PREVIOUSLY

"Good evening. Would all young recruits report to the courtyard with camping gear in-hand please? Report to the courtyard with camping gear please. Thank you."

FRIDAY's message went to all rooms, the common room, the lab, the hangar, and the kitchen. And all who heard it were confused by the instructions from it. All except for PJ.

"Aw yeAH! We're going camping!" He cheered.


***Courtyard***

"So why're we here?" Cassie asked, slightly confused.

"Yeah, what's this all about?" Harley added.

All sixteen young ones, teens, young adults and PJ, were all gathered a nice campfire. They all sat on either some logs, lawn chairs, or crisscross applesauce on the grassy ground. It was a little chilly tonight so some of them had coats on or wrapped in a blanket like Kamala. Regardless of their seating arrangement, they were all sitting in a circle around the fire, curious and confused.

"Well," Peter began, "we thought it'd be a good idea to get out of the Compound. A little fresh air, you know. Plus, it'd be a good way to get to know each other better, clean slate."

"And what better way to do it that around a campfire under the stars" Jamie added positively, poking at the fire.

"Well, if anyone's hungry," Maddie pulled out a large cooler and a big box and opened them up to show the inside full of goodies, "I brought the grub for the night!"

PJ was the first to run over and look inside, and what he found made him excited like a kid on sugar. Inside were large quantities of barbeque meat such as ribs, sausage, and chicken. Cooked of course, just refrigerated. There was also at least twenty bags of marshmallows, three packets of Hershey's Chocolate, and six boxes of graham crackers. And if that wasn't enough, Maddie also pulled out two things of Gatorade, assorted sodas, and three large tank jugs of water. He'd brought out a full on buffet for the group...and himself.

"Wow, you sure don't kid around with food, Maddie." Nikki joked, tapping his shoulder. Tho which he replied with a proud smirk and a shake of the head.

And with that, they all grabbed something to snack on or drink, even grabbing a stick to put the meat over the fire. Yes, Maddie had even brought the sticks. He was definitely prepared.

"See, now isn't this great guys?" Peter offered with an optimistic smile.

"It's great."

"Mm-hmm!"

"So what do we do now," Frankie joked, fiddling with an arrowhead. There was a hint of sarcasm in his tone, but it was held back some. "Are we gonna sing kumbaya or something?"

"Heh, well that's a thought."

"Yeah, no thanks. I'm goin' in." The young Barton stood from his seat in a log and began walk away to the Compound when Jamie looked to the fangirl of the group.

"Uh, Kamala, could you please..?" He motioned to Frankie and she got the message. Stretching her arm out, she reached over the distance he'd walked, grabbed Frankie by the collar of his coat and lifted him up as she pulled him back over to the group.

He squirmed a little while in the air before being sat back down to his spot on the log. "Hey, what gives, Stretch?!"

Kamala cheekily shrugged as her arm retracted back to normal and she leaned back in her lawn chair proudly.

"No one's going in until tomorrow morning, Frankie." Jamie said to his "cousin".

"Are you kidding me?"

"Nope."

"And if you try to sneak back in while any of us are asleep, don't bother." Peter added, "We asked Bruce to lock us out til morning. And even if he forgot, FRIDAY's got us covered. So you might as well get comfortable."

Frankie sighed and groaned at this, he was not a happy camper. No pun intended.

"Look Frankie, we're just trying to make this enjoyable for everyone."

"Yeah? Well seems like that's going real good, Jamie." That statement was dripping with sarcasm.

Kate put a hand on Frankie's shoulder. "Frankie, calm down."

"Why? Why should I calm down, Kate?" Frankie's tone was getting a little louder at Kate's attempt. "Huh? I mean seriously, am I the only one who's confused as to why we're even here?"

"We know why we're here," Azari stated, "they've told us the reason why."

"Yeah, I know, the whole 'plan to bring everyone back!' Yeah I got that, your highness! I'm talking about us, like why us? This whole deal here, this is clearly something for the Avengers or at least some grown ups. So why are we here?...Why us?"

"Actually, that is a plausible question." Maddie cut in, taking a bite from a link he had in his hand. "I'm surprised too that no one's asked that...or me."

"You see?" Frankie again blurted, gesturing his hands to the Asian teen. "Thank you, Mads. Well, Jamie, Peter?"

Jamie held a bit of a hurt and upset stare at Frankie before looking over to Peter. His "brother" let out a bit of a defeated sigh and shrugged lightly. But that gave Jamie all the answer he needed. "Yeah... yeah, I guess it is about time we tell you guys the full reason of why you're here."

At hearing this, everyone gave the young redhead their attention, curious to hear what he'd say.

There was a lot to tell them, and not many if any easy ways to tell them. But still, Jamie struggled to get the words out.

"You see, guys...uh...I-...(sigh)our lives are crazy, let's be honest. And it's either because we have certain gifts, abilities, or that we somehow share a connection with the Avengers. Either way you look at it, it's always gonna lead to one of those three. So yeah, there's no going back to normal...but, maybe that's not such a bad thing." He looked to Peter and gave him a nod which was returned and Peter continued for him.

"You guys, you guys are special...and I don't mean that in that way. I mean it as in, you're different..unique. And that kind of different, it's been around a looong time...Back in 2008, the world changed forever. Tony Stark became Iron Man, which opened a door for more heroes to appear. Captain America was found, and then Thor came to Earth for the first time...Unfortunately though, as the heroes emerged, so did trouble."

"Not that they were the cause of it, though." Jamie added for clarification.

"No, yeah! Right, most of the trouble was already brewing before they even showed up. But then, an idea came for a response team that could fight back against those threats that were too big for normal people to handle. And from that idea came the Avengers. 'Earth's Mightiest Heroes'."

"You guys probably know the rest from there." Jamie added, "superheroes became mankind's great protectors, facing bigger and bigger threats each time."

The group all listened as Peter and Jamie spoke, some getting goose bumps from hearing them tell the origin of the Avengers.

"Right."

"Guys," Riri cut in, "no offense, but you said it yourselves. We already know all of this, so why're you telling us all this? What's this all about?"

The eyes of the group went back to the two leaders in expectancy, waiting for their answer. Quiet, the two shared a look before Jamie gave his "brother" an encouraging nod to continue.

Taking a breath, Peter mentally prepared himself as he continued. "Well, because it has more to do with us than you might think. You see, with those threats, people began to wonder if the Avengers would be enough. And that led to one of them wondering the same. But then...there was an idea. Tony Stark thought of it...it was called: The Next Avengers Initiative. The idea was to bring together a group of remarkable young people. In hope that, if anything ever happened to the original Avengers, they would become something more...so that when the world needed them... they could rise and continue to fight the battles that normal people never could."

Hearing that brought more silence to the group, making some of them lower their heads. Honestly, that was close to the reaction he was expecting. But what can you do? "Yeah, I know it's an old fashioned idea, but it still has meaning...especially today."

"Why 'today'?" Maddie asked, breaking the silence of the group.

"Because...well for one, each of you were selected for this Initiative. Each of you has a certain gift and or skill set that gives you the potential to be an Avenger...that's why."

