Same old disclaimer… blah blah blah… Marvel owns them all!

Chapter 16: Trapped

Ned was frustrated. It was Monday afternoon, and he had been trying to call Happy Hogan all weekend without success.

He had been excited to see the man's number on his caller ID the previous Friday, but the phone call took a turn for the worse when Ned realized that Peter was never supposed to be picked up from school.

Ned felt like the whole situation was completely unfair. He and Michelle kept their promise to Peter, and they helped him keep his Spider-Man identity a secret. Furthermore, MJ was texting him about being worried. She was trying to get a hold of Peter, and he wasn't answering his phone—it went straight to voicemail. Therefore, she was also getting a bad feeling.

Just when Ned was about to give up on hearing anything at all, Happy Hogan's number flashed on his screen as the phone rang. Ned picked up immediately.

"Mr. Happy? Where have you been? I've been trying to get a hold of you all weekend! Is Peter ok? Is he with you? Can I—"

"Woah, woah!" Happy cut in. "Take it easy kid. It's been a long weekend here."

Ned didn't miss the exhaustion in the other man's voice. If he thought there was something wrong before, now he knew that something wasn't right.

He heard Happy take a deep breath on the other end of the phone. "Listen, Ned. I'm sorry I didn't call sooner. When I saw that you were trying to contact me, I talked to Tony. We think it's only fair to give you some idea of what's happening."

"Peter's ok, right?" Ned asked, his anxiety increasing.

"We know how you and Michelle have looked out for Peter. You deserve to know things, but I need you to understand that I cannot tell you everything. Can you understand?" Happy asked seriously.

"Ye-yes, s-sir," Ned stuttered. He had a really bad feeling about this.

"Peter isn't here." Happy told him. "He's not upstate. All that I can tell you is that he is in a bit of trouble, but we're doing everything that we can to help him."

That was vague, but Ned supposed that he should appreciate even that much information. "Can I… I mean… is there anything that I can do to help him?" Ned asked, feeling helpless.

"I don't think so. Sorry." Happy said in response.

"Can I at least tell MJ what you told me? She's been worried since she hasn't been able to get Peter on his phone," Ned clarified.

"I think that's fair," Happy said. "But the two of you need to keep this to yourselves. I know that's hard, but it could make things harder for Peter if others know that he is in trouble."

"Can you… I mean… What kind of trouble is he in? Can you tell me anything about it? Is he going to be ok?" Ned asked, desperate to know something more about his friend.

"I believe he will be ok, Ned. It will be up to Peter to tell you more when he is back." Happy said. "And, yes, we will get him back here. It's just unclear as to how quickly that will happen."

"Wait! What about his birthday?" Ned asked. Then he thought of something else. "My mom was supposed to host a party for him at our house this Friday. She hasn't been able to get a hold of May. What should I tell her?"

"Oh man! I… uh… yeah… geez, the kid's birthday is this week. Talk about bad timing," Happy said. Although, Ned thought the last part was something that he was saying more to himself. "Listen, May is sick. That's why your mom hasn't been able to contact her. We brought her upstate when… um… the trouble started. It turns out she's come down with a bad case of the flu."

"Poor May!" Ned said. "Will she be alright?"

"She should be fine. We have a doctor here who's looking after her." Happy was a quiet a moment before adding, "Listen, Ned. I need you to tell your mom something, so that she isn't suspicious. I want you to tell her that the party for Friday needs to be postponed. Tell her that May came upstate to pick up Peter from his internship retreat but became very sick while she was here. Tell her that May is being cared for upstate and Peter doesn't want to leave her alone. I think it will be best to put Friday's celebration on hold."

"Will it take that long to get Peter back upstate and out of trouble?" Ned asked. There was really no hiding the worry in his voice.

"I hope not. As a matter of fact, we're hoping to have him out of trouble before his birthday. I just think he may not feel up to attending a big party right away." Happy clarified.

"What about Thursday, the day of his birthday? MJ and I were supposed to come up and celebrate with him there," Ned reminded Happy.

"Right… let me get back to you on that, kid. For now, let's plan on keeping that on the schedule. We can tell your mom that we want Peter's friends with him on his birthday. He isn't the one who's sick, so I think it could still make sense to have you come up to see him. And…" Happy added, "I want to believe that he'll be back here on his birthday. When he is… I think he would like to see his friends."

Ned didn't miss the sound of uncertainty in Happy's voice. The man was trying to convince himself that Peter would be back. Ned knew that Peter must be in serious trouble if the Avengers didn't have a better idea of when Peter would return.

"Ok, Mr. Happy. I'll take care of things here. I'll let my mom know about May, and I'll tell MJ what you told me. I can at least do that much for Peter," Ned said.

