Lizzy pushed the door of their shared office shut with a stack of files in her arms and let out a sigh. "It's nice being back to some normalcy."
Arriana looked up from the book she was searching through. "I know. This is the longest stretch of calm we've had since before New York."
"How long is it now?"
"Bad idea to count, you know." Michael moved the tea tray to the coffee table and dropped onto the couch. "Here you go, Arri."
"Thanks, Mickey."
Lizzy gave a sharp snort. "You know, we should really get one of those clocks that shows how many days it's been since an accident." She swept a hand through the air. "Days since planet was attacked."
Mid-drink, Arriana choked on her tea as she laughed. Michael stared for a moment and then started thumping Arriana on the back.
"Really, Lizzy?" he asked.
She kept nodding at them and sweeping her hand grandly through the air.
After several minutes shrieking with laughter in between coughs, Arriana managed to calm down enough to clear the tea from her lungs. She took a deep breath and let out a sigh. "And there could be one under it of 'days since council tried to nuke a major city'."
Lizzy rolled her eyes. "No shit." She dropped onto the couch and flopped her legs onto Michael's lap.
He simply shifted the file he was reading. "After everything, I'm amazed we made it to 24."
"Speak for yourself," Lizzy said. "I haven't gotten there yet. I've got another five days."
"Oh, I don't think we'll have any major emergencies before then," Arriana laughed.
They looked up at the beep of the intercom.
"Hey, darlin's," Cal's voice sounded normal, for which they were grateful.
"Morning, Cal," they chimed in unison.
"Damn, I feel like Charlie an' I get you three fer m' angels."
They laughed.
"Oh, I'm such a pretty angel," Michael said with a flip of his hand.
"So what's our new mission?" Lizzy laughed. Arriana clapped her hands over her mouth, trying to stifle the hysterical irony that Cal was inches from the truth but would never guess they were agents of the highest secret intelligence organization in the world. Michael quirked a brow at Lizzy and slowly shook his head.
"Your mission, should you choose to accept it," Cal said with a laugh, "is to be in the conference room at nine a.m. sharp for our weekly meetin'. There you'll find coffee and donuts. You'll need paper and…" He paused for a dramatic moment. "A pen."
"Dun, dun, dun," Lizzy giggled.
"Not a pen," Arriana softly cried. "Oh my goodness me."
He laughed. "It's 8:30 now, so you've got half an hour."
"Thanks, Cal."
The intercom beeped off again.
"Good, I'll actually remember to pee before the meeting today," Lizzy said.
Arriana laughed and glanced at her watch.
"He close?" Michael asked.
"Pretty close," she shrugged. "It's 8:32 to be exact."
"For Cal, that's spot on." Lizzy settled back and opened a file. Her 'Enter Sandman' ringtone sounded and she sighed. "Why is it every time I get comfortable something happens?"
"Fate," Michael said. "I'd think the fact that we're super-powered ninja mutants should explain just about everything."
Arriana nodded. "True. I hope I don't have to take back the comment about no major emergencies before your birthday."
"Don't hold your breath." Lizzy grabbed her phone. "Morning, Director."
The deep voice on the other end of the line growled out, "Seven-eight," and then hung up. The voice echoed through the shared portion of their minds. Code seven-eight. Level 6 emergency.
They were still for a split second, and then leaped to their feet. Arriana grabbed her and Lizzy's purses from the drawer. Lizzy opened the secret compartment in the arm of their couch, pulling out three hand guns. She loaded them with three sharp snaps. Michael hopped up on the other arm of the couch and pulled down a decorative box from the top of their overstuffed bookcase. He flipped it open, popped out the false bottom, and grabbed three packets containing their various fake Ids.
Lizzy handed a gun to each of them. As one, they slid them into their waistbands. The girls slung their purses over their shoulders, and they hurried into the hallway.
What are we going to tell him this time? Arriana asked silently, eyes flicking back and forth into each doorway and office off the hall.
