Walk the Line: An Avengers Soulmate Story

14. Opening Night **

Nat and Sam had seen how their best friends always seemed to be avoiding everyone, all the time, these days. The pair decided they needed to find the girl, no matter the risk.

Just as they agreed to search again on their own, the bifrost shook the whole compound. As soon as the light had gone, Thor and Loki were both yelling from the burned lawn. Thor was running in while Loki simply teleported himself into the same room as Tony, Bruce, Sharon, and Pepper. It was then that Dr. Strange also appeared via his own portal. He embraced Loki briefly before both of their faces turned serious once more. It was apparent that something big had happened so Tony had Friday alert the team for everyone to meet in the lab. He debated on moving but ultimately decided that he had more to keep his hands busy in the lab; in case his nerves got the better of him.

As everyone converged on the lab, the tension grew. The looks on the faces of the men who had been there prior was enough to put everyone on edge. Becca and Bucky exchanged glances as they saw the others before Steve spoke up. "Please tell me you have a lead or even a possible lead."

"We have something but I am unsure what it means yet. Our source in Asgard was more cryptic than helpful." Loki's voice was tight and frustrated, different than his usual lazy and disinterested tone. Steve and Bucky side-eye one another at the change of tone before their gazes clashed with that of Sam and Sharon across the room. Everyone had a new determination in their eyes that sparked a hope in everyone.

"There is a new club opening up this weekend. Our source says that the leader of the Brethren will be in attendance. I think it might be in our best interest to do the same." Loki allowed his anger to shine through on the last sentence but otherwise kept it masked fairly well.

"Is she supposed to be in attendance as well or there another reason we should be there?" Becca asked while glancing around the room with uncertainty. She was afraid that maybe she was taking too much initiative. The problem was that she had actually enjoyed being around Raven and her inner fire; she missed the friend that she hoped was still inside the young woman.

Tony spoke up to answer a portion of the question. "I don't know if she will there but, if she isn't then we use this to gain intel and get a tracker in place to follow his movements. I can only hope that if she isn't there, he will lead us back to her."

Everyone seemed to nod before settling in and coming up with a game plan. Almost nobody called Fury because they knew he would be against any type of rescue mission without solid proof but he kept blocking their moves to gain intel as well. It was an unspoken rule that they need to leave him out of the decision process until they had solid information.

Logan knew that if his brother was going to the event, he couldn't be there but he still wanted to be close. He offered to be on one of the nearby rooftops along with Kate, Yelena, and Clint. Nobody had the heart to tell him no. Nat and Loki were to be inside since they were the easiest to disguise. Strange opted to watch from inside the mirrors, only appearing if necessary. Tony received an invitation in the mail so he opted to go and invited Sharon as his plus one, posing her as a personal assistant. Sam was very against this until Tony informed him that he and Rhodey would be there as security. With this information in mind, he was much less anxious about allowing Sharon to be inside with the man who had held many of their friends hostage.

Wanda stepped into the lab with her head held high. "It is time we get her back. I won't be able to get close as myself but if I can be masked somehow, I think I can delve into his mind and find something. If nothing else, I can plant a seed of distrust and force him to break his own stronghold from the inside out."

Tony tilted his head as Bucky looked her up and down. Bruce was the one to speak up though, "you mean like you did to us before joining the Avengers?"

For the first time since entering the room, Wanda's head dipped slightly as a blush stained her cheeks. "Yes, exactly like I did to you before I realized you all weren't the monsters from my nightmares." Her words hung in the air as everyone let the sentiment sink in. This monster would pay for the harm he caused, of that, everyone was certain.