"I will... Bye." Arriana ended the call and slid the phone back into her pocket. "So Cal's worried as all hell and starting to sniff way too close to the truth."
"We should probably leave the Lightman Group," Lizzy said. "We never should have risked getting so close to him."
"I know." Arriana hugged herself.
"I'm not sure that's a good idea," Tony said from behind the holographic wall of information. "Lightman's the obsessive type. He'll try to track you down. And while I have no doubt that you're skilled enough to evade him, the last thing you need is him chasing you. It'll put him on SHIELD's radar for sure."
"Then what do we do, Tony?" Michael said.
"Distance is your friend at the moment. You can lie better over the phone and text than to his face. We'll brainstorm some good lies that are as close to the truth as we can get." He flicked a few screens away. "If we have to, we'll use his suspicions to our advantage. Let him think you're involved with the mob or something."
They groaned.
"Oh, yeah, that won't have him riding in on his proverbial white horse to save us," Lizzy said.
"Well, the only other option is to tell him the truth and swear him to secrecy."
"And hope he doesn't reject us on the mere fact that we're assassins and have killed loads of people," Arriana said a little bitterly.
Steve turned to look at her, but she immediately spun around, not able to bear his rejection for the same reason. He and Thor were the only ones in their group that didn't know, didn't understand the weight the rest of them carried. The weight of the thousands of dead.
The room seemed to dim around them.
Tony's head snapped up. "Jarvis, are we having problems again?"
"No, sir. There has been no change in physical surroundings."
"Right." He hopped up from his chair and jogged over to Arriana, taking her by the shoulders. "Hey, Carebear, deep breath. It's alright. You're depressing the air again," he chuckled. "Everything will work out."
"No it won't, Tony." Tears poured over, cascading down her cheeks.
"Hey," he cooed, pulling her against him. "It's okay, kiddo. This is just a bump in the road. We'll figure it out. We've been in hard places before." He pulled her back and lifted her chin. "I once thought it was over and nothing would get better, and then three little squirts stole a plane, crash landed it in my front yard, and said they were there to help." Tony cupped her face. "And you did help. I thought it was impossible, but you knew it wasn't. You knew I could figure it out. But I couldn't do it without you. And now I'm going to help you figure this out."
She sniffled, fighting to blink away the tears as she looked up at him. "You promise?"
"I promise." He brushed her tears away. "After all, what are the odds that a massive world spy organization can beat a couple geniuses, three little mutants, two master assassins, two gods, and an old man, huh?"
She giggled.
"That's better." He tucked her against him again. "We got this. After all, none of us should even be alive. We've got nothing to lose."
Arriana laughed in spite of herself. "Well, in that case, how about we have a party on the roof and light some fireworks."
Tony playfully winced. "Ooh, sorry, can't. I've got a thing."
She laughed and gave him a push. "Oh, go thing yourself, Tony."
He snorted. "And I'll leave the thinging to Loki." He gave her a shove into Loki's lap.
"Speaking of," Loki murmured in her ear. He looked up at Tony. "Do you still need them?"
"Nope. We're waiting. Romanoff and Barton are still on schedule, and Banner is stable again."
"I said I'd check in on him every hour or so," Lizzy said.
"Jarvis can get the pilot for you," Tony said.
She shrugged. "I figured I'd contact him in his mind, that way I don't have to wake him if he's actually sleeping."
Tony snapped and gave her finger-guns. "Then that's all you, babe."
Loki got to his feet, lifting Arriana with him. "Then I'll take them down to their rooms so they can get freshened up and rest."
"Sounds good. Give Tani and the cats pets for me," Tony said.
"We will." Michael got to his feet and pulled Lizzy up.
"Come, my darlings." Loki kept an eye on Steve, but he made no movement to stop them, so he carried Arriana into the elevator with Michael and Lizzy on his heels.
The doors slid shut.
"You should have told her," Tony said.
"Drop it, Stark." Steve stood stubbornly with his back to them, pretending to watch the map.
