Chapter Five:
Sophie's POV:
We took longer than we were planning to before we got back to Stark. With the extra missions to stop Cape-Killers from capturing anti-registration rogues, we kept getting sidetracked. Finally, three weeks after my initial contact, I hacked into his computer network again, scrambling my signal every ten seconds, bouncing it all over the world.
"Sophie, I thought you forgot about me," Stark said when he saw me.
"You've been keeping us busy, Stark. For someone who wants to try to end this peacefully, you sure as hell aren't cutting back on Cape-Killers."
"Well, their targets are in violation of federal law, Sophie."
"Cut the shit, Stark. I've got the info for you, so stop trying to stall me."
I gave him the location of the peace talks.
"Two hours. Don't try to be smart, Stark."
I disconnected from his server and made sure that there was no trace of me left for him to trace. Satisfied, I went back upstairs, where the Secret Avengers were waiting. Looking at Steve, I nodded in confirmation.
"It's confirmed?" he asked.
"I told him, two hours. Are you sure you're ready for this, Steve?"
"I trust my team. Everyone here has put their faith in me, even when it seemed like all hope was lost and we've pulled off some impressive feats, even if we've suffered some losses. We've done it all together, as a team. You have trusted me to lead you, even when I was at my worst. Now, I'm putting my faith and trust in you to take care of me.
"There is no better group than all of you," Steve said. "Through our ups and downs, when we've disagreed or been on the same page, it has made us stronger as a team. Nothing can take that away from us. If this is it, I can honestly say that is has been an honor to have each of you at my side, fighting for the freedoms we deserve."
Steve definitely knew how to motivate a team. We started making our move, heading into Manhattan. I still didn't like this. Steve was going in without anything, even comms. If we made a move, he would be blindsided.
Steve's POV:
When it was time to meet Stark, I made my way to the meeting spot alone. Maria Hill was supposed to mediate the talks. As I entered the room, I was searched for weapons. When they were satisfied that I wasn't carrying any weapons or Sophie's tech, they let me in. The first thing I noticed was that Stark had one of his sensors that would call his Iron Man suit to him.
"I'm unarmed, here on good faith, as promised. If you want me to continue with this, I want his sensor gone and proof that he's completely unarmed like I am," I said to Hill.
"What? You don't trust me, Capsicle?" Stark asked in mock-shock.
"Get up, Stark. He's right. You put this on national television. If he walks out of here and they put it all over the media that it was because you showed up armed, you're going to have a lot of problems," Hill said.
She was worried about public perception. I was worried about the freedoms of the people. Already, I felt like I had made a mistake. I only hoped that it wasn't a mistake that couldn't be fixed.
Hill searched Stark, taking his sensor and anything that could even be considered tech that he could use as a weapon or to access a weapon. Finally, after what seemed like forever, we sat down at the table.
"What's it gonna take you to surrender, Rogers?" Stark asked, jumping straight to the point.
"A repeal of the act," I said in response. "How can any person with superhuman abilities or tech that would give them superhuman abilities be asked to surrender their freedom?"
"Why don't you ask your girlfriend?" Stark replied.
"She's not my girlfriend."
"Oh, did the Capsicle get dumped?"
"She's my wife," I said through gritted teeth, struggling to keep the urge to punch him in the mouth in check.
"Wait. What?"
"She's my wife, Stark. Sophie is my wife, not my girlfriend. And if you really looked into what happened in the Sudan with her and Bucky, you'd see that as bad as it was, it could've been a lot worse if she hadn't intervened."
"Really, Rogers? You wanna play that card?"
"Actually, I do, Stark. Bucky went into a PTSD episode, brought on by the sudden appearance of some Soviet agents he's had some history with. Seeing that her partner was losing control, Sophie risked exposure to get him out of that square. We both know what kind of damage Bucky can cause when he's full-on Winter Soldier, Stark. There was no way for her to know there were bombs in that square."
"Nice story, Rogers."
"You want to accuse Sophie, who you mentored, of being that reckless?"
"When it comes to Barnes? Absolutely."
He was right that she was reckless when it came to Bucky. He was just wrong in this scenario.
"Not that time, Stark."
"Get back on topic, gentlemen," Hill interrupted.
