NO GOOD DEED || S. REID

3.26

KATHARINE WAS SURE THAT THIS WAS NOT WHAT SHE SIGNED UP FOR. When she agreed to be Tony Stark's government liaison, she did not expect to be dragged into Avengers business. What she has signed up for was an easy desk job that only sometimes required her to train new recruits.

Maybe she should have started from the beginning.

July twenty-fifth was proving to be a beautiful day. The sun was shining, the birds were chirping, and Katharine was taking a stroll through Central Park with Pepper Potts at her side. That was only the prelude to a day full of meetings for Pepper and dealing with Tony Stark for Katharine.

Nowhere in her day planner did it say, "Protect Pepper while a giant alien donut terrorized New York City," or, "Get in a Quinjet with Natasha Romanoff as your boss takes a one-way ride into space."

But Katharine couldn't say she was surprised. She figured it'd be sooner or later that she'd have to deal with the Avengers once again. She could even say that their fates were intertwined with her own, ensuring that she'd be apart of whatever crazy things they got themselves into.

"Drop to twenty-six hundred, heading 0-3-0."

Katharine sat in the back of the Quinjet next to Rhodey as Sam Wilson piloted the aircraft. Natasha was on her other side while Bruce, Wanda, and Vision occupied the other side of the jet.

"I hope you're right about this, Cap," Sam said before following his directions, guiding the Quinjet into a descent. "Or we're going to land a lot faster than you want to."

Katharine also hoped that Steve was right about this. She didn't need a plane crash on top of the giant donut invasion back in New York.

All doubts vanished, however, when the Quinjet breached a camouflage forcefield and revealed Wakanda's Golden City to them. She watched in awe as they flew overhead, going as far as getting out of her seat to look out the window.

They finally landed on an airstrip outside what looked to be the palace. For lack of better words, it was gorgeous.

She was among the first out of the ship behind Steve and Natasha, Bruce and Rhodey following her while Wanda and Vision took up the rear.

She listened as Bruce not-so-subtly asked Rhodey if he should bow, to which the man replied, "Yeah, he's a king."

Katharine rolled her eyes goodnaturedly as Steve greeted King T'Challa. "Seems like I'm always thanking you for something," he said, shaking the reigning monarch's hand.

Katharine greeted the king with a nod of her head, smiling slightly as he returned the gesture. She stepped to the side as Bruce greeted him, awkwardly bowing to the man.

"What are you doing?" Rhodey asked, faking shock. Katharine chuckled as Bruce stood back up, eyes wide like a deer caught in headlights.

"We don't do that here," T'Challa explained, dissuading Bruce with a wave of his hand. The scientist shot Rhodey a look, who returned it with a big grin. "So how big of an assault can we expect?"

T'Challa began leading them into the building, which Katharine guessed was more for administrative purposes than any other.

"Uh, sir," Bruce said, "I think you can expect quite a big assault."

"They really didn't look like they were joking," Katharine tacked on, having been there when "Squidward," as Tony referred to him, arrived. "But how are we looking, if I may ask."

The King regarded her with a strong look, recognition glazing over his features for only a moment. "You will have my Kingsguard, the Border Tribe, the Dora Milaje, and..." he trailed off as Bucky Barnes walked into the room, an enormous smile on his face.