Frostbite

Seven

Steve had gathered the team together; we were all huddled around one of the many computers outside of the lab. No one had slept; we were all on edge while waiting to get a hit on Ultron and the scepter. I hadn't spoken to Steve since last night, but he didn't seem to be bothered in the least by it. He had a crime scene photo pulled up on the tablet that he immediately handed to Thor.

"What's this?" Tony asked, eyebrow raised. Thor shoved the tablet into Tony's chest for him to see, obviously still testy with him.

"A message. Ultron killed Strucker," Steve answered, voice tight with stress.

"And he did a Banksy at the crime scene, just for us," Tony quipped. I rolled my eyes at his reference.

"This is a smokescreen. Why send a message when you've just given a speech?" I wondered, shaking my head.

"Strucker knew something that Ultron wanted us to miss."

"Yeah, I bet he..." Natasha proceeded to say, typing quickly on the keyboard, "Yep. Everything we had on Strucker has been erased."

"Not everything," Tony disagreed. He motioned for us to follow him, and we all begrudgingly did. He led us to a small room that was lined with boxes of old paper files. I had no idea that he had backed up all of this data; it was astounding.

"You've got to be kidding me," Clint moaned, earning a scowl from Tony. We all took several boxes with anything related to Strucker and made our way back upstairs to sift through all files. No one talked the first few minutes as we set to work.

"Known associates... Well, Strucker had a lot of friends," Steve finally sighed, tossing a pile of papers aside. Thor had been wildly throwing his rejects everywhere, not that it mattered; the loft was still a wreck.

"Well, these people are all horrible," Bruce said in astonishment.

"Wait. I know that guy," Tony interrupted, reaching for the file in Bruce's hand. Bruce passed him the photo he had been looking at. "From back in the day. He operates off the African coast, black market arms." Steve tossed him an accusing look.

"There are conventions, alright? You meet people; I didn't sell him anything," Tony defended hisself, showing us a picture of someone named Ulysses Klaue, "He was talking about finding something new, a game changer, it was all very 'Ahab'."

"This," Thor spoke up, pointing to a symbol on his neck.

"Uh, it's a tattoo. I don't think he had it..."

"No, those are tattoos; this is a brand," Thor disagreed. Bruce furiously began typing, pulling up the symbol on the screen.

"Oh, yeah. It's a word in an African dialect meaning thief, in a much less friendly way," Bruce turned to tell us.

"What dialect?" I asked curiously.

"Wakanada...? Wa...Wa...Wakanda."

"If this guy got out of Wakanda with some of their trade goods..." Tony realized. It clicked, and my eyes went wide. Holy crap.

"I thought your father said he got the last of it?" Steve shook his head in disbelief, glancing between Tony and I.

"I don't follow. What comes out of Wakanda?" Bruce inquired in confusion.

"The strongest metal on earth," Tony answered in awe. Vibranium. The same metal that made up Steve's shield. Had our father known there was more? Or had he lied?

"Where is this guy now?"

It only took a few moments for Bruce to track down Klaue. "A shipyard off the coast."

"Alright, suit up and meet at the jet," Steve ordered, sending everyone scattering to get ready. I strode towards the elevator to go change into something more appropriate for our mission, when a hand grabbed mine. I stopped and looked over my shoulder, knowing it was Steve. Everyone quickly cleared out; it was just us.

His face changed from that of a composed leader, to a tired, unsure man. The look in his eyes softened my anger, but I still remained silent. I hated how he had that effect on me.

"I know you're mad at me, and I know I handled the situation a little... harshly. I was upset that you didn't tell me beforehand. It seemed like you didn't trust me," he admitted, still grasping my hand.

"I trust you with my life Steve. I should have just told you; I know we messed up. If there had been any indication of it turning out bad, then I would have. I honestly thought it wasn't going to work," I told him earnestly. He nodded, actually listening this time. He brushed a strand of hair away from my face and smiled fondly.

"I dislike fighting with you," he mumbled, touching his forehead to mine. I closed my eyes and relaxed; we were okay. I pulled back and smirked up at him.

"Yeah, well next time you won't get off the hook so easy," I teased. His face contorted into mocking disbelief.

"I'll remember that," he chuckled, nudging me with his elbow. Tony walked back into the room, taking in the sight of us with a small laugh.

"Shouldn't you two lovebirds be heading to the jet? Not in here reconciling and God knows what else," he chuckled, amusing himself. I snorted and Steve pulled me away with an exasperated last look toward Tony.