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twenty-three

   A silence overcomes us after a moment and I clear my throat to end it. "We should probably get this over with now."

Steve sets his hand comfortingly on my shoulder with a smile. "It's good to have you back, Raven."

• • •

"Look who decided to show up for the party." Tony looked to me as Rhodes and himself landed on the concrete in their suits with a thud. "Wow, it's so weird how you run into people at the airport. Don't you think that's weird?" He asked his companion.

   "Definitely weird." Rhodes backed him up.

   "Hear me out, Tony. That doctor—the psychiatrist, he's behind all of this." As Steve tried to get them to listen, the cat guy that Bucky and I had fought a few days before showed up. He jumped over a nearby truck and landed next to Tony and Rhodes.

   "You recruited cat guy?" I ask, disbelief in my tone. Steve nudged me with his shield as the guy addressed him.

   "You're highness." Steve acknowledges him with a nod, making me let out a small 'oh' after I'd put two and two together. He was the Wakandan King the news had talked about after the bombing, his name was T'Challa.

   "Anyway, Ross gave me 36 hours to bring you guys in. That was 24 hours ago. Can you help a brother out?" Tony asks, his demeanor not completely serious, but not fully joking either.

   "You're after the wrong people, Tony." I speak up. "Please, don't do this. It wasn't us in Vienna. I can prove it." I try to make him listen.

   Tony lifts his chin at my words. "You're judgement is askew and you're all messed up in the head. Your old war buddy and assassin friend killed innocent people yesterday."

   "And there are five more super soldiers just like him." Steve points out. "I can't let the doctor find them first, Tony. I just can't."

   "Steve, Raven. You know what's about to happen. Do you really wanna punch your way out of this one?" Natasha's voice echoes out behind Steve and I as she saunters past us and to Rhodes and the rest.

   "If that's what it takes," I gulp. "Then I guess we have no choice. Please, don't make us choose that."

   It goes silent for a moment before Stark speaks up. "Alright, I've run out of patience." He cups his hands around his mouth. "Underoos!" He calls out, only confusing Steve and I.

   Two figures begin moving behind a shipment container and they jump over us. A sticky substance that resembles spiderweb shoots out of small gadgets on their wrists. Steve and I don't have enough time to move before the substance wraps around our hands and feet.

   I look down as the two new additions land behind Tony on another container. The one in the bright red suit now held Cap's shield as the one in the black suit landed on the container.

   I looked over the two. Their shorter stature and physique gave away the fact that they were young. "Nice job, kids." Tony compliments them.

   The one in the red suit spoke up, "Thanks. Well, I could've stuck the landing a little better. It's just the new suit . . . well, it's nothing, Mr. Stark. It's—It's perfect. Thank you." The boy's voice chimes out around the empty airport as he looks over his suit. Clearly, this kid hadn't been in a fight before.