Second Sphere

It's the only way

I trudge up the narrow staircase to the small abandoned apartment I had been using as a base this last week. It's across the street from an office building where my next target is working. It's late, almost 3 am now. The last side job I had taken kept me up later than I had expected. For some reason when you're coming at them with a knife they tend to run, and when they aren't running they are fighting back. And this one got a good kick in my side.

I open the creaky door and throw down my bag. I should shower. Nope. I lay down on the floor.

"So this is what you've been doing feathers?" A voice calls from the dark room behind me.

I roll over, cocking the pistol into position. "Tony?" I call out.

"One and only kid," he steps out from the dark. "do you want to put the gun down?"

I sit up, putting the gun on safety before setting it down. "You shouldn't be here." I sigh.

"And you should? Really? Because I don't believe that. I think the cabin was a better choice." He gestures around. "A lot nicer than a mattress on the floor and a leaky roof." He walks around. "It smells like mold, you may want to get that looked at."

I frown, "I can't just go back and pretend like everything is fine. I did that. It didn't work the first time." I explain.

"So this was your next step? Dive off the deep end? Go around killing anyone with a connection to Hydra. Leave everyone with just a note." Tony stops his lecture and sits down. "Look feathers, I know you miss him. But this." he gestures around, "This isn't what he would want you to do. You still have a life to live, taking other lives won't bring back his. And there are people who care about you. Pepper misses you, and you have a god daughter to meet. And I missed you." I can barely hear the last bit. He hands me a picture of him, Pepper, and a small girl. "Her name is Morgan by the way. She would love you. Have you fly her around in the yard for hours."

I fight back emotion but I can feel it slipping through the cracks. "There was a time when I would have said yes in an instant. This is all I'm good at, all I can do. But now this, doing this, it's the only way I feel close to him. Like I'm doing anything for him. I can't bring him back but I can make sure no one ever tries to torture another like they did to us."

Tony pauses and places a hand on my shoulder, kneeling down to my level. "But what if you could bring him back? We have a shot, but we need you. It's going to take all of us."

I look up at him shocked at what I'm hearing, and my voice wavers, "Don't do this to me. Don't tell me there's a way."

"But I am. And he's going to need you." Tony pats my shoulder. "Now I have jet not far from here, let's go before I catch the plague from this apartment."

I let out a small laugh through the tears that are running down my cheeks. "Alright, let's go save the world."