A/N: We are so close to the end folks! 6 chapters left after this! There will be a sequel. We're taking this bad boy all the way to Endgame (so i can fix it lol). Leave me comments plssssssssssss.
Chapter #31:
Now Hiring
"Now tell my friend about how you killed that guy!"
"It was for love!"
"Cool motive. Still murder."
-Jake Peralta (Brooklyn Nine-Nine)
[Countdown: 09:54:13]
I was starting to realize that I was the kind of person who could win the lottery but end up getting struck by lightning on my way to pick up the check. My pointer swung only in extremes. Either I was being adopted by the most loving group of superheroes on the planet or I was stuck sitting on a 10-hour flight with the guy who was trying to kill and/or kidnap me. Fate just really loved giving me whiplash.
"Now what?" I asked in exhaustion. The plane had leveled off and now we were cruising. I glanced at Vincent who had crossed his legs. He was big enough that it caused him to invade my space even further. "You stab me? Slit my throat? Or are you gonna knock me out so you can kidnap me as soon as we land? What's the game plan?"
"Jesus, are you always this dramatic?" Vincent scoffed and readjusted the jacket he had on. "Why would I do either of those things? This is a 10-hour flight. I kill or knock you out now and what am I gonna do with all that spare time?"
It took a second for his words to dawn on me. My eyes widened, "Oh my God, are you gonna talk to me instead?"
"I hear I'm a very fun conversationalist."
"Please kill me." I replied. "If I get a say in this decision, I think I'd rather you just slit my throat or choke me out. Anything that keeps me from having to listen to you for 10 hours."
Vincent narrowed his eyes at me, "You aren't scared of me." I didn't reply to the statement and he chuckled, "And yet you're scared of my prick brother? I think I'm insulted. You hear that ass clown got out of jail and nearly kill yourself with worry—" I don't think I wanted to know how he knew about my reaction. "—but I sit down next to you, trapping you essentially, and you mouth off at me?"
"You're an evil, rat bastard." I leaned forward to spit at him. "A pretentious asshole who thinks he's hot shit that owns the world. I have no reason to be scared of you." I settled back in my seat and added, "Your brother on the other hand isn't just a dick. He's fucking unhinged."
Vincent nodded once with a raised eyebrow, "You know what? I'll give you that. Astute observation. Plus, his obsession with you was downright creepy."
"Says the guy that stalked me in New York, followed me to Romania, and then boarded the same plane as me." I scoffed.
"I did all that for your sake."
"Oh yeah? Well I'm sorry if I gave you the impression that I wanted anything to do with you. That's my bad. I had hoped breaking your elbow had been message enough."
Vincent chuckled and pulled back his sleeve to show me the metal brace he wore, "Yeah. I originally wanted to break every single joint of your body as retaliation." I felt my blood run cold at the nonchalant way he voiced that threat. "Luckily for you, I've had time to rethink and let my anger simmer." My eyes drifted to his hand where I could see the faint, scar lines of my teeth between his thumb and finger. He chuckled and held it up in closer view, "Mhmm, you gave me this little souvenir too."
I smirked to hide my nerves, "I hear I leave quite the first impression."
"Oh, that you do, doll." I stiffened at the pet name and he chuckled at my tension though didn't comment on it. He tilted his head and leaned toward me to whisper, "That wasn't the first time we met though."
My eyebrows furrowed, "Yes, it was."
"Nope. We met way before the day where I gut shot your coffee making friend."
"First off, reminding me of that moment isn't smart on your end." I said between clenched teeth. "I'll stab you in the first ten minutes of this flight and spend the rest of it sleeping soundly. Secondly—" I focused on his features looking through my memory for something familiar, but found nothing, "—I think I'd remember meeting scum like you."
Vincent nodded, "I know. I can't believe you forgot a handsome face like mine, but... you were a little preoccupied with getting the shit beaten out of you."
Damn. There were a number of days that I hardly remembered. I'd remember big details, but there would sometimes be blanks in my memory. A symptom of the many concussions I put my poor brain through and a reminder that it was a miracle I was still alive.
"I got you thinking now, huh?" He chuckled. "I'll give you a hint. It was a year ago. Summertime. You were in one of those back to back fights. What does my dumbass brother call them?"
"A marathon." I mumbled, but that hardly narrowed it down.
"Yeah, that." Vincent nodded. He reached forward and used his finger to force me to look at him. I recoiled at his touch with a glare. His smirk grew, "You looked at me kind of like that."
I shook my head out of his reach, "I don't know what the hell you're talking about."
"You were in the last fight of that marathon. In the ring that isn't fenced off, but instead looks like a small hole in the ground." The pit. That made sense. "You had on this cute little number. Tight red shorts and a tight red sports bra? Left nothing to the imagination." Still didn't narrow anything down. "You were doing pretty good, but then in the last fight Eugene replaced your opponent with three guys."
I paled and sucked in a sharp breath.
Vincent winked with a nod, "You got it."
That night had happened, but it was riddled with holes. After an entire night of fighting, I wasn't able to keep up with the three large guys he put in the ring with me and went down pretty hard. Boss had been pissed at me about it. Like I had even stood a chance.
"What do you remember from that night?" Vincent asked seriously.
"I remember being tired. Then I was pissed at your brother for sending in those three guys. Then I was hurting, hurting real bad." I answered him honestly, trying to get to the bottom of this myself. "The fight ended, someone picked me up, but then there's a blank space. Next I'm in Boss' office and he's yelling. He carved a mark into my back. Then nothing. Then I was in an alley puking. I remember that. I stumbled down the road and then nothing. Last thing I remember is lying in my bed. I passed out for good a little while later."
Vincent nodded, "Yeah, I made my appearance in blank space number two." He held two fingers up and wiggled them slightly in my face. "You came out of the Eugene's office bleeding. From your face, your back, I mean, fuck, you were covered in blood as red as your outfit."
I tried to recall the moments leaving his office, but there was nothing. It was like my memory skipped right over that and picked up with me throwing up violently in the alley outside of the ring.
"I complimented you. Said you were a good fighter. A badass. I asked if you knew how lucky you were that I was here watching you fight." Vincent's lips curled up in a smile as he chuckled to himself. "You walked up to me, stared me down like you weren't some broken little girl bleeding and suffering from a concussion, and said 'Fuck off'." He glanced at me in amusement. "Then you spat a wad of blood at my feet and stumbled away."
"That does sound like me." I mumbled. "What the hell were you doing in the ring anyways?"
Vincent waved his hand, "Eugene had pissed me off about some money issues. Little jackass was holding out on me. So, I came to rough him up a little." He shrugged. Damn, I wish I had been able to see and remember that. It'd be a pretty cool memory to have. "I actually planned on also killing you at the time."
"Jesus Christ, dude."
"I changed my mind!" Vincent argued as if he hadn't just told me that he casually planned my murder once upon a time. "I knew Eugene was obsessed with you, and I figured he'd stop fucking with my business if I crushed his favorite toy."
It took every ounce of me not to swing at him. The guy had a punch-able face in general, especially after the shit he pulled the last few months, but being called Boss' toy made my blood boil. There was nothing I hated more than that. I did not belong to him. I never did. I had 34 marks on my back as proof that I never caved and let him own me.
"I saw something in your eyes when you spat at me." Vincent nodded. "Potential. Eugene didn't know what he had. I figured my plan to piss him off would work just as well if I took you back to Vegas with me."
My eyes widened, "What? Vegas with you?"
Vincent grinned, "Oh yeah, doll, I was gonna take you home with me. Let that potential flourish. I even followed you home with one of my guys."
I desperately tried to remember that night, but there was nothing for me to fall back on. I slowly shook my head in disbelief, "If that's the case then why… why didn't you kidnap me then? What happened that night?"
"Oh no, no, no." Vincent readjusted himself in the seat. "This flight just started, Small Fry. You don't get to skip ahead of the story."
[Time Elapsed: 00:47:15]
Sokovia's streets were filled with early dawn light and the panicked cries of stampeding people. Tony took another lap around the city, knocking out any barriers that got in the way of escape, and watched the team try to get every person they could out of harm's way. The only players he didn't see out on the field were Thor and Clint. He knew Thor was under the castle looking for answers and Clint was somewhere trying to find Natasha.
"Your man's in the church, boss." FRIDAY's voice chimed in his suit and he only allowed himself a second to miss JARVIS' voice before taking a sharp turn in the air. "I think he's waiting for you."
Tony spotted the church, at the center of the city, and dropped down through the broken and crumbling roof. He only had to take a few steps forward when Ultron's voice filled the surrounding air.
"Come to confess your sins?"
"I don't know. How much time you got?"
"More than you."