"That's great, kid. Thanks." Happy told him. "I have to go now, ok. We'll talk later."

"Ok. Thank you for calling, Mr. Happy. Bye." Ned hung up the phone and stared at it in his hand. He felt sick with worry. Happy Hogan always talked to Ned with an edge of annoyance and impatience, but this time was different. He had never heard Mr. Stark's head of security sound so serious or worn out.

He prayed that Peter was going to be ok. He decided to call MJ first, knowing that she was anxious to hear something. He figured he'd invite her over, so they could talk to his mom together. Plus, he was going to need her help contacting the kids from school to let them know that there wouldn't be a party at his house on Friday after all.

It was early Tuesday morning. Natasha was staring out the window, taking in the surroundings. It had been days since they first received the phone call from Rhodes and Tony. "We've been waiting for a while," Natasha said to Steve. "It's going on three days now. Do you think they're still coming?"

"They're coming," Steve said simply. He looked over to Sam who was standing off to the side with his arms crossed over his chest.

"So, we just wait?" Sam asked with annoyance. "The three of us are just going to sit on our asses and wait for them?"

Natasha and Steve simply looked back him, knowing that they didn't really need to give him an answer.

Steve let out a sigh, "I owe him at least this much, Sam. I'm going to wait here for as long as it takes. I told you that you didn't have to stay."

Sam shook his head. He was undoubtably loyal to Steve, so there was no way that Sam was going to leave him to await their arrival alone. "You know I won't leave you, Cap. You've risked too much for me. It's only fair that I stay to back you up."

"Will you be ok?" Natasha asked Steve. "I know this hasn't been easy for you. I saw the disappointment on your face when Rhodes was speaking for Tony."

Steve stood up and took a few steps towards the same window where Natasha was standing. "I hurt him, Nat. Both physically and emotionally. We fought hard, and I don't know that he will ever forgive me for the scars that I gave him." Steve thought for a moment, "I should have told him about his parents. It's always important to tell the truth, but I convinced myself that it was better for him to believe that it had all been an accident."

"You didn't know that it was Barnes," Natasha reminded him.

"No…" Steve said, "…but maybe things would have been different if he at least knew that their death had been a professional hit."

"Come on, Steve," Sam said. "Let's be real. Tony would have attacked Barnes even if you had told him it was a hit."

"And you still would have fought to protect Barnes from Tony," Natasha added.

"It's true," Steve confessed. "I just wish Tony could understand. I never meant to betray him, but I feel responsible for what happened to Bucky. I need to protect him. Bucky deserves to get his life back and make amends." He looked over to Natasha and added, "He deserves a chance to wipe the red from his own ledger."

Natasha nodded in understanding.

Sam took a step towards his friends. "I get the need to try to make things right with Stark." They looked at him. "I'm just going to go on record and say that I don't think this will end well."

Natasha and Steve gave their friend a sad smile. They agreed with Sam. They knew it wasn't exactly going to end well.

Peter was confused, and maybe even a little angry. He couldn't understand why he was still in this place. He thought Mr. Stark was doing something to help him. Peter dreaded the idea of being stuck on the prison raft for his birthday. After all, if he was there for one birthday, wasn't it possible that there could be other birthdays on the raft as well? He shuddered at the thought.

Peter had looked for a way to possibly help himself, but they didn't give him any real opportunity. It was Saturday morning when he met the doctor, and they had only taken him to her again the day before. Peter hadn't even known what day it was until she told him it was Monday. The doctor only made some notes about how his new diet was impacting him before returning him to his cell. The damn collar gave him no chance to fight back.

Today was the start of day 4, Tuesday morning. He hated this place. He didn't want to stay here. He wanted someone to get him out!

Peter was pulled from his thoughts when his breakfast tray was slid into the cell. This morning he was given 2 bowls of oatmeal and 2 slices of toast with a side of more water. Water was about the only beverage he was given. He already missed the taste of his morning orange juice. As Peter got up to grab the tray, he noticed Wilson standing outside of his cell, and Peter realized he must have brought him the meal.

"What's the matter, little spider?" Wilson asked. Peter could tell that the man was taunting him by the way he stuck out his lip and talked to him like a child. "Little Peter looks so sad," Wilson continued. "Is it because your Iron-Daddy left you here? Hmm?"

"What's your problem, dude?" Peter asked in annoyance. "Why are you even still here? Doesn't Ross miss his lap dog by now?" If Wilson got to tease him, Peter would definitely take some shots of his own.

