Chapter 20: Of vacations and invasions

So to sum things up, Operation "Fuck Hydra" had been an overall success. With a few snags here and there.

The Wintersoldier and Vanko were still on the loose. Which was annoying. Because I couldn´t find them and I was busy enough as it was. Buggers were damn good at staying off the grid.

And I feared some of my progress in getting Steve to a healthier mindset was destroyed when it became public knowledge that his best friend was still alive and currently on the run. Naturally, he wanted nothing more than to run after Bucky. Good thing he had no idea where to start.

Sadly, our operation had been an American one. Meaning we could only operate in the US and specific US-allied countries. Mainly the lenient ones or those that couldn´t raise a huge stink against us. Which meant there was still a lot of Hydra out there, they were insane, not stupid.

It also meant that there were still quite some Hydra hide-outs to raid. Again. Just like in canon. And just like in canon it was the general consensus of both the media and governments that this was a job for the Avengers. After all they were the ones who singlehandedly uncovered the whole conspiracy, or so says the media. Totally disregarding that multiple members weren´t even present and conveniently forgetting the X-Men and other government agencies involved…

The media, amirite?

At the same time, it became quickly clear that those raids wouldn´t happen for a few months yet, because politics.

The allowance of international intervention by the Avengers was closely bound to the METO accords, which was good for basic human rights but kind of bad for dealing with an imminent threat. Well, that was the basic summary of the ongoings as told by our legal team. What they implied but not explicitly stated was that, like always, this issue got instrumentalized by a number of different UN-member states that used it to get ahead in their quarrels for power. Politics.

So, the raids had to wait for approximately 4-6 more months until the accords were ready to be signed.

Because giving Hydra time to reorganize could never go wrong.

Maybe I was just being grumpy. The media circus that ensued after the leak was insane. To be fair, there were a worrying number of politicians and officials that had been arrested. And the proof of all the atrocities committed, especially against the mutant community, was harrowing.

It had the questionable side effect of pushing all of mutantkind into a victim role. Many of the captured mutants had been teenagers or even children after all. The problem was that the media inadvertently robbed mutants of their independency again, opting to patronize them.

Being seen as a bunch of helpless children or some sort of invalid was better then being seen as sub-human but not by that much.

And so, Hank and I went on another press tour.

Which was why I was grumpy.

I swore to myself that as soon as the accords were signed, I would just disappear from the public eye and become a hermit, only coming out when the world was ending.

"Cheer up, buttercup!", Tony said with a challenging grin as he fell on the couch next to me and threw an arm around me.

I eyed his arm in distaste. I didn´t like to get touched when I was in a bad mood. Treat me like cat, give me food if I´m pissed and leave me alone until I come to you. Or else.

"What´s got you in such a stink?", Clint asked while he sat down on one of the armchairs.

We were in the lounge area of one of the upper floors in Stark Tower. Even though the raids wouldn´t start until the next year, we were already planning, and someone had proposed the Avenger´s film night.

Me, it was me. I wanted something to take Steve´s mind off of Bucky and anker him to the modern world. One mention to Tony about some film reference that Steve didn´t get was enough for the billionaire to set off on a campaign in the next meeting. Working smarter, not harder, people.

I did somewhat regret that decision though. My social batteries had been running on empty the whole week. I just wanted to barricade myself in my apartment.

"The press, would be my guess.", Natasha's smooth voice came from the direction of the kitchen.

"He´s been on TV nonstop for weeks now."

The spy wandered out with a drink in her hand and deposited herself on the remaining armchair with much more elegance than her teammates. Bruce gave me a commiserating look as he sat down on the other end of the couch just when Steve rounded the corner carefully balancing a giant bowl of Popcorn.

I sighed.

"I hate it, I hate it so much. And why do they always force you to wear make-up? I don´t care if I look like shit, it irritates me and it irritates my skin.", I complained weakly.

"You just need a little distraction, and all is right in the world.", Tony said, not taking me all that seriously.

I could see Natasha cracking a smile and stuck my tongue out at her. All these people laughing at my terrible plight.

"Ah, come on, don´t pout. How about we go out this weekend and get you some pretty birds.", he grinned and wiggled his eyebrows.

