A/N: I'm gonna be apologizing a lot for delays, so be ready...
Chapter 2:
Among Thieves
Anchored atop the dark waters of the Indian Ocean, the Lemurian Star remained still, the array of deck lights cutting through the frigid night air. While it remained still, its inhabitants were not, patrolling the decks warily in search of intruders.
Steven took a deep breath as he surfaced from the deep, the ship's anchor serving as his entry point. Clambering up the metallic chain, he silently snuck aboard the vessel, assessing the task at hand before going to work under the cover of partial darkness.
So far, the plan had been executed to near perfection. While Ben worked to free the hostages, Captain America moved like a whirlwind, taking down his targets before they even knew it and finishing off the alerted ones before they'd had enough time to warn their comrades. With each strike and shield thrown, Steve whittled down his list of targets without a single break in his movements.
"Hey!"
WHUMP!!!!!
Encountering a trio of armed guards, Steve ran into the first with a stomp kick, hitting like a freight train. The second one pulled a knife, before getting parried by the supersoldier and swung to the ground with a masterful takedown.
Steve retrieved the knife before launching it into the hand of another guard attempting to ring the alarm, the blade sinking into flesh with a dull thunk.
Without missing a beat, Steve made his way to the center pad, launching his shield at the next target. The metallic disk ricocheted off the walls, knocking into multiple foes. He'd barely finished taking down his next target before the harsh click of a cocked gun alerted him to a guard on his six
" Ne bouge pas!", The burly man bellowed, holding him at gunpoint.
POWWW!!!
A silenced shot cut the man off, his lifeless body slumping to the ground as Cap was altered to the arrival of his backup. The soft flap of parachutes saw the rest of the STRIKE crew stealthily descend unto the deck, securing the perimeter
"I'm sorry, were you two getting acquainted?", Rumlow
"Thanks", Cap nodded with a weighty sigh.
"Yeah, he seemed really helpless without you", Nat quipped, her attention turning to the litter of unconscious bodies left in the Captain's wake.
"What's our status?", Cap asked as the trio made their way through the deck, flanked by the rest of the team as they moved to secure the deck.
"Well, no alarms have been triggered and we're all still alive, so I'm assuming your boy hasn't done anything stupid yet. The jury's out on that one though"
"And here I was beginning to think you weren't worried about Ben...", Natasha smirked teasingly.
"I've got better things to do with my time than worry about some rookie hotshot who's full of himself, Agent Romanov"
"Guys, focus", Steve reprimanded, "while the hostages are taken care of, we need to keep this ship from going anywhere, anytime soon"
"Perimeter's secured", Grant Ward buzzed in through the comms, "we're moving in now"
"Roger that"
"Guess that's my cue", Rumlow grunted, "let's make a full sweep, secure the ship and get this over with. Hopefully, nothing goes wrong and I don't have to worry about..."
"When aren't you worried?", Nat queried.
"I'm babysitting a team with three Avengers", Rumlow deadpanned, "what do you think?"
"Y'know, I hear worrying makes you look older", the redhead couldn't resist needling him further.
Her thumb jutted at the supersoldier, "It's probably why you've got more wrinkles than this fossil".
Cap couldn't resist a dry chuckle.
"You're right, it's not my ass on the line if your boyfriend screws up the mission anyways", the agent shrugged, unperturbed.
"Alright, save the locker room chat for later", Steve finally cut in, "mission's not over yet. Keep your eyes peeled, stay alert"
"What are you talking about? I'm always alert", Natasha
"Yeah well I've got a mission to complete...later, kids", Rumlow grunted as he took his leave, heading with the rest of the team as they made their way to the cargo hold.
"Sure he's doing okay?", Steve sighed, with Rumlow out of earshot.
"Who, Rumlow?"
"Tennyson"
While he'd no reason to worry about the shapeshifter as well, more often than not Steve opted to err on the side of caution. One can't be too careful, especially on a mission. Or perhaps it was simply his protective instincts raring themselves once again, spawned by the soldier's past failure to protect the ones he inevitably lost to the war
"This is Ben we're talking about, right?", she raised an eyebrow in mock contempt, "I'd worry more about Rumlow popping a vein, or you moving into a retirement home anytime soon"
"Looks like Tennyson's not the only one with the Old man jokes", Cap sighed. Like they were made for each other or something
The duo briskly made their way across the bridge overlooking the innards of the ship's engines
"So...", Steve began curiously, "what about Fitzgerald's?"