"This is on topic, Hill," Stark pointed out. "This event was the catalyst. If it wasn't for Barnes and Holden, I mean Mrs. Rogers, blowing a hole the size of the U.N. in that village square, this legislation would not have been necessary."
"This is coming from the man who has leveled how many cities, and was it just one small country or were there more?" I retorted.
"And you've never destroyed anything, Cap?"
"I never claimed otherwise. But don't go acting like you haven't done the same thing Bucky and Sophie did in the Sudan. Sophie did it accidentally, trying to get Bucky away from the civilian population before he could get more out of control."
"The legislation will not be repealed, Rogers. Thank your wife and best friend for that."
"How can you call these peace talks if you won't actually negotiate, Stark."
"Because we expect you and your misfits to turn yourselves in," Stark said.
Suddenly I heard a firefight outside. Turning to Stark, I saw someone who looked like Thor entering the room behind him.
Bucky's POV:
"Now!" I called to Sophie over the comms.
We both opened portals into the middle of the "peace talks." Sophie tossed Steve his shield. Hill went for Sophie and a fight ensued between the two. Stark went for Steve, but I knocked him out easily without his armor. Sophie, having knocked Hill out, came over to me and Steve.
"We should get out of here. We're sitting ducks in this room," Sophie said to me.
"Guys, you missed something," Steve said to us.
Sophie and I looked to the other side of the room. It looked like Thor, but he was sparking. He was some kind of machine, short-circuited by the portals.
"It doesn't matter. Let's get the hell out of here before that thing gets back online, Steve," I said as I grabbed him since I was closer to him.
Sophie and I both went to open portals, but the Thor-thing shot out a jolt of electricity as we did.
Steve and I appeared outside. Sophie wasn't with us.
"Sophie!" I called on the comms.
There was no response.
"Sophie!"
Nothing.
"Guys, we gotta move. I've got Natasha tranquilized, but before The Vision and Rhodey's suit come back online, we need to fall back," Barton called on comms.
"Fall back!" I called into the comms.
I handed Steve his device. Together, we stepped through and entered our property. Still there was no Sophie. After doing a headcount, we'd found that Billy, Teddy, Karolina, Xavin, Sophie, and Wanda were missing. I cursed.
"We need to get the truth out there. They ambushed us!" Tommy complained.
"I can take care of that," Victor said. "I can use Sophie's computers and send a message to the media, preferably a video message from you, Captain, to tell your side of the story. Then I can search to see where they have taken the hostages."
"Let's do it," Steve said.
Half an hour later, Steve came upstairs. His video was already playing on every news channel. Ten minutes later, Victor came up.
"Billy, Teddy, Karolina, Xavin, and Wanda were all arrested," he said.
"What about Sophie?" I asked hopefully.
"She wasn't found," he said.
"Where is my daughter?" Clint demanded.
Sophie's POV:
I opened my eyes and realized that my head hurt. The next thing I realized was that I had no idea where the hell I was. Standing over me was a tall blonde man.
"Who are you and what is your business in Asgard?" he asked me, holding his hammer up threateningly.
"Relax, Dude. You're Thor, aren't you?" I asked.
"How do you know who I am?"
"You know my father. You fought beside him as part of the Avengers."
"Who is this father you speak of?"
"Clint Barton."
"The Eye of Hawk?"
"Yeah, that's him."
"His only daughter is a child! You lie! You are a trickster like my brother, Loki!"
"No, I'm not! I'm telling the truth. We found out last year. Neither of us knew about each other. I was raised in a lab after my mother was abducted when she was pregnant. The Avengers captured me last year."
"Why would your father capture you?"
"I was eliminating the scientists who made me enhanced."
"Guards!"
"Wait! I don't know how I got here. My father, husband and best friend are probably really worried right now."
"What do you mean you don't know how you got here. You opened a portal!"
I was confused.
"I opened a portal?"
"Yes."
"But this is another realm. I've never done that before," I said as a female guard grabbed me.
"Sif, wait," he said to the guard who was forcing me to my feet.
I sparked, electricity shooting out from my arms and hands. The guard released me, looking as though she might attack me.
"What was that?" Thor demanded.
