IT TOOK A WHILE to convince Angie he was being completely serious. To be fair, he had a hard time wrapping his head around it himself. After the shitstorm of the Sokovia Accords and the dismantlement of the Avengers, Earth had never been more vulnerable. If this new threat was real, it was the worst time for it.
Angie didn't know what to think. If some alien warlord was about to invade her new home, there was no way she'd stand by and watch it happen. It was clear in her mind she was going to fight for Earth, just like she had four years ago.
Steve tried to answer all her questions but it wasn't like he had much information to begin with. He was just the messenger and that mysterious woman in Wakanda had stayed exasperatingly elusive.
For now, all they could do was keep an eye out for anything out of the ordinary — whatever ordinary was, these days. Until this threat became more concrete, there wasn't much else on the horizon.
When it was time to part ways, Angie realised that she had positively no idea when she was going to see Steve again. It could've been a month, or it could've been years... for now, saying goodbye felt a lot like a farewell.
"You could come with me, you know," he told her "Living on the run isn't the glam life but you're not a target, so you could get out of it whenever you wanted. Natasha and I are doing some good where we can; It's not like being an Avenger but it's worthwhile."
Angie smiled softly "I can't leave Tony, Steve."
He paused for a short moment. Of course he knew she'd say that "I'm glad you're with him, you know... I don't like the idea of Tony rattling around a mansion by himself."
She chuckled a little before looking back at him in earnest "You know he will forgive you eventually," she muttered "Just give him some time."
"Yeah..." Steve trailed off, running a hand through his hair "Tell him I'm sorry I hurt him. I thought by not telling him about his parents I was sparing him but... I know I was really sparing myself. Hopefully one day he can understand."
"And one day you'll tell him that yourself."
Steve shook his head with a slight chuckle "One day."
His arms closed in around her as the two old friends said their goodbyes. Deep down they both knew there was a slim chance of seeing each other again.
⁂
"So let me get this straight... you lied to me?!"
Angie groaned in frustration. It was hard to keep a straight face when Tony's eyes were drilling holes through her. She couldn't say she hadn't seen this coming.
"I just told you there's an alien invader on his way to Earth and this is all you got from it?!"
"Listen I..." he leaned back on his seat, rubbing his eyes tiredly "I don't even know what to think... I just can't believe you lied to me!"
To be honest, she did feel guilty about that little detail, but it wasn't like she was going to show it. Not while Tony was being so accusing.
She rolled her eyes for good measure "Sorry."
He scoffed "You're not even trying to sound sincere."
"You're right about that. I'm not sorry at all," she snapped "Steve is my friend, I don't need your permission to see him!"
"He's a criminal!"
Her eyes immediately narrowed "Come on, don't pretend you actually believe that."
She had a point, of course; but the tones were rising dangerously fast. Tony thought it best not to give in to his irritation. They had argued countless times about this issue, there was no point in reviving the disagreement once more.
He heaved a long sigh, meeting her gaze with difficulty "Maybe I don't, but the rest of the world does... and stop changing the subject."
"What even was the subject?!"
"You lied to me!"
"I had to!" she exclaimed "I'm sick of dealing with the battle of egos you two have going on!"
Tony was about to riposte but that was until he took in her words. Only then did Angie realize she had clearly stepped over a delicate line.
A battle of egos...? Why the hell did she say that?
Tony was still deeply affected by the revelation that the Winter Soldier had murdered his parents; and even more so that Steve hid it from him. The fact that Angie, of all people, would belittle it made him feel like shit.
Angie's determination died down quickly as she took in the deeply wounded expression on his face.
Although it pained her to admit it, Angie was awfully aware she was being a complete hypocrite. Truth be told, she did lie to his face about going to see Steve and she would've probably gone ballistic if the roles had been reversed. Now, adding that to the fact she had just been a complete jerk to him... it wasn't long before guilt started creeping in, crushing her pride.
"I'm sorry," she broke the silence in a small voice "That was uncalled for..."
His traits hardened "Oh, you think?"
"I'm sorry Tony," she repeated, remorse laced in her every word "You know I've never made light of the situation. I understand where you're coming from, but Steve is my friend..."
Tony stayed quiet for a moment, allowing another heavy silence to settle in. His expression softened ever-so-slightly but he had a hard time meeting her gaze.
"For what it's worth," she continued "He did tell me he was sorry he hurt you."
This made Tony crack a small, self-deprecating smile "And what am I supposed to do with that?"
She reached out, crossing the few inches separating them to touch his arm "Keep it in the back of your mind I guess..." she paused, waiting until he finally looked at her "...And take it out when the thought of forgiving him doesn't make your skin crawl."
This time around, he frankly sneered, releasing the tension in his jaw "We'll see about that..."
Another silence settled in, less stressful than the previous and Tony was the one to break it.
"Do you believe it though?"
"Believe what?"
"That the threat is real."
For a second she'd almost forgotten the reason they were having this conversation in the first place. In a way, she wasn't sure if she wanted to talk about it or avoid it altogether. All she knew was that thinking of alien invasions made her think of the Chitauri... and thinking of the Chitauri made her anxieties come flooding back.
"Do we have a choice at this point?" she shrugged fatalistically.
"Let me see if I got this right..." he trailed off "There's this spaceship floating somewhere in space and we don't know who's on it or if it's actually coming here, but we're supposed to believe it is because a weird lady in Wakanda said so?"
"Look," she grumbled "I've never heard of a Hellhound before but we can't just dismiss it."
"Guess not..." he sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose "What do you suggest we do?"
Angie shrugged wearily "I was hoping you'd have an idea... Are we going to need backup?"
"You mean, Steve...?"
She rolled her eyes "Yes, Tony. I don't mean your government's useless military; I'm talking about the people who can actually make a difference!"
"Calm down, Angie. This isn't the Chitauri. This is just one man."
"We don't know that for sure," she sighed "Anyway, it's not like either of us can stop Steve and Natasha from getting involved if things go sideways."
She seemed quite agitated. It made Tony wonder if he was right to take it so lightly. Perhaps the threat was worse than either of them could fathom right now. If it wasn't for Angie, he probably wouldn't have given it the time of day.
They stayed quiet for a second as he ran a hand along her bare arm, trying to communicate a bit of reassurance.
"So, no portals, no Tesseract this time... just an old school spaceship?"
Her eyes followed the movement of his hand on her skin. She looked up to meet his gaze "I guess so."
⁂
➾ Meanwhile, Thousands of Miles Away from Earth, Somewhere in the Orbit of Planet Hala
Out from the thick windows of the spaceship, a hundred little specks of light dotted the dark vastness of space. The stars provided the only source of light onto the main deck. He preferred it that way. The artificial neons always took away from the beauty of the scenery outside.
The Hellhound might've spent most of his life on spaceships; somehow, contemplating the murky abyss was something he never grew tired of. It always cleared his mind.
The main deck was gloomily deserted, with the exception of his own dark figure by the window.
He let out a silent sigh, thinking back to his last assignment. Lord Thanos had been generous. The Mercenary was one of his best spaceships and he'd given it to him without hesitation. The Mad Titan didn't hold back on his rewards when he was handed new planets to rule over. It was a matter of asking at the right time.
As good as the ship was though, it didn't make up for the incompetent fools of his aircrew.
He couldn't believe they had managed to mess up the trajectory so badly. The Mercenary had been stranded on Hala's orbit for days and he was seriously starting to lose patience. Some necks would need to be mauled off if things didn't move along quickly.
He was brought out of his reflexion by the sound of boots hitting the floor. It was Lieutenant Rodren Polak, the