Steven is going to kill me, though he will most likely kill Fury first. The Avengers are retired…
That is what we told the world two years ago. Steven announced to the public that T'Challa, Janet, Hank, Tony, himself and I were finally backing down from the Avengers.
Everyone had been expecting it ever since Thor's departure almost three years prior at the time. They were just waiting for the rest of us and we dropped like dominoes. We all started families, got married, or in Hank and Jan's case, got a divorce.
We moved on and left the Avengers to heroes that were still spry like Spider-Man and Quasar, young heroes like Justice and Firestar, Darkhawk, and veterans like Photon. They were still strong and it was time for us to take a break. Take time for ourselves.
So why am I here? Why aren't I with my loving husband and my wonderful baby boy? A month ago I might've told anyone who asked that it was because Fury needed me.
And it was partially true. Fury was a hard man, and he liked to get what he wanted but even he knew Steve and I wanted peace, at least until the world really needed us again. He wouldn't come knocking on our door just because he could.
But that still wasn't why I left for that first mission nine months ago. Or that second mission four months ago, and this most recent mission sixteen days ago.
The truth was…I panicked. Things were too good. I'm ashamed to say things being so simple was far too hard for me. Steve would tell me that he understands, and I know in a way he does. It's only been a little over 10 years since he was taken from the ice.
But my Steven was a Soldier, a leader, a good man. Three things I at times am not. I've lived nearly 60 years of life and for most of them I've spent my days soaking my hands in blood. A killer will forever be the best word to describe me.
It's hard to believe that I can be the mother James deserves…When he grows older will he fear me…hate me knowing about all the lives I ruined? It was thoughts like these that pushed me to take those missions for Fury. Fear wormed its way into the cold Black Widow's heart and drove a wedge between me and my home. Even if it was just a few brief moments, never more than two weeks at a time.
Coming back to see James had either learned a new word, or had made progress in walking, was always harrowing. How many moments am I missing at this moment, cause I'm stuck in Colombia instead of with my boys?
Well no more…I, Natalia Alianovna Romanova promise that this is the last mission I will take for a long, long, long time. Only the needs of the entire world will be able to move me after this mess.
I'm almost afraid to admit that it took near death for me to understand this, but that is the truth. The mission in Cartagena has been a certified bust. I'm not sure what Fury thought he was trailing here. But it's not here.
I spent nearly 15 hours looking for a hidden Hydra artifact before getting blown up and if it wasn't for russian engineering and two young, and quite frankly dumb lovebirds I wouldn't ever get the chance to see Steve and James again.
Julio and Maria Jimenez. The two lovebirds claim to have found my body 4 days ago amongst the rubble of the collapsed building. Since then they've nursed me back to health. I only awoke a couple of hours ago.
And since then they've barely left my side…even as I write now they hover. Offering me tea, and snacks, and a chance to get new bandages.
I don't think I've been fussed over like this since Steve after our Joint-S.H.I.E.L.D. venture in 91'. They don't seem to be worried about the fact that I'm the Black Widow either.
They are an interesting duo both budding scientists in the field of genetics, something about studying mutations, radiation, and the X-Gene. Dangerous stuff if you actually get good at it, but these two seemingly have no fear.
I admire the way they've done things. They've told me about their aspirations, goals, and their love for heroes. When I get back to America I will make sure they get the funding they need…it's the least I can do for them, saving my life.
Still…despite the fact that I'm leaving I can't help but notice the beauty of this place…Cartagena. Maybe one day I will convince Steven to bring James and I here.
I will miss this spy life…I don't think I will ever be able to shake it fully…50 years is a tough cycle to break but…I'm ready now to be a wife and mother…Full-Time.
Steven and James…wait for me my loves.
ATLÁNTICO COLOMBIA, SANTA LUCÍA, APRIL 4, 2011, 6:20 PM EST, PRESENT DAY"Julio and Maria Isabel Jimenez. If I could use one word to describe the two it would be cutthroat, ruthless would also be fitting."
James and the Informant were in the same room as before however now they were in front of a desk. On it were four or five manilla folders, though only two at the moment were open. A file each on Julio Jimenez, and Maria Jimenez. Carmen's parents. As he spoke James looked these files over, their achievements, their work with the cartel…their current status of life.
