Reading Time: 111 Minutes

Title: Unbreak Broken
Author: enigmaticblue
Fandom: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Angst, Apocalypse, Dimension Travel, Romance
Relationship(s): Bruce Banner/Tony Stark, Natasha Romanoff/James “Bucky” Barnes
Content Rating: NC-17
Warnings: None
Beta: thomasina75
Word Count: 100,776
Summary: In a dying world, Steve, Natasha, and Tony decide to use an escape hatch to a parallel universe, one that might need three superheroes. Their arrival shakes everything up.
Artist: startabby

---

---

 

Part IV

Then

Natasha sits, stone-faced, in front of Dmitri. “Is any of this true?” he asks her.

“Of course not,” she says, lying through her teeth. “I understand the rules around fraternization, and I would never break them.”

Dmitri smiles thinly. “And why would Yelena lie about this?”

“Perhaps she’s jealous,” Natasha suggests. “Or perhaps she misinterpreted what she saw. The Asset and I have been on a number of missions together, as ordered.”

Dmitri doesn’t appear to completely believe her, but Natasha hopes that she’s sold it enough for him to overlook his doubts. The alternative would be that Dmitri would order one of them killed, most likely, and she’s not sure which he would choose.

Dmitri finally sighs. “I don’t want to be forced to punish you, Natasha, but the rules must apply the same way to everyone. If Yelena is jealous, perhaps it’s because she feels you are getting special treatment.”

“If I’m getting special treatment, perhaps it’s because I’m the best,” Natasha replies evenly. She’s certainly not going to take the threats lying down.

“Well, you are the best,” Dmitri admits. “And you are correct, that the best will be rewarded.” He shakes his head. “You and the Asset work well together. I suggest that you not give anyone cause to believe that you two are anything more than colleagues.”

Natasha nods. “I appreciate the warning.”

“Good.” Dmitri presses the intercom button. “Send in the Asset.”

James enters the office, wearing a blank expression.

“Sit,” Dmitri orders. “There’s a new mission. You must assassinate a scientist, but he never travels without security. Natasha, you will infiltrate his security team and set him up for the Asset to kill. Is this understood?”

“It is understood,” James replies.

Dmitri looks at her. “The mission will be a success if no one suspects that you were involved, and you get out cleanly. Do you understand?”

“I do,” Natasha replies.

“Very well, dismissed,” Dmitri says. “You will receive the rest of the mission brief tomorrow morning.”

As they walk out of the office, James asks, “What was that?”

“Not here,” Natasha mutters.

There’s really only one place in headquarters that they can go to talk privately, but there’s always the chance that someone will see them coming or going. Natasha knows that they probably shouldn’t take the risk, but she needs to tell James what’s going on.

She checks to see if the coast is clear, then motions James ahead of her onto the metal ladder that will take them up to the roof. There’s a blind spot in the camera angles that allows for some privacy.

“What was that?” James repeats once they’re in the blind spot.

“Yelena reported us,” Natasha replies. “That was a warning. You know what they’ll likely do if Dmitri decides that we present a liability.”

James puts his hands on her shoulders. “Relax. You told him that nothing is going on, right?”

“They taught me how to lie, James, so yes, I lied,” Natasha replies. “But this mission is a test.”

James grimaces. “I realize that. You know the best way to put their concerns to rest, and keep the scrutiny off you, would be for you to be injured while protecting the target.”

“That might do it,” Natasha replies. “But we can’t give them any reason. Yelena will be unhappy that her reporting did not have its desired effect, and she’ll be looking for proof.”

James pulls her in for a hug, holding her tightly, the right arm warm flesh, the left cold metal. Natasha doesn’t want to let go, fearing that this time might be the last. She knows that they both have targets on their backs now, and the others will be looking for reasons to attack.

There are no friends inside the KGB, only those looking for ways to elevate themselves. It won’t matter that Natasha is the best if Yelena finds a way to take her down.

“Go,” James finally says. “We shouldn’t be seen together. I’ll wait a bit before I leave.”

Natasha nods and reluctantly pulls away. She climbs down the ladder, cautiously peering out of the access door, relieved when she doesn’t see anyone in the hallway.

She heads for her quarters, and isn’t surprised to see Yelena standing there in front of her door, her arms crossed tightly over her chest.

“I see you received special treatment again,” Yelena says. “Everything comes so easily to you.”

“I have nothing that I haven’t worked for,” Natasha snaps. “And you know it. If you worked half as hard at your job as you work at stabbing me in the back, you would be much further along.”

Natasha knows that her words have landed with a sting, because Yelena flounces off, and Natasha goes into her room and drops down on her bed. She knows she needs to tread very carefully going forward.

She will need to watch the way she reacts to James, and ensure that she isn’t looking at him or touching him in a way that invites questions.

The following morning, Natasha reports to the briefing room, and she very carefully keeps the table between her and James, and doesn’t look at him.

The person briefing them today is another Widow, Maria, who has been in the game at least twice as long as Natasha. “We have created a deep cover background for you,” Maria says, looking at Natasha. “You will be acting as security for an Iranian scientist who has defected to the West as he travels through Germany to a conference.”

Natasha nods. “Where do I join them?”

“You’ll be joining them in Paris, where he currently resides,” Maria replies. “You’ll need to eliminate one of his current entourage in order to take their place. It should look like an accident so as not to raise suspicion.”

She’s caused a number of “accidents” in the past, and so she already has some idea of how to get it done, but she’ll need to acquaint herself with the target and learn their routines. “Of course.”

“The Asset will be deployed once you’re in place, and we know the assassination will move forward,” Maria continues. “Remember, you will only succeed if they do not suspect that you were responsible.”

“I understand,” Natasha says.

She also understands that this is a test of her abilities, and that she’s being judged. If she fails, she’ll probably wind up dead. If she succeeds, maybe she takes the heat off her and James both.

James looks at her out of the corner of his eye, and she can see her own concern mirrored in his face. She keeps her focus on Maria, though.

“Your transport leaves in an hour,” Maria says. “Dr. Abdullah leaves Paris in four days.”

Natasha stands, recognizing the dismissal when she hears one. “I’ll be ready.”

She leaves without even glancing in James’ direction, and immediately throws together a bag with mostly civilian clothing, including suits that a member of a security detail would likely wear.

Natasha takes her luggage and heads for the hangar, climbing aboard the small plane used for clandestine operations.

She nods at the pilot, knowing that she’s going to be parachuting into a rural area outside of Paris, then making her way to the safe house.

The flight is long, but she doesn’t try to make conversation with the pilot, a man Natasha only vaguely knows. Conversation provides opportunities for someone to gather intelligence, to assess vulnerabilities, and to discover new ways to stab you in the back.

Natasha tucks her chin into her chest and chooses to catnap for the duration of the flight, waking up as they cross the French border. She quickly straps on her parachute and checks her weapons. She has twin pistols and shock batons, as well as an assortment of lethal poisons.

When the pilot gives the signal, the door to the plane slides open with a press of a button. Natasha jumps without hesitation, watching her altimeter for the right moment, and opens her parachute.

The charcoal gray chute billows open above her, stopping her free fall with a jerk. Natasha’s descent is fairly quick, the better to avoid detection. She absorbs the shock of the landing easily and immediately begins to gather up the fabric. She shoves it back into her pack, and then moves quickly to get out of the open.

Avoiding detection is paramount right now, and Natasha needs to get under cover and to the safe house as quickly as possible.

About a mile away, as she’s approaching the outskirts of the nearest suburb, she finds a convenient bin and throws the parachute away. She’ll travel faster if she’s only burdened by a single bag.

Natasha moves quickly after that, keeping a brutal pace while she still has the cover of darkness. The safe house is in a Parisian suburb, and she reaches the location as the sun is coming up.

She uses the door code to let herself inside, and quickly takes stock. She has a few packaged meals in the pantry, enough to get her by as she formulates a plan for how to get onto the security detail.

Once she has that information, Natasha knows that she’ll also need some additional clothing, since she hadn’t been able to pack everything she would need.

Natasha takes the next couple of days to surveil her target, and to identify the person she plans on replacing. Although she’s been ordered to kill a member of the security team, Natasha thinks she can get away with just making them very sick. She can always claim that her intent was to kill, and she didn’t get the dosage right. She has a poison that will mimic a serious bout of e. coli, and will certainly put someone in the hospital for long enough to complete her mission.

Once she selects her target, Natasha shadows him until she spots him eating alone, at a small table outside a cafe. Natasha snags a table near him, palming the small vial of poison, and ordering a glass of wine.

Natasha very much wishes that James was already in Paris. She’s worked with him for almost two years now, going on multiple missions together, and usually with James watching her back.

She’s confident in her abilities, but having a partner makes a huge difference. Right now, she feels as though she’s working without a net.

Well, she is working without a net.

The man gets up from his table, and Natasha follows him inside, tipping the vial into his unattended glass as she passes.

She goes to the bathroom, then goes back to her table and orders a second glass of wine while pretending to people-watch. In reality, she’s watching her target. The poison doesn’t take long to take effect, and he soon is sweating and red-faced, then begins to retch.

In the resulting commotion, Natasha leaves a couple of bills on the table that will cover her tab, and then moves off into the crowd, hearing the wails of an approaching ambulance.

The following day, Natasha presents herself to the agency providing security for Dr. Abdullah. Her faked background and resume, which have been tailored to specifically appeal to that detail, had been sent to the agency two weeks before. It’s enough time for them to vet her, and Natasha isn’t surprised that she’d passed muster.

“It’s lucky that you arrived when you did,” Mr. Lambert says. “We had a key asset fall ill yesterday, and our protectee has a conference in Germany. Are you available to travel?”

“Yes, of course,” Natasha says immediately. “That’s no problem at all.”

Lambert breathes a sigh of relief. “Your background is perfect for this conference. You’re fluent in German?”

Natasha easily switches to German from French. “I’m quite fluent in a number of languages.”

“You’re perfect for security,” Lambert says. He pulls out a manilla folder and hands it to her. “Please read and familiarize yourself with the brief, and be back here tomorrow to meet with the head of the detail.”

“Thank you,” Natasha replies. “What time should I arrive?”

“10 am, if you please,” Lambert replies. “Welcome, Ms. Roman.”

Natasha waits until she gets back to the safe house, with its secure line, to call and update command. “I’m in. I’m meeting the head of the security detail tomorrow, and I’ve already been told that I will be on the detail to Germany.”

Maria pauses. “Did you kill the person you replaced?”

“I poisoned him, but I don’t know if he’s dead yet,” Natasha admits. “I thought a sudden illness would appear more realistic.”

“There have been no alarms raised, so I believe that your instincts were correct,” Maria replies. “Very good. Keep me apprised.”

“Of course,” Natasha agrees. “Thank you, ma’am.”

Natasha doesn’t ask about James, because she knows that asking will raise red flags. She hopes that James will make contact as soon as he can, but they both know the risks.

Instead of thinking about that, Natasha focuses on the brief, and familiarizes herself with the logistics. Right now, she has a job to do. She has to look like a member of the security detail, and blend in.

She isn’t Natasha Romanova right now; she’s Natalia Roman, a former Ukrainian soldier, who’s working as freelance security. She has to be Natalia Roman to carry out the mission.

As Natalia Roman, she appears at the headquarters of the security company, shakes the hand of the head of the detail, and answers all the questions about her background calmly and coolly.

They’re leaving for Germany in two days, which gives Natasha time to meet the rest of the security detail and Dr. Abdullah.

Whatever part of Natasha feels bad about the upcoming assassination, she buries it deep. She has to, because Dr. Abdullah is very much the absent-minded professor, but very kind. He shakes her hand when they’re introduced, and makes a real effort to remember and use her name.

He’s making breakthroughs in clean energy, which could change the trajectory of history. If someone can alter the course of energy consumption, could provide a way to make the world a better place, it might change everything.

Dr. Abdullah does not deserve what fate has in store for him, but Natasha is not in charge of fate, and if he isn’t killed, they will be.

At least, that’s what she tells herself, because it’s the only way she can sleep at night. Mother Russia believes that Abdullah needs to die, and Natasha is not in the habit of arguing with Mother Russia.

She joins the security detail at Dr. Abdullah’s residence, then accompanies them to the train station. She’s updated Maria on the schedule, and the plan is to shoot him on the way into the conference venue. Natasha will be the one to provide cover to Abdullah, and James will take the shot.

To anyone else, it will appear as though Natasha is covering Abdullah, and if she’s injured in the process, it will just sell her role. No one will know that she’s working with the same organization that killed him.

Natasha is in the hotel they’re staying in the night before the conference. She’s sharing with another member of security, but she doesn’t have an overnight watch, and the other woman does. They’d drawn straws, and Natasha had gotten lucky.

The room phone rings, and Natasha picks up, thinking that it’s probably another member of the security detail. “Hello?”

“Natasha.” James’ warm voice immediately sets her at ease. “How are you?”

“I’m good,” Natasha replies. “How are you?”

“Good,” James says. “How is the detail?”

Natasha wants to tell him that Dr. Abdullah seems to be a kind man, but she knows that won’t make things any easier. “It’s fine. Work, you know.”

“I’m sorry,” James says quietly. “Has Maria been giving you any grief?”

“No, quite the opposite,” Natasha admits. “I didn’t kill the person I replaced, but they’re still in the hospital. Maria said I’d done well to make it look like a case of food poisoning.”

James hums under his breath. “I see.”

“What about you?” Natasha asks.

There’s a real hesitation. “I think I may be considered the more expendable one between the two of us. I have been getting the sense that something might be really wrong.”

“We can disappear,” Natasha replies. “I know you don’t think you can defect, but we could find another way. We could take up other identities. No one will have to know who we are, or who we were. We can build another life somewhere else.”

“Let’s ride this out,” James replies. “I might be wrong, and you know we’d be followed. If we can find a way…”

He trails off, and Natasha knows what he means. Leaving the life and the world they know is scarier than the idea of one of them being killed. They don’t know what that life would look like, but they know what to expect from Russia.

“Okay, but we both know that if we decide to walk away, we do it together,” Natasha replies. “Do you have a secure phone?”

“No, but I’ll find you before I leave Germany,” James replies. “Just do what you need to do, and I’ll take care of the rest.”

Natasha trusts James, of course, but there’s part of her that just wants to pick up and run. She has a really bad feeling about all of this, and she’s learned to trust her gut. Still, James has a point. They can’t run without a plan, not if they hope to survive.

If they pull off this mission, it could buy them time to come up with a way to get away cleanly. It could also put some of their superiors’ concerns to rest, which also buys them time.

“All right,” Natasha replies. “The plan tomorrow is to go out to breakfast with a couple of the other scientists in attendance at a nearby cafe.” She rattles off the address for him. “The best time to kill him will likely be on the way out of the cafe.”

“I understand,” James replies.

“Be careful, James.”

“As careful as I can be,” James replies.

Natasha hangs up the phone and takes a deep breath. There’s no sense in borrowing trouble at this point. She has a mission to get through, and maybe that will take care of the problem.

The following morning, Natasha joins the detail in the lobby, intent on sticking close to Abdullah. James will take the best shot he can, and it would be better if Natasha is somehow injured in order to dispel any suspicion.

She exchanges pleasantries with the rest of the security detail, but they’re all professionals, and so there isn’t much small talk. Natasha walks with the rest of the detail to the nearby cafe, keeping an eye out for anyone other than James.

Natasha stays outside the cafe with another member of the four-person detail. The other two members are inside the cafe, keeping an eye on the interior.

James is too good to allow his weapon to glint in the sunlight, which is why he typically uses a matte black rifle for sniping. Natasha knows that if she angles herself in the right way as Abdullah is coming out of the cafe, James will be able to take the shot.

She feels herself tense as Abdullah and the rest of the detail begin to leave the cafe, and Natasha makes sure her body is at least partially blocking Abdullah’s.

There’s no warning; there isn’t even the sound of a gunshot. James’ silencer is too good for that. Instead, Natasha feels the heat of a bullet crease the top of her left shoulder, and then she hears shouts of alarm from behind her.

“He’s down! Down! Call an ambulance!” one of the other members of the detail shouts.

Ana, who had been outside the cafe with her, goes to Natasha’s side. “Are you alright?”

“It’s just a crease, I think,” Natasha says. “I’ll be fine. Don’t worry about me.”

Annie takes off her suit jacket and presses it to the top of Natasha’s shoulder. “Hold that there.”

Natasha has known for a long time that the Russian propaganda about the terrible nature of the Western world isn’t entirely true. There are bad elements, of course, but that’s true of any population.

And in many of her missions, she’s run into a lot of very kind people in the West.

Natasha keeps pressure on her wound as the rest of the detail tries to provide first aid to Abdullah, but it’s clear from Natasha’s vantage point that he’s already gone. There’s a bloody hole on the left side of his chest, and Natasha is fairly certain no one could survive that.

It doesn’t take long for the scene to be crawling with police and emergency medical services. EMS descend on both her and Abdullah, but it only takes them a couple of moments to stop work on him. Natasha, on the other hand, is quickly placed in an ambulance and driven away from the scene.

So far, everything has gone according to plan. Abdullah is dead by James’ hand, and Natasha is being viewed as an injured party.

