A/N: I wanted to make sure I got this up before everything becomes a mantra of Cap 2 in my head. Lol.
This chapter picks up immediately where the last one left off. I hope you guys enjoy!
I was listening to Kendrick Lamar in the background while editing: watch?v=9vAoPBY_D4E
Chapter 21
"I doubt that. We're visiting from Malibu and this is our first time in the city," Natasha says, saving Tony from being turned into a stammering fool. "Hi, I'm Natasha and these are my siblings: Clint, Tony, and Rhodey. We're archeologists"
"Nice to meet you. I'm Howard, and this is Peggy. You're archeologists?" Howard says, raising his eyebrow curiously at the last statement.
"That's right," Natasha answers. "We travel across the country collecting rare items of all types to donate to museums for research purposes."
Peggy hums. "What a noble cause."
"You know, over the years I've collected a few items you may be interested in," Howard says. "Would you like to see them?"
"That would be lovely," Natasha says. "When are you free?"
Howard thinks for a moment. He opens his mouth before shutting it again. "You know, Peggy and I are going out to sea soon. Why don't you and your siblings join us? I'll bring the items and maybe we can discuss underwater explorations?"
"Are you sure?" Peggy says, glancing over each of the Avengers with suspicion.
Howard waves off the woman's concern and pointedly ignores her frown. "I'm positive. Besides, a few people just quit on us, and we could use the help. What do you say?"
"We would be honored to accompany you," Natasha responds.
"What?" Tony exclaims.
Natasha frowns and gives Tony a side eye glare before turning back to Howard. "Ignore him; he's tired from the long trip. We're all in."
"Excellent," Howard says with a wide smile. "Let's meet tomorrow at ten a.m. at the Harbor entrance in Brooklyn. Do you know it?"
"Yes," Natasha responds.
"I thought you were new to town?" Peggy asks, with a raised eyebrow.
"We are," Clint says. "But, I've been doing extensive research on the city, so we won't get lost."
The Brit falls silent, but she doesn't lose her look of suspicion.
Howard opens his mouth to speak when a loud explosion of fireworks interrupts him. "And that's my cue to head back to the main stage. Take care!"
"We'll see you all tomorrow—ten sharp," Peggy says before leaving with Howard.
Tony turns to Natasha, barely able to mask the absolute anger he's feeling towards the woman. "Thank you so much, Natasha, for volunteering us to go on a mission with the younger version of my estranged father, and my boyfriend's ex-girlfriend," Tony says in a clipped tone.
"I know you don't like it, and you have every reason to be angry with me, but I have a strong feeling Howard and Peggy are the third trial. Why else would Loki's magic bring us here and allude to a connection with you?" Natasha says. "I understand what you're feeling—"
"Oh really? Is your past currently haunting you, at this very moment, in the form of a man you never thought you'd see again?"
"You'd be surprised," Natasha responds, with an unidentifiable look on her face. She's hiding something, but then again, she always is.
"You know they didn't believe our bullshit right?" Rhodey says interrupting their conversation before it turns ugly and with the way Tony was going, it would have.
"I know," Clint says with a shake of his head. "We're just gonna have to hope they keep playing along. For now, let's explore the expo. I've always wanted to go to one, and never got the chance."
"Fine by me," Rhodey answers. He glares at Tony and Natasha, until the pair reluctantly nods their heads in agreement. He smiles before leading the group further into the expo.
"We're lost."
"No, we're not," Natasha argues without looking up from the map in her hands. "We're just misplaced."
"So, lost?"
"Shut up, Clinton."
"How sad is this though," Rhodey says. "I mean, we've lived in New York for months and we can't even find the damn place."
"Hey, you and Tony grew up here. Why don't either of you know?" the archer says.
"Don't drag me into this," Tony says. "I don't want to be here."
"Can we please ask for directions?" Clint begs.
"No," Natasha says firmly.
The four Avengers have been searching for the Brooklyn Harbor to meet Howard and Peggy for the last hour. Tony sighs and checks his watch, realizing they only have half an hour until ten. If there's one thing Tony knows about Howard, it's that he's always on time (or early). If they miss the boat, and in turn the trial, the Avengers are going to have to contact Loki via is magical pen to pull some strings. That'll be embarrassing.
