off with the goods, while we were all headed back towards the airport. Fisk doesn't care about us or Poseidon. He cares about himself, and his empire, and his money. Hell, he was rooting for us to obliterate Poseidon, because that would give Toomes his opening."

"Steve, Toomes was waiting in the wind, but I caught him with my drone, and knew something was up. So, I let my curiosity run away with me, and have found myself in a little bit of a sticky situation after I followed him and his men. I definitely didn't mean to end up here. But you know…I've always been too curious for my own good."

Natasha and Wanda sounded more desperate this time, "Loki, where…"

But Loki cut them off after he took a big breath, "I'm in the warehouse with the bombs and vans. They're inside here too."

Natasha looked over to Wanda, and grabbed her chain that held Steve's tag and Loki's ring, right as Wanda rubbed her thumb that held his ring too. They knew this was far worse than just a bad situation as dread filled their stomachs. They felt it and heard it in Loki's voice. But they fought it as they nodded together and started making a move towards an SUV, "Then that's where we're coming too, Loki. We're coming to get you. We can be there in under 20 minutes. Just hold tight."

"No, you're not, my loves…Bucky, show me those muscles I've always adored and stop your wife from doing something stupid. Rogers…for once, wear the pants in your relationship with Romanoff and stop her from running off."

Steve somehow found a way to do both, as Tony came over and helped him hold Natasha. And as Sam helped Bucky stop Wanda. Steve heard the inevitability too. They all did. And Steve wasn't going to make an impossible situation worse, so he tried to remain calm, "Loki, tell us…what is going on?"

"Steve Rogers, you of all people should know, that we don't get to pick the moments in life when we have to make the toughest choices. I didn't plan this. I accidentally saw Toomes and his men here, and I followed them after you all left. I made a choice. If I let them leave with the vans and bombs. If I let them leave with other weapons, then what good are we doing today? All we're doing is letting other innocent people die…on some other day…by some other criminal in waiting. Maybe not as many. Maybe it wouldn't be as insidious as Poseidon. But the moment was there to stop Toomes and Fisk's men, so I blasted the electronic panel to the entrance. The door is shut and the system is re-booting. I'm hiding out in a good spot now, but I fear my efforts are running short on time."

"No! Loki, we're coming to you!"

Wanda and Natasha both started fighting against the men holding them, but what they were really fighting, was what they knew they couldn't stop.

Loki knew a chain reaction had been set off that couldn't be changed now, and it's what his best friends felt in their hearts as they found a way to fight and break free and actually run towards the SUV. They made it to the doors as Steve and Bucky tried to run after them, but it was Loki who made them stop.

"Wanda! Natasha! Stop. There isn't time, so don't waist these precious seconds I have with you. You listen to how serious I am being right now. I am not being frivolous or stupid, or heroic for the sake of being a hero. You listen to me both. There isn't time. Steve, I can't let them escape with bombs and the vans and weapons. You know that. They're pretty talented mechanics and brought supplies with them. They're re-wiring the vans now. That blast door's system is going to re-set and open in less than 10 minutes. And then they'll drive out of here with them, and other people will die. Maybe not today. And maybe not under Poseidon's thumb. But they'll die because of these damn bombs, and it'll be on us. It'll be on me, because I could've stopped it. You said it yourself, Steve. These are weapons made in blood. It all goes. And there simply isn't time for another option."

Steve let his frustration take hold and yelled back, "You goddamn idiot, Loki. You told us to go because you were joyriding. You did that on purpose so we'd leave."

Right at the same moment, in everyone's earpieces, they heard who they would realize soon, was the Vulture's voice, Adrian Toomes. It was muffled and in the background. But it was loud enough for them to hear, "The door didn't malfunction. Someone is here. Spread out and find out who the fuck shut that blast door. We need to get out of here soon, before the government shows up to take all of this."