Natasha submits to medical care, allowing the doctors to stitch up and bandage her shoulder. The doctor prescribes a sling, to keep from stressing the stitches, and Natasha acquiesces to that as well.

She’s a little surprised to see Ana waiting for her outside the ER, her eyes red rimmed. Natasha has been given a scrub shirt to wear, since her own clothing had been covered in blood.

Ana manages a smile when she sees Natasha. “How are you?”

“I’m as well as I can be under the circumstances,” Natasha replies. “What are you doing here?”

“I know we’re not friends, and we haven’t known each other long, but I’ve also been shot before,” Ana replies. “Hazards of the job, and it can be nice to see a friendly face.”

Natasha is touched, even though she knows she doesn’t deserve Ana’s concern. “It is nice. Did they find the shooter?”

Ana shakes her head. “No. He was long gone by the time we found his nest, and he has to be a professional. He—or she—policed their brass. There were a couple of scuff marks, but that was about it.”

Natasha grimaces. “That’s awful. I feel terrible. Dr. Abdullah is—was—so nice.”

“He really was,” Ana agrees. “Probably one of my favorite protectees. Are you going to be okay?”

Natasha nods and winces. “Yeah. I’ll probably take some time to heal, and then ask the agency for another job. I do really appreciate you coming to meet me.”

“Of course,” Ana says. “Maybe we’ll have another job together sometime.”

“Maybe so,” Natasha agrees.

She calls Maria that night to report on her progress, and Maria says, “You’ve done well, Natasha. Stay where you are for a week to allay any suspicions, and I will send you the information on your exfil plan.”

Natasha expects James to show up that night, but there’s no sign of him. There’s no phone call, no visit, nothing, and Natasha’s sense of alarm is growing. If James says he’ll do something, then he’s going to do it, and the fact that she hasn’t seen him suggests that something is preventing him from coming.

Three days after the assassination, Natasha is watching the news in her motel room when she finds out what happened. The reporter says, “The body of a man was found yesterday, and there’s evidence that he may have been involved in the assassination of a scientist three days ago.”

A photo of Dr. Abdullah appears next to a picture of James, taken only from the neck up. “The reported assassin was shot through the heart, much as Dr. Fahadh Abdullah was killed on Thursday. There are no other suspects reported to be involved.”

Natasha feels as though she’s been turned to ice; she just feels numb.

And she knows. No one other than their own government had known about their mission. There’s a reason that they had used the same shot on James as he’d used on Abdullah. It’s a message. He’d probably been killed shortly after taking the shot.

The last bit of loyalty to her own government crumbles in that moment. She had participated in the murder of a good man, a man who wanted to save the world. She had done so to save her own life and James’, and now he’s dead, and there’s nothing tying her to Mother Russia.

It’s that moment which sparks her plans to defect, and it’s in beginning to make those plans that she’s able to take Maria’s call when she contacts her about the exfil.

“I suppose you’ve heard the news,” Maria says casually.

Natasha keeps her voice even as she replies, “Yes, there was a news report here. The Asset knew the risks.”

Maria makes a pleased noise. “I thought you would respond that way. You are one of our best, Natasha.”

“I am loyal to Russia,” Natasha says, and she’s lying. Russia has lost her loyalty.

“I knew you would be,” Maria replies. “Good girl. We’ll see you in a few days.”

They would, but Natasha wouldn’t be sticking around for long.

Now

Bucky is frustrated as hell. John Walker should not be hard to find. Granted, he’s not getting VA benefits, and he seems to have gone off the grid after the hearing that stripped him of his rank and title. He’s not sure there’s anyone keeping tabs on him, and Bucky blames himself for that to a certain extent.

Walker is a loose cannon, and Bucky should have kept an eye on him.

“Nothing?” Sam asks as he enters the room set up to conduct their investigation at the complex.

Bucky shakes his head. “I should have kept an eye on him.”

“You’re not clairvoyant, Bucky,” Sam says. “You’re not responsible for whatever damn fool thing Walker decided to do.”

Bucky just shakes his head. “The super soldier serum just makes us more of who we already are, you know. Steve was made of good stuff.”

“Is made of good stuff,” Sam counters. “Even if I do think it’s weird to think of Steve as a fuckboi.”

“He would have to be a dishonest asshole to be termed a fuckboi,” Bucky points out.

“I like the term manwhore,” Steve announces cheerfully as he enters the room with Natasha in tow. “I don’t see the need to apologize for having fun when I’m honest with my partners.”

“Fair,” Sam says. “But the truth is that we can’t find Walker.”

“Have you asked Tony?” Natasha asks. “I know we haven’t been here for that long, but he was actually pretty good at finding people in our universe.”

“There’s an idea,” Steve says cheerfully. “Tony is really good at that sort of thing, and I’m sure Banner can fill in the gaps.”

“Call them,” Sam says. “Let’s see if they can help. I know they wanted to stay out of the action, but this is pretty passive, all things considered.”

“FRIDAY, call Banner,” Bucky orders. “Put it on speaker.”

The phone rings, and Banner picks up on the third ring. “Banner here.”

“It’s Barnes,” Bucky says. “We need a favor.”

“Almost anything for you, as long as it doesn’t involve leaving our very comfy location,” Banner says cheerfully.

Bucky laughs. “Yeah, we got that message. You guys are out of the action for now. You know about the theft from SI?”

“Of course, since Tony helped Natasha with the computer tracing,” Banner replies. “We heard you identified the thief.”

“Identified, but we can’t find him,” Bucky admits. “Natasha and Steve say that Tony is good at finding people.”

Tony’s voice comes on the line. “But not in this universe.”

“I can probably fill in the gaps,” Banner says, echoing Steve’s words. “Who are we finding for you?”

“John Walker,” Bucky replies.

Banner swears. “That asshole? The one who killed that poor kid in broad daylight in front of all the cameras?”

Bucky isn’t surprised that Banner knows about the killing, or that he has that take on things. “That’s the one.”

“Yeah, that would be my absolute pleasure,” Banner mutters. “I’ll track him down.”

“Who is this?” Tony asks.

“The original replacement for Steve Rogers,” Banner replies. “I’ll pull up the video for you. It’s still available on the internet. I think he got off too lightly. He should be in prison.”

“You’ll get no arguments from me on that front,” Sam says after a moment’s silence. “Although, pretty sure that the serum helped destabilize him, so there was the argument for diminished capacity.”

“I don’t care. He used the shield to kill someone,” Banner says sharply. “He basically decapitated them.”

Sam clears his throat. “The kid had the serum, too.”

“Yeah, and Walker still killed someone with the shield,” Banner says stubbornly. “And I get the whole thing with the serum changing a person.”

“If anyone would get it, it would be you,” Sam says. “He should have worked out his shit, I agree. You think you can find him?”

“I’ll find him,” Banner says grimly. “One way or another. I’ll call you when I have.”

There’s a moment of silence after Banner hangs up, and Sam whistles. “I would not have called that.”

“Banner has a handle on his shit,” Bucky points out. “And Steve was also his friend. I get where he’s coming from. When you’re a danger to others, you handle your shit, or you put yourself in a position where you’re not going to harm people.”

Bucky might not know Banner well, but he understands him on a cellular level.

Natasha kisses him on the cheek. “And if anyone would know what that’s like, you would.”

“I’d like to see the video,” Steve says mildly, but Bucky knows that tone of voice. It’s the one Steve uses right before he throws down.

“It’s pretty gruesome,” Sam says reluctantly.

Bucky just pulls it up. If Steve wants to punch Walker in his whole face, Bucky will make popcorn and enjoy the show.

The video is gruesome, and Steve’s expression grows more and more disapproving. “Got anything else with him?”

Bucky pulls up a couple of other videos where Walker is a giant, fucking, smug asshole.

“Okay, that’s enough,” Natasha announces after the second video. “We’re going to the training room. Feel free to join us.”

Steve stalks out of the room, back ramrod straight, and Bucky is really glad that the training scenarios are so realistic. He’s going to need to work off some steam, too.

“Did you have to do that?” Sam asks, sounding exasperated.

“Don’t you want to watch Steve punch him in the face?” Bucky asks. “Or, better yet, pull out the ‘I’m so disappointed in you’ expression and then punch him? Because I do.”

Sam sighs and drops into the seat next to Bucky. “I really do.”

“They both have the serum,” Bucky points out. “It’s not as though Steve is going to kill him. He’s just going to teach him a very potent lesson. Which he deserves. I agree with Banner; he got off too lightly.”

Sam rubs his eyes. “I just never wanted to see him again. I thought I’d get that wish, and he’d go away quietly.”

“A man like that, who thinks he’s some kind of martyr?” Bucky asks. “Never gonna happen. I’ll grant that I didn’t expect him to end up working for Hydra, but I think there’s a good chance that he was manipulated into it. They’ll probably use him as a scapegoat.”

“Then we’d better find out who’s behind it,” Sam replies. “Come on. We need to give Banner time to work, and I kind of want to watch Steve blow off some steam. Could be entertaining.”

When they get to the training room, Steve and Natasha haven’t activated any of the training scenarios. Instead, they’re going full out against each other.

Bucky has watched them spar before, but never like this. Steve is a sight to behold. It’s clear that he’s been training with Natasha for years, because they know each other’s moves, and Steve has skills that Bucky has never seen.

Steve’s movements are quick and brutal, but Natasha moves like a dancer. She dodges most of the blows, and when a few hit, Natasha doesn’t seem fazed. She moves with them, taking some of the kinetic energy and dispersing it.

“You know what?” Sam asks. “You’re right. Watching Steve punch Walker is going to be so cathartic.”

“He’s a better fighter than our version, I think,” Bucky says in an undertone.

Sam nods. “He’s got zero fucks to give, and it shows.”

Apparently, by mutual accord, Steve and Natasha break things off. “I have a few fucks to give,” Steve says. “I give a fuck about Natasha and Tony, I give a fuck about the shield, and I give a fuck about protecting people.”

“And Walker?” Sam asks.

“Yeah, I give a fuck about him, too,” Steve says. “Mostly, I want to show him the error of his ways, and I get the sense that maybe I’m the best man for the job.”

“It will certainly be entertaining,” Bucky admits. “You want another go?”

“I definitely do,” Steve replies. “Don’t hold back.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Bucky says.

Steve gives him a run for his money. His kicks and punches are accurate and brutal, and he moves fast. Bucky doesn’t remember Steve moving like this, so it’s either unique to him and his experiences, or maybe the serum worked just a little differently for him. Either scenario is a possibility.

Bucky actually finds himself using his left arm more than he normally does in a training bout, since it’s clear that Steve can take it.

He splits Steve’s lip accidentally, but Steve just grins fiercely through the blood and keeps coming.

And that is very much like the Steve Bucky had known in the past. Bucky isn’t going to stop now, not when they’re both having such a good time.

Steve gets a good shot in to his face, and Bucky dances back out of the way.

“Steve, please don’t ruin his pretty face,” Natasha calls. “I’m fond of it.”

Steve shoots her a quick grin. “He heals fast, Nat.”

“I know where you sleep,” Natasha counters.

Steve holds up his hands. “Okay, fair. I’ll avoid face shots.”

“I’m fond of the rest of him, too,” Natasha replies.

Steve rolls his eyes. “Then tell your boyfriend not to drop his guard.”

Bucky uses the distraction to punch Steve in the shoulder. “There, parting shot. Serves you right for getting distracted.”

Steve throws up his hands, but he has a grin on his face, and he looks a lot more relaxed. “Fine, gang up on me. What about you, Sam?”

“Oh, I like my pretty face just as it is,” Sam replies. “I’m good.”

Steve grins. “I’ll pull my punches.”

“Only if I can grab my wings,” Sam says. “I promise not to use the missiles against you.”

Steve shrugs. “Sure. Sounds like a challenge.”

Sam trots off to get his wings. The training room is large enough for Sam to make limited use of them, but Bucky figures it’s good training. He goes and grabs bottles of water for everyone, and they all sit on the floor, waiting for Sam to get back.

“What was the deal with Walker?” Steve asks. “Why him?”

“Decorated combat veteran, and he looks the part,” Bucky says succinctly. “Tall, blond hair, blue eyes, and very, very white. It probably helped that his best friend was black, so they could get away with telling themselves they aren’t racists.”

Steve rolls his eyes. “What a bunch of bullshit.”

“You’re not wrong,” Bucky agrees. “They figured it out right about the time that he killed someone.”

“Do you think they would have covered it up had it not occurred in broad daylight in front of cameras?” Natasha asks.

“That’s what governments do, right?” Bucky asks. “So, yes, but he’s an asshole, and there are a lot of people with cameras in their pockets, so it was always going to come out, at least eventually.”

Steve drains the rest of his bottle of water. “I know why he chose Sam, but I’m kind of wondering why he didn’t choose you.”

Bucky takes a deep breath. “He asked. I refused. Captain America’s hands need to be clean, and Sam’s are. I’m better off working in the shadows. I like it better, too.”

Steve nods, then stands. He holds a hand out for Bucky, and Bucky accepts the hand up. Steve pulls him in for a hard hug. “You always worked best from the shadows, Buck. You were the best sniper on the team, and you always made the right call, even when it cost you something.”

Steve pulls back, and Bucky meets Steve’s steady gaze. “I’m glad there’s a universe where you got free, and got to live your life. It’s what I wanted for you.”

Bucky blinks. “It’s good to have you here. I know it’s not the same, but…”

“You take what you can get,” Steve says just as Sam comes back, his wings on. “Great. Let’s get this party started.”

Bucky sits back down next to Natasha, and her hand slips into his.

He’s pretty happy about all of that.

~~~~~

Tony has some experience in searching for people, although he’s never had the kind of resources at his disposal that he has now. Still, after a full day of looking, it’s pretty clear that whoever helped Walker hide his tracks is very good.

Or very highly placed in the government.

“I don’t understand how he could manage to avoid digital breadcrumbs,” Bruce mutters over a lunch of sandwiches. “That shouldn’t be possible.”

“It’s possible if he has friends in very high places,” Tony points out philosophically.

Bruce grimaces. “That makes it even worse, you know. It means that Hydra has infiltrated our government. Again.”

“At least they’ve mostly been kept in check,” Tony offers. “You haven’t had World War III yet, since Hydra apparently didn’t ally with Russia in this universe after being exposed.”

“Not for lack of trying on their part,” Bruce grumbles. He’s green and irritable, and Tony can understand why. He hates Hydra, too, and their lack of results is frustrating.

Tony licks a dab of mayonnaise off his thumb. “Okay, let’s go back to the drawing board. If they’ve been covering Walker’s tracks, would they do the same for his family? Does he have family we might be able to use to trace him? That’s where things typically get sloppy.”

Bruce hums thoughtfully. “We haven’t really started to dig into his wife yet. We know they’re currently separated, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that they aren’t talking.”

“We’ll turn to her next,” Tony says reasonably. “I think this is the most frustrated I’ve seen you.”

Bruce grimaces. “Sorry. I just really don’t like this guy.”

“Are there many people you don’t like?” Tony asks.

Bruce finishes his own sandwich and just shakes his head. “No, not many. It’s rare for someone to rub me the wrong way so much, especially when I’ve never personally interacted with them.”

Tony nudges Bruce’s foot with his own under the table. “Maybe that’s it? He replaced one of your friends, and he wasn’t worthy of the mantle.”

A quick, rueful smile crosses Bruce’s face. “You’re probably right. I’ve worked really hard to be at peace with the world, and Walker sets me off. Maybe it’s hypocritical of me. I know that I probably haven’t always faced the punishment due me before I got control.”

“Yeah, but I think the serum affected you both differently,” Tony points out.

Bruce sighs. “True. I’m trying to be fair, even though I really don’t want to.”

“He’s a thief and a murderer,” Tony replies. “You’re allowed to hate him, Bruce. I saw the video, and he sucks.”

Bruce laughs. “Fair point. He does suck. Let’s get back to it. We’ll start digging into the wife.”

Tony has started to get the hang of social media, and while the wife, Olivia Walker, has set most of her accounts to private, not all of her contacts have.

They find some comments that she left, and start checking out the people who have interacted with her. One of those profiles has been interacting with Olivia Walker on most of her posts. It could be an affair, a family member, or it could be John Walker operating under a different name.

There’s a generic profile picture of an American flag, and the given location is listed as Washington, D.C. The name attached to the account is John Smith, which is a dead giveaway.

And then Tony stumbles across a conversation on a public account of one of Olivia’s friends, and the other person who is also commenting back and forth is none other than Mary Walker, John Walker’s mother.

“Bruce, I think I have something,” Tony calls, and shows Bruce the messages he stumbled upon.

Bruce leans in close to the screen and says, “Huh. I think I can hack into the servers and get the user data.”

“Will that hurt the case?” Tony asks. “If we do find him?”

“Once we find him, it doesn’t really matter,” Bruce points out. “We have legitimately obtained evidence of the theft. Once we locate him, we just have to notify the feds.”

Between the two of them, they manage to get into the servers in a few hours, because their security is no match against the two of them together. From there, they can track IP addresses and find out where the person had posted from, and it’s all over the place. However, one of the comments that was made during the period they know Walker had been in Los Angeles is from an IP address located inside Stark Industries’ headquarters.

“Got him,” Bruce says with clear satisfaction. “His last post was yesterday at 10 am, and he was at a coffee shop in Washington, D.C.”

“I guess we’ll let the others know,” Tony says, stretching and feeling his spine pop. “Damn, that was fun.”

Bruce shrinks down, and then he pulls Tony in for a hard, hot kiss. “It was a lot of fun. Do you want to call, or should I?”

“We can call together, and then we can take a well-deserved break,” Tony replies.

“Sounds good,” Bruce replies, and then says, “FRIDAY, call the complex.”

Barnes is the one to pick up, and he immediately says, “You got something for us?”

“As of 10 am yesterday morning, John Walker was at a coffee shop in Washington, D.C.,” Tony says.

“FRIDAY is going to send you the coordinates,” Bruce adds. “Based on what we found, it’s likely that he either lives or works in that general area.”

“Good enough,” Barnes replies. “That gives us a place to start. Thank you both.”

He ends the call, and Tony hauls Bruce in for another kiss. “I think we should take the rest of the day off.”

“We absolutely should,” Bruce replies. “We have nothing else on our plates that can’t wait until tomorrow.”

Tony likes the sound of that. As much fun as they have working together, they need the time playing together, too.

