Hello everyone, I'm here already! Today I will publish the two next chapters for multiple reasons. First as a make up for the fact I couldn't publish as soon as I wanted because the studies at University didn't allowed me time enough and for that same reasons (In January I'll have the first round of fourthy year exam and I haven't studied anything yet. Please someone kill me! Aaahhh!) I will not publish until maybe February. The second reason is today, December 27th, we would have been celebrating the birthday of the cheerful and beloved creator of Marvel universe, Stan Lee, the real superhero when planning and writing a world who filled such many hearts with emotions and such many minds with imagination and good lessons for life.
Also before you start to read I have to advice you about the pairings. With this story I'm trying to follow the plot from where the Russo Brothers left it in Infinity War so the movie canon parings are treated as officials BUT I'm not denying also the non-canon pairings, I want to be respectful with them all and let them space for be possible in an implied way. And about Brutasha I will just treat them on the logical, well writed way I think it could turn around (I doubt they even pay attention to it in Endgame for obvious reasons but that's another for write this fic). I hated the way it was writened in AoU for so much reasons, but I can't miss the place the Russos left them.
Well, I think I did talk (or write) to much so enjoy the chapter! Ah and of course none of this charachters or made up places are mine, they were all created by Marvel Comics and Marvel Cinematic Universe workers.
Bruce tracked the Rescue Star through the next 12 hours of night while observed how Rocket worked on improving the communicator signal range with such persistence and inventiveness could do a well-deserved rival to Tony's. Loosened Pepper's track at daybreak. Shit!. If he would had have the emotional strength for he would have pull a kick to the scanner computer and let frustration go. That night had been terrible, said only for the two of them who had shut away in the room as if what they were searching was the last salvation chance for this world broken in half, so he didn't want to even envision how passed the night for thus outside the room.
Little minutes after Pepper hung up Rhodey received more calls, one behind the other, and for the gravity he answered them and the nicknames wasn't hard to guess they were from important heads on the USA administration. Senator, minister, general all of them asked the same and all of them get the same fast reply "Yeah, we know what and why happened but... He is who had less fault than anyone! Buff, sorry sir. Yes sir. I will organize a press conference once I come back to the country and I will explain all I know. You in charge, sir. Bye." The calls passed as ordinary as it could be until arrived one which made Rhodes swear something in clenched teeth while hunged it up.
"What now? There happened something bad?" worse corrected Bruce on his mind.
"Okey um... I don't know if Tony would agree with this but you will figure it out sooner or later so I have to inform you, especially you." Rhodes stressed his words pointing Bruce with the phone while he noded and caressed his chin impatiently.
"You remember what I have said you on the compound before the Captain arrived? About the Sokovia Accords, the Registration Superhero Certificate and how Steve and his supporters were stated as searched international criminals?"
"Yeah. Tony wanted them to sign the accords for keep the team together and protected until the conflict cooled out for renegotiate them on their favour but later the situation got out of hands when Zemo appeared. That's what you said me, at least."
"That's true and more things I have no time to resume again... except for one detail. You'll see, I don't know how he arrived so high on the administration with his record but... the one who offered as the accords was the new Secretary of State of USA who happened to be your... old not dear friend Thaddeus E. Ross." Rhodes shut down a moment after he did staten that, giving Bruce time to process and see how he would react.
The fact was, unlike Bruce himself would have thought, he didn't have that burn sensation down the stomach he ever had when the range start to gathering inside him and didn't get out, maybe because it had go out later that day and then refused to come the last time but also because Tony had no fault Ross would be the Secretary. Besides be resentment with him while he was still on unknown whereabouts made him guilt and a way to remember his friend he didn't want to keep in case he was... as the others. Of course he had reasons for been angry at Tony. He knew general Ross had half the fault for the Hulk to be created, he knew all what he had done after that and what was able to still do; at least Tony could have though another way for come to terms with the government without commit under the proposition of a cold liar selfish ambitious ex-militar. But Bruce closed eyes, take a deep breath and assumed the situation as a mistake from the past which couldn't be undone if they didn't act with the present.
