What is this twist? I am alive ? And with a new story? Whaaaat ?
That's right, folks.
You see, in the most recent times, I've started getting back to Overwatch. The more I replayed and relearned the lore, both old and new, a thought came to me.
Man, how did I forget how good this is?
So with that, I said, why not?(Again) And here we are.
Good thing that, like with legends and marvels, this will be a long-term plot. Which gives me time till Overwatch 2 arrives, with luck, in the next year or so, and continues the in game lore.
Also, sharing in the same vein, there will be changes in the MCU. Not as large as the other, but present still.
Now, as for our team, this time around, it will be a smaller one. For the moment.
Before,, we start.
A shout out to FreeManWriter for the help in this one. Thanks, my guy.
It seemed like the world was always changing these days.
The first was when Tony Stark revealed he was the iron man.
The second when the god of Norse myth Thor clashed down on earth.
The third, when humanity found out that they weren't alone in the universe in the worst way. And when they, and all the worlds, got to know that earth would not fall so easily. Not with the avengers.
The fourth, as SHIELD meet its end from the inside.
And now the fifth, as Sokovia rose and fell from the skies.
All knew what happened by now. Tony Stark was full of belief and will,, in creating a system to guard the earth against new threats. Only end it creating something terrible.
As the son turned against his father, Ultron stopped at nothing to see his wish fullied. Peace for their time, a world without chaos, a world of metal.
The heroes fought bravely. And once again, even the destruction and death, the earth got to see a new tomorrow. But things weren't the same for them afterward.
Banner went missing with the quinjet and didn't send any signs of coming back. Thor followed suit leaving the planet. He didn't know how long it would take for him in his quest of finding more about the infinity stones, but many could guess 'a lot'. Stark, by the end, decided to step down from the fields. A break of sorts, but he would still help the team whenever they needed it.
Despite suffering those high losses, they compensated by gaining new faces.
Now, being led by the three founding members. It was Sam Wilson - the falcon, James Rhodes - War machine, the Maximoff twins Pietro and Wanda, and the android Vision who completed the new avengers,
Plus a few other background additions. It was impressive what a simple security camera could catch in the middle of many NY neighborhoods. And what one of your teammates could try to hide due to shame.
For that, just in case, their base also changed to hold more people. While the tower remained, they now lived in the avengers compound, upstate New York. An immense post filled with many support personnel, scientific and military alike, including and Cho, and some former Shield agents. Including its director Nick Fury.
There, they trained and became better every day. With the amount of space, it was easy to test their limits, especially for the twins.
At first, an air of awkwardness with the two of them. Both may have made peace with those who were once considered foes. But some things from the past don't get brushed off so smoothly. It was thanks to Clint that the twins got to feel more welcome. He even took Wanda and Pietro to meet his family at the farm.
Both fell in love with the kids right away. And no matter much he tried, the speedster could hide the wave of emotions in his face when finding out that the newborn, Nathaniel, was also named after him. A gesture of gratitude for saving the avenger's life. And Something that Wanda would use against him forever.
Later that day, Laura casually commented about him bringing lost people to the house.
He could only joke that taking care of lost kids was becoming sort of a part-time job of his. And, Being the only father amongst the team made him a natural on it.
In no time, another family formed as their bonds grew each day. Most moments they spent together, doing even the ordinary things, like simply watching a movie or eating. Those were times all wished to keep. But, as Natasha said, nothing lasted forever.
Peace ended in a period of months, and it was time to get back to the fight.
To the bad guy's bad luck, the new was an unstoppable force. Just as the original six were mission after mission for last years. However, not all of them ended in a chaos of a battlefield.
Such was the case on this day.
Up above the European skies, the quinjet flew at high speeds in the early morning. Inside of it was a group of 6, spread out over the space. While Sam was at the front piloting, Steve was in the back, speaking about the current objective with Clint, Rhodey, Vision, and Pietro.
The group had left just after sunrise, better to get it done quick.
"Today is going to be simple," He said to them before slightly raising his voice. "Friday,"
Automatically, a holographic map formed out of thin air in front of him.