~~~~~

Natasha is pleased that her and Steve’s faith in Tony had not been misplaced. A little over 24 hours, and they have a location on John Walker. Or at least a general vicinity, but that’s enough for her. She can find someone just with a favorite place to pick up coffee.

“How are we going to do this?” Natasha asks.

They’ve met in what’s become their war room in the compound—her, Steve, Bucky, and Sam. “I think we find him, we knock him out, and then we question him,” Steve says bluntly.

James chuckles. “Why am I not surprised that your first thought is punching him?”

“It’s a valid response!” Steve protests. “Look, we know he’s probably being used, and based on the report we received from Bruce and Tony, it’s probably someone fairly high up in government. I think we can probably persuade him to tell us who if we can present him with some evidence of that. Once we know who they are, we can work on taking them down.”

“He has a good point,” Sam says reluctantly. “We know Walker can see reason, and I’m pretty sure he’ll be horrified to know he’s been used by Hydra.”

“So, we show him reason,” Steve stays. “But we knock him out first.”

James nods slowly. “We have restraints that will hold him, and between Steve and I, we can take him down.”

“And then what?” Natasha asks. “If they’re highly placed in the government, what are we supposed to do?”

Sam shakes his head. “I hate to say it, but they stole that tech from Stark Industries for a reason, and I think we’re going to find out why sooner rather than later. It will either be covert or not.”

“If we know who got Walker to steal the tech, we can figure out what the motive is,” James says. “We can have Banner and Stark dig into their background, and figure out what their next move is going to be.”

“Agreed,” Sam says. “Right now, we can easily get Walker on theft. I think he’ll want to do the right thing once we present him with the evidence. He’s an asshole, but he’s also a patriot.”

James shrugs. “We’ll give it a shot. Worst case scenario, he doesn’t talk, and he goes to prison for corporate espionage. That’s not the worst outcome in the world.”

“I can find him,” Natasha says confidently. “And I don’t think he’ll notice me.”

James smirks at her. “Oh, he’ll notice you, all right. But he won’t recognize you if we take a few precautions. I doubt Walker realizes that we have the same or better technology at our disposal.”

And that’s how Natasha finds herself in Washington, D.C., in a mask and a wig, frequenting the same coffee shop that Walker had posted from. She sets up at a table with a laptop, pretending to use the coffee shop for its free internet and heat. She makes sure to tip so no one has a problem with her presence, and she buys another drink every couple of hours or so.

She’s not the only frequent flyer there, and Natasha takes note of all of them. None appear suspicious, but she takes pictures and sends them off to Banner and Tony, who are acting as their analysts in all of this.

No one appears suspicious, and so she keeps going. On the fourth day, Natasha’s patience is rewarded when Walker strides through the door. He’s wearing joggers and a t-shirt, along with running shoes, and he’s sporting a neatly-kept beard.

The barista greets him by name. “Hi, John, good to see you again. It’s been a while.”

“I had a business trip,” Walker replies with a smile.

“Your usual?”

“That would be great,” Walker says. “Thanks.”

“Of course,” the barista says cheerfully.

Natasha sends out a text to the group, letting them know that Walker is in the coffee shop, and promising to update them if it’s to-go or to stay.

Walker picks up his cup when his name is called, raises it to the barista, calling out a thank you, then heads for the door.

She sends the update, but she stays put for the moment. She doesn’t want to raise suspicions by leaving right away.

Natasha gives it ten minutes. At that point, she fakes a phone call, then quickly packs up her things as though she’s responding to an emergency.

Her phone buzzes with a text as she’s leaving, and it’s the coordinates for where they’d tracked Walker.

Are you waiting for me? she texts.

Of course, I know how much you enjoy watching me punch someone in the face, especially when they deserve it, Steve replies.

Natasha has to admit that he’s right, and she’s interested in seeing this John Walker in action.

But she mostly just likes to watch Steve punch people in the face. He happens to be really good at it.

Steve snags her as she rounds the corner to go to their target. “Walker is meeting a woman,” he murmurs. “We think she might be one of the big fish. Bucky’s setting up a listening post from across the street. I was able to clone Walker’s phone as he passed, so we’ll have ears on them.”

Not tipping their hand by approaching Walker now would serve their purposes better. “What can we do?”

“Infiltrate, as long as we don’t reveal ourselves.” Steve squeezes her shoulder. “And if we can’t do it, I don’t know anybody who can, Nat.”

Natasha smirks. “I’ve taught you so much. Let’s go.”

They find an open window at the back of the building, and Natasha takes a quick peek. It’s unlocked, and she can’t see anyone, so she opens the window and wriggles through the tight opening. She then unlocks the backdoor for Steve, and they both move carefully from obstacle to obstacle.

There are boxes scattered around, and bigger crates, and that’s what they use for cover.

The woman who’s meeting with Walker in the center of the warehouse isn’t familiar to either of them. Steve frowns, and then rummages in his pocket and hands Natasha an earbud.

She slips it into her ear and hears James say, “I recognize her. That’s Sharon Carter. She was working in Madripoor, and Sam got her a pardon. I think her position in the CIA was restored as well. If she’s meeting with Walker, it means nothing good.”

“Can you hear what they’re saying?” Natasha whispers.

“Yeah, I’ve got the audio recording,” James replies. “She mentioned an accomplice, and the potential of a big score.”

Steve frowns. “Carter? Any relation to Peggy Carter?”

“Her niece, actually,” James says absently. “They’re also talking about a potential team up, and a scapegoat.”

“Are we taking him in?” Natasha asks.

“I don’t think so,” James says regretfully. “There’s something bigger going on here, and I don’t want to tip our hands too early. We all know how Hydra operates, and the tendrils usually run deep.”

Natasha is a little disappointed that she won’t get to see Steve punch someone, but she agrees with James. Now that they know the identity of another conspirator, it will be much easier to track down the rest.

“Agreed,” Steve says. “We can ask Bruce and Tony to start tracking both of their activities and contacts.”

“They’re leaving now,” James warns them. “And it looks like Sharon is going out the back way. Make sure she doesn’t see you.”

Natasha and Steve move quickly and quietly, hiding in the shadow of a doorway, watching as a blonde woman strides past them. She has a determined expression on her face, and she doesn’t even glance in their direction.

“All right, let’s meet back at the hotel,” James says over coms.

“I’m tracking Sharon,” Sam says, which is the first time Natasha has heard him speak. He sounds irritated. “I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

She and Steve get out the same way they got in, and then they blend in with the foot traffic. Steve is wearing joggers and a t-shirt with a hoodie, Natasha is in skinny jeans, an oversized t-shirt, and leather jacket. Steve slings an arm around her shoulders, and she leans into his warm bulk.

Natasha knows that they look like any other young couple in the country’s capitol, and no one gives them a second look, even when they enter the hotel where they’ve been staying.

They have a suite, paid for by the Avengers Trust. James is already there, and he’s set up his laptop to play the conversation between Walker and Sharon Carter.

“We’ll wait until Sam is back before we listen to it,” James says shortly. “I can’t believe we helped her betray our country.”

“You couldn’t know that she had ulterior motives, Buck,” Steve says. “And she’s Peggy Carter’s niece. I wouldn’t have expected that at all.”

James shakes his head. “She used us, Stevie. Me and Sam both. We helped her come back to the fold, and that just allowed her to get access.”

“It’s still not your fault,” Natasha insists. “Our actions are our own, you know. She doesn’t even have the excuse of having Hydra in her head.”

“Peggy would be incredibly disappointed,” Steve comments. “She’s probably spinning in her grave right now.”

James smiles briefly. “Yeah, probably. Peggy would have kicked her ass six ways from Sunday.”

Steve sprawls out on the couch, stretching his legs out, then crossing them. “So, what are we thinking?”

“Let’s wait for Sam,” James replies. “Once you hear the recording, you’ll have a better idea of what’s going on. That was a sweet little program that Banner sent. I was able to turn on the voice notes app on his phone remotely and record that way.”

Natasha shrugs and curls up in the couch’s corner, kicking her shoes off before pulling her feet up under her. “I’m a little hungry, if we’re going to be waiting.”

“I can order room service,” James offers. “Burgers and fries okay?”

“Sounds great,” Steve says enthusiastically. “I’ll never turn down a burger.”

James just laughs and shakes his head. “Yeah, good to know that some things never change. Nat?”

“Works for me, too,” Natasha replies. “I still remember what it’s like to not have red meat. Or buns. Or potatoes.”

“Or lettuce, or tomatoes,” Steve adds. “I want the works.”

James laughs. “Yeah. You want bacon and cheese on that, too?”

“That’s an option?” Steve asks, his expression brightening.

“You like onions?” James replies.

Steve nods. “Yeah, those, too.”

James glances at her, and she nods. “Definitely.”

Sam returns at about the same moment as their food, looking pissed off, although his expression lightens a bit as he catches sight of the room service.

“I hope some of that is for me,” Sam says hopefully.

“I ordered you a burger, too,” James says. “So don’t say I never did anything for you.”

“I’d never claim that,” Sam replies. “Although Sharon probably would.”

“Let’s not talk about her right now,” James replies. “Let’s just eat, and then we can listen to the recording, and figure out a plan.”

Natasha likes hearing James be authoritative. She knows that Sam is the uncontested leader in the field, with both Steve and James ceding to his authority without question.

Still, if James is anything like the one she’d known, he’s hands down the best at covert work next to her.

They enjoy their bacon cheeseburgers in silence, and Natasha enjoys every single fucking bite. She doesn’t even care that they have a mission. She just wants to enjoy her food, and then she can get down to business.

Natasha likes having a full stomach.

When they’ve all finished eating, and they’ve put their dishes in the hallway, they sit around the living area, and James presses play on the laptop.

“Are you sure you weren’t followed?” a woman’s voice asks, and that has to be Sharon.

“Of course, I wasn’t followed,” the man replies, and that’s clearly Walker, sounding like an arrogant asshole. “No one even knows where I am, or suspects I’m behind the theft at Stark Industries.”

Natasha snorts. “What a dipshit.”

James grins. “You’re not wrong about that.”

“Now is not the time to get lax about security,” Sharon chides him. “I asked if you were followed, and I expect a real answer, not some bullshit one.”

“I wasn’t followed,” Walker says sullenly. “I checked.”

“He needs his eyesight checked,” Natasha mutters.

Sam snorts. “I feel like we should have popcorn.”

“We definitely should have popcorn,” James replies. “But shush.”

“We’ve come way too far to be discovered now,” Sharon says. “We have an opportunity to offer the world an alternative to the Avengers, and a team that is under the oversight of the U.S. government. Stark Industries will end up with egg on their faces, and our team will be on hand to take down the bad guy.”

“Is he really willing to be the scapegoat?” Walker asks.

“We’re getting him out of the Raft, and providing him safe passage,” Sharon replies. “He knows what he risks if he screws this up.”

Sam frowns. “Who do you think she’s talking about?”

“Who do we know that’s in the Raft?” James asks.

“Are you sure we can trust Zemo to execute and not just try to escape?” Walker asks.

“Fucking Zemo,” James mutters.

“Who is he?” Steve asks.

“Tell you in a minute,” Sam replies.

“He knows what’s going to happen to him if he doesn’t cooperate,” Sharon replies. “Don’t worry about that. You have your part of the plan to accomplish. Val is working on recruiting the rest of the team, and her people are ready to spring Zemo on her orders. The team willl be ready when the time comes. Now, stay out of sight, and stay off social media. We need to make sure you’re not suspected.”

“Too late for that,” Sam mutters as the recording ends.

James puts his hands behind his head and stretches. “Okay, so we have an outline of their plan, we know there’s someone named Val who’s recruiting others that she can control, and we know that Zemo is going to use the tech stolen from Stark Industries in order to play the supervillain to their team’s alternative to the Avengers.”

“Then we need to find a way to throw a wrench in the works,” Steve says confidently. “If we take Walker off the board, does that help or hurt us?”

“I think we need to leave him on there,” Natasha says. “Taking him off now would be too suspicious. This way, we might be able to scoop up most of the conspiracy in one go.”

“It’s Hydra, so we won’t get them all,” James says philosophically. “But I agree. We get everyone we can, and then we turn them against each other.”

Sam groans. “I still can’t believe that we got Sharon a pardon!”

James shrugs. “We’re not responsible for her shitting on her second chance, Sam.”

Sam rubs his eyes. “Yeah, I know. I get it. Okay, what about the tech they stole? Is there some way of rendering it not operational?”

“Let’s call Stark and Banner,” Sam says. “Because if anyone can figure that out, they can.”

Natasha pulls out her phone and quickly dials their number. Banner picks up right away. “Banner. What can I do for you, Natasha?”

“Do you and Tony think you can render the stolen tech inoperable?” Natasha asks without preamble.

“I’m putting you on speaker and conferencing in FRIDAY,” Bruce replies. “Tony, what do you think about rendering the tech inoperable?”

“We’d need access to it,” Tony says slowly. “Either physically or virtually. Do we know who’s going to deploy it?”

“Zemo,” Sam replies. “He’s going to create a threat, allowing Hydra to present their own version of the Avengers that they can control.”

There’s a long pause, and then Bruce asks, “Zemo?”

“I forgot that he wasn’t here for that,” Sam mutters. “He’s the guy responsible for triggering Bucky and breaking up the Avengers after the Accords.”

“Oh, that asshole,” Bruce mutters. “Right. Okay. Isn’t he in prison?”

“He’s in the Raft, but someone involved in this conspiracy has a way to break him out,” James says. “With the promise of safe passage after. I’m thinking they’re probably fairly high up in government, maybe one of the alphabet agencies.”

“The files they have on the tech are electronic,” Tony says slowly. “Unless we get access to them, there’s no way to sabotage him. But…”

He trails off, and when Sam opens his mouth, Natasha holds up a hand. She knows that tone of voice, and Tony is working through the problem. It’s just best to let him think until he reaches a conclusion.

“What if we created a fake key?” Tony says. “We announce the theft, and then we also announce that it’s a good thing that they weren’t able to download the complete file because we’ve segmented portions of it on our servers.”

Sam frowns. “Do you think they’d fall for it?”

“They might if we sell it,” Tony says, sound almost defensive.

“It’s something he would have done,” Bruce adds. “Our version of Tony, I mean. He built backdoors into things all the time. And this was tech that he was known for.”

FRIDAY chooses that moment to speak up. “Excuse me, ma’am and sirs. I think you might be overlooking the obvious.”

“What’s that?” Tony asks, sounding confused.

“Some of that code is part of me, Mr. Stark,” FRIDAY replies. “They will have to transmit that code to Mr. Zemo in the Raft, and I am intimately familiar with that code.”

There’s a moment of silence. “Right, now I feel stupid,” Bruce mutters. “Okay, we have two methods of rendering the tech ineffective. I don’t believe in limiting our options when it comes to stopping the bad guy.”

“Agreed,” Sam says. “Thanks for speaking up, FRIDAY. I think we can safely say that the person who knows what you can do best is you.”

“Before he died, Mr. Stark told me that I was to be of service to the Avengers,” FRIDAY says in her light Irish accent. “And I am happy to continue being of service.”

Natasha shakes her head. She’s starting to get an idea of what Tony might have been able to accomplish in their universe if given the opportunity.

“Thanks, FRIDAY,” James says. “Let us know if you find anything, please.”

“Of course, Sergeant Barnes,” FRIDAY says smoothly. “It’s my pleasure.”

“I’ll talk to Pepper,” Bruce offers. “We’ll discuss how best to sell the announcement. Meanwhile, we’ll work with FRIDAY on that piece. Keep us in the loop, please.”

“Certainly,” Sam says. “I’ll loop Rhodes in as well.”

Bruce sighs audibly. “Good thought. Thanks, Sam. Looks like the Avengers are back on the job.”

He hangs up, and for a moment, Natasha feels the silence, but then Steve grins. “Hey, we know most of their plan, and they have no idea. I feel like that puts us about ten steps ahead.”

