Everest

Prologue

"It's been five years of her going off the grid, and you're just going to show up on her doorstep after she has made it very clear she wants nothing to do with us anymore?" Steve argued.

"She doesn't want anything to do with this lifestyle," Nat corrected.

"It doesn't matter. We need her help, and she'll understand," Tony waved off.

"Will she?" Nat countered with a raised eyebrow.

Tony took a second to think about it, even though he knew the true answer to her sarcastic question.

"It won't matter. After we tell her what's going on, she'll join us. I know," Tony shook his head, putting the screwdriver in hand on a workbench.

"You say that, but I'm pretty sure if you show up on her doorstep in your metal tin can, she'll squeeze you out of it like toothpaste," Clint laughed from behind the three, lounging on the couch in Tony's man cave of mechanics.

Steve and Nat shared a look that they agreed.

"Which is why I'm not going to be the one paying her a welcome visit," Tony shook his head with a tired smile.

"No, nuh-uh," Nat shook her head. "I'm on good terms with her and respect her privacy. I'm not planning on messing that up anytime soon."

Tony turned to Clint.

"Me either. I love her too much to spoil that part of my friendship. I know what it's like to want a quiet life outside of this world," Clint put his hands up.

"Fine, I didn't need you two anyway. Rogers is just as close-"

"I don't know, Tony. She left and hasn't reached out for a reason. I may not know why, but I don't want to disrupt the peace," Steve sighed, crossing his arms over his chest.

"She respects you, Rogers," Tony pointed out, stepping closer. "That and I have an idea." Steve raised an eyebrow at him. Uncertainty painted his face. "Bring your robocop friend. She's never been one to be nasty around a new face, no matter how upset she might get."

"You think just cause you'll have an unfamiliar face with him, she'll be happy-go-lucky about everything?" Nat scoffed.

"No, I just think she won't blast someone out of existence in front of a stranger," Tony shrugged.

"That's an awful big assumption to make, Stark," Clint shook his head, looking down at the ground. "Really want to take that chance and risk losing Cap?"

"She would never lay a finger on him," Tony laughed off.

"Even if she wouldn't, what makes you think she'll join us back in the fight? She swore off this life for a reason," Nat rolled her eyes, moving around the workbench covered in scrap metal and tools, and leaned over the opposite side of the counter. "It's going to take a pretty 'big bad' to get her even to give this a second thought."

"Would you all have a little faith in me?" Stark smirked, grabbing a file that was hidden from sight until then. "This may persuade her."

The three shared a look, showing they had no idea what could be in that folder to get their old teammate on board.

"What? You have magic in the folder?" Nat said in a sassy tone. "Only way this daydream of yours has a chance."

"Might as well be," Tony shrugged, throwing it in front of them.

Nat was the first to grab and open it. It looked like a normal mission. Hard, yes, but nothing unworldly or extravagant enough to pull her from retirement. However, a lot of it was redacted.