Glory and Gore [3]

Chapter 8: 36 Hours

"I don't suppose you have any idea where they are?" Secretary Ross asks Tony.

"We will. GSG-9's got the borders covered. Recon's flying 24/7. They'll get a hit. We'll handle it." Tony reassured him.

"You don't get it, Stark. It's not yours to handle. It's clear you can't be objective. I'm putting Special Ops on this." He said Tony frowned.

"What happens when the shooting starts? What, do you kill Steve Rogers? Or Raven?" Natasha asked.

"If we're provoked. Barnes would've been eliminated in Romania if it wasn't for Rogers. There are dead people who would be alive now. Feel free to check my math." Ross countered.

"All due respect, you're not going to solve this with boys in bullets, Ross. You gotta let us bring them in." Tony said.

"How would that end any differently from the last time?" Ross asked.

"Because this time, I won't be wearing loafers and a silk shirt. 72 hours, guaranteed." Tony offered.

Ross took a moment to think it over. "36 hours. Barnes. Rogers. Wilson. Baron."

"Thank you, sir." Tony says before rubbing his hand on his chest and slumps, exhaling. "My left arm is numb, is that normal?" He asks Natasha.

She pats him on the shoulder. "You alright?"

"Always." He has a massive black eye and a cut on his brow. "36 hours, jeez." Tony complains. 

"We're seriously understaffed." Natasha Notes.

"Oh, yeah. It'd be great if we had a Hulk right about now. Any shot?" Tony asks.

"No. You really think he'd be on our side?" Natasha asks.

"No." He replies.

"I have an idea." She says suddenly.

"Me too. Where's yours?" Tony asks.

"Downstairs. Where's yours?" She asks. Tony smiles slightly.
~*~*~*~*~*~

Night, at Avengers' HQ

Vision floats above the floor. An explosion in the distance lights up the room for a moment. Vision and Wanda look out of the window.
"What is it?" Wanda asks. "Stay here, please." Vision says before walking away. Suddenly Wanda compells a knife across the room. It stops dead in front of Clint's head.

"Guess I shoulda knocked." Clint said sarcastically. "Oh my god! What are you doing here?" Wanda asked me. "Disappointing my archery team." He shoots arrows to both sides of the room. "I'm supposed to go to a tournament in Orlando.Cap needs our help. Come on." He says before grabbing Wanda.

"Clint!" Vision says Wanda and Clint stop. "You should not be here." He continues. He turns around. Really? I'm away for, what, like five minutes, and it all goes to shit.

"Please consider the consequences of your actions." Vision said trying to reason with him. "Okay, they're considered. Okay, we gotta go." Vision is held in a force field, crackling and sprakling between the two arrows. "It's this way." Clint said pulling Wanda again. "I've caused enough problems." Wanda says pulling away from Clint.

Frowning Clint runs back from the door. "You gotta help me, Wanda. Look, you wanna mope, can go to high school. You wanna make amends, you get off your ass. Shit." Vision breaks the force field with his mind stone. He punches Clint to the floor, Clint recovers quickly.

"I knew I should've stretched." He says. Extending  a baton he tries to hit Vision, but the blows go through him. Clint resorts to punches, then tries the baton again. It breaks. Clint tries to kick Vision, but his leg goes right through him. Vision gets Clint in a headlock.

"Clint, you can't overpower me." Vision taunts. "I know I can't. But she can." Clint says nodding his head towards Wanda.

"Vision, that's enough. Let him go. I'm leaving." Wanda says. "I can't let you." Vision counters. She holds her hands apart, glowing with energy. Clint slips from Vision's grasp. "I'm sorry." She says apologetically.

He faulters. "If you do this... they will never stop being afraid of you." Vision says.

"I can't control their fear, only my own." She moves closer. Vision glows from within and crashes through the floor, and several floors beneath. Wanda and Clint stand over the holes in the floors.
"Oh... Come on. We got one more stop Raven's in the truck."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Back at the Joint Counter Terrorist Centre
"It's just a matter of time. Our satellites are running facial, biometric, and behavioural pattern scans." An attache says.

"Move, or you will be moved." Says the security chief who steps in front of Natasha trying to look intimidating.

"As entertaining as that would be..." T'Challa says calling her off.
"You really think you can find him?" Natasha asks uncertainly.

"My resources are considerable." T'Challa reassures. "Yeah, it took the world 70 years to find Barnes... so you could probably do that in about half the time." Natasha says sarcastically.

"You know where they are." T'Challa asks. "I know someone who does." She replies.

Under an Overpass
"Not sure you understand the concept of a getaway car." Sharon says looking at the  very small car in front of her.

"It's low profile." Steve defended.

"Good, because this stuff tends to draw a crowd." She opens the trunk of her car, revealing Steve's, Raven's and Sams's gear."He sits behind Sam in the getaway car. "Can you move your seat up?" He asks. "No." Sam replies dryly. Audrey rolls her eyes.

"I owe you again." Steve says with a sigh. "Keeping a list." She glances at Bucky. "You know, he kinda tried to kill me."

"Sorry. I'll put it on the list, too. They're going to come looking for you." Steve says.

"I know." Is all she replies with.

"Thank you, Sharon." Steve says sincerely.

"I gotta go." Sharon says. Steve gets the gear out of the trunk. "Okay." Steve says.

On the 6th level of a parking garage at the Leipzig/Halle airport. Steve drives into the parking lot in the battered, old car. He parkes by a grey van and gets out.

"Cap." Clint says.

"You know I wouldn't have called If I had any other choice." Steve says.
"Hey man, you're doing me a favour. Besides, I owe a debt." Clint replies.

"Thanks for having my back." Cap says. "It was time to get off my ass."

"How about our other recruit?" Steve asks.

"He's rarin' to go. Had to put a little coffee in him, but... he should be good." Raven says.

They open the back of the van and Scott jolts awake. "What timezone is this?" He asks. "Come on. Come on." Clint says. Scott shakes Steve's hand with an amazed look. "Captain America."

"Mr. Lang." Steve says.
"It's an honour. I'm shaking your hand too long. Wow! This is awesome! Captain America." He looks at Wanda. "I know you, too. You're great!" He turns back and feels Steve's shoulders.

"Jeez. Ah, look, I wanna say, I know you know a lot of super people, so... Thanks for thinking of me." He says to Sam."Hey, man!" He says. "What's up, Tic Tac?" Sam replies.

"Uh, good to see you. Look, what happened last time when I..." Sam cuts him off. "It was a great audition, but it'll... it'll never happen again."

"They tell you what we're up against?" Steve asks. "Something about some... psycho-assassins?" Scott says unsure.

"We're outside the law on this one. So, if you come with us, you're a wanted man." Steve says. "Not like this is his first time." Raven mutters only to be elbowed by Wanda.

"Yeah, well, what else is new?" Scott asks sarcastically. "We should get moving." Audrey says. "We got a chopper lined up." Clint says.