Loki heard the wavering in everyone's breathing as Natasha and Wanda found their way to each other again, "Steve, don't you dare let me down right now and grow soft on me. Don't you dare try and choose me over thousands of lives. That's what one of these bombs can do, and you know it. Level a city block. You heard it before. I didn't plan this, yet here I am. And we do what we can, when we can, right?"

Wanda was trying to fight any sense and logic as she yelled, "Loki they're trapped in there. You said it yourself. Once the doors are shut. Just stay alive, and we'll come and get you."

Loki gave a nervous and quiet laugh, "Wanda…I fear the only one that is trapped right now, is me. The door will be open again soon. They've got a couple of the vans re-wired now, which means they'll be able to leave with them in about five minutes."

Clint and Bruce put their hands on each other's shoulders. Tony and Sam did too. And Steve and Bucky went over by Wanda and Natasha as Loki spoke a little quieter, "This is my choice, Steve. Wanda, Natasha? This isn't on purpose, but it's my choice. So, stop. Stop, and just listen. Please, for me."

They finally did stop. And they listened, as they heard more men in the background yelling out, "Toomes, he's not in the front half of the warehouse. Moving to the back now. We'll find whoever it is and kill the son of a bitch! The door will be open in a few minutes, so we can get the hell out of here!"

Wanda and Natasha stopped fighting, as their emotion broke through and they started crying into each other's arms, "Loki? Are you okay?"

"I am. I am more than okay. You hear that don't you? That I'm okay? And no matter what happens, I know that you'll be okay too."

12 years they'd all known each other.

And for 12 years, they'd been graced by the eyes of fate. By their talent and skill, but also by the luck of time and placements. By the strength and love of each other. They'd been saved and spared. They'd all seen other partners and teams, both inside and out of the FBI, lose agents. They'd witnessed people make the ultimate sacrifice. They'd seen the pain and heartache, and love that shined through those moments. And they'd thought they lost one of their own, two years ago with Natasha. But that wasn't the case. Fate had other plans, and they found their way back to each other. And for the last two months, the 11 of them, and Clint as a surrogate, felt blessed and lucky to be in each other's lives again.

This wasn't part of the job.

This was the job.

To take the oath. To defend the constitution. To stand up and say no when no one else could or would. It wasn't about being a hero. It was about doing what was right.

And after so long…After being lost and on the wrong path, Loki had finally found his way home. To his friends. To his family. To himself. To being the man, that his mother was so proud of. To being the man, that started this journey at Quantico 12 years ago, just like each and every one of them.

They'd been lucky to not have lost each other for good as the team split. They'd been lucky in the field countless times over the years, as they saved and protected each other. They'd all found each other again, and even in the last two months, had escaped death and sacrifice by the skin of their teeth numerous times. The attack at the FBI. When they went to see Fisk. As Maria's SUV was hit, and her and Thor and Rhodey, and the two mercenaries all barely survived.

But not everyone makes it out alive. And sometimes, even when you win, you lose. The greatest moments of bravery, often require the strongest wills and sacrifice.

These were harsh lessons in life for anyone. But they were harsher lessons in life, specifically for the group of friends that became family, after they'd all found their way back together.

Steve was still trying to run through the logistics in the back of his head, but it would take at least 20 minutes, to travel back to the compound. Maybe 15 with frantic driving. It would take another five to pull in and jump out, and find their way to the warehouse.

It didn't matter. 15 or 20 minutes, would be too long. Loki had only been talking to them for about five minutes. Which meant there was only a little bit of time left.

Bucky was the first one to blow out a loud breath as he looked at his wife, holding onto Natasha and then grabbed Steve's shoulder, "Shit."

Tony looked at the brothers and they gave a knowing look, as Toomes' voice was heard again, "He's not at the back half of the warehouse either. Where the fuck, is he?"

Steve, put his arm on his brother's good shoulder, "Loki, we're here with you. All of us. We're all here with you. Just talk to us."