"And what more?" Torunn urged, knowing there had to be more to it than that. "What more is there to that 'why'?"

The wait for Peter's answer was full of anticipation and worry. The worry part of it because of Peter's troubled expression.

"... well, 'cause...uh..." The next words choked Peter up something awful, but he knew they were valid and essential. "-because...the Avengers died still fighting and trying to believe in that idea...in heroes."

That last sentence made Nikki jolt upright from her seat and walk towards the nearby trees, leaning against and letting out a silent cry as she did. Her anxiety had spiked right there listening to that speech, especially the latter end of it. It made her think of her parents and that they died still fighting for good...but the sad fact that they died still hit hard in her mind.

Jamie was about to jump up to go comfort his sister, but he was halted by the sight of Cassie and Ava who'd left their space from the group and ran over to the tree, kneeling down to Nikki's level with a caring hand on her shoulder. During the time that Peter and Jamie were gone, the two girls had gotten to know each other well, instantly becoming close friends. And with that time, Nikki confided in Cassie and told her about her anxiety and the frequent attacks that would come and go, so she knew how to be there for the blonde right now. And though Ava hadn't been there during that time, she still had become close with Nikki and the other girls during her time there, so she was there for her friend without a doubt.

Seeing this gave Jamie a smile and eased him to relax back into his chair. Not long after, the girls rejoined the group and they all had a more...softer mood. "Sorry about that..." Nikki squeaked.

"It's ok, Nikki," Ava said, patting her back and sending a reassuring smile her way. To which Nikki smiled back.

After that, there was a silence that was only filled with the crackling fire and sounds of crickets chirping around them. This went on for a few minutes before Harley, feeling much more humble than before, spoke up.

"Guys, I'm sorry for being...well, an a**hole, really."

That sparked a laugh amongst the group, even Harley laughed.

"And I'm sorry, Tori, for calling you a 'spoiled princess'.

Torunn replied to that with a respectful nod. "And I'm sorry for saying you're nothing more than a dumb metal lad."

"Hey you know, that's actually a pretty good name for him!" PJ spoke up, gaining the attention of the others.

"What?"

"Lad. Iron Lad!"

"Isn't that a little derivative?"

"Mmm, I don't know. I feel like Iron Boy would be more derivative."

"Eh, I guess."

"Iron Lad..." Torunn thought out loud, bobbing her head with it. "I like it. It suits you."

"Yeah, literally it does," Riri added jokingly, "both of us."

Again, the joke echoed through the group with a bit of laughter. Even Frankie was laughing a little.

It was then that Kamala spoke up. "Hey guys, I have an idea."

All attention was directed to the fangirl. "What's up?" Nikki urged her.

"Well, I thinking back to this one time when I went to summer camp. Our first night there, we were around a fire like this. Only it was this big. And the uh, the counselors, they had us go around in a circle, introducing ourselves one by one. I thought maybe we could do that, maybe a little about our powers or... something like that."

A nervous laugh came from her, but she was met with caring smiles and faces that were softer than earlier. "You know, since this is for all of us to get to know each other better...it's just a thought though."

"Sounds good to me," Sam agreed, rasing his soda to that and taking another swing. This earned a light blush from Kamala who was thankful the fire somewhat hid it. "I can start it off."

But Ava swiftly cut in, "Actually, since Peter and Jamie are the ones heading this group, it's only right that they start it off."

The heads of the Spider-Man and the Captain perked up at that. But Jamie's surprise faded quickly as he could immediately see why Ava did that. The tone she was speaking with, the little glare she gave Sam. It was almost like she was defending Peter. Sure, she mentioned his name too, but Jamie just couldn't brush of how that seemed.

His surprise was replaced with a knowing smile as he and Peter shared a look for a moment. On seeing his "little brother's" face, Peter became confused until Jamie gave him a wink and motioned to the Latina with his eyes and brow. That's when it clicked to Peter.

He then looked back to the group to see that they were all looking at him, waiting. Feeling spotlighted, Peter stood and staggered a little.

"Guess I've got the floor," he joked, which the others found amusing as well. "Thanks for that, Ava."

From that, the Latina smiled and wiggled her eyebrows at Peter. This didn't go unnoticed by Nikki or Jamie.

"But uh, heheh, I guess uh, hey everyone. My name's Peter, Peter Parker," He began, making it up as he went along, "I'm twenty-five years old, I love movies, LEGOs, basically I'm what you'd call a nerd. And for the last eleven years or so, I've been Spider-Man."

He gave a shrug, unzipped his jacket a little and pointed to his Spider-Man themed t-shirt for effect.

"The Spectacular Spider-Man!" Nikki said matter-of-factly.

Peter huffed a laugh at that and nodded to his "little sister". "Thanks, Nikki."

The blonde winked back with a thumbs up.

"Where are you from?" Harley asked.

"Queens. Lived there with my aunt, May."

"So how'd you get your powers?" PJ jumped in, asking curiously.

Peter took a moment, thinking back to the fateful day he was bitten. "Oh uh, it was during a field trip with my class. We were at this science lab and they were doing experiments with different spiders and had created a new genetic 'super spider'. And I didn't see it coming, but it came out of nowhere and bit me. And from that, I got spider powers. Like this..."

To show them, Peter stepped back before bending his legs and jumping over the whole campsite and landing near the trees right behind them. Eyes followed him until he landed and jaws fell at the sight.

When he landed, it was with a bit of style with a squatting position and a hand up.

"Whoa! Nice superhero landing!" Kamala complimented, applauding as well. "What else can you do?

Standing up fully from his pose, Peter thought for moment before looking back to the trees. That's when he got it. He walked up to a tree and put his hands against it before leaping his legs up from the ground, resulting in him sticking to the trunk of the tree and holding onto it as if he were doing a handstand on the ground. Only he was sideways on a tree.

This brought a look of amazement to the group as they saw Peter perform this curious but cool feat. And they were even more intrigued when he switched and planted his feet onto the tree and let go with his hands. Now he was standing on the tree trunk...kinda. It was sideways that he was but it still looked cool.

"Wow! That's awesome!" PJ jumped in.

Finally, Peter jumped down from the tree and took a vow before walking back to the fire. "And yeah, that's pretty much it. Any questions?"

Kamala's hand immediately went up.

"Kamala?"

"Do you lay eggs?" She blatantly asked.

"Haha! Uh, no," He chuckled, remembering back to when his best friend, Ned asked him that same question long ago. "No, I don't. I think it has to do with the fact that I'm a guy, I don't know. Maybe if I was a girl, that'd be different. But for me, that's a no."

Kamala took in the reply, nodded and went silent with content.

"So, who wants to go next?" Peter asked to see who would take the baton next, but then he remembered what Ava said earlier. "Oh wait, Jamie! Right, you're next."

"Heh, yeah," Jamie chuckled as he stood, the attention of the group to him. "Well, uh hey guys. My name is James Steven Rogers, or Jamie as you guys know. I'm fifteen years old, and uh...my parents were Captain America and Black Widow. Aaaaand that's pretty much it." He nervously laughed, not knowing what else to say.

