Forgotten Ghost | Natasha Romanoff

Chapter 48: We're Back

''What do you want, Stark?''

''That is no way to greet a friend, Petrova.''  His cheerful voice was too much this early in the morning, but according to the time, it was evening in New York, assuming he was there.

''Oh, I'm sorry. What is it you require, Mr. Stark?'' Katya sarcastically asked, keeping her voice to a whisper. 

''Is your red-haired, scary girlfriend around? This kind of concerns you both.''

''She's sleeping. Lucky for you, you didn't wake her with your early morning phone call, unlike me.''

''Just wake her up and tell her that we have a situation here in New York that we could really use your help on, full team effort.''  There was some rustling in the background, like things getting picked up and moved around. Tony probably called through Jarvis, always the multitasker.

Katya was suddenly interested, knowing that he didn't call her for fun, but he actually needed their help on something. And according to the tone of his voice, it was quite serious, especially if it meant an Avengers Assembly. ''What is it?'' 

''Maybe it's best if my employee answers that question for you.'' Employee? ''Thanks Stark,'' Katya recognized the sarcastic and annoyed voice as Maria Hill immediately. She hadn't known that Hill worked for Stark now, but it made sense and Katya was actually very happy she stayed with the Avengers. They needed people they could trust and Maria was one of those people.

''Katya? Stark is right, we need your help. Remember Loki's scepter? Well, apparently, it fell into HYDRA hands after the fall of SHIELD, and knowing the power it holds and the destruction they could bring with it, we need to find it as soon as possible.''

''Why call us now and not before?''

''We only just found a lead on it. It is not much, but like I said, given the danger it proposes, every second counts. This is definitely an Avengers mission.''

Katya thought about it, like she was contemplating whether to say no, but she also knew the second Stark called her, she was in. The simple life had been fun as long as it lasted, but now, the world needed her again and to be honest, she had missed it a little.

''I'm sorry to pull you out of your break like this, but the team isn't complete without you two.''

''Of course we'll be there, just let me wake up Nat and we'll be there in-'' she looked at the clock on the nightstand, calculating the time it would take to pack everything, get to the airport and book a flight to New York- ''22 hours.''

''Actually...''

Of course there was already a Quinjet waiting around the corner of the motel. It had been one of the last ones to survive the fall of SHIELD, and instead of the giant bird on the wings, it now had a large 'A'. It was a bit much and not inconspicuous at all, but that was Stark, inconspicuous was not in his dictionary.

Katya was surprised to see that even the God of Thunder had made it to Stark Tower before she had Natasha did. Actually, it was Avengers Tower now, with the large sign on the top also being changed to a large 'A'. Again with the subtlety. 

The tower had been heavily damaged in the battle of New York, three years prior, and instead of just repairing the damage, Tony had seen it as his chance to completely renovate the otherwise perfectly good building. So now it held accommodations for every Avenger, with everyone having their own floor and state of the art technology and equipment. 

Stark had thought of everything; new suits for everyone, weapons that suited every Avenger perfectly, just everything you could want or think off was there. Anyone who said Tony Stark only thought about himself, was lying. The man had the biggest heart, he just put up an act for the world to uphold his image and protect himself. In reality, he was one of the best friends you could ask for.