Heartlines | Steve Rogers

XVI

SIXTEEN
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They went to the room where they'd put all the S.H.I.E.L.D. files after it collapsed. They all began sorting through it, as there was a lot of information. This wasn't typically how they liked to do things, but it's what they had.

"Known associates. Baron Strucker had a lot of friends." Steve sat another file box down on the table. All of them were scattered throughout the room, sorting through box after box. Irritation had set over them all at the sudden inhibition of their technology.

"Well, these people are all horrible." Bruce said bluntly. That was a good insult coming from him. He was typically a bashful person, and he didn't always say much unless it came to a topic he was versed in.

"Wait. I know that guy." Tony stopped him. He grabbed the file from him and examined it. "From back in the day. He operates off the African coast. Black market arms."

Steve turned to face him, just to give him a disapproving and annoyed look. Tony rolled his eyes at his righteous personality.

"There are conventions. Alright? You meet people. I didn't sell him anything." He looked away, unable to handle Steve's stare making him feel licentious.

"I remember." Meredith nodded, glancing up at them. "He was talking about finding something new, a game-changer."

"Yeah, yeah. It was all very Ahab." Tony agreed as he recalled the meeting.

"This?" Thor pointed to the mark on his neck. It seemed like it was some type of foreign symbol.

"Ah, it's a tattoo. I don't think he had it. Do you?" He glanced to Meredith. She shook her head.

"No, those are tattoos, this is a brand." Thor compared the pictures. One of tattooed on his arm and the same picture of the brand on his neck. Bruce ran the image through the computer.

"Oh, yeah. It's a word in an African dialect meaning thief... In a much less friendly way." He informed them.

"What dialect?" Steve asked, his arms crossed over his chest.

"Wakanada." Bruce stumbled over his words.

"Wakanda." Meredith corrected. She, Steve, and Tony shared a nervous look. They knew what that meant, only because of Howard. No one else was on the same page.

"If this guy got out of Wakanda with some of their trade goods..." Tony began, swallowing hard.

"I thought your father said he got the last of it." Steve shook his head. If he had what they thought, they had to figure out where he was going and fast.

"I don't follow. What comes out of Wakanda?" Bruce rushed over to them hurriedly, worried by their uneasy glances.

"The strongest metal on earth." Meredith said, as they all looked back at Steve's shield.

"Where is this guy now?" Steve asked her. She tracked him to a Salvage Yard off the African Coast, like Tony had said. She, Tony, Thor, and Steve went into the Churchill ship where Ulysses Klaue, the man in the pictures, was doing his dirty work. He was still dealing out black market goods after all these years. Bruce stayed back on the Quinjet, attempting to avoid letting the other guys loose, and waited while Clint and Nat were backup. There, they found Ultron and the Maximoff twins terrorizing Klaue and one of his men when he compared Ultron to Tony after he seemingly unintentionally quoted him. He cut his arm off, then kicked him down the stairs.

"I'm nothing like Stark, Stark's a sickness!" He exclaimed.

"Ah, Junior. You're gonna break your old man's heart." Tony said smoothly as he flew in with Steve, Meredith, and Thor behind him.