"They were tireless, completely focused on their goals with MGH. The mutant growth hormone. Despite the fact that they weren't the original creators of it, that was their baby."
"From what I gathered the two were always enamored with powers and heroes. Completely fascinated by the many ways you could get power and the mutant phenomena. However at that time it was just research, gathering more information of what made us, us? Harmless right?"
James listened in closely as the Informant began to dole out everything he knew about the Jimenez family. "Even before the dark ages they could be shortsighted. But March 12, 1998 changed everything for them. As it did for all of us."
"They loved heroes. I'm not sure if you know this but-
"They met my mother, two years before Ultron…I'm aware." James spoke softly, he had been thinking about that excerpt from her Journal ever since he got to Cartagena.
"Right. They loved heroes. Did whatever it took to get closer to them from their position. It's why they were so devastated when everyone lost, and continued losing. Many had their own responses to this sort of news. But for Julio and Maria they only went further and further into their work."
"The two of them continually egged each other on as they decided the only way Ultron could be beat was an abundance of heroes. And that tyrant destroying anyone with powers didn't help. They worked as long as they could on MGH."
"I heard by 1999 they had created their first prototype of Banshee, and by 2001 they had stalled out nearly all progress and couldn't get any further, Ultron was knocking on South America's doorstep and it would only be another year before the bastard actually conquered the place. So they began to work on keeping their work hidden. It was then they had a breakthrough." The Informant skillfully weaved his story.
"And in the midst of this…they decided it would be a good idea to have a child?" James questioned skeptically.
"Tch…this was the reason they had a child, my friend. At least according to my sources. Now, don't get it twisted from what I heard they adored that kid. But when they first had her it was genetic manipulation of the highest order. Attempting to merge Banshee with the girl."
"But…why?" James asked, slightly confused. He didn't like where this conversation was headed.
"Listen…Banshee, It's not a failure my friend…it's a success. A raging success." The Informant and James looked each other dead in the eyes, James couldn't help but frown, not believing his ears.
"You're kidding." James stated plainly, wanting to disregard everything he had heard in the last few minutes. It was completely ridiculous.
"Not in the slightest." The Informant told him seriously, pulling out a manilla folder from underneath the rest. "I'm not the smartest tool in the shed. But read that and I'll explain it to you as it was explained to me."
James took the folder and inside it was a bunch of DNA scans. Helix's, and strips of DNA that were some form of a before and after. The biggest thing that stood out to James was the name at the top. "This is Carmen's. Carmen's…X-Gene."
"Correct."
"But...it's unlike anything I've ever seen."
"Yes. That my friend is Banshee. You see in the midst of their attempts to try and hide Banshee, they had the ingenious thought of applying Banshee early on."
"If you've seen MGH, one of the biggest problems is that it almost overtakes the system. Overrides the X-Gene. In some cases it almost seems like it creates its own instead. This is what's truly problematic about MGH."
"It burns through the body, and can even burn out one's X-Gene. Banshee is way worse. Almost a guaranteed death." James added on.
"You know your stuff. Well the girl is Banshee's first true test subject. More than that she is the only true success. Just by looking at those photos you can tell her X-Gene has already seamlessly adapted to Banshee."
"They tested on a baby?"
"Tch, more like a fetus. It was that early into development. It had to be, they discovered that this was the only way for Banshee to be truly effective. They watched the girl's development, even during Ultron's time and figured that whenever her X-Gene awakened, It would be with the full effects of Banshee."
"But…that would mean a secondary mutation." James murmured, as his eyes widened as he saw the folder "This is talking about an 80% chance of a Tertiary mutation. Let alone how strong it might be on its own. This is revolutionary."
"Of course and this just wasn't something they could keep to themselves. They freely broadcasted this information especially after Ultron's defeat. And it caught the attention of the wrong people. More specifically the wrong man."
"The one controlling the Cartels?"
"Yes him, The so-called Big Man of Crime."
James frowned…and put down Carmen's files. "That's not a name one takes lightly. The worst criminals the entire world had to offer were given that name."
"It's the one he wants." The Informant insisted. "I never heard any of my sources call him anything else. Somehow he's kept his name under lock and key."