Fortunately for him, Torunn spoke up with a question, "Do you have any powers?"

"Uh, no. I-..." Jamie hesitated at that. Though he didn't really have any powers, he wasn't necessarily a regular human either. "Well, it's not really powers persay. But I do have some extra strength, some speed and I can heal pretty fast from some nasty wounds. But it's thanks to the serum that's in me. Actually, it's in me and Nikki."

A few eyes turned to Jamie's sister and saw the blonde nod in agreement. "Yep, it passed down from our parents to us, so we were born with it already."

"Right, so that's pretty much it. Uh, Nikki? Since you opened your mouth, you can go next."

Nikki's jaw dropped in feigned shock at her brother's remark, this gaining a few laughs from the group, but she took the stand nonetheless. "I'm gonna get him for that later, you best believe I'm going to."

"Oooh, I'm really scared."

"Mhm. Anyways, hey everyone. My name is Nicole Samantha Rogers, but you guys know me as Nikki. I'm fifteen, just like my brother, Jamie. Yet unlike him, I have more skill and can last longer in a fight."

Once that was said, Jamie's eyebrows scrunched at the bold statement of his sister before rolling his eyes.

"Yooo! She just called you out, Jamie!" Sam exclaimed, "Are you gonna let her get away with that?"

"Oh, we'll hash it out later," the redheaded boy replied, not phased in the slightest. "I'll just let her brag for now."

"I don't know, that was a pretty bold statement," Riri added with a smirk, "I stan it, Nikki."

The curly haired genius raised her soda and tipped it to Nikki who nodded and winked back at her.

"But yeah, that's pretty much it." Nikki continued, "Um...oh, I love books, Disney and I'm a bit of an adrenaline junkie. I love training. But not off the handle like. And yeah, that's all for me."

"What's your favorite Disney movie?" Cassie asked her.

Nikki had to think hard about that. Her true favorite was either Tangled, the live-action Beauty And The Beast, or the live-action Cinderella. She would watch those movies on repeat and sing along with all the songs, but she wouldn't let them know that. That was her guilty pleasure. Only Peter and Jamie knew of this. So she thought good and well and went towards other Disney movies she enjoyed. Finally, she found them.

"That's a tough one, Cass. But...ok, my top five are The Incredibles, Brother Bear, Cars, Wreck-It Ralph, Finding Nemo, aaannd...Toy Story."

"Which Toy Story though?" Sam popped up.

"Hmmm, that's a toughie too." Nikki thought, "...I don't know, the first one, maybe? They're all good, it's hard for me to decide!"

"You know they're making a sixth one now?" Viv knowingly added.

"Yeah, I heard about that. I'm looking forward to it. I'll say this though, the fifth one was better than the fourth. I'm glad they got Woody back with the gang again."

"Yeah, that and he's with Jessie now," Kamala tossed in happily, like the true shipper she was. "I was so happy about that, they deserve each other. Plus I think they make more sense than him and Bo Peep. That's just me though."

"I agree with that," Jamie said.

Peter nodded as well. "Yeah, I'm actually amazed that the actors are all still there and still have the same flare in their voices for the characters. Minus Don Rickles and Estelle Harris, that is. Tom Hanks and Tim Allen though, have aged really well, and their voices are really amazing."

Everyone agreed with that as well, nodding and speaking their approval.

When that does down, Nikki finished up. "So yeah, that's me. Uh...Tori! Why don't you go next?"

The blonde princess set down her drink and stood up. "Thanks, Nikki. Hello everyone. My name is Torunn Thorsdöttír, or simply Tori. I'm sixteen years old and I am the daughter of Thor Odinson and Jane Foster. Just like Nikki, I love Disney. I think JESSIE and Phineas and Ferb are my favorites. That and High School Musical."

"JESSIE is SOunderrated," Maddie stated.

"It really is." Sam agreed, "Still gets me though sometimes about Cameron Boyce."

"For sure!" Nikki nodded. "I really liked him."

"Yeah. So what're your powers, Tori?"

"Oh, well for starters, I can fly." Torunn then levitated from the ground, hovering in place. "And like my father, I have the power of lightning."

Looking up up at the clear and starry night sky, Torunn flew up a little higher and focused her mind and thoughts. Suddenly, a low rumble in the distance before clouds began to swarm the clear skies. The thunder grew louder and lightning could be heard crackling. Then a momentary light rain came down, sprinkling the group and making them laugh.

Finally, Torunn made the clouds disperse and disappear without a trace before descending back to her spot on the ground with her friends. "And that's me."

"AWESOME!" PJ and Kamala exclaimed together at the show of power Torunn had just displayed.

"Thank you. So who's next? Ah, Azari! You can go."

The prince nodded at his friend and stood and began his piece. "Everyone, hi. My name is Azari. I'm sixteen and I'm the Prince Of Wakanda. I like to run a lot, and play video games with my aunt. As far as powers go, I have pretty much the same powers as Jamie and Nikki. Strength, speed and my senses are pretty strong too."

"So could you use your sense of smell to sense danger?" Kamala asked, curious and excited at the same time.

Azari nodded at that. "That and my hearing, but yes."

"Eeeee! That's so cool!"

The prince laughed at Kamala's enthusiasm. "Thanks."

"What about the suit?" Harley asked curiously, "Is that some kind of nanotech, how does that work?"

"Yes! Yes, it is. My aunt, Shuri, she made them herself. And they work through somewhat of a neural Vibranium implant, so with a mere thought..." Azari paused for a moment and showed as the nanites of his suit emerged from his necklace and engulfed his entire body minus his head. When it finished, he held up his arms

"Whoa!" "Wow!" "Cool!" "That's crazy!" With a mix of awed reactions from the group

"But that's pretty much it, is there anything you guys want to ask?"

"I got one!" Sam spoke up. "I notice that your voice kinda switches sometimes and turns into somewhat of an American accent."

"Ah, yeah. That you can blame on the movies. I've watched at least one movie a day for as long as I can remember. So I guess I listened to how they talked and it kinda stuck a little more than the Wakandan one. But like you said, they both kinda switch. And it's not me, it really does it on its own."

"Well it sounds pretty cool to me, Azari." "Same here." "Yep!" Ava, Kamala, and Sam vocally complimented, while the others all nodded or smiled.

"Thank you, guys." Azari smiled at them.

Then PJ piped up with a question. "So, do you like any movies?"

"Oh yeah, definitely" Azari replied with enthusiasm. "Me and my auntie, we watch a lot of movies."

"Like what?" Maddie asked, biting into what had to be his seventh hot dog.

"Oh there's a lot. Back To the Future, Transformers, Grown Ups...a lot of old spy movies that my grandfather enjoyed when he was alive. Also the Police Academy movies, the Beverly Hills Cop movies,"

"Oooh, one and two are THE best!" Peter stated.

"RIGHT!" The two high-fived on that. "Though, I did enjoy the fourth one. It was a nice reunion in that."

"Yeah I agree," Cassie added, laughter in her speech, "It was great seeing Taggart back again getting all worked up over Billy and Axel again."

"It really was, wasn't it? Just like old times!"