"Come again?"
"It's a nice cocktail bar up at Georgetown. The food's nice, and it's got a classic look to it... pretty cozy location for a date", Steve added, his stoic expression cracked with a knowing grin. Natasha was momentarily taken aback at his demeanor; the supersoldier rarely made banter while on the mission.
"Wait, are you making suggestions for yourself or someone else?"
"Isn't it obvious?", Steve deadpanned, staring straight at the redhead. He'd the typical straight-faced look, the kind that left no room for evasive measures or deflections
"Hey, I thought you were asking me for suggestions or something", she shrugged, "finally seeing that girl from the Smoothie shop, huh?"
"Nope. Can't", Steve quickly rebuffed
"Lemme guess: too scared or too shy?"
"Too busy", he said curtly, "besides, you know exactly what I'm talking about, so stop deflecting".
"Do I?", Her tone was innocent, her eyes were gleaming otherwise.
"C'mon, do I have to spell it out? The kid can barely keep it together around you"
It dawned on the redhead that Steve had gleaned the details of the conversation between her and the shapeshifter before descent.
"Wow, look at you Captain Rogers", her grin only widened, "playing matchmaker on a mission..."
"Just offering some friendly advice"
She gazed at him incredulously, arms akimbo. It seemed the supersoldier was more perceptive than he seemed—something to note for the future.
"Well, if I need dating advice from a 90-year-old virgin, I'll call you up... probably", she quipped, smoothly leaping over the metallic railings on the bridge into the facility below. Gracefully she descended, leaving the soldier alone.
Steve chuckled into the still night air, shaking his head in disbelief.
Underneath the deck, the rest of the pirate crew remained on guard. The tech personnel under cuff and key, as their captor paced around nervously, gun at the ready
"I told Batroc, if we want SHIELD to take us seriously, we should start sending them bodies...", the burly man muttered under his breath, now a light mist from the kitchen's pristine air conditioning.
"You'll get nothing either way", one of the hostages, Jasper Sitwell, spoke up defiantly, "SHIELD doesn't negotiate with terrorists"
THUNK! The bald man was greeted to the butt of the pirate's rifle in return.
"You want to be a hero, oui?", The man leveled his rifle at Jasper, "is that it?"
Jasper doubled over and grunted, his breath coming in shallow, misty puffs.
"Anyone else wants to be a hero?", The man sneered, turning around for confirmation. Dead silence filled the air, the hostages no longer focused on him as they stared ominously at the windows. A frosty mist had formed on the glass planes, shrouding them in a screen of white. A slight shiver traveled through the pirate, despite the already low temperature of the kitchen.
" Baise ça...", The man turned to bang on the door, "hey, call Batroc! If SHIELD doesn't answer in two minutes, I start killing hostages!!!"
Dead silence followed, accompanying the eerie chill in the air.
"Oyy!!", The pirate bellowed, clearly frustrated. Still hearing no response, he made to open the door, only to be met with stiff resistance.
" Merde.."The doorknob rattled as more futile attempts were made to force the door open, before he stopped, noticing the rapid condensation of frost that coalesced on the door itself. Had the air conditioning been this cold?
"Que se passe-t-il?", he murmured in confusion, his breath now clouding the air in short gusts. Turning from the door to address his comrades, only to cease in his tracks, uneasy eyes widened at the scene that unfolded before him
Both men were frozen still, statuesque and cocooned in mounds of ice. His breathing labored, the air becoming heavier around him. Clutching his gun tightly, he nervously stalked through the room, the silence magnifying the crunch of ice with each step he took.
" Qu–Qui est là?", His words were frozen to his mouth, his hands stuck to the cold metal in his grip. Tendrils ice crept across the walls, across the ceiling, the invisible predator seemingly stalking ever closely
"Show yourself!!", the man bellowed, trying to quell the chill that gripped his heart
" Peekaboo...", an unseen voice rasped from behind him. The same chill that flooded the room emanated from its presence, a phantom that could only spawn from the darkest recesses of the human psyche.
"Gah–", the startled man whipped his head around only to face a torrential blast of frigid ice. The deluge was sudden, the effect even more instantaneous, completely shutting down the man's ability to react or retaliate.
FWOOSSHHHHH!!!!!
Within the same instance, his senses simply ceased all function as his world darkened.
"I'm in position", Cap whispered into the comms, "Romanov, how are we doing?"
"Gimme a sec", Nat whispered back as she made her way through the engine room, her piercing gaze on the unwitting soldier blocking her path.
