𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐘 𝐋𝐀𝐒𝐓 𝐎𝐍𝐄━︎━︎ B. Barnes ✓︎

𝐓𝐰𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐲-𝐎𝐧𝐞

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE:
TOO HIGH A PRICE

THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME for Fallon, for she had never entered the Avengers facility before. She looked around in slight awe, her mouth opened as she glanced around. The Avengers were amused by her reaction. Stepping into the facility seemed to conform that Fallon was with the good guys. That she was no longer being controlled by HYDRA and that she was officially a part of something good. It made the smallest of smiles fall on her face before it fell again when they heard talking. They stopped in the doorway upon seeing Rhodey talking with a hologram version of Secretary Ross.

     "Mr. Secretary." Steve spoke up first, making Rhodey and Ross turn to look at the group. The hologram narrowed his eyes as he looked at Steve, taking a few steps forwards towards the man.

     "You got some nerve. I'll give you that." Ross told them, his eyes glancing between Natasha and Steve.

     "You could use some of that right now." Natasha simply answered him.

     "The world's on fire. And you think, all is forgiven?" The man seethed. Fallon rolled her eyes, sharing a glance with Sam before she crossed her arms over her chest and looked back towards the secretary.

     "I'm not looking for forgiveness. And I'm way past asking for permission. Earth just lost her best defender. So we're here to fight." Steve simply told him. He then took a step towards the man, daring him to do something. "And if you wanna stand in our way. . . we'll fight you, too."

     Ross looked at Steve before glancing over the rest of the fugitives before turning his head towards Rhodey and pointing towards them. "Arrest them."

     "All over it." Rhodey nodded his head before making the hologram disappear. There was a moment of silence before Rhodey turned to face them. "That's a court-martial. It's great to see you, Cap." Steve stepped forward and the two hugged.

     "You too, Rhodey." He pulled away and then Natasha was next to step forward, she and Rhodey sharing a hug with one another as well before she pulled away. 

     "Well. You guys really look like crap. Must've been a rough couple of years." Rhodey said, making a smirk fall on Fallon's lips.

     "Yeah, well, the hotels weren't exactly five star." Sam told the man, adjusting his hold on Vision.

     "Uh, I think you look great." The voice of Bruce Banner entered the room, making all of them turn their heads towards the man. He stood there unsurely, his hands in his pockets. "Yeah. I'm back."

     "Hi Bruce." Natasha spoke up, her eyebrows furrowed slightly. Fallon had been told of Bruce Banner and how he had disappeared after the battle with Ultron. She had also been told by Steve that Bruce and Natasha had a thing going on, but not really at the same time. It was complicated, and quite frankly Fallon didn't want to know anymore about that. The thought of Natasha being with someone just seemed to boggle her mind for some odd reason. 

     "Nat." Bruce nodded his head.

     "This is awkward." Sam muttered. They all moved to a different room in the facility, Fallon standing there beside of Steve as she looked out of the giant windows that were in the room. The view was gorgeous. She had never took the time to look out of windows for the view. She looked out of windows normally to find her target. But, she didn't have to do that anymore. Well, for the time being.

     "So we gotta assume they're coming back, right?" Rhodey questioned, talking about what had taken place a few days prior in New York and in Scotland.

     "And they can clearly find us." Wanda spoke up, worry clear in her tone. They were after Vision, and she was anxious on what was going to happen.

     "We need all hands on deck." Bruce spoke up. "Where's Clint?"

     "After the whole Accords situation, he and Scott took a deal. It was too tough on their families, they're on house arrest." Natasha answered.

     "Who's Scott?" Bruce furrowed his eyebrows.

     "Ant-Man." Fallon told him, her eyes not moving from the window.

     "There's an Ant-Man and a Spider-Man?" Bruce asked in disbelief. "Okay, look, Thanos has the biggest army in the universe. And he is not gonna stop until he. . . he gets. . . Vision's Stone."

     "Well then, we have to protect it." Natasha shrugged as if it were obvious. But Vision shook his head in disagreement.

     "No, we have to destroy it. I've been giving a good deal of thought to this entity in my head, about its nature. But also, its composition. I think if it were exposed to a sufficiently powerful energy source, something, very similar to its own signature, perhaps. . . its molecular integrity could fail." He was standing in front of Wanda now, looking down at her as he spoke those words.

     "And you, with it." Wanda shot back, shaking her head. "We're not having this conversation."

     "Eliminating the stone is the only way to be certain that Thanos can't get it." Vision calmly told the woman.

     "That's too high a price."

     Vision carefully placed his hands on both sides of the woman's face. "Only you have the power to pay it." Wanda clenched her jaw before turning away from him and walking away. "Thanos threatens half the Universe. One life cannot stand in the way of defeating him."

     "But it should." Steve spoke up. "We don't trade lives, Vision."

     "Captain, 70 years ago, you laid down your life to save how many millions of people. Tell me, why is this any different?" Vision asked.

     "Because you might have a choice." Bruce told the android. "Your mind is made up of a complex construct of overlays. J.A.R.V.I.S., Ultron, Tony, me, the Stone. All of them mixed together. All of them learning from one another."

     "You're saying Vision isn't just the stone?" Wanda asked the scientist.

     "I'm saying that if we take out the stone, there's still a whole lot of Vision left. Perhaps the best parts." Bruce explained.

     Fallon furrowed her eyebrows. "Can we do that?"

     Bruce shook his head. "Not me. Not here."

     "You better find someone, and somewhere fast. Ross isn't exactly just gonna let you guys have your old rooms back." Rhodey told the group.

     That's when Steve and Fallon exchanged a look with one another, having a silent conversation. Immediately her heart started pounding at his next words. "I know somewhere."