"He's been in play for so long…But I guess I expected that." James admitted, it only made sense that someone like this had to have been moving from the moment Ultron had been defeated.
"Right, the Big Man of Crime. He got in contact with the Jimenez family in 2009. And had them working on MGH. The truth is at first they did it willingly. They were ruthless because of Ultron and were more than happy to potentially arm the next generation, to them nothing the Big Man did could ever compare to Ultron, so it was the greater good. They also were interested in making Banshee work for grown adults and teens and so their partnership began."
"It'd be a lie to say they were ever close on Banshee. It used to be fatal on every dose before it was pushed into pill form, that was over a year ago. The Jimenez were fairly certain that was the best it was going to be. The Big Man thought they needed to do better. He got more aggressive, they wanted to pull out or at least switch to a more productive field. But he wasn't having it."
"The relationship deteriorated until they were finally held hostage, the girl was taken because of the Jimenez insistence that that was the superior way to utilize the drug. So the Big Man had them write out the current formula that made Banshee in its incomplete form and killed them. They tested on the girl for a few days before realizing the Banshee in her was completely different and far harder to manage. They planned to kill her as well. Didn't like the idea of anyone having it."
"And you're sure….You're sure that they've been killed?"
"So sure I can tell you where the bodies are, it's only been 5 days since they bit the bullet." The Informant said somewhat plainly.
It made James frown…This was complicated. He tried to take everything with a grain of salt. After all, he still needed to verify this information. Needed to know if he could take it all seriously.
The implications if this was all true were huge. Carmen's parents had died…five days ago. Her being Banshee's #1 test subject?
That was dangerous despite the reassurance that things had gone well with the integration that felt all too simple. She was only seven and they were obviously charting her progress every year for a reason. She hadn't even had her X-Gene activated yet and there was no guarantee something like that would happen, not for anyone. Just because one had an X-Gene, didn't mean you'd become a mutant.
And if she did have hers eventually activated, there had been numerous studies that an activated body's genetics are different from a baseline human…and at this point she wasn't even a baseline human…
"So Mr. America, at this point you know almost everything I do. When it comes to the Big Man of Crime I have no more on him and I'm afraid at this point if I push anymore my life would be in unavoidable danger." The Informant admitted rubbing the back of his head awkwardly.
No doubt he felt bad this was all he could offer.
"Hmm." Was all James responded with. His eyes still focused on the pictures of Carmen's parents and her X-Gene.
"Well…what will you do now?"
That was the question wasn't it? "I'll verify your information. See if you're telling the truth about most of this. Then I'll do what I always do, and get these guys off the streets. Judging from everything you said I'm assuming that the Big Man of Crime has probably heard of me but doesn't take me very seriously does he?"
"Right, he doesn't sense the imminent threat."
"Good. By the time he does it will be far too late." Then James collected the folders, and placed them in the small backpack the Informant had and carried it on his shoulders.
"I should probably have you arrested or something. Give you to S.H.I.E.L.D., but after this there is no doubt they will be watching your every move, It will be up to you if that's a good thing or not."
The man just nodded stiffly, no doubt wondering if his business would continue and if he would have to become a full-on whistleblower now. James didn't truly care, but he did need one more thing from the man.
"Last thing." The words were barked out, almost choked, things he didn't want to say. "Tell me…Tell me where the bodies are."
CARTAGENA COLOMBIA, ROGERS VILLA, APRIL 4, 2011, 10:35 PM EST"James?"
"Daisy, status?"
"Well, the bodies are where you said they'd be." Daisy spoke rather morbidly. "They've been bagged, S.H.I.E.L.D. will begin to prep a story depending on what we do with the girl-
"Carmen." James interrupted, slightly annoyed at his old flame. "Her name is Carmen."
There was a beat where no one spoke before Daisy sighed, and spoke a bit softer, "Right. Carmen. Depending on everything that happens with her. S.H.I.E.L.D. can be there for extraction in the next hour."
"That's not going to work." James decided almost instantly. Honestly he couldn't believe Daisy even suggested such a thing.
"Why not James?"
"Daisy, she's seven. I'm supposed to let you come here, tell her that her parents are dead and then take her away?"
"James, it's best we get ahead of this."