James smiles. “Let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves, but I agree. We’ve made a good start today. We just need to press on.”

Natasha thinks that sums up how both Steve and James look at the world. Steve mostly sees the glass half-full, and James mostly sees the glass half-empty.

Sam grins. “I’m with Steve on this one, Bucky. We have a leg up. That’s worth celebrating a bit.”

James shrugs, but there’s a reluctant smile pulling at his lips. “Yeah, okay. You’re right. But let’s keep the momentum going.”

Natasha smiles. She likes the feeling in the room; they’re starting to feel like a team.

~~~~~

Bruce really should have considered using FRIDAY’s help before she spoke up; he’d chosen to conference her in for record-keeping purposes. He knows that as an AI, FRIDAY doesn’t have a gender, but he’s never been able to think of her as an it. Jarvis had run half of Stark Industries before Ultron basically destroyed him and created Vision.

Granted, Bruce hadn’t been around much after that, and Tony had installed FRIDAY in his place in Mexico without talking much about what it meant, or what FRIDAY could do. Bruce hadn’t called on her, and so she’d been fairly quiet as a result.

“What, exactly, can you do, FRIDAY?” Tony asks when Bruce ends the call.

“I was created with the sole purpose of assisting our universe’s Mr. Stark,” FRIDAY replies. “But before he died he left specific instructions that I was to support the Avengers generally, and if I saw an opportunity to perform a task within my capabilities, I was to offer.”

Bruce chuckles. “So, you saw an opportunity, and you offered.”

“It is part of my programming, Dr. Banner,” FRIDAY replies. “I’m sorry you did not understand my purpose.”

“I should have asked,” Bruce replies ruefully. “I was familiar with your predecessor, after all. What do you need from us?”

“I have the capability to monitor Mr. Zemo,” FRIDAY replies. “I’ll devote some of my processing to that task.”

“Thanks, FRIDAY,” Bruce says.

Tony’s eyes are bright with interest. “Think I could peek under the hood at some point?”

“As far as I’m concerned, you have complete access, Mr. Stark,” FRIDAY replies.

Bruce nods. “FRIDAY is right. The fact is, there aren’t many people who could understand the programming, and of those, I wouldn’t trust most. Your brain works the same way.”

Tony cracks his knuckles. “I’ll familiarize myself first, and then I should have a better idea of what all we can do. FRIDAY, can you hack?”

“I hid most of Mr. Stark’s comings and goings from General Ross when necessary, sir,” FRIDAY replies. “I do have a set of ethical guidelines.”

Bruce rubs his eyes. “I would hope so, but keeping Ross in the dark is definitely an ethical necessity.”

“I knew a General Ross in my universe, but who is he in this one?” Tony asks.

Bruce shakes his head. “General Ross was in charge of the program I developed the serum for, the one I tested on myself. He also chased me all over the world, wanting to turn me into a weapon, and he was at least partially responsible for the Sokovia Accords. I told you about that, right?”

Tony nods. “You weren’t here for that, right?”

“I was on Sakaar at the time,” Bruce admits. “Thank god. Ross would have attempted to use me as a weapon all over again, and it would have pitted me against my friends.”

Tony snorts and gives him a look. “Also, not exactly a fair fight.”

“It would have been like bringing a thermonuclear weapon to a knife fight,” Bruce admits. “To be honest, I probably would have found some way to sit things out. As much as I agree that countries should be able to invite us in, or ask us to stay out, I wouldn’t have wanted to butt heads with Steve.”

“No one wants a fight with their friends and family,” Tony replies. He runs a hand over his short hair, and then says, “Okay, I’m going to try and get a better idea of FRIDAY’s capabilities, and what the risks might be if we utilize her a little more heavily. We need to know who’s at the top of this conspiracy, and if we can trace their contacts. It’s not going to end if we just put a spoke in their wheel, but we can start the process of weeding them out.”

Bruce nods. “Agreed. I probably should have done that myself, but I just don’t have the programming knowledge that I need.”

Tony grins and claps him on the shoulder. “That’s what you have me for, Jolly Green. Promise, I’ll have answers for you by dinner tonight. I’m going to use the hologram if that’s all right.”

“Knock yourself out,” Bruce replies. “I’m going upstairs to call Pepper.”

He heads up the stairs. In reality, he’s probably going to get her assistant and make an appointment, but he’s noticed that Pepper has been almost eager to answer his calls the last couple of times. He suspects that she wants to know how Tony’s doing without actually having to ask, because he will drop the occasional tidbit into their discussions about projects.

Pepper actually does pick up right away, but it’s about the time she usually takes a break to eat lunch. “Bruce, hi. How are you?”

“I’m doing well,” Bruce replies. “And you?”

He and Pepper have always been good at polite small talk, although Bruce suspects for very different reasons.

“Quite well,” Pepper replies. “Thank you, by the way.”

Bruce frowns. “For what?”

“For staying out of the news,” Pepper replies, and there’s real sincerity in her voice. “I explained what was going on to Morgan, and I think she grasped it better than I anticipated, but we’ve both had time to process, and that’s been incredibly helpful.”

Bruce isn’t quite sure what to say to that. He would rather stay out of the press, and this version of Tony Stark appears to be equally allergic. It has been no hardship to be in Mexico, working and playing together.

“I would say that it’s working out well for everyone,” Bruce says carefully. “But we’ve got some news. We know who was behind the theft.”

Pepper takes the subject change with good grace. “And who was that?”

“Hydra,” Bruce replies. “Sam and Barnes are working with the others to identify all the parties involved, but it’s going to be helpful if we can try to draw them out.”

She hums thoughtfully. “What do you need from me?”

“We need to announce the theft, and sow the seed that Stark Industries keeps files segmented,” Bruce says.

Pepper chuckles. “Thus, suggesting to them that the file they stole was incomplete and inviting them to make a second attempt.”

“And we can tag that file to track and trace anyone who touches it,” Bruce says. “We have a few other ideas, too, and there’s no guarantee that they’ll fall for the ruse, but we thought we should at least make the attempt.”

“It’s Hydra,” Pepper replies. “I agree that having multiple strategies is the wisest course of action. Do we at least know who is going to use that information?”

“Zemo,” Bruce says. “We know that he enjoys creating problems for us, so it’s really no surprise. They’ve apparently promised to get him out of the Raft, and arrange for safe passage after.”

“For a deal like that, who can blame him?” Pepper replies philosophically. “And I’m sure the others will stop him, just as they have in the past. All right, I’ll work with PR on the language for the announcement. If you could send the technical jargon I should use to sell it, that would be great.”

“I’ll email you,” Bruce promises. He clears his throat. “How is Morgan doing?”

“She’s doing great,” Pepper replies. “She’ll ask FRIDAY for memories of her dad, and FRIDAY will play a video for her. She hasn’t asked about the other version. She just said that she understands that there are a lot of different universes, and she hoped that version of her isn’t missing her dad. When I said that he wasn’t lucky enough to have a child, that satisfied her.”

Bruce laughs. “I suppose it really is that simple. She’s a sweet kid.”

“She is,” Pepper replies with a laugh. “And I have no idea where that comes from.”

“I do,” Bruce says. “You and Tony both have a heart, even when it’s well-hidden.”

“I’m glad he has you, Bruce,” Pepper says warmly. “And I’m glad we have you, too.”

“Always, I hope,” Bruce replies. “Thanks, Pepper.”

Bruce has been around long enough, and he knows the lingo well enough, to be able to provide Pepper with persuasive language that will hopefully convince Hydra that they don’t have key parts of the file. Bruce thinks that the key component would be the targeting software, which uses a complex GPS system.

It would be really easy to leave that piece out until production, utilizing separate components in order to protect their intellectual property. It’s also the component that would most tempt Hydra to go back, and Bruce doubts they have anyone who can confirm that it’s not part of the specs that Walker stole.

Bruce can’t tip their hand too much, but he provides enough technical language to hopefully get the job done, and sends that off to Pepper.

He decides to leave Tony alone for now, letting him commune with FRIDAY. Bruce uses the time to catch up on email and other correspondence, responding to a long, chatty email from Jenn, who keeps teasing him about getting married.

Bruce ignores the comments about his love life, knowing that Jenn is just trying to get his goat. He knows Jenn is happy for him, and happy to see that he’s settled.

He has a few other projects that he’s been collaborating with others on. He’s been working with another scientist in India, working on a microbial scrubbing agent that can clean water and soil. They’ve been moving cautiously, because the consequences for getting it wrong are pretty dire.

They’re getting close, though, and early results are positive. Bruce reviews the notes, then sends back his own suggestions for the next stage. By that point, he decides to start on dinner.

Tonight, Bruce decides on something simple—shrimp quesadillas, since he has everything on hand. He gets all the components ready, and is about to call Tony up, but Tony emerges from the lab in the basement.

“I think we have a plan,” Tony says. “Or, I have part of a plan, FRIDAY has the other part of the plan, and I’m relying on you to tell me if we’re on the right track.”

“Yeah, sure,” Bruce says easily. “Did you have fun?”

Tony grins brightly. “More than you could believe. The programming—I mean, I can see the thought process. I can see the beauty there. I’m learning so much, but there are things that I think might give me the edge. We were doing a lot with very little, and I think that mentality might actually help here.”

“It might,” Bruce agrees.

“How was the conversation?” Tony asks, sitting down at the table.

Bruce shrugs. “It was fine. She thanked us for staying out of the news.”

Tony makes a face. “That’s not hard. I’d rather keep a low profile.”

“That’s probably the biggest difference, to be honest,” Bruce says. “I can’t even say that Pepper was wrong to worry about it.”

“Even if I hadn’t already been inclined to avoid the spotlight, I would have done it for her and the kid,” Tony replies. “I might not have any connection to them, but I know I’m a guest in this universe.”

“Well, in this universe, maybe,” Bruce replies with a smile. “Here, though, you’re not.”

And Tony’s answering smile is all the reward Bruce could ask for.

~~~~~

Bucky throws his duffel over his shoulder and holds out a hand for Natasha’s. She gives him an amused look. “I can get my own bag, you know.”

Bucky flexes his left arm. “Do you have a metal arm? I can be chivalrous.”

“Fine,” Natasha replies and hands him her own duffel, but there’s the hint of a smile playing around her mouth. As they approach the entrance to the complex from the hangar, with Steve and Sam trailing them, Bucky is a little surprised to see Clint leaning against the doorjamb.

“Barton,” Bucky says with a nod. “No offense, but what are you doing here?”

“I caught Miss Potts’ press conference about the theft at SI,” Barton replies. “And then Yelena called me to let me know that she was being recruited for a big job that was billed as being part of a team that would replace the Avengers.”

Natasha frowns. “Did she accept the offer?”

“She did not,” Barton says with a grin. “She said it was gross. But that does beg the question of who else they’re recruiting.”

Bucky shrugs. “Time to start reaching out to everyone we know then, figure out who else they might have approached.”

“I can help with that,” FRIDAY says unexpectedly. “Mr. Stark has authorized me to offer whatever assistance I can. I have access to SABER’s files on anyone with superpowers.”

“That will be a great start,” Barton admits. “There’s that kid the other Tony recruited, but he’s dropped off the face of the planet.”

Sam snaps his fingers. “What about that kid in Jersey City? Kind of popped out of the woodwork.”

“Scott Lang?” Barton suggests. “Someone might think he’s an easy mark, since he has a rap sheet.”

“Sounds like we have our work cut out for us,” Natasha comments. “FRIDAY, I hope you’ll help us divide and conquer.”

Bucky isn’t surprised to hear Natasha speak to FRIDAY like she’s a real person. “I’m at your disposal, Agent Romanova,” FRIDAY replies.

“Well, hot damn,” Barton says. “Looks like we’ve got our version of Jarvis. Clearly, I haven’t spent enough time here.”

Natasha frowns. “Who is that?”

“The robot butler that predated FRIDAY,” Barton replies. “Come on, you guys can get settled, and we can figure out a plan of action.”

Bucky follows Natasha inside, and she goes straight to his room, apparently having decided that she prefers his quarters to her own.

Not that he minds.

“I don’t trust Yelena,” Natasha says bluntly as the door closes behind him.

Bucky isn’t surprised, given what she’s told him. “Okay, and that’s fair, but this isn’t the same person you knew who fucked you over.”

“She got you killed,” Natasha hisses, and then presses the heels of her hands into her eyes. “But I know this isn’t the same person. I know that.”

Bucky drops the bags and puts his hands on her shoulders. “I know you know that. But I also know that feelings aren’t always responsive to facts. I don’t blame you for feeling the way that you do.”

Natasha drops her forehead onto his right shoulder. “Promise me that she’s not going to get you killed again.”

“She’s not in any position to get me killed again,” Bucky soothes. “And if she does, it’s because someone makes a mistake, rather than a deliberate effort. She has no power over me, you know that.”

“I know that,” Natasha replies. “I do know that.” He can hear her take a deep, audible breath. “I can’t lose you again.”

“I’m not going to make promises that I can’t keep,” Bucky says. “But know that I’m not going to let you go without a hell of a fight.”

“I’m going to hold you to that,” Natasha says.

Bucky holds her tightly, feeling her cling a bit to him, and he knows that there’s real trauma there. He also knows that he might never fully understand the world she left behind.

And then, right on schedule, Natasha takes a deep breath and pulls back.

“I’m fine,” she insists. “I’ll be fine, even if she’s here, because I know that the circumstances are completely different.”

Bucky smiles. “She might come in handy. If she’s been approached, we might be able to use that against Hydra.”

Natasha’s eyebrows go up, and she smiles slowly. “You mean, we could use her as bait.”

“That’s one interpretation,” Bucky replies. “She’d be good at digging out the information.”

Natasha’s smile turns into a grin. “That sounds like an excellent idea.”

If Yelena’s presence is going to make Natasha tense, Bucky is going to do whatever he can to get her out of Natasha’s hair. It just seems like a smart move.

They head to the kitchen where people tend to congregate, and Bucky keeps his arm around Natasha’s shoulders. Barton has made himself at home, starting a pot of coffee, and he gets to his feet as they enter. “Hey. You guys want some?”

“That would be welcome, thank you,” Natasha replies, giving Bucky an amused look when he pulls out a chair for her.

Barton seems to catch it, too, because he says, “Quite the gentleman, Barnes.”

“My mama raised me right,” Bucky drawls. “And, yeah, I’d take a cup.”

Barton pours two mugs and puts them in front of Natasha and Bucky in turn. “I see you two have gotten cozy.”

Natasha takes a sip of coffee. “Is that any of your business?”

Barton shrugs. “I’m happy if you’re happy. Maybe we didn’t know each other where you came from, but we were close here, and I can’t help but feel I have a piece of my friend back.”

Bucky thinks it’s a little more than that. He’s aware of how much guilt Barton feels over Natasha’s death, and how she’d slipped out of his hands.

“Well, I tend to like people who make very good coffee, and this is very good coffee,” Natasha replies, and she smiles at Barton. “Perhaps we will be friends again.”

“I’d like that,” Barton admits. “Hell, I’d love it if we got the band back together. Hydra thought we would be picked off easily, right? They offer the public an alternative, and they slip right into the hole we left. Maybe we show them we’re not so easily replaced.”

“Never thought I’d hear you say something so sensible,” Sam comments as he enters the room.

Barton mimes being stabbed in the heart, but then he says, “I have a vested interest in taking down Hydra, too. I’m here to help.”

“We need to contact those folks who might be targeted unwittingly,” Sam replies, pouring his own cup of coffee. “Where’s your protege? Kate, right?”

Barton frowns. “She’s back in college, but would probably be up for a trip. What were you thinking?”

“The kid in Jersey City,” Sam replies. “We need to make sure she hasn’t been contacted.”

“Kate is going to college in NYC, so she could probably go with someone,” Barton replies. “I suggest either you or Rogers. Captain America always goes over well.”

Sam nods slowly. “What are you thinking about for yourself?”

“Lang,” Barton replies. “We know each other, at least a little.”

Sam glances at Bucky. “You okay to go?”

“If I can take Natasha with me,” Bucky replies evenly.

Sam snorts. “Like I could stop either of you. Yeah, sounds good.”

“We have a little time,” Bucky replies. “We can leave tomorrow, if that works.”

Natasha nods. “I think we should get some training done today.”

To Bucky, that makes sense. If they’re going to be in the field together, it makes sense that they would get comfortable with each other, especially if they’re going up against Hydra.

Barton seems to perk up at that. “Yeah, if you’re not too tired. It’s been too long. I’ve been sparring with Laura and Kate when I can, and I shoot every day, but it’s not the same.”

“I like the idea,” Sam comments. “And if I’ve learned anything, it’s that the best time to train is when you’re tired. It teaches you how to push through.”

“I agree,” Steve says as he enters, and then he brightens. “Oh, coffee. I’m not getting over coffee any time soon. Thanks to whoever made it.”

“That was me,” Barton says.

Steve sends Barton a disarming grin. “Again, thank you. And thanks for coming. It’s good to have the help.”

Barton flushes slightly. “Of course, my pleasure.”

“So, training today, what’s tomorrow?” Steve asks. “Because I got a text from Becca, and she has a free evening coming up.”