"Hey, sailor.."
The soldier turned to see the redhead wink at him before delivering a sharp roundhouse to his midsection, his firearms clattering uselessly against the steel scaffolds. He'd barely any time to react before an oblique kick caused him to buckle, sending him staggering against the railing.
FWOOOSHH!!!!
A wintry blast of freezing air encased the man in a chunk of solid ice, trapping him in suspended animation, still gripping the railing in a vain attempt to gain balance. Nat straightened, her expression filled with bewilderment before the flap of wings alerted the superspy to the familiar presence nearby.
"Sup, Red?", The alien form of Ben's Big Chill form materialized into view, his dark-spotted wings outstretched with a smug expression.
She threw him an unimpressed look in return.
"What?", Ben replied innocently, " You were taking too long!"
"I had it handled, Ben"
"Well, now you don't need to", he said as his wings folded into his makeshift cloak and hood.
"You were supposed to be rescuing the hostages"
"Already did, like minutes ago", Ben folded his arms, nodding smugly at the redhead, "figured I had some time to kill, so I came to check on my favorite Agent". She scoffed lightly, his playful demeanor
"What about the guards? Alarms?"
"Let's just say I... put 'em on ice"
Natasha rolled her eyes as she internally groaned. Great, more puns. As much as she'd warmed up to Ben, his tendency to infuse one-liners and cheesy jokes still seemed to somewhat grate on her.
"You're not gonna quit it with the puns are you?"
"Y'know, I was kinda hoping for a warmer welcome", Ben huffed, his breath coating the air around him in a chilly mist, "not the cold shoulder..."
"Do me a favor", the redhead unfurled her grappling hook, unwilling to endure his endless barrage of lame quips, "stay here and watch my six. Unlike you, I still have a job to do"
"Or I could just help..."
"Ben, just stay, okay?", she replied, "we're still on the mission and the last thing I need is to get distracted by your corny jokes"
"First off, my jokes aren't corny, I put a lot of work in my material", The Mothman rasped, raising a clawed finger, "and secondly, you absolutely love my jokes"
"I tolerate your jokes, there's a difference", she latched her hook to the nearby railing.
"Awww you wound me, Agent Romanov", Ben clutched his chest in faux-dismay, "and here I thought we had something special..."
"Ben–focus will you?"
"Trust me, this is me being totally focused right now", he replied, gesturing theatrically, "I call it the Tennyson Zone"
The redhead could only roll her eyes as she climbed over the metal rails. With a backward flip, Nat descended down the hatch, pistols outstretched as she made her way down. This was Natasha in her element, the superspy effortlessly able to compartmentalize while on the mission. As Ben dubbed it, she was in "Mission mode".
Too bad the same couldn't be said about her asset. While Ben wasn't as lackadaisical as Rumlow claimed, he approached any situation with the same laid-back attitude and casual demeanor, which anyone could easily attribute to the powerful device strapped to his arm.
Sometimes Ben was just that confident in his abilities, it was easy to forget there was a tangible reason for said confidence. A case could be made that Ben didn't take things seriously; frankly because most of the time, he didn't need to.
Landing in a crouched position, she raised her firearms, ready to pick off any patrolling soldiers caught off-guard. Only to lower them in surprise at the scene that unfolded in front of her.
"Oh, you've gotta be kidding me..."
Judging from the mounds of ice that completely coated the engine room, her supposed targets had already been incapacitated by Ben. The entire hallway had been transformed into a glacial catacomb, with the entirety of the below-deck crew immobilized and buried in a frosty deluge.
Despite his attitude, Natasha couldn't deny the Omnitrix Wielder was scarily effective. Times like this, the Black Widow was reminded of the terrifying force of nature Ben could be
"Took ya long enough...", came Big Chill's smug voice as he materialized from the rafters, only for the redhead to offhandedly level her firearm at him.
"Hey, woa–"
POW!
The bullet flew through the intangible Necrofriggian, ricocheting off the wall before clinking on the ice behind him harmlessly.
"Oops...finger slipped", Natasha lowered her pistol, her expression curled up in a devious smirk
"I swear you're doing this on purpose...", Ben muttered, more concerned than anything.
"Now why would I do that?", It was Nat's turn to be smug as she holstered her weapon with a soft click, "it helps if you think of it as training"
"Training?!"
"First rule of Spycraft: Always keep both eyes open...", she placed her hand on her hip, her expression equal parts serious and lighthearted. When Nat was on mission mode, the Omnitrix Wielder often had trouble telling the difference.