Another emergency with our friends is our safest bet. Lizzy casually turned around for a second as they hurried down the hallway to check their six.
He's not going to take that as well, since we came home bloodied and beat to hell after New York. Michael put a hand on Arriana's shoulder to steady himself as he focused his mind to any human near them. He flipped through flash after flash of whatever was in their vision. Nothing unusual. With a few blinks, he focused into his own vision again.
We don't have time to explain anything anyway, Lizzy added. We'll just tell him we're not sure and we'll let him know as soon as we know anything.
They couldn't argue. I'm getting nervous that Cal will figure out who we are, Arriana sighed. She knocked and pushed his office door open.
He looked up with a smile that vanished a moment later. "What's the matter?"
"We have to go," Lizzy said. "We just got a call from one of our friends."
"Darlin'…" He was already shaking his head. "Not again. You've been gone more than here since New York."
"I'm sorry, Cal, but we have to go."
"What friend?"
"Nick," Arriana said. "We met him through our friend… Phil." She swallowed for a moment. Coulson's death was still too sharp to think about. Four years wouldn't be enough to get over it, and the four months since sure wasn't, but she also knew the emotion on their faces would throw Cal off the scent.
Cal opened his mouth to protest, but looked between them for a moment, worry pinching his brow. "Please tell me you're not goin' to New York."
"We are, Cal," Michael said. "We're meeting at Tony's."
"But…"
"It's the safest place, Cal," Arriana said. "But we really have to go."
He leaped up and hurried over to them. "You be careful. Alright?" He pulled them into a tight hug. "You're m' little minions. I can't live with anythin' happenin' to you. You understand me?"
They hugged him back.
"We know, Cal," Arriana said. "We'll call you as soon as we figure out what's going on."
Michael tightened his hug. "Hopefully whatever it is will just blow over."
"We'll text you when we land, Cal," Lizzy said.
They couldn't help themselves and hugged him for longer than they should have, afraid they might never see him again. Finally they gently used their telekinetic powers to force each other to let go, knowing they didn't quite have the self-control in that moment to make themselves let go.
"We love you, Cal," they called as they hurried out the door.
"I love you."
They pulled the door shut and walked as fast as they possibly could out of the building, grateful Heidi wasn't at her desk. Once they were out the front doors they broke into a sprint.
"I'll drive," Arriana called.
Lizzy tossed the keys to her and then jumped, sliding over the hood of their car to the passenger side. They dropped into their seats at the same moment. Arriana wrenched the car into reverse and slammed on the gas for three seconds.
The car screamed backwards, making a perfect 90 degree turn. She jammed the car into drive and dropped her foot onto the pedal again. They tore out of the parking lot.
Pulling her cell phone out, Lizzy said, "Jarvis, call Tony."
"Yes, ma'am," came the posh English voice.
The next moment they heard, "Hey, kiddo," with ACDC playing in the background. "What's up?"
"Seven-eight, Tony," she said, gripping the overhead handle as Arriana raced around another corner.
They passed a cop car. Lizzy put her hand up and thought, You don't think we're going fast enough to bother with.
Michael put his hand up and changed the color and size of their car in the cop's mind.
"Gotcha, Lizzy," Tony said. "I'll take care of it."
Lizzy slid her phone back into her pocket. "This is exactly why we should live closer to work."
"Fair, but not the time," Arriana said as she wrenched the car onto the ramp and zoomed onto the highway.
Focusing her attention for a moment into herself, Lizzy slid into the shared portion of their mind. Loki, sweetheart.
Yes, my darling? came his smooth as silk voice. You sound strained.
Emergency. We're on our way home. Get the cats into their carriers – they're in the top of the litter box closet – and the leash on Tani. Then unplug everything and grab the emergency bags.
Of course, darling. Is there anything else I need to pack?
Lizzy thought for a moment. Just about everything they could want was duplicated at Stark Tower. Grab our notebooks, Stark-pads, and our zip drives.
