So much for my plan to finish the Head to Head arch in four parts. Oh well. We'll be back on track with the next chapter. I really like this chapter so I hope ya'll enjoy it too!

And if you want to help build a cool community around this story (and let me know if the link works), join my discord! Just add this to the end of the regular discord link! /5UKBwMAnJw

0=change focus to a different character

00=scene change (no matter how big or small)

000=timeskip

F000=this means that we move back to the next avengers time.

P000= No this is not poo. it's moving back to the past.

Chapter 16: Head to Head Part 4

(~Aboard the Tricarrier~ James~)

Air! Air! He needed air! James' lungs burned badly. He hadn't been able to suck in enough air when Devon had started choking him. Air. Air. Focus, fight, get away. He can't. He was pinned, Devon was stronger than him. He should know. That was his body he was in. His vision started swimming. He tried to hit his assailants arm, tried to kick him or tried anyway to get him to let go. It wasn't working. He could feel his heart pounding. His mind was growing fuzzy and his attempts weaker. He couldn't keep this up.

He'd never get to let them know. Never get to see his Tony again, or apologize to Hawkeye, or hug Pym, or see Torunn and Azari again. He'd never know if Azari was okay. He'd never get to tell Tony how much he appreciated everything he did. These thoughts and more ran through his head as darkness crept in the edges of his vision.

Then he heard something. Was that a yell? It sounded so far away. His eyes dropped close, he felt like he was fading. A thud sounded. The grip on his throat loosened but not enough. More far away yelling. The grip was suddenly released. He fell forward. Someone caught him. He started coughing, trying tuck in as much air as he could. He could breath. He could breath! He was wheezing and put a hand to his throat as the pain began to trickle in. He couldn't physically breathe in enough air it felt like.

"Easy, it'll take a bit for you to be able to breath properly. Just suck in as much as you can but don't over do it. That'll just cause you to cough more," the person holding him up said. He recognized their voice. Forcing his eyes open, he saw not who he expected to see. Francis' dad, Hawkeye, was standing there. He nodded though was confused.

"Tony, he's getting back up," Falcons voice came from one side. James glanced it it's direction, but saw Cap standing where it came from. Falcon himself was standing to his left. Hawkeye responded to that.

"Then we hit him again and run," Tony's voice came from Hawkeye. It took James a second to realize what was happening. He wasn't the only one affected by the mind stone. Hawkeye...Tony looked him over with concern. "Keep focusing on your breathing. We gotta move." Tony started moving, helping James along. James' body protested but he forced himself to move. He could hear fighting behind them, then footsteps. They must've gotten the upper hand... somehow.

At some point, Tony directed them to duck into a room. James didn't disagree. Glancing around the room they'd ducked into. Bathroom. His eyes landed on the sink and he felt the burning feeling in his throat grow tenfold. He tentatively let go of TonyHawkeye, who was paying more attention to the door.

He made his way to the sink carefully and turned it on, gulping down as much water as he could. It felt soo good on his throat. He took a break from drinking it and took some deep breaths.

"Jeez," he muttered hoarsely. It hurt to speak. He looked up at the mirror in front of him. It took his brain a second to recognize that that was him in the mirror. Technically, it was Devon. Dark hair with an undercut, dark brown eyes and tan skin. His eyes traveled to his neck. Bruises were beginning to form on it.

"Falcon, over here," Tony whispered. James glanced at him in the mirror and watched as FalconCap and Falcon? Entered the room. Tony shut the door

"That... that was weird," Falcon said.

"I don't get what happened?" Hulks voice said from Falcons body. So that's who was there.

"What? What happened?" Tony asked.

"I don't know... he just stopped," Falcon replied. "He stopped and told us to go. He didn't... it wasn't him. The voice wasn't the same. He sounded like he was in pain."

James almost wanted to laugh at that. If it weren't for the fact that this was really bad, he'd be enjoying the fact that Rogue now knows what it feels like to be him. A brief, vindicated chuckle escaped his lips.

"What's so funny?" Tony asked suspiciously, drawing James out of his thoughts. He hesitated a second, turning to face them. They knew Rogue wasn't himself. Would they be able to tell it was him? Wait... isn't that what he wanted? What if it makes things worse? Worth a shot.