Tony turned, Ultron stepping out of the shadows, and his eyes widened as they drifted up to look him in the face. He was…larger. Significantly so. "Uh…" Tony took a step back, "Have you been juicing? Little vibranium cocktail? You're looking… I don't wanna say 'puffy'."
"You're stalling to protect the people." Ultron said.
"Well, that is the mission." Tony said slowly. "Did you forget?"
Ultron chuckled darkly, "I've moved beyond your mission. I'm free."
Rocks and rubble burst into the air, forcing Tony back, as a metal core popped out from the middle of the church's concrete floor. The core spun, clearing the dust, and Tony felt his blood run cold at the sight. Metal arms shot out from the sides and clamped down to the floor.
"What?" Ultron grinned. "You think you were the only one stalling?" Tony let his eyes drift over the core again as FRIDAY scanned it. The entire thing was made of vibranium and went deep, deep into the Earth. "This is how you end, Tony. This is peace in my time."
Steve and others called out over the comm line loudly. Drones had invaded the city and were firing into the crowds. They had officially run out of time. Tony blasted into the air, his job here was over and the people of Sokovia needed more help. His decision doubled down when he spotted Vision enter the church to take his place and burn Ultron out of the internet.
Clint, who got stuck on a bridge in the fray, was firing arrows as quickly as he could while people ran past him to get to safety. He clenched his jaw in annoyance. Clint spoke up, "I got caught at the east side of the city and I can't leave. Too many civilians. Thor, can you look for Nat down—"
"I will search for her, Barton. Have no worries." Thor answered over the comm line and it only marginally comforted him. He fired two more arrows dropping two drones that climbed over the bridge railing.
Moments later the ground under his feet began to rumble. Clint took a few steps back, making sure Wanda was alright, and watched as the street only twenty feet away cracked and began to separate. The side he was on rose while the opposite side began to sink.
"Uh, good news, bad news." Tony said over the comm. "Good news, the Vision burned Ultron out of the internet. Bad news… uh, Sokovia is in the air."
Clint watched as the drones stopped attacking. They hovered in the air and a voice came from each one, echoing down the streets of Sokovia, "Do you see the beauty of it?" Ultron sounded excited and in awe. "The inevitability. You rise, only to fall. You, Avengers, you are my meteor. My swift and terrible sword, and the Earth will crack with the weight of your failure." Ultron cackled over the drones. Clint shot down one only for the one to replace it. "Purge me from your computers, turn my own flesh against me—it means nothing. When the dust settles the only thing living in this world will be metal."
When the voice faded, and the drones began to fire again, Clint realized the city had rose significantly. Panic hit him hard. Clint lifted his hand to his ear desperately, "Does anyone have eyes on Natasha yet!?"
"I'm looking right at her, boss man."
Clint blinked in confusion at the sound of Kate's voice speaking over their frequency. Before he could respond with his multitude of questions, the voice he was so desperate to hear spoke next.
"You boys miss me?" Natasha chuckled. He could hear the smirk she wore. "I got out on my own when Ultron ran, but then you guys let the city leave without me."
Tony chimed in, "In our defense, none of us actually wanna be on this ride."
"Well, don't worry. I ran into some friends."
Steve was neck deep in drones, but he still couldn't hold back the grin at his redheaded friend's words. Natasha was no damsel in distress. She didn't need anyone to scoop in and save her. She just needed a ride to the next fight.
"Sorry we're late, Cap." Coulson suddenly spoke up. This time, as he used his shield to cut a drone straight in half, he couldn't hold back his laugh. The more hands on deck the better. Steve grabbed a drone midair to slam it into the ground before it went after a group of running citizens. "Where do you need us?"
"Everywhere." Steve replied. "Get innocents to safety. Find any cover you can for them!"
A quinjet flew over his head toward the center of the city. Steve heard a roar from a few blocks over and he didn't need anyone to tell him that a code green had gone into effect. Between the Hulk and Coulson's team arriving on scene, the tides were beginning to turn.
Steve threw his shield forward, taking out three drones as it bounced off one to another, then caught it when it came back to him. He spun around to keep fighting just in time for a drone to slam into his midsection and throw him back into the front windshield of a car.
"Cap, you got incoming!" Tony called out.
Steve groaned and sat up, "Incoming already came in, but thanks." He grimaced and rolled off the car to his feet, "Stark, you worry about bringing the city back down safely. The rest of us have one job. Tear these damn things apart and get people to safety." Steve sucked in a sharp breath. "You get hurt, hurt them back. You get killed, walk it off."
The fight had only just begun, and they had a long way to go.
[Countdown: 08:12:02]
"You can't ignore me for this entire flight."
"Don't underestimate my ability to pretend like a problem doesn't exist."
After he refused to tell me why he didn't kidnap me from my apartment I resorted to the elementary school yard cold shoulder. Vincent tried to keep talking, but he learned it wasn't nearly as fun when I didn't respond back to him or give him any of my attention.
"I didn't kidnap you because someone stopped me." Vincent finally admitted.
I nearly broke my neck turning to look at him, "What?"
"You heard me." He shook his head.
"Who stopped you?" I pressed for more answers. There wasn't a single person back then that would get in the way of Vincent taking me. Even if Hammerhead had seen it happening, she wasn't dumb enough to get in the way of it.
Vincent smirked, "You ready to talk to me again?" I clenched my jaw, but he knew he had me. He chuckled with a nod, "I'll tell you, but there's more you gotta know about Eugene and me. I wasn't always like this, you know?"
"Oh God, are you gonna tell me your villain origin story?" I blanched and Vincent glared at me. A stewardess began to walk by while rolling the food cart, and I quickly caught her attention. Vincent stiffened, but I wasn't stupid enough to get innocent people involved in our mess. "Ma'am? Hi! Yeah, I'd like all of your wine please."
The stewardess' eyes widened, and she looked between the two of us. She was pretty, young, and extremely confused by my request. She blinked, "I, uh, I'm sorry what?"
"Your wine? What is it?" I asked and she hesitated, still confused, before pulling out a small airplane bottle of red wine. "Oh gross, it's merlot? Fuck, okay, I'll take every single bottle you have on that cart."
She shook her head, "Miss, you're technically allowed to—to order that, I suppose, but I have to highly recommend against it. Not only will it be extremely expensive, but we have a low tolerance for drunk and unruly behavior on our flights—"
I dug out my wallet and pulled out my credit card, "Don't worry about it. I'm a Stark. You know? Tony Stark? I'm also kind of a Barton, but that has like zero pull in this situation." I mumbled the last bit to myself and handed her the card, "Wine. Now please."
Her eyes widened as she took the card, "Oh my God, you're their—you're Aj Bradshaw. Like from Instagram and you're their—"
"Criminal PR agent? Yes, I am." I nodded. "Give me the box of wine you have on the cart and then give yourself a hefty tip using that card."
The woman nodded quickly and pulled the box out of the cart and handed it over Vincent to me. She looked to him and asked if he'd like anything. He gave her a charming smile, "Whiskey on the rocks, doll. Charge baby Stark here."
I nodded and turned to my box of tiny Sutter Home wine bottles. Merlot was disgusting, Natasha would never be able to convince me otherwise, but alcohol was alcohol. Each bottle was a little over 13% in strength and had about 200 mL. I uncapped and threw back two full mini bottles before turning back to Vincent.
"Alright, hit me with your sob story."
"Is this really necessary?" He scoffed. I raised an eyebrow at him, but he rolled his eyes and went back to talking. "Eugene is my half-brother. We share a mom but have different dads. My home life was shitty, but it got worse when the prick was born."
I snorted and cracked open another bottle, "Yeah, I think his birth was a dark day for humanity as a whole."
Vincent scoffed, "Yeah, the little sociopath was fucked up even as a kid, but I got out of that house as soon as I could. Made a life for myself."
"As the Reaper?" I drawled, mocking his name.
He smirked, "No. As Vincent Morgan." Vincent lifted the sleeve of the arm without a brace and showed me a tattoo he had there. It was a blue patch with a red diamond in the center surrounded by silver stars. In the center of that diamond was a gold bird and anchor. "Staff Sergeant CSO of a US Marines Raiders Regiment."
"I know most of those words separately."
"You should ask your boyfriend about the Raiders." Vincent chuckled. "They were created in World War II. First regiment even worked with your boy."
I narrowed my eyes, took a heavy sip, and shook my head, "Are you referring to Steve as my boyfriend?"
"Did pretty boy never make a move?" Vincent scoffed. "I told him he should before he lost his chance."
I rolled my eyes with a scoff. Yeah, Steve Rogers, sweetheart of America and all-around stand-up guy and good friend, was going to make a move on my ass. I had the appeal of a rotting fish. And I could think that because Natasha and the others weren't anywhere near me to see my look of self-depreciation and flip me.