Azari laughed and nodded in agreement before speaking up again. "Yes yes...but my favorite movie that I love a lot, is 42."

"Chadwick Boseman?" Riri wondered out loud.

Azari nodded at that. "Yeah. I just really love the performance he gave and how he really did the man's, Robinson justice. It's something that really resonates with me, and I just hope, one day, I can make a difference like he did. Chadwick Boseman too."

When the prince said that, a silent smile came to Jamie's face. He remembered when they had seen that movie. Him, Nikki, Azari and Torunn with Darcy. It was before they knew the pain of loss, the day Peter and the grown ups had gone to "go get their parents". Yeah the after effect of it when they returned wasn't so good. But fortunately, they had that memory with them that stood out like a flower in a wasteland. It was the day they truly bonded, became more than just friends. They became family.

"Trust me, Z," He began, "You are, being here with us. And I'm sure you'll make an even bigger difference when this is all over and your mom and dad are back with you and the rest of your family."

Azari, on the verge of tears, nodded to his redheaded honorary brother with a grateful smile. "Thank you, Jamie."

Without words, Jamie replied with a nod and a thumbs up.

Everyone else had a smile as well from this moment. This was a really good moment here, and surprisingly, it was just getting better.

"So, who's next?" Azari asked, clapping his hands together.

"Mmm, I can go!" Maddie volunteered, setting down his soda.

He stood and saw that he had the group's attention. "My name is Amadeus Cho, Maddie for short. I'm eighteen, and I'm from Arizona-"

"Oh, me too!" Sam popped up.

This surprised Maddie and it showed when he looked to Sam. "Really? Wow, what part?"

"Carefree. You?"

"Tucson."

"Oh, I love Tucson!"

The two Arizona boys had fun over that piece of news, it was nice knowing someone from home even if it wasn't so close.

"So what do you like to do for fun?" asked Cassie.

"Uhh, I like science, and science fiction and I have a pet coyote named Kirby."

"A pet coyote?" Riri repeated, a look of surprise on her face.

"Yep."

"Almost licked Rocket to death," Kate laughed, recalling their first meeting.

"Yeah, he's really playful. But yeah."

"So how'd you get your powers?" Kamala asked.

"Well, it was actually here that I got them."

"Here?" Nikki exclaimed, "When, how?"

"Remember when I was here as Bruce's assistant?"

"I remember that," Jamie added, "That was almost nineteen months ago, then you left a month ago. So that's when you..?"

Maddie nodded before Jamie could finish, already knowing the rest of the question. "Mhm."

"What happened?" Peter asked, curious about Maddie's story.

"Well, we, Bruce and I, we were doing tests. Trying to examine his anatomy and seeing if we could experiment with it, maybe harness it again. We were using nanites to go in and take samples of his DNA so we could examine them. But one day, there...there was a slip up..."

"What kind of a slip up?" PJ urged him.

Maddie ran his hand through his hair and let out a heavy sigh as he began to recount the story. "Well, then nanites were supposed to exit Bruce's system and enter this tube into a beaker for examination. We had on these suits and mine had the extraction tube on it to hold them until I could transfer them to the beaker. But one day, I grabbed a tube that had a cut in it and they got into my system through a bruise I had on my arm..."

Maddie's voice trailed off as he looked to a faded bruise on his left forearm. He lifted his right hand to it, rubbing it with his thumb. "I didn't really know at first, I thought it was just a cramp. But upon further examination, I realized that some of the nanites were missing and then I noticed the breach in the tube. I put two and two together, did a self blood check and learned that the nanites had not only gotten inside of me, but they had also dispensed the Hulk DNA as well..."

The group was silent and mesmerized by Maddie's story like a kid glued to a TV. Many "wow"s were heard from them, but more came from what happened next.

"And now," Maddie held up his left arm that had the wrist wrist device, he tapped the screen on it and soon began to transform again into his larger, more muscular, and greener alter ego. "I can do this." He stated.

Eyes were wide within the group as they saw this and looked at him not in fear, but more in awe. They were truly amazed at this.

"Your voice is still the same too." Cassie pointed out. "Just a tad deeper."

Maddie nodded at that before sitting back down on his log and, while still in his "Hulk" form, gently picking up his soda from earlier. "So that's my story." He said simply before drinking the whole can in a single swig and crushing the can with little to no effort.

"Wow."

"Incredible."

"I'll say." Viv smiled.

All the reactions to Maddie's story were positive, sympathetic, and understanding. "You're awesome is what you are." Nikki said to him.

"TOTALLY awesome!" PJ added excitedly.

This made Maddie nod and brought a closed lip smile to his face. "Thanks guys. I really appreciate it...and you all."

Smiles and nods of approval came from them all at that. And they appreciated him too.

"So since you're like the Hulk," Riri queried, "I'm curious...how high can you jump?"

Maddie looked around in thought. "Uh, I don't know. Maybe a hundred feet or so? Give or take."

"Have you ever just jumped as hard as you could to see how high you could go?" Kamala asked curiously.

The Asian teen shook his head. "Can't say that I have. But I'm always one for a good experiment, let's do it."

He stood and took a few steps back and leaped in a place a little, doing a few squats to ready his knee joints. When he finished stretching, he looked back to the group and nodded. "Ready!"

Kamala gave him a thumbs up before beginning a countdown. "Ok, here we go. One, two, THREE!"

During "one" and "two", Maddie had done a few short hops to get himself ready until Kamala reached "THREE", then he bent his legs and squatted before jumping with all his might, shooting up and through the night sky like a rocket.

The group watched as Maddie went higher and higher, quite fast too until they could no longer see him.

"Where'd he go?" Ava asked, looking all around the sky but not seeing anything but stars.

Two whole minutes passed and there were still no signs of Maddie.

"He's still not back yet," Nikki noted, "should we be worried about him?"

Sharing her concern, Sam slowly stood up with his helmet in hand. "Pete, Jamie, should I fly up and-"

"Oh, no. Don't worry, he'll be fine." Viv cut in with a confidently statement, stopping her gaze to the sky above.

"How are you so sure about that?"

With a light shrug, Viv smirked and simply said, "I know him."

That wasn't exactly reassuring or explanatory, but Viv seemed confident enough about it. Peter and Jamie shared a look before Jamie shrugged and Peter spoke up. "Uh, it's ok Sam. We'll give Maddie some, uh...some more time." He hesitantly said, looking up again one more time just to check.

"Yeah. But still, be on standby just in case." Jamie added.

"Right."

"Got it," Sam replied, sitting back down.

Turning his attention back to the group, Peter kept the ball rolling. "Uh, Ava! How about you go next?"

Ava nodded and stood from her spot. "Ok, hey guys. I'm Ava Ayala, I'm eighteen and I like reading and gymnastics.

"Oh, me too!" Nikki proudly exclaimed, her own liking for books coming through.

"She really does," Jamie agreed with a nod. "What kind do you like?"

"Oh, various kinds. Some nature, but I love novels. I'm actually in the middle of a classic one, The Mouse And The Motorcycle."

"Oh, I know that one!" Sam spoke up, "I mean, I haven't read the book but I've seen the movie. It's pretty good actually."