Tony shook his head and slid back into his chair.
Pepper leaned down and kissed his cheek. "I'm going to go back up to my office. Since I couldn't be at the meeting, I should try to do a conference call."
"We need to lock down, Pepper. I can't let any transmissions go out right now."
"But..."
He turned to her, a rare moment of giving her his full attention. "I understand this is important to the business, and as soon as I can allow transmissions I will sit in on the conference with you if you'd like, but right now it's a safety concern. There can't be any way for SHIELD to detect our presence. I'm 99% certain my technology is impermeable by theirs, but I can't be 100% certain, so I won't risk everyone's safety." He brought her fingers to his lips. "Especially yours."
Pepper sighed. "Alright." She cupped his face. "Do I still have access to the Stark Industries databases and mainframe?"
"Absolutely, Ms. Potts." He looked up at her, studying every detail of her face – her bright, sharp eyes that saw every one of his faults, her elfin ears that picked up everything he muttered under his breath, her straight and somehow perfectly set nose that she wrinkled when she was thinking, and her indulgent smile when he acted like a charming ass.
Steve watched them out of the corner of his eye. It wasn't a look he thought would ever cross Tony Stark's face. It looked as if he was worshiping her, this woman he loved. Lucky bastard. Steve turned back to studying the world map, forcing his mind to focus on any differences from the maps in the 1940s. New countries. New lines drawn. Everything's new. He glanced over his shoulders at the elevator doors where Arriana had disappeared. Well, some things are the same. I always lose the girl.
Cal paced his office for the millionth time that day with the New York news droning in the background, sure he'd worn a trench in the floor by now. He couldn't get the look of hunted fear in Lizzy, Michael, and Arriana's eyes out of his head, nor shake the sadness in Arriana's voice when she said she couldn't have what she wanted. He didn't know if those were connected or not, but he didn't like to hear her so heartbroken.
They're always a little freaked out when they leave for New York since the attack, he told himself for the hundredth time. He stopped short. No, they're not. They weren't scared when they went to stay with friends just weeks after the attack. A frown pinched his brow. An' they were freaked out when they left for New York before the attack. He turned to pace again. But that was because one of their friends was kidnapped or somethin'.
"Are you still here?"
He spun around to find Gillian leaning against his door. "What are you doin' here?"
She shook her head, a smile curving her lips. "I was finishing up the paychecks for this week. Remember, we had to cut back on our accounting budget so I do the paychecks now." She stopped in front of him.
"Oh, right," he frowned. "I'm sorry, love." He cupped her face. "Are you doin' alright? Are you doin' too much?"
She gave a soft laugh. "I'm fine, Cal. It's just some accounting."
"Yeah, but I don't want too much on your plate. We can get someone in to do that."
"No, we can't," she said, her gaze pinning him to the spot. "We can barely afford the abysmal salary we're paying our little minions." She sighed. "I really don't know how they make ends meet."
"I'm not sure they always are." Cal brushed her hair back and then forced himself to withdraw his hands. "I was hoping their friends would help them more, but there's some reason they won't take help."
"Why do you say that?"
"Well, they let slip one time that their friend Tony offered to help them with bills – he's the one who lives in Manhattan, so you know he's got to be loaded," he said. She nodded. "But they said they couldn't, and wouldn't say anything more about it. Which is what always happens when I get close to this other part of their life."
She put a hand on his shoulder. "I guess be grateful they're at least not lying to you and accept it for now, Cal."
"You're not worried about them?"
"Of course, I am. But I don't want to lose what trust we've gained by pushing passed the line. We've always had that line for a reason. We know things around here. We see things. There needs to be some privacy."
"Yeah, I know. I just..." He heaved a sigh.