"Yeah, because you're the authority on romance."
"You'd be surprised." Vincent replied just as the stewardess came back with my card and his drink. He took a sip, flicking my card at me, and nodded once, "I was married."
I finished another bottle, "Oh yeah? She leave you because you were an entitled, power hungry bastard?"
"No. She died."
My eyes drifted over to see a faraway look in his Vincent's eyes. He was staring at a spot ahead of him, but it was an unfocused gaze. I shouldn't feel any sort of guilt for this asshole, but I couldn't help it. I knew what loss felt like. Gut wrenching, heart crushing loss, and I wouldn't wish that kind of pain on my worst enemy.
"I'm sorry." I said. "That sucks. Still doesn't give you the right to be a monster."
Vincent chuckled, "That's where you're wrong." He turned back to me, "She died because I refused to be a monster. I came back from a war thinking I could move on with my life and be a normal, good man. That I could have the white picket fence and my sins wouldn't come back to haunt me." Vincent lifted his glass and pointed a finger at me, "Good guys don't finish last. They get killed. Good people, people who try to fight that primal urge in them, get crushed under the heel of the world and spat on."
"What happened to your wife?" I asked, my fingers playing with the bottle in my hand.
"The world took her from me." Vincent replied dryly. "The world took everything from me…so I started taking back."
He focused on his own drink while I put down another half bottle. I finally shook my head at him, "Why are you telling me all of this?"
"I don't quite know yet." Vincent replied quietly and stared straight ahead again.
[Time Elapsed: 01:13:56]
Wanda's scream of panic caught his attention and Clint turned to fire an arrow through the head of a drone that tried to swoop down on the young girl and the civilian she was trying to get into a building. She ducked into a corner while Clint ducked under a plasma blast from a drone behind him. Another one came in, but a blast of red threw it aside into a building. Clint sprinted forward, jumping onto a car, and then flipped over a drone that swung at him. As he landed, he fired an arrow point blank into the drone's face.
Clint glanced up to see five new drones enter the sky above them. He cursed under his breath and yelled for Wanda to run. Clint caught up to her, set his hand on the back of her head protectively, and as the drones fired he wrapped his arms around her and threw them through a window into a dark room.
"Get back." Clint groaned and rolled up to peek out the broken window.
Wanda scrambled away from the light shining in, "How could I let this happen!?"
"Hey, hey, kid! You okay?" Clint pressed.
Wanda was close to hyperventilating, he could see the panic in her eyes as red sparks flickered between her fingers, "This is all our fault."
Clint groaned and knelt down beside her. He grabbed the side of her head to focus her eyes on him, "Hey, look at me. Look at me." Clint waited until he could see her attention tune in. "It's your fault, it's my fault, it's everyone's fault. Who gives a damn?" Wanda pressed her lips together, but he could still see her bottom lip quivering. "Are you up for this? Are you?"
"I—I—" Wanda stammered.
"Look, I need to know now, kid." Clint said firmly. "Because the city—the city is flying. Like literally flying and we—? We are fighting an army of fucking robots and my dumbass is running around with a bow and some arrows." He shook his head with a shrug. "Our lives stopped making sense a long, long time ago."
Bullets shot through the wall between them and Wanda screamed again as he leaned back. Quickly, he notched an incendiary arrow through the brand new bullet hole in the wall. The tip exploded and he turned back to Wanda who was still shaking.
"I gotta get back out there. It's my job." Clint shook his head. "Okay? And I can't do my job and babysit." He glanced out the holes then back to her. "Wanda, listen to me. Wanda. It doesn't matter what you did or what you were." He could see her beginning to calm to some degree. "If you go out there, you fight, and you fight to kill. You can stay in here if you need to, that's okay, I'll send your punk brother to come find you." Clint took in a slow breath. "But if you step out that door… you are an Avenger."
Clint watched as a slow determination begin to fill her glowing eyes. He nodded once and stood up. He grabbed the arrow pack off his boot and shook it once to release a new set of arrows. Clint sighed, "The city is flying. Flying." He stepped back to the doors and rolled his shoulders, "The city is flying, and I adopted another kid. Jesus, Tash is gonna kill me."
"Why am I killing you?" Natasha spoke up through his earpiece.
"Nothing, honey!" Clint sang then slammed his boot into the door and spun with multiple arrows notched.
Thor, who was rocketing off the ground to get to the soaring city, was caught off guard when two cars nearly ran him over midair. Thor flew back down to catch up to the closest car. The red convertible, missing a bumper, had a woman screaming in the driver's seat. He grabbed her by the arm and looked up to Steve with a hand outstretched. He nodded and threw her straight up as hard as he could. He didn't wait to see if Steve had caught her. Thor knew he had.
He shot to the other car, a tiny green thing with two men screaming inside, and grabbed the underside to fly up with the car in hand. When he got to the bridge, he saw Steve throw a drone off the city. Thor dropped the car onto the road and landed beside it.
Steve shot him a smirk, "What took you so long? Stop for a nap?"
"And miss out on all this fun?" Thor grinned and they jogged off the bridge to the plaza.
Natasha who was only a few feet away, took out a pack of drones, and called out over her shoulder to them, "If you wanna take a break from flirting and help out a little that'd be nice, but please take your time!"
Thor chuckled and swung his hammer under the chin of a drone to send it flying. Steve ducked under a shot and rolled to his feet up beside him. Steve nodded at him, "Batter up?"
"Always." Thor chimed.
Steve threw his shield into the ground and when it bounced back up Thor slammed his hammer into the side shooting it out and through six or seven drones before pinning the last one into the side of a car.
Natasha hummed, "You boys are actually getting good at that."
Thor jumped into the air, grabbed a drone by the leg, and swung around in a wide circle crashing it into the drones surrounding him. When he released it the drone went soaring straight into a large gas truck that immediately went up in a ball of flames.
"Thor!" Natasha yelled.
Thor spun in the air looking for the warning, but Ultron slammed into his side and tackled him through a building. The robot growled and threw him even further, "You're bothering me."
Clint, all the way on the other side of the city still fighting on the same blocks as he had been before, shot down three more drones then got blasted into the side of a car. He groaned and rolled to the side so he'd have a little more cover, "Ow."
"You getting too old for the game, Barton?" Kate snickered over the comms.
Clint pressed his lips together, "Bishop, where the hell is my package?"
"Huh?"
He knew the others could hear him. They always left comms open partly to keep each other safe and partly to make digs at one another while they fought. As much as Clint didn't want to risk the others finding out the little secret he knew, he also had to know what the fuck was going on with Aj.
"The package!" He said again.
"Oh, uh, it's…on route to America?" Kate replied. Clint didn't like the idea that Aj was going home all alone, and he knew Daisy was running around out here too, but at least they hadn't brought her with them to Sokovia.
Heat washed over his head as a drone fired on him. Clint cursed under his breath for getting distracted and rolled further away to try and get a clean shot on the new drones that had soared in. A door to his side was kicked open and he watched as a glowing Wanda stepped out into the light. She raised her hands and ripped the drones in the air into pieces. The glow dissipated as the air cleared of robots.
Wanda shot him a look, and Clint grinned at her with a thumbs up, "Nice, kid." He glanced around. "Okay, all clear here, guys."
"Well we're fucking not!" Steve grunted over the comms. "Get your ass over here, Clint!"
"Aw, do you miss me?" Clint replied.
Him and Wanda only took a few steps down the street when a blur of blue and gray swept in. Dust blew up in the air around them as Pietro came into view. He shot Clint a smug smile, scooped his sister up, and then took off, "Try to keep up, old man!"
Clint coughed as the dust filled his lungs. He slowly raised his bow in the kid's direction, "Nobody would know." He shrugged. "Nobody." Clint groaned and lowered his bow so he could start jogging toward the front of the city alone. "The last I saw him, an Ultron was sitting on him. Yeah, he'll be missed, that quick little bastard. Hell, I miss him already."
Steve could hear Clint grumbling over the comm line and seconds later he watched as Pietro zoomed into a crowd of drones attacking a squad of police with his sister. A wall of red rolled off of Wanda like a wave and destroyed a number of drones in front of her. He turned and crushed a drone's head against the hood of a car. Straight ahead of him he saw Natasha get surrounded, but he wasn't gonna get there in time.
"Romanof!" He barked and threw his shield forward.
The shield pinned a drone to the car beside her. The spy chimed out a quick thanks and pulled her arm through the straps to use. He watched her block a blow and use the tool effectively against the drone. He kept sprinting forward and as soon as he was in reach he jumped up in the air as she threw the shield up to him. Steve caught it and brought it down on the drone's head.
Steve glanced around to see no drones in the immediate area. He nodded at Natasha and they hurried toward a group of people hiding behind a car in fear. They got them up and hurried them to the grocery store where they were keeping a large pack of civilians.
