Steve's apartment was still being repaired. Between broken windows, bullet holes, bodies slammed into walls, and other damage, the owner was talking about a month or more before it was ready for use. Steve spent his first night back in DC in his office on a sofa two sizes too small, so Natasha offered him to stay with her, while Clint took over his sublet apartment. Natasha's condo was in the Southwest Waterfront on 4th Street. The place was a to bedroom with a large open kitchen, a living room with a balcony that had a view of the water, and a main bedroom with a walk-in closet. Steve was awed by her place in comparison to his own.
"How do you afford this?" asked Steve.
"Don't act poor, Rogers, you're bank account is this flush with back pay, which by the way you should invest. As for me, I'm spy. Spies tend to hide money away in case their burned or have to go on the run," she told him.
"The light must be great in here. I'd love to sketch you by the balcony," he said.
"We'll see," she smirked. "Put your bags in my bedroom."
Steve grinned and brought his bags into her bedroom. She had a large California king bed, which made Steve wonder why she had such a large bed. Or maybe it was new. Steve thought about asking her but decided not to ask any questions. Natasha was meant to be a surrpise. He placed them down and re-joined Natasha, who was now in the kitchen. She had the refrigerator open and was looking for something to eat.
"It looks like takeout for tonight," she sighed. "I want Tai food."
"I've never had Tai food," Steve spoke up.
"I'll order. You'll like it," she grinned then she took out her cellphone and made a call. She ordered two orders of Pad Thai noodles, Lemon Pepper Chicken, Thai Shrimp Curry, Kung pao – giant river prawns, Ginger fried chicken, chicken with cashew nuts, and sticky rice. When she hung up, she looked at Steve. "That should satisfy you."
Two hours later, after gorging themselves on food, Steve and Natasha started to move to the bedroom to enjoy themselves. They started to remove each others clothes, enjoying the process and the build up of passion when both their cellphones started to beep. Natasha groaned as she crawled off of Steve and grabbed both their phone.
She answered hers, "Yeah."
"Fury wants you here now," said Hill.
"What is it?" asked Natasha.
"The intel you recovered. You and Rogers need to get here now. It's important Romanov," Hill repeated.
"Gotcha," she hung up.
Steve hung up. He looked concerned.
"Hill. Who called you?" she asked.
"Stark. Fury wants us at the Triskelion," he said.
"Stark?" Natasha said. "It must be important if he has him there already. I'll take my corvette and you take your bike. We might get sent on separate missions."
"Yeah," Steve said.
AVENGERS
They entered Fury's personal conference room to see that Hill, Stark, Clint, and Coulson were already there. Fury sat a the head of the table brooding, which meant nothing but bad news. Steve sat at the other end of the table. Stark waved and smiled at him, though Steve ignored him.
"Here's the problem," Fury started. "It appears that not only has Hydra survived but a certain leader of Hydra has returned. Johann Schmidt seems to be the brains behind the latest actions of Hydra."
"The Red Skull," growled Steve, "how?"
"Ahh, well, the Tesseract, Cap. It didn't kill him; it transported him to another planet," said Fury.
"Thor is investigating where and who has helped him," said Stark. "He thinks Loki might have something to do with it. Good old Loki. There's a demi-god I wouldn't mind seeing drawn and quartered."
"I need more intel. We are blind right now. I don't like being blind. There are rumors that Hydra has infiltrated the EU, which means Brussels. Coulson, I'm putting you on that. Go to Brussels and investigate. I don't care what toes you step on," stated Fury.
"Yes, sir," said Coulson.
"Widow, Hawkeye, Strucker is in Sokovia. He's set up there training troops and experimenting on God knows what. I want you two to take a trip, gather intel, and get out. Don't make waves and don't get caught. Strucker has a base outside of the capital city Novi Grad," he said.
"We'll get all the intel there is to get," said Natasha.
"Cap, Stark needs you," said Fury.
Before Fury could continue, Stark spoke up, "Without Thor I missing a man. I need you to stand in for him. We have a mission that could turn out to be dangerous."
"What's the mission?" asked Steve.