Loki, made a joke. Only he could in a moment like this, "Are you with me…til the end of the line, Steve? You know…I heard you tell your brother that at his wedding, five years ago…when Natasha and I were looking on like a couple of peeping toms. It was a good line, Steve. And it was a good moment in time, even if we were only with you in spirit."

Steve had told Bucky that, in a very dark time in his life.

And now, he looked over at his brother, and then Wanda, and finally Natasha and found the strength to say it again to a very dear friend, "Yeah, Loki. We're all with you, til the end of the line."

Loki answered, "Good. Stronger together, always. And whatever it takes, right? Okay, in fear that these morons might actually find me. I have just a few things then…Clint? Thanks for bringing me into your plan. I've never been happier to leave a criminal empire behind, because of your family drama. Truly, I'm so glad you found me and had me help find our girl and bring her home."

Clint was overwhelmed in the moment, and he'd seen his share of unfair and harsh lessons in life, "Loki, you were the only one for the job, and none of us would be here today without you. Thank you. I will thank you forever."

Loki took a second and moved on, "Stark? Brucie? Sammy Boy? And let's not forget my beefcake, Barnes? You all listen up. It's a rarity in life that we get to relive our glory days from long ago. Somehow, we all did that over the last two months. And boy, did we give them hell. You make sure Rhodey, Maria, and that big oaf Thor know it. You make sure of it. And tell Fury…that this morning's conversation…was long overdue."

Bruce, Tony, Sam, and Bucky all looked at each other and said, "We will. We're with you, Loki."

Natasha and Wanda had tears streaming down as they held onto each other. Their sniffling and shaky breaths were the only thing the six men could hear, outside of Loki's breathing and the muffled yells from the warehouse.

Loki moved down the line, and spoke directly to his Captain, "Steve? Rogers? Cap? There were times over the last seven years, where I thought I'd never get to see any of you again. That all changed when you arrested me. This job. Quantico. Serving under you after we all graduated. And then, the last two months…it's been the thrill of a lifetime. I know you and Natasha talk about being saved. I think we all kinda did that 12 years ago, when we found each other. But make no mistake, Steve. You saved me, by bringing me back into the world. You saved me, when you saved Natasha, and brought us all back together. We're always stronger together, not just now. But in spirit, too. You remember that. And you remember, to kiss your beautiful mother for me. Sarah's the real hero among all of us."

Steve wiped his face as tears came down as he looked around again and found a way to say, what he knew would be his final words to him, "Loki? I will. She loves you, you know. Like her own family. Just like we do. And you need to know, you're the real hero among all of us. You tell me, you know that."

"I do, Steve."

Toomes' and his men's voices came through again, "Son of a bitch. Check the vans! We haven't checked the vans."

Loki, clever as always, had hid himself in the one place, they didn't think to look. Right inside one of the armored vans, that each held enough explosives to level a city block. His time was running short, as he spoke to the last two people…the most important two people in his life.

"Natasha? Wanda? You listen to me, my loves. No goodbyes, remember? Not ever. We've made it this far without one. You tried it once, Romanoff with Captain Lumberjack, and look how well that turned out? No goodbyes."

They both held each other, "Loki, please.."

But he cut them off, "Wanda, you tell that boy of yours, that I'm not a cat. And you keep reminding him of that. You show Peter those magic tricks of his, and maybe he'll grow up with as much spice in him that I already see…and just for good measure, tell him to never listen to his father."

Bucky laughed through his tears as Sam joined them up by the van. Tony, Bruce, and Clint followed as Loki went on, "Wanda? Don't ever change. You've been the heart of this crazy team from the get go, and just keep being you. Don't ever change. God, you remind me of the good parts of my mother. You always have. Just don't be afraid to work outside the lines every now and then. Your talent is equal to your heart, when you let it be."

"Loki, I love you. Please."