"The guy who tried to choke me to death saved your life," James' voice was hoarse and scratchy. He barely sounded like himself. It felt hard to speak. He coughed after finishing and turned the sink on again. He took another long drink of water. He felt their eyes on him the whole time.

"Wait a minute... is that blood? Were you shot?" Falcon asked. James' subconsciously put a hand over his injured shoulder, as if to protect it. He chose to nod this time, avoiding stretching his ability to speak further.

"By Rogue?" Tony added. That was a more complicated question to answer. Technically it was yes, but it wasn't him when that happened. After some hesitation, James nodded.

"He really doesn't like you, does he?" Falcon observed, almost seeming to attempt to lighten the mood. James scoffed.

"Feelings mutual," he croaked out and cleared his throat. He ran a hand through his hair. He made eye contact with Tony for a second and couldn't read the man's gaze.

"Does he not like you because you're not like the other agents?" Tony asked. James felt himself tense up a little on reflex. He nodded again, hesitantly. It felt like expected the pain that usually came with questions like that to follow. But nothing came. He let out a quiet sigh after a second, but he was still on edge. He just technically lied a bit. He was different from the other shield agents, but it wasn't for the reason likely being alluded to. "Thought so. Got enough water? We need to keep moving." James raised a hand to say 'wait a sec'. He drank some more water just in case, and nodded when he was finished. Falcon was looking out the door. He motioned for them to go. It was clear. Time to move.

00

(~Cap~)

"We're nearing the cargo hold. Wanna tell me what's on your mind before we get there or after we resolve this?" Widow asked him. Cap wasn't surprised by her

"It wasn't him," Steve voiced his thoughts. That hadn't been his son. The voice was different and the strange feeling he got when he saw Rogue wasn't there.

"I know," Widow said. She'd realized it too. Of course she had..

"The lads voice was very different to how he sounded on that roof," Thor agreed, having noticed as well. Cap shook his head.

"But he still acted like Rogue. He seemed worse than normal somehow, but it was still Rogue. His voice was different but his attitude was the same. How is that possible?" Cap wondered out loud. He thought back to how off he seemed. How he said he was going to kill MODOC. It was still Rogue, but Rogue, to Steve's knowledge, had never killed anyone. It felt like nothing was holding him back. He thought back to the rooftop. The blue eye of the teenager that had woken up on that roof. The struggle he seemed to be going through. The way he acted verses the way Rogue had treated them.

"Rogue as an entity may be tied to the body, not the mind. There is much we do not know," Thor brought up the possibility. Cap nodded.

"Tony said the Rogue might have the same thing they found on that scan of they got from Francis. That would fit with what your saying, Thor," Widow stated. It made sense. But if that is right, that raises a few alarm bells and a few questions.

"That means that him, the one we met on the roof, could be around here somewhere," Steve said. He hoped that was the case. He hoped he was right. Maybe they can figure out what happened and help him.

"Maybe… we don't know if the Mind Stone did the same to him that it did to us," Widow stated. She had a point. No one understands the full scope of the infinity stones. Hopefully they'll find out before this finishes.

"There they are!" Someone shouted up ahead. Great. This is just what they needed. The agents were on them in an instant and they had to allow themselves to be pushed back a second to get enough room to fight in with Widows bulking Hulk form.

Clearly a good amount of the agents have been waiting for them here. Cap had to stick to hand to hand. He couldn't rely on Tony's repulsers with his inability to handle the knock back. He didn't want to accidentally hit one of his teammates either. This was not their lucky day.

00

(~Rogue~)

Rogue had a hand on his head as he carefully and slowly made his way down one hall. His legs were shaking and the pressure in his skull was killing him. He'd severely underestimated the mind stones power. MODOC was really trying to force Devon into the drivers seat again and Rogue was barely holding onto the wheel.

"Why do you fight? You should know that resistance is futile!" MODOC echoed in his brain, making Rogue almost slip again.

"Yeah, well, I like breathing, so that's a pretty good incentive," Rogue responded slowly. He forced himself to stop. He was moving without knowing where he was going. He needed to be sure that MODOC wasn't influencing the direction he was going. He reached in his pocket and closed his eyes. The light was getting too bright for him. His hand closed around the comm device. He couldn't remember which line it was connected to, but he had to take the chance.

He began taping, creating bursts of static at varying lengths. He disregarded the static twice rule he'd given Hawk and just started with the coded version of the word 'URGENT'.