I abandoned what was definitely not a pout for a confused and tired look at my friend.

"Parrots?", I asked after a moment, imagining what a trip to the pet shop with Tony Stark would look like.

"I don´t think I have the time for pets.", I continued as I came out of that little daydream.

When I didn´t receive an answer, I turned to the others. For some reason they all looked at me with big eyes until Clint broke the silence and started laughing. The rest of the Avengers followed. Tony´s body shook quite badly as he tried to suppress his laughs before giving up and curling away from me to hold his sides.

"What… What?", I tried once, then twice a bit louder. I turned to hit Tony in the shoulder.

"Get yourself together, what´s so funny?"

"If even I can understand it-", Steve pushed out between laughs.

Ah. Aaah.

Oh, come on! That was such a weird phrase!

"I get it, I get.", I grumbled. "You can stop laughing now. It wasn´t that funny. And also, pretty birds? Who are you, Sirius Black?"

Tony was still giggling. For the second time that evening I stuck my tongue out at someone. Just to get back at him, I waited until he calmed down and took up his bottle from the table.

"Oh, and I´m gay by the way.", I threw out nonchalantly, enjoying the sounds Tony made as he choked on his coke. Ha.

"So, what are we watching this time?", I asked the others innocently as I ignored the genius dying next to me.

Honestly, I was surprised that he hadn´t already known, but I guessed I had been a bit too busy to worry about my love life. Or my sex life. Depressing line of thought.

In the last second it occurred to me that people in 2012 might not be as progressive as they would be ten years from now. I chanced a glance at the others. It should be alright… right?

Natasha shook her head, clearly amused. Steve had wide eyes and was trying not to look like he was uncomfortable, and Bruce and Clint didn´t react at all. Meh, I should be good.

"Hey, we could watch Brave!", Clint exclaimed with an excited grin.

I frowned, trying to wreck my brain until I got what he meant.

"Oh, the Disney movie? How is that a classic, it came out this year?", I asked.

Clint pouted.

"I like it."

"We could also- ", Natasha started.

"No, no, I don´t have the brain capacity to watch something serious right now.", I interrupted her, knowing full well that she always proposed the most depressing films.

"Disney doesn´t sound that bad, Bruce, what do you think?", I turned to the scientist in search for some support.

"Uhm…", Bruce looked at me like a deer in headlights.

It took another 30 minutes until we finally settled on Lilo & Stitch. Some things just take time.

Of course, it was my first proper day off in a while when my phone started to ring in its emergency ringtone.

When Tony gave me the phone, it had felt like cheating. Ree could do anything I wanted after all. But I needed a cover at the time. I only started to give its number out to friends after I had repeatedly dismissed calls that came over Ree.

Being able to turn a call down with a single thought wasn´t ideal when combined with my anti-social tendencies.

Like that time in high school when my body trained itself to wake up five minutes before my alarm rang, so I wouldn´t wake to a loud noise.

I was so surprised that I rolled off my couch and fell to the floor because I couldn´t get my legs untangled from the blanket in time. From my position on the ground I fished for the phone on the table.

"Hello?", I answered, blinking rapidly and trying to get my brain into an active mode.

"Al, we need your help.", I heard Hank´s urgent voice.

"With what?"

"You haven´t seen? Turn the TV on, any news channel should do.", he said-

With a thought I had Ree play the news.

"Ah, fuck.", I commented, eloquent as ever.

"Yeah.", Hank agreed grimly.

"This is a political nightmare!", I exclaimed as massaged my head to stave off the incoming headache.

"Yeah, we already had a conference call with Pepper and the lawyers, and we spoke to an Agent of the Counter Terrorist Force and since there are mutants involved, they want us on board. We are already on our way. I´ll send you the coordinates for where we are meeting up with the CIA, ok?"

"Yeah, alright.", I answered distractedly, barely registering the line going silent.

My attention was on the scene that Ree let play out in front of me. It was a news reel of mostly shaky phone footage.

It showed fights between what was clearly a large group of mutants and some sort of militia, the militia desperately uncoordinated and chaotic. They were unequipped to deal with mutants and it showed. Civilians were fleeing the capital blindly as more than one building went up in flames to squash any opposing forces with large blows.

