UNRAVELED ~ STEVE ROGERS [3]

Chapter Nineteen

Steve and I jogged under the underpass, towards the chopper that sat idle on the private runway. The airport was deserted, and it set me on edge, an airport without any people.

"You up for this?" Steve said through gritted teeth.

"Yeah, of course. Why wouldn't I be?" I replied with a grin. He shook his head.

"Oh, I don't know. You've been through hell in the last few days," he stated as we approached the runway.

"I'll get over it," I said, distracted by the electro disabler that attached itself to the chopper, shutting it down within seconds. My head snapped to the side, and I saw Tony and Rhodey emerge from around a jet, both in Ironman suits without helmets. Steve and I slowed to a halt, Clint not far behind.

"Wow, its so weird how you run into people at the airport. Don't you think that's weird?" Tony said sarcastically to Rhodey.

"Definitely weird," Rhodey replied, playing along with Tony's theatrics as per usual.

"Hear me out, Tony. That doctor, the psychiatrist, he's behind all of this," Steve pleaded. Our plan was to try and talk it out before resorting to violence, and we wouldn't be the ones to start it. To the side of us, the Black Panther leapt over a truck, his sleek black suit and dazzling claws menacing.

"Captain," he said to Steve. Steve nodded.

"You Highness."

My brother's head swivelled and glared at me. "Khethiwe," he said to me, his voice chiselled with anger. I ignored his gaze, staring at Tony

"Anyway, Ross gave me 36 hours to bring you in. That was 24 hours ago. Can you help a brother out?" Tony held out a hand. Had it really been 24 hours since we escaped the CIA building? It didn't feel like it at all. It felt much shorter, like only a few hours. I noticed Natasha and Vision hovering beside Tony and Rhodey now, and Natasha gave me a hard stare.

"You're after the wrong guy," Steve said, his tone harder now.

"Your judgement is askew. Your old war buddy killed innocent people yesterday," Tony said, his tone laced with rage, subtle but still there.

"And there are five more super soldiers just like him. I can't let the doctor find them first, Tony. I can't," Steve sounded desperate, a tone I didn't like on him.

"Steve...you know what's about to happen. Do you really wanna punch your way out of this one?" Natasha said, cocking her head to the side.

"You're willing to fight with her on your side? She lied to you! To all of us!" Tony yelled, his patience finally wearing thin. I flinched, his words like knives to my chest.

"Keight did what she had to. I can't deny it was wrong but I'm not willing to throw her away over a mistake. We all messed up, not just her," Steve defended me, but I almost didn't want him to. I wanted to be yelled at. I wanted to feel the pain I had caused. Instead, I pulled back my hood, shaking my choppy hair free, finally able to stand in the light. Who cared if the world knew who I was? I wasn't going to listen to them anymore.

"All right, I've run out of patience," Tony cupped his hands around his mouth. "Underoos!"

From above, a stream of sticky white webbing gripped Steve's shield and wrenched it from his hands. A small, slight figure in a skin-tight red and blue suit sailed over us, flipping in perfect form to land on a truck near Tony, shield in arms and large white eyes staring at us. Steve's hands were glued together with the sticky webbing in front of him.

"Nice job kid," Tony said to the boy. I felt a pang in my chest as Tony used the pet name he had given me on someone else.

"Thanks. Well, I could have stuck the landing a little better. It's just the new suit...well it's nothing Mr Stark. Its-its perfect. Thank you." He sounded young, maybe 15 at the most. What the hell was Tony doing dragging some actual kid into this mess? Doesn't he realize he could get seriously hurt? This was a not a game. It was real life, with consequences.