"It really is," Harley added, "my little sister watches it all the time. That and the other two sequels to it. It's one of her favorite kid things to watch next to Blue's Clues."

A light laugh amongst them all came from that. It was the moments and shared laughs such as these that added to the ever growing bond they were creating here tonight.

After that, Ava cleared her throat and continued. "Well, apart from that, as far as my alter ego side goes, I am also the White Tiger."

"The White Tiger?" Riri queried, an eyebrow quirked.

The latina shrugged and smirked. "It's the name of the mantle, I didn't choose it. But it's an honor to carry it, and I kinda like how it sounds too."

"Fair enough."

"So what's your power?"

Taking a moment, Ava collected her thoughts together, remembering all she had learned from her time as the White Tiger. "Uh, well it's kinda similar to Azari's. Only for me, it's tiger based. I have the strength, speed, agility and reflexes of a tiger. That and my martial arts skills are enhanced too. And it all comes from this amulet."

She reached underneath the collar of her shirt and pulled out the line of a necklace and the amulet hanging on it. With it now visible, the group could see that the amulet's color was white and it was in the shape of a tiger head with the ears and teeth of it long and pointy.

"It's beautiful," Peter stated, looking at the powerful trinket and to Ava as well. And so are you.

Ava caught his eyes on her more than the amulet and did her best to hide a blush as she smiled in thanks. "Thanks. It's been in my family for a generations. Passed down from father to son. Dating all the way back to my great, great grandfather, the first White Tiger...it was my father's last. And it would've gone to my brother, Hector, if not for...for..."

Ava's voice had trailed off and she paused, but she didn't have to continue for the group to know what, or when she was talking about. They picked up on it right away from how hard it seemed for Ava to continue. That day was a tender subject for her, as it was for all of them. But still, she managed to recompose herself and soldier on in her story.

"-now, it's mine. And since I'm the last of my family, it is now my duty to carry the mantle of the White Tiger. So I do, and I do it with my father, my brother...and my mother...all of them in mind."

Tears had come to Ava's eyes as she had told her, clutching the amulet tight and close to her chest as well. She took deep breaths and tried to calm herself, not wanting to have a huge cry in front of the others. But her desire to cry didn't last much longer thanks to what came next.

"You are an honorable warrior, Ava." Azari said with certainty, this caused Ava to look to him with surprise. "Carrying the mantle of your family despite the odds, a commendable feat. Very good."

A smile from Ava came and she replied with a respectful nod. But the next commendation that came hit her even more in the heart.

"He's right, Ava." It was Peter, and he was looking right at her and her are him when he spoke. "You showed strength and courage when you took on the mantle and have been fighting for it sense then, you've earned it. And I'm glad you're here on our team with us...and I'm sure you parents and your brother...they'd be proud of you."

And with that, Ava began to tear up even more. Peter's words to her then and there hit her so hard, she felt her heart burst. She also felt her cheeks burn with anotuer blush, but this one she didn't try to hide as much. She let it show as she smiled at the co-leader of the team. "Thank you, Peter." She said softly, her voice a little scratchy from the tears and swelling in her throat.

He smiled and nodded back to her while now hiding a blush of his own. This didn't go unnoticed by Jamie, Nikki, or Sam or Kamala! They caught it immediately and smiled like a person with a juicy secret...which it kinda was. More so for Ava really.

The compliment about her family being proud of her, and the part where Peter said he was happy she was here with them all, that did it for her. It sealed the deal and confirmed what she had been trying to deny for the past few days sine she'd arrived: she liked Peter. A lot! And his words to her just now were the final push for her to accept it.

Not wanting it to become too obvious, the latina cleared her throat again and carried on. "So, who wants to go next?"

"Ooh, I'd like to!" Kamala chirped, raising her hand like an excited kid in class.

Ava laughed at this and gestured to her friend. "Take it away, Kamala."

"Alright!" The fangirl stood as Ava sat and began with an excited smile. Again, like a new kid in class. Just with more smiling. "Hey guys, my name's Kamala Khan. I'm eighteen and I love LOVE superheroes!"

"Could've fooled me," Harley joked, earning a snicker from the others and a mock face from Kamala in retort.

"Ha ha, very funny. But yeah, I'm a big superhero fan and I write fanfiction."

"What's that?" PJ asked confusingly.

Kamala was about to answer him, but to her and everyone else's surprise, Torunn spoke up. "Oh that's a work that someone, a fan of a movie, tv show or book, writes a story based on that...did I get that right, Kamala?"

"Actually, yeah! Thanks Tori! Good job."

The blonde princess sat back in her seat with a proud smile at her explanation.

"But yeah, that's what I do. Write fanfiction, a lot. Hehe."

"Yeah, thanks for sending me those links to those fics, Kamala." Nikki added with a thumbs up. "They're actually pretty good. Didn't know I'd enjoy them as much as I am."

"Anytime!" The Muslim fangirl gave thumbs up to her friend. "But uh, yeah."

"So uh, how'd you get your powers?" Sam asked.

"Well, heh, I actually got it while I was out walking."

"Yeah, well actually there's a little more to it. It was about two years ago, I had snuck out to go to a party with a two friends from school. I had recently moved in with Doreen and her foster parents at the time, but the rule was 'be home by nine' and it was a school night. So, for a once in a lifetime chance, I decided to take a chance and snuck out. To be honest, the party wasn't much to be excited about so I decided to leave. While I was walking back, there was this...this truck, coming down the street towards me. It wasn't that big, more like U-Haul size. It had two trailers connected to it, and it was black two and it looked official. So it's coming my way. But before it reached the block I was on, it crashed."

"Yeah, it had swerved and tipped over on it's side. It was a shock to see that, like right in front of my eyes. I'd never seen a wreck like this before in real life and up close, so I was a little scared I guess, but still I ran over to check on the driver. I was able to get him out and get him to safety, but I went back to see if there was anyone else in the truck, which there wasn't. Just to be sure, I checked the back where the cargo was. But all I found were a bunch of of these big metal canisters...and one of them was leaking. There was this...weird looking mist coming out of it but not too much. I didn't get to get away from it in time because the truck up front had exploded and it was enough to blow the canisters too, but not what was in them. When the canisters blew, it blew me away and that mist that was inside hit me. My guess is I breathed in whatever it was while I was unconscious, either that or it went in through the skin. But whatever it was, when I woke up I was back home and I could do this..."

Kamala held up a hand and it grow much larger than the other, almost the size of a trashcan.

Understanding it more clearer now, the group gasped and awed at the sight of the "embiggened" hand. It was honestly interesting. But not everyone was amazed.

Peter was in deep thought from hearing Kamala's story. There was a certain part of it that caught his attention. "Did you see a logo on the truck when you helped the driver?" He asked curiously.

Thinking back, Kamala tried but didn't remember that. "I don't think so, maybe there was and I just didn't notice it."

Peter nodded in understanding and didn't press any further. But what came next shook him.

"But I do remember seeing some letters." Kamala said, trying to remember. "They were these big gray letters on the side and top of the trailers. Uh...D-O-D-C."