For the expression Rhodes returned it seemed the problems with the accords were getting so bad the only way out was an urgent answer no matter how risky it would be. "When the Captain arrived and I said him I wasn't about to arrest anyone of them I disobeyed a direct order and allowed criminals to left the country. I don't give a shit if he dismisses me, I turned accomplice voluntarily. The issue right now is if I don't go with the princess, the queen or whoever would handle the international conflicts on this country and get their help Ross would tell the President his suspicions on the Avengers being involved in the sudden vanishing of half the people on earth, which means he would try to convince him and the entire country we are the source. And if he accomplishes you would imagine what it could mean... the people would lost the little confidence if they had left any, the government would present an arrest menace if anyone tries to come back to the country, Ross himself could seize the Compound and all properties named after Tony or Pepper if they don't show signs of life in a week."
"That cunning asshole... Teddy Ross get birth a pain in the ass and would die as a pain in the ass. We agree?" Bruce said offering a hand to Rhodey as a good-bye.
"You don't know how much." the general take the hand and give him an embrace with the free arm.
And it was only the first on a long mishaps list they were about to find the next days, complications which prevented them for thinking on any rescue plans but it were doing that one and the next five nights just worse than what normally they could be. No, what truly did the pass on days and nights that horrible since that first time were the lack of progress with the engines on the communications room, the slow and frustrating waiting on news from Thor, Pepper or either Tony and of course the memories; his mind betrayed him with a few but treasured good memories of the team bending together after New York anytime he got to see the misfits they were now the few hours he get out of the room. Bruce called it a betrayal because after the first one seconds of balm nostalgic calmness the memories squeezed his heart painfully and forced him to remember half their teammates, the ones he hadn't time to meet with, had turned in dust and Tony, his best friend on the team, the first one who had accepted him and his green angry problem selfless and fearless.
Through two nights working Rocket had taken the walkie apart and rebuild it so many times Bruce come to thought he was doing it as a strategy for avoid get carried along with the memories, the what if's and the what do we do now's so Bruce decided to do the same and brought the best help he could. They added some uses for the walkie to have a location signal recorder which could be displayed on any computer screen and a little lighting signal for if it received another lost message or a call when they weren't verifying the engine. Just in case. True be told Rocket never drop it, time and time again he tested the wires and microprocessors, switched this, changed that... every once in a while touched something on the engine like a castaway who hold on an SOS flare in which relied his life. In thus two nights he didn't get more than noise and false alarms. That third day Rocket threw the engine against the right brick wall and let the pieces scattered all over the floor, breathed heavily trying to calm down and hold a rangeness cry back together and left the room with a bang. Bruce stayed there and looked towards the door just as he left, mouth and eyes down said everything what couldn't be expressed in words. He would have did exactly the same if he would have find himself alone and far away from his friends, with no possibility to know if they would die on fault of a coward choice to run away from them and left them alone against the menace. Maybe the Other Guy was in fact protecting him when kept him inside of his body on Sakaar.
That third day they received a good new. The General Rhodes get the pleased help of princess Shuri to do an official international communication informing on what had happened, who was the reliable responsible of turning half the people on dust and... what it meant and how the Avengers had been a needed and grateful help on the defence of Wakanda people and the world against an extragalatic menace, no matter if they had lost or not. The kingdom had half of their official military groups and half a city of civils on which plenty of them would be glad on corroborate the facts, if it was needed in a tribunal even. Ross had to gulp down his arrogance when the government move away the accusations on that matter against the Avengers and revoke any judicial action they had against them if wasn't supported on factual incidents. However the search and arrest order on the Avengers who had deny and go against the Sokovia accords was still up and Wakanda government would need more time for sort out that problem between the bureaucracy obstacles and international objection. That reason for they would remain on the country as political refugees until further notice.
Of course there was plenty of people on Wakanda who wasn't in agreement with their leaders decision, some of them entire tribes, and their reasons weren't precisely insignificant. Although they knew the dust hadn't been caused by them, they didn't get into believe it didn't mean it wasn't their fault because, in their point of view, the battle ended in that disastrous defeat due to the lack of training on some of them, their personal attachments in battle and especially their decision on not to destroy the gem on the android's head the first very second they had the opportunity. They had favoured the life of one man, well they said a simple unfeeling android, above the life of half Wakanda and their cherished king included. And problems didn't end there, nobody was about to accept happily ever after to keep an entire group of enhanced fugitives against the will of the most weaponry powerful countries on the world, above all when some of them had been directly or indirectly attackers on their weaker frontier countries in the past. Some of their judgments could be lack of proof or exaggerated but... couldn't be easy to convince an entire country which had agree with this decisions as long as their king would be in charge of the problem when he had vanished and their queen was certainly an exceptionally gifted engineer but also a teenager unexperienced on government matters who hadn't been elected for anyone as a queen.