"I don't know," frantically, trying to think of what could have caused me to start sparking like that.
It was then that I remembered. I opened the portal to get out of the building. The Thor-clone shot electricity at us… and my portal dropped me in Asgard, sparking.
"Oh no," I mumbled.
"What are you speaking of Midgardian!?"
"Fucking Stark! That stupid son of a bitch tried to make a clone and fucked it up and now I'm sparking! I'm gonna fucking kill him when I get my hands on that narcissistic bastard!" I cursed, pissed off.
"Sif, leave us. I will call you if needed."
The guard left. Thor looked at me with curiosity.
"Why do you curse the name of Stark?"
"He made a clone of you, some kind of machine. When Bucky…"
"What's a Bucky?"
"Bucky Barnes? The Winter Soldier?"
"Him I have heard of. Continue."
"When we opened portals to get Steve out and away from Stark and Hill it short circuited, like all electronics do when the portals open around us. As we were trying to open portals to get out the machine shot some kind of bolt of electricity at us. It must have hit me because I wound up here and sparking instead of with my husband and best friend."
"Who are your husband and best friend?"
"Bucky is my best friend. Steve Rogers is my husband."
"The Captain got married? Good for him," Thor said with a smile on his face.
It took him a minute to get back to what I finished telling him.
"Why were you trying to save Rogers from Stark?"
I explained to Thor what happened and how there was a war of superhumans going on.
"Stark is out to take over the Earth with these laws you speak of! I will not have it!"
"It might work. Steve and I are leading a team of rogues, but things aren't always looking good. Stark has the power of the government behind him. The further this goes, the more people will come to fear anyone like me or Steve. Then who will save the world from invasions?"
"Stark is insane. He has gone too far!" Thor proclaimed. "Heimdall! Open the bifrost! I will escort… What is your name, Midgardian?"
"Sophie."
"I will escort Sophie Rogers home. Open the bifrost to Steve Rogers' location!"
Steve's POV:
I was standing on the porch, not sure what to do. We knew where most of the missing team members were. But Sophie was just gone. Suddenly, a rainbow appeared in front of me. When it faded, Thor was standing in its place… With Sophie at his side. I ran to her and pulled her into my arms, kissing her.
"Clint! Bucky! Sophie's back! She's safe!" I called out before turning to Thor. "How did you end up with Sophie, Thor?"
"She opened a portal into Asgard, Rogers. Is it true you have found a bride?" Thor asked me.
"Yeah, Thor, Sophie is my wife," I replied, smiling at her.
Bucky and Clint came out and Sophie ran into their arms. Clint looked just as shocked as I did to see Thor. Bucky just looked from Thor to me.
"Bucky, I want you to meet Thor. Thor, this is my best friend, Bucky."
"The Winter Soldier? Sophie told me you were her best friend," Thor said.
"Actually, they're both my best friends," Bucky told him.
"Thor," Clint said as far as a greeting.
"Barton, is it true that this is your daughter?" Thor asked.
"Yeah," Clint said, hugging Sophie to his side. "She is my brilliant daughter who has helped create safehouses throughout the country where people who are against Stark and his laws can hide. We're completely untraceable here and at any of those properties."
"She is so young. How can she outmaneuver Stark?"
"She is very talented on her own and Stark taught her himself for a while," I told Thor.
"You know, she has very colorful language. She cursed the name of Stark quite a bit when she realized what happened to her that led her to me, that is what made me reconsider imprisoning her in the jails of Asgard," Thor said smiling.
I could only imagine the words that came out of Sophie's mouth when she realized that she was in Asgard somehow.
"How did you end up in Asgard, Sophie?"
"The electricity that the clone sent at us must have hit me, affecting my portal, but I've been sparking, too."
"What do you mean, sparking?" Clint asked, concerned.
"She electrocuted Lady Sif. Is this not normal for her?" Thor replied.
"No, it's not. She's never done that. And she's always had control of her power," Bucky told Thor. "Even when stressed out, and trust me, I've seen her when she should have lost control, she kept control."
Anya came running out of the house. Someone must have told her that Sophie was home.
"Sophie!" Anya called out to her as she ran down the stairs.
"Mom!" Sophie cried out as she ran into her mother's arms.