"Y'know, I'm worried someday you're gonna shoot me for real", Ben shook his head as he watched the redhead saunter off to the engine room. He quickly followed suit, the spectral flap of wings accompanied by the clank of her boots on the frozen metallic surface.
"Looks like you pretty much cleared out the place...", noted the redhead, her twin pistols still held up as she sharply navigated the hallways, the specter of Ben following close behind her. The atmosphere of the rooms had congealed with ice, the frigid air coated in a fine white mist.
"You're welcome, by the way"
"My hero..", the superspy rolled her eyes at the shapeshifter, her lips betraying an amused grin at his antics. Ben squinted curiously at the redhead, cocking his head sideways.
"Are you... jealous?"
"Of you?", Nat scoffed, folding her arms in derision, "please, it's easy to be a total showoff..."
"Pretty sure it isn't if what you're showing off is super awesome and cool", Ben countered, "admit it, you're kinda impressed"
Impressed was part of it, but she wasn't going to give him the satisfaction. The last thing Ben needed was a bigger head.
"Yup, practically swooning in admiration right now... ", she mocked, voice dripping with sarcasm.
"I tend to have that effect on you...", teased the shapeshifter
"Y'know, you could at least pretend you're taking the mission seriously"
"Believe me, Nat–I would if I could", Ben shrugged lazily, his features breaking into a lopsided grin, " I mean, compared to homicidal alien warlords and dimensional demon gods, guys with guns just don't register on the Tennyson Scale".
She rolled her eyes in response,"...could you at least lose the attitude?"
His grin widened, "Now where would be the fun in that?"
"ты ребенок", Another sigh escaped her lips, her breath forming a mist from the chilly room.
"You know I find it kinda hot when you speak Russian"
"...scratch that, you're such a dork"
"It's part of my charm", the Omnitrix Wielder winked
Before she could respond further, her communicator buzzed to life.
"Romanov, what's our status?"
"We're all chill here", Ben spoke over her shoulder, receiving a side-eye glare from the redhead.
"Tennyson?"
"Ignore him, Cap", Nat quickly shooed away the Necrofriggian before resuming, "we took care of the guards at the lower levels, Engine room's secure"
"Oh it's we now?", Ben chuckled, receiving a scowl from the redhead.
"Good job you two, I'll take it from here"
"Roger that", Natasha cut the connection with a click.
"Soo...", Ben drawled nervously, sidling next to the redhead, "how about that date?"
"Really? Now?"
"Hey, no better time than the present", he shrugged, "I pretty much took care of the bad guys, saved the hostages, and stopped the ship, all while looking awesome by the way. All we have to do is stay put and let Cap take down the French guy..."
"Mission's still on, Ben", she interjected.
"It's really just one date Nat", the shapeshifter pressed on regardless, "I'll even pick the location and everything: all you have to do is say yes"
"First off, you're not picking the location again", she raised a finger, the alien bar debacle fresh in her mind. "secondly, we don't need a date to have a relationship"
"But we're a couple, right?", The shapeshifter insisted, "isn't that what couples do?"
"We're a...different kind of couple", she corrected, an air of dismissal in her words, "besides, dates are just a fancy way of sweet-talking your way into the other person's pants. I can have yours off anytime I want"
"Th–that's...oh c'mon!", Ben barely fought a furious blush as he glared at the smirking redhead, "now who's the one not taking anything seriously?"
Natasha resumed, a little more seriously than before. "Ben, there are other things we can do without drawing attention to ourselves. We made a deal, remember? If we're doing this, we keep it on the low, off the record"
The Necrofriggian huffed in frustration, another chilly gust escaping his alien maw.
"For what it's worth, I want this...us, to work", she added, her gloved hand in his clawed one, softly tracing the grooves in his inhuman palms. It felt eerie sometimes, talking to Ben in his alien form. She knew it was invariably him and yet, so unfamiliar.
"Me too", he sighed as he stared down at her, trying to read the emotions cascading over her expression.
"And the fewer eyes on us, the better", Nat reminded him, "you're probably unaware, but a couple of people on the team are starting to suspect...well, us"
"You mean like Cap? Melinda?"
"Cap already knows", said the superspy, "Melinda too". Ben's eyes widened in surprise.
The Calvary had pulled Natasha aside after a briefing, subtly letting it drop that she was well aware of Natasha's true relationship with her asset. Melinda closed the impromptu meeting with a quick warning to the Black Widow: B e careful.