Right away. I'll also grab the favored stuffies.
Thanks. Lizzy refocused into her present surroundings. They were miles from home, but making good time.
"Jarvis, call Banner, and turn the Thor signal on." Tony leaped up from the scattered pieces of the engine he was working on and slid into the chair behind his desk. "Emergency mode, boys." Screens appeared around him. "Locate Avengers." A map appeared on the screen in front of him with small colored dots around the world. "Locate Stark jets." Blinking red dots appeared across the globe. "Get Banner's plane ready to go and send a car to his location."
"Sir," Jarvis's voice broke into his thoughts, "Dr. Banner."
"I hope this is important, Tony," Bruce said. His voice steady for once.
"Stitch him up, Bruce. The triplets called. We're okay, but we need to be prompt."
"I appreciate your gentle way of going about this," he said with a dry laugh. "What's going on?"
"Seven-eight." There was silence for a moment. "Bruce?"
"I need five minutes."
"A car will be waiting for you."
"Thanks."
Tony swiped the red button to end the call, and snapped his fingers. A countdown clock appeared on the screen near Bruce's green dot that read twelve hours and twenty minutes. "Get Rogers, Jarvis." He scanned the map. Let's see… Banner will be in the air shortly, as will the triplets and Loki. He flicked another countdown clock up near the triplets' pink, indigo, and yellow dots. Two hours, twenty-two minutes. Okay… Thor signaled. Barton and Romanoff… North Korea. Perfect. He rolled his eyes. Rogers… home. Good.
"H-hello?" Steve's voice was louder than necessary. "Tony? Can you hear me?"
"I can hear you, Rogers," Tony said with an epic eye roll. "Just listen, okay? The triplets called. Seven-eight. You don't need any clothes and don't bring any tech except your phone."
"Got it. I'll be out in two minutes."
"Good." He swiped the screen in front of him. The call ended and a timer automatically appeared next to Rogers's blue dot. It read twenty minutes – arrival at 9:59 a.m. "Barton, Jarvis."
"Yes, sir."
Tony rolled a ball between his hands while he waited for Barton to pick up.
"What is it, Stark?" came Barton's hissed whisper.
"The triplets called. Seven-eight."
"Got it. Mission abort. Approximately nineteen minutes to take off."
"Gotcha." The call clicked off. "Get me Pepper, Jarvis. Interrupt anything."
"Yes, sir."
He spread his hands over the map to expand the North Korea area. "Calculate with SHIELD jet speeds," he said. The countdown timer that had appeared next to their purple and red dots adjusted itself – nine hours, forty-two minutes. Getting to his feet, he paced back and forth. "Get Pepper's plane ready. Take off as soon as she's onboard."
"Ms. Potts, sir."
"Tony, what is the matter? I'm in the middle of–"
"Sorry, Pep. Emergency. Seven-eight. Don't bother finishing your meeting."
"But…"
"No, Pepper. Get in the car and get on the damn plane."
"Alright."
"I love you."
"I love you, too, Tony. But what do I tell them?"
"Tell them there's been an accident at Stark Industries and you need to see to it immediately."
"Alright." She hung up and a counter appeared next to her white dot.
"Jarvis, let Happy know I need him to make some runs to the airport. He needs to leave to get Pepper pretty soon."
"Yes, sir. Would you like me to have cars readied for any arrivals?"
"Yeah, set up a car for the triplets, and Barton and Romanoff. They're definitely capable of driving themselves no matter what gets thrown at them."
"And how would you like me to arrange Dr. Banner's arrival, sir?"
"Have Happy pick him up. The last thing he needs is driving through Manhattan traffic."
"Yes, sir."
Tony kept an eye on the timers as he watched the fifty stories of Stark Industries quickly clear of anyone else.
"What's going on?" Natasha slid down next to Clint.
"Seven-eight. We need to abort."
"Who called it?"
"The triplets."