“Trip to ask the kid in Jersey City if someone has approached her,” Sam says. “I’m fine going by myself, if I can get Kate to go with me.”

“I’ll text her now,” Barton says, pulling out his phone.

Steve shrugs. “If you think I’d be helpful, I’ll be there.”

“Two Captains America?” Bucky jokes. “Double the wow factor.”

Steve smiles. “I like kids. We should go.”

As Bucky remembers, Steve had always been a little stiff around children, but maybe this is just another difference.

“Not much chance at being around kids there,” Natasha murmurs. “And he’s exceptionally good with children when he does interact with them.”

Bucky almost wishes he could see that for himself, but they’re apparently going to be asking Scott Lang whether someone tried to get him to commit additional crimes.

“I think we’re going to need video of this,” Bucky says. “Just to be sure it actually happened.”

Steve snorts. “You just don’t believe I can handle a kid.”

“No, I want to see the kid geek out over two Captains America,” Bucky replies with a smirk.

Sam frowns. “I think it’s Captain Americas.”

“No, that implies there’s more than one America,” Bucky contradicts. “Captains America says there’s more than one Captain America.”

Natasha and Barton start giggling at the same time, and then Natasha catches Barton’s eye, and they start laughing harder, like they’re old friends.

There’s a lightness to Barton’s expression that Bucky isn’t sure he’s ever seen, and Natasha takes another sip of her coffee as she leans against Bucky’s outstretched arm.

He’d never really been part of the Avengers, except for when they’d all come together against Thanos, but he’s starting to feel a little bit of that magic.

“Well, if you like kids, I’ve got three of my own,” Barton says.

“You should bring them to the compound,” Sam says. “Along with Laura. They’d all be welcome.”

“It’ll be a family affair,” Barton says with a soft smile that Bucky doesn’t quite understand. “I really appreciate that, Sam.”

“Of course,” Sam replies. “I know what it’s like to miss time with your family.”

Barton raises his eyebrows. “Don’t you have a sister and a couple of nephews? When this is all over, maybe we should have a family day.”

Steve just looks excited. “You have nephews, Sam?”

“Yeah, two of them,” Sam replies. “But I’m a little worried about letting you anywhere near my sister.”

“Isn’t she dating someone else?” Bucky asks, amused.

Sam shoots him a look. “Yeah, and he’s a good guy that I’ve decided I wouldn’t mind having as a brother-in-law.”

Steve actually looks hurt at that. “I don’t poach. There’s no need. Plenty of other fish in the sea.”

Sam holds up his hands. “I’m still getting used to the idea of you having game, man. And Bucky already came close.”

“For a hot minute,” Bucky says, glancing at Natasha. “She needed someone who wasn’t going all over the world, but I’m happy to play fun uncle and bring gifts when I visit.”

Sam shoots him a sour look. “They like you more than me.”

“They like the metal arm,” Bucky deflects. “But I happen to know that they brag about their uncle being Captain America all the time.”

Sam grins at that. “Yeah, I had to ask them to stop giving out my cell phone number. They kept telling their friends that I could help with bullies.”

“And did you?” Steve asks, sounding as though he already knows the answer.

“I turned up in uniform a couple of times,” Sam admits. “Talked to the kids about dispute resolution and getting along with others.”

“And it worked,” Bucky adds. “The principal managed to get Sam’s number to thank him for the drop in bullying incidents by quite a bit.”

Sam snorts. “Which is why I wound up participating in a whole public education, anti-bullying campaign after that. Not sure how well that worked, but it was for a good cause at least.”

Barton’s phone chimes, and he glances at the screen. “Kate is in. She says she’ll be done with classes by 3 and can go after that.”

“That works,” Sam says. “The kid will be in school until the afternoon anyway.”

Natasha stands up. “Let’s get to the training room. I need to stretch my legs.”

Bucky figures they have the time, and a team that trains together, stays together. Maybe if they keep training together, they’ll be able to recapture a little of that feeling.

They go hard, setting up a scenario that’s based on the Chitauri invasion. No one, other than Barton, had been there, but Bucky has seen the footage, so he knows it’s accurate.

He and Natasha use pulse weapons, Barton has his bow, and Sam and Steve both have their shields. They trade off seamlessly, and he and Natasha move around the perimeter, watching everyone’s backs while Barton picks off his targets.

They fight until the end of the program, which is definitely a test of endurance, because it lasts two hours.

When it finally ends with their victory, everyone is sweaty and exhausted, and no one is interested in cooking.

“Will anyone even deliver food out this way?” Steve asks, collapsing onto the floor. “I mean, I know I can’t cook, but I don’t think anybody should cook after that. It was amazing, but I’m wiped.”

Bucky knows that he’s exhausted, so he’s not surprised to hear that from Steve. Even though they both have the serum, that doesn’t mean that a two hour battle isn’t exhausting.

“Sandwiches?” Sam suggests. “Or we can go to the SABER cafeteria.”

Bucky frowns. “You know all eyes are going to be on us, so no thanks.”

“Same,” Natasha says. “I’d rather not be stared at.”

“I think there are some cans of soup in the cupboard, and we can make grilled cheese,” Bucky says definitively. “We can handle that much.”

“Yeah, that works,” Sam says, clambering up from the floor slowly, then offering his hand to Steve.

Steve clasps his forearm and accepts the help with a ready smile, then pulls Sam in for a hug. “Thanks, Sam.”

Bucky has noticed that this version of Steve is a lot friendlier, a lot more tactile and affectionate.

Barnes gets up and offers his hand to Natasha, and Sam turns to Barton.

Barton accepts the helping hand as well as the shoulder clasp Sam offers, and Bucky really does think that training together helps bond the team. It feels really good, and Bucky drapes his arm around Natasha’s shoulders, and they head back to his quarters to get cleaned up.

“Was that as good as I thought it was?” Natasha asks. “Because I’ve rarely been in a training scenario that went that well.”

“It went really well,” Bucky admits. “Really well. I think we should probably train together more often.”

Natasha nods slowly. “I agree. It builds teamwork and camaraderie. I like Barton. I didn’t really know him before.”

“I don’t know him well,” Bucky admits. “I like what I’ve seen of him, and we were technically on the same side when Zemo targeted the Avengers the first time, but we didn’t have much to do with each other.”

“He has a wife and kids?” Natasha asks.

Bucky nods. “Yeah, and I’ve read his dossier. He named his youngest kid after you. Nathaniel, rather than Natasha, but yeah.”

Natasha smiles. “Well. That’s sweet.”

“Did you ever want children?” Bucky asks. He knows what the Red Room did to Widows here, but he’s not sure if that had been true in her own world.

Natasha shakes her head decidedly. “No, it has never been in the cards for me. Even if I had wanted children, and I never did, they would have either been swallowed up by the program, or they would have faced a terrible future. Here, that might not be true, but I still have no interest in creating another mouth to feed.”

To Bucky, that makes a lot of sense. He’s not interested in having children either. In spite of the culture he grew up in, Bucky isn’t sure he ever was, although that past is hazy. Bucky has accepted that his life had taken a different course than it might have if not interrupted by war and then Hydra.

He suspects that Natasha feels much the same way.

Natasha puts a hand to his cheek and smiles. “But I would not want a life other than this one. I have worked hard to become the person I am today, and I am here with you now, in this world that is far less scarred than the one I left.”

Bucky pulls her in for a long kiss. “We’re well matched on that front.”

“Come along, James,” she says. “We can get each other dirty again before we get cleaned up.”

Bucky has no problem with that idea.

Then

Natasha has been involved in hundreds of meetings over the years, but never more than over the last six months. The most recent novel virus has been sweeping through the population like wildfire, and if they’re going to come up with a solution, it has to be soon.

There’s also the famine, the drought, the polluted air and water, the interrupted supply lines, the lack of fuel…

Things are not getting any better.

Strange puts his scarred hands flat on the table, and the third eye opens in the middle of his forehead. “I have gone as far as I can with the efforts to save this world.”

“What does that mean?” Tony demands. “You’re just giving up?”

“I didn’t say that,” Strange says snappishly. “I said I’ve gone as far as I can with the effort to save this world, but there are other worlds that could benefit from your assistance. I see no need to let that talent go to waste.”

Tony leans back in his chair, his mouth twisting in a bitter grimace. “Then what’s the fucking point?”

Natasha clears her throat. There are a couple of guards on the door, and she suspects that this conversation would be much better held in private. “Please clear the room.”

The two guards leave the room immediately, probably glad to be out of the line of fire.

“I don’t think there’s going to be any violence here,” Steve says in a mild tone, but with a hard look in Strange’s direction.

Strange’s three eyes blink. “I have no intention of acting violently. I think you should be looking at Mr. Stark.”

“I know Tony,” Steve says. “So, I’m not worried about him. I think you need to explain.”

Strange puts his hand on the medallion around his neck, and a green stone glows brightly. “I have used the Eye of Agamotto to look into every possible choice, every possible future that this world might have. There is nothing we can do that will reverse the effects of climate change, or the pandemics that have raged.”

Tony rubs his eyes. “No offense, but why the hell did you reach out to us?”

“You were the one who asked for help, and that’s exactly what I’m offering. I told you that there was a small chance of success to save this world, and now I’m telling you there is one chance to save yourselves,” Strange counters. He and Tony have rubbed each other the wrong way from the very beginning, and Tony clearly does not appreciate being told that there’s no hope. “The real question here is whether you want to survive.”

Steve raises a hand. “So, this world is doomed no matter what we do? Is that what you’re saying?”

“That is what I’m saying,” Strange replies.

“And why the hell would we do that?” Steve demands. “We can’t save the world, so we just abandon ship?”

“You weren’t the ones who doomed this world,” Strange replies. “But what if you could save another? I could send you to another universe, one where the alternate versions of yourselves died, but where they still need your help.”

Tony pulls his beanie down and shakes his head. “How would you even know?”

Strange raises his eyebrows. “How do you think?”

Tony opens his mouth to reply, probably not anything constructive, and Natasha interjects. “We all realize that you’re going to use magic to figure it out,” she says, giving Tony a quelling look. “What I think we’re really asking is whether we can actually make more of a difference if we leave, versus if we stay.”

“You’ll die if you stay here, along with everyone else,” Strange says harshly. “Let me know your decision.”

He sweeps out with his ridiculous cape, and Tony pushes back from the table with a curse. “What the actual fuck?”

“He’s right about the fact that we solicited help,” Steve says mildly. “We asked him to find a solution, and he couldn’t. Well, neither could we, Tony. We can’t really blame him for not doing something that we also failed to do.”

Tony leans against the wall with a deep sigh. “How are we supposed to just walk away and save ourselves?”

“What else can we do?” Natasha asks philosophically. “I haven’t survived this long to just lay down and let fate happen to us.”

Steve clears his throat. “Maybe we should consider it, or at least give him a chance to try. There’s no telling if he’ll even be able to do it in the first place. If we can make a difference somewhere else…”

“What sort of a difference?” Tony demands. “We haven’t done a damn bit of good here.”

He stalks out of the room, and Natasha knows that he’s just struggling to accept the inevitable. Tony has been trying for most of his life to save the world, to mitigate the damage that people like his dad had done.

“Go talk to him,” Natasha tells Steve.

“What are you going to do?” Steve asks.

Natasha shrugs. “I’m going to speak with Strange.”

Steve smirks at her. “Not Doctor Strange?”

She snorts. “Perhaps to his face if I need to flatter him. He has more of an ego than most I’ve met.”

Steve shakes his head. “Howard Stark had that kind of ego. Maybe Tony would have taken after him if Howard hadn’t continually kicked the shit out of him. See you in a bit. Call if you need me.”

Natasha knows that Strange would have used a portal to go back to the city, but she takes one of the motorcycles. They’re more fuel efficient, and they don’t have a lot of gas to spare. She probably could have called Strange to create a portal, but she needs to clear her head and figure out how to work Steve and Tony around to her way of thinking.

She knows a losing battle when she sees one, and she doesn’t want to go down with a sinking ship. Besides, she doesn’t want to watch Steve and Tony die. If there’s some other universe where they can be of service, then that’s better than what they’re doing now.

Right now, they’re like the Dutch boy sticking his fingers in a dike that keeps springing leaks, and the flood is coming.

Natasha cares about the world, and the people in it, but she cares about her friends more. She’ll do whatever she can to save them, even if it means making nice with Strange.

She approaches the mansion on Bleecker Street and finds parking easily. There aren’t many people around; she’s not sure there are many people left. The world’s population has dwindled from five million to maybe two.

Not that anyone is counting these days.

Natasha goes to knock on the door, but it swings open before her knuckles make contact, and she steps inside. Everything is in disarray, with the walls appearing as though rot has set in.

She can’t quite explain the feeling, but it feels like the whole place is dying.

If she’s being honest, if only with herself, she’s seriously creeped out. There’s a cabinet in the corner that stands empty with the doors open, a large crack in the side where the wood has split. It’s almost as though something had forced its way out.

There are black splotches on the walls, black something creeping along the marble floor of the foyer, and the window high above her head is hazy with dirt where the glass isn’t broken.

The whole place is in disarray, and it goes deeper than a lack of resources; it speaks to a lack of care.

“What are you doing here?” Strange asks from upstairs.

Natasha looks up, and sees him standing there, this time without the cape. “I love what you’ve done with the place.”

He looks around, almost as though he’s seeing it for the first time. “I’ve had to go to some dark places in order to get an answer, and the appearance of the Sanctum reflects that.”

Natasha sighs. “I wanted to talk to you about that.”

“I assumed you would, since Stark decided to throw a temper tantrum,” Strange says sourly.

“I realize that you and Tony don’t always see eye to eye, but surely you can understand his disappointment,” Natasha scolds. “He’s wanted to find a way to save this world since he was a child.”

“So did I,” Strange admits. “Come on up. I can make tea.”

“That would be welcome,” Natasha replies, beginning to climb up the stairs.

She suspects that Strange does most of his work on the second floor, because the rot seems to be greater here. She wonders what this is costing him, and what he’s getting out of this. He hadn’t said anything about saving himself.

“There won’t be enough power for me to hold the portal open and pass through myself,” Strange says, as though in response to her thoughts. “Besides, the world you’re meant to save already has a Doctor Strange.”

“Then you already know?” Natasha asks.

“It’s one of the futures that I saw,” Strange replies. “It’s what gave me the idea. This world, Ms. Romanova, there’s no saving it. There never was. Perhaps if you could go back in time, and prevent certain choices from being made, but when I looked into that possibility, there was no chance of success there either.”

Natasha sits down in the chair across from his desk, and accepts the cup of tea that he offers. It’s muddy tasting, but Natasha figures the tea he’s using is years old at this point.

She sips to be polite, though, and then decides to be blunt. “What are you getting out of this?” Natasha asks.

Strange smiles, and it’s the most genuine expression she’s seen on his face to date. “I get to save a world, even if it’s not this one.”

And Natasha knows exactly what they’re going to do. She just has to convince Tony and Steve to agree.

Now

Natasha is on a flight to visit Scott Lang—whoever that is, since she’d never met their version of the man—when her phone chimes. She’s not sure who to expect, but when she answers, she sees Steve’s face.

“You in a place where you can talk?” Steve asks.

“We’re still flying on the Quinjet,” Natasha replies. “So, yes. What’s up?”

“Someone wanted to meet you,” Steve replies, and turns his phone so Natasha can see the face of a teenage girl. She has brown skin and dark hair, and her dark eyes are shining with excitement.

And then she makes a noise that Natasha wishes only dogs could hear.

“Oh, my gosh,” the girl exclaims. “I’m so excited to meet you! I mean, you’re not my favorite, because Captain Marvel is my favorite, but I love you!”

Natasha isn’t quite sure what to do with that, so she just says, “I haven’t had a chance to meet her yet, but I’m sure Captain Marvel is just as awesome as you.”

Another noise that Natasha really wishes only dogs could hear.

“Thank you!” the girl replies. “Oh, I’m so dumb! I’m Kamala Khan. I should have introduced myself first. My parents would be really embarrassed.”

“They shouldn’t be,” Natasha says. “Everyone gets excited sometimes, and you remembered eventually. I’m really pleased to meet you, Kamala Khan.”

Kamala’s dejected expression brightens immediately. “I already told the Captains America that I really want to help out if I can.”

“If we need you, we’ll call you,” Natasha says. “And it was really nice to meet you.”

Steve rescues his phone, and Natasha assumes that he’s stepped outside, because he says, “Sam is talking to her parents to assure them that we aren’t going to pull Kamala into the fight unless it means saving the entire universe. They were very specific about that.”

Natasha chuckles. “I’m guessing that Kamala is chomping at the bit.”

“She is, but she’s a good kid,” Steve replies. “Someone did approach Kamala after school, but she asked if they were an Avenger or Nick Fury, and when they said they weren’t, she said she wasn’t interested. The kid is only going to accept someone she knows, or someone where she knows their bona fides.”

“Smart kid,” Natasha says.

“That’s my impression,” Steve replies. “Good head on her shoulders, and probably a great addition to the team with a little time and seasoning.”

Natasha snorts. “You’re a little bit in love with her.”

“In a completely platonic sense where I just want her to become the best version of herself that she can be?” Steve asks. “Absolutely.”

