I'll Never Let You Fall (Book 3)

Chapter Six

I sighed rubbing my face as Steve broke the news Strucker had been killed.

"And he did a Bangsee currency. Is this for us?" asked Tony.

"This is a smokescreen," Natasha snapped, "why send a message when you've already given a speech?" I sat there nodding mindlessly, fiddling with my necklace in the process. My other hand continued to rub my head. "Cas," Nat's distant voice called.

"Cas?" tried Steve.

"Cas?" Tony asked trying his luck.

"Cassandra!" Thor boomed snapping me back.

"Huh, what?" I asked looking at everyone.

"Are you okay Cas?" Bruce asked studying me, as did the others.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I assured them.

"Are you sure?" Steve double checked, I nodded in response.

Boxes upon boxes were piled into the room where we sat looking for anything connected to Strucker.

"Known associates," Steve set another box down.

"Well nice to know all these people are," Bruce fumbled looking for the word.

I suggested not looking from a file, "terrible, the monsters parents tell their children about at night?"

"Wait," Tony snapped his hands out towards the file Bruce held, "I know that guy, from back in the day, he operates in the black market just off the coast of Africa," Tony spouted out like a textbook. Steve and I looked at each other then looked at the crazy billionaire scientist before us. "What? There are conventions for stuff like this," Tony raised his hands in his defense.

I shook my head and took my turn studying the file. "What's this? On his neck?"

"It's some tattoo," Tony brushed me off, "he didn't have it when I knew him."

"No," I disagreed, "these are tattoos," I gestured to the different colors of ink, "but this," I point to the seared flesh, "this is a brand." Bruce took the file out of my hands, studied it and then scurried over to the computer.

"Here it is," Bruce announced, "it's in African dialect meaning thief, in a less friendly manner," he added the last part as an embarrassing afterthought.

"What dialect?" Steve asked.

"Wakinada, w-w"

"Wakanda, just off the African coast," I answered for the stuttering Doctor.

"I thought your father said he had the last of it?" Steve directed towards Tony who merely shrugged.

"I'm not following," Bruce stood to join the group, "what's in Wakanda?"

This Tony looked at the group and then to Bruce, "the strongest metal on earth." We all looked at the red, white, and blue shield resting on the floor.

******

We arrived at the African coast just as the golden sun creeped over the horizon. I stood by Bruce as we were briefed by Steve. After the lengthy speech, I tightened fingerless gloves around my hands and tucked knives and guns in slots along my suit. Bruce stood next to me like a lost puppy, I turned to look at him and smiled.

"I'll let you know if we need the raging Green Giant," I said smiling softly and patted his shoulder.

"Cas?" he asked studying my features.

"Hmm?"

"Be careful out there," he told me before pulling me into a hug. I was taken aback by his actions but awkwardly patted his back in return. I looked around see we were the last two on the ship.

"Always am, honestly you have little faith," I smiled before walking out of the door.

I crept in, the majority of the team already ahead of me. As I walked along the length of the ship I found my path blocked by two men.

"Stay where you are," one ordered.

"Oh boys," I sighed, "can't we just get along and talk about everything we're going through right now," I smiled still approaching them. They smiled when they finally saw me in my tight suit and dropped their defense stances.

"We didn't realize you were a woman, we apologize miss," the other man apologized.

"Oh don't worry about it," I smirked, grabbing a pipe and smacking the taller one over he head with it. "But, never doubt a woman." The only one left pulled a gun on me. "Oh and I thought we wouldn't have to come to this," I clicked my tongue in disapproval. I grabbed his wrist and twisted it around his body and flipped him to the ground. "Now you're lucky because I'm too busy to kill you today," I smirked as I smacked him across the head with a pipe, running to catch up with the group.