"Next wave is gonna hit any minute." Steve sighed. "Tell me what you got, Stark."
"Huh?" Tony replied. "Well, nothing great. Maybe a way to…blow up the city." Steve could hear Tony sigh over the comm. "That'll keep it from impacting the surface if you guys can get clear."
Steve shook his head and stepped back outside to keep guard, "I asked for a solution, not an escape plan."
"Impact radius is getting bigger every second. We're gonna have to make a choice."
Natasha stepped forward to stand beside him, "Steve, these people are going nowhere. If Stark finds a way to blow this rock…"
"Not till everyone is safe." Steve snapped.
"Everyone up here versus everyone down there?" Natasha shook her head. "There's no math there."
"I'm not leaving this rock with one civilian on it."
"I didn't say we should leave." There was a pause and Steve glanced over at his friend. Natasha gave him a soft smile. Maybe that was how this mission ended. He didn't like the idea of the civilians on this rock having to give up their lives, but… Natasha nodded, "There's worse ways to go."
Steve let out a sad chuckle. That was true. He tried so hard to keep his mind in the now, in what was happening in front of him, but the thought of Aj still drifted into his head. He had said good-bye over the phone, just in case, but his heart ached at the thought of leaving her alone in the world. She wouldn't be entirely alone, but she'd lose all of them. She'd be alive though. Steve could settle on that.
Natasha nudged him in the side, "Besides, where else are we gonna get a view like this?"
There was a beat of silence, the view was nice, but another familiar voice connected into the comm line to interrupt the moment.
"Glad you like the view, Romanof." Fury chuckled. "It's about to get better."
They watched as a helicarrier rose up from the clouds to saddle up beside the rising rock. Natasha chuckled beside him and Steve smiled at her. He turned at the sound of someone jogging up. Coulson, sweaty and dirty, stopped beside them, "Took you long enough, sir."
"I had to knock off some cobwebs and sweep away a few mothballs. Sue me."
"Fury, you son of a bitch." Steve chuckled.
The sides of the helicarrier opened up to release multiple lifeboats. Steve glanced over to see Daisy and Kate Bishop race into the plaza. Coulson waved them over then turned to him, "Hunter and May are running the streets looking for stragglers. Fitzsimmons, Mac, and Bobbi are down in the remainder of the city below getting people clear of the blast zone." Kate and Daisy reached them. "You guys okay?"
Steve spotted blood at Daisy's hairline, but it looked like the only injury between the two of them. Daisy nodded at them in greeting, "No worse than anyone else. Where do you need us, Cap?"
Kate gave him a grin, "Yeah, Captain America, sir, what can we do for you?"
He chuckled, "Help us get the civilians in the plaza onto the lifeboats. Keep an eye out for the next wave of drones."
Tony, making his fifth trip around the rock, circled back to the front just in time to see Rhodey fire at a pack of drones. He grinned in his suit and connected his suit to his. Tony blasted a drone that was nipping at his friend's heel.
"If you want a good story to tell at parties, you're gonna have to live to tell it you know?" He joked.
"You think I can't hold my own?" Rhodey scoffed.
"We get through this, I'll hold your own." Tony smirked.
Rhodey sighed in good nature, "You had to make it weird."
"Isn't that why you love me?"
The two of them banked hard and went after another pack of drones that was trying to attack the mobs of people being led to the lifeboats. The entire time he bounced ideas off FRIDAY trying to find the one that would work best and had the highest chances of not failing and killing the world. Their best bet was creating a heat seal from the bottom which meant he needed Thor's help.
"We are out of time." Thor called out over the comm line as if Tony hadn't just been thinking about the god. "Ultron is coming for the core."
"Hear that, Avengers? Time to work for a living." Tony whistled.
Coulson took control of the plaza with the other agents while the Avengers made their way to the center of the city. Tony landed in time to stop a drone from grabbing at the core. Thor was on his left, Vision on his right, and he caught sight of Pietro zooming into the area with his sister in tow. Steve was a second behind, Clint and Natasha rolling in behind him, and the Hulk roared loudly before storming into the area.
They took up place around the core, making sure there was no space between them for a drone to sneak in. This was where they made the final stand. Tony flipped his mask up and pointed to the vibranium core, "This is the drill. If Ultron gets a hand on it, we lose."
"We've done this before." Clint shrugged. "It's just high stakes capture the flag. Sort of. Well— I guess not really. Never mind."
"Anything else to add, Clint?" Steve questioned.
"Nah, I'm good for now." Clint shrugged and notched an arrow.
Ultron dropped into sight, about fifty yards out, and the joking atmosphere returned to focus. Thor stepped forward, "Is that the best you can do!?"
The AI raised a hand and an entire army of drones came into view as far as their eyes could see. Tony could feel his friends, his family, around him stiffen at the sight. Steve groaned in exhaustion, "You just had to ask."
Thor tilted his head with a sheepish grimace.
Ultron yelled, "This is the best I can do. This is exactly what I wanted! All of you, against all of me. How can you possibly hope to stop me?"
"Well", Tony glanced over at Steve who caught his gaze. "Like the old man said…" He flipped his facemask down. "Together."
[Countdown: 06:02:57]
There were more empty bottles in front of me than full ones. I was tiptoeing the line between black out drunk and functional drunk. I was still around enough to know where I was. To know that I was sitting silently beside Vincent Morgan. That was about it though. The alcohol had done its job. My shoulder didn't throb with pain anymore and my heart didn't ache. I grabbed another bottle, uncapped it, and lifted it to my lips just to be stopped by a rough hand.
"Do you really think this is a good idea?" Vincent asked gruffly.
"Didn' we already have this conversation?" I mumbled and pushed his hand away to chug the bottle. Vincent grabbed the box and shoved it into the seat on his other side. "Hey!"
He shook his head, "You're a lot of things, doll, but I didn't peg you as fucking stupid."
"Stupid?" I laughed. "The wine is part of my elaborate escape plan, Vinny boy."
"Oh yeah? Enlighten me."
I grinned at him and tossed the empty bottle in my hand against his chest. Red wine droplets splattered on his shirt, but he didn't seem to even flinch. I shrugged, "I get so drunk that the moment we land in New York an ambulance has to be called to take me to a hospital." Vincent scoffed at me and I used my free hand to try and undo the sling that I was tired of wearing. "It's foolproof. I can't be kidnapped if I'm havin' my stomach pumped."
Vincent slapped my hand away so I couldn't get out of my sling, "It's not fucking foolproof and as the guy who is trying to kidnap you I shouldn't have to tell you that."
"Well that's where I'm at!" I snapped. The stewardess came by and Vincent asked her for multiple bottles of water and whatever snack foods they had. I scoffed and slouched in my seat in annoyance.
When she came back with the supplies, he uncapped a water bottle and forced it into my hands. Vincent also ripped open a pack of cookies and tossed it onto my lap. I rolled my eyes and shoved one in my mouth, "Fuck off."
He chuckled, "You know, you remind me of her. My wife."
I swallowed the cookie in my mouth and made a face of revulsion, "Oh, gross."
"Not like that, you drunk little shit." Vincent snapped. "She was a fighter. She was stubborn and bold. She took life by the horns and bulldozed anyone who stood in her way." He focused his studious gaze on me. "You're like that. A warrior. Which is why I don't get why you're wallowing in pity drinking your ass off on a plane."
I let out a cold laugh, "You don't get it? You don't get it?" I scoffed loudly and ignored the shushes from the people in front of us. "I'm stuck on a plane to New York sitting next to you. A guy workin' for HYDRA who wants me dead." My lip quivered and turned away from him to stare ahead. My voice lowered. "Bucky is still in Romania. I fucked up an' he ran. He doesn't even wanna talk to me anymore an'—an' let's add in the fact that nearly everyone I love is in Sokovia right now fightin' for their lives. That they could die, hell they could already be dead, and I don't even know it."
"So what? You gonna fucking cry about it?"
"I wish those tiny wine bottles were glass so I could bust one open an' fuckin' stab you with it." I replied just as quickly.
Vincent grinned and pushed the water bottle back to my lips, "There's that fight." He shrugged, "And I do not work for HYDRA or that nazi piece of shit Strucker."
"My sources tell me otherwise."
"He had resources I needed. A means to an end." Vincent replied off-handedly. "I didn't ever plan on actually handing you over to him."
I narrowed my eyes at him, "Why the hell does he want me anyways? I'm a nobody. Not even an inhuman."
"Hell, if I know." Vincent answered.
I didn't know if this didn't make sense because I was so close to being out of it or if it really was just a confusing situation. I slowly shook my head, ignoring the way it made me feel dizzy, "Then… Then why the fuck are you comin' after me like this? What the fuck do you want?"