"Guess she's called Mama Bear for a reason...",
Nat continued, "Rumlow's got his suspicions, Jack probably doesn't care and Bobbi's getting a little too nosy about us"
"Yeah I figured", murmured Ben, "What about Ward?"
"Too distracted with Melinda to bother"
"Huh, I guess–wait, distracted?"
"What was the first rule of Spycraft again?", She reminded him, shaking her head amusedly at his apparent ignorance, "they've definitely been shacking up for the past month. That's how she figured out about us; Melinda knows the signs"
"Wow...", Ben mused at the revelation, striking his chin lightly, "guess we're not the only ones keeping it in the closet"
"Literally or metaphorically?", she grinned, knowing well it was both.
"...no comment"
A loud crash could be heard in the vicinity of the ship, the sound of shattering glass alerting the duo to the disturbance up top.
"I'm guessing Cap's found the French guy...", Ben noted. Nat nodded curtly, promptly signaling them to make their way through to the surface.
"You think he's winning?", Ben asked on the way.
"Only one way to find out"
BZZZTTTT. Natasha's communicator blared to life once more.
"Batroc's on the move! Rendezvous with the rest of the team! Ben, secure the hostages!"
"Cap?"
CLICK
"Well that doesn't sound good", noted the superspy. Her spy senses were already on high alert from the call, a flash of warning in her eyes as she turned to the shapeshifter
"You think he's okay?"
"I think the mission's not over, hero", she replied, "can you check on him?"
"I could, but this is Cap we're talking about", shrugged Ben, "he can probably handle some random French Guy, easily"
It had dawned on Rogers that finding Batroc was a lot easier than taking him down. Steve quickened his pace, furiously trying to keep pace with the mercenary leader. While his sneak attack had caught Batroc unawares, the Pirate was quick thinking, using his parkour skills to
The two men were locked in a frantic chase, the Captain and the mercenary leader. Batroc was surprisingly fast, able to maintain a pace ahead of the supersoldier. Steve, however, was undeterred as he pushed forward. Reaching the cargo hold, the mercenary's tracks seemed to vanish into thin air, Cap's pace slowing down to a crawl as he warily surveyed his surroundings
"Romanov, do you copy?"
CLANG!!!
The momentary lapse in Steve's alertness was all it took for Batroc to mount an ambush, sending the larger man tumbling with a flying kick. Within moments, however, Cap was on his feet again. The two brawlers went at each other, their cumulative years of fighting expertise on display as they matched each other blow for blow. It wasn't long before Cap had the Frenchman on the ropes, sending the mercenary hurtling with a flip before Batroc adjusted mid-flight, landing after a flourish of backflips to cancel his momentum
" I thought you were more than just a shield..."
Moments after they were right back at it, Steve and Batroc sans the vibranium shield. His eyes were no longer masked by his helmet, the full force of his attention was now on Batroc, beating the man to the punch in every exchange.
CRASHHH!!! Steve grunted harshly as he torpedoed towards Batroc, sending them both hurtling towards the nearby metallic door. The thunderous crash echoed into the metallic walls as they both slammed into the console room, the Before they hit the floor, the Frenchman was already unconscious from a fist to the temple.
Imagine his surprise to see the last person he'd expected to see on the boat.
"Sharon? What're you doing here?", The supersoldier's expression knotted in confusion.
The last time he'd spotted the blonde was in the Jet. Somehow she'd made it past everyone on the team into the command center undetected.
"Intel backup", Sharon straightened, her attention turning back to the console.
The blonde's gaze flitted rapidly between the console and the screen, tracking down the digital cascade of raw data shifting and downloading in mere minutes
"You didn't say anything about an Intel backup during the briefing…"
Her ensuing silence was answer enough. The Blonde remained near statuesque, her nimble fingers across the system the only indicator of movement. This was the part of the job he hated the most; the lies, the secrecy, the subterfuge. Nothing was ever what it seemed, nothing was ever clear cut, everything adapted to serve the obscure agendas of equally unknown faces.
Cap's eyes narrowed in suspicion, "Care to explain why you didn't brief anyone else about said job?"
"Trust me Steve–it's all need to know ", she dismissed, her fingers flying rapidly over the keys, the rapid clicks echoing in an almost robotic fashion. Whatever she needed to do, she needed to do it quickly.