"I'll tell you on the Avengers jet," said Tony. "It's a Quinjet but better because it's made by Stark Enterprises and designed by me."
"Okay, let get going. I have a feeling we are behind in this game I want to catch up and catch up now," said Fury.
The meeting started to break up. Natasha looked over at Steve then she looked at the corner of the room letting him know to meet her there. He walked over to the corner of the conference room. She joined him.
"Clint and I will be gone at least a week," she said.
"I really don't want to be separated that long," he said. He thought of reaching over and holding her hand but he knew that would piss her off.
"I hate to admit it but I'm going to miss you, too. Now, I have to get ready for my mission, which means black hair and blue eyes," she smiled.
"What about Clint?" asked Steve.
"Beard and sunglasses," she shrugged. "I'm a little better known than him when it comes to this sort of spy work."
"I'll be with the Avengers for this mission," sighed Steve.
"Here's a key to my apartment," she said and slipped him the key. "I expect a home cooked dinner when I get back."
Steve smiled then he said, "I want to kiss you, but I won't."
"Good choice," she said then walked away.
Stark waited for Steve. Steve joined him.
"Come on, Cap, my jet awaits," Stark said.
Steve followed behind Stark. He was wearing his stealth suit and had his shield on his back.
"Do I need a change of clothes?" asked Steve.
"Don't worry about it," Stark replied.
They headed to elevator banks and took an elevator down to the underground area where Quinjets were kept. Steve followed Stark to a jet shaped between a Quinjet and a top of the line personal jet. It had an Avengers A on the tail. They entered it.
"JARVIS, prepare for takeoff," Stark ordered his AI.
"Gladly, sir," said JARVIS.
Stark looked at Steve and waved his hands at some of the seating.
"Sit, relax," said Stark.
Steve took his shield off his back and sat in a comfortable leather seat.
"I don't have any flight attendents on this trip, but I can serve you some food or drink if you want," said Stark.
He walked over and sat down. Stark had a bag of organic trail mix in his hand.
"Who is going to fly this?" asked Steve.
"JARVIS will," smiled Stark.
"I am able to fly this jet as well as do many other things," JARVIS spoke up.
"What's the mission?" asked Steve.
"Ahh, the mission. It's simple. AIM has a research lab up in Alaska. I hacked their system and found out that they are developing a sort drone/robot – kind of like a Transformer," Stark said.
Steve looked at him as if he was an idiot.
"Don't watch cartoons?" Stark asked.
"No."
"Okay, well they are developing these drone robots and a sort of spawning mother robot that keeps creating new ones. It's dangerous and needs to be ended and the research lab destroyed," he said.
"Who will make up the team?" asked Steve.
"Me. Rhodey in his War Machine armor, Ant-man, but in his Giant Man mode, Wasp, and Spider-man, if he's done with his day at high school. We are leaving Bruce at home. I don't think we'll need a code green," said Stark.
"High school?" Steve questioned him.
"Yeah, I'm sort of mentoring Spider-man who is a high school kid from Queens. Good kid with remarkable powers," said Stark.
"You should leave him at home," Steve said.
"Why? He's done missions with us. The kids is good," said Stark.
Steve shook his head then he decided to ask a question he knew he didn't want the answer to, "Do you train as a team at all?"
"No. We wing it," smiled Stark.
Steve closed his eyes. This was what he was afraid of – no coordination, no real leadership, no plan of action. He'd do his part and return to SHIELD.
"Come on, Cap, don't fret," said Stark. "I have an apartment waiting for you in the tower. You'll love. We eat and drink real well after a mission."
"As long as it's a success," said Steve.
"Good point," smiled Stark.
AVENGERS
Natasha had raven colored hair and blue contact lenses. She dressed in jeans with knee high boots, a black silk shirt, and a red leather coat. Hidden on her were two Glocks, four knives, and a stun baton. Clint had a four days growth of beard, wore a baseball cap, and sunglasses. He wore jeans, a gray tee shirt, and brown leather jacket. Hidden on him were two Glocks, ammo, and five throwing knives. They arrived the day before at Novi Grad and it didn't take long for them to get a sense of the lay of the land.