"It all goes back to the day I tried to kidnap you." Vincent said. "I want the same thing now that I wanted then."
"What?" I asked softly.
Vincent focused his steady gaze on me, leaning forward, and nodded once, "You."
I twisted my lips again, "Double gross."
"Motherfucker." Vincent snapped under his breath in annoyance. He glared at me, "You as in I want to offer you a job, you drunk idiot. I want you to fucking work for me."
[Time Elapsed: 02:11:29]
There was a lull. Ultron's main form had been destroyed, most of his drones taken out, but the fight wasn't over. It wasn't over until the rock they stood on was vaporized. Natasha watched as Vision took off into the air to help Rhodey and SHIELD take out straggling drones. Thor and Tony left to focus on their mission to destroy the city.
"Air is getting thin. Even I can tell." Steve barked out. "Get to the lifeboats. I'll make one last sweep of the city and be right behind you."
Clint, who stood beside her, adjusting his arrows shook his head, "What about the core?"
"I'll protect it." Wanda said firmly. She stepped onto the platform to stand beside it. Natasha looked the girl over with interest. Wanda nodded in their direction, "It's my job."
Clint nudged her in the side then pointed at the young girl, "That's our daughter. Aren't you proud?"
"What did I tell you about adopting people?" Natasha questioned while Wanda shot them an amused look. Her brother zoomed up to stand beside her. "What did I say?"
"To run it by you first." Clint groaned. Steve chuckled and turned to start making his sweep. The archer nodded once, "And to also ask them first, I guess."
Pietro looked at his sister, she was silent, but then he nodded, "Ah, I see." The boy motioned to Clint. "Father? You're a little old to be a father. Perhaps, great, great grandfather?"
"I don't want him." Clint argued. "Tony can have him. I mean two greats?"
"Let's go." Natasha hummed.
She dragged her boyfriend away and listened to the twins bicker behind her.
"Come back for me when everyone else is off. Not before."
"Yeah, yeah."
"Do you understand? People first."
"You know, I'm 12 minutes older than you."
As they cleared out of the church, Clint found them a convertible to take back to the lifeboats. She jumped into the passenger seat, "Was she wearing my leather jacket?"
Clint nodded and slammed on the gas, "Yes, but didn't she look adorable? The red leather goes with the red…magic? Whatever she does."
They sped down the road, and Natasha pulled out her gun to fire at a drone that flew over them. She shook her head, "Oh yeah, hey, how is it Daisy and Kate are suddenly buddies? How'd Bishop get involved?"
Clint motioned with one hand the sign 'off'. Curiously, Natasha momentarily swapped her earpiece off. Once she did, he nodded, "They met in Romania and bonded over their mission to bring Aj home."
Natasha stiffened in her seat, "Excuse me?"
"Yeah." Clint scoffed. "She fucking went to Romania to find Bucky Barnes—" Her eyes widened, "—and then got found by fucking Vincent Morgan."
Natasha groaned and leaned her head back on the seat's headrest, "Is she okay?"
"Kate says she's on her way back to New York. She did get shot though."
"What!?"
Clint shook his head, "I don't know. I haven't been able to have a full conversation with them. Daisy says she's okay though."
"Well I'm glad she's okay because as soon as we get back I'm gonna kill her."
The car came to a screeching halt outside the plaza and they both shared a look before turning their earpieces back on. A loud roar off to the side caught their attention. Clint shot her a look, "Time for a lullaby."
"Got it." Natasha chirped and jumped out of the car.
Clint grabbed her by the crook of her elbow before she could get far. He squeezed her arm and let his eyes trace her face. They were so close to the end, but the end is when things tended to go to shit. He nodded, "Hey, be careful, okay? Come back to me."
"Don't I always?" Natasha hummed. She pushed up onto her tiptoes and pressed her lips against his. Clint pulled her close, holding her there for a moment longer, before letting her go. Natasha winked at him and turned to find the Hulk.
Clint nodded to himself and hurried into the plaza to help the last few people onto the lifeboat. After getting a couple into their seats, he stayed on the lifeboat an took in a tired breath. The plaza was empty, and he didn't see any drones in the area. Steve was not far off getting a few more people onto the lifeboat beside his.
"Costel!" A woman screamed. "My son!"
He glanced over to see a distressed woman sitting on the floor. Her hairline was covered in thick blood and her skin was covered in a thin layer of dust and sweat. She was panicking. Trying to get up while others held her down.
Clint glanced over the plaza and spotted a head bob up from a set of stairs that led down into a building's basement. He was moving slow, dazed, and he couldn't be older than 10. Clint held his hand out to the woman, "I see him. Stay here."
He jogged off the lifeboat and crossed the space quickly. His body ached with every step and Clint would be lying if he said he wasn't excited for a bubble bath once they got back home. He reached the kid and gave the boy a wide smile, "Hey! I got you, bud. Let's get you back to mom, huh?"
Clint scooped the kid up with ease and jogged back out into the plaza. The sound of gunfire made him freeze. It was heavy artillery. The kind of machine gun hooked up to the quinjets.
"Get down!" Steve roared from across the plaza.
He watched Thor and Steve dive out of the way as the bullets rained down from the sky destroying everything they touched. Dust and rubble filled the air, and Clint came to the screeching realization that he was in the line of fire. There was a car to his right, the only cover, but it was too far.
The bullets rained closer and Clint realized he made a mistake.
The moment he heard the gunfire he should've sprinted. He should've dove. He should've thrown the kid as far as he could out of the way.
But he didn't.
Clint turned and held the kid tight against his chest in hopes that when the bullets shredded his own body the kid would be okay. He closed his eyes tightly and spoke in hopes that his voice would be heard over the comm line, "Tash, I love you."
He braced for impact, but it didn't come from where he expected. Something hit him in the side hard and shoved him to the right behind the car. Clint's eyes snapped open in shock as silence filled the air.
"Fuck."
Clint whipped around, kid still in his arms, to see Pietro standing beside him with a hole in his calf muscle. The large caliber bullet had torn clean through him and left him bleeding and grunting in pain.
Pietro's eyes met his and he smirked, "Hey, I can officially outrun bullets it seems." He lightly tapped his chest with his open hand. "That makes me fastest man alive, eh? it's a good thing I'm not slow like you, old man."
"Are you insane!?" Clint roared.
Pietro's smile fell in surprise, "I saved your life!"
"You could've gotten yourself killed, kid!" Clint yelled again. There was gratefulness in his chest. Praise and pride and so much gratitude it was suffocating, but it was all buried beneath smothering guilt. Pietro was a step away from dying. If he had been a step slower than he'd have more than just a hole in his calf. The kid could've died, and that blood would've been all over Clint's hands. "That was fucking reckless!"
"Old man!" Pietro limped forward and held a hand up to his ear, "I think you mean to say, 'Thank you'!"
"What I meant to say is—"
A loud, distorted electronic cry caught both of them off guard as a drone dropped down from right behind them. Both men whipped around, distracted enough that they could do nothing but panic, when an arrow lodged into the back of the drones head causing it to short and fall to the ground in a heap of broken metal.
"I think you should both say, 'Thank you' to me." Kate stood not so far away. She lowered her bow and jogged over. "One, pay attention. Two—" She reared back punched Clint in the arm ignoring his complaints, "—I can't believe you just turned around and accepted death, you ass!"
Clint scoffed, "I'm holding a child!"
"Three!" Kate turned to Pietro this time. "Thank you. Seriously. Without Clint we'd have no one to bully and I think we also be sad or some shit."
The woman glared at Clint one more time before scooping the child away from him and stalking off to a lifeboat. Clint rolled his eyes at her antics while Pietro just stared at her in awe. The archer snapped his fingers a few times in front of Pietro's face, "Hey, stop drooling."
"Who is that?" Pietro asked, still staring.
"Hawkeye." Clint replied.
"I thought you were—"
"Never mind, let's get you to the lifeboat." Clint grumbled and wrapped an around the boy's torso so he could limp easier. Pietro hissed with every step and blood dribbled into the dirt like a trail behind them. Clint swallowed the lump in his throat and nodded, not looking the kid in the face, "Thank you. What you did was reckless, but it was brave." He smiled. "It almost reminds me of a courageous Avenger back when he was younger."
Pietro smirked, "Captain America?"
"No, I—"
"Thor?"
"Listen—"
"You can't mean Tony Stark, can you? I like him better, but I do not think I'm ready to be compared to him yet."
Clint jostled the kid stepping over a hole in the ground and Pietro hissed, "I was talking about me, you little shit." Pietro chuckled and Clint couldn't help but join in. God. He was alive. They were both alive. As they reached the lifeboat, he handed the kid off to a few paramedics. "Get some rest, roadrunner."