The newscaster's voice changed tone. "In other news, the Bronx police are still investigating the explosion near the 46th precinct at 4:37 this morning." Cal and Gillian exchanged glances. "No deaths have been reported, but two were taken to the hospital in critical condition. A second explosion occurred just two hours later in the parking lot of a Hackensack 7-Eleven at 6:26 this morning where three were taken to the hospital. Two are still in critical condition, while one person was released a few hours later with minor injuries. A police spokesperson said the incidents don't appear to be related and insist there is no reason to suspect an act of terrorism, however, a source close to the investigation stated that the explosives used were the same. It's unclear yet what the motivation of either bomber was."
Cal turned to her, pointing at the screen. "Two explosions this morning! What are the chances?"
"Don't overreact, Cal," she said, a frown pinching her brow as she rubbed his arm. "I know it's odd timing, but don't you think if that had something to do with our three little minions the explosions would've been here in Minnesota? Not in New York."
He frowned. "True, but their friends are all in New York."
"No, they go to New York to see their friends. We only know Tony lives in New York, and he's in Manhattan. Neither explosion was in Manhattan."
"Maybe the organization runs out of Manhattan."
"Cal," she sighed. Shaking her head, Gillian hugged him. "You've seen how they've reacted to criminals in our investigations."
"Yeah?" He frowned. "What's your point?"
"And you've seen how warmly they talk about Tony and their other friends. These are people they truly love. Now do you really think our little minions would feel that way about hardened criminals?"
He pressed his lips, searching for a reason to say yes, but he finally let his breath rush out. "No, it's not possible."
"Based on their reactions to a lot of the criminals we've come across it's more likely they're part of... some crime fighting group than a criminal organization."
He let out a harsh laugh. "Yeah, probably more likely they're part of the bloody Avengers than being part of the mob or somethin'."
"Try not to worry too much," she said. "I'm sure they'll be fine."
Cal gave himself a shake. "Yeah, you're right, of course." He managed a smile for her. "You should go home and get some rest. I know accounting tires you out."
She smiled, shaking her head at him. "Good night, Cal. You get some rest, too."
"I will."
"No, you won't."
"Not a chance." He grinned. "But you should." He kissed her cheek. "Goodnight."
"Goodnight, Cal." With one more glance at him, she left.
He listened to the click of her heels down the echoing halls until they disappeared out the door. Sliding behind his desk, he pulled up the security cameras, and watched her as she walked to her car, got in, and drove away without anyone suspicious following her.
Smiling in spite of himself, Cal clicked out of the security system and leaned back in his chair. M' little minions are damn good with the security system, he chuckled to himself. He froze.
They were more than damn good with it. They were better than Loker at times, and his ability with technology was what frequently saved Loker from being fired.
"An' how the hell were they so calm going back to New York only a few weeks after aliens fuckin' invaded?" He launched out of his chair again, pacing the length of the room. "They were freaked out before the attack on New York. They were horribly injured. Weeks later they go back to New York, but they aren't freakin' out." He stopped short. "But why not?"
Dropping into his chair he pulled up the saved security footage of them leaving each time.
The first trip had been unplanned, an emergency. "Brows raised and pinched. Eyes wide, pupils dilated. An' there, when I ask them why they're leaving, they all look down." He tracked the footage backward and forward. "God, they look down exactly together. That's impossible. There's always a slight variation." He spun it forward and back again and again. "But there's definitely no variation. They are in perfect sync with each other."
He slumped back in his chair. "I know they're close, but this is on the level of mass hallucination. It just doesn't happen."
Tossing the thought aside to worry about later, he flipped to the footage of when they left to stay with their friends.
"Smiles. Eyes crinkling. Relaxed posture. Laughing." He sat back again, chewing on his finger. "They're not scared at all." He was quiet for a moment, and then flipped to the footage of them leaving in July.
All three had seemed off since they got back from visiting their friends, but it hadn't seemed serious at first.
"A week later..." He stared at the date on the footage. "Ten days... Ten days later and they had to leave again after Lizzy had some sort of episode." He watched the footage through.
Her eyes slid out of focus and she sort of froze like a posed doll. Then a moment later she'd started speaking in a language that Cal still hadn't identified.