Hydra had a HQ in the city and, of course, the base that was several miles out of the city. Clint ate a sausage and drank a local beer, while Natasha drank water.
"This building is highly guarded. My bet is that there are computers in their that will allow us to get all the intel we need," said Natasha.
"Lots of guards and I bet Hydra can send re-enforcements in minutes," said Clint. "We need to get in quietly, get out with style, and have a stealth Quinjet waiting for us on the roof."
"I agree," smiled Natasha. She looked at Clint. "Let's plan this bitch."
"Yes, ma'am," smiled Clint.
"Only Steve is allowed to call me ma'am," she smirked.
AVENGERS
Steve couldn't believe the mess they were in. Scott Lang was down and out. He hoped he wasn't hurt too baldy, but he was untrained and ended up being taken down by five drones. Lang didn't know how to handle overwhelming odds, which training helped with. The Army, Navy, and Air Force didn't train because they were bored, but because gave soldiers operational awareness and allowed them to overcome overwhelming odds.
With Lang down, The Wasp stayed by him to protect his body. This left Stark, Rhodey, and Spider-man to deal with the drones, while he destroyed the spawner. Steve approached the spawner, as he did three new drones left it. He engaged them using his shield and his wits. They were destroyed just in time for three new ones to leave the spawner. He needed to ignore the drones and just still with the spawner, which meant he was going to take maximum damage.
Stark had given him a bomb to plant on the spawner. He set the timer for ten minutes. It was going off one way or another and he'd make sure he was close enough to destroy. Steve used his acrobatic gifts to dodge and avoid the drones, as he got closer and closer to the spawner. Three drones became six drones and it became harder to avoid their weapons. He took a shot of a EDW in the back. Steve knew his body better than anyone else and he knew that vertebrae were damaged. He ignored the pain and kept going forward. Throwing his shield he took out two drones then his shield returned to him.
"Hey, Cap, we need that spawner destroyed," Stark said in his ear.
Steve didn't answer but kept moving forward. He blocked an EDW with his shield but another drone hit him with a blast that damaged his knee to the point he could barely stand on it. Again, he swallowed the pain and kept moving forward. If I survive this I'm going to make the Avengers train, he thought.
Steve was almost close enough to toss the bomb at the spawner. It had a magnet attacked to it, so it should stick to its side. He checked the timer. Three minutes. His body took another hit. This time it was broken ribs, at least three, and a punctured lung. Steve coughed up blood, but he kept going until he was close enough then he threw the bomb with everything he had. It attached itself to the side of the spawner. He touched his earpiece.
"Bomb set, less than two minutes. Get out," he ordered.
"How about you?" asked Stark.
"Forget about me," said Steve.
His knee gave out. He fell to both knees and coughed up more blood. Just then he saw Stark in his Iron Man armor headed straight towards him. He grabbed Steve by the shoulders and picked him up then he flew away at best speed. Steve tried to stay awake but he started to black out. Too much damage, his body need rest, food, and Natasha. He blacked out.
AVENGERS
Natasha was in her black catsuit and Clint was in his stealth suit. He had his bow, which he was using to lay down a series of explosive arrows in the hallway. Natasha finished up at the computer. The drive she filled with intel, she grabbed and slipped into her catsuit then she pulled her sidearms. She touched her earpiece.
"Exfil ready?" she asked.
"On the roof waiting," came the answer.
"Hey, Clint, you ready," she smiled.
"I think it's time to clear out," he smirked. He pressed a button and the arrows started exploding.
They headed for the roof. Natasha shot the first guards she saw. They went down dead. Steve wasn't on this mission so she didn't have to wound everyone. Clint covered their retreat with more exploding arrows. They reached the roof and the Quinjet appeared leaving stealth mode. Getting on the pilot announced, "Four bogeys coming in. Buckle up, we are going to stealth mode and hitting full speed."
Natasha and Clint obeyed. They sat on the bench and buckled up.
They could feel the g-force as the Quinjet hit top speed. Clint looked at Natasha and smiled.
"I like a mission that goes clean," he said.
"One of our easiest lately," she said.
"Let's hope this intel puts us on a even playing field," said Clint.