"Hey, my sister!" Pietro yelled as Clint began to jog off.
"I got her!" He called back then began to hurry towards where Steve was. "Wanda is still—"
Steve shook his head and pushed Clint back, "Vision is out looking for her. We gotta get to the boats. Thor just left to help Tony." They sprinted toward a lifeboat, hearing Tony and Thor over the comms, and Clint had only one foot on the lifeboat when the ground behind him fell out of the sky. He windmilled his arms to try and find balance, but a hand grabbed the front of his armor and yanked him forward.
Clint stumbled into a frowning Natasha, "Oh, hey, babe."
"Can you stop trying to get yourself killed for two seconds?" She snapped. Clint saw a flash of pain in her eyes and he thought back to what he thought was gonna be his last words. He closed the space and pulled her into his chest for a tight hug. Natasha had never been a big fan of displays of affection in front of strangers, but it didn't seem to bother her now. He mumbled an apology and she shook her head, "I thought I lost... Don't you do that, Clint. Don't you ever leave me in a world without you."
Clint pulled back to shoot her a smug smirk, "I told you. Ride or die, Tash, and we still got a lot of ride left."
"We better." She said. Her own lips quirked up into a smirk, "We're definitely adopting the running kid now."
Clint groaned in mock annoyance and she forced him down into a chair as the lifeboats began their ascent back towards the helicarrier. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Vision with Wanda in his arms flying to the lifeboat beside theirs. She looked panicked and worried as he set her down. Without the twins, today would've ended very, very differently.
As it turns out, this Avengers job might just be right up their alley.
[Countdown: 04:32:43]
As far as job offers went, his wasn't the worst. Vincent was offering me money, respect, and a whole other bundle of perks. Even dental. Who would've thought the mob offered dental? It was much better than the job I had with his brother, but it obviously didn't hold a flame to the jobs Tony had given me. Still, the man gave me his spiel on how I would love Las Vegas. How I would love working for him. He was offering me the position of small-time mobster, and the look on his face told me he truly thought I'd say yes. I sat there for a while thinking about it and he kept quiet while I did.
The answer was a no brainer now. Absolutely fucking no. I couldn't help but think about what I would've said a year ago though. If instead of trying to kidnap my concussed ass straight off the street… What if he had just straight up asked me to work for him? I probably would've still told him to fuck off, but if he pressed on… if he gave me this kind of speech…
I don't think I would've said no.
I think Aj of one year ago would've said yes. Hesitantly, at first. Mostly just because New York had nothing for me then, and I would do anything to piss off Boss. So, I would've gone to Vegas with him and then what? Try to escape from him out west?
"What makes you so sure I would want what you're offering?" I asked.
Vincent nodded, "You're a monster. Just like me."
I felt my heart stop at his words. It was the truth I never wanted to think about, never wanted to admit, but hearing it aloud made it very hard to deny. I spent four months with the Avengers trying to prove otherwise. Sam and the others told me repeatedly that I wasn't a monster. That me wanting to do good was enough to prove that. It never fully got rid of the craving that forever sat under my skin and I don't think it ever would.
Deep down, I always wanted a fight. It was a drug and being sober for four months hadn't done anything to curb that desire. Not just fighting in general though. I trained in the gym with Natasha and Clint all the time. I sparred with Sam when he was in town. Hell, I've even sparred with Steve, which was always a struggle, and Tony once. It wasn't the same though. It wasn't the challenge or the activity I craved.
It was the blood lust.
There was some part of me that enjoyed putting fear in my opponent. Some twisted part of me that loved the way it felt when my fists brought forth blood. It scared the shit out of me. It was like this dark version of me sat in the back of my mind and waited and waited until I gave it the opportunity to break free. To run loose.
"I'm not…" I tried to argue, but it was useless. "I don't wanna be a monster."
Vincent gave me a sad look, "That isn't possible. That doesn't change what you are. You can hope and pray all you want. You can do what I did and pretend, but at the end of the day… you'll still be a monster."
I shook my head, "No. I can change. I can—I can get rid of—"
"No, you can't." Vincent snapped. "You can accept that now before people you love end up bloody or you can stay in denial and watch the world show you otherwise. Heed my warning, Aj." It was the first time he used my name. "Don't make the mistake I made."
I turned to face him in confusion, "Why do you give a damn? Why do you care how I end up?"
"Don't confuse my warnings with kindness." Vincent chuckled. "It's not about saving the people you love from yourself." He reached forward to grip my chin with his hand and spoke firmly, "It's about helping you reach your potential. That's what it's always been about. I just know that using the angle, the truth, that your loved ones are going to get hurt by you is the best way to get through your thick skull. Ask me. Ask me again."
He let go of my chin and I asked the same question again, just worded differently, "Why do you want me to work for you?"
"Because I know that I can turn you into a real professional." Vincent grinned in excitement. There was an eagerness in his eyes that scared me. "Eugene wasted all that talent because he's a dumbass. But me? Oh, Aj, darling, I can help you become the pretty little monster you were born to be."
And for one second I saw it.
A world of glamor and crime. I saw me laughing beside Vincent. Flashes of Vegas lights and splattering blood. Guns and drugs. Fights and respect. I saw myself thriving.
If Vincent had taken me a year ago, if he had offered me this world 365 days ago, I would've said yes, and I would've done anything for this man. I wouldn't be his pet or toy. No, I would've been his right-hand man. A partner in his criminal workings. I would've done everything in my power to make him successful and feared, and I would've done it really fucking well.
But that wasn't me anymore.
That wasn't me.
I was the woman who ate wild and sketchy junk foods with Clint while we sat on a bench and people watched the strangers around us. I was the woman who burned through Bruce's book collection and got to listen and learn from him as he talked me through some of his papers. I was the woman who went shopping with Natasha and who got to learn from the assassin how to knit a scarf and fight in stiletto heels. I was the woman who'd suffer and go jogging with Sam when he was in town because he was annoyed with Captain America leaving him in the dust. I was the woman who would drink with Tony when Pepper and Rhodey weren't around and listen to him open up about things he felt he shouldn't say aloud. I was the woman who got to sit in Steve's arms and comfort him about worries, who got to see him relax and not be burdened by responsibilities. I was the woman who made Bucky Barnes laugh.
"Aj, doll, what do you say?" Vincent pressed.
I blinked, back in the moment, and met his eyes, "No."
His face fell, "What?"
"A friend once told me that the thing that separates me from people like Boss an' from people like you—" I met his eyes, "—is that I try to do better. That I try to be better. And, yeah, I fall short a lot. I fuck up a lot, but… he said that as long as I cared enough to change then that made all the difference." I swallowed hard and furrowed my eyebrows in determination, "I know that deep down I'm a monster, but I'm… I'm worthy enough to get an opportunity to change. I deserve the chance to heal an' be better an' I am not gonna let that go."
Vincent clenched his jaw, his eyes hardening, and he scoffed, "Well, that's entirely disappointing to hear."
"Disappointment is my middle name. I tend to make life very difficult for myself." I shrugged in response. "But…down the road, I think it'll be worth it. Probably. I've met some pretty great people walkin' this path so far at the very least."
He gave me an unhappy snort then rose from his seat, "Don't go anywhere. I'll be back. Just need to stretch my legs."
Vincent walked off without another word and I watched him go. Pissing off the dangerous man sitting next to me when we still had about four hours left of this flight probably wasn't the best idea, but those were the only kind of ideas I had these days.
[Time Elapsed: 03:02:47]
Steve was ready for a very, very long nap. His body was screaming for him to drop his ass into a seat and pass the hell out. However, the mission wasn't over for him. The mission was never over until he knew where every member of his team was and their status.
Pietro was in the helicarrier's medbay. Fury had enough foresight to stock the room to the brim with supplies and bring along plenty of medics to work on the injured. Wanda was in there with her brother and both of them were doing well. The boy had a hole in his leg the size of a golf ball, but he was nothing but smiles and jokes. Granted, Steve was pretty sure that was just the pain meds working.
Vision wasn't on the helicarrier at all. Rather, he was still outside doing one final sweep to find any Ultron stragglers.
Coulson, May, Hunter, and Bobbi had taken their quinjet right back to Greece in hopes to catch back up with Strucker. The chances of him still being in the area were slim to none, but they were willing to make the trip out there just to double check.
Fitzsimmons, Mac, Daisy, and Kate stuck around on the helicarrier to help with clean up. Simmons was in the medbay helping treat people while Fitz worked on repairs on the deck where a drone had crashed through the front windshield straight into a cluster of computers. Daisy, Kate, and Mac on the other hand were in the underbelly of the helicarrier trying to help civilians get settled until they could land in a safe zone and get them situated.
