Sergeant Barnes: The Last Mission (COMPLETE)

Chapter 52: Peter

"Peter. Peter, wake up."

Someone was shaking me awake, and when I opened my eyes, Tony was standing above me with an arm on my shoulder. "Rise and shine, Underoos."

I sat up in the seat I had fallen asleep in, groaning as I shifted. I didn't know how long I had slept, but I knew it was longer than how often I normally did. I guess I should have expected it, from all the fighting we did yesterday. Was it yesterday? My neck hurt.

I rubbed my collarbone as I looked around. Everyone else was waking up too, except maybe for Ms. Romanoff. She might still be asleep, but I couldn't tell while she was laying down.

Tony sat down next to me and leaned forward on his elbows. I think he had just woken up, too.

"Did I miss anything?" I asked him.

"Well, not that I know of, other than a pilot switch."

"A pilot switch?" I looked up at the cockpit, and sure enough, Raven was sitting up there instead of Mr. Barnes. I should have known, since he was sitting next to Captain Rogers, but it didn't register until now.

I leaned in close to Tony. "She can fly a plane?"

"I hope so. She just called for everyone to get up, but she didn't say why."

Turns out, she heard us. "Because we're landing in two minutes, and we have somewhere to be."

"We do?" Captain Rogers turned to Raven.

"Director Fury called about an hour ago. He and Agent Hill were supposed to meet us here at the airport, but they hit traffic, and they won't be here for another hour."

"What do we do while we wait?"

"We aren't going to. SHIELD dropped off a van at the airport, and we're going to meet them somewhere a little closer." She flipped a few switches, and then called out, "Beginning the landing sequence."

I eyed Ms. Romanoff, but she hadn't moved. I figured she'd be fine, so I chose not to worry about her.

The landing was pretty smooth, I think. I don't know, I don't fly that often. Ms. Raven opened the bay door, and we all filed out, with Ms. Raven supporting Ms. Romanoff, and me supporting Tony. Sure enough, when we made it through security and to the parking lot, a black van was parked by the curb.

"Don't we need keys?" I asked, looking to the SHIELD agents.

"I got it, just give me a second." Ms. Raven helped Ms. Romanoff to the driver's side door, and a few seconds later, it unlocked. Did she get keys earlier?

It was silently agreed that Ms. Romanoff was sitting in the passenger seat. Mr. Barnes and Captain Rogers climbed in the back, and I helped Tony into the middle, which left Ms. Raven to drive. I didn't see why she was the one driving (and flying) if she was the youngest, but this was a SHIELD vehicle, and Ms. Romanoff couldn't with her back all burned, so we didn't really have a choice.

No one talked during the half hour drive, probably because everyone was still half asleep from the plane. Not to mention that it was also 3:00 AM in Kentucky. The sky was pitch black, and hardly anyone else was on the road. Eventually, we pulled into the parking lot of a silver building, which was completely abandoned. Everyone piled out, and we walked as a group to the door. Ms. Raven pulled out her SHIELD ID (I think) and scanned it, opening the sliding doors.

It felt really good to be in a normal building again.

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Just inside the lobby area, there was a change of clothes for everyone, along with a few other things that someone had put out. Ms. Romanoff's stack had burn cream and a note, Tony's had a brace for his leg and his arm, along with another nano-suit. Captain Rogers' (how did they know he was coming?) pile had things like new gloves and boots, probably to replace the HYDRA suit. Mr. Barnes got some bruise ointment, and Ms. Raven got a whole new quiver. In my pile, someone had grabbed my cell phone from the Avengers Compound, since I had left it there, and extra web fluid. There was also a note saying that there was food in the first floor kitchen.

At this point, everyone divided and conquered. I went with Tony to help him with his braces, and to answer the texts I had gotten since I left...yesterday? Was that yesterday? The ladies went to treat Ms. Romanoff, and the soldiers went to change. I think everyone just assumed we would meet in the kitchen when we were ready.

We took the hallway to the right and ended up in some room for an office, but it had a couple couches, which was perfect for us. Tony sank into one of them and laid down, and I did the same. It didn't seem like that long ago, I was doing the same thing in my apartment.

After a minute, I grabbed my new clothes and stood up, reluctantly. "I'll change, and be right back," I told Tony, then ran out of the room to find somewhere private. I switched swiftly, and peaked back in the office, where Tony had managed to do the same. I came back in and helped him fit the braces on, then sat next to him, and relaxed.

A moment of silence, then, "So, how was Round 2 of Germany?"

I smiled, remembering Round 1. "A lot more interesting, but just as confusing." I looked over at him, and he was smirking, just a little. "It seems like every time you go there, you and Cap are on different sides."

I almost immediately regretted that sentence. Tony started rubbing his arm again, and he looked away. He paused before saying, "I still don't know what to think, as far as that goes. A cyborg, how even..." He sat back and put his hand to his forehead.

He was blaming himself. Again. "It's not like you could have done anything. I mean, this is HYDRA, and didn't they, like, always have it out for him?"

"And anyone who stands in their way," he answered, not looking up. "Anyone."

"SHIELD?"

"Anyone, Peter. You, me, Romanoff, Barnes, Agent (???)," he shook his head. "They don't care."

I knew what had happened to his parents, how HYDRA killed them. They could have killed us, and- actually, no, scratch that. They should have killed us.

Tony finally looked up, breathing into his hands, but not hiding his face. He looked at me, looking at him, then put on his 'fine' face and rested his hand on my shoulder.

"As soon as New York is clear, I'll get you back home. You have to stay out of the way, for now, though."

I nodded. "Yeah, no problem. I don't work again until next week, so it's fine." I smiled, then rested my head against him. I used to think he was so reserved about that stuff, but after the Infinity War, I knew that it helped him more than anything. He wrapped an arm, his left arm, around me, and I knew, as long as he wasn't rubbing it, that he would be okay.

Author's Note: #irondad #spideyson