Hold On Soldier ✔️ | marvel

47. Klaue

"He's all over the globe. Robotics labs, weapons facilities, jet propulsion labs, reports of a metal man, or men, coming in and emptying the place." Maria updates us.

Steve nods, "Fatalities?"

"Only when engaged. Mostly guys left in a fugue state going on about old memories, worst fears, and something too fast to see." Maria replies.

"Maximoffs. Well, that makes sense he'd go to them, they have someone in common." Steve responds.

"Not anymore." Maria hands Steve a tablet showing photo of Strucker's dead body with the word peace written in blood on the wall next to him. Steve hands it to me in disgust.

Steve interrupts Clint who's on the phone while we're chatting, "Barton, we might have something."

Clint nods and replies to the caller, "Gotta go."

"Who was that?" Steve hesitates to ask.

Clint replies, "Girlfriend."

"Oh so now you have a girlfriend." I laugh earning a look from both Clint and Steve.

"Gather the others." Steve tells Clint.

"What do I do?" I ask trying to get it together again. I stand tall as I look at Steve for a job.

"Stick with me, Izzy." He replies while his seriousness softens and a smile appears, "And try not to laugh."

"I had to, Clint is hard to talk to with a straight face." I defend.

"Hey, I should be offended by that one." Clint says as he passes by us smoothly.

"Izzy follow me please." Steve nods at Clint as we separate. We glide to the room we were all ordered to gather in by Steve. Slowly one by one each avenger positions themselves around our meeting spot. We begin our conversation with the photo of Struckers murdered figure.

Tony has a gap in his mouth before he questions, "What's this?"

"A message. Ultron killed Strucker." Steve replies.

"And he did a Banksy at the crime scene, just for us." Tony clicks his tongue.

"This is a smokescreen. Why send a message when you've just given a speech?" Nat asks.

Steve informs, "Strucker knew something that Ultron wanted us to miss."

"Someone check to see anything on him." I suggest, "If we have enough time to do so."

"Yeah, I bet he..." Nat scans the computer monitor in front of her, "Yep. Everything we had on Strucker has been erased."

"Not everything." Tony reminds and laughs, "Let's time travel."

"You mean do it the hard way?" I raise an eyebrow already bored.
Tony leads us to piles of files and as a team we go through the physical files they have on Strucker.

"Known associates. Well, Strucker had a lot of friends." Steve informs us with files he's recovered.

"Well, these people are all horrible." Bruce says awkwardly as he looks at some files of his own.

"Wait. I know that guy." Banner passes Tony the photo he was looking at, "From back in the day. He operates off the African coast, black market arms."

"Ehem the African coast?" Steve gives him an accusing look while I question.

"There are conventions, alright? You meet people, I didn't sell him anything." Tony defends and see the photo is of a man named Ulysses Klaue, "He was talking about finding something new, a game changer, it was all very "Ahab.""