Shadowbreath: The New Avenger

Chapter 24

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Peter stood on the tarmac with his hands in his pockets, watching five of the Avengers board Tony's private jet. Pepper and Steve flanked his sides, looking just as tense as he felt. A storm was moving in from the east, causing heavy rain clouds and a thick coat of mist to invade their formerly clear surroundings. The temperature continued to drop overnight, and Peter had to hunch his shoulders together a little tighter to try and block the onslaught of the frigid wind.

It had been a busy afternoon preparing for both missions and Peter couldn't help the sense of dread that wormed its way into his stomach. He woke up refreshed and anxious, buzzing around the other Avengers incessantly until Steve announced it was time to start moving out. Rhodey, Natasha, Wanda, Vision, and Scott would take the plane to Washington D.C. and move into position from there with the help of a few trusted S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. Meanwhile, the video footage that Hawkeye and Black Widow set up last night on their recon mission would alert the Bravo Team when they were cleared to infiltrate the mansion. Joey Genovese needed to be out of the house with the alien weaponry before they could move forward.

The Avengers huddled around the tarmac one last time before breaking apart, and Steve reached out to shake Natasha's hand. "Nat, you're running point on Alpha Team until we arrive. Good luck."

She nodded, quick and efficient before moving to drop a kiss on Peter's forehead. "Stay safe, маленький паук." He mumbled his goodbyes to the rest of the team, hoping they would be able to take out The Commission and Hydra before they got the chance to hurt any more innocent people. It was killing him that they had to be covert about their operation, but both Steve and Natasha had explained that they couldn't trust the government with this one, and they couldn't risk the kidnappers following through on their threats. After the whole debacle with the former Vice President and Secretary Pierce, there was no telling how many men of power were working against the Avengers.

Rhodey gave them one last 'thumbs up' before disappearing inside of the jet. Pepper turned on her heel as the engine flared to life and gestured for Steve and Peter to follow her back inside. "The flight will only be an hour and a half, so they will arrive with about two hours before the Gala is scheduled to begin."

Once they were back inside the compound and safely out of the assaulting wind, Peter shrugged off his jacket and draped it over his shoulder. "That means the Genovese family and The Commission should be moving out soon too."

Steve nodded, "That's right." He straightened his spine and slipped back into his Captain America guise easily. "Go suit-up. I'll let Hawkeye and Falcon know to be prepared to be wheels up in twenty."

Finally, was all Peter could think. They were finally going to rescue Tony and Alex. It was finally happening. Pepper drew him in for a crushing hug, making him promise to come back in one piece, before pushing him towards the elevator. He gave one last look behind him, hoping the next time he saw her, Peter would be able to reunite his pseudo family.

XX

Tony blinked awake, unsure what roused him. The Fold was dark, just like it had been for the past five days. The light from his Arc Reactor splashed across the steel walls, illuminating them just enough so that he could make out Alex's slumped form. A burst of agony welled up inside of him as he remembered watching two men beat her until she stopped tensing up. She didn't deserve this. Alex was a good kid, who had gone out of her way to shift the physical punishments onto herself, keeping Tony safe.

Joey refused to film any more videos for Pepper, so he assumed they were getting the money they didn't really need. Tony didn't care though, he would be happy to give the Genovese family the rest of his fortune if it meant getting him and Alex out of here alive. He wondered how Rhodey and Nat were going to mount the rescue...they were short handed, so maybe they would bring Peter into it. He hoped not. Tony wanted to keep his kid as far away from these monsters as possible. Knowing Peter though, there was a slim chance that he wasn't helping. Maybe he even thought to call Cap, but Tony's mouth soured as soon as the thought crossed his mind. After their fight in Siberia, Tony doubted Steve would even consider helping rescue him. Tony had tried to kill his best friend, and everyone knew that going after James Buchanan Barnes was a no-no in Captain America's book. Granted, Tony was just trying to get revenge on the Winter Soldier for murdering his parents, but still. He had to resign himself to the fact that he had burned that particular bridge nine months ago, despite the cell phone Steve left him, and that Rhodey, Nat, and Peter were probably on their own.