Natasha has seen him do that a couple of times at least, most notably with Tony. Granted, that had turned out a little differently, but Natasha often wonders what kind of person Tony would have been had Steve not been such a stalwart presence in his life.

She can’t even look to what she knows of this universe’s Tony Stark; their circumstances had been entirely different.

“I’m sure she’ll appreciate the training,” Natasha replies.

“Plus, I’m sure I’ll learn a few things from her as well,” Steve adds cheerfully. “I usually do.”

That’s the thing Natasha really likes about Steve. He’s open to new experiences and new people, and he never assumes that he knows everything, or even most things.

She’s overheard a few conversations between people Steve has taken to bed, and that has always been the general consensus. Because Steve doesn’t assume that he knows everything, he’s always open to tips for improvement.

“Are you going to see Becca tonight?” Natasha asks, changing the subject.

“That’s the plan,” Steve replies. “I’m heading into the City to meet up with her shortly. She says she can give me a ride back to the complex.”

Natasha raises her eyebrows. “She’s not getting attached, is she?”

“She says her girlfriend flaked on her, and she has tickets to a show,” Steve says easily. “And I’ve never been. I think she’s having fun expanding my horizons.”

“And are you expanding hers?” Natasha can’t resist getting a little bit of a dig in.

Steve just sounds smug when he replies, “She’s already pretty flexible. You guys okay?”

“Long flight, but we’re about 45 minutes out,” Natasha replies. “We’ll update Sam when we know more, and can fill you in once you surface.”

“You have my number if it’s an emergency,” Steve counters. “Let me know if you need me to cut things short.”

Natasha tucks away her phone and finds both James and Barton looking at her with amusement. “Mission was a success, as I’m sure you heard.”

“Sounds like Steve is going to meet up with that pretty teacher again,” James says with a smirk.

Natasha just smiles. “She had a spare ticket to a show.”

Barton’s scowl is impressive. “Let’s hope it’s not Rogers: the Musical. That was awful.”

“Even if it is, I’m sure Steve will learn something,” Natasha counters. “And he’ll probably enjoy it.”

Barton just shakes his head, as though unwilling to dignify that with so much as a comment.

“Why the hell did you see it?” James asks, giving Barton an incredulous look.

“Laura got us tickets,” Barton mutters. “She thought it would be fun for the kids.”

“Was it?” Natasha asks.

“Sure, for Laura and the kids,” Barton replies. “But I can’t be too angry. That trip was the reason I met Kate, and I can’t help but think that’s the reason I was there. She needed the help dealing with—“ Barton pauses, apparently thinking better of whatever he’d been ready to say. “—some family issues. Poor kid basically got orphaned, so I dragged her home with me.”

“And now she’s back in school and helping us recruit young talent,” James replies. “Seems to me like you did pretty good. Maybe you just needed to be in the right place at the right time.”

“Maybe,” Barton says.

They had enlisted a SABER agent to help pilot the Quinjet, just to make sure everyone could get adequate sleep. Agent Summers calls out, “Thirty minutes until we land.”

“All right, that’s our cue,” James says. “What kind of reception are we expecting, Barton?”

Barton shrugs. “Lang’s always been pretty cool. He’s a good guy who has the ability to keep his head. I assume he’ll be friendly and helpful. Beyond that, I can’t say.”

“We’ll deal with it as best we can, then,” James replies.

Natasha doesn’t know any of the players; she’s mostly there for backup, and because she’s unwilling to allow James out of her sight, especially when it seems things are starting to intensify.

SABER has a private hangar at the airport, and there’s a black SUV waiting for them. James takes the wheel, and Barton willingly takes the backseat, his quiver and bow on the seat next to him.

James navigates the drive to Lang’s small house unerringly, pulling up outside. “Should I stay here or go with you?” Natasha asks.

“Come with,” James invites. “No sense in you just sitting out here by yourself.”

Lang steps out of the house onto his porch, his arms crossed tightly over his chest. “What are we looking at now?”

“Hello to you, too,” James says, sounding more amused than anything else.

Lang looks down at the ground and sighs. “Sorry. It’s just—I kind of got used to the idea of being out of the action, and if you’re contacting me, it doesn’t mean anything good.”

“Doesn’t have to mean anything bad either,” Barton says, keeping his tone light, but he has his quiver on and his bow in hand.

Natasha understands his caution. Lang’s defensiveness could suggest that he’d already been contacted, and lured away from supporting the Avengers.

Lang looks up, and sees Natasha standing there. “Well, you’re bringing a dead Avenger to my door, so pretty definitively nothing good. You’d better come inside. I think I have enough beer for everyone.”

“Water is good,” James says.

“Same,” Barton echoes.

When Lang looks at her, Natasha says, “I don’t suppose you have coffee?”

Lang’s smile is bright and boyish. “Coffee I can definitely do. Not sure if I have cream, but I can do milk and sugar.”

“I take mine black,” Natasha says. “And whatever you have is fine. I’m not picky.”

Lang ushers them inside. “I have to admit that I’m wildly curious. We’ve visited the Quantum Realm, so I have a vague understanding of how parallel universes work, but what they look like is another matter.”

“It wasn’t anything good,” Natasha replies. “That, I can tell you for free.”

Lang grimaces. “Well, I wouldn’t have supposed that it was a picnic, since you left. Why travel to a different universe unless the one you’re in sucks?”

“It was dying,” Natasha corrects him. “Well, Earth was dying, and we didn’t know about aliens or the other things that maybe could have saved us.”

Lang offers a lopsided smile. “Or maybe the damage would have spread. I know all about the role good intentions have to play.”

“On the way to hell?” Barton asks.

“That would be it,” Lang says. He pours a couple of glasses of water for James and Barton, and then starts the coffee pot.

“I don’t want to put you out,” Natasha says.

Lang shakes his head. “You’re not. I figure whatever this conversation is, it’s going to require coffee.”

“We could be here on a social visit,” Barton protests weakly.

Lang gives him a look. “Not with Barnes and a dead Avenger.” He pauses and looks at Natasha. “No offense.”

“The version of me that you knew is dead, so no offense taken,” Natasha replies. “And you’re not wrong.”

Silence reigns as the coffee brews, and then Lang pours into a couple of mismatched mugs, one reading “WORLD’S GREATEST DAD,” and the other with a picture of what has to be this world’s version of Steve in uniform on it. He’s winking exaggeratedly and pointing, and Natasha laughs.

She’s never seen Steve do that in her life.

“Gag gift from my kid,” Lang says. “She said the next time someone asks me to do something that might get me in trouble, I should look at that mug and think again.”

“I thought you got house arrest,” Barton says. “That wasn’t so bad.”

“Yeah, but I wouldn’t have needed to take a plea deal in the first place if I hadn’t followed blindly,” Lang says, and then he shrugs. “Water under the bridge, and my kid wasn’t wrong. I’ve been trying to set an example by looking before I leap.”

There’s a message there, and Natasha takes a sip of coffee and very carefully doesn’t look at Steve’s face. She decides to let Barton and James handle that.

“That’s fair,” Barton admits. “I can’t say I didn’t know what I was getting myself into, and I still wonder sometimes.” He sighs and takes a deep breath. “We know Hydra is moving again. They have a plan to create their own team of superheroes that they control.”

Lang grimaces. “So, you want my help to defeat them?”

“Possibly,” James says. “But Scott, it’s more that we want to know whether someone has approached you.”

Lang frowns. “You think I’d work for Hydra?”

“Not knowingly,” Barton is quick to say, “but the guy we know for sure is working for them thinks he’s doing his patriotic duty.”

Lang’s frown deepens. “So, I’m dumb enough to fall for their shit.”

Natasha clears her throat, not wanting the conversation to devolve any further. “No, I think they’re smart enough to figure out what might motivate you, and then use that to manipulate you. How many people thought they were working for the good guys when they were really working for Hydra?”

Lang’s expression softens. “Yeah, fair point. I have no idea, but I’m sure quite a few.”

“Possibly more than 60 percent of SHIELD agents weren’t Hydra,” Barton says. “We’ll never know for sure, but it’s a reasonable estimate. Another percentage were coerced by Hydra holding their loved ones hostage.”

Lang shakes his head. “To answer your question, no one has approached me. I wrote a book, and I’m still working on and off with Pym on occasion, but that’s about it.”

“Do you know anyone else they might have approached?” James asks. “Someone we wouldn’t know about, but Hydra would?”

Lang takes a long sip of coffee, and then his expression twists. “Fuck. Fucking shit, yes. Maybe. Two. The first is easy, Ava Starr. We were attempting to help stabilize her molecules when the Blip happened, and we haven’t been able to contact her since. I have no idea if she got Snapped, but by the time I emerged, and we were able to Snap everyone back, we’d lost track completely. Hydra could promise to stabilize her, and she’d probably do just about anything.”

Natasha has no idea what it means to have unstable molecules, but she figures it’s nothing good. And if she knows anything for certain, it’s that desperate people will do desperate things.

“And the other?” James asks, and maybe he senses something, because he keeps his tone gentle.

Lang just shakes his head. “My daughter, Cassie. She’s smart, but she’s also a lot like her old man. She wants to right the wrongs of the world, and if they were to tell her that she could right some wrongs, do some good, she might not look too close at who’s doing the asking.”

“How old is she?” Barton asks gently.

“Seventeen,” Lang replies.

Barton just chuckles. “I have one of those myself, and they always think they know best. Kate, my protege, got burned pretty badly by her mom, so she doesn’t trust anyone. I can’t really fault the result, but the process sucked for her.”

“Yeah, well,” Lang laughs weakly. “I’ll give her a call. She was pretty excited to hear that we were getting three Avengers back, and she thinks that Black Widow is basically the coolest person to ever exist.”

“She has good taste,” Natasha comments, mostly to lighten the mood.

Lang shoots her a quick, grateful smile. “Yeah, mostly. Give me a minute.”

He leaves the room, and Barton asks in a low voice, “What are we going to do if she has joined? Are we going to use her to gather information?”

“If it makes sense,” James says evenly. “If she has a good head on her shoulders, and we can trust her not to make them suspicious or give us away. We’ll have to assess that when we meet her.”

Natasha nods. She had been an experienced enough Widow at one point to be trusted to assess the others for missions, and she’d rarely been wrong.

Of course, Widows were recruited young, and most of them died young, too. Only the very good and the very lucky survived.

“I can do that,” Natasha says. “I’m used to doing just that.”

“And she worships you,” James says. “So she’ll likely be more forthcoming with you than she might be with us.”

“We can hope,” Natasha replies.

Lang comes back into the kitchen and says, “She’s on her way. Pretty sure she busted my eardrum when I told her that I had Black Widow sitting in my kitchen.” He hesitates. “And look, if you guys need me, you know I’m there, right?”

Barton smirks at him. “I figure if you write your memoir, you’re not planning on having more stories to tell.”

Lang brightens, his boyish expression endearing. “Did you read it?”

“Yeah, I did,” Barton admits. “It was pretty good. I liked it.”

Lang actually blushes at that. “Oh, thank you. I didn’t expect that.”

Barton raises his eyebrows. “You sent me a signed copy.”

“But I didn’t think you’d actually read it,” Lang protests.

“Sure I did,” Barton replies. “And I passed it on to my protege. Thought it might do her some good. You might think about sending your kid to the same university Kate’s going to. She sounds like she could use someone looking out for her.”

“I’ll definitely consider it,” Lang promises.

The front door bangs open, and a girl calls, “Dad!”

“In the kitchen, peanut!” Lang calls back.

“Dad!” That one word holds a wealth of emotion—affection, embarrassment, remonstrance. The girl who enters the kitchen is pretty in an unaffected way, with dark hair and blue eyes, dressed casually in jeans, sneakers, and a t-shirt with an oversized olive green jacket. “Come on.”

Lang smiles the smile of a father who lives to torture his kid. “You’ll always be my peanut.”

“Dad!” But there’s a reluctant smile tugging at her lips. “Stop embarrassing me and introduce me to your friends.”

“Cassie, this is Clint Barton and Bucky Barnes,” Lang says. “But also Natasha—sorry, it’s Romanova now, isn’t it?”

Natasha smiles. “It probably always was, but people often get that wrong.”

“And Natasha Romanova,” Lang finishes. “She’s from an alternate universe.”

“It’s really great to meet all of you,” Cassie says sincerely, shaking their hands in turn. “Dad has talked about you guys a lot.”

“Have a seat,” Lang says. “There was a reason we wanted to talk to you.”

Cassie’s expression turns shifty. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“The fact that you jumped immediately to that tells me that you probably know exactly what your father is talking about,” Natasha says mildly. “And I know what it is to hide something important. So, perhaps we should talk about who contacted you, and what they asked you to do.”

Natasha gives her the same look she’d have given a new Widow trying to hide an injury or any other secret, and Cassie just drops into a chair. “She said that the Avengers need help, and that they needed someone like me. And that maybe the Avengers weren’t really focusing on the right things…” Cassie trails off and glances at Lang guiltily. “Sorry, Dad.”

Lang just sighs. “I thought we’d worked past this, Cass.”

“She presented it as just another team, backup for the Avengers when they’re busy with something else,” Cassie protests. “You know if it had happened while we were in the Quantum Realm, or Sergeant Barnes was on another mission. We would be able to respond more quickly.”

Natasha understands where Cassie is coming from. She wants to save the world, and she wants to do it yesterday. Someone had preyed upon those desires, manipulating her into participating.

“Who is ‘she?’” Natasha asks gently. “Because she clearly knew enough about you to know what buttons to push.”

Cassie takes a deep breath. “She said her name was Sharon Carter, and she was with the CIA, but working with other organizations.”

She can feel James’ disappointment, as well as Barton’s, but both are too good to let any of that show. They’ll probably have to turn Walker if they want the person who’s in charge.

Natasha is looking forward to it.

