An Age of Metal

Quinjet Conversations

The group of five sprinted (well, Pietro didn't run he just jogged) through the cramped Seoul sidewalks. Despite the tons of people, they got through rather easily.  Crowds tended to part at the sight of Captain America, or any superhero really. Clint was long gone. He was headed back to the Tower, fretting over Nat. She could be anywhere. 

Luckily for the team, another jet was located just outside the plaza they were dropped in. Otherwise they'd have to find an airport, and by then it would be too late to stop anything. 

"Can we-"  Charlotte wheezed. "Please-" she huffed. "Walk a bit?" 

"If we walk, we waste more time. The more time we waste the closer Ultron's body gets to Tony. So no," Peggy answered, barely feeling a strain. 

Charlotte groaned. 

"I hate running," she grumbled. 

"If you hate it so much, get Maximoff to carry you," Steve said. 

Charlotte blushed under her mask. 

"Well, I am a good runner," Pietro muttered to himself. 

"The agent has a good point," Wanda said. "We are running out of time. But will we do if we reach Stark?" 

Pietro bristled at the name, but no one noticed. 

"We stop him from doing something he'll surely regret," Peggy answered. 

"And if we can't?" Pietro asked. 

"We will," Steve promised. "We've been dealing with three generations of Starks, we can convince him."

Fortunately for the group, it wasn't long until they reached the quinjet.  Charlotte almost cried out in joy at the sight of the gleaming metal airplane.  

"Oh sweet jet how I've missed you," she sighed. 

They ran aboard, firing up the engines. Peggy and Steve sat in their respective pilot chairs, and the three young people strapped into their chairs. In a blink they were in the air, flying out of Korea. 

"Comm Clint," Peggy said. "Tell him we're on the way." 

Steve nodded, quickly sending the message. He heard Peggy sigh from the seat next to him.

"What is it?" He asked. 

"All of this has been a mistake. Ultron, this mission, everything. And now Natasha's gone," she said. 

Steve's gaze flicked over to her. Peggy had sunken into her chair, her focus concentrated only on the sky ahead of them. Steve's mind had been dwelling on Natasha since she was taken. He couldn't help thinking the worst. And judging from Peggy's face, she was thinking the same. 

"We'll find her," he eventually said. "And knowing Nat, she's already forming an escape plan."

Peggy nodded in agreement.  

"And what about the twins?" She said, her voice low. "They'll obviously want to help defeat Ultron, but what then?"

Steve leaned his head against the chair. 

"Well, I suppose it's up to them, isn't it?" He said.

"I guess you're right," Peggy agreed, finally meeting his eyes. "We all get to choose who we want to stay with." 

Then she smiled at him, and Steve's heart raced like he was a sixteen year old kid in Brooklyn again.

.....

Amid the two super soldiers conversation, Charlotte had started chatting with the Maximoffs. She hadn't quite forgiven Wanda for her nightmarish visions, but she figured that if they were going to be a part of the team, she might as well get to know them apart from a few files. They sat close to one another, and didn't seem to want to share too much. 

Understandable, Charlotte thought. Given the circumstances. 

Charlotte had taken of her mask. It was the first time either of the two had seen her properly. Her hair stuck straight up with static, and she desperately tried to smooth it down. Wanda shook her head, but Pietro smiled internally at her efforts. It was kinda...cute. 

"We haven't really been properly introduced, have we? I mean, I know who you are but you don't know me," Charlotte said, sticking out her hands. "My name's Charlotte."

The two took a hand each and shook it. 

"Charlotte," Pietro repeated, testing how it sounded. "That sounds nice."

"Thank you," she replied. 

"Why are you staring at me?" She asked, patting down the blonde strands. 

"Sorry," Pietro said. "I haven't seen your face before, and I don't want to look away just yet."

Wanda hit her brother's arm. 

Charlotte laughed him off.

"So," she said. "Have you guys been to America before?" 

Wanda shook her head. 

"No. It has only ever been Sokovia for us."  

Charlotte gasped over-dramatically. 

"Now way! This is so exciting! I wish you guys got to go to Chicago first instead of NYC, the most overrated city in the world. But still, how cool!" 

She then proceeded to fiddle with her pant pocket until finding her phone. 

"Get close, people," she said. 

"What are you doing?" Pietro laughed. 

"It's your first time coming to America, I want to take a picture to document it," she replied. 

She leaned back as far as she could with her arm outstretched. 

"One, two, three...Smile!" She grinned, snapping the selfie. The three looked like old friends sharing a photo. 

"So..." she started again. "Got any favorite bands?"

The three started talking again, and as an afterthought she sent the photo to Robert with the caption, 

 You better hope Noor's into orange hair, Iron Boy.