Wilson just gave a huff an annoyance at Peter's remark. "I'm right where I'm supposed to be," Wilson said. He took another step towards the cell, lowered his voice and gave a menacing glare at Peter. "And so are you," he added, "All locked up… Right. Where. You. Should. Be." He emphasized the last words, using them to torment Peter.

"I DON'T BELONG HERE!" Peter yelled suddenly, smashing his fists against the bars. "Tell me what I did wrong! I never hurt anyone! I want to help people, not hurt them!"

"Aww…" Wilson continued to taunt Peter. "Don't throw a tantrum little Peter! You'll get all worked up for nothing!"

Peter stepped away from the bars for a moment, trying to collect himself. He turned back to Wilson and said, "You never told me who it was."

Wilson looked confused. "I'm sorry, little boy, but you're going to have to be more specific."

"Who told Ross about Spider-Man? How did he find out?" Peter asked. It was a question that was burning on his mind. He didn't believe that Ned or MJ would ever betray his trust. Neither would anyone from the Avengers compound. Certainly not May or Tony.

"Oh…" Wilson said slowly. "I see. The little spider wants to know who let the cat out of the bag?"

Peter just stared back and waited to see if Wilson even had the answer.

The man lowered his voice again, as if trying to tell Peter a secret that he didn't want anyone else to hear. "I guess you could say that "a little birdy" told him," Wilson said.

Peter was confused, "what?"

"You know… a bird. Come on, genius. Surely you can figure out what little birdy spilled your secret?" Wilson said. He shrugged his shoulders a little. "I guess I could call him a big bird…a little on the older side, too."

Suddenly, Peter knew without a doubt who had told Ross his secret. "No…" he said. "Toomes… Oh my god."

"Ding ding ding! Give the boy a prize!" Wilson teased.

"But he's… I mean they…" Peter looked utterly horrified. "He didn't actually kill himself, did he?" Peter accused.

"Oh…" Wilson waved his hands in front of him. "I can't talk about that. Officially Toomes hanged himself."

"And unofficially?" Peter spat, shaking his head. "Oh god… his family… Liz… this can't be happening. This is all my fault." The lasts words came out just above a whisper.

"Aww… pity party for Parker!" Wilson stuck out his lower lip at Peter. He shrugged at Peter and began walking away, "You wanted answers," He called back over his shoulder. "Be careful what you wish for!"

Peter watched as Wilson walked away. Slowly, he made his way over to sit. He looked at the tray of food that was still waiting for him, but he didn't seem to have the appetite at the moment. Instead he closed his eyes and focused on his breathing. He needed to get his mind together. He couldn't let his emotions get the better him. Not here. Not now. He needed to keep his emotions in control and be ready to strike if and when the moment presented itself.

Tony was beyond irritated. He felt helpless. He had tried to send out one of his suits the day before, just to see how far it would get. He wanted to know how closely Ross's people were watching the compound. It hadn't taken long for the call to come. Ross threatened to starve Peter if he saw another suit in the air. Damn it!

He didn't mean to, but he took his frustration out on the others. He hated feeling helpless, trapped even. He couldn't help but feel as if it was the same trapped feeling that Peter himself was having.

Pepper remained patient with him, getting him to rest and take care of himself. She reminded him that he needed to be strong. The only thing he could do for Peter right now was to look after May.

"Poor May," Tony thought. She had taken a turn when her fever spiked Sunday night. Helen finally decided to move her to the medical wing of the compound to monitor her more closely. There wasn't much to do except give her the fluids and vitamins that would help her body fight off the virus.

In some ways, Tony thought the illness was a blessing. Time would pass quickly for her as she slept the days away. She would ask about Peter when she was awake, but she seemed disorientated because of the fever. He could tell that she wasn't fully aware of what was happening. In this state, she didn't have to face the reality of waiting for Ross's next move. He hoped that Peter would be home by the time her fever broke.

Rhodes and Tony spent the days trying to find a way to get a message to the others, or even figure out just where Vision had run off to. Nothing worked.

Fortunately, Ross seemed to miss Vision's exit from the compound. Tony supposed if anyone could sneak away that it would be the android. He only hoped that Vision would find a way to help.

Tony was also frustrated that there was no word from Kind T'Challa. He thought for sure the Black Panther might be able to return his messages by now.

It seemed like waiting was the only thing Tony did these days. He knew he wouldn't be able to wait much longer. If there was no word on the kid in the next 24 hours, he was taking off in the Iron Man suit towards the raft. Ross be damned. He was going to get the kid home for his birthday, even if he was killed in the process.

Back in Brazil, Natasha suddenly noticed activity outside.

"Steve," she said. "We have company."

"Great," Sam said sarcastically. "I really don't like this!"