Clint walked over to sit with Sophie as Anya checked her for injuries. We all witnessed Sophie spark, shocking Clint, and they took her inside.
"That is not Laura. Who is this woman that Barton's daughter calls Mom?" Thor asked.
We told him what happened with Laura and who Anya was. It was better it come from us then him asking Clint.
"So now he is dating his other child's mother?" Thor asked.
"Yeah. She also teaches his children with Laura and is the resistance doctor."
"She is a woman with many talents. Barton is a lucky man."
Barton's POV:
"I am," I said from the front door. "So did you come all this way just to bring my daughter home, Thor?"
"I have come to help protect the Earth from Stark's idiocy. This is insanity, to expect this registration. Why not give the forces of evil your home addresses for all he is doing with these laws?"
"Welcome to the resistance, Thor," I said to him. "Because, even though you are a god, you being here and not registering puts you in violation of the laws."
"I am the son of Odin! I do not need to be on a list! Stark does not frighten me!"
"Thor, can you help Sophie?" Steve asked.
"In what manner do you speak?"
"The sparking. Can you help calm whatever energy it is that is making her give off electric shocks?"
"I shall try for you, Captain Rogers, my old friend."
"Thank you, Thor."
Steve and Thor walked into the house together.
"What happened in that building, Barnes?"
"She got hit with electricity. We weren't that far from each other. We were opening the portals. I didn't realize she was hit until Steve and I got outside and she wasn't with us. She was opening her own portal."
His eyes looked haunted. We all knew he had been subjected to electroshock therapy over the decades.
"She seems fine. Anya says that this could be a possible progression of her abilities due to the shock the jolt of electricity gave her."
"How?"
"She already had some control over electricity, without realizing it. It's why she would shut down anything with a power source in the vicinity of her portals. The electricity running in her would overload the power source, shutting it down. Anya suspects that with the increased jolt of electricity she received today that she's going to more actively manipulate electricity, like Thor with the lightning bolts."
Bucky shivered.
"You mean this might be permanent?"
"She'll get a hold of it. You know she will. Will you be able to handle this?"
"I'll find a way for her. But Stark may not like how I deal with this if I ever get my hands on him," Bucky said with a smirk.
Bucky's POV:
Things weren't easy in the days after the failed peace talks. The battles continued, only this time, public opinion was just as split as those fighting for and against the registration act. At home, things weren't much better for me.
"How is she?" I asked Steve.
"She's sleeping," Steve replied. "The last training session took a lot out of her."
"Is she improving?"
Steve showed me his arm. There were a few electrical burns. They were from Sophie, who was struggling to gain control of her new abilities, unlocked thanks to Stark's stupidity.
"There are only a few… or did the rest heal?" I asked.
"No, this is it. She is getting better, but as she gains more control, the ability is also getting stronger, Bucky."
"When do you think she'll get control? I miss her, Steve."
"I know you do, Buck. And she asks about you every day."
"But she doesn't want to see me," I said, feeling pathetic.
"She does. She just knows how you react to things like this and doesn't want to hurt you."
"I know, Steve. This is just hard. She's like my kid sister and I know she's hurting and scared but she won't let me help because of my fucking pathetic issues."
"Buck, you're not pathetic. And Sophie doesn't think you're pathetic. You're the one person she is fighting for more than anyone else right now. You are helping her, just not in the way you want to."
"Yeah, how is that?" I asked sarcastically.
"She is fighting like hell to get control of this so she can see you again. She's holding on to how much you mean to her, how much she loves you, and it motivates her every day. It motivates her more than I can sometimes because I'm there and sometimes she just wants me to leave, but I won't because I'm not letting her go through this alone. It would be different if she would let you be at her side, but since she won't, it's motivating her even when I can't. You have no idea how much just knowing you're still here, waiting for her to find her way back to you, helps her deal with this."
I looked at Steve. I knew he would never lie to me. It showed in his eyes that the situation was taking as much a toll on him as it was on me. Mentally, I kicked myself for not realizing just how hard it was for Steve to have his wife in this situation and me sulking on top of it.
"I'm sorry, Steve. I should be supporting you. You're the one who is getting the brunt of her anger and frustration and I'm sitting here whining."
"Don't worry about it, Buck."