00

(~Clint~)

Hawkeye glanced back at the body swapped teenagers. Both were waiting on his direction as two agents passed by them. Clint waited until their footsteps were fading, then motioned for them to go, moving down the hall. They were almost there. They had to be.

As they moved, they began hearing something they hadn't expected. Bursts of static came in over the comms. It startled him, the comms had been jammed this whole time. They hadn't heard anything, or been able to call the others. Was the jam weakening? No, bursts were too uniform. This was morse code, someone was creating these bursts and sending a message. He glanced back at the boys again. Neither were holding their comms or causing this. PymFrancis looked confused. Francis was looking at him. Clint turned his attention back to where they were going and started translating the Morse in his head. He didn't get it though. The Morse code didn't spell anything. Just random letters... he didn't try to say anything in the comms. Whoever was doing was clearly not in a position where they can talk.

0

Pym paused when the static bursts started. He'd thought the signal was jammed, it didn't make any sense. He shared a look with Francis. No one said a word. Pym closed his eyes for a second to listen, but then things went black.

0

Hawk opened his eyes as Hawkeye turned away from them and began moving again. It's a good thing he'd compelled Pym to put on the glasses. It made this so much easier. A brief glance at Francis in Pyms body told him that he couldn't make out what was being said. Judging by the way Hawkeye was moving he didn't either. But Hawk did. Coded morse code to deliver the message to him. Something that had been devised during training in case someone was listening in, it was working in their favor.

'URGENT: COMPROMISED, PLAN B, SNAP ME OUT OF IT OR TAKE OUT THE PROBLEM -R'

Damn it. That's not good. Rogue must be in some serious shit to disregard the static twice rule he'd put in place. He didn't know where his partner was, but he knew the position he was in was too good to pass up. Helping Rogue without being caught would be difficult... but if he went after the source he could keep it under the guise of helping the Avengers as Pym would do. It was a good thing they were nearing the cargo hold. He had to nip this in the bud, which means his target has switched from hiding out, to stopping MODOC by any means necessary...

0

Pym blinked a second, disorientation taking over. He had to put a hand on the wall nearest to him for a second to steady himself. He felt like he'd just time jumped. They were further down the hall. His brain was trying to catch up with himself.

"Whoa, whoa, Pym you okay?" Francis asked next to him. He glanced at his teammate and nodded.

"Yeah, I just got dizzy for a second," he replied. A look crossed Francis' face, like he knew what he was talking about.

"Did everything start swimming in your vision?" The archer asked. Pym nodded.

"That happened to me when we arrived on board. When we get out of this, remind me to get a check up of some kind. For now, keep an eye on that and if it starts up let me know so I can cover you if need be," Francis said, his tone not wanting to leave room for argument. Thing is, Pym knew the only reason he was saying this was it was Pym in his body, not himself. Getting Francis to admit when he's anything but bleeding or seriously wounded is like pulling teeth.

"That goes for me too kid. Or any of the Avengers. You have that happen again, tell whoever is closest to you," Clint interjected. He wasn't looking at them, but he'd clearly been listening. He met eyes with the elder Hawkeye when he glanced back. Pym nodded.

"I will, but I'm holding you to that check up later," the body swapped shrinker stated, aiming that last part at his fellow teammate. Francis groaned but nodded.

"Deal. How far are we from the cargo hold?" The archer asked. Clint raised a finger for them to stop and stop talking. Pym stopped. Footsteps. Firing. Pym couldn't see it but he could guess what was waiting for them. Great. This is just what they needed.

"Close enough for me to see how guarded it is," Clint whispered.

00

(~Tony~)

Tony listened closely to the morse code. It didn't make sense. It had to be in some code, but they didn't have time to stand there and work on it right now.

"I thought we were jammed? Who's doing that?" Falcon questioned. Tony turned to look at him when he responded, but paused before he spoke. His eyes landed on the Shield Agent they'd saved from Rogue. He had his eyes closed and was listening. More than that, it looked like he was subtly mouthing something. Was he translating?

0

James didn't know much of what Rogue did. Most of it was in an inaccessible download of sorts. However, somethings were taught in the early days. This code was one of them. He was deciphering it, subconsciously mouthing each word as he formed them. He got the message. It wasn't good. He felt eyes on him again, but he focused on the message. Rogue was warning someone, most likely Hawk. Who, last he saw, was working with the avengers. Hawk was a wild card for James. Francis couldn't interfere with Hawk from what he knew, which made him much more dangerous.

