All rights belong to Disney/Marvel. I own nothing.
San Francisco
"So…" Kamala said awkwardly, trying to find some way to connect with her new teammate.
The two young heroes were lounging on the private jet that Kate had borrowed from her "almost stepdad" as she called him, Jack Duquesne. On the flight from New York to San Francisco, they haven't spoken much besides the occasional awkward glance.
It's not that they didn't want to talk with one another. They each had made a few valiant efforts to start a conversation, but it managed to wither and die after a few hesitant answers and embarrassed laughs. They had busied themselves in between the conversations as best they could; Kamala would continue looking through Cassandra Lang's file on the datapad given to her by Nick Fury while Kate would work on a few trick arrows, making sure they were weighted perfectly and wouldn't fail her when she needed them.
"So…" Kate said in return.
"How rich is your stepdad?" Kamala asked finally. "I mean your almost stepdad. I know he didn't marry your mom, or else he would have been your actual stepdad—"
"Let's just call him Jack," Kate said with a smile, "and I don't ask him about money. It would get weird and I don't like being reminded that he slips me some money occasionally. Believe it or not, there's not a lot of money in being a superhero."
"Unless you're Tony Stark," Kamala joked as both girls laughed.
The short conversation helped thaw the uncomfortableness between the two as they sat a little easier in their seats.
"What does that arrow do?" Kamala asked, pointing to the trick arrow that Kate had been working on.
"It's a grappling hook," Kate explained, showing off the three-pronged head. "There's a coil of high-strength cord in the arrow shaft and a winch. It'll hook onto my bow as I fire it and I can activate the winch from the dial on my grip."
"That's awesome!" Kamala said, her eyes wide with excitement.
"Yeah, it's pretty cool," Kate grinned. "The bow was a recent present from Clint. He figured that he didn't need it anymore since he's a stay-at-home dad now and gave it to me for my birthday. It can collapse and the dial is connected to my quiver, so I can make sure that I always have the arrow I need."
"It's cool that you two are so close," Kamala said, leaning back. "I wonder if you can make a boomerang arrow? That's the problem with arrows. They don't come back."
Kate went to say something but was interrupted by an announcement from the pilot.
"Excuse me, Miss Bishop, but we're about to land in San Francisco. Please fasten your seatbelt."
"Thank you, Julian!" Kate called back as the two girls did as they were told. The trick arrows that Kate had been working on went back into the quiver before the assortment of deadly arrows were hidden in a one-strap backpack.
"One thing," Kamala said, feeling a little embarrassed to be admitting this now. "I don't know how to get to the Langs."
Kate shrugged and held up her phone. "I was thinking we could Uber."
Kamala loved her hometown, Jersey City, and could appreciate the lively mass of humanity that was New York, but there was something relaxingly beautiful about San Francisco. It was a sprawling city, but even the thousands of buildings couldn't cover the rolling green hills that went as far as the eye could see and the bay that sparkled blue and white under the sun.
On a day like today, where there wasn't a cloud in the sky and there was a pleasant breeze from the water blowing through the city, San Francisco was making an inviting case to be the most beautiful place Kamala had ever been to.
Their Uber driver, a nice Filipino man named Leandro, chatted about anything that came to mind as he swerved his Nissan through downtown traffic before making his way to the outskirts of the city. Kate or Kamala would make a polite reply when needed, but let their driver talk the entire time he drove, focusing more on the beautiful city than Leandro's sister's wedding.
Finally, Leandro stopped outside a classic manor.
"Here we are, my friends," Leandro said cheerfully. "I hope you have enjoyed the ride. As always, a five-star rating would be appreciated."
"Thank you!" Kamala said as she and Kate climbed out of his car. "Drive safe!"
"Will do! Thank you!" He called and waved before driving off.
"I didn't know someone could have so much to talk about," Kate joked, giving the man a five-star rating before returning her phone to her pocket and turning towards the house.