"Sam…" Steve said with a warning tone. "Can you see how many?" He asked Natasha.

She shook her head. "Looks like a small army is gathering out there."

Steve stood, resolute. "We've got this." He looked at his friends, "You know what to do."

Things happened quickly. Men came charging into the shack where they were hiding, holding advanced weaponry on the trio. Men came through the windows and the doors shouting orders to "get down" and "put their hand where we can see them." They wouldn't go without putting up a little fight.

Natasha kicked the legs out from underneath the men who came through the window. Sam used a chair and smashed it across the back of a man that had entered through the back. Steve took on three men that had entered through the front, punching and kicking them to the ground.

The fight didn't last long. The other men had come prepared and shot at the trio with devices that were not so different from Natasha's own "widow bites." An electric-like current shot through them one by one. Sam was the first to go down. Two men came up behind him and quickly used strong restraints to secure his wrists behind his back. Natasha was sent the ground next and secured in the same way as Sam. Steve stayed up the longest, needing more shots to take him down. Finally, four men worked together to secure him. They used thick metal restraints around his ankles with a chain just long enough for him to be able to walk. Steve's hands were captured in front with the same type of metal restraint, and a chain connected the ankle restraints to his hands so that he could not lift them up too high.

The three rogue avengers breathed heavily as they were hoisted into a standing position. They were pushed together and forced to face the man in charge. Steve sent the man an annoyed glare and said, "I don't believe we've met."

The man gave a cocky grin to him and replied, "Name's Wade. My men and I are here on behalf of Secretary Ross. We're here to take you in, Rogers."

Wade looked at the three for a moment, noticing the looks they were sending back and forth between one another, "What's the matter?" he asked. "Expecting to see someone else?"

"Clearly we needed to expect you!" Sam spat at the man while pulling lightly at his restraints.

"Oh, you won't be going anywhere Mr. Wilson," he said. "Except back to the raft." He smiled and added, "You'll get to meet my buddy! His name is Wilson, too!"

"Is he as charming as you are?" Natasha asked, faking sweetness in her voice.

"He acts nice, but Wilson is much worse." Wade taunted. "Enough chit chat. Time to go! Oh…" he added looking at Steve. "…don't bother trying to break out of those restraints. They're made from Vibranium, so you won't be going anywhere."

Steve glared at the man while he, Natasha, and Sam were pushed and forced to move forward. They complied with their captures, but the fight was far from over.

Hours later, Peter had eaten both the breakfast and lunch that was brought to him. He felt more determined than ever to find some way to fight back as soon as he had the chance. He was feeling so much anger about this whole situation, and he was dying to take that anger out on one of the guards, mostly Wilson.

After pushing his lunch tray back out, Peter noticed that activity was picking up around the prison. More guards were moving around than usual, like they were getting ready for something.

Before long, they were opening three other cells and seemed to be preparing them.

"Oh shit!" Peter thought, "This cannot be good! Please tell me that Mr. Stark didn't make Ross so mad that he's being arrested with Rhodes and Vision." He wasn't sure that is was even possible to contain Vision, but he also doubted that Ross would turn down the chance to try.

Peter noticed Wilson walking around and giving orders. He decided to get the man's attention to learn what was happening.

"Hey!" he called out to Wilson. "Hey! I wanna talk to you!" He tried sounding fierce, using a similar tone to the one he used when confronting the Vulture after leaving Homecoming.

Wilson made his way over to Peter. "Yes dear?" he asked. "Is there something I can do you for you, little Spider?"

Peter motioned to the commotion around them. "What's going on? Who else is being brought in?"

Wilson cocked his head and looked at Peter. "Hmm… I don't think I answer to you, kid." He took a step away and winked at him, "…but you'll find out soon enough. Our guests should arrive here within the next hour!"

There was some small part of Peter that liked the idea of not being alone in the prison. However, there was also a feeling of dread at the same time. If more Avengers were brought to this horrible place, then who would be able to help him?

Peter placed his head against the bars. He really wanted to go home to Aunt May.

Tony had just finished checking on May. Her fever was down, and the doctor promised that she was resting comfortably. It seemed like things were improving for at least one member of the Parker family.

Then, Tony got the call.

"Mr. Stark," FRIDAY called. "Secretary Ross is calling for you."

Tony signaled for Rhodey to join him and answered. A hologram of a happy-looking Ross greeted him.

"Tony! Good News!" Ross informed.

Tony rolled his eyes and looked over toward Rhodes, "Ross, something tells me that you and I have very different ideas of what good news is."

"I thought you'd be happy to hear that Wade and his team have Rogers, Romanoff, and Wilson in custody. They're on their way to the Raft, now," Ross said. "You did well."