"Data complete, captain," Spoke the female AI across the ship's walls. It was strange not having JARVIS doing this again after so long. But there was a touch of comfort knowing that Vision had parts of him in his programming, including the same voice. In a way, he was still there with them.
And Friday was a worthy successor for him. Tony made sure of it. And to avoid her possibly suffering the same as Jarvis at the hands of Ultron, he placed many safeguards.
"You can burn the place to the ground, and all she'll need is a good computer to be back on her feet," Tony explained.
Well, there wasn't much time to test such a statement, and it was better to keep it that way.
"Thank you," Steve politely replied. Looking over the map, three in the circle could recognize the place in an instant. It was the Hydra base next to where was Sokovia. Subtly, Pietro shifted uncomfortably on his seat. His attention remained on the captain still.
"As you all know, the base has been abandoned for a while now,"
With Ultron there, no one dared to enter. "But since we've been noticing a large number of new faces trying their luck with new weapons on the market, better to be safe than sorry with this one,"
After the invasion, many pieces of Chitauri tech were stoled. Shield did most of the cleaning for it not to fall into more wrong hands. But it didn't help that all went directly to Hydra at the end of the day. Strucker's defenses, weapons, and his possession of Loki's scepter came from that.
Add that, plus the leftovers of Ultron, and new disaster can be on the horizon.
"Has there been any signs of activity there ?" Rhodes voiced his concerns.
"Not that we know off," Steve answered. "If there is, we can deal with it," Seeing collective nods of understanding, he pointed at the map. "We'll land here and walk the rest of the way. Getting there, look everywhere for any tech, destroyed or not, pack it up and bring it back,"
"What's the timeline ?" Clint asked.
"As long as it takes, don't leave one rock unchecked," Steve said.
Before anyone could say anything further, Sam called from the front.
"10 minutes till landing,"
"You heard him, start to get ready. And Friday? keep us updated in case something happens,"
"Understood,"
Out of the five, only Clint and Steve went to their respective slots of equipment.
Rhodey did a simple one over on his various machine guns and rockets on the spot. Vision on the other hand, had a thoughtful expression on his face for the time being. Levitating a few feet in the air. Pietro, meanwhile, walked to one of the jet's side windows, which was right next to the archer,
After he was filling the quiver with all kinds of arrows, and gadgets, courtesy of Stark, and adjusting the new suit made for him. Clint turned to see the speedster. Like him and the others, the young man also had a new look, along with a hair cut. But when he noticed the dispirited stare, he knew that something was buttering him.
"You ok ?" He asked quietly.
Pietro hummed in question, moving his head to stare back at him.
"Just making sure, really. You being too quiet for me is a bad sign on these days," Hawkeye added wryly at the end.
That got a small chuckle out of Pietro before he turned back to the window. They were flying under the clouds, so the sun had been blocked by them, and right below was the place he used to call home. And where he and his sister were reborn.
"Is just weird being here again," He said after a bit. "Where it all started, and where everything almost ended. In part because of us," Deep inside, he was glad that Wanda didn't tag along this time.
Clint knew what he referred too. The twins shared many things, and guilt was one of them. Wanda almost had a panic attack during the battle against Ultron's droids, saying that all was her fault. Clint wasn't one to sugar coat things. She was what started all of that mayhem, but in the end, she stood and fought to make it right, just as Pietro did,
The difference is, one caught up to that faster than the other.
"Look, what happened, happened, nothing is going to change that," Clint said. "But now you really know what you're doing, with no tricks, no nothing. You're an Avenger that helped save the world. That would be all that mattered to me,"
With a light punch on the shoulder, the archer left Pietro to think about his words.
At the same time, another conversation took place at the cockpit.
Steve had just put on the rest of his uniform before joining Sam at the copilot's seat.
"So, liking the avenging world till now ?" He knowingly asked in good humor while sitting down.