It was at least two stories high, painted green and gold. There was certainly an air of grandeur to the place since there looked to be the top of a tower on one corner and some elaborate designs on the porch cover. All in all, to the girls, it looked like the home of a world-renowned scientist like Hank Pym.
If they doubted if they were in the right place, the name on the side of the mailbox said: PYM.
Kamala rapped the door hard before standing back, sticking her hands deep in her pockets, waiting for a reply. After a few moments, the door opened to reveal a middle-aged man with black hair, dark stubble, and a large, amused smile like he was constantly thinking of a funny joke.
He wore jeans, a shirt, and a flannel, looking like a typical suburban dad.
"Hi, how can I help you?" He asked kindly.
"Hi!" Kamala replied. "Are you Scott Lang?"
"The one and only," Scott laughed. "Who are you?"
"I'm Kamala Khan and this is Kate Bishop," Kamala answered, pointing at Kate as she was mentioned. "We were hoping we could speak with your daughter, Cassandra."
"Oh? Are you friends of hers?"
"Not exactly," Kate said awkwardly, trying to cover her words with a smile. "We wanted to talk to her about an idea we had. A project, really."
"Okay?" Mr. Lang said, his smile fading. "I'll go get her."
He disappeared for a minute, leaving Kamala and Kate alone on the porch. The two girls gave each other a nervous glance before Mr. Lang returned to the door, accompanied by a pretty girl who looked to be in her early twenties.
She was about as tall as him, slim, with a heart-shaped face, brown hair, and dark eyes. She wore skinny jeans and a hoodie that read: "Hope for the Homeless".
Like her dad, her smile was large and infectious.
"Hey, my dad said you wanted to talk to me?" She asked.
"You're Cassandra?" Kate asked, wanting to make sure they had the right person.
"I go by Cassie," she answered before nodding, "but yeah, that's me."
Kamala quickly reintroduced herself and Kate before getting to the point. "Could we talk to you privately about something? We promise we won't take a lot of your time. We're working on something and would love to tell you about it."
Both Cassie and her father looked confused but allowed the two girls inside, leading them into the kitchen where they all took a seat around the table—Kate and Kamala sitting across from the Langs.
Like the outside of the house, the inside was equally grand and richly designed.
"You have a very nice house, but the way," Kate said, trying to break the ice a little bit.
"Thank you. Grandpa Hank is pretty proud of it," Cassie replied. "So, what did you want to talk to me about?"
Kamala took out the datapad and slid it across the table to Cassie, showing her the profile that Nick Fury had compiled on her. As she scrolled through the file, Kamala made her pitch.
"Nick Fury asked me to put together a new team of heroes," she started. "That's a list of all the others we plan on recruiting. Kate has already agreed to join. We were hoping to do the same."
"Why does Nick Fury need another team of heroes?" Mr. Lang asked curiously, leaning forward in his seat. "I mean, it's not like there's a huge threat to the world right now?" His face dropped. "Is there?"
"We're actually not entirely sure, sir," Kate said hesitantly.
"He told me that something was coming and that we need to have a team ready to deal with it," Kamala added. "The conversation never really went past that."
Kamala wisely decided not to mention that the reason the conversation didn't go any further was because she had not bothered to ask any follow-up questions, such as what the "something" was. She was just excited to be forming her own team. Her own Avengers initiative.
"Uh huh," Scott nodded. "I'm sorry, how old are you two?"
"Eighteen," Kamala answered.
"Twenty-three," Kate said. "Mr. Lang…"
"Scott, please," Scott interjected politely before joking: "Mr. Lang was my father."
"Scott," Kate restarted. "I know we're young, but we're not without experience. I helped Clint Barton take down the Tracksuit Mafia in New York this past Christmas. Kamala just returned from outer space, where she fought side-by-side with Captain Marvel and saved the world. Judge us by our age if you want, but we do know what we're doing."