Loki, for the first time, cracked. They all heard it. The emotion in his voice, but he took a breath and shook off the tears, "Wanda, I love you too. Always."

Wanda had put her head into Natasha's shoulders as Loki kept going, now. With the emotion thick in his wavering voice, "Alright Romanoff. That leaves you and me. We've been the two, black sheep of this misfit family from the get go, right?"

Natasha looked over at her family. At Steve. And then Clint. To see the man that she loved and her brother. And then the other men in her life, while she held onto Wanda. She took a breath and found it within herself to talk to the other most important man in her life. To talk to him, in the last moments of his, as she let out a little laugh through her tears at his poor attempt at a joke.

Only Loki.

Only he could take a time like this, and make a joke, and somehow draw a laugh, "Yeah Loki, we were…from the beginning."

"You listen to me, Natasha. All of it. It doesn't matter. Everything you came from. All the shit with my father and what I've done over the last seven years. It doesn't matter right now. What matters is what's around us and in each other. You hold onto that. Do you remember what I told you on that rooftop, when we were staring at Bucky and Wanda making out like a couple of horny teenagers on their wedding day?"

A couple of sob-filled laughs, came out of Wanda and Tony as Loki went on, "I told you that I always thought you and Rogers could find your way back to one another. I told you that you needed to forgive yourself. I'm so happy to see that has happened. I am so happy, to know that you have each other in life. Because you deserve it. All of the shit that we've been through, and seeing what has happened over the last two months. Seeing what we did today…to stop Poseidon. It's like there was a purpose for all the bad. What have you guys all told me that Sarah Rogers said? Sometimes, you have to get through the bad to get to the good, right?"

Natasha found it in herself to talk through her tears to her friend, "Yeah Loki, I remember all of it. Thank you for believing in me, even when I didn't believe in myself."

Loki finished with Natasha, "I was able to forgive myself, Natasha. Don't you go back on that now. You keep that forgiveness in your heart, and you let it guide you, like you've been letting hope and your dreams lead you, your entire life. If I can do it, so can you. You remember that. From one black sheep to another, I love you, my friend."

"Loki, I love you. Please. We all love you."

They heard Toomes' team getting closer. They heard the yelling. What they didn't know, was that Loki had one final surprise up his sleeve, like the trickster he always was. But before that, he had one final thing to say to his family of friends.

"I think my time on earth is fading, but know I'm with you all. I assure you, my friends. The sun will shine us again one day."

No one had a chance to say anything more, because they heard the door to the van open that Loki was hiding in, as Toomes yelled out, "The blast door is open. Let's kill this son of a bitch and get out of here."

But Loki had other plans. He wasn't the most skilled in fighting or with weapons. He never was. But he was always great, at the element of surprise. The best in fact. He had a grenade in his hand, and pulled the pin without a moment of hesitation.

With a glint in his eye, and that mischievous smile he seemed to be born with, Loki stared at Toomes and his men and said, "Surprise."

And that was it.

The eight of them heard his last word. And then they heard the explosion. And then silence.

Then…they saw it. They were fifteen miles out, but Loki had set off a chain reaction in the 13 vans at the compound. Loki had taken out Toomes and all of his men. Loki had taken out every last one of Poseidon's bombs and weapons, waiting to be used as weapons of destruction and bloodshed, for whoever Fisk was willing to sell them to.

Harsh lessons in life were always hard pills to swallow. But this one in particular…this moment that was filled with silence after everything that'd happened, was the hardest.

Because silence meant a finality. The end. Silence meant Loki was successful with his own choice. With his sacrifice. Silence was broken up, by sobbing. Retched sobbing between Wanda and Natasha as they collapsed to the ground. As the large fireball of flames and thick black smoke rose from the air in the distance.

As Bucky and Steve found their way over to Wanda and Natasha and pulled them up to hold them, and as the other men all gathered together to put their arms around each other, they all stood together in silence, working through their own tears. Working through their own pain and emotions, with the realization that one of their own was gone from this life. Forever.