For some godforsaken reason the Brotherhood had decided to invade Grenada, a small Caribbean Island circa 150 km out from the Venezuelan coast. They "stormed" the capital yesterday and were holding both the Parliament and the US Embassy hostage. The only resistance they encountered was the small armed police force, not even 500 people strong.

None of my news alerts had gone off because such small nation just hadn´t been on my radar. Grenada had just over 150,000 residents.

I watched, utterly baffled, as the Brotherhood´s mouthpiece, a mutant I didn´t recognize, made grand declarations of a mutant governed nation and how they chose Grenada because it had been in league with Hydra in the suppression of mutants. How they demanded international recognition before they would let their hostages go.

A completely insane plan.

As I scrambled to put on some proper clothes, my mind raced with questions and doubts. There was no way the Brotherhood believed they could force their way into taking other an inhabited island. A bit of quick research by Ree and the more I heard, the more I was confused.

Grenada was part of the Commonwealth and an UN-member state. It had been politically stable for decades. Now, none of these facts would guarantee a military intervention, but they did a lot to piss a bunch of nations off.

And directly threatening an American Embassy? What were they thinking?

And where was Magneto? There was some early footage of him, but not much.

It just didn´t make sense. Clearly there was something else going on. I couldn´t make out any good reason, any way the Brotherhood could benefit from this mess.

Still puzzled and dreading what this would mean for MESO and the accords, I looked up the coordinates Hank had sent. A satellite image later and I was off.

Hovering above a large boat anchored some way outside of Halifax Harbour, I searched for the CIA team that was reportedly already here. The X-Men were about an hour out.

A quick scan and I snorted at the inconspicuously parked armored vehicles next to a large tent. I shook my head as I wondered how they even got those cars on land.

Invisible, I neared the entrance of the tent. I slipped through, ignoring the stationed soldier carrying what I could only identify as "a large weapon".

… Hey, where I came from weapons are highly regulated (or at least they are supposed to be *cough* Reichsbürger *cough*) and I had only ever seen hunting rifles in person, okay?

Anyways, I entered the tent and took in the taskforce the CIA had sent. A few fully equipped soldiers, one suit wearing Agent intensely studying the maps laid out on the big table in the center and a more casually dressed young woman in front of a laptop.

Probably IT support, I thought amused.

With a mental command I became visible again and cleared my throat. The reaction was instantaneous.

All weapons in the room were drawn and pointed in my direction, except for the young tech who was still fumbling with her holster.

The Agent, huh, is that Martin Freeman, had barely time to bark out: "Don´t shoot!" before the first shot was fired. Good thing I was prepared.

I gave the trigger-happy soldier an unimpressed look from behind my translucent teal shield.

Maybe surprising the paranoid CIA taskforce a thirty-minute drive away from an invasion wasn´t the sanest choice, but they had been informed about my participation and really, it was their own faults. Should have expected something like this.

"Well, what a nice welcome.", I quipped as the alarmed guard stormed in behind me.

Agent Ross, because yes, that was Martin Freeman, gave the offending shooter a dirty look and lowered his weapon.

"Good of you to join us, Mr. Ravenstock. Or would prefer Bluelight? Stand down.", Ross asked courteously and then turned to the soldiers.

Somehow, he still gave me the impression "British", even though he was clearly American in this universe. The temptation to ask him what he thought about Sherlock Holmes was strong.

"Ah, Al is good. Anything but Bluelight, really."

Just because I had stopped grimacing at hearing my hero alias, didn´t mean I wouldn´t take any chance I got to be called something else.

The not quite hobbit in front of me raised an eyebrow, but continued: "Very well, then let´s get you up to date until the X-Men arrive. Oh, and please try to announce your presence in the future in a more orderly way."

I looked at him innocently.

He sighed.

I smiled.

Always good to brighten up a government agents' day.

Notes: Wooh, invasion time! Didn´t see this coming, eh? I didn´t either. This is going to be interesting. Shorter chapter this week, but hey we meet another canon character! Also, I have so many tabs open with info about Grenada, it isn´t even funny.