//------------------------------// // Chapter 70-The B-Team // Story: A Beautiful New Age // by JDPrime22 //------------------------------// It took a while to get back into the groove of things. The first thing he did was see his girlfriend, earn a hug that nearly crushed his spine, and a well-deserved stern talking to. That night ended happily for him, peacefully, finally relieved to be back home. And the next thing Tony Stark knew he was called to Upstate New York by the pirate himself. Nick Fury was the pirate. Come on, it was early in the morning. Stark’s best material happened a little later in the afternoon. However, even he didn’t imagine he’d be staying that long. A few hours at best. But the moment Stark drove into the New Avengers Facility with his brand new Audi R8, even he managed to feel some sort of jealously. Surprising, but nothing he couldn’t build a hundred times better. “Bruce…it’s time to get up.” Natasha Romanoff made her way into Doctor Banner’s quarters, being mindful that he was probably still asleep. She made her announcement to her presence softly, but presently, showing that she was there but hopeful not to startle him. She pushed the door aside, the darkness of the room being quite difficult to see inside. Natasha still smiled, taking a step closer inside. “Come on, big guy. We need you to finish some…” She eyed the bed that laid still against the wall, the blankets freshly folded, but no one commandeering the mattress. As for the rest of the room, it remained blanketed in stillness, the light from outside filling the black with light. And yet there was no one. Her smile faded. Natasha didn’t even close the door as she quickly made her exit back into the hallways. Her eyes constantly scanned the people pushing past her, the waves and wave of people filling the facility. Despite being established so early, the New Avengers Facility was already buzzing with life. Retired S.H.I.E.L.D. employees—many of which helped pilot the Helicarrier during the Ultron Offensive—ran about to and fro, carrying documents and placing large pieces of machinery to their designated areas. Basic hard work. Yet they were crowding, Natasha rushing through it all, head on a swivel, eyes as wide as saucers. As her walking speed increased, so did her heart rate. She did manage to catch sight of Helen Cho, Maria Hill, and Erik Selvig off doing their own thing, busy with their own work with their own assistants to back them up. Natasha offered them a quick glance before turning away and pushing forward. She had probably checked the entire facility, asked several people, and still came up with nothing. Natasha found herself slowing down, her gaze locked with the blank wall ahead of her, not another human, god, or android in sight. Just her and the sunlight sharing the same dark room. “Ah, Ms. Romanoff. I was looking for you.” Natasha picked up her head, twisting it to her right to see Nick Fury approach with a tablet in his hands. She spun accordingly, making her approach just as quick, if not, then definitely quicker. She nodded to the man, asking, “Fury, have you seen Bruce anywhere? I checked his room and he wasn’t…” Unfortunately, Natasha had seen the look in Fury’s eye before, causing her to stop mid-sentence. It was a sullen look, one he’d given far more times than he could count, and it still haunted her. Fury stared at the Widow for a moment longer, seeing the hope leave her eyes, slowly being replaced with fear. He eyed his tablet, then sighed. “Banner’s gone, Natasha,” he began, already seeing the life drain from her. “He stole the Quinjet last night, activated its stealth tech the moment he kicked off the ground. Now I know this because…” he held out the tablet for her, and though a bit uneasy, Natasha stepped forward and observed the bright screen, noticing the location. “…One of our tech boys flagged him down near Fiji. The Quinjet—or what’s left of it—crashed around the ocean near the island,” Fury finished, lowering the tablet in his hands. He turned to Romanoff, still noticing her to seem quite distant. Almost shell-shocked. The man sighed. He reached over and placed his free palm comfortingly on her shoulder, giving her a soft but assuring squeeze. “Maybe he decided to take some time off, get away from things for the time being. Lord knows we all need a vacation.” She still looked away, straight ahead, almost as if she’d seen another vision brought about by the Scarlet Witch. Fury stepped in front of her, earning her interests. “I’m sure he’s fine, Natasha,” Nick assured her, his gaze hard. “Are you going to be okay?” After a moment of clarity, and a deep breath to go with that, Natasha cleared her throat and nodded to him. “Right. Yeah, I’m fine,” she