"What are you doing?" Tony asked in a slightly booming and distrustful voice. James opened his eyes and looked over at Tony. He didn't look particularly happy.

"Thinking," James replied, without really realizing that he was lying. His voice was still hoarse but it wasn't as bad as it had been and he was sounding a little more like himself.

"Oh yeah, care to share what about?" Tony asked pointedly. For some reason, James found himself on edge and hesitating to answer.

"Trying to figure out what is being said," he answered, looking away. He didn't like this feeling. Any second now he expected something horrible to happen to hold his tongue. He expected a beating, shocks, pain, headaches etc. He took a deep breath. He knew that wouldn't be enough for Tony. "It's... it's from Rogue," he muttered, crossing his arms as a form of protection and tensed up.

"How do you know that?" FalconCap asked.

"I just do. Look it's complicated," James had to pause to clear his throat as his voice was still a little hard to use. "But it's him. He's saying MODOC got him. That wasn't him trying to kill me." Tony crossed his arms at the response, James avoided looking at him. He didn't want to see whatever look Tony had for him.

"Kid," Tony said. James hesitantly looked at him but made a face being called kid. "You just translated a code I was having trouble with. You're going to have to give me more than just it's complicated. Everything is complicated right now-" the billionaire stopped speaking as an idea crossed his face. It was like something just clicked into place. "What's your name?"

"J-James," the word felt weird on his lips. Rogue always went off on anyone who called him that. Even though it was his name, it felt foreign to him.

"Last name?" Tony asked before Falcon could speak too. James took a deep breath.

"Rogers." He said, waiting for his response, clearing his throat again afterwards. Click. It fell into place.

"Does that mean-"

"Yeah. Yes okay it means exactly what you think it means," James spoke up a little louder, interrupting Falcon. His voice was much more clear and recognizable, though he winced a bit from doing this. He ran a hand through his hair, slightly grabbing his head on reflex. Gosh this was harder than he expected. It's like with every word and every breath a part of him starts screaming. Anticipating pain that isn't coming. Not to mention the way they looked at him now. HulkFalcon seemed kind of confused at the situation, but FalconCap and Tony... it's like they didn't know how to feel about him. And he didn't blame them.

"Thank you," Tony said, throwing James for a loop.

"What?" Was all the body swapped red head was able to get out in his surprise.

"You were the one on the rooftop. You're the one who called out to us on our network? You jumped in front of me and shielded me from the throwing stars Deadpool had aimed at me," Tony stated more than asked.

"I mean, yeah I shielded you, but I wasn't the one who reached out. That really was Rogue. The asshole is crazy but even he has a sense of self preservation," James rubbed his neck. He was beginning to become numb to the pain in it.

"But then why did he try to kill you?" Falcon asked.

"Like I said. MODOC," James said with a shrug, he found himself begging for a distraction. He did notice that HulkFalcon looked like he was getting restless.

"What happened to you?" That was the big question. And of course Tony asked it. James felt his breathing quicken involuntarily as flashbacks hit him hard. He couldn't think for a moment as overwhelming feelings of fear and hopelessness threatened to drown him. A firm hand landed on his non-injured shoulder.

"Whoa hey, breathe, it's okay," Tony. That was Tony. His voice sounded far away. But it was there. "In for four seconds, hold for seven, out for 8. Stay with me here, James." He tried to follow his instructions. It took a minute for him to get his breathing back under control. At some point he'd apparently closed his eyes. His mind still wasn't fully back yet. He didn't know how long that just was. It felt like he'd just jumped through time. It was always there, the panic. Always hovering around him to drag him back. "That's it, good job. You're doing good." Giving a bit more time, he finally opened his eyes again. He was apparently gripping Tony's hand like a lifeline. At the moment, it felt like it had been. His face was wet. Tears. He'd be crying. He let go of Tony's hand and wiped his face.

"I'm back, I'm back," he mumbled. The look on TonyHawkeye's face was one of understanding. He knew exactly what to do when that started.

"That bad huh?" Falcon asked hesitantly. He sounded very concerned. James had to force himself not to fall back into whatever just happened again. He nodded.

