Maya Stark

Chapter 57: The thing that led to the thing

It was quiet on the plane. I laid across one of the seats and rotated my ring around my finger. It calmed my nerves. Sam laid across the other side of seats and Bucky sat on the weapons table. Buck looked about as good as I felt.

'You alright?' Sam asked him.

He didn't answer right away. 'Let's take the shield. Let's take the shield and do this ourselves.'

'We can't just run up to the man, beat him up, and take it,' Sam said, sitting up. 'Do you remember what happened the last time we stole it?'

'Maybe,' Bucky said.

'I'll help you, both of you, in case you forgot,' Sam said. 'Sharon was branded enemy of the state, and Steve and I were on the run for two years. Wicked Witch over there doesn't have anyone to bail her out of trouble this time. And I don't know about you two, but I don't wanna live the rest of my life La Vida Loca. We just got our ass handed to us by Super Soldiers, and we got nothing.'

'Not entirely true,' Bucky said. I sat up and he slid off the table and sat next to Sam. 'There is someone that you should meet.'

Pepper called me right before we landed. I stood a little away from Sam and Bucky who were talking to Torres. I answer quickly.

'So,' she started. She sounded mad. 'Maya Stark has revealed herself as the Shadow.'

I close my eyes for a second. 'Right. Um, look Pepper, in my defense, I'm blaming it on Parker.'

'Parker?'

'Yes, Parker,' I said with a sigh. 'He messed me all up. I was hyped up on adrenaline. He... uhh, he just showed up and he did the thing and then I did my thing, and it was a bad situation, Pep.'

'What thing?' Pepper asked. I could hear the smirk in her face.

'He... I don't really wanna talk about it,' I mumbled. 'That's not the point. I wanted to do it Pepper. Before it was done for me.'

She sighed. 'Okay. Where are you now?'

'Uh, well, I was in Germany but now I am in Baltimore,' I said.

'Okay, just be safe,' she said. 'Morgan says hello.'

'Tell her I said hello back,' I said, smiling. 'Is everything—'

'Wicked Witch,' Sam called over. I send him a glare. 'Five minutes.'

I nod. 'I gotta go, Pep.'

'Okay, be careful and I love you.'

'Love you too,' I said back before hanging up the phone.