Scott looked between the two of them. It was clear that Kate's words had made an impact on him as he regarded them with a bit more admiration than he had before.
"Wait a second," Cassie interrupted, looking up from the datapad. "Night Light? That's you?" She turned the device around, showing off the video of Kamala's fight outside her high school that had been taken with a bystander's phone. "I remember watching this! You were awesome!"
Kamala blushed at the compliment. "Thanks," she mumbled. "I go by Ms. Marvel now. Cleared it with Carol Danvers and everything."
"Do you have a superhero name?" Scott asked Kate.
"Hawkeye," Kate said.
"I thought Clint was Hawkeye?"
"He is," Kate said quickly. "We, um, share the name. He's Hawkeye and I'm Hawkeye."
"That won't be confusing," Scott joked. "Look, you all seem old enough to make your own choices. From what it sounds like, you know enough about the life to know what you're getting into." He looked at his daughter. "This is your choice, Peanut."
"So where is your next stop?" Scott asked as he, Kamala, and Kate waited out on the porch while Cassie quickly packed a bag.
"M.I.T.," Kamala answered without hesitation. "There's a student there—I think she's a junior—who helped out the Wakandans. Her file says she's recreated her own suit of Iron Man Armor."
"Anyone who can do that is definitely someone who should be on a list of heroes," Scott said, honoring the late memory of Tony Stark. "I think I know someone who might be helpful to talk to."
Scott pulled a picture from his flannel pocket and handed it to Kamala. It was a picture of the Hulk chilling on a beach with a Hulk-sized margarita, watching the sunset with a Santa hat on. On the pack, the sender had written: "Merry Christmas from Mexico!"
"Hulk sends those out to all the other Avengers during the holidays. This is from this previous year," Scott explained. "He keeps in touch with the others better than I do. He might have a name to two to add to your list."
"Thank you," Kamala said. "We'll head there next. Mexico is closer to San Francisco than M.I.T. is."
"Scott, can I ask you a question?" Kate asked, changing the subject.
"Yeah," Scott shrugged. "What's up?"
"How do you feel about Cassie joining our team?" Kate continued. "I mean, Kamala's parents are down-to-earth people and mine are not exactly stereotypical at the moment, but you've lived the life of a superhero. You're an Avenger! You know better than any of us the risks we're taking."
Scott nodded and became a little more serious, setting aside his light-hearted attitude for just a moment.
"I realized not too long ago that Cassie is going to do what she thinks is right whether I agree with it or not," he said with a wry chuckle. "At her core, she's a fighter who is always going to look out for those who can't defend themselves. I stumbled into being a superhero, but the more I think about the person my daughter is, the more I believe she was meant to be a superhero."
"Thanks, Dad," Cassie said from the doorway, backpack on and duffel bag in hand.
Scott smiled and got to his feet, hugging his daughter. Kamala and Kate stood up as well, but kept their distance from the pair, not wanting to interrupt their moment. They heard Scott mutter a few words to her daughter before backing away, sticking his hands deep in his jeans.
"Did you fly out here?" He asked. "I can call you a cab to the airport if you want?"
"No, it's okay," Kate said respectfully. "I got an Uber while you and Kamala were talking about the Hulk. We have my stepdad's private jet waiting for us."
"I've always wanted to fly private," Cassie grinned.
Hey y'all,
This is new territory for me. I don't normally opt to write stories set in the "modern-day" and I certainly don't write superhero stories.
However, I have been a fan of the MCU for a while now and have really enjoyed researching the Young Avengers, the Champions, and the Avengers Academy while working on the first few chapters of this story.
If you are a comic book traditionalist, I understand if this ain't the story for you. I'm blending in the MCU with the comics as much as I can without slaughtering both.
Any criticism—constructive or negative—is appreciated. I've written my fair share of stories and know that I'm gonna get hate regardless lol.
Have a great day (or night) and remember to be kind,
King Beleram