"Right. I'll take him." She pulled out a small black pod and threw it over the wall. It began to issue a thick smoke from the edge.
"Dodaeche mwoya?" (What the hell?) were the last words of the North Korean guard.
Natasha leaped over the wall, hung from the top and wrapped her thighs around the man's neck. With a soft crunch, he stopped fighting. She let go. The man crumpled to the ground and she dropped down beside him.
An arrow flew past her ear and the soft thud of another body falling from the top of the wall was the only other sound. She raced along the wall as two more arrow flicks and soft thuds were silenced by the growing distance. With long strides, she ran up the wall and flipped over the other side, landing on a guard who let out only one soft grunt before she broke his windpipe with her fingers. The thwack of an arrow hitting and clutching into concrete made her look up. She raced forward, with the rapid steps of Clint just behind her.
A thin black rope dangled from the arrow. She paused for a quick moment for Clint to catch up to her. He clicked the trigger button on his bow and held it in front of him as the rope wound back to it. Natasha caught the bow and they were both pulled upward. She whipped out her gun, and with three rapid pops, three more bodies fell.
They didn't wait at the top of the wall and jumped the twelve feet to the ground, rolling as they landed. Popping up like wildcats, they raced out into the surrounding tree cover.
"Wires," Natasha called.
Clint shot an arrow trailing another thin black cord past her. It lodged in a thick branch far overhead. She spun and grabbed his bow. They swung over the thick brush threaded with razor sharp trip wires and landed on the other side. They kept running through half a mile before they had to slow down. Coming to the edge of the city, they crouched behind the corner of a cinder-block building and waited for three national police cars to go by. Once out of sight, they ran around to the entrance of the building.
They heaved back on the heavy steel door and then raced inside, letting it slam behind them.
"You get us off the ground, I'll open the door," Natasha said with a small wicked smile. A call came from the corner of the building. Without looking over, she fired a single shot. The leaded pop and the thud of another dead body echoed off the walls.
Dropping into the pilot seat, Clint flipped a few switches and jammed his hand down on the ignition. The roar of the turbines revving up filled the warehouse. Natasha dropped into the seat beside him. She flipped a switch, opening a hatch on the top of the jet. A short range remote missile rose from its confines. Grabbing the control stick, she punched the launch button and guided the missile into the roof of the warehouse as the jet rose from the ground.
Clint guided the jet straight up through the hole in the roof, climbing toward the stars. Natasha switched to the machine gun, spinning it to point behind them. She watched the screen and fired several quick rounds. An explosion on the ground bid them farewell.
"Somehow I don't think they'll want us to visit again soon," Clint said.
"Too bad, kind of pretty here," Natasha said, firing off a few more rounds for another explosion.
"I don't know. Our hotel wasn't up to my standards. I prefer metal to concrete."
"Picky." She flicked the switch to put the machine gun away. "We're out of short range."
"Good. Estimated arrival at eighteen-hundred, fifty-eight hours."
"Were the triplets on a mission?" Natasha asked.
"Stark didn't say. He said they were the ones who called the code."
"Hopefully they're in Stark Tower already."
As the black oblivion of the night's cloud cover swallowed them up, the pinpricks of starlight illuminated their world.
"Pretty up here," Clint said, glancing over at her.
"Eyes on the road," she said with a smile hidden in the dark.
"I am finished," Bruce said in Hindi, putting a hand on the man's shoulder. "Keep the stitches clean. Use warm water and soap at least twice every day." He turned to the man's wife. "In three weeks, carefully cut the stitches and gently pull them out. Keep cleaning for another week after you take the stitches out."
"Thank you, thank you," the woman said. "We have a chicken for you."
"Oh, no. Thank you," Bruce said. "But I must go quickly. Thank you for your generosity, but there's no charge. Feel better." He quickly grabbed his bag and raced out the door. A knot of fear wound its way around his chest as he spotted the black car waiting for him under a dim street light. What if that wasn't actually Tony? What if this is a trap? He slowly made his way toward the car.