declared haphazardly. It didn’t seem very convincing, and Fury clearly noticed it. Trying to change the subject on the matter, she inquired, “Did you…tell him about Sokovia?” Fury nodded. Who had he not told about Sokovia? “It was hard for Banner,” Nick said. “Real hard. Hearing the number of casualties…I can’t imagine what he must be going through.” “He’s blaming himself again?” Fury stared at her. “He always blames himself, Romanoff.” That didn’t raise her spirits any higher than they had been. She looked away back to the wall, Fury approaching her again. With a saddened sigh, he said, “You never know. After everything he’s been through, it’s best to leave him be. That is until we need him or he wants to come back. And hopefully not for us…” Natasha eyed him curiously. He offered a weak but helpful smile. “…but for you.” That managed to get a tiny smile out of her, and Fury relished in his small victory. Still, she shook her head and told him, “Nothing lasts forever.” “True,” Fury admitted, backing away. He and Romanoff shared in a quick glance, Fury saying, “But we make do with what we have, and appreciate with what we got. I got a great team…and you got something special.” Her smile faded, and Fury turned around. “You take care of yourself, Natasha.” He left her to that, left her standing alone in the dark with her phone ringing. Pulling it out, Natasha smiled at the video message from a close friend, at their newborn baby boy. She read the name on the child’s shirt and smiled even wider. Nathaniel Pietro Barton. Perfect. “The rules have changed.” Both Thor and Tony Stark nodded to that statement, walking alongside Captain America through the brightly-lit hallways of the New Avengers Facility. Thor, being mildly interested in the conversation the three were engaged in, strode with his cape swaying behind him, his hammer gripped in his right palm. Tony wore his casual attire with a jet-black jacket to go with it. Steve strutted through the base in his uniform, cleaned, primed, and ready for the day ahead. Stark stood on the god’s left, saying, “We’re dealing with something new. I mean, did you see how easily Princess Luna lifted that thing?” “Not as easy as Vision, even if he’s artificial intelligence,” Steve added. Tony said, “But he’s a machine, so it doesn’t count.” “Right?” Steve asked, holding his hand out to Thor. He did his best to ignore that. “So how does that work?” Tony asked. “Some…alien, horse with god-like abilities can lift it no problem and yet two other—” “Three, if you count Pinkie.” “Three, of course. Three other ponies faced the same problems we did. There’s gotta be a connection of some sort. Is it designed for special individuals? Vision’s not all that special. He’s a nice guy, but he’s artificial.” “He can wield the hammer, he can keep the Mind Stone,” Thor finally declared, ending the discussion between the two. Hopefully for good. He stopped, causing both the Captain and Stark to stop with him. “It’s safe with the Vision. In these days ‘safe’ is in short supply.” Steve nodded, though his brow furrowed in thought. “But still…Princess Luna?” “You think Celestia can lift it?” Stark asked. “I don’t doubt it,” Steve replied, shaking his head. Thor interrupted once more, placing his mighty palm on Tony’s shoulder. “I will miss these little talks of ours,” he said with a simple grin. “Not if you don’t leave,” Tony said. “I have no choice.” Thor lowered his palm, continuing down the hall with Rogers and Stark trailing him. “We nearly lost everything, and with the Mind Stone being the fourth of the Infinity Stones to show up in the last few years…it’s bound to mean something.” As the trio exited the halls and made their way to the outside world, a squad of S.H.I.E.L.D. soldiers performed their scheduled workout routines on the grass field directly over the underground hallways. They ran by, Thor, Stark, and Steve entering into the dim sunlight. “Someone or something has been playing an intricate game with us. Once all of the pieces are in position—” Thor was saying, interrupted once more by Tony. “Triple Yahtzee?” Steve picked up the conversation, asking, “You think you could find out what’s coming?” “I can only hope. Besides our recent adventures…and this one,” Thor tapped his palm against Tony’s chest, making his hasty retreat forward, “there’s nothing that can’t be explained.” Both Steve and Tony watched him pause a few feet ahead of them. Thor nodded one final time before he shot his wrist into the air, Mjølnir high above his head with the Bifrost falling down on top of him. They watched as he jetted upwards with the light, vanishing and leaving only a smoldering symbol in the grass. The two were silent for a moment’s notice, Stark observing the