"Are you sure about that?", Steve queried as he made his way to the console, "that's SHIELD Intel you're backing up"
"I'm the Intel Specialist", replied the blonde, her deadpan tone reflecting an air of dismissal, "and everything on here is already the property of SHIELD. I'm just making sure it doesn't fall into the wrong hands". With a final click, she pulled out a thumb drive from the system before turning to the supersoldier.
"Did Fury put you up to this?"
"Doesn't matter", Sharon maintained, annoyance written on her features, "I'm just doing my job, same as you".
"He did, didn't he?", his suspicions boiling over, the supersoldier grabbed her arm, yanking her attention from the console. If he wasn't certain about Sharon's intent, he was absolutely convinced about where she stood.
"Y'know, I'm getting real tired of Fury's shit", Steve swore, glaring daggers at the blonde.
"Steve, this is what we do", Sharon snapped, meeting gaze with indignation, "in case you haven't noticed, we're not the US Military or the Police. We're SHIELD. There's a lot going on that you don't know–that you're not supposed to know"
"Oh it's always the same with all of you isn't it?", sneered the supersoldier, his tone laden with bile, "all the red tape and goddamn bureaucracy!"
"You think I asked for this?", Sharon snapped, "any of it?!!"
The silence that followed was palpable. Sharon stared pensively at the supersoldier before lowering her gaze to her arm still held in the supersoldier's vice grip. A moment passed before Steve relented, letting go of her arm and letting out a calming breath. Anger wasn't taking them anywhere, and it was unbecoming of him.
It seemed like everywhere he turned, there were fewer people to trust. Steve Rogers was a soldier, a soldier knew his orders and followed them to the best of his ability. He could also question said orders if need be. Even if things went upside, there were teammates you could trust to have your back. For some Godforsaken reason, the shadows of the spy world seemed to exist as completely independent of such a paradigm, the cloak and dagger idiosyncrasies completely at odds with his own experiences and training.
Maybe he was just living in the wrong era. The world had changed after all. For better or worse.
Steve heaved a weary sigh, "Could've put yourself in danger, Sharon...put the entire team in danger"
Sharon scoffed softly at the sentiment, "In case you didn't notice– I can handle myself, Steve"
"It's not just about you", Steve cut in, finger raised in clarification, "there were hostages involved. If some random thug had caught you in here, it would've put everyone on high alert. Possibly jeopardize the mission too"
"For what it's worth…", she started, only for the blonde to be halted in her tracks moments later
CLANK!!!!
Sharon barely finished her statement before Cap's inhuman reflexes kicked in, using his shield to swat away a grenade thrown by Batroc. Seconds later, he was already carrying Sharon in his arms, diving through the glass window.
CRASHHHH!!!
BOOOOOMMM!!!!
"Well that can't be good…", Ben's bulbous green eyes widened, snapping his head to the direction of the explosion.
Thinking fast, Big Chill quickly grabbed Natasha by the waist, unfurling his leathery moth-like wings before sailing directly above deck, his intangibility transferring unto the spy as he held her in his grasp,
"Hold on!"
WHOOOSHH!!!
The duo materialized above deck, the area doused in plumes of smoke from the explosion. The resulting scene was carnage, leaving the console room in a wrecked heap. A fire had already begun raging, claiming a sizeable portion of the facility in a smoldering
"Remind me to never do that again", groaned the superspy, still shaking off the alien sensation of being intangible.
"Heh, sorry about that...", Ben offered, letting her down gently. The shapeshifter turned his efforts to quell the flames that were rapidly spreading, dousing them with his frosty breath.
Making their way through the mounds of debris left behind by the explosion, their attention was drawn to the rustling from beyond the plumes of smoke that blanketed the area. Fortunately, their search didn't take long, two figures could be seen as the screen of dust parted while the bright sparks of damaged equipment and infrastructure illuminated the rest.
"Cap?! You there?"
Together with the shapeshifter, Natasha stumbled through the wreckage only to find Cap and Sharon in quite the compromised position. The duo had landed in a heap, in a messy tangle of limbs as the explosion rocked the console room and left a blackened ruin. Somehow in the aftermath of the chaos, the Blonde had found herself straddled atop the supersoldier, much to her chagrin.
One would find the scene comedic, if not a tad scandalous.
"Uhhhhh….hey guys…", Ben greeted awkwardly.
"Wanna get a room next time, Soldier?", Nat, on the other hand, pounced on the situation as her ticket to mercilessly tease the duo. That was all the prompting needed for Sharon and Steve to quickly extricate themselves from each other.