At that, Peter's eyes went wide. It was then he realized the connection between Kamala's story and an event that happened about two years ago. Those letters, the truck that had been terminated and the contents that were lost...he couldn't believe it. It was his fau-

"You okay, Peter?" Kamala called to him.

Snapping from his horrified thoughts, the Spider-Man collected himself and played it off. "Oh yeah, I'm good. I'm fine."

"You sure?" Jamie asked his "brother", "You look a little pale?"

"I'm just shocked by story, what you went through... made me feel bad." And responsible... "I'm sorry, Kamala."

The apology wasn't just sympathy, it was also a subtle plea for forgiveness. But Kamala didn't really see it that way as she smiled and nodded back to Peter. "It's alright. And hey, look where it got me! I got to meet you guys!"

Smiles and a few happy scoffs came from the others and they all nodded, appreciating the optimistic and positive view of this girl.

"Well we're glad to know you, Kamala. You're really something." Ava commended, "Something amazing."

"Marvelous is more like it, but yeah. Ditto." Sam cut in, a light blush on his cheeks. Kamala saw this and blushed a little herself, Sam had that effect in her.

"Thanks, Sam. Ava. All of you."

Once again, the bond between them grew stronger from that moment, and it was strong from every smile, nod, and thumbs up that everyone gave. This was becoming a real team.

"So," the fangirl started, "now that that's done, heh. Uh, Sam! Why don't you go next!"

The young space fighter was surprised that Kamala called in him, but still stood at her invitation. "Ok, sure. I guess I can-"

[BOOM]

Kamala was cut off when out of nowhere, a massive BOOM came as a huge object had fallen and landed behind them, sending a shockwave that flung the entire group from their seats. It shook the grounds and creating a massive crater as it did and a large cloud of dust floated in the air.

They all picked themselves up and checked for injuries before looking to the massive crater behind their camp.

"What the hell was that?!" Ava exclaimed, shock and slight pain in her voice. This from a sore feeling on her side.

"I don't know," Peter replied as he helped her up.

In alertness, Torunn held out her hand and called Stormbreaker to her in case they had to fight. The same went for Nikki as she reached behind her back and gripped the handle of a 9mm concealed in the strap of her sweatpants. Azari mentally called for his suit to engulf him over his clothes and extended his claws. Frankie and Kate both had their bows up and arrows at the ready, and Sam too had put his helmet on, activating his armor to come on as well.

Seeing this, Harley made a mental note to add something like that to his suit if he survived. In the meantime, he held one of the discarded lawn chairs up and readied himself to swing if necessary.

"Don't worry," Viv assured them as she walked closer to the crater, "it's alright."

From within the thinning dust cloud, they could see something really big begin to move. This caused them to tense a little, that is until-

"WHOOO!" They heard from within it, and it sounded oddly familiar. When the dust finally cleared all the way, they saw... "That, was awesome!"

It was Maddie.

"Maddie?!" Cassie exclaimed unbelievingly.

"Yep! The one and only!" The green gamma-ed teen picked himself up, a look of exhausted excitement on his face, and dusted his shirt and pants off and made his way out of the crater.

"What...I-how did you...what happened to you?!" Riri asked, confused to the max.

"Yeah, you were gone a long time, bro. Where'd you go?" Jamie asked, completely dumbfounded.

"Well, I was going up and I got pretty far, almost close to the atmosphere I think. Took a lot longer than I thought it would be. But after a while, gravity did it's thing and, well, here I am!"

"I can't believe it."

"Me neither, but I think I'll stick to my regular high jumps from now on."

"Sounds good to me," Harley said, "but if we ever enter the Olympics, you're a shoe in for the long jump".

This made Maddie laugh while others either huffed or rolled their eyes.

With that, they all worked together in sprucing up their campsite before sitting back down. Even picking and throwing away their trash into garbage bags that, conveniently, Maddie had brought as well. Once everything was back in order, they all relaxed back into place.

"So, what'd I miss?" Maddie asked as he sat back down onto his chair, opening another 3 Liter bottle of Coca-Cola.

Frankie spoke up and answered with "Well, Ava and Kamala told their stories and Sam was about to go until we got Airdrop."

Maddie, understanding the joke from the "Airdrop" part, laughed and nodded at that. "Ah, well then, by all means, proceed."

Sam, having calmed down and gathered his thoughts, nodded and began.

"Ok, I'm Sam Alexander, I'm 24 and I'm from Arizona. And for almost... fourteen years now, I have been Nova."

"Like the PBS show?" Kate asked.

"Uh no. As in the Human Rocket."

"Ooh, cool name!" Kamala complimented him.

This caused Sam to blush a little and lose his words. This was seen by everyone, now Peter and Ava weren't the only ones who saw it anymore.

"Uhh-..oh! Right! Uh so yeah, I'm Nova and...and...um..."

Sam mentally slapped and scolded himself, he truly had a loss for words right now.

Though she liked seeing him choked up like this, Ava decided to step in once again and save him.

"How'd you get your powers, Rocket Man?" She asked him, bring him back being stable.

"Uh, well actually," he started, "they come from this." Sam held up his black Nova helmet and showed it to them.

It was shiny as it glistened in the light from the fire. It was also quite beautiful.

"What does it do?"

"Well, it gives the wearer the ability to fly, breathe in space, energy blasts and it has a full map of the Galaxy...it's pretty cool."

"Sounds like it," Harley agreed.

"Sounds like Iron Man in a helmet, for space!" The excited statement from Kamala made Sam think.

"Huh, I never really thought about it that way before. I guess it is, only there's no cool gadgets. It's just the helmet itself, and that's good enough for me."

There was some unexpected humility in that from Sam, something that he didn't always show. But he did have his moments.

"Where did you get it?" Kate asked him.

Caught off guard from the question, Sam's memories immediately went back to the day he received the helmet. "My dad gave it to me. He told me about his adventures in space with the Nova Corps. They're basically the police department of the galaxy, and the Nova is the top tier officer...that was my dad. But one day, he disappeared. Before he disappeared, though, he told me that when the time was right, put the helmet on...and here I am, some fourteen years later. Still wearing it."

The silence after that was temporary on account of a whistle of amazement from Peter. "That's some real talk, Sam. Glad you're still wearing the helmet, bro.

Sam gave a small smile and nodded to his friend. "Thanks, Pete."

"Your father would be proud too." Azari added, "As are we."

That did it. Sam wasn't one to cry in front of others, but those words could've done it. And he was grateful for them. "Thank you...So, uhh...Harley, how bout you, bro?"

Harley set his water down, stood up and began thinking. Finally getting his thoughts together, he proceeded. "Okay. Hey guys, I'm Harley Keener. I'm 21 and I'm from Rose Hill, Tennessee. Uh...I got a little sister, Sarah, she's ten and feisty as ever."

"Pfft, that's putting it lightly," Sam muttered, gaining a laugh from Harley and Peter and Ava.

"Aw come on, Sam. You know you love her," Peter joked.

Ava laughed and added to it. "Yeah, you're not gonna let that little garage thing keep you down, are you?"

"Wait, what?!" Kamala exclaimed.

