[2] FAR FROM HIM // t.stark

Chapter Twenty-three

Ryder met us at the location as promised. He was in his casual outfit, didn't want to ruin it before work, he said.

     "Great. He's here."

     "Hey, guys! Am I in heaven because I feel like I am. Meeting you guys? The Avengers? Personally? Man, what did I do to be rewarded like this." Ryder beamed.

     Every men around me turned to look at me in confusion beside annoyance. Ryder is partly right, partly wrong, but who cares, right?

     "Who is this, Terri?" Bucky glanced at me before glaring at Ryder..

     "Guys, meet Ryder. Ryder, meet--"

     "Ah! Don't worry. I know all of them." Ryder waved his hand in front of me. "Pleasure to meet you, sirs. I don't imagine to be meeting you like this, but better like this than as enemies, eh?"

     "Terri, is he good up there? What the hell is he talking about?" Sam eyed him suspiciously.

     "Don't mind what he says. He likes to be weird like that," I smirked and shook my head at Ryder. After all these times, even after losing Natalie, he's still able to make people laugh. "Anyways, the reason he's here now is because he's working with Shield. You know how Dad's time machine is under their possession so Ryder will help us get it back, or better yet, destroy it."

     "I'm sorry. I don't remember you mentioning someone from Shield will be--"

     "Wow! It is a great job!" Ryder cheered, cutting Sam. He rubbed his hands together. "When are we starting? Oh mg God, I can't wait to fight alongside the Avengers. Can you imagine my name in the titles? Colton Ryder, the toughest man in the world, helped the Avengers--"

     Ryder was cut off with Bucky pushing him against the black MPV, choking him. "I swear to god, you open your mouth again, I won't hesitate to kill you. I front of Terri."

     Ryder made a gurgling sound. He tapped Bucky's hand in surrender. When Bucky let him go, he coughed a few times. "Oh, man! This comes with the promotion?"

     "Bet you." Sam was proud with Bucky.

     "Ryder, just as I told you yesterday, I need you to convince whomever guarding the control room that their shift is over and that you're taking over. Once you're there and when it's safe, Rhodey will join you to hack the CCTV, do whatever it needs with the systems, meanwhile I'm going to short-wired the circuit to reduce the impact or otherwise, we're going to kill a lot of people."

     "What– what about me?" Harley said.

     "Sam will be in the air to watch over Shield agents so that my work won't get interrupted. Bucky will be somewhere closer, in case, we need extra hands. And you, Harley, I need you to be here."

     "What? No! I'm not going to stay here! I want to go in there!" Harley protested.

     "Please, Harley. This isn't your fight," I said. "I need you to be safe, alright? If anything happens to me, at least, Morgan has you to teach her about—"

     "Forget about who's going to teach her about your father's technology, Terri. She's going to learn it herself in time. You Stark has the money to send her to good schools," Harley reasoned. "And to hell, this isn't my fight. It is my fight! Mr. Stark gave me something to believe in when I was child. He gave me something that my father wasn't even there to give. This isn't about the technology anymore, Terri. This is about Tony Stark. Your father. He had done a lot to all of us. I'm doing it for him."

     I stared into Harley's eyes and sensed the sincerity. It took me a few moments to gain my composure and when I did, I said, "Fine. You can come along, but you're not going wear that suit. Neither of us will, so stick with me."