Sharon grimaced while stifling a blush before shuffling to her feet. Steve wordlessly followed suit, storming out of the scene without sparing anyone else a further glance. The uncomfortable tension lingered in the air long after his departure, broken only by the team's resident Shapeshifter clearing his throat.
"Well, that went well...", Ben offered awkwardly, the Omnitrix finally dialing down and reverting his form back to human in a flash.
"Not the time, Tennyson", Sharon interjected, dusting herself off methodically. Luckily for her, Steve had chosen not to blow her cover or reveal her mission. A twinge of disappointment needled at the blonde, getting compromised on the mission was unbecoming of her.
"Weren't you supposed to be on the jet?", Natasha queried, eyebrow raised in suspicion
"Well, plans change", Sharon added tersely, eyeing the duo. Both agents locked gazes momentarily, the exchange brief enough that the shapeshifter didn't notice, but long enough that there was an unspoken conversation held between the agents.
"I bet they do", Nat muttered, her lingering gaze haunting the blonde as she made her exit.
"If you don't mind...",
The silence left behind was periodically broken by the crackle of damaged electronics that once lined the console room.
"Huh…what was that about?", Ben scratched his hair in confusion. Nat for the most part remained silent, already putting together the clues from the scene.
Suspicion was an inherent part of her job; Sharon was clearly hiding something. Judging from Steve's reaction, he'd caught wind of the details. It irked her, to be on the other side of the coin, suspicious and unsure of what the other person was up to.
"You okay?", cautiously he placed a hand on her shoulder, "you kinda zoned out there...".
"It's nothing..", dismissed the redhead, "just got a lot on my mind, is all"
"When don't you have a lot on your mind?", the shapeshifter teased, attempting to dissipate the tension that welled up from the previous confrontation.
"One of the perks of being your handler, unfortunately", she sighed, shaking her head ruefully. Leave it to Ben to try and take the air out of whatever tense situation he found himself in, as well as any form of gravitas that came with it
"Soo…", the shapeshifter continued awkwardly, "is there any chance, Cap and Sharon–"
"You just had to go there didn't you?", Nat threw her hands up in exasperation.
"Hey, don't look at me", Ben shrugged, "just making observations over here"
"What are you–team matchmaker?"
BEEEEP.
Seemingly on cue, the buzzing of Natasha's communicator cut the conversation short.
"Romanov! Get Tennyson to the deck asap!", came Rumlow's grating voice from the comms, "might wanna check this out!"
"What's going on?", Ben wondered out loud, greeted by the commotion unfolding atop the deck of the Lemurian Star as he arrived on the scene.
While the deck had previously been patrolled by hostile forces, now served as a hotspot for SHIELD activity. Multiple STRIKE personnel had been subsequently mobilized, establishing a perimeter and concentrating their efforts on the center of the deck.
"You tell me, hotshot", Rumlow barked, hands on his hip as the duo of Nat and Ben approached him. His stoic expression remained plastered across his face, giving him the appearance of a full-on drill sergeant with his rifle slung across his shoulders. He stalked up to the duo, motioning for them to follow him as Brock led them through the site.
"We were conducting a perimeter check when Ward noticed this", he held up a datapad showing the scan of an anomaly.
"Couldn't make heads or tails of it", he continued, their impromptu tour finally coming to a halt, "thought we could use alien boy over here. By the way, it's Winter Wonderland below deck…real subtle, Tennyson"
She studied the pad before her gaze resurfaced, "What about SHIELD Analytics?"
"Already briefed 'em", Rumlow answered, "tech-heads are still working on a breakthrough"
Ben took a peek at the datapad, his eyes widening as he perused the contents, subtle tics in his demeanor informing the superspy in no small detail the severity of the situation.
"Is it contained?", Nat queried.
"For now", Rumlow grunted, "we set up a perimeter earlier. Can't say for certain how long it's gonna hold. Whatever that thing is, it's getting bigger by the second"
"Alright, tell your guys to hold position", Nat handed back the datapad, "Tennyson will..."
The duo turned –to their surprise, Ben was nowhere to be seen.
"Ben?"
"Little nuisance must've gone to the perimeter", Rumlow sighed in exasperation, clutching his temple before turning to the redhead, "do me a favor, Romanov: keep your boyfriend from killing us all"
"How about you do your job and let me deal with my asset?"