"Remember that breathing trick. It's helped me whenever I have panic attacks," Tony told him. Panic attack? That's what that was? He'd never had a panic attack before... but it didn't surprise him that he's having them now. Wait, Tony gets panic attacks?

"Thanks," James said with a nod. Then a commotion sounded from down the hall. Gunfire, sounds of fighting. It was clearly some ways away, but it alerted them that someone, possibly one of the other Avengers may be in trouble.

"Finally something to Smash!" Hulk said eagerly, running forward.

"Hulk wait! We need a..." Tony trailed off as Hulk clearly wasn't listening and didn't stop. "Plan." the body swapped billionaire sighed in frustration for a second. He looked at James and FalconCap. "Let's go." He went after Hulk, drawing an arrow from his quiver and holding it really awkwardly against the bow. He clearly didn't know how to use that thing. James nodded hesitantly but moved after Falcon passed them. He was sticking with the Avengers, but he wasn't in any shape to fight properly. As they approached an area, James recognized the cargo hold up ahead as well as the fact that it was guarded. The Shield agents looked busy with others though. This allowed Hulk and Tony to get the drop on them. Hulk attempting to smash and having some success with this though not having the effect he wanted. Tony attempted to shoot a normal arrow, but it wound up just falling on the floor. So he resorted to punching the agent in front of him. Falcon used the Shield to hit an agent and tried to throw it. To his credit, it did hit two agents, but it then bounced off the wall and clanged on the ground. James shook his head, but it's at this moment that he registered the other voices coming from the two connected halls. From the hall closest to him, he heard Widow.

"Thor, watch your six!" Widows voice came from the hall ahead of him and to the right. Judging by the following smack and grunt, Thor hit his target. He wondered how many of the Avengers were switched and with who. An agent aimed a gun at Tony as he struggled with another agent. James ran up and round house kicked the gun out of his hand, throwing a punch as soon as he had a stable stance. The punch knocked down the agent but the shock of it sent James stumbling back. He really wasn't holding up well. He moved back to a safer distance from the fighting and leaned against the wall. The Avengers were a mess, but they seemed to be handling the SHIELD agents alright. Somewhat…

0

Tony looked back at James as the kid put distance between himself and the fighting. He wasn't sure how to handle him. He changed his view on Rogue when he saw them on that roof, but he can't help but recognize it was awful convenient that James was in a SHIELD agent. It had crossed his mind that MODOC could be setting them up with this. However, the panic attack and his helping him just now… this kid has been through some serious shit and wasn't put back together yet. He couldn't bounce back, not while Rogue was around… He whirled around and smacked the agent behind him with the bow. He really needed to know how to actually use this thing. Next to him he saw Falcon throw an agent into two others, one of which was wrestling with Hulk.

Most of the agents were down. Several thuds down the hall to his right alerted him that those in the hall had finished fighting. He turned his attention to them. WidowHulk, CapIronman, and ThorWidow. It was weird seeing himself. Really, really weird.

"Glad to see you all made it. Any sign of Hawkeye and the others?" He asked.

"No. Not that we've seen. We have had a run in with Rogue. Seems he's bent on killing MODOC," Widow stated. A glance back at James showed him tensing up and looking uncomfortable and concerned.

"Kill? That seems extreme even for Rogue," Tony muttered.

"That's what we thought," Cap agreed.

A boom and yell sounded out from the fork at the opposite end of the hall. A Shield agent landed hard on the ground. He slid all the way passed a room with the door shut. That had to be some hit.

HawkeyeThor came around that corner, followed by Pym and Francis. Tony heard movement behind him but didn't look.

"There he is," Falcon said.

"Finally," Clint said exasperatedly. "I was getting tired of going in circles."

"I think all of us have," Tony replied, looking past him at Pym and Francis. Had they... switched weapons? And why was Francis wearing sunglasses indoor-nevermind. That was Pym. He's gonna get those two mixed up a lot.

Behind them, the door to a room opened and two agents stood there, weapons at the ready. At nearly the same time he heard James shout.

"PYM, HAWKEYE, HIT THE DECK!" Tony saw the three do so immediately. Then James rushed passed him.