"Why did you have to lie about knowing the place, Nat?" Clint whines to the assassin.
"Why did you have to back up my lie, Mister "I've been doing extensive research,"" Nat retorts, looking up from the map to glare at Clint.
"If Steve and Bucky could see us struggling right now, they would be so offended," Rhodey says.
"They'd probably make fun us," Tony adds. "Let's not mention this to them—ever."
"Agreed," the other Avengers say together.
Natasha sighs. "Let's keep heading east. It has to be around here somewhere."
They eventually find the Harbor with less than a minute to spare. Howard spots them first, waving enthusiastically from his and Peggy's place towards the edge of the pier. He begins pointing to the boat behind him with a wide grin on his face. The Stark is a five-story luxury yacht and Howard's most prized possession (at least until he builds Stark Mansion that is). The four hundred foot long steel yacht's white exterior is gleaming in the sunlight as if to display the expansion of Howard Stark's wealth.
It's eerie seeing the yacht in person. Tony's only ever seen photos—his father passed ownership over to Jason Bates (the captain) a few weeks before he was born. After Howard ceased the search and decided to focus on his company, he gave ownership of the future Shield Headquarters building in downtown Manhattan (the same place where Fury told Tony he had to take in the Avengers) to Peggy, making her the first official Director of Shield.
Unfortunately knowing his father, it would take a lot to convince him to give up the search for Cap all together and he's pretty sure his mother had a say in that. She knew that Tony shouldn't grow up without his father, and a large part of him wishes that he did. Jarvis was more of a parent to him than his actual parents were.
"All set?" Howard questions, which pulls Tony out of his thoughts. The man has an excited gleam at in his eye in anticipation of whatever they're doing.
"Let's do it!" Clint says, matching Howard's enthusiasm.
Howard claps the archer on the back before leading the way onboard.
The interior of the yacht is gorgeous and high class, with a décor that could rival celebrity homes in the modern day. Tony's father has horrible taste in everything, so he's betting that Peggy picked out the furniture using his credit card. He would have said it was his mother, but it is only 1951 and his parents didn't meet until 1962.
"Greetings one and all! Welcome to The Stark, the finest luxury yacht in all of the land!" Howard boasts with his hands spread wide. He's wearing a red Hawaiian short sleeved shirt with a yellow flower pattern, light brown khaki shorts and a pair of dark brown flip flops. It's weird seeing his father wearing something other than a suit, but he remembers reading in his journal that after Steve's assumed death, he would dress in ridiculous fashions to elicit a smile from Peggy, who was still mourning Steve into the late 1950s.
Peggy sighs dramatically from her place next to her friend. She's wearing a white long sleeved shirt, a long flowing pink skirt and a pair of white wedges. Her auburn hair is pinned in a bun behind her head. "You'll have to excuse him; he just loves showing off."
"Pegs, I live for showing off," Howard says with a smile. "Now, if you'll follow me, I shall give you the grand tour!" He leads the group through the yacht while rattling off the basic layout.
The lower deck consists of a swimming pool, the engine room, the guest cabins, the crew's quarters, and a place for Howard's mini sub. The main deck houses the dining room, VIP suites, Howard and Peggy's rooms, and the billiard's room. The upper deck has the captain's cabin, Howard's study, Peggy's office, a laboratory, and a conference room. The sun deck has an exterior deck for relaxing, a Jacuzzi, shooting range, and a training hall. The top most part of the yacht has two helicopter pads and both are unoccupied for the moment, but usually have choppers coming and going on a regular basis.
Howard ends the tour on the main deck of the ship pausing in front of two of the VIP suites. Tony's slightly surprised that he isn't forcing them to stay in the guest cabins. His father always was a little too trusting of people, especially those interested in rare items or any sort of technology. Peggy appears as surprised for she's giving him a sided eye glare right now, which suggest their going to have a talk about that later.
"Normally, we have four VIP rooms available, but I can't find the keys for two of them. So, there's one for the boys and one for the lovely lady," Howard says with a wink.
Natasha's eye roll is so powerful that Tony thinks her eyes might pop out of her head. Despite the fact that the brunet is still mad at his friend, he can't help but be proud of her reaction.
"We'll give you guys some time to settle in and do some exploring of your own," Howard says. "Peggy and I are going to head up to the conference room. You guys should join us when you're ready."