grass. Then he said, “That man has no regard for lawn maintenance.” Steve smiled, turning around and walking with him towards the dirt road. “I’m gonna miss him, though, and you’re gonna miss me. There’s gonna be a lot of liquid pride,” Stark added, calling his car. The revving of the Audi’s engine echoed ahead, the car pushing forward and pausing directly in front of the two. “I will miss you, Tony,” Steve said, watching as Stark turned to him. He added, “It’s just not the same without your mouth running around the team.” Tony only smiled, the window in the driver’s seat sliding down. “Yeah,” he murmured, hands digging down into his pockets. “Well, it’s time for me to tap out. Maybe I should take a page out of Barton’s book. Build Pepper a farm, hope nobody blows it up.” Steve grinned a closed grin, his palms coming together. “The simple life.” His sunglasses blocked a portion of his eyes, but Steve could still see each one shifting his direction. “You’ll get there one day,” Stark told him. “I don’t know.” The dim sunlight rained on his face, showing what kind of emotions the Captain felt. “Family, stability. Guy who wanted all of that went in the ice 75 years ago. I think someone else came out.” “You didn’t see any other type of ‘simple life’ in Equestria?” Steve smiled at that. “I’ve seen it…but it’s not made for me. It’s not made for any of us.” Tony could respect that. And he did. Just this time. He smiled the Captain’s way before retreating to the car door, swinging it open and stopping there. “You alright?” he asked. Captain America looked around, heard the sounds of the chirping birds, felt the warm wind against his face. He saw the dipping sunlight on the tree lines, the rays breaking through the wavering clouds in the clear New York skies. But mostly he saw the training grounds and the S.H.I.E.L.D. soldiers occupying it. What they were meant to be all along. How any soldier should be. “We’re home,” he answered at last. “That we are.” Then Tony Stark drove off. For the first time in a long time, Natasha Romanoff was stuck. It kept her there, knowing, unknowing, but still hurting her. She was surrounded by friends, close friends, and family if all things considered. It was the closest she’d been with those she could actually call her family in a long, long time. And yet she stood alone, left thinking over Nick Fury’s final words to her before he’ll eventually disappear again. Maybe resurface, come when they needed his help. Maybe bring along some new players. God knows they needed it. God knows she needed it. It was different this time. She wasn’t left alone, she was with those who cared about her, and best of all she could start fresh. They could start fresh. …He could start fresh. It wasn’t the first time Natasha Romanoff was stuck. It wouldn’t be the last. But this time… This time she was stuck and actually knew why. “Wanna keep staring at the wall or do you wanna go to work?” Natasha spun around, her arms falling to her sides to see Captain Rogers standing there by the exit, watching her with a knowing smile. His eyes shifted over to the end of the room. “I mean, it’s a pretty interesting wall…” “Thought you and Tony were still gazing into each other’s eyes,” Natasha joked, earning a humorous grin from Rogers. He handed her a small tablet. “How do we look?” The two entered the light, continuing on down the hall. “Well we’re not the ’27 Yankees.” Natasha eyed the screen, shrugging. “We’ve got some hitters,” she admitted. “They’re good…” Steve admitted as well. “They’re not a team.” “Let’s beat ‘em into shape.” Captain America did the honors. He pushed open the doors, allowing both himself and Black Widow an entrance into the docking bay. Upon their arrival, War Machine, James Rhodes, stood in attendance, his mask rising up to reveal the face beneath. The Vision was also present, his cape spinning behind him once he turned to face the Captain. The roaring of twin engines died in unison as Sam Wilson, the Falcon, touched ground, his new suit reflecting the sun’s glare, his large, metallic wings retreating into his pack. Sam smiled at the two, smiled at his fellow Avengers. A mystic energy made its presence by the Scarlet Witch slowly hovering to the floor. Wanda Maximoff wore her specially designed attire, her hair curled and eyes gazing to the Captain and the Widow, her fellow Avengers. Sam turned his neck to observe the three behind him, smiling at his team for what felt like the first time. And it was. And Captain America smiled, too. Smiled to his team, as well. To the fresh start, and to the many years ahead of them. So he stepped forward, Natasha behind him every step of the way, smiled, and said the two words he had never been prouder to say. “Avengers…”