Tony offered to drive Steve's SUV back, but Bucky waved him off and thanked him. In a weird way, Steve and Bucky needed to let Natasha and Wanda be with each other right now.

Bruce drove Clint, and Tony, and Sam back in their SUV. Steve drove with his wound still covered tight with Natasha's shirt, with Bucky in the front holding onto his shoulder. And Wanda and Natasha held each other for the entire drive back to Niagara Falls. They held onto each other as Wanda grasped Natasha's chain with Loki's ring, and Natasha traced Wanda's hand and ran her thumb over hers, where the gold band rested. There were times when Bucky would reach back and just look at Wanda. And other times when Steve would reach back, for Natasha to hold onto his hand.

Sometimes all you could do, was just be there for someone. And they were all there for each other right now.

The world would look at today, as the day that a rogue and rebellious group of fighters stood up, even after being wrongfully-accused, and did what was right. They would look on world-wide, as Poseidon's forces and warehouses and weapons were taken down. As Poseidon was defeated.

It would be marked as the day thousands of lives in America were saved, without most of the country even realizing they were in danger. But that was the job. Big or small, that was the oath that this group of people had signed up for as they graduated from Quantico 12 years ago. It was what Clint had signed up to do, inadvertently when he made the decision, along with the Mercs and everyone else standing in the fight, to take Poseidon down.

On a personal level, yes, Ivan and Oksana and Rumlow were still out there. But they weren't even on their last leg anymore. They were on their deathbed, hiding in some hidden corner of god knows where. The team would find them. They were all sure of it.

But right now? The personal anger of them still being alive, and the monumental victory that the country and globe was reveling in, ironically through the lens of the media outlets that had wrongfully accused the task-force to begin with, didn't matter. None of that mattered, because they were hurting. Because they'd lost a brother in arms. They'd lost a dear friend, and one of their family.

Fury was called and filled in, and he relayed the information to everyone at the safehouse, and they responded the same way the task-force did. Most of the allies had met law enforcement who were taking Poseidon operatives away, one by one. The CIA showed up and Everett Ross personally saw to Alexander Pierce and Jasper Sitwell's capture. And yes, they'd probably be taken off to a black site for interrogation. And the rest of the men that'd caused pain in all of their lives, were being locked up, to await charges and trials. Fisk didn't know it yet, but his greed and inability to just take the deal at hand, ruined any chance at walking. He would never see the light of day again.

Those were all stories for tomorrow.

The story for today? Was the story of a hero.

Fury told them at Graduation, that he still believed in heroes. Another lesson in life that people found, was that sometimes the unlikeliest of people were the heroes. Sometimes, people could surprise you in the most beautiful, yet haunting of ways by doing the right thing.

Those lessons in life that Fury had tried to prepare them for, were all ringing true today. Sometimes, you can't win them all. And sometimes, even when you win, you still lose. Sometimes, you can't avoid sacrifice.

And sometimes, there is a ripple effect in place that you can't foresee or predict.

Loki had mentioned it to Natasha. He had only recognized the Vulture, and figured out what was going on, because he had been in the criminal underworld for seven years…and because he'd been in the room, for Fisk's deal a few days prior with Steve and Natasha.

Loki wasn't saying that the reason he became a criminal was to be able to make this choice today. But his choices had ripples. All of their choices did.

And his choices on his journey, led him to today. He was able to capture that ripple in time, and ride it to an outcome that he chose, and saved people in the process. Loki realized, that he could find something else…something good from his years of bad. Something that he could stand tall on, by doing the right thing when the time came. Not just for his family of friends. But for innocent people who would be harmed.

It's what every single person in both SUV's would have done. It's what Thor, Rhodey, and Maria would have done. It was the job. Sacrifice…whether small or large, was part of it. Loki didn't set out to sacrifice himself today, or to stop enemies from getting away with weapons that could cause mass casualties. But Loki made a choice in the moment. He made a choice to make the toughest of decisions, and went out of this world, just like he'd lived his way through it.