"We will," Nat says. She accepts the keys from Howard before watching him and Peggy leave the area together.
The redhead hands a key to Clint before walking over to her room and opening the door, setting down her bag and immediately sweeping the place for bugs. Clint goes into the boy's room and does the same thing. Between the two of them, they find ten bugs (five in each room), but it doesn't rule out of the possibility of there being more.
The four Avengers glance at each other, silently knowing they can't discuss the trial or anything really, without fear of Howard and Peggy possibly spying on their conversation. They're going to have to remain on their guard at all times and always be in control of their words.
Natasha suggests exploring the yacht, whether out of curiosity or to get a better idea of the layout, she obviously doesn't specify. The brunet sighs. He doesn't want to be here, especially in such close quarters to his father with the constant fear of exposure looming over his head. He wants to go back home to Steve and forget this shit ever happened.
After exploring the ship and finding a shit ton of other rooms (including a sauna, a spa, a tennis court, and a sunroom), curiosity over what Howard and Peggy are really doing at sea crawls to the front of their minds. Tony predicts that they're in the midst of searching for Cap. The brunet remembers reading in his father's journal that Howard would go out to sea several times a year; he even ran Stark industries and Shield from his yacht. He knows his teammates probably suspect something of a similar nature, but unfortunately, he can't confirm without running the risk of being overheard.
They reach the conference room after only getting lost twice. Howard looks up from the charts and maps in front of him, smiling in greeting. He jerks his head to the row of chairs on his left, silently inviting the Avengers to join him. Peggy already sits in a chair on his right, curled up and reading a novel. She barely glances at the arriving foursome.
Natasha takes the seat next to Howard, followed by Clint, Rhodey, and Tony being the furthest away from his father. The redhead glances over at the papers in front of Howard, who makes no move to hide his work from the woman. "So, what exactly are we doing here?"
"I don't see how that's any of your business," Peggy quips, turning a page in her novel.
"Peggy—" Howard begins, cutting himself off at the woman's glare.
"If you don't want to explain why we're here, that's fine," Natasha says.
"No, it's just," Howard sighs. "We're looking for an old friend. Have you ever heard of Captain America?"
"Who hasn't?" Clint says. "A true American and a hero; he's the reason we're alive today."
Howard nods with a slight smile crossing his features. Tony could say it's one of pride. His father was the one who invented Steve's costume and shield. Hell, he's pretty sure they named the organization of Shield after Cap to honor his memory. "He was the greatest man I ever knew."
Tony's heart clenches. His father used to say that frequently whenever Cap was brought up in the household. Tony discovered Steve's memory on his own, after rummaging through Howard's things on those rare nights when his parents were out for the evening. He idolized the Captain in secret, wishing that the man would come and save him whenever Howard was screaming at him while drunk or destroying his experiments.
"He flew a plane armed with explosives and other forms of weaponry into the Artic because he saw no other choice," Clint says. "At least, that's what the papers said."
"That's correct. We know he's still alive somewhere and we're searching for his plane," Peggy says in a neutral tone, but Tony can see her grip tightening on her novel.
"Do you think you'll actually be able to find him?" Natasha questions, ignoring the glare Peggy fixes her.
Howard shrugs and gestures to the machine in front of him. "The radar machine will let me know if we find anything."
Two days later, the radar pings.
"Did you find Steve?" Peggy asks hopefully.
"No, all I found is some stupid pirate ship that's probably filled with gold," Howard says with a scowl.
The group is in the conference room effortlessly searching for Steve. Throughout the trip, Tony has actively avoided interaction with his father. Natasha has been the one to distract Howard, asking questions about the ship, the search, and the rare items they discusses when they first met, but that The Avengers haven't seen yet. On the other side of the room, Rhodey and Peggy (who is finally starting to open up to their presence) are teasing Clint about not knowing where basic New York City landmarks are.
"I can't expect to know everything, okay, I've only lived in the city for seven months," Clint says with a huff.
"Seven months?" Peggy questions. "I thought you were new?"
Clint's eyes widen. "Shit," he mouths.
The British woman shakes her head. "I told you something didn't add up, Howard."
"I agreed with you, it was obvious that something wasn't right," Howard says with a shrug. "I was curious to see how far they would take this charade."