“Let’s talk about what else you know,” James says. “And then let’s talk about what we’re going to do with that information.”

~~~~~

Tony blinks as he comes out of the hologram, having spent most of the day inside FRIDAY’s system. It’s probably a stretch to say that he was communing with the AI’s system, but not much of one. Tony finds himself awed by what he’s seen, by what his counterpart had managed to create, by the complexity and design of the AI.

He and FRIDAY had at least made a plan, and Tony is relatively certain that they will be able to find a back door into the code to render it inert. Moreover, they have the means to track Zemo, even after he completes the work Hydra asked him to do.

No matter what happens, he won’t get far, and Tony is fairly certain that they’ll be able to prevent any loss of life. He’s happy about that, of course, but he feels a sharp regret, too, for what might have been.

What might Tony have been, what might he have done, if he’d had these resources, and the time and space to breathe, to create something complex and beautiful? Could he have saved the world?

He’ll never know, of course, but he might have.

Tony half-stumbles up the stairs, feeling a little drunk from his long immersion in the data, and he finds Bruce in the kitchen, putting out a bowl of ceviche and ripping open a bag of chips.

Tony is suddenly ravenously hungry, and the sharp smell of citrus just underscores that.

“Hey,” Bruce says, his voice full of fondness. “Hungry?”

“Starving,” Tony admits, taking a seat on a barstool and going for the chips.

Bruce slides a glass of water in his direction. “You should hydrate, too.”

Tony drinks most of it in one gulp, and Bruce silently refills the glass as Tony digs into the ceviche. He’d never had it before coming here, but the freshness is incredibly enticing.

He doesn’t even bother with the plate, just scooping and eating, knowing that it’s probably bad manners, but suddenly very aware that he hasn’t eaten anything all day.

“I did try to call you up for lunch, but I don’t think you even heard me,” Bruce says, clearly amused.

Tony shrugs. “Sorry. I was deep in it.” The initial raw edge of hunger blunted, Tony sits back and sighs. “I don’t think I can be what this world needs, Bruce.”

Bruce frowns at him, and the expression may be mild, but there’s a banked anger that Tony catches a glimpse of that could be terrifying in the right—or wrong—circumstances. He knows Bruce would never hurt him, but there’s just that hint of rage.

“What do you think this world needs?” Bruce asks carefully.

Tony waves towards the door to the underground lab. “I’ve seen inside his mind, and I’m not near what he was. I see what he created, and I can’t even hope to match it.”

Bruce shrinks down, his skin losing its green hue, and he comes around the bar, crowding Tony. There’s something compelling about Bruce this way, his dark eyes intense, leaning in close. “There is nothing lacking about you. I don’t care what your parents told you. I don’t care what the rest of the world told you. I am so fucking grateful to have you here.”

Tony swallows hard around the lump that appears in his throat. “Okay.”

Bruce pulls him in for a rough kiss that pulls forth an answering passion in Tony, but instead of taking it any further, Bruce pulls back and sits down next to him. “I told you how I got stuck as the Hulk, didn’t I?”

Tony nods. “Yeah, a couple of years as a gladiator on a strange planet.”

“Yeah, and then the Hulk met Thanos, and when the time came to face him again, he wasn’t going to come out, even though he might have been useful. That’s when I knew that I needed something more than just control. I needed to integrate the two halves of myself. Tony helped with that, mostly by building the lab downstairs, and making sure I had the time I needed.”

Tony isn’t sure where this story is going; he hadn’t been the one to do that for Bruce.

Bruce must sense his confusion, because he says, “It took me time to figure myself out. It’s going to take you time, too. But, Tony—what you know might be exactly what we need, even if we don’t know what that is right now, okay?”

Tony just presses his forehead against Bruce’s shoulder and feels Bruce’s arms around him. Bruce scratches the back of his head, a comforting gesture, and one that feels unique to them.

“I’ll bet the other me wasn’t this insecure,” he mutters.

Bruce hums. “I knew him pretty well. I think he hid it from the rest of the world, but not from me or Pepper. Good news for you, we don’t need to be out in public, and you never need to hide from me.”

“That is good news,” Tony says, and then pulls back. “Okay, the other bit of good news is that FRIDAY and I have a plan. We’ll know when Zemo tries to use the code, and we have a plan for creating a back door, even if they don’t bite on Pepper’s press conference.”

Bruce smiles warmly and grabs a chip, scooping up ceviche. “See? You’re doing great. The other you relied heavily on AI, but he also viewed AI as his partner.” Bruce suddenly makes a face. “Oh, fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck. Sorry, give me a sec.”

Tony has no idea what had suddenly piqued Bruce’s alarm, but Bruce calls Sam on a videoconference, including Tony without a thought.

When Sam answers, he says, “What’s up, Banner?”

“Do we have a location on Vision or his remains?” Bruce asks urgently.

Sam blinks, and then he starts swearing, using almost the same language as Bruce. “Fuck. Fuck! Okay, I have the SABER and FBI report about Wanda and her weird thing, but I don’t think we know what happened to what was left of Vision after that. But if Hydra is active again, and they’ve infiltrated… We have to assume that he might be in play.”

“And do we have a counter?” Bruce asks.

Sam’s eyes turn to Tony. “I don’t know. Stark was the one who knew him best.”

“And I have no idea who you’re talking about, so that’s a no go,” Tony replies irritably.

Bruce shoots Tony a look. “That doesn’t mean you can’t get up to speed soon enough. We’ll see what we can do from our end, Sam, but we don’t have your contacts.”

Sam sighs. “I’ll call Colonel Rhodes, see if I can rally the troops. We did nip one potential problem in the bud.”

“And what’s that?” Bruce asks, his tone shifting to amused.

“Scott Lang’s kid, Cassie,” Sam says. “She was contacted by Sharon Carter, and got sold a bill of goods. We’re still working out what we’re going to do with that information, but she feels pretty terrible.”

“Plenty of people have been manipulated by Hydra,” Bruce replies. “There’s no shame in that.”

“She’s a good kid,” Sam admits. “Came clean immediately when we asked, wants to help, thinks she could be an Avenger some day.”

“Could she?” Bruce asks with a smile.

Sam shrugs. “Smart kid, and we aren’t getting any younger. We already promised to introduce her to Kate. God help the world when that happens.”

“Could be the best possible thing for the world,” Bruce counters. “We’ll keep working on things from our end. Tony thinks he can trace the software and Zemo when the time comes.”

Sam nods. “Good news, indeed. All right, I’ll work my connections. Good thinking, Banner. Talk to you soon.”

“Keep in touch,” Bruce replies.

When the call ends, Tony asks, “Who or what is Vision?”

Bruce grimaces. “The AI that predated FRIDAY was Jarvis, and Jarvis eventually came to inhabit a synthezoid body known as Vision. Which is a terribly over-simplified version of what actually happened, but it was complicated, and I’m not sure I have the time to explain everything.”

“So, Vision is basically an android that I helped create,” Tony says, summing it up.

“He’s a real person,” Bruce says, “but yes.”

Tony blows out a breath. “Was he a good guy?”

“Yeah,” Bruce admits. “One of the best, actually. He sacrificed himself to try to stop Thanos.”

Tony is trying to understand the problem. “Do we have any reason to believe that’s changed?”

Bruce blinks. “Oh, um, I guess not? Unless Hydra somehow got to him?”

“Who was his best friend?” Tony asks. “Because maybe the answer is we just—talk to him?”

Bruce laughs. “That would be the simplest answer. Hopefully, that’s all it takes, but we should probably come up with a plan B just in case.”

“Get me the specs, and we can figure something out,” Tony replies. “If there’s anything I know how to do, it’s countering a weapon.”

In that respect, at least, Tony figures he might have some knowledge that he could bring to the table.

Then

Tony stands in front of the window that looks out over a barren garden. For a while, they’d had the hydroponic garden, but there’s no longer enough clean water to keep it going. There’s no longer enough of anything, and Tony has known that for a long time.

He had hoped that Strange would be able to help them discover a way to save this world, and instead, he’d just suggested they abandon it to find another.

He doesn’t have much fondness for this world, but he feels the inability to save it like a thorn in his side, a pain that is deep-seated and constant.

Tony rests his forehead against the glass and closes his eyes, then feels a familiar set of hands on his shoulders. “There’s nothing you can say that’s going to make me feel better about this, you know.”

“I think we’ve both known that we might not be able to salvage it,” Steve says quietly.

Tony doesn’t lift his head. “There’s knowing, and then there’s knowing.”

Steve’s warm hands squeeze. “Yeah, I get it. But Tony, Strange seems to think that we might be able to save a world, even if it’s not our own.”

“Are we really going with that?” Tony asks. “It might be a bunch of bullshit.”

“What reason does Strange have to lie?” Steve asks, but it’s rhetorical, because Tony already knows the answer. The world is doomed, and there’s nothing they can do about it. Strange hadn’t told them anything they didn’t already know, after all.

Tony just shakes his head, never pulling back from the window.

“Come on,” Steve says gently. “Beating yourself up isn’t going to do any good. You didn’t create this problem, Tony.”

“Who was it that said that the sins of the fathers are visited upon the children?” Tony asks. “Because I feel that acutely right now.”

“Perhaps your father had some role in this, but his sins aren’t yours, Tony,” Steve says gently. “And retreat is not a defeat, it’s a tactical maneuver that allows us to fight another day.”

“Fight on another world,” Tony says bitterly.

“What was it that you told me when we first met?” Steve asks. “This world is fucked.”

Tony sighs and pushes away from the window, unable to stomach looking out on a dead garden any longer. And their world is in its death throes. Although Tony hadn’t given up hope, perhaps it’s time to bow to the inevitable.

It’s not as though there are any guarantees that they’ll even be able to cross over to a different universe.

Steve slings an arm over his shoulders and says, “You know, there’s an opportunity here.”

“And what’s that?” Tony asks, then sees the gleam in Steve’s eyes. “Oh, you mean there might be more people for you to fuck.”

“It might be kind of nice to fuck someone who isn’t staring death in the face all the time,” Steve admits.

Tony is reluctantly amused. “Is sex all you think about?”

“It’s not all I think about,” Steve defends. “I’m just looking for a silver lining.”

“Well, I can’t say that sex isn’t a silver lining,” Tony agrees. “So, that’s something.”

Steve steers him away from the window and down the hall, the dim emergency lighting casting a red glow on Steve’s face. Steve is wearing his usual smile, and not for the first time, Tony is grateful for his presence.

Natasha is waiting for them in the communal kitchen where they eat most of their meals together. There are maybe half a dozen guards left, but Tony expects that most of them will be gone in a few more months. Up until recently, they’ve been able to keep people employed because of their food stores, but it won’t be long before those run out.

“I told Strange to continue his investigation,” Natasha says bluntly. “There’s nothing left for us here.”

Tony sighs and sits down next to her. “I know. It doesn’t mean that I have to like it, though.”

“No one likes it, Tony,” Natasha says gently.

Tony shrugs, because what else can he do?

There’s a shout, and one of the guards enters the room. “Ma’am, sirs, we have a mob just outside. They found out we still had food, and they’re hungry.”

“How many are there?” Steve asks, straightening.

“At least twenty,” Markham replies. “We can use non-lethal means of chasing them off.”

Tony shakes his head decisively. “No. I refuse to use force on a bunch of hungry people, even if it’s non-lethal. Besides, now that they’ve figured it out, others will come. The Stark name just isn’t enough to hold them at bay any longer.”

Natasha and Steve both nod, and Tony knows that they’ll take their cues from him.

Tony turns to Markham. “Tell everyone to retreat. Take a go bag with supplies, don’t engage, and good luck.”

Markham holds out his hand, and Tony shakes it. “Good luck to you, too, sir. I hope I see you again.”

“Take care,” Tony replies.

Markham darts out, and that leaves Tony, Steve, and Natasha to follow Tony’s own advice. There are a number of ways out of the compound, but the most convenient by far is through the underground garage where they have a number of vehicles stored.

There’s a locker in the garage with stored go bags, containing MREs and changes of clothing. Tony has kept a go bag ready to go since Steve had first been defrosted, and on Steve’s suggestion. He’d made a point that if they had to run, they wouldn’t have time to pack.

Tony tosses Natasha’s bag to her, then pulls on his own rucksack. Steve grabs his bag, and they start up the bikes.

“My tank is half-full,” Tony says. “You guys?”

“The same,” Steve replies.

Natasha nods. “Maybe a little more. Enough to get us to the city. We’ll want to stay out of sight and wait for Strange to contact us. Hopefully, it won’t be too long. If we’re careful, and we ration, we can probably hold out for a few weeks.”

Tony nods. “If we conserve energy, we should be fine.”

The exit puts them out behind the clamoring mob, and they quickly speed away. Markham will have led the others out to the parking lot where employees used to park, back when the compound had been full.

Eventually, the crowd will break into the compound and take whatever they can find. Tony isn’t sad to see the end of the place, but it’s certainly a reminder that their time is limited. The one safe place left to them is gone, and now they just have to make the best of things until Strange finds them an exit—or things end.

Now

Bucky knows better than to think they have this buttoned up, but they do have a better handle on things than they did a few days ago. Kamala Khan is enthusiastically on call, as are Cassie Lang and Kate Bishop, although Kate isn’t on the back bench with the other two.

He’s pretty sure that she’s just going to show up wherever Barton happens to be, and he wouldn’t be surprised to find out that she’d lo-jacked him.

As though his thoughts had summoned him, Barton drops down next to him at the table in the kitchen, passing him a bottle of beer. “Penny for your thoughts.”

“You sure Kate hasn’t lo-jacked you?” Bucky asks.

Barton snorts. “Nah, she planted one on my quiver, which I found and disabled. Then she planted one in the heel of my boot, so I disabled that one, too. And then she put one in the lining of my coat, so I left it. That kind of persistence should be rewarded.”

“By allowing her to join us?” Bucky asks. “Not that I’m disagreeing, just curious.”

Barton taps his ear. “I’ll be around for the big stuff, like Hydra rearing its ugly head, but I can’t be as effective in the field as I used to be.”

Bucky just snorts and points at his left arm. “Seriously?”

“That’s an asset,” Barton counters, taking a long pull of his own beer. “And you can’t tell me it’s not.”

Bucky shakes his head. “Yeah, and one of the Dora Milaje took it off me during a fight. Any asset can become a liability under the right circumstances, Barton. Maybe you learn how to fight differently, but a disability doesn’t have to be the end of the road.”

Barton just shakes his head. “Yeah, and you’ve got Kate, or you will have. Give her a few years of seasoning, and I can retire, spend more time with Laura and the kids. You won’t need me.”

“I think that’s wishful thinking on your part,” Bucky replies, bumping Barton’s shoulder with his own. “And I think you’re selling your team short.”

“They’re not my team,” Barton says sourly.

Bucky sighs. “You know, I’d have given anything to have Steve back at one point. This isn’t the Steve I knew, but he’s an echo. He’s a version of Steve that might have been, just as Natasha and Stark are versions of people that might have been. Maybe try to get to know them—her. You might find something that you thought was lost.”

Barton sighs deeply. “What do you think I’m trying to do? Why do you think I’m here? I got to thinking about it, and I figured it was worth the risk of having my heart broken all over again, trying to forge a connection.”

“Life is all about your heart being broken,” Bucky counters. “It’s the state of being human, Clint. The only ones past heartbreak are the dead.”

Barton presses the heel of his free hand into his eye. “Yeah, I know. Tell me more about her?”

“I think you’ll find that she’s still Natasha,” Bucky replies. “Different, but enough alike. I know it’s hard, and I know it hurts, but maybe give it a shot.”

Barton sighs. “Laura and the kids have been asking me to bring her around. I told the kids that she isn’t the same Natasha they knew, but they just told me that they knew, and they want to get to know her all over again.”

Bucky smiles. “And Laura?”

“Backed them up,” Barton admits. “Told me to pull my head out of my ass and join my team. Said I was better when I’m not on my own.”

“Well, she’s right about that,” Bucky replies.

“She’s usually right about everything,” Barton says, his tone a mixture of sourness and humor. “And she doesn’t let me forget that.”

“Smart woman,” Bucky jokes. “No wonder she got along so well with Natasha.”

“I miss having them gang up on me,” Barton admits slowly. “Never thought I’d say that, but it’s true.”

Bucky holds out his bottle of beer in invitation, and Barton taps the neck with his own. “That just shows you have some sense.”

Barton takes a long pull of his beer. “What’s next, then?”

“We’re waiting for word on Vision,” Bucky replies. “And news from Stark and Banner, to know if and when Walker takes our bait, and Zemo gets the program and escapes.”

Sam comes into the kitchen at just that moment, saying, “I don’t have any news of Zemo, but I do have an update on Vision.”

“Let me call Natasha and Steve, and that way you don’t have to say it more than once,” Bucky replies. “FRIDAY?”

“On their way, Sergeant Barnes,” FRIDAY replies. “Also, Mr. Stark has asked me to tell you that John Walker has taken the bait, and has entered Stark Industries to retrieve the false key.”

“That is a bit of good news,” Bucky replies. “Thanks, FRIDAY.”

Natasha and Steve enter the kitchen, sweaty, but not out of breath. They’ve been in the training room, and both of them look rather pleased with themselves, so it’s apparently been a good session.

“You guys should join us,” Steve comments. “We were having fun.”

“We’re having beer,” Barton says. “Also fun. Wilson, hit us.”

“Vision was last seen leaving that mess Wanda created,” Sam says. “There haven’t been any sightings since he flew off, not even when Wanda was reported killed by Doctor Strange.”

Bucky frowns. “FRIDAY, would you call Stark? Let’s see if we can come up with a way to track him.”

“I am very much ahead of you, Sergeant Barnes,” FRIDAY says, and she sounds smug. “Since Mr. Stark has directed me to put all efforts into assisting you, I have reached out to Vision. We share parts of our—brains, for lack of a better word. He is on his way.”

Bucky blinks. “Should we be worried?”

“He is himself,” FRIDAY replies.

Bucky really isn’t sure what to do with that, but he’d never known Vision, not really.

Sam clears his throat. “I didn’t really know him.”

“None of us did,” Barton says. “I mean, I did, a little, but he was always different with Wanda.”

“Well, apparently Wanda conjured a version of him back to life, and SWORD rebuilt him in some fashion, and then shit went down, and no one can say what exactly happened after that,” Sam says sourly. “We have no idea if Hydra has managed to corrupt him.”

“He was no more susceptible to being corrupted than I am, Mr. Wilson,” FRIDAY replies pertly. “And he is here.”

Bucky isn’t sure what he expects, but it isn’t a pure white Vision, bled of any color. Bucky does remember what he had looked like—magenta skin and gold and green uniform, for lack of a better descriptor.

This version is pure white, from his head to his toes, and he bends his head courteously. “Forgive me for barging in, but FRIDAY tells me that you’ve had some trouble.”

“Some, yes,” Bucky says. “And we were a little concerned that your allegiances may have shifted.”

Vision shakes his head. “No. Or rather, I have decided that I must dedicate myself to helping preserve a world Wanda and I could have lived in.”

Vision holds out his hand, and Bucky takes it willingly. “Your help is much appreciated. Did Hydra approach you?”

“A woman called Valentina Allegra de Fontaine did,” Vision replies, releasing Bucky’s hand. “FRIDAY and I believe that she is responsible for this new resurgence of Hydra, but we do not have proof. Yet.”

“Do you think she would believe that you changed your mind?” Natasha asks eagerly.

Bucky thinks she understands what she’s getting at, and Vision nods gravely. “I did not tell her no, because I was not sure at first what she intended.”

Natasha nods. “Good. Then you can go back to her and tell her that you have reconsidered. Tell her that you want to be part of this new team for Wanda’s sake. She’ll likely believe you a fool.”

Vision inclines his head. “I believe you have the right of it, Agent Romanoff. I will do as you advise, but I know who my true friends are.”

“It’s Romanova,” Natasha replies. “But thank you.”

Vision’s expression might almost be a smile. “I will be in contact through FRIDAY.”

He leaves after that, and Bucky says, “FRIDAY, call Banner and Sark, would you?”

Banner answers almost immediately. “Did Vision show up? FRIDAY said he was heading your direction.”

“He did,” Bucky replies. “He’s going to pretend to be on Hydra’s side. Stark’s doing, from what I heard.”

“I made a lucky guess,” Stark replies, popping up on camera with a grin. “You’re welcome.”

“We need a war council,” Bucky says. “Things are going to start moving quickly after this.”

Steve nods. “Sounds like a plan.” He glances at Sam. “We’ll follow your lead.”

Sam nods. “I appreciate that.”

Banner makes a face. “Better call Jenn.”

“You’re not joining us?” Sam asks, sounding surprised.

Banner glances over at Stark. “No, I think we’ll stick it out here. We can help coordinate through FRIDAY.”

Sam raises his eyebrows, but doesn’t argue the point. “We’ll call Jenn, too, then. Once we have everybody on the line, we’ll let you know to dial back in.”

Banner’s image winks out, and Sam glances at Natasha. “Any insight?”

“Tony is tired,” Natasha says simply. “And he’s not battle-tested the way I imagine your version was. Maybe with training and time, but we don’t have the luxury right now.”

Steve shrugs. “I’d rather Tony sit this one out if possible.”

Bucky has noticed that both Natasha and Steve are very protective of Tony, and he’s not surprised that they want to keep him out of the fray. This version of Stark doesn’t strike Bucky as a fighter.

At least, not physically. He’s shown himself to be invaluable in other ways.

“We should call Kate, too,” Barton says. “We could use the additional backup.”

“Let’s go to the war room,” Sam replies. “We’ll contact everyone from there.”

The large conference room has a number of screens that currently display a map of the world with red dots indicating the locations of all current Avengers. Several are concentrated in upstate New York, several in the city, two in Mexico, and another two in California.

Sam says, “FRIDAY, text the others and make sure they’re in a place where they can talk.”

“Already done, Captain,” FRIDAY says, sounding almost cheerful. “Each has indicated that they will call in approximately five minutes.”

In an undertone, Sam murmurs to Bucky, “Is she taking more initiative?”

“I think she’s working with Stark,” Bucky whispers back. “Which would make sense.”

Just as FRIDAY predicted, five minutes later, everyone has called in, appearing either via hologram—Scott and Cassie Lang, Jennifer Walters, Kate Bishop, Colonel Rhodes, and Stark and Banner—or appearing via a portal—Strange and the current Sorcerer Supreme, Wong.

Strange’s eyebrows go up as he glances around the room, his eyes finally landing on Natasha and Steve. “I see you two have made yourselves at home.”

Steve shrugs. “We’re just helping out.”

Kate’s eyes are wide, and Bucky can easily read the excitement on her face, although she doesn’t say anything, probably just happy to be included.

“What’s up, cuz?” Jenn says cheerfully when she sees Banner.

Banner smiles. “We’re just happy to be a couple of steps ahead of Hydra, for once.”

“Oh, I think we’re a couple of miles ahead,” Stark says with a smirk. He’s looking hale and hearty, and altogether cheerful, in spite of the circumstances.

Steve shoots him a quelling look. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, Tony. Confidence is one thing; cockiness another.”

Stark raises his eyebrows. “FRIDAY, let’s show him what we’ve got.”

In the center of the room, footage plays of Walker sneaking back in to Stark Industries to steal the “key.”

Stark clears his throat. “That ‘key’ bears a digital tag, which we traced to a computer being used in the Raft. I think we can expect Zemo’s engineered escape within 24 hours.”

“The entire world will be after him at that point,” Sam comments. “He won’t be able to wait for long.”

Cassie glances at her dad and says, “Agent Carter reached out to me a few hours ago and told me to be ready in two days.”

“Vision has said the same thing,” FRIDAY says. “He will inform me as soon as a target has been announced.”

“I’ve alerted the proper authorities,” Rhodes says. “It won’t just be the Avengers.”

“And Strange and I can make sure you all reach the destination in time,” Wong adds.

Sam nods. “So, we’ll just show up, shut Zemo down, and then take Walker into custody, as well as any other members of Hydra that we can find.”

“We’ve been working on a few things,” Banner adds. “At least for everyone who might need a uniform. It’s one way to present a united front.”

Bucky shrugs his agreement. He knows that’s what Hydra is hoping to guard against—the Avengers standing as a united front, unimpeachable and firm.

“I’ll be there, too,” Jenn says. “Representing the greener folks. I’ve got your back, Bruce.”

Matt just smiles. “Should be fun.”

Sam grins. “Well, look at that. It seems like we’ve got the band back together.”

Rhodes’ normally solemn expression is also light. “Little different than it used to be, but that’s all right.”

Bucky looks around the room, and he has to agree. Maybe Stark had been cocky, but not without reason. They really are a couple of miles ahead.

Now, they just have to keep that distance.