"Eh, not as crazy as I thought it was," Sam replied with a smirk. "Even the big one over here is going to be booring in comparison. I mean, Nat set this one out because of that,"
The spy always had an answer at the tip of her tongue. So when asked why she wasn't coming with them in the morning and using the most basic of pajamas, she said:
"You guys can pick it up after the mess now,"
Hilarious.
"Changing your mind about the call ?" Steve referred to their chat during the tower party.
"Damn straight! Now you really should've called me that day,"
The two friends shared a laugh before the aviator changed topics.
"Think he's going to be there ?"
Steve's face morphed into a serious expression.
"He said he would,"
"Yeah, but how long before he leaves again ?"
"...When he's ready, maybe he'll stay,"
"It's a big maybe,"
"Lot's of things are,"
Sam said nothing else after that point, merely accepting Steve's opinion. Being true to the math, ten minutes later, they were going down to the snowy forest of the wrecked city. So far, so good, with no shots or explosions.
"You, Pietro, and Rhodes can go ahead. We'll catch up," Steve advised to his second in command.
"On it," Unlocking the belt, Sam made a quick adjustment on himself while Friday opened the back ramp. As he passed beside the others, he called out.
"Hey, Pietro, Rhodey," When the two turned, his wings opened, and he put on the glasses. "Race you guys there!" In a dash, he was out of jet into the base.
War machine and Quicksilver only took a moment to process the challenge.
"Keep dreaming, birdman," Rhodes scoffed, lowering the mask and activating the thrusters in his boots, following hot on Sam's trail.
"Guy takes a beating from an ant and still says that. And you all call me cocky," Pietro stated to the others, cracking his neck before leaving with a blue trail right behind him.
Clint shook his head in amusement at the three.
"And here I thought competitions were done without Bruce and Thor," Half of the time those two were in the field was to see who had the higher score at the end.
"Is believed that rivalries to a certain degree can help to solidify bonds between comrades," Vision gave his insight about the scene.
Since his creation, he has been studying more and more about human nature. Be it by watching on the sidelines or spending hours on the internet or a library. Some traits were still odd for him, but in time he may understand them too.
"Heh, whatever works for them," Clint then started to jog towards the base, leaving the android and the captain alone.
"Would you like me to take you there, captain ?" The former then offered.
"No need, Vision," Steve gently replied, locking the shield at his back. "I...need to do something before, you can go on,"
"Very well," Just as he was about to phase through the jet's walls, Vision stopped. "At the left side," He cryptically said, then moved outside.
Steve didn't question what that meant. He already had a good idea.
Closing the ramp while walking out, he took in the forest. Nothing had changed about it. The gloomy atmosphere, dense grove, along with the snow-covered ground, gave it an even bigger feeling of desolation.
Not to mention the silence. One could say the place had a void of life.
Lowly humphing, Steve reached for his pocket and took out a phone. It was one of two he possessed. While Tony managed to convince him to have one he made himself,, this one was damn near prehistoric for the billionaire. While Steve granted that, it had a reason behind it.
One that he was going to use.
Following Vision's tip, he went to the left side of the jet, to now stand in the middle of the dark trees, with no sight to the skies,
Taking a deep breath, he pressed the deal button. At the single number displayed on the small screen, instead of ringing, the image turned into a white A.
As if he felt an unseen force, Steve shifted his gaze up. And from a spot between the leaves, he saw in them a light coming to life moments later. He couldn't stop a small smirk on his face.
"Been up there for a while ?"
He got his answer as a figure dropped down from the tree. Landing on its feet with no struggle at all, it took a step forth from under the tree's shadow.
Revealing a tight tactical uniform with a red band on the left sleeve and a grey gun hold across the chest and back. A couple of grenades were locked on the belt, next to a handgun, plus a set of knifes.
Another detail was the now clean metallic shoulder, where a red star once stayed.
(A/N: Remember to look at my Pinterest for the suits. If you can't use the link, type: Pinterest marcilioalvespr and click on the first result.)
"Five more minutes and I would've taken a nap," It replied casually.
There was a moment of silence between the two. It was broke when Steve came closer, and both shook hands.
