Andrea's p.o.v
We walked in on Rhodey standing up and talking to a hologram of secretary Ross. I couldn't help but gulp and feel guilty for the tech keeping Rhodey standing up. I caused him to fall, Wanda should have caught him and not me.
"Mr.Secretary," Steve acknowledged, his new suit making him look more authoritative. Almost as if he's seen more, which as I think to all the missions we've been on, I suppose he has. We all have.
The hologram turned to us and I could roll my eyes at the look he was giving us. He always thought of us as criminals. It wouldn't matter if we had done the pettiest of crimes, we'd be scum to him.
"You got some nerve. I'll give you that," he said, approaching us. My blonde wife looked down on him as she spoke, "you could use some of that right now," she shrugged.
"The world's on fire. And you think all is forgiven?" Ross raised his eyebrows and I scoffed at his words. "I'm not looking for forgiveness. And I'm way past asking for permission. Earth just lost her best defender. So we're here to fight. And if you wanna stand in our way... we'll fight you too," Steve announced, his speech moving and proving that he was our leader.
Ross moved to me and looked me up and down. My suit had changed a bit since the last time he'd seen it. It was worn too, I'd used it a lot. "I wonder how different our story would have been 2 years ago when I nearly caught you, Maximoff," he smirked a little.
Nat tilted her head towards me confused, I hadn't told any of them about that night. I had gone to scope out a base, I didn't want to tell the others because I wasn't sure if it was really a lead. I had showed up and it was a trap by Ross.
He had me handcuffed and blindfolded on the ground, well his guards did anyway. But the man wouldn't stop talking which gave me time to think of my escape. I knew the place well as I had still managed to scope it out, I broke cuffs and beat his guards before using my echo gun on Ross. I left him on the ground going crazy with his thoughts and told him not to look for me again.
"Well you shouldn't have made it so easy to kick your ass," I smirked and the older man's expression hardened. He turned to Rhodey quickly, "arrest them."
"All over it," Rhodey dismissed, pressing a button and the grey haired man was gone. "That's a court martial," Rhodey sighed, defeated.
"It's great to see you, Cap," he smiled and I couldn't help but feel relieved that he was happy to see us. They shook hands and I took a step forward, looking around at the place we called home.
Nat hugged the man and then I stepped forward, looking him up and down. He sighed and pulled me into a hug and I grumbled in relief. "Im sorry about-" I trailed as I pointed to his legs but he shrugged it off. "I know you Andy, you've probably been blaming yourself. It's not your fault, it's no one's fault. And hey, look I can still walk so no hard feelings," he joked, patting my back. I nodded and stepped to the side, my heart feeling just that much better.
"Wow, you guys... really look like crap. Must've been a rough couple years," he said and I snorted at his words. "Yeah, well the hotels weren't exactly five star," Sam said and it already made me feel like I was home again. The banter, the jokes, I was nostalgic.
"Uh, I think you look great," we all turned to the source of the voice and found Banner walking towards us. I gulped a little as soon as I saw him and felt a funny feeling in my head. Wanda was reading my thoughts.
"Uh... yeah, I'm back," he said, looking around at anyone. I saw the way Nat was looking at him and it made me feel something in the pit of my stomach. "Hi Bruce," Nat said, a small smile on her face.
"Nat... Andy." He looked at me after he said my name. I heard Sam whisper behind me. "This is awkward." While Wanda whispered, "Andy's considering homicide," and I was quick to push my sister out of my head, I'd have to talk to her about that later.
I then did something I don't think anyone expected. I stepped forward and looked back at the team. "You guys go get showered and dressed. We'll have a meeting soon. Bruce will be there to help Vision shortly, I'm just gonna speak to him first. Okay?" I ordered.
No one moved for a moment but when they saw the look on my face they all grumbled out agreements and dispersed. I walked up to the taller man and watched him gulp as I led him to a room where people couldn't listen in.
"Listen Andy I-" he began but I cut him off. "Nat and I, we're married. And we're happy. I just need to know that you don't harbor any feelings and stuff because a lot is going on right now and I don't want to be worrying about what your moves are gonna be," I sighed, leaning against the table and looking at the man pleadingly to be honest.
"Back then, I was naive. I knew you were together and I still pined after her anyway. It was a dick move, I was selfish and I am sorry. But in my time away I've gotten perspective. I had feelings for Nat, I mean who wouldn't? But I assure you I don't want to pursue any romantic relationship with your wife. You guys were made for each other and I see that now. Right now we have bigger things to be worrying about, I'm happy to have just a work relationship with Nat, I don't want anything more. Is that enough assurance?" He asked.
I looked into the man's eyes, seeing nothing but kindness and honesty. It took me a moment to think but when I finally decided to forgive the man I nodded my head and stood up. "Let's get this show on the road. I'm gonna go freshen up and you attend to vision," I responded, ready to leave the room.