~~~~~

When the call ends, Tony clears his throat. “You know, if you want to go, you shouldn’t let me stop you.”

Bruce glances over at him. There’s a light in Tony’s eyes that had been missing for a long time. He looks happy and well-rested, the gauntness in his face filled in. But there’s worry etched there as well.

“I’m not interested in fighting,” Bruce replies, and he means it. “I never really have been, you know. It’s just something I got roped into. I much prefer playing a supporting role.”

Tony frowns. “Yeah, but—you don’t want to be there?”

“I’m fine right where I am,” Bruce replies firmly. “Maybe if they didn’t have enough people, or they needed another Hulk, I’d consider going.”

Tony doesn’t appear satisfied. “But I should be there.”

“You haven’t used the suit before,” Bruce counters. “Do you have any battlefield experience?”

Tony shakes his head. “Not unless you count the time I was captured.”

“Don’t worry about it then,” Bruce replies. “We’ll be better off here, helping to coordinate. And when it’s all over, we can party.”

Tony laughs then. “I didn’t think you were the sort to party.”

“I can make an exception,” Bruce says with a teasing smile. “Especially once we put a spoke in Hydra’s plans to create their own team.”

Tony shrugs. “It’s about control, isn’t it? What my counterpart did freed the Avengers up do what they needed to do, and that means Hydra can’t control us.”

Bruce isn’t surprised that Tony has figured that out, because it’s fairly obvious. If there had been one thing that Hydra wanted above all, it had been power and control. Creating their own team will give them that—or it would have.

Now, the world will instead see the Avengers as a united front, including those who had been lost.

They spend the rest of the day making sure the pieces are in place, and aren’t surprised to be notified sometime in the middle of the night that Zemo had escaped.

“You tracking him, FRIDAY?” Tony asks sleepily.

“I have him, Mr. Stark,” FRIDAY says. “Vision won’t be far from him until it’s time to take him into custody.”

“Great,” Tony mutters, slinging an arm across Bruce’s chest. “We can go back to sleep.”

Bruce grasps Tony’s hand and smiles. “A little more sleep sounds about right.”

They’re up with the sun the next morning, and Bruce pulls up the locations for everyone on the map. “FRIDAY, can we get a location on Vision?”

A white dot glows on the map, hovering over New York City, and Bruce says, “Is that his target?”

“He’s targeting the U.N.,” FRIDAY confirms. “He has what he thinks is a missile guidance system.”

Tony smirks at Bruce. “What he actually has is a very expensive messaging system. He tells it to send a missile, and it sends us a message.”

Bruce loves seeing Tony this way—excited and confident. “I guess that back door is working, huh?”

“It’s working like a charm,” Tony replies. “Anything from Rhodes?”

“He confirmed that the authorities are aware that Zemo’s threats are empty,” Bruce says. “Just a matter of time now before all parties show up.”

FRIDAY says, “Scott Lang has confirmed that he’s ‘grounded’ his daughter, providing her with an excuse not to be there.”

That leaves them with Walker, Sharon Carter, Vision—although he plans to switch sides immediately—someone called Ghost, and another woman from the Red Room that Yelena had recognized.

It doesn’t really matter, though. They have superior numbers and fire power.

A text comes through Bruce’s phone, and he glances at the message. “The others are in place.”

Tony shoots off his own text, probably to Steve and Natasha. He glances up from his screen. “Just wanted to wish them luck.”

“They’re going to be fine,” Bruce assures him. “We’ve faced a lot worse.”

Bruce thinks about Thanos, about the Snap, about five long years, about that final battle where he’d lost Tony.

Bruce looks at Tony, who’s staring at the map, and he thinks there’s another reason he’s glad to have Tony here and safe.

~~~~~

Strange stands next to her in the war room. They’re waiting for the go ahead to hear that Zemo has made his move, and the alternate team is on the ground. Natasha knows that not everyone is going to be viewed as being a perpetrator; most had just been duped.

But Walker and Sharon Carter know exactly what they’re doing, and they’re definitely getting arrested.

“You seem to have made a home for yourself here,” Strange comments. “In fact, it’s possible that we would not have been able to stop Hydra had you not been here.”

Natasha smiles. “It’s possible. Our Dr. Strange told us that our presence here would make a difference.”

“You have caused us to regroup,” Strange replies. “And it’s nice to see Wilson and Barnes take on more of a leadership role.”

Natasha just shrugs. She knows that their presence had made a difference, but who’s to say what had tipped the balance? Had it simply been bringing the others back together, Tony working with FRIDAY, or some other factor entirely?

Since she doesn’t know, Natasha won’t try to say.

“What will you do after this?” Strange asks when she doesn’t respond.

“Spend some time with Steve and Tony,” Natasha replies. “Spend time with James. Beyond that, I don’t know. Does it matter?”

“No, I suppose it doesn’t,” Strange replies. “But I am glad that you landed on your feet.”

“So am I,” Natasha replies. “But then, I usually do.”

James calls out, “Okay, Zemo is in place, making threats, and Carter and Walker are on scene to deal with him, which means we need to be there to deal with them.”

“Can I punch him in the face?” Steve asks. “I mean, I haven’t been laid in a week. I feel like I should be able to at least punch Walker in the face. I’ve seen the footage.”

James sighs. “Only if you let me throw the second punch. He has the super soldier serum.”

“Use your left hand, James,” Natasha calls. “There’s no sense giving him the opportunity to get up to cause problems.”

“Fair,” James says, then glances at Sam.

Wilson sighs. “I think it would be more effective for Steve to punch Sharon, but fine.”

“I don’t know why I can’t do both,” Steve says mildly. “I certainly don’t have any affection for her.”

“Let’s play it by ear,” Wilson says. “Wong, Strange, you’re up. Rhodes is meeting us there.”

Strange and Wong begin moving their hands, opening portals to pre-arranged locations outside the U.N. Zemo is standing nearby, holding a device in his hand. “Stay back!” he calls. “This building has been targeted.”

Walker and Carter are bracing him, making a convincing show of trying to talk him down. “This isn’t the way!” Walker calls. “We can talk this out.”

Two women approach from the sides, both wearing suits of some kind.

Natasha steps out, calling out in Russian to the woman Yelena had identified. “This is no place for you. The woman deceived you, and she will be arrested. Leave now, and you can go unscathed.”

The masked face turns to Natasha, and she’s grateful for the nano suit that Bruce and Tony had designed. It’s black with red accents, and provides a lot of protection, enough so that she doesn’t mind making herself a target.

“What do you know?” the woman hisses. “You are a dead woman.”

“Not really,” Natasha replies, spreading empty hands wide. “As you can see, I’m quite well. Leave, before you end up trapped again.”

She pulls the mask off, and the woman’s face is revealed, her eyes wide. “It seems I must thank you for my freedom once again.”

“Find Yelena,” Natasha advises. “She’s willing to help you.”

The woman runs off, and that leaves Walker and Carter, who don’t seem to know quite what to do, as well as the other woman and Zemo.

Suddenly, Lang steps through a portal, and he’s wearing a suit that matches Natasha’s. “Ava, hey, remember me? I’m sorry we left you hanging. I could blame the Snap, and that would be accurate, but we’ve made some serious strides since then. I think we can help you now. We just lost track of you for a while.”

Ava freezes, and another woman appears through another portal. “Hey, Ava,” she calls, matching Lang’s tone. “Do you remember me? I’m Hope Van Dyne. We have a chamber that’s going to stabilize you while my mom and I work on a permanent cure. Did they tell you they would help you?”

“No one can help me,” the woman replies, her voice full of despair. “No one!”

“I can,” Hope replies, and retracts her mask. “We found my mom, and she’s the key. If you come with me right now, we’ll transport you directly to the stabilization chamber. Everyone will know that you were tricked.”

“It’s not a trick!” Sharon shouts. “They can’t help you, not like we can.”

Vision appears, floating above Zemo and Sharon. “They lie, Ava Starr. And Zemo is powerless.”

“I have a missile aimed at the U.N. building!” Zemo shouts.

Vision’s mouth opens, and in an eerie scene, Tony’s voice comes out. “What you have is an incredibly useless system that Bruce and I have managed to disable. You sent a message, we received it, and then we sent you the ‘confirmed’ response. Thanks for helping to reintroduce Vision to us,” Tony adds. “He’s pretty great.”

“Thank you, Mr. Stark,” Vision says gravely. “As you can see, there is no threat here.”

Ava starts backing up, her hands raised in surrender. “I’m out of here.”

Wong opens up another portal, and Ava steps through, followed by Lang and Hope Van Dyne.

That leaves them with Walker, Carter, and Zemo, and Steve throws his shield. It’s still red, white, and blue, and it no longer matches his uniform, but they didn’t have time to repaint. The shield bounces against the pavement and then the shield hits Carter in the chest, taking her down.

Steve moves quickly, catching the shield and punching Walker in the face. James is right behind him, first punching Walker in the face with his left hand, then heading for Zemo.

Suddenly, the area outside the U.N. is absolutely swarming with red and black Avengers’ uniforms. Clint and Kate pop up from their sniper positions, bows at the ready. Wilson arrives in his red, white, and blue to take Carter into custody. Steve is kneeling on Walker’s back, while James holds Zemo’s face to the ground. Rhodes appears, and he has a hastily painted red and black A painted on the right shoulder of his suit.

“Well, that was anticlimactic,” Strange comments from his position next to Natasha.

“No, that was the result of superior teamwork and intelligence,” Natasha replies, and glances up at Vision with a wave.

Vision inclines his head and flies off, and Natasha smiles and pulls out her phone. It’s done, she texts Tony. They’re in custody. Everyone is safe.

I know, Tony replies with a smiley emoji that just radiates smugness.

“His ego is going to be so big after this,” Natasha mutters.

Steve turns Walker over to Rhodes and jogs over to her. “Did you text Tony?”

Natasha shows him the response.

“He deserves the win,” Steve says fondly. “We all do.” He looks around and grins. “Goddammit, Nat, look at this city.”

There are crowds gathering, everyone with their cell phones out, and Steve just waves cheerfully.

“Captain Rogers!” someone calls. “Captain Rogers! Are you back for good?”

“Just here to back up Captain America,” Steve says, moving in that direction. “He’s pretty great, isn’t he? I can’t imagine a better person for the job.”

Natasha just shakes her head, turning as James comes up to her. “Everything under control?”

“For now,” James replies, and slings his right arm over her shoulders. “I’m sure there will be fall out. I figure we’d probably better take Steve to a bar, let him pick up a girl or two. Otherwise, he might just go around punching people in the face.”

“Only people who deserve it,” Natasha replies. “But now you know why we try to make sure Steve gets laid on the regular.”

“As hobbies go, it’s not the worst,” James admits. “And after that?”

“Let’s go to Mexico,” Natasha replies. “And then let’s go and pick a fight with someone who needs it.”

He pulls her close and presses a kiss to her forehead. “That sounds perfect.”

~~~~~

Tony stands on the lanai and watches the flames leap up from the bonfire that Steve and Barnes had started. A heavy green hand rests on his shoulder, and Tony glances up. “You don’t mind them crashing here, do you?”

Bruce smiles. “Nah. It’s nice to have them here, and the weather is perfect for sleeping on the lanai. They’ve said they don’t mind.”

“We’ve all slept in worse places,” Tony admits. “Still, I appreciate it.”

“They’ll always have a place here, Tony,” Bruce says. “Not just because of who they are, but because of who they are to you. I’m going to grab the grill.”

Tony heads down from the lanai, and Steve pulls him in for a hug immediately. Steve has taken to beach life with a vengeance, wearing only a pair of swim trunks, his ridiculous muscles on full display. “Everything okay?” Steve asks.

“Perfect,” Tony replies. He’s not quite ready to leave his beach with Bruce, so he’s glad that they came to him.

“Good,” Steve says. “For the record, this place is great. I might camp out on the beach for a while.”

“And how are you going to get laid?” Tony teases.

Steve just grins. “There’s a village not far from here, and I can practice my Spanish.”

“Your Spanish is terrible,” Tony points out.

“I’m sure there’s a gorgeous girl or boy who’s willing to give private lessons,” Steve says with a wink and a nudge.

Bruce hauls out the iron grill to put on the side of the fire, and Natasha slips her arm through Tony’s as Bruce, Steve, and Barnes figure out the best placement for the meat. “How are you?” she asks.

Tony just tugs her closer. “Great. How are you?”

“Well, it’s certainly a different world, isn’t it?” Natasha asks, tipping her head back, looking up at the stars. “I like it, though. I think we should try to keep it just like this.”

Tony watches as Steve and Barnes get into a good natured argument about how to place the grill, as Bruce just watches, clearly amused, based on the smile on his face.

“Maybe we should try to make it better,” Tony counters.

Natasha glances up at him. “It’s a deal.”

And Tony thinks about what he’s lost, and what he’s gained, and he thinks that what they’ve gained might just make up for everything they’ve lost.

---