"It's got to be some kind of Norse language, but I don't think she knows any Scandinavian languages even though her family's Norwegian." He unlocked the drawer he kept important documents in and grabbed the key to open the drawer he really kept important documents in. Launching out of his chair, he jogged the few steps into his study and popped open the file cabinet, flicking through the personnel files until he came to theirs.
He scanned the files. "No, they only speak Spanish, German, an' ASL, an' I know they know some art related words in Hindi – which is odd enough – and Russian swearwords." He flipped their files shut and slid them back into the drawer, careful to lock it and return the keys to their lockbox as well.
"Which means it must have been a hallucination? But..." He dropped back into his chair. "That calls for a trip to the doctor, not a trip to see your friends. An' now this time. Absolutely terrified when they left." He clicked to the footage of them leaving that morning. They came in, talked for a moment, hugged him, and left – all with terror in their eyes. Cal stared at the video of the closed office door.
Curious, he flicked through footage until he found the pieces he wanted and linked them together. Hitting play, he watched them leave his office, walk down the hall, out the front doors...
"And break into a run." He chewed his fingers as he watched the video. "Damn, where did they learn to slide across the hood of a car... and how the hell can she drive like that..." The footage stopped as their car careened around a corner and disappeared behind a building.
He launched out of his chair once more and resumed pacing. "They were afraid, yeah, but not actually terrified. That's m' worry seein' that. The science says they were experiencing an amount of fear. An' I did see the signs of paranoia typically associated with someone being stalked or chased, but they were calm and in control. Average people aren't in control if they believe they're being followed."
A frown pinched his brow and he slid around his desk, leaning to click through video stills. He rewound to them leaving their office before they talked to him.
"God, they're so casual. Their body language isn't showin' any of the fear I could see up close." He paused and backed the video up. "Did Lizzy just subtly check their six?" His heart skipped a beat. "No, there's no way."
His feet dragged him back to pacing. "Unnatural amounts of emotional control, excess language skills – though nothing outside of the normal range – random skills the average person has no business having..." Cal stopped short and dropped onto his couch, staring at the diagrm photos on the wall opposite. "A perfect shot. Months ago. Why didn't I see that? No one in this bloody office can handle an armed assailant except me. That's why the FBI fuckin' gave me an agent. An' they were all a better shot. So good there was only one hole in the guy. An' they didn't seem phased."
"No. No, no, no, no." He leaped up again, hands dragging through his hair. "It can't be. They can't be agents. The FBI would've told me. Why would they put one known agent and three undercover agents in m' office?" He stopped. "Would the CIA? I've had a few dealing's with them, but I didn't think I'd pissed anyone off enough to embed three secret agents in m' office."
He shook himself and resumed pacing. "No, no, they can't be agents. Their mental health and background would disqualify them for the training programs. An' they've known some o' these friends since they were young. Phil they knew since they were, what? Twelve, I think. God," he groaned, running a hand over his face. "M' poor little minions. His death hit them hard. No wonder they were so beat up when they got back from New York if they were close enough one of their friends was killed by an alien."
Cal froze for a moment and then spun toward the chair where Gillian usually sat. "But if they're takin' his death so hard, why were they fine with goin' back to New York weeks after?" The growled cry rushed out of him without his permission. "It doesn't make sense. What are they? What's this bloody secret? Did they get involved in drug trafficking as kids? Did they somehow get messed up with the mafia – talkin' about all these 'friends'? Are they FBI or CIA?"
He wandered into his study and collapsed onto his couch. "I just wish they'd let me in," he groaned. "I just want to know m' little minions are safe." Knowing Emily was at her mother's and he'd only be going home to an empty house, he pulled the blanket Gillian bought for him over himself and let his mind wander through the strange patterns of information he'd picked up over two years. "I love them. I just want to make sure they're safe." He heaved a sigh. "I'm not sure I'd be less devastated if something happened to them than I would if something happened to Emily."