"I will always appreciate what you have to say Daisy, but we aren't having this conversation." James told her plainly.
He was like the only person she trusted at the moment, how could he do that to her? How could he send her to S.H.I.E.L.D. knowing what he knew about her?
"Listen, give me a bit and I'll get back to you. La Bandera's mission went well from everything you told me and the only way we can figure out who's behind this is with more time. So relax. This is still my operation."
It was a little harsh, and from the way the line clicked off without a response James believed that Daisy thought so too.
It was hard not to feel guilty, Daisy was her own woman. One in a high position of power. Truthfully S.H.I.E.L.D. had been fairly lenient with everything that happened. It was hard to remember that Daisy had her own job, one that in many respects offered her more power than him.
However he had been telling grown men and women what to do since he was 14. For better or worse it wasn't something he could shake. "I'll apologize later." he murmured to himself.
At the moment that wasn't what was very important. At the moment James sat at his back entrance and had done so for the past 20 minutes. Just thinking and making calls.
He had called Valentina telling her that he'd be back soon, and then he had texted La Bandera who said she'd be back before he was and that she had gotten lots of information. That was good. He was proud of her.
The last call he was going to make was to Pym. He needed his friend to look over everything that might be happening with Carmen. Considering the Informant had been telling the truth about the deaths everything else also needed to be checked extensively.
But that wasn't what he was worried about…He had promised Carmen he'd find her parents…Assured her that everything was going to be alright and that was decidedly not the case.
"I guess…I did find them eventually." James laughed mirthlessly, yes now all he had to do was tell Carmen that her parents were bagged up and she'd never ever talk to them again. He could only imagine how betrayed she'd feel when he told her…
He paused for a moment, many scenarios passing through his super-soldier brain, eventually he simply shook his head and dialed a number. He tapped his foot impatiently as it rang two beats later it picked up.
"James! Bro, it's been nearly two months, how are you?" Despite the situation Pym's energetic voice was able to get a small smile from James for a brief moment…he really needed to call his family more.
"Pym I…I'm glad to hear your voice…I wish I could say this is a social call but-
"James, you don't sound so good. Want me to get Francis, Tor, Zari? We'll come get you in an instant I'm sure of it."
His heart surged for two different reasons. His family really would do that for him…And from every report Carmen's would have done that for her. Now she doesn't have anyone.
"I appreciate that Pym, I really do. But at the moment, Honestly I just need your help. It's a sticky situation."
"Well James, lay it on me."
So James did, he spent the next 15 minutes explaining the last two days to Pym. How trailing the Villamos Cartel led to him finding Carmen and the mystery that was her and her parents.
He told him about the MGH that had been ravishing parts of South America. He told him about the properties of Banshee, about how it was supposedly already in her body and how he had no idea how his serum would react to something like this.
In the end Pym had quickly agreed to take a look at everything the moment James sent the files over, promising answers though those would probably be hard to come by without blood samples, but he was confident they'd get there.
"So you think I should be worried about anything happening in the short-term?"
"No from the picture you sent me, I don't immediately see anything wrong but being cautious won't hurt anybody."
"Right, okay Pym. I need to go handle my business then. Thanks for this." James spoke truthfully.
"Don't mention it. And James. This isn't an easy situation…I mean we know that better than anyone…Maybe if you aren't sure what to say, you could give Tony a call, after all he had to do this with us."
The thought had crossed his mind. He still could remember it, he was just four when Tony had to break the terrible news to us. A bunch of super-powered toddlers who knew much more than they should.
He had refused to believe the news at first. After all both his parents had left for extended periods of time before albeit almost never at the same time. He usually had one of them with him at all times. But after three days of them being missing he cracked. Nothing was the same after that…But he did have Tony.
Could he be what Tony was to him for Carmen? "James..?"
"Right, good idea Pym. I'll give him a call."
"Alright James, don't be a stranger. You should give Francis a call when you have time as well."
"I'll make sure I do."
"Okay, bye James!"
"Later."
Taking Pym's advice James quickly dialed Tony's number. He wondered what the old man would think. He always knew what to say, it had been so long since he had done more than just check in with the old man to prove he was still alive.
"Is that you James? I didn't know you knew how to call anyone anymore!" Tony jested with a small laugh.