"Why do you put up with me?"
"Why did you put up with me when I was a scrawny kid getting beat up all the time?"
Barton's POV:
"Barton!" Thor called, coming up from the teleporter.
"What is it, Thor?"
Thor had been back on Earth for two weeks. With Sophie down as she adjusted to her new powers, Thor took her place, helping Steve with the team. We just had to deal with the equipment we had for the time being.
"I have good news for you, my old friend," Thor said with a smile.
"I'd like to hear some good news for a change," I told Thor.
"Follow me outside."
I followed Thor outside and Sophie was down by the barn. Thor's entrance must have masked her portal. We walked down to the barn, but as we did, Sophie disappeared into the barn. When we reached the barn, Thor had a big smile on his face as he stepped aside to let me go inside first.
"Sophie, what are you doing here? You're not supposed to leave your place right now."
She looked at me, then Thor. Thor nodded at her. She walked over to my old car, the one I hadn't had time to finish fixing up since we moved, and looked at me as she placed her hands on the hood. Her eyes flashed yellow, like lightning, and the car started… the keys were in the house.
"Restraint, Rogers. You do not want to make the vehicle explode," Thor told Sophie.
Sophie nodded at Thor, her eyes flashed yellow again, and the car turned off. I looked between the two. My jaw had dropped in shock.
"How did you do that, Sophie?" I asked.
"I had an excellent teacher," she said smiling at Thor. "Once I finally stopped fearing all the bad things that would happen if I harnessed the energy, he taught me how to channel it."
"Your daughter is a very adept student, Barton. She conquered her fear and then began her mastery," Thor said.
"Can she be touched?" I asked.
Sophie hadn't been able to be touched since the new abilities had manifested. If she got overwhelmed she would spark and give a shock to whoever had tried to touch her, sometimes leaving electrical burns. I had my fair share of them, as did Steve. We had all agreed that Barnes should be kept away given his PTSD incident in the Sudan.
"You tell me," Sophie said as she came up behind me and hugged me.
It had been too long since I had been able to hug my daughter. The tension that I hadn't even realized was constantly present, began to release. I kissed the top of her head.
"Thank you, Thor," I told the Asgardian.
"'twas nothing, old friend. It was an honor to teach such a fine warrior. She truly has the heart of a warrior, Barton, as much as any on Asgard."
"You should see her and Bucky sparring together. That'll show you what kind of warrior she is, Thor."
"Really? I'm intrigued. When can I see this spectacle?"
"Why don't we go home and let Bucky know that I'm okay?" Sophie suggested.
Sophie's POV:
Dad, Thor and I went back to my house, with Cooper. Dad and Cooper stayed outside with me while Thor went inside to get Bucky. I texted Steve to bring mine and Bucky's weapons out to the front of the house.
When Bucky came to the front door he looked annoyed that the Asgardian god was forcefully encouraging him to go outside. However, when he saw that I was outside, he ran down the stairs, stopping only when he was a few feet from me. He looked at me cautiously.
"Are you okay, Soph?" he asked me.
"I'm fine, Bucky," I answered, pulling him to me in a hug. "I'm in control again, not the abilities."
I could feel him breathe a sigh of relief. We all knew that banning him from seeing me would have its toll, but we knew it would be less of a toll then sending him over the edge if I electrocuted him. I tapped him on the shoulder when Steve came outside, showing him what Steve was carrying… our weapons.
"Are you sure you're ready for that?" he asked me.
"What? I don't spar with you for a few weeks and you get rusty? I mean I get it with the arm and all…" I said taunting him with a smile on my face.
"Give me the bag, Steve, and kiss your wife goodbye!" Bucky yelled at Steve.
Steve tossed us our bags. Dad, Thor, Cooper, and Steve stood back as Bucky and I got ready to spar. It felt good to put on the holsters, my quiver, to have my bow on my back, my knives at hand. My adrenaline started pumping and I got excited.
"What are they doing, Dad?" Cooper asked Dad.
"You know how in karate, you practice fighting with a partner?"
Cooper nodded at Dad.
"But we don't use real weapons. You can get really hurt like that," Cooper said.
I walked over to Cooper, wanting to make him feel better before he freaked out on Bucky.