Tony and Thor had finally made it back to the quinjet. Tony was bruised and battered, his suit broken enough to be sparking in some place, and Thor was soaking wet from where he had fallen straight into a lake with the debris of Sokovia. Now, Tony was parked on the upper deck annoying Nick Fury while also complaining about the lack of a mid-flight meal. Thor, on the other hand, had found an empty row of seats in a hall and passed out right there snoring loud enough to startle anyone turning the corner.
Clint had been a little more difficult to find. Steve assumed with the trauma of almost losing one another that he would be right by Natasha's side, but instead the archer had found a railing and perched himself there on the phone. Meanwhile, the redhead was in the process of trying to find the one team member that Steve couldn't place.
Bruce Banner.
The Hulk had been the one that stopped Ultron from firing onto the crowd. That was the last Steve saw of him. He had ripped the AI right out of the cockpit, but then the quinjet disappeared out of sight. Bruce still hadn't returned.
"Any news?" Steve walked back over to Natasha who was staring at a dark screen with a troubled look on her tired features.
"The quinjet is in stealth mode. I connected to it, told Hulk to turn it off but…"
Steve furrowed his brows, "So we can't find him?"
Natasha shook her head, "He turned off the communicator. I can't even get back in touch with him." She crossed her arms. "Steve, I'm worried."
"He went through a lot. I'm sure he just needs a little time." Steve said slowly. He couldn't deny that he wasn't as worried as she was. Based on the look Natasha shot him, she didn't buy his cool and collected demeanor. He sighed and rested a hand on her shoulder, "Go get some rest, Nat. Be with Clint."
"Do you plan on getting any of this so called rest?" Natasha replied with a raised eyebrow.
Steve chuckled and watched her stroll away. He unfasted the suit around his neck so his collar hung loose and gave him room to breathe. Steve crossed the busy helicarrier deck to where Nick Fury was half focused on a map on a screen.
"Captain." He greeted. "Figured you'd look more like Thor at the moment."
"No one can pass out as quick as Thor after a mission." Steve replied then shrugged, "Well, Clint, I guess, but he seems preoccupied right now." Fury chuckled under his breath at the comment and the look in his one eye made Steve feel like he was missing out on some secret. That's usually how he felt around Fury though so it was nothing new. "Where are we taking the civilians?"
Fury motioned to the map, "There's a city over that mountain ridge. Large enough to have multiple hospitals for our injured and we're in the process of getting a system set up down there that will help relocate everyone we have aboard."
Steve nodded in approval, "Good. Is our quinjet aboard?"
"You ready to head out?" Fury questioned.
"No, we need to help get everyone settled. I just wanted my phone." Steve answered. He was hoping he could call and speak to her or at the very least he would have a missed call from her. He needed to get back in touch with Sam too just to make sure his friend got back state side with no trouble.
Fury chuckled, "Trying to get home to your girl?"
Steve felt the corner of his lip quirk up and he nodded, "Uh, yeah, something like that."
"You Avengers head home." Fury turned back to his screens, "We have enough hands on deck. Really you'd only get in the way."
"Fury—"
"You heard, patchy the pirate." Tony spoke up. The man had broken skin around his eye that was still lightly bleeding. It looked like it was beginning to bruise as well. He walked over to them still in his suit. Steve shot him a curious look and Tony motioned to the side that was dented to all hell. "I'm stuck in it until I get my gear on the quinjet to pry myself out."
Steve turned back to Fury, "Are you sure?"
"He is. He's wearing his 'for sure' face. Now come on." Tony cut in.
Steve really didn't need any further pressing than that. He reached out to shake Fury's hand once before turning to thank Maria Hill as well. She gave him a tight smile before returning to the phone call she was on. The look on her face told him she was probably arguing with some government official.
When he went to leave, he spotted Tony waiting for him by the door with his helmet in hand. Tony had the helmet held up to his head though so he could speak into it without actually putting it on.
"FRIDAY, call again."
Steve shot him a curious look as they began to walk down the hall and the only sound between them was the ringing of a line that wasn't being picked up. Tony had a concerned look on his face that he didn't understand until the phone went to voicemail.
"Hey, it's Aj! Sorry I missed your call. Just leave me—"
Tony lowered his helmet, "That's the third time I've called her and got nothing."
A pang of worry hit him like a well-aimed punch. They picked up their pace and as they passed a snoring Thor, Steve shook him hard once. The god rolled off the chairs onto the floor with a groan, "Huh?"
"We're leaving and Aj's not answering her phone." Steve called out.
The tone alone was what got Thor to his feet. The three men stormed down the hall and people scrambled to get out of their way. When they reached the outer deck they spotted Natasha and Clint speaking to Vision.
Natasha spotted them, "He got rid of the last shred of Ultron." Her eyes narrowed as they got closer, "What's going on?"
"Aj isn't answering her phone." Tony replied and pushed past them to get to the quinjet.
"She's fine!" Clint cut in and everyone froze to look at him. The archer shrugged, "She, uh, she's okay."
Tony backpedaled and pointed at him, "Then why are you saying it like that?"
Clint groaned and motioned to the jet, "How about we get in the air? It's kind of a long story."
Steve didn't like that answer and he had a feeling he was going to like this long story even less. As they loaded up, Vision offered to stay behind and continue to help where he could. Steve trusted the odd man enough now to not be concerned by the statement. Wanda and Pietro stayed on the helicarrier as well. Pietro couldn't be moved until they got to a hospital and Wanda wasn't going to leave his side.
"So", Clint swiveled around in the pilot's seat after he got the quinjet into the air and on course for New York. "Before you yell at me about rule number 4—" Steve groaned, and Tony cursed under his breath. Clint held his hands out, "I said before you yell at me about it! Listen, with the circumstances I'm claiming executive action. The rule was broken for the safety of the group, and quite frankly the world."
Steve knew the mission had been rough and they had some really tight spots to squeeze through. He nodded his head but crossed his arms. He could promise not to yell, but that didn't mean he wasn't going to be pissed about whatever came next.
"Aj was never at the compound."
Tony groaned and pressed his thumb and finger to the pressure point between his eyes as his eyebrows furrowed in frustration, "Well, where the hell was she?"
Clint hesitated then sighed, "Romania."
Steve's eyes widened. Had Sam taken her with him without telling them? He doubted it. Sam wouldn't do that to him. He knew his friend had to know how much Steve wouldn't want her there just in case Bucky was more Winter Soldier than James Buchanan Barnes. Steve couldn't risk that.
"Look, I know you have questions, and I don't have a lot of answers." Clint stood from the pilot chair. "Aj deserves to be able to tell her side of this anyways. She's on her way back to New York right now according to Daisy and Kate—"
Tony shook his head, "How do they know this?"
Steve's heart stopped as he remembered Coulson mentioning that Daisy and her team had lost track of Vincent Morgan before coming to Sokovia and that he was going to get a new team on him as soon as possible. He stepped forward, "Barton?"
Clint nodded, "Yeah. Daisy had been following Vincent."
"One of the men after Aj?" Thor demanded. "He was in Romania as well?"
Steve's gaze hardened, "Clint. Is she okay?"
"She is now." He nodded.
"What the hell do you mean she is now?" He snapped back.
Natasha stepped forward, "Clint caught me up to speed not long ago. What we know is this—" She glanced around the room. "—Aj has been in Romania, Daisy followed Vincent there, an…incident happened, and Clint sent Kate to Romania to find Aj just in case Daisy couldn't."
"Define incident." Tony growled.
"She was shot in the shoulder." Clint said quickly. Steve stiffened, but the archer followed it up, "But she really is fine. Kate said she had the bullet was removed, she was put in a sling, and she'll get back to New York almost around the same time we do if I count right. She might be an hour ahead of us to getting home."
Steve scoffed, "Fine? She was shot, Clint! How is—"
"She found Bucky." Clint said.
It was probably the only phrase that could stop him mid-rant the way it did. Aj found Bucky. What Bucky had she found though? God, was the bullet somehow the Winter Soldier's fault? He hadn't shot her had he? Steve didn't know his best friend's mental state, but he knew that a clear-headed Bucky would be devastated at the news that he hurt the young woman.
"She…What?" Steve replied dumbly.
"Kate said she found Bucky. They had been together since Vincent started a gunfight in a park. Maybe even a little before potentially." Clint replied and Steve felt his lungs fill with relieved air. The thought of Aj being shot was heart stopping, but knowing it wasn't Bucky's fault helped immensely. "By time Kate and Daisy got to Aj though, Bucky had bailed. Left her in the airport."
Tony shook his head while Thor looked between Steve and him, "Hold on, hold on, rewind. She went after the Terminator? Alone?"