"Tony, I need your advice." James spoke seriously, deciding not to dance around the situation.
"Oh wow…One of those calls. What's up kid?" Tony immediately sobered up, understanding what James seemed to need at the moment.
"How did you ever explain to us what had happened? You know with Ultron. How did you decide on what to say…obviously it needed to be the truth and there is no easy way to explain something like that."
There was a small pause, and James felt bad for making Tony relive what were terrible memories of losing every single one of his friends and peers.
"Jeez kid, that is a tricky one." Tony murmured. "You're right there is never an easy way to tell someone that they will never see a loved one again. In these cases I say you need to expect any reaction. Understand that you won't be enough to fill this void, at least not immediately. But stability, just being there is what you have to offer. Understand that they are going through the toughest time in their life…something I hate to say but you know how it is."
"Of course." James told him softly, "But it's worse than that Tony…I-I told her that I'd bring her parents back alive and now…"
"Well I'm clearly missing 12 parts to this story but I know you James. You no doubt did everything you could have. Do not beat yourself up over this. It's not going to be an easy thing to stomach. You've especially never liked failing at any aspect. But you need to understand that these things do happen."
"Right…Thanks Tony, I promise I'll give you the full story soon. Thanks for listening, sorry for not calling more."
"Ahhh, don't mention it James. Whenever you need, just give me a call. And tell the rest they should call as well!"
James gave a light chuckle and nodded. "Right Tony, I will. I'm gonna go now."
"Okay James…good luck."
Hearing this he ended the call and took a breath. There were so many things he had to deal with. The Cartel, Carmen and Banshee being linked. Hiding that fact from S.H.I.E.L.D. because there was no way he could let more people know that fact no matter how much he trusted them. The temptation to do something they shouldn't might be too great.
But nothing was more important than what he needed to do right now. He pushed himself up from the place in the garage and began walking into the house. The moment he opened the garage door he was assaulted by three loud voices.
Valentina, Carmen, and Teresa. Surprisingly enough he saw them at the kitchen table, a deck of UNO cards split between the three of them. Carmen actually looked like she was having fun…he swallowed thickly, he hadn't been this nervous in a while.
"(Ah James, I thought I might have heard you before! I'm glad to see you are alright.)" Valentina rushed up to him and kissed his cheek. She beamed at him and he smiled weakly back.
La Bandera quickly caught his eye and stopped shuffling the cards in her hands…taking a moment to feel the emotions off the boy. Truthfully she had known he was here for the past 10 minutes because of that very reason. The turmoil radiating off of him in waves. "How bad?"
The words were spoken in english, Valentina frowned at the words and looked between the two, only just noticing something was off with the Super-Soldier as she stepped back and looked at him.
"I got what I needed but…They aren't coming back." James spoke mournfully. La Bandera simply nodded her head, and then began to pick up all the cards to the chagrin of Carmen, annoyed that Teresa was ending the game.
"We should go Valentina…give them some time to talk." The other girl nodded and hugged James hard before running off, no doubt completely unused to a situation like this. Leaving James and Carmen alone.
The girl beamed at him, but if you asked James she was smarter than she looked her eyes darted around the room and were quite obviously frantic, He took a seat beside her and immediately she leaned into him.
"(Having fun?)" He questioned simply.
"Mmhmm." She responded back quietly, and they sat there for a moment. He tried to not meet her eyes as she hugged him around the middle, he stared at the opposite wall for what felt like forever until he felt tears rolling down his uniform.
"(Carmen?)"
"(Something bad happened didn't it? That's why they all left. That's why you won't speak and-and you look like that.)" She cried.
And he wished he could deny those words, but the truth struck him, there was no avoiding this. "(Carmen I…I'm sorry. I-I found your parents but…they didn't make it. I'm sorry but they passed away.)"
Despite the bad feeling she had in her stomach she had hoped she was wrong, hoped that James would do what he always had, comfort her and tell her that he had everything under control. That it was going to be okay after all. He promised.
She couldn't help but wail, yell, scream and cry out for her parents and all James could do was hold onto her, and promise to try his best to be there for her. "(I'm so sorry Carmen.)"
He could only hope that this time that his promise held true.