"How have you been, Buck ?" He asked life long friend.
"Hmm, alive," The winter soldier replied vaguely. From the look Steve gave, he wasn't buying just that as an answer.
But honestly, speaking about everything was still hard. The longer out of the brainwash, the more memories and humanity returned. And with them, all of the guilt for the atrocities committed in the name of Hydra.
Some days were better than others, but he was trying to leave that all behind.
"I'm fine," Bucky said with more conviction this time.
Steve hesitated for a bit before accepting it for the moment. Better no to push it so much, as his friend's mind was still unstable. Steve's gaze turned to the base as he looked over Bucky's shoulder.
"You've been inside already ?" There wouldn't be a surprise if he did.
"Yeah. That's one thing I wanted to talk with you,"
Steve was immediately at alert.
"Did you found something ?"
Bucky nodded in yes. "And I've no clue of what it is,"
When it came to Hydra, that was enough to believe the 1% chance of disaster.
"Alright, let's go see it,"
Both made their way to the base, entering through an old train rail passage at the bottom of the mountain. From their point of view, they got a glimpse of Rhodey flying overhead, heading south.
All were eager to finish as fast as possible, so Steve and Bucky picked up the pace. They made many turns and went down several stairs till they finally reached the lower labs.
Ultron really did expand the place during his stay in the castle. The space had a large hole in the middle, filled with crates where he built his army. As well as a forge to melt the vibranium he stoled.
Speaking of the devil, they passed over the hole's edge to find the robot's original head. Completely wrecked and with perforations in the eyes and mouth. It had no use for him after finishing his new form.
Better to take it back to Tony too, Steve would've to remember that.
But also in his mind, he wondered what could be that Bucky found in there? God knows what the robot did to the leviathan that used to hang from the ceiling. And what else he could've cooked for them but left it aside.
He got the chance to see possibly one of them after Bucky led him through a tight corridor. At first view, it seemed like a dead end, but with the light coming ahead, someone made a passage. Which was Bucky after not getting through with the commands.
The area in question was an oval mini lab. A single table with a chair was at the right end of it. There were no computers inside, but there were lots of cables for sure. All of which went to a large two piece machine at the center.
Between them was a silver sphere with circular lines over it. The same was strangely levitating.
Steve cautiously walked around the machine, inspecting every part of it, but at a total loss.
"You really don't know what this is ?"
Bucky shook his head before adding. "And it seems not even Hydra was interested in it,"
"What ?" Steve stopped and tilted his head.
"There isn't nothing about this," Bucky revealed, surprising cap. "No data, no papers, not even names that could've worked on it. It's just - here,"
Ok, that was new.
"Friday, do you see something ?" Steve then asked the AI.
"Just a moment,"
Another thing Tony added to the phones was a complete scanner connected to her system. It just took moments for the results to come in.
"There seems to be nothing out of the ordinary with the device, captain. While it is still operant, many components are missing, thus preventing a clear analysis of what it can be,"
Steve took in the information, crossing his arms over his chest. "Either they weren't interested or were tearing it apart simply so someone wouldn't be able to find it or use it," He guessed, eyeing the sphere with suspicion.
"Knowing them, is more likely to be the second," Bucky agreed with the notion. The lengths they went to hide him was an example of their dedication.
"All the more reason to not leave it here," Going to his cons, Steve called. "Vision, are you busy ?"
"Not at the moment, captain. Do you require assistance ?" The android responded.
"I do," With the machine still working, it was preferable that someone indestructible took care of things. "Can you get to my position ?"
"At once,"
With that done, all they could do is wait. Bucky then voiced a doubt of his.
"So, this new guy, vision, what is he again ?" He asked, leaning against the cold steel wall.
Steve let out a silent chuckle by just thinking of what a mess vision's origin was.
"It's a - long story," He replied. "But, we trust him. And honestly, we wouldn't've beaten Ultron if it not for him,"
Bucky had a contemplative gaze hearing about the battle in Sokovia.
"Maybe I could've helped too," He said out loud without noticing. Standing straighter at the realization, he looked at Steve to see his reaction.