"Look, we told you what we know." Natasha replied softly. "Yes, Aj owes us answers about what made her think this impromptu trip was a good idea, but…" She offered them a small smile, "She's safe. She's on her way home, it sounds like the bullet did no permanent damage, and now with whatever info she gathered we might be a step closer to finding and keeping Bucky."
Steve let go of the small ball of anger that was gathering in his chest. Natasha was right. Tony continued to argue lightly as the redhead continued to try and mollify him. Steve dropped down into a seat and let his exhaustion settle on him. Aj was okay. He wouldn't fully accept it until he saw her with his own eyes, but she was safe at the moment and that would have to do. Steve had no idea what pushed her to think she needed to go after Bucky, but if she had found him then Steve wasn't sure he could be angry about that. She was safe and she had seen Bucky. From the sounds of it, they had spent time together. That had to be a good sign for his friend's mental state.
The air in the quinjet began to relax as everyone settled to rest. There was no reason to be angry. What happened had happened and everything had ended okay. Would Aj get five separate lectures when they got back to the Compound? Oh, absolutely. He was pretty positive that Tony or Clint were mentally working through plans on how to ground a 26-year-old woman. Steve smiled to himself as he leaned his head back against the quinjet wall. Thor was passed out on the cot in the corner snoring again and for the first time ever, he found the sound soothing.
His trash fire family was okay. They were all safe.
[Countdown: 00:46:37]
Vincent stopped at my row and looked down at me. I had moved so I was sitting in the aisle seat now. He cleared his throat and I looked up at him, "I'm not gonna lie, man, I was kinda hopin' you fell off the plane."
"Move your legs." He said.
I squinted in annoyance and shifted my legs so he could go down the row and sit in the seat by the window. He had disappeared for four hours and it worried me. Having him sitting beside me gave me a peek into what he might do next. Him just disappearing? That left me vulnerable. It didn't help that I was both drunk and hungover at the same time. I rubbed my forehead, a headache lingering behind my eyes, and groaned, "Where the hell were you?"
"Told you I needed to stretch my legs." He smirked. "Plus, I fucked the stewardess."
"God, I wished I hadn't asked." I mumbled. He could just be joking, but the mental picture was disgusting all the same. The clock was winding down, daylight peeked through the partly shut window where Vincent sat. The pilot had already announced our initial descent. Worry and fear clawed up my throat. Doing the math in my head, the fight was probably long over. I'd be landing around 7 in the morning and walking into a world where Ultron was dead or my friends were. The world hadn't ended and killed me mid-flight so that probably meant they won, but what did it cost?
Vincent hummed, "Potential down the fucking drain."
"I figured you'd still be poutin' 'bout that." I replied. I shifted and leaned over to I could shut the window the rest of the way. The light hurt my eyes. He chuckled and I glared at him, "We're in the last leg of this flight. You owe me an answer."
He had the audacity to shrug, "Answer to what?"
"Who saved me?" I asked. "Who stopped you from kidnapping me?"
Vincent smirked and crossed his legs, "I don't know." I glared at him and he shook his head, "I really don't. Guy wouldn't tell me."
I knew he wasn't going to make this easy for me. With a slow breath, I bit back my agitation, "Please tell me what happened that night, Vincent."
He held my gaze for a moment then scoffed, "We followed you out. Kept a distance at first. Had to get out of Eugene's territory just in case. You got out onto the street, down from your apartment, and we swooped in. I grabbed you then…" Vincent shook his head. "Guy came out of nowhere. Took out my man then held me at gunpoint. Told me to let you go or he'd blow my head clean off."
The statement only confused me more.
"I wanted you, but not enough to get myself killed." Vincent shrugged. "I tossed you aside and bailed."
"What did he look like? Who was he?" I shook my head desperately.
"Mean looking son of a bitch. Tall, built like a fucking tank, and beat to all hell. Looked like shit. Busted cheekbone, black eye, broken nose." Vincent replied. "And like I said, I don't know who he was."
I scoffed, "You didn't think to ask?!"
"Of course, I asked." Vincent spat out. "Asshole didn't give me a name. Said some dumb shit and carried you off." I shot him a look and Vincent rolled his eyes, "Called himself your guardian angel."
My guardian angel? I couldn't think of a single person who would go out of their way back then to save me from Vincent. Let alone threaten to kill the guy for me. I closed my eyes, my head still throbbing, and I tried to pull myself back to that night. What happened after I threw up in the alley? I knew the path home from there and I could put myself onto the path.
No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't clearly remember a thing. However, there was one new thing. A small moment. Swaying. I had been swaying back and forth. Someone had been carrying me. The streetlight came from behind his head, dark features hidden, and he had a deep voice. Guttural.
"I…I don't know who that…" I mumbled and opened my eyes back up. "I don't understand who'd…"
I was at a loss for words. Someone had saved my life and I hadn't even known it. If mystery man hadn't stopped Vincent I would've gone down a very, very dark path. One I might not have been able to come back from. The phrase 'Guardian Angel' seemed gaudy. The last five years of my life wouldn't make anyone think I had an angel on my shoulder, but this was… this was world shaking. Someone had cared enough to save me back when I thought no one gave a single damn about my existence.
Who the hell had saved my life?
"I thought about coming back for you some other day." Vincent dragged me out of my head. "But things got a little messy in Vegas. Had to deal with the home front."
The plane shook and then a minute later I felt the wheels touch down. My eyes darted to Vincent nervously. He glanced at me and smiled which did nothing for my nerves. I nodded once, "So? Now what? Should I prep for a fight?"
"Aren't you always prepped for one?" Vincent chuckled. There was a beat, and then he shook his head, "Nothing. You get off this plane, I get off this plane, and we go our separate ways."
"Excuse me if I don't take your word for it." I replied.
Vincent smirked, "What? Don't trust me?" We just stared at one another as the plane slowed. He chuckled, "I'm not my brother. You'd need to want this as much as I want this for you. Otherwise we both just waste our time."
"Strucker won't be happy with you."
"That's a plus for me." Vincent shrugged. "I love pissing off that kraut bastard."
"I'm sure he loves that adorable nickname." I mumbled. "So just like that? I don't see you ever again?"
Vincent shook his head and leaned toward me, "Oh, I hope that's not true. See, I think one day you're gonna get tired of trying to be someone you're not, and when you do..." He winked at me. "You know where I am."
The plane parked and people began to stand up behind us. The row I was in was close to the door. We'd be one of the first ones off the plane after first class. I grabbed my bookbag and set it in my lap.
"I'm not gonna let the world take from me." I said to him and his smug smile faltered. "I'm sorry 'bout your wife, but that doesn't change anythin'. You're a bastard an' I refuse to become you. I refuse to hurt others to make myself happy. The world might try to take from me, hurt people I love, but I won't let it. Even if that means I have to go to war with myself."
The people in the rows right ahead of us began to file out. I stood up and noticed that Vincent hadn't moved. Right before it was my turn to leave, his hand snatched out to grab my wrist. I tensed in panic as the row behind me began to go ahead of me.
He squeezed my wrist once, deathly serious, "They won't stop coming for you. You and your sister."
"My sister? Aubrey?" I asked in shock. "Why—?"
"I don't know why, but I know Strucker wants the two of you bad. Real bad." Vincent shook his head. "I also know if he gets his hands on you… it won't end well. HYDRA doesn't want you dead and I think that's worse." I pulled my hand away and nodded once. His smile came back, but it didn't fill his features like before. Vincent snapped his fingers and pointed at me, "Tell your SHIELD dogs to get off my dick."
I cut into the flow of traffic and hurried toward the exit while Vincent stayed seated on the plane letting other people off. The moment I was in the portable hallway connecting the plane to the terminal I began to root around in my bag while walking. My phone was in here somewhere and I needed to put it together. I needed to call someone. Anyone.
My feet hit solid ground and a sense of jittery panic overwhelmed me. There had to be a TV around here somewhere too. Would they be showing the aftermath on the news? I glanced up from my shaking hands that were unsuccessfully looking for the tiny ass sim card I had pulled out, and my eyes landed on Sam.
He stood a few feet away with his arms crossed. Sam had on his dark brown leather jacket over jeans and a t-shirt. He looked tired and worried. I stumbled toward him and Sam met me hallway.
"Sam?" I cried. "Sam, are they—? Did they—? The others?"
"They're fine, Aj. Few cuts and bruises, but everyone is fine. They're on their way home right now." Sam answered my unfinished questions. He reached out to hold my arms and he was probably the only reason why I wasn't a puddle on the ground. "Everybody is safe."
A cry slipped from my lips and I felt warm tears fall down my face in relief. Sam pulled me into a hug, and I melted into his arms. I was drunk, hungover, exhausted, and jetlagged. I was also incredibly, incredibly relieved. My family was safe for another day.