"Something tells me he's more than that", Rumlow received a nasty look from the redhead before continuing, "look, I know he gets to be everyone's Golden Goose and all..but the last thing I want on my tombstone is killed by morons"
"Trust me, Rumlow" Nat remarked offhandedly as she sauntered past Rumlow, "the last thing Ben wants to do is be featured on your tombstone…or anyone else's"
"No way...", Ben muttered coldly. His suspicions were confirmed as he made his way past the SHIELD erected perimeter that enclosed the anomaly. He inched closer with each step before tentatively approaching the center of the hastily constructed barrier.
"Everyone stay back!", the shapeshifter alerted, his demeanor no longer jovial. It seemed no coincidence, having a spatial rift appear now of all times. Why here? And now?
"Ben!", Natasha's presence was made known as the staccato click of her footsteps drew nearer, "is that..."
"Yup!", The Omnitrix Wielder's attention remained glued to the spot.
"It's a Null Void portal", his hand went to the Omnitrix involuntarily. From Ben's experience, nothing good ever came out of those things. The Null Void existed to keep things in, anything that managed to escape was bad news, for everyone.
"How does this rank on the Tennyson scale?", Nat glanced at the shapeshifter. From her experience, Ben could be serious when he wanted to
"Easy 7, probably more", Ben muttered, never allowing his eyes to leave the portal
WHOOOMMM
Ripples of distortion wafted from the energy rift as the portal seemed to warp and shudder with each pulse. Ben's eyes widened in surprise as a silhouette emerged from the rift, revealing a tall yet familiar figure wearing a not-so-familiar suit.
"No way…Phil?"
Phillip "Phil" Billings. Ex-Plumber, professional bounty hunter, and total asshole that put all other assholes to shame. It would be an understatement to say the man had an unpleasant history with the shapeshifter. Needless to say, the last encounter Ben recalled with Phil was tossing the ex-Plumber in the Null Void. Go figure
"Why...how are you here???", Ben's mind had already begun racing with a confusing cascade of questions. Phil merely glanced curiously at the shapeshifter before grunting, seemingly resigned to avoid any forms of engagement with the Omnitrix Wielder. The tall, gruff-looking man in question remained silent as three new figures appeared from the portal behind him.
Distinct silhouettes, each alien yet humanoid in varying degrees. Like Phil, they also donned the same unique black armor suited to each member's distinct features. The second was female, her dark hair cut short with skin as red as her eyes, wing membrane stretched between her arms. Her partner was completely covered head to toe in black, with a black visor that sported three slowing slits in the center.
"What's going on?", In the backdrop of his racing mind, Ben could make out Natasha raising her voice as she addressed the newcomers.
"I'm afraid that's official Plumber business, my dear", the final member stepped through, the most bizarre looking of the group. While sporting a similar light reddish skin and eyes, the final newcomer also possessed an unusually large cranium, seemingly covered in a garnet exoskeleton and laced with spikes, his wizened eyebrows twisted at sharp angles.
His posture compared to the others spoke volumes, this man carried himself with the unassuming aura of authority.
"Plumber?", Ben perked up, his confusion only seemed to proliferate with every passing moment.
"We are the Rooters", The leader raised a clawed hand authoritatively, like he could snap his fingers and bend anything around him to his will. His tone was cold with a clear, crystal edge to it.
His gaze drifted towards the shapeshifter, lips upturned in a satisfied smirk, "...and this ship is now under our control"
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TO BE CONTINUED
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A/N:
And the plot thickens! We're about to see some of the major deviations from canon here on out.
And as you guessed, this fanfic will incorporate the Rooters Arc crossover with the Winter Soldier story.
"Craft, you magnificent maestro, how the hell are you gonna pull that off?" I hear you ask.
Well, imaginary reader, you're just gonna have to wait and see. Emphasis on wait.
Don't forget to leave a review. Hearing feedback from you guys helps me out while writing.
Response To Reviews:
Ultraphantom: Thanks. I can't say much, but some of Ben's old rogues will make appearances in future stories. Rex and Ben 23 are unfortunately not going to be featured anytime soon.
I am Vegito: Thanks for the review! Stick around for more!
ultimatrix 105: I doubt if I'll feature the 5YL aliens.
shriramasokan: Good guess
Ben 10 fan: Interesting idea, but I already have a different story arc in mind
kashriramji: Guess you'll have to wait and see...
Ultimatrix 105
-Yes, the first Black Widow story will take place right after this one
-Yes, there will be a second Black Widow story, most likely after Civil War
-You'll be surprised who dies in Endgame...
EXCELSIOR!!!!