Tony didn't answer. He merely closed his eyes and lowered his head. Rhodes knew that he was feeling guilty. That last thing he wanted was for more people to end up stuck at that hell hole. Deep down, Tony didn't want Steve to be trapped there, either.

"What's the matter, Stark?" Ross said, sounding too cheerful. "You should be happy. As soon as Rogers and the others are tucked away, we can start negotiating a pardon for Mr. Parker."

"Start negotiating?" Rhodes asked. "What's left to negotiate? You gave your word!"

Ross looked doubtful. "There is still the question of Wanda Maximoff. The Scarlet Witch is still at large."

"Oh no!" Tony said forcefully. "When you have the others in custody, ask them about Maximoff! They're the ones who saw her last. Peter has nothing to do with that! He should be able to come home!"

"I hear what you're saying," Ross said. "We'll talk about it more during negotiations, shall we? I'm going to need to make sure the others are secured first. I'll be in touch!"

"Wait!" Tony called, but he was too late. Ross had already ended the call. Tony growled in frustration and kicked a nearby chair.

Pepper entered the room in time to see the chair connect with the wall. "Tony?" she asked. "Was that Ross? What's happening?"

Rhodes shook his head and looked ready to hit something.

Tony looked at her and just said, "Ross has Cap, Widow, and Falcon on their way to the prison. He says we'll talk more later about negotiating Peter's release."

Pepper blew out a breath and looked thoughtful for a moment. She looked at Tony and said, "Don't worry, Tony. I have a strong feeling that everything will work out."

Steve and the others were taken to the prison on a large military helicopter. The guards never put down their weapons and kept a close eye on the three captives.

The flight to the prison seemed to take forever. Steve, Natasha, and Sam were on edge the entire time, but that was likely due to the weapons being pointed in their direction.

They listened as their guards discussed how and where they would be placed upon arrival. Steve heard the man named Wade make some comment about fitting him with a collar that would keep him on his best behavior, but he didn't let that worry him too much.

After some time, their helicopter began its descent down to the prison. It dropped inside as the roof above them began to close. The guards wasted no time leading them off the helicopter and through the reinforced metal doors that led to the main cell area.

Steve noticed that the prison looked the same, but there were clearly some repairs that had been done thanks to his previous breech on the prison. As they were taken into the main cell area, Wade greeted another man that the others gathered to be the "Wilson" that he mentioned earlier.

Wilson stepped forward with Wade and spoke in a manner that seemed far too cheerful, "Welcome! We're so happy to have you here! Before we take you to your rooms, we'll be fitting you with the proper attire." He looked to Steve. "And some of you will get some special jewelry similar to what the Spider-Man is wearing over there."

They noticed Wilson point over his shoulder to someone else standing and watching them anxiously.

The kid had a metal collar-like device around his neck, but he looked otherwise unharmed and healthy.

"Captain America," Wade said with a mock tone of respect. "We'll be getting you settled first. Then, we'll take special care of the Widow before reacquainting the Falcon with his bird cage!"

Sam and Natasha just glared. Steve, on the other hand, had something to say, especially since he heard some noise coming from the entry into the prison.

"I wouldn't be too confident," Steve said, glancing over at Peter. "I should thank you for bringing us here."

Wade and Wilson looked at Steve in confusion. They were also starting to look anxious about the noise coming from the entry to the Raft prison, from which the helicopter had entered earlier.

"Now if you don't mind," Steve said. "My friends and I will be taking Peter home now."

"You and your friends can't do anything with those restraints!" Wade argued.

Steve just smiled.

It was Natasha that spoke, "Oh no! He's not talking about us."

Sam nodded to noise that was now coming from behind the door into the cell area. "Our other friends!" Sam said.

Just then, the door burst open and a pile of guards were blown to the ground by some kind of purple glow. Wade and Wilson didn't have to wait long to see where the glow came from. The Black Panther leapt into the room, followed by none other than Bucky Barnes!

Wade and Wilson started to step backwards, and other guards were grabbing for weapons and preparing to stand their ground.

Steve, Natasha, and Sam were backing up towards their friends when Steve heard a happy, "HELL YEAH!" coming from Peter's direction.

The fight was only just getting started!

A/N: Who called it? Was anyone surprised that Steve and the others allowed themselves to be caught? Notice that I never said just who they were expecting to arrive in Brazil. Of course, Sam would be uncomfortable with the plan since he would hate to go back.

There are still a few questions to be answered, of course.

Who warned Steve and the others so that they could form a plan?

How did T'Challa and Bucky get involved?

And just what role will Wanda and Vision play in all of this?

Stay tuned to find out!