The captain remained neutral at the statement and said after a pause.
"When you said you needed time, it was for a good reason. And I wasn't going to drag you to a fight when I knew you were still looking for answers," From their short conversations over the last years, Bucky told Steve what has been doing. Paying a visit to every Hydra cell across the world. Uncovering their secrets as much as he could and hoping to find himself again.,
"And with Sokovia, there wasn't really anything you could've done to help us at that stage," Steve saw the regret grown a little more on Bucky's face. "But it doesn't mean you can't help us in the future,"
That did it, and his old friend had full attention.
"Is like I said on that day, ask, and you can come with us. But that IF you feel you're ready. Are you now ?"
Bucky took a long breath, looking up at the ceiling.
"...I don't know,"
Steve was as understanding as ever. "When you do, I'll be one call away,"
A sound coming from the nearby wall made both turn rapidly. Vision's phasing body passed through it before going back to its original density.
The android did a quick once over in the room while settling on the ground. Gaze lingered on the sphere before landing on Bucky.
"Oh, Sargent Barnes, it's an honor finally meeting you,"
The same was taken back a little.
"You - you know me ?"
"I've read about you during world war 2, as well as your time with the hollowing commandos. And Captain Rogers always speaks highly of you," In one of his first demonstrations of humor, Vision added. "The same can't be said in and 's case, however,"
Steve pressed his mouth shut to not laugh at Bucky's bewildered and amused face.
"Thanks, I guess,"
Satisfied that his social progress showed satisfactory results, Vision turned to Steve.
"What you need, captain ?"
Getting back to business, Steve gestured to the machine and the sphere. "Friday said it's still functioning, so can you take it out ?"
Vision slowly approached the object. His eyes seemed to stare at every piece of it from outside to inside.
"This is - strange," He then said.
"What is strange ?"
"One it's energies, it - seems familiar to me," Or maybe to something in him, he reflected.
Steve didn't want to take a risk.
"Let's take it back to the tower. We'll what Tony can find out about it,." He made the decision clear.
Vision nodded, lifting his hand and carefully wrapping around the sphere. With a simple pull, it was out. He, however, went back to staring at it with great interest. Steve didn't have the time to speak about that.
"Captain," Friday said in the cons.
"Yes,"
"The others are ready to go," She revealed the status of the mission.
"So fast ?"
"Yeah, I would like to go home now, thank you very much," Pietro chipped in the conversation.
"I second that," Rhodey said.
"Third," Sam added.
"Forth. Plus, I've to watch a game with my kids," Clint was final.
Steve shook his head with a smile. "Ok, we'll meet you at the jet in a few,"
"I'll be taking my leave," Vision said, getting out the same way he got in.
That left only Bucky to decide his next move.
"Where are you going next ?" Steve asked, believing that he would head to the next Hydra base. He was nonetheless surprised by the answer.
"Mind I tag along for now ?"
When they arrived at the jet, Rhodey and Clint had just finished loading the last container with the leftovers they found. There was enough to fill four of them, and most of it was from Ultron. Steve showed no love lost as he threw the last head at the container with a little too much force.
At the same time, Pietro and Sam were bickering at who won the race, with no signs of getting into an agreement soon. With Vision right behind them with sphere still in his hands.
There was a slight pause, safe for Vision and Sam, as the rest noticed Bucky walking in with Steve. By now, they all heard of him from what Steve, Sam, and Nat said. And while knowing that he didn't work for Hydra anymore, they remained at a mild alert around him.
Showing his more casual approach to the former assassin, Sam said as greeting:
"Didn't think you would show up, cyborg brain,"
Bucky's response for that was only a raised brow and a scoff.
"Alright, everybody, let's go home!" Cap waved for all to get in.
It was almost ten AM as they flew back to NY, going over the ocean. Long gone were the grey clouds, giving space for the sun to shine through the jet's widows. The chance of climate also resonated with some.