The protests lasted for three days until Shuri and the representatives from other tribes promised they would celebrate a king/queen election ceremony as soon as possible but during thus three days and two nights Bruce decided to remain on the penthouse the Avengers had been assigned for don't create more difficulties as Shuri needed. There he discovered how uncomfortable and painful it was to life with your old friends when they had just lost everything, things that compare with what you loosened seemed almost selfish, and the only hold they wanted was silence and solitude.
Bruce didn't dared to go with Rocket since he didn't have trust enough with him for knew what to talk about or if he even would welcome a silent company.
Natasha... he did have want to talk with her privately since they had meet again with that hurry and coldness. There was a war above their heads, there was no time for personal conversations but something else stopped him. When he looked towards her deep green eyes, she returned him a smile but as much as it could seem other way it wasn't a normal one, in fact it was one of the fake smiles she did when wanted to hide what she really felt but this time it was... broken. She was trying to tell him something without actually telling it but Bruce didn't understand it or maybe didn't want to understand ... He did want to talk with her but couldn't because he did not have the right to do so. His head rumbled with reasons in favour and against it while he paced front her door, ready to knock it but every time backing out. He was who left her with nothing, not even a little good-bye, and then he arrived with the war at his back and now half their friends, the ones she knew and cared for more than he had time for understand, they were gone. It was simple...he didn't have the right to talk about this, it wasn't fair. If she wants to talk she just needs to ask for it but while she didn't, he just could bring her time, and if she did never wanted to talk... fine. Don't?
Steve was a different case, not for it less awkward. He leaved his bedroom every day, walked every now and then with a haunted gaze and always shut off, so lost in his rambling you would think he was dead in life if it wouldn't be for his worrisome habit for go each day at the same hour to the land where he had seen Bucky, his long lost friend from childhood who had been so difficult to get back, turn into ashes and go away with air. Bruce knew from Rhodey he was who, mind controlled first for Hydra and then for Zemo, had committed criminal actions which had been seen as menaces for some governments and had been the main very reason for the Captain to turn against the Sokovia accords and against Tony on his determination for protect him. He hadn't been there for have his own eyes on proof but that seemed beyond a regular friendship... or maybe it was just an unconscious reaction for when he saw how close Nat and Steve had turned these days. Suddenly his hoarse voice surprised him pacing opposite Nat's dorm door still.
"Dt. Banner, we know something about Thor, Tony and Pepper?" Steve talked from the kitchen, a glass of water in his hands.
"Nothing yet sorry. That scanner won't be a help if they are so deep on space." Bruce said, rubbing hands and moving for sit down in the kitchen table. "We know each other for almost six years, Captain. You can call me Bruce."
"I could have said the same." he said before drink what remained of water in the glass. "I just wanted to say you welcome to the team again... despite the way you get away. And if you get news that could be important, just inform us." then Steve sat up, get the empty glass on the pile and get to his room without more words. Certainly, their relation on the team was the more distant and based on professional work Bruce had on the team but he never expected that level of silence. The only thing he could imagine was their Captain was hanging on his leader duties for their benefit, for hold a secret unknown reason for affirm the group together even when it seemed they had nothing for remain united.
For that reasons when the air on the penthouse started to feel tense and stifling either, the night's he couldn't sleep unable to shut down his voice in his head, come back to the communications room. Although it would be only for feeling he was doing something useful while stared through the big glass wall admiring the black clean sky above the wakandian lands sparkling in shiny little stars and a proud big moon. It seemed the universe was mocking on them and their small existence compared with the immensity of the galaxy. "Where are you Tony? Where?" Bruce asked to the nothingness, rubbing his hands over his eyes and curled hair.
I hope you liked it (or at least have the patience for read this slow and feelings plenty chapter). Let me know in the comments please!