Nikki, completely confused as well, jumped in. "Okay, what're you guys talking about?"

"When we went to go find Harley, he wasn't there. So we looked around and that's when we met Sarah. But she thought we were robbing the place and attacked us with a Nerf gun. Sam tried to rush her but, she outdid him."

Peter couldn't help the laughter that came with the story, neither could Ava.

"HAHAHA, WHAT?!" Nikki laughed uncontrollably, "Nova got taken down by a ten year old? WITH A NERF GUN! Are you kidding me, Sam?!"

"It wasn't JUST a Nerf gun!" Sam defended himself, "She modified that thing to shoot harder and faster! Plus, she glued these thumbtacks on the bullets! And those suckers hurt!"

At that, Nikki lost it and rolled onto her side as she continued to laugh. The same was for everyone else, they laughed at the story of Sam's first encounter with Harley's little sister. At first, Sam seethed in anger. But seeing everyone else laughing hit him to where he eventually gave in, cracked a smile and began laughing too. The more he thought about it, the more he realized it was funny. It still stung from the tacks, but was still funny.

"Alright, alright!" He said, catching his breath. "Enough of that. Finish your story, Harley."

The young mechanic called down and cleared his throat before continuing. "Right, right. Well, uh...not much else to tell. I just got a suit and I'm a mechanic. That's about it."

"Hey, it's better than nothing, bro." Jamie said to him, "at least you're here, trying to make a difference. That's something."

Grateful for the positive words from his friend, Harley cracked a smile to that. "Thanks, Jamie." He nodded to him with thanks and respect. "So, who's next?"

"Ooh, I know! How bout the second girl that handed your a** to you, Sam?" Ava suggested jokingly.

Already knowing it was her, Riri cleared her throat and stood up with a smirk. "Thanks, but it was nothing."

"Oh boy," Sam scoffed as he rolled his eyes.

"Don't pout, Sammy. It wasn't that bad."

"Yeah yeah, sure. Tell your story already."

"Okay. Hey guys, I'm Riri Williams, I'm seventeen and I'm from Massachusetts. Uh, not much else to tell. Same as Harls, I've got a suit that I made on my own anddd...yeah, that's about it. Haven't really done much."

Peter had other words for that. "I think you left out the part where you're really smart too. Actually, you and Harley. You guys both made your own suits and you're smart, just like Tony. And like Jamie said earlier, you're here trying to do something great. That's plenty right there."

Thinking about Peter's words, Riri realized how true that was. This made her smile at that. "Heh, yeah. Yeah, I guess so...thanks guys."

Smiles, nods and thumbs up came to her from that, and it gave her a feeling of peace... like she was home almost. It was then Riri realized how wrong she had been about not wanting to make new friends, about helping these guys. Now that she had gotten to know them, bonded some with them, she felt a certain connection, if not an attachment to them. And that made her smile.

"Okay. Uh, Kate! How bout you go next?"

Hearing her name mentioned, the girl archer set her chips down and stood from her chair.

"Alright." She started, "Hey guys, I'm Kate Bishop, I'm eighteen and I'm originally from Manhattan, but now I live in Missouri. Uh, I'm good with archery, like Frankie, and...yeah, there's not much else for me to say either, but uh...yeah."

"Why are you here?" Peter asked her.

"Excuse me?"

"Sorry I didn't mean to sound rude or condescending. But I'm just curious, what makes you want to be here, what's your, your drive?"

Understanding his question more clearly now, Kate nodded and answered. "Oh, well, other than the chance at seeing my loved ones again, uh...I really like the idea of helping people. I really do. Yeah, I don't have any powers and not nearly enough training, but I'm doing it anyways. Being a superhero is amazing. And if they can, I think everyone should try it."

There was some fire behind that talk, they could tell. And it showed bravery on Kate's part, still being here despite not having powers. But that didn't matter to her, and that was worthy of being an Avenger.

"Well that's definitely the case here." Harley joked.

This earned a laugh amongst the whole group, Harley definitely wasn't wrong. Everyone here was doing it. They'd given it a try and we're going with it. And Kate liked that, they all did. "But yeah, that's my reason. Hope that's answer enough, Peter."

The co-leader of the team nodded and held up an 'OK' hand sign. "Perfect. And thanks."

The girl archer nodded back to him in respect. "So yeah, that's me. Uh..."

Kate looked to Frankie, hoping maybe he would share next. But that hope was halted when she saw him put his head down immediately. She knew that he still had his walls, but she didn't want to be distant from him like this. But she didn't want to make him push away more by prying. So she took in and let out a breath before moving on.

Remembering how many of them there were, she went to the second and third to last among them. "Cassie, PJ, you guys can go next."

So the two Langs stood up and began talking simultaneously. That wasn't the original plan, but PJ's jumpy/happy persona was hard to contain.

"Alright. Hey everyone, I'm Cassie, I'm eighteen," "-I'm PJ! I'm eleven." "And we're from San Francisco, born and raised. And uh,-" "and our parents are Ant-Man and The Wasp!" "Hahaha, yes. Yes, they are."

Cassie laughed at her little brother's energy when it came to talking about his parents. He loved hearing stories of them as Ant-Man and The Wasp and wanted to be just like them. And now, he was. They both were.

"Your dad was that big guy at that airport in Berlin?" Harley asked them.

They nodded in reply. That surprised Harley and made him wide-eyed for a moment. "Wow...cool."

"So since you guys have pretty much the same abilities as them," Kamala interjected, a working smile on her face, "I guess that makes you Ant-Girl and The Waspling, huh?"

Almost instantly, PJ smiled at the sound of those names.

"I LOVE THAT, KAMALA! That's so cool!" He exclaimed happily.

"Did you just make those up right now?" Cassie asked her.

"You know, I actually did."

"Hmm, cool. But uh, yeah. Any questions?" She then asked, unsure of what to do or say next.

"Yeah, I actually have a question." Frankie said abruptly, raising his hand. "What's your story?"

He pointed to Viv, who was surprised at the action. "My story?"

"Yeah, I'm just curious. What can you do?

"Frankie!" Kate hissed at him.

"What? I'm just curious. I mean, we haven't seen her do much since we've gotten here. Other than the fact that that she's smart, she hasn't really shown any sign of being a superhero. I'm just curious as to what she can do."

If those words didn't hold some merit, Maddie would've smacked Frankie for talking bad about Viv like that. He may not have been exactly right, but he wasn't totally wrong either.

The dark skinned girl showed hesitance as she tried to find the right words for her reply. But fortunately, she had as saved from having to make something up by a hand on her shoulder. A hand from Azari.

"Viv, it may be time to show them..." He consoled her.

"Show us what?" Sam asked curiously.

Before she answered, Viv looked over to Maddie and saw the curiosity in his eyes and wondered how he'd react. But looking to the rest of them, she thought to herself. These guys, with all their different pasts and stories, they just might be the only people that would understand her situation. And that gave some comfort.

So taking in a deep and exhaling it, she nodded. "Okay."

Standing from her her seat, Viv took another breath before closing her eyes. After a moment of waiting, the group, aside from Azari, received quite the surprise.