0

(~James~)

The world seemed to slow down as James rushed forward, passed Tony and Falcon. He crouched down as he ran, scooped up his fathers shield, and jumped. He landed, shield ready, just as the agents opened fire. He had to back up and adjust his stance, but he covered them. He glanced behind him and saw Pym as he stood up…. was that Hawkeye's quiver and bow? Pym expertly drew an arrow and aimed at the agents. Loosing it, it flew quickly and stuck in the space between the agents. James glanced over the shield to see what would happen.

"Might wanna step back," he heard Hawkeye say. James instantly moved back as far as he could while still protecting the others. As soon as he did, he heard something activate and the agents yelling. The firing stopped. Looking back over the shield, he saw the agents twitching on the floor with their hair messy and breathing heavily. He let out a breath, lowering the shield. He was surprised he was even able to do that. Though he imagined that he wouldn't've been able to hold off the fire much longer had they not been taken care of.

He moved to the wall closest to him and leaned on it, looking at the shield. Everyone was really quiet and he felt eyes on him.

He adjusted which side he was leaning on and tossed the shield back to Falcon, who caught it. Widow, Iron man and hulk, or whoever was in their bodies, had exited the hall they'd come from. James looked back at his former teammates, checking to see if they were alright. He didn't miss whoever was in Thor's body look.

The still and quiet was unnerving, but it was soon broken by Pym, not coming from the right body.

"JAMES?" He shouted in almost surprise. The voice of Pym came from Hawkeye's body. James looked between his former teammates. They hadn't... their weapons are swapped. Oh my God. He started laughing.

"No way. You two?! Out of everyone here you switch with each other?" He said between laughs. He doubled over slightly from laughing so hard. His laughter seemed to cut through some of the tension.

"It's not funny, Rogers," Francis said, clearly not happy about the situation. James shook his head.

"It's hilarious!" The swapped second gen super soldier replied. Not but a few seconds later, his laughing fit turned into a coughing fit. He took a second to get the coughing under control and looked up at them. The coughing fit wasn't pleasant, but boy had he needed that laugh. The look on Hawkeye-uhh.. Pyms face was so hesitant.

"Is that really you? I mean really really you?" Pym asked. James nodded.

"Yeah, it's me Pym," he gave him a smile. Pyms face lit up and he ran at him, hugging him so tightly it irritated his injuries. It was a little weird given it was Francis' body, but he should've expected that.

"You're actually here! Where have you been? Are you okay? What happened to you? I knew that wasn't you! It couldn't've been! I just-"

"Pym!" James interrupted loudly, his heart rate spiking. The questions were too much. Too much and he really didn't want to trigger a panic attack again. Pym looked like a deer in headlights. He took a deep breath and lowered his voice. "Sorry, that's just... it's a lot okay? Little too much. I am really glad to see you." He glanced up at Francis. The look written on his face was guilt. He added "Both of you."

"Right. Anyone care to explain what's going on?" the elder archer asked. So that's who was in Thor's body. "He sounds like Rogue. You sound like Rogue!" The accusatory tone was unwelcome but not surprising. Pym stopped hugging him and backed away. It wasn't out of fear, James could tell.

"That's technically an incorrect statement," James stated, straightening up some. He glanced at Tony as he paused. It took Tony a second to realize he was looking for encouragement of some kind. The billionaire nodded. "Rogue sounds... sounds like me. I came first. My name is James Rogers, it's nice to finally get to talk to you all myself." His eyes fell on the group that had come from the hall. The group that, through process of elimination, had to contain his parents. Hulk, Widow, and Iron Man.

"James..." His fathers voice. It came from Tony's body. That was some irony. His father was in the body of the man that raised him. Or will raise him. His dad laughed. "Of course that's your name." He smiled.

"Isn't that Bucky's name?" Natasha Romanov questioned. His mothers voice came from the body of hulk. Okay, that was a lot weirder.

"Yeah it is," Steve nodded.

"He was the one we met on the rooftop," Tony spoke up. Those that were there got a look of realization on their face.

"Briefly, but yeah. That shield weakened… him. That was the first time in… I don't even know how long that I was myself," James gave a hesitant smile. "Sorry about hitting you with the shield by the way." Cap waved his hand.

"Don't worry about it. You also kept Tony from getting hit by Deadpool's shurikens. Thank you," Cap approached and held out a hand. James looked at it a second and shook it. "It's good to meet you, son."