Pietro was now in a higher spirit, chatting with Clint about going to see the game too. The small pet talk appeared to have worked. At the back, Bucky and Rhodey were starting to get into the conversation stage. And Sam and Steve:
"So, what toys is Santa bringing home tonight ?" Tony's voice came through the monitor between the pilot's seats.
"Plenty of Junk," Sam replied with humor/honesty.
"Man's trash another man's treasure," The genius brushed off. And he should. His first armor was a bunch of scraps, basically.
"We found a lot of Ultron bots too,," Steve added. Tony's face sobered. Out of all the Avengers, he's the one that blames himself the most for the accident.
"Gonna make sure they all destroyed when you get here," He promised.
With a nod, Steve changed topics. "How's everyone ?"
"Aaah, they are fine, Nat in the gym, putting targets through hell. And Wanda- did you guys know she loves sitcoms ?"
"Sitcoms ?"
"Yeah, I love lucy, things like that. I even looked through her Netflix history, and she's been watching 24/7!"
"That's basically you with work,"
"Hey! My levels of obsession are completely on a healthy stage,"
"Pepper would say otherwise,"
"...Anyway, when are you arriving again ?"
Meanwhile, Vision was by himself, still pondering about the sphere, rolling it in his hand. Maybe it was something he should let go of for the moment. But - the stone in his forehead was itching more than the usual,
Besides humanity, he was also learning more about it. Its nature was uncertain, and it's reactions unpredictable. Which added more mystery to why the sphere was causing this,
He could help himself. He had to find out. Allowing a portion of the energy to go out, he tried to communicate with it.
The results were immediate.
He let out a small gasp as the sphere went to life. It's components shifting and turning in circles. And with its movement speed going up by the second.
"After that zzzz we can zzzzz," Stark's face glitched.
"Tony ?!"
"CAP!" Clint's cry made Steve and Sam turn, and their faces ashed.
The sphere had left Vision's hand, and it was now floating and shinning stronger than ever.
"The hell is going on!" Sam exclaimed.
"I -I don't know!" Vision replied, a look of alarm on his face at what he had caused.
"Vision shu-,"
A wave of blue light exploded from the object. Covering the whole jet but leaving everyone unharmed. That's because it wasn't its target. From every corner, the walls started to grunt and twisted slowly. Soon after, several lines of light seemingly cut it through the area.
Panic followed.
As if being sucked, the jet's walls now were starting to fully open, letting the air outside came in in full force.
"The jet's coming apart!" It was Friday went on high alert.
"VISION, SHUT IT DOWN!" Steve ordered. The android tried, to no avail.
"It does not respond!"
"CRUSH IT THEN!" Pietro exclaimed.
"AND BLOW US OUT OF THE SKY ?!" Rhodey countered.
Before anyone else could speak, a second wave came, this time aimed at them.
"Oh god...,"
"EVERYONE SIT DOWN AND HOLD ON TIGHT!" All did as the captain said and strapped their belts.
"Sam, can you get us close to the ground in time ?"
"I can't make any promises,"
"Do it!"
"IS GOING TO BE TURBULENT!" Falcon warned the rest of the team before pushing the jet down.
Just was all tightened their grips on the seats came the third wave.
And all went white.
But only for a moment.
From the cockpit, Steve and Sam crashed violently on the ground sooner than they expected. The inside trashed and shook violently as they slid across stone.
It finally ended when they hit a dark gray wall with a final bang. Sam was out cold after it, head low on the seat. Steve could only fight the dizziness for so long before following suit.
The last thing he heard and saw was a loud THUMP outside and a large hand on the window.
Welp, this was a lot shorter than I expected really, but on the other hand, the next one will be enormous.
Oh, I wanted to add. In case you managed to visit my page in pinterest, the number of suits from the team, outside of Cap(which is still AOU suit) Vision and Rhodey are:
Clint - 1
Pietro - 2
Bucky - 1
Sam - 1 - Or simply his suit in FATW.
Anyway, I hope you guys will enjoy this just as, if not more then Legends and Marvels.
Stay safe out there people, see y'all next time.
Peace.