In the center of her forehead, a small but shimmering yellow gem appeared. Then a swift Green flash went across her body and shone from underneath her clothes as the look of her entire anatomy changed. Now instead of dark skin, there was a red pink complexion. And as for her hair, it had gone from black to a beautiful lime green with purple ends.

Viv finally opened her eyes and saw the shocked and surprised faces of the group.

Knowing this would be their reaction, Viv shrugged lightly and gave a nervous smile. "Ta-daaaa!" She said nervously.

It took a lot on their brains, well not all of them, but still, it finally began to set in.

"You're...are you a robot?" Jamie asked, still trying to understand this.

Again, Viv shrugged but bobbed head in reply. "That's a bit of a basic term. Technically, I'm a synthezoid. But yes."

"Oh, sorry."

"No, it's alright. I'm honestly surprised at how well you guys are taking this."

"You're not the only one," Riri added, surprise very much still apparent on her face. But it was also mixed with a bit of... amazement.

"Well, since it seems I have the floor, I guess I can tell you all my story... My name is Vivian Vision, and I am two years old. I was made as a companion and assistant to Prince Azari and Princess Shuri of Wakanda. With the remaining parts of the Vision, my...my father...with bits and pieces from his database, Shuri was able to salvage a view memories and a few bits of his personality. They might even been able to fix him if these men in suits hadn't demanded my father's remains... Anyway, uh, fast forward a few years, the princess and Doctor Banner had worked together in powering up a new user interface with the help of one of Tony Stark's AI chips, one with the personality of a girl. He chose one labelled V.I.V.I.A.N. It stands for Very Intelligent Viral Interactive Assistant Network."

Peter huffed a laugh at this. "That's Tony for you, he loved his acronyms."

"Yes, he did that. Though, I prefer 'Nerd' as far as the N goes."

This earned a snicker or a smile from the group around her.

"I can understand that," Kamala nodded with a smile.

This made Viv smile too as she saw the understanding and caring faces coming from her friends, it put her more at ease as she continued.

"Fast forward to two years ago, Shuri and Bruce had used the program well, been kind in their work together...even calling her 'friend'. But then, something...interesting happened. The AI wished to know what it meant to human, to walk among them, the smile with them. So one day, Shuri had called Bruce back to Wakanda, saying she had a surprise for him. When he arrived, he was surprised to find that the AI that he and the princess had worked with and and educated for a over a year, was being uploaded into a new humanoid vibranium body. A synthezoid, just like the Vision before me. Well, not exactly like him obviously. And that synthezoid...that was me. And from there, I went with Bruce back to the States as his 'daughter'. I met Betty and we instantly connected. Soon, I became Bruce's real life assistant and we drew closer and I began seeing him as a dad, and he's good at being one. More than he gives himself credit for. That's been my life for the past two years, and it's pretty cool. And because of the pieces of my father before me, I have the same name as him... I am Vivian Vision."

Once again, the whole group was left speechless. This girl, she was definitely more than just a robot. Or synthezoid. No, she showed much more than that. She was proof that humans and machines could coexist in peace. And what beautiful proof she was...at least that's what Maddie was thinking. Wait, what?!

The green gamma-ed teen shook his head and recomposed his thoughts, easing on the reigns of his crush. While he did that, the others began to express themselves.

Nikki had started it off when she stood and walked right up to Viv and hugged her. The gesture surprised Viv at first, but soon she returned the hug and did so tightly. As the two embraced, smiles came up all around. Smiles for Viv, out of love for her.

Finally, the two broke the hug and smiled to one another.

"We're happy to have you, Viv." Nikki stated proudly, almost on the verge of tears. "And you're one awesome synthezoid."

Viv wanted to cry, she really wanted to. Hearing such words, words of kindness and understanding, it could have that effect on you.

"She's right, Viv." Peter added, gaining their attention. "You're like Baymax in Big Hero 6, you bring a certain flair and heart to the group. And it's awesome."

"Yeah, and you were cool before, but you're even more cooler now! It's brings our whole team full circle as a next generation of Avengers! It's awesome! You're awesome!"

"And then some," Maddie finally spoke. "And then some."

Viv's cheeks warmed up a little at that and she smiled even more. "Thank you...all of you. For being so understanding."

"That's what family does," Peter stated, the Fast and Furious movies in mind.

Viv bobbed her head to that and smiled once again. A little later, Nikki sat back down and it was quiet for a few seconds. That is until Viv spoke up again.

"Frankie, how about you?" She queried, looking across to him.

The young Barton was a little thrown off by the question. "What about me?"

"Everyone's gone but you. Why don't you go now?"

At first, Frankie wasn't even going to consider it. But a hand on his shoulder pulled him from his thoughts. Looking next to him, he saw the hand was from Kate, and he could see tears forming in her eyes. And it was those eyes, those pleading eyes of her that moved him to give in.

Letting out a deep breath, he put a hand on Kate's before standing up and addressing the group. "Uh...hey guys. I'm Frankie Barton. I'm eighteen and Hawkeye was my dad...guess that kinda means I'm Hawkeye now."

"But what about Kate?" PJ cut in, "Isn't she a Hawkeye too?"

Before Frankie could explain, Kate spoke up.

"Oh no, I'm not Hawkeye. It's Hawkette." She stated, just as she had when her and Frankie were kids.

"Hawkette?...hmm, I like it!"

"Me too!" Kamala added.

Ava jumped in there too. "Same here. Sounds bada**."

Kate smirked and nodded. "Mhm, you know it."

She then looked back to Frankie and winked at him with a smile. This earned a blushing smile from him, though he tried his best to hide it. In doing so, he decided to sit down and let the conversation flow on.

When he sat down, he felt a hand curl into his. It was Kate again, and she went even further by leaning against his side with her head on his shoulder. The warm feeling of Kate leaning on him gave him a feeling of comfort, like a security blanket. With that, he went ahead and leaned his head on hers. And in this moment, for the first time in almost ten years, he was at peace.

From his other side, Viv leaned over and whispered to him. "Now that wasn't so hard was it?" She asked him teasingly.

Frankie playfully eyed her and rolled his eyes at that. "Yeah, yeah, yeah."

And that was that. From this small amount of time they had spent talking, sharing each other's likes and past stories, all of them had bonded and gained a better understanding of each other.

Now, they were more than a team. More than friends. They were family.

As the night went on and the fire died down and everyone winded down, Peter lay on his back in his sleeping bag, looking up to the stars. Smiling, content with the new state of the team.

"Thanks for the idea, Mr. Stark."


My GOODNESS that was a long one!

Michael Scott: "That's what she said."

Jk jk lol! But yeah, a good long chapter of the team bonding for you guys to enjoy. I know it's been a month, but as you guys can see by the length of the chapter, it took a long time to finish writing. But it's finally here, so I hope you guys enjoyed it! The writing, the research, it was a lot. But yeah, worth it.

Lmk what you guys thought!

Now I might take a break from this book because I have another book I need to work on, and it's been on hold for years...but I'm going to try. We'll see how it goes. But until then, hope you guys stay safe.

Laters! Ninja-Boy out!✌️✌️