"I wonder how Steve's mission went," said Natasha.
"He's with the Avengers. What could go wrong?" Clint said.
Natasha didn't answer. All she could think of was all that could go wrong.
AVENGERS
The Quinjet landed then was brought underground. Both Fury and Hill were waiting for them, which made Natasha's stomach know. Clint grabbed her right hand. He knew something was wrong, too.
"Romanov, you have the intel?" asked Fury.
"Yes," she answered.
"Give it to Hill," said Fury.
She gave the drive to Hill. Fury waved for a re-fueling of the Quinjet. He looked at Clint then at Natasha.
"I'm headed to New York. Rogers was hurt. Banner is taking care of him, but he was hurt," said Fury. "You two want to come."
"Try and stop me," growled Natasha.
Clint nodded yes. The three of them entered the Quinjet. They buckled up and waited for takeoff.
"What happened?" asked Natasha.
"I read the report from Stark. He was honest for a change. Steve ignored his own health and life in order to take out a spawning robot. Colonel Rhodes report said that they attacked as individuals as usual and that was working against them. Steve decided to be the good soldier and make the sacrifice to destroy what needed to be destroy in order for them to win. According to Banner, he'll be okay once he fixes a few things," Fury explained.
"They need...," Natasha paused.
"A leader," said Fury. "They need Rogers."
"SHIELD needs him," said Clint.
"I won't argue that," said Fury. "I'm just wondering who needs him more."
AVENGERS
They arrived at Avengers Tower. JARVIS told them to proceed to the medical floors. He then gave them a detailed report on Steve's injuries and his current state of being in a medical induced coma.
"Dr. Banner said the pain he was suffering was interfering with his healing. A medical induced coma was the only way to deal with the pain because pain medication do not work on him," JARVIS explained. "He has since started to heal at an excellent rate."
Fury, Natasha, and Clint entered medical. A curtain surrounded a patient while Scott Lang was in another hospital bed. Hank Pym and Janet were visiting him. Fury stopped to check him out.
"Broke your leg?" asked Fury.
"A drone whatever it was cracked my shin and broke the leg. I'm mean, Cap, warned me, but I thought you know... ouch," replied Scott.
"Scott, you sound like and idiot," said Hank.
"I feel like you," he said.
They moved on to Banner who was in conversation with Dr, Cho. Banner looked at them and stopped talking.
"How is he?" asked Fury.
"We'll bring him out of the coma tomorrow. His body will be sufficiently healed by then to deal with the pain," said Banner.
"Any serious damage?" asked Natasha.
"None that won't heal. Damaged vertebrae, broken ribs, punctured lung, concussion, and serious damage to his right knee. A normal man who have been killed," said Banner.
"His bone density and regeneration saved him from permanent damage," said Cho.
Stark came walking into medical. He sauntered up to Fury, Natasha and Clint.
"Hey, gang," he said.
"Your people need training," growled Fury.
"Not going to argue," said Stark. "Working on a training center with state of the art training gear."
"You need someone to train them," said Fury.
"Again, no argument and when Cap is willing to pick up his Captain America mantle the job is all his," said Stark.
"He belongs to SHIELD," Natasha said, sounding exactly what she was a woman worried about her man. He belonged to her.
"You and Cap making the beast with one back, Red?" asked Stark.
"Shut up, Stark," snapped Clint.
"I want to see him," said Natasha.
"He's in a coma," said Banner.
"I want to sit with him for awhile," said Natasha.
Banner looked at her and recognized the concern was deeper than teammate. He nodded and pulled back the curtain so she could join Steve. He was attached to medical machines and lying there with his eyes closed. Natasha sighed. She pulled a chair up to the bed and took his right hand in both of hers.
"I'm right here, Steve, and I'm not leaving you," she said.
Outside of the curtain, Stark looked amused.
"They are slapping uglies, aren't they?" he asked.
"Stark, I really mean this for the sake of your health, leave them alone," said Clint. "Steve and Natasha love each other. Period. No jokes and no bullshit."
"Okay, cupid," Stark said.
Clint looked at Fury and said, "Don't even act like you don't know."
"I wasn't going to," smiled Fury.