On his terms. And with an element of surprise.


12 years ago, Graduation marked the end and a beginning. They were 11 individuals, all believing in fidelity, bravery, and integrity. They were FBI agents, wanting to serve and protect, that were willing to sacrifice. They were classmates and then teammates, but most importantly, they were a family of friends.

And now, it was the end of another chapter. A dark and haunted chapter for them. A chapter that had separated and torn them apart. Yet against all odds, they'd lived out so many lessons they'd learned long ago. They were stronger together. When they trusted and believed in themselves and each other. When they could rely on each other as friends and family and as teammates. When they stood together, against the darkness this world had to offer. And somehow, Fury's belief shared long ago, became true.

Hope.

Belief in heroes.

Belief in them as a team.

Yes, it was the end, to this dark chapter, but also the end to a life. The end…to one of them. And that meant a new beginning, without Loki. And that was a hard rule in life, that there was no coming back from.

No matter what, life kept moving. The world kept spinning. And time kept ticking.

The strongest demands and challenges, required sacrifice. And sacrifice demanded the strongest wills at times.

And Loki, had exemplified that in the end. He wasn't perfect. He was a flawed man, just as they all were. He had made grave mistakes, and had set out on a dark path seven years ago. But before his end, he found himself again, with his family of friends. And he was saved by love.

And in return, he sacrificed and saved all of them.


Sacrifice is not to be feared. Sacrifice is not something to regret or mourn. Sacrifice, is something to revere in our hearts.

To give of oneself? For country. For friends. For family. To give of oneself…requires love. And for those individuals, who display conviction and courage. For those who show strength, in the darkest of times. For those who stand tall, when the world is demanding they kneel. For those…who sacrifice everything…Everyone else, owes a debt of endless gratitude.

The strongest individuals sacrifice, so that others may live.

No, sacrifice is not to be feared. Sacrifice is something for us all to respect and honor. For if one has the strength and will to sacrifice, then they are truly showing, that their heart is filled with love.


End Note –

I don't know how much I can actually put in here for an end message, but I'm going to try. This one hurt.

It hurt more than anything I've written in this story, and it was up there with some of the most heartbreaking things I've written in my life in general. I love these characters. I love this story. I've actually been solidly writing and working at this, and have spent endless hours working and thinking and writing with these characters in this world that I adore.

It wasn't an easy path. In fact, this was a gut-wrenching path, and one that has had me in knots for a very long time. Pretty much any time I've thought about it. So, please believe me when I say, that it is with a heavy heart and an endless stream of tears, that I conclude this chapter.

Loki…is a character that I was really, really nervous to write when I first started this story. He is a character I adore in the MCU, but my goodness…is it ever intimidating to try and wrap your head around, how to delve into him and craft him and work him into your world (For me at least). He is also a character, that was a dark horse from the beginning. What I mean, is that he's stolen the spotlight in the best way in scenes throughout this story. He was no longer intimidating for me to write, about ¼ way through this journey, and started becoming one of my favorite parts to include and write in each chapter.

This story, in the end…yes, is about the mystery and Natasha and Steve's love and history…and good versus evil…Their Poseidon Adventure.

But it also, in the end…about family. And friends. And the sacrifice that is necessary at times, especially for people in jobs like our characters are in. And finding yourself after you've been lost.

I love hearing from you, so let me know your thoughts on this chapter, no matter what they are. I am still confident that we are at 3 chapters left. I can't determine length at this point, anymore. I didn't anticipate this chapter to actually be as long as it was. But by now, well…I kind of have stopped looking at the word counter as I write, until I'm done for each day. Because…it just does me no good to try and guess anymore.

Have a great weekend everyone and wherever you are, please stay safe!

Cheers!~~ Kat