A driver climbed out. "Dr. Banner?" the man asked.
He nodded. "Yes."
"Mr. Stark said 'stop worrying and get in the damn car'." He shifted nervously. "My apologies. I was instructed to give you the message."
Bruce let out a sigh. "Oh, no, you're… you're fine."
The driver nodded and pulled open the back door of the car. Bruce slid in with a sigh.
"Relax, Bruce," came Tony's slightly tinny voice. "The plane's waiting at the nearest airport for you."
He shook his head, letting his breath slowly slip out after the startle as he looked up at the black mesh of the speaker. "Thanks, Tony."
"You got it, big man. See you when you get here."
"Is Lizzy there yet?"
"No. She's on her way, though."
"Oh… okay." He clenched his fists for a moment and then started slowly wringing his hands.
"As Lizzy would say, deep breath, baby."
"Go away, Tony."
"See you soon." The call clicked off.
The ride to the airport took longer than the eternity he was prepared for. Bruce felt his blood pressure steadily rising and he concentrated on breathing slowly, trying to retreat in his brain to a calmer space. He could feel the box rattling in the back of his mind. Against his better judgment, he watched the clock, not wholly knowing what he was waiting for – other than a life-threatening explosion that would bring the other guy out and kill hundreds, if not thousands of people.
At seven-thirty-six the car pulled up next to the plane. It was darker here without the hundreds of lights of the city around him. He jogged up the stairs, noting that the engines were already at a roar by the time the door closed behind him.
"Please take a seat for takeoff, Dr. Banner," the flight attendant said before disappearing up front.
"Thank you." He dropped into one of the plush seats with a sigh and felt the plane start forward. As much as being in this tin can made him nervous, it felt better being in the air than on the ground where thousands of people surrounded him.
The flight attendant came back into the cabin, giving him a smile. "Would you like something to eat or drink, Dr. Banner?"
"Oh, uh…"
"Mr. Stark had me put some Coke in to chill and had several cheeseburgers brought on board for you."
He chuckled slightly. "He would do that." Still wringing his hands, he said, "Sure, that… that sounds great."
She brought the food and an ice bucket filled with bottles of Coke to him, and then disappeared up front again. Bruce was grateful for the peace and quiet. After devouring the large dinner, he settled back to rest and, before he realized he was that tired, fell asleep.
As soon as Loki was on the plane, Lizzy pulled the door shut. Arriana hurried up to the cockpit and dropped into the seat. She flipped switches and hit buttons. The sound of the engines roaring to life was the sweetest Loki had ever heard. He helped Lizzy safely stow the cats and get Tani settled, and then followed her and Michael to the front.
"Tower, this is Stark three requesting priority takeoff, en route to LaGuardia airport, New York, New York," Arriana said.
"Stark three, this is tower, you are cleared to taxi to runway two and proceed with takeoff."
Michael dropped into the co-pilot seat, and put on the headset.
"Roger, tower." Arriana pushed the throttle forward and the plane began to move. She steered the plane around to the runway. "Tower, Stark three requesting permission to takeoff."
"You are a-go, Stark three."
"Roger, tower. Stark three throttling up."
Loki stood in the door of the cabin, watching them. He loved their effortless prowess at seemingly everything. The plane picked up speed along the runway and then lurched into the air as Arriana pulled back on the stick. Loki braced himself against the cockpit threshold with Lizzy leaning back against him.
"Stark three en route to cruising altitude of 60,000 feet."
"Roger, Stark three. Safe flight."
Arriana pushed the throttle forward to climb faster. Michael glanced at a few dials and turned to the computer positioned just behind the co-pilot seat, and began tapping away.
"I've rerouted a few military aircraft and rescheduled a couple passenger flights heading to LaGuardia to increase our speed," he said.
"Okay, thanks. Estimated arrival at eleven-hundred-thirty-five, Eastern standard time."
The plane leveled out above the clouds.