"How did you get those bruises?" Natasha asked. James subconsciously put a hand to his neck. Her question sparked a brief memory for him, from when he was too young to remember how old he was. It's one of his earliest memories. Gosh how he missed hearing her voice.

'Now how'd you get that bruise James?' She asked him.

'I fell of my bike' young James sniffled.

'Well, it doesn't look that big. Tell you what I'll give you a bandage and some ice cream, but you have to get back on that bike afterwards alright?'

'But I don't want to,' he looked at the ground. She lifted his chin up. She had a soft smile on her face.

"You know what your dad and I do right?' She asked. James thought for a second and then nodded rapidly.

'You're big brave super heroes!' He said excitedly. She chuckled at his enthusiasm.

'That's right. And you know what brave superhero's do?'

'What?' James tilted his head curiously.

'We get back up, no matter how many bruises we get, we try again. Don't give up riding a bike because you got a bruise. I think you'll really like it once you learn how.'

James smiled to himself. Such a small thing that, if life had gone normally, would've been brought up at dinner tables or when James brought home a girl. Instead, it sits as a reminder of hope in his head. A reminder of his parents.

"Rogue. You said he wanted to Kill MODOC? The giant baby head had other plans. The SHIELD agent I switched with took over. MODOC has him on his side and that means I'm not there to hold him back," James told her.

"What? How do you know MODOC has him?" Cap questioned.

"Aside from the fact he doesn't want to risk his own life so he's not crazy enough to attempt to kill me, I translated the static bursts he sent out," James stated. He saw PymFrancis stiffen at that. He glanced at him wearily. The shades may hide his eyes, but he knew that the look that passed over his face. That was Hawk rearing his head briefly. He stepped away slightly.

"You speak of Rogue as if he is a separate entity," Thor spoke up, drawing James' attention to him. He was the one in his mothers body… he wasn't sure if that was weirder than his mother being in Hulks body or not.

"He is. Rogue and I are nothing alike. He basically is a parasite living in my head. His presence alone is… smothering," James shivered just remembering how suffocating it is to be stuck under the control of him. He knew that this was only temporary. He couldn't ask the Avengers to stay this way so he could live his life. Let alone Pym and Francis.

"How did-"

"That's not a good question to ask right now, Clint," Tony interrupted HawkeyeThor before he could finish. James let out a breath of relief. He saw Francis and Pym looking at Tony and then at James out of the corner of his eye.

"What? Why?" Clint asked. Tony glanced at James. He nodded back, understanding that he wanted to know if it was okay to tell them. This may not be his Tony, but he could still read those looks. Tony motioned for the elder body swapped archer to come to him, same with the other Avengers. They crowded around Tony. James looked away from them, but found he now was faced with Francis and Pym, who'd gotten closer. He was weary of Pym from the reminder that Hawk was present too.

"Look. I know you guys have a lot of questions. Believe me I thought the first chance I'd get I'd spill every detail of what..." he trailed off cleared his throat, trying to dance around the subject in his mind. He still wasn't in a good place. "It's a nightmare. And one I'm still living... and I'm trying to keep from falling off the ledge throughout this. Talking... talking about...it...isn't really helping right now." Just saying that was struggle enough. The thought occurred to him to give them the note he'd written. However, if Hawk knew about that, writing things down would've been for nothing. He's going to have to wait until he can slip it to either one of the Avengers or Francis when he could. Then Pym could read it once they switched back. The two shared a look.

"Alright, we're here for you if you need it," Pym said, extremely worried. He was always worried.

"Are you able to fight?" Francis asked. James nodded.

"Somewhat, but I'm injured, so I can't do as much," The body swapped younger soldier answered.

"Then stick near us, we got your back," Francis said, somewhat firmly. James nodded.

0

Tony waited for the other Avengers to finish crowding around him. It looked like Francis and Pym were talking to their friend. Hopefully they weren't overwhelming the boy.

"So why is that a bad question to ask?" Clint asked.

"We already asked it," Falcon said, sounding grave.

"The second Falcon asked its like it broke a dam. The kid fell a part. It took a breathing technique for panic attacks I knew and a good amount of time to get him to pull himself together again. He was barely able to do it," Tony glanced over at James again. "I think the only thing that's been keeping him together has been finding us. He's a strong kid, so whatever happened to him, it was bad."