Peggy pulls out her gun and aims it at the group while Natasha does the same to her. The soldier raises a challenging eyebrow, but Nat doesn't waver.
"Who are you really?" Howard questions, eyes immediately going to Tony and looking over the man suspiciously.
"Spies; probably for the Russian's," Peggy accuses. Natasha looks amused at the irony.
Tony's mind whirls. This feels familiar to him somehow. Where has it seen this . . .?
"Oh my god," the brunet says as his thoughts click into place. "Natasha, I remember the significance of this date now. Today is the day—"
A loud explosion cuts off Tony. The ship rocks violently to the left, and knocking everyone off balance. After a few tense seconds, the yacht rights itself again. Before anyone can begin to comprehend what is happening, the door is broken down and a swarm of soldiers dressed in all black combat gear enters the area.
"Spetsnaz!" Natasha yells.
"Allies of yours?" Peggy quips, tightening her grip on her pistol.
Natasha ignores her in favor of kicking the soldier closest to her in the groin and elbowing him the face. She moves gracefully between her enemies, with a series of well-placed kicks and punches not leaving any of the fight for the other members in the room. After taking down the last of the soldiers, Natasha turns to the others and raises an inquiring brow.
"Don't give us that look, Nat, you didn't leave any for the rest of us," Clint says with a scowl.
Tony turns to his left looking at his best friend, who is placed behind an overturned bookshelf next to Peggy with his pistol firmly grasped in his hand.
Peggy looks over Rhodey with a curious gaze. "You're a soldier as well."
"United States Air Force, ma'am, I've been in the service for the last six years," Rhodey response, smiling at Peggy's impressed look. He looks over to Tony. "We need to get to our armor."
"Armor?" Howard inquires from behind his own cover.
Tony reaches into his pocket and tosses two silver wristbands, similar to the ones he used during the battle of New York. Rhodey catches them with one hand and looks over them curiously. "I made some adjustments to your suit when you weren't around and don't give me that look, gummy bear, you know I couldn't resist. When you put those bands on, your suit will come when you call, just like mine."
Rhodey grins and straps on the bands before checking his ammo. "I'll forgive you; this time."
Natasha looks to Howard. "Have you ever used a weapon before?"
"Yeah, a gun, but that's about it," Howard says.
Nat nods. "Clint, give him your gun since you'll be using your arrows anyway."
Clint walks over to Howard, handing him his pistol and some ammo. Tony's father nods to the archer gratefully. Clint walks over to a cabinet on the other side of the room and pulls out his quiver and bow. Tony's brow furrows, wondering when he had time to sneak into the room and stash his arrows. Knowing him, he probably bribed Natasha into doing it.
"Shouldn't Tony have a weapon as well?" Peggy says and Tony thinks that's the first time she's addressed him the entire trip.
The brunet shakes his head. "I'll be fine, guns aren't really my thing," he says before catching the Taser Nat throws at his head. "Neither are Tasers, but it will do."
"We need to secure the ship," Nat says. "Let's move."
The Avengers, Peggy, and Howard follow Natasha into the hallway only to find a mass of soldiers fighting with his father's already small crew. The crew members are holding their own pretty well and it's in this moment that Tony realizes every single person working on this ship are trained Shield Agents. With as many times as he's read Howard's journal, the brunet is surprised he didn't pick up on this sooner.
"Tony! We'll hold them off! You and Rhodey need to get outside so you can use your armor!" Natasha yells from somewhere in front of him.
Rhodey and Tony exchange a nod before forcing their way through the sea of people, with a goal of heading towards the main deck in mind. Thankfully, Tony left the windows to their room open so their armor can arrive to them in pieces without tearing a gaping hole into the side of the ship. The two friends continue to the deck, stopping along the way to help their comrades and fellow Shield Agents only to be pushed further away with shouts of "Hurry up, you're almost there!"
Tony reaches the door to the main exterior deck first and throws it open, unprepared for the site in front of him.
"Is that Bucky?" Rhodey questions from behind Tony.
Bucky is standing in the center of the deck with an AK in his hands. His face is hidden from view via his mask and googles, metal arm shining in the sunlight. Spestnaz soldiers surround him while countless others board the ship.
Tony gulps. "Yeah," he says. "Brainwashed Bucky."