"Do you remember what I told you about how quickly I heal, Cooper?"
He nodded at me. I pulled a knife from one of my thigh holsters. I ran it over my forearm, not making a deep cut. Cooper gasped.
"Relax, just watch," I told him.
Because it wasn't a deep cut, within a minute the cut started to close in front of him.
"Bucky and I have been doing this for a long time. It's just how we spar. I'll be fine. I promise."
I gave my brother a hug to comfort him. Dad gave me a stern look for cutting myself in front of Cooper. I shrugged at him. I went to Steve and kissed him, glad to be able to do that without having to be scared that I'd electrocute him.
"Are you gonna fight or make-out, Sophie?" Bucky called from the other side of the yard, by the tree line.
I turned to him and ran out to meet him, the knife I had used still in my hand. It was like I hadn't missed anything. I blocked and parried his blows with ease, a renewed energy in me now that I was harnessing my new ability. It was a great release. The fluidity of our movement was like a well-choreographed dance.
Steve's POV:
"Rogers, your wife, she is quite feisty," Thor told me as he watched Sophie and Bucky spar. "She makes this battle seem effortless."
Sophie and Bucky had their sparring technique perfected after more than two years of working together. They could anticipate each other's every move.
"Aren't you worried that Bucky is going to hurt Sophie, Steve?" Cooper asked me.
"I know how tough your sister is, so not really, Cooper. Look at her, he's having as much trouble landing a hit on her as she is on him."
He really watched the two of them for a few minutes. Tommy looked out the window and saw Sophie and Bucky sparring.
"It's the Electric Hawk and Winter Soldier fighting!" he shouted.
Within minutes every member of the Secret Avengers was in the yard watching the deadly training session. When Tommy came out the door, Sophie took a split second and sent a spark at Tommy, hitting his arm. Her eyes flashed yellow when she did it.
"OW!" he yelped in pain.
"Maybe you may want to ask her before assigning her a code name, Tommy," I said to him, applying some of the healing serum to his arm.
"She's got to be twenty yards from me, how did she hit me?" Tommy asked me.
"You're asking me how Clint Barton's daughter can hit you with accuracy from twenty yards? She shot me at over 500 meters before we ever met," I said laughing.
"You married someone who shot you, Cap?"
"We have a complicated history," I said.
"You have issues, Dude."
Thor and Clint laughed at this.
Bucky landed a punch to Sophie's shoulder. She staggered back, pulling a new knife from her thigh holster as she pulled the hand that dropped the last knife up. As Bucky came down at her with a knife, She sliced his human arm and kicked him in his chest, knocking him back. She pulled an arrow from her quiver, knocking it in her bow and let it go. It hit Bucky in his shoulder. He pulled the arrow out and lunged at her with a larger knife.
"Shouldn't we stop these two before they actually kill each other?" Eli asked.
"I wouldn't get anywhere within a five yard radius of those two, Eli. They're fine," Clint said.
"Your daughter is bleeding, Barton. How is that fine?" Kate asked.
"Relax, Kate. Just watch," I said.
The sun was setting when Bucky and Sophie's match finally ended in a draw. They had been going at it for almost two hours.
"You weren't kidding, Barton. That was quite entertaining," Thor said.
I looked at Clint.
"What?" he shrugged at me. "He said she had the heart of a warrior. I mentioned this, he was curious."
Sophie and Bucky were laughing and hugging each other as they made their way over to us. Victor tossed them water bottles, which he had gone inside for when it looked like they were close to an end. Cooper was watching his sister and gasped in horror when he saw the blood.
"She's hurt!" he exclaimed.
I took a towel and wet it with the hose. I tossed one to Sophie and did it again, tossing the second to Bucky. They wiped themselves off.
"Look, Cooper, no injuries. I don't even have a bruise," Sophie said showing her brother that she was fine.
"You're not even sweating, Sophie," he said in amazement.
"Your sister is tough, Cooper. I wouldn't do this if she couldn't handle it," Bucky said throwing his arm around her shoulder.
It was good to see him smiling again… to see both of them smiling again. The Young Avengers and the Runaways wanted lessons from Bucky and Sophie. They wanted to learn to spar like them. They told them not that night.