The alarm on his face-Caps face spiked. As well as Hul-Widows. He wishes they were all back to normal, and he knows they're close. But... all the ways Tony had been going after Rogue, mostly out of his own pride. Now meeting the kid behind Rogue. He's a victim and Tony felt a little guilty about his jabs at him when they were on the roof. Maybe there's a way to get his team back to normal but keep James like this, just until they can help him...

"So, he can't speak about any of what happened?" Thor questioned to clarify.

"How are we supposed to help him then?" Widow pointed out. Tony, for once, could read her expression on hulks face. She was worried and seemed to be thinking about something.

"We'll find a way. We have to keep an eye on Rogue too. Chances are he may go after James again while under MODOC's control. Not to mention we have a golden opportunity here. We're flying out in the middle of nowhere and on a ship full of SHIELD agents. Once we get switched back, Rogue will have nowhere to go. We can get him and we can help James when we do," Tony said what he had been thinking. If he can find a way to keep the two separate for a time that'd be more ideal, but he may not have that chance, so this is the next best thing.

"Doesn't that mean that James will go back to his body?" Cap pointed out. Tony nodded.

"Yes, but I don't see another option right now. We can't help him like this. I don't know how your groups have been fairing, but we haven't been doing too hot," The body swapped billionaire motioned to himself, FalconCap and HulkFalcon. The other Avengers nodded begrudgingly.

"Actually, Pym and Francis have fought pretty well so far. They're smart kids," Clint spoke up. The archer seemed to have taken a liking to those two. Tony admitted that Pym was growing on him, but he was still weary of Francis from the image of the brain scan and his hypothesis of why Rogue is still in his own body and James is stuck with it.

"I believe it, just keep in mind what we discovered on that scan," Tony reminded him. Clint opened his mouth to reply, but they were cut off by a loud boom. Seems they've sat in front of the cargo hold too long. Hulk Busters broke through a wall near them. Judging by the holes he could see behind them, they'd busted through at least two walls to get to them.

"Shit," Clint muttered.

00

(~Cargo Hold~Rogue~)

Rogue blinked his eyes open. He'd lost control again. He saw the cargo hold below him. He was… in the vents. Out of everything MODOC could have him do and he had him crawl through the vents? Pain blossomed in his head again.

"I have reason for you to be there. Do not question my plan," MODOC shouted in his head. Rogue growled.

"Quit shouting damn it. I'll question whatever I want to. GET. OUT. OF. MY. HEAD," Rogue yelled forcefully. Pain shot down his arm and he clamped a hand over his own mouth. Damn it.

"I can force that agent to take control and I will if I have to. However, your skills and planning are useful. If you recall, we have the same goal. The Avengers need to be destroyed and they are currently at their weakest. That is still your mission, correct?" MODOC stated. He seems to have forgotten that he made him cover his own mouth. Rogue rolled his eyes after a second.

"Mhm," he replied with a 'get on with it' tone.

"Then let's finish what we set out to do when we began our temporary partnership. Let's destroy them," MODOC offered. Rogue considered his options. He was pissed at the giant head for his earlier betrayal and causing his separation from James. Not to mention making him nearly kill the one person he couldn't earlier. However, MODOC is already in his head and can already force him to do what he wants. Not to mention, he may try to force him to kill James again. At least this way he can keep that from happening. If he does kill an Avenger or two as well, then that'd be a plus. He hit the side of the vent with his other arm. MODOC let our a sigh."You may speak." Rogue felt his grip loosen on his mouth and let his hand drop. He let out a huffy breath.
"Asshole. Yes, We can work together, but that SHIELD agent you made me attempt to murder can't be touched. I need him, alive," Rogue hissed out. It was his best option at the moment.

"Why?" MODOC asked, sounding curious.

"He's who is supposed to be here. I need to keep an eye on him at all times so he doesn't do something stupid. Get me him and protect him and I'll help. Oh and one more thing, we kill Captain America LAST. Sound fair?" he laid out his conditions. There was silence for a moment.

"Very well."

Ohhhhh boy! That was a doozie to write! I'm trying to figure out a newer upload schedule that better fits my life right now so uploads may be irregular for a while. Things get much more interesting after this arch. hehehehehe.

Don't forget to leave a review and check out the discord! See ya next chapter!

~March 1st, 2021~