"Hey, Um. I know Cap's the leader and all. But Rhodey filled me in on where you guys have been and what you've been doing. And I want you to know that you'd be a pretty good leader by the way you've been acting," he smiled friendly.
I didn't respond to his words, I simply nodded my head and left the room. It didn't take me long to find my old room, muscle memory. But when I did I was immediately cornered by Nat.
"What did you do to him?" She asked and I laughed a little, shaking my head. "I talked, Nat. We talked and there's no hard feelings. I just didn't want to go into this... this mission with tension. We're good," I informed her and she smiled.
"Thank you, you didn't have to forgive him," she said and I shook my head and bit my bottom lip in thought. "It's in the past. We went to therapy for it. I can't stay mad forever," I chuckled and Nat hugged me tightly. "Thank you for being so good to me."
It wasn't long before we were in a meeting room. "So we gotta assume they're coming back, right?" Rhodey said looking at a hologram of the aliens that we fought.
"And they can clearly find us," Wanda said, her American accent near perfect now thanks to the practice and tutoring Nat gave her.
"We need all hands on deck. Where's Clint?" Bruce asked, looking around at us. "After the whole Accords situation, he and Scott took a deal. It was too tough on their families. They're on house arrest," Nat explained.
"Who's Scott?" Bruce quizzed. "Ant-man. He becomes this tiny little human and one time I saw him become the size of a skyscraper," I exclaimed, trying to hide the fact that I thought his tech was really cool.
"There's an Ant-man and a Spider-man?" He gasped, surprised by all the new people that came into the scene. "Okay, look. Thanos has the biggest army in the universe... and he is not gonna stop until he gets... visions stone," Bruce gestured and I glanced at Wanda, noticing how worried she was.
"Then we have to protect it," Nat said, but vision had a better idea. "No, we have to destroy it. I've been giving a good deal of thought to this entity in my head. About its nature. But also its composition. I think if it were exposed to a sufficiently powerful energy source... something very similar to its own signature, perhaps... its molecular integrity could fail," he explained, approaching Wanda as he spoke.
Hydra had used that stone in his head to create our powers. It would make sense that Wanda could destroy it. But, it came at a cost. "Yeah, and you with it. We're not having this conversation," Wanda responded, shaking her head. I understood it. If it were Nat, I wouldn't do it either.
"Eliminating the stone is the only way to be certain that Thanos can't get it," he whispered, knowing what he had to do. "That's too high a price," she argued. "Only you have the power to pay it." I gulped as he spoke, thinking of all the things we could do instead of killing vision.
Wanda walked away from vision, towards the other side of the room, meanwhile I folded my arms over my chest as an idea came to my head, but I didn't say it yet.
"Thanos threatens half the universe. One life cannot stand in the way of defeating him," Vision said. And I agreed with him, I'd sacrifice myself too. But not if I knew the plan I had now.
"But it should. We don't trade lives, vision," Steve disagreed. Before vision could argue Steve's point I stepped forward. "You mean a lot to my sister. I don't know why, I haven't seen your relationship first hand. But I do know I'd do anything for my sister. You're not dying and I'm not letting her kill you. Wakanda has some of the best tech out there. If anyone can take that stone out of your head it's them. And, if that doesn't work, if all else fails, I have power from that stone too. I'll destroy it, killing you in the process. Okay?" I asked, Wanda looked at me almost betrayed as I said those words but I knew it was for the greater good.
"Andy's right. Your mind is made up of a complex construct of overlays Jarvis, Ultron, Tony, me the stone. All of them mixed together, all of them learning from one another," Bruce piped up, backing my point. "You're saying vision isn't just the stone?" Wanda asked, having a little hope.
"I'm saying that if we take out the stone... There's still a whole lot of vision left. Perhaps the best parts," Bruce informed her and I smirked knowing that my plan was right. "Can we do that?" Nat asked.
"Not me not here," Bruce shook his head and my smile got even brighter. "I guess we're going to wakanda and Steve's gonna be reunited with Bucky again," I cheered, hitting my hand on the table in excitement.
We all split up, getting our stuff ready to fly out to Wakanda. Nat approached me as I packed some of my old clothes that I haven't worn cause we've been on the run.
"Are you prepared to do that, kill vision?" Nat asked, sitting on the bed beside my bag. "I can't let Wanda do it. She loves him, if she does it it will destroy her. So, if it comes down to it, I'm going to do it myself. No matter the cost," I shrugged.
Nat grabbed my hand and looked me in the eyes. "Is what you plan to do risky? Will it hurt you?" She asked and I sighed, squeezing her hand slightly. "I don't know. But I can't risk you stopping me, so I'm not gonna tell you my plan."
"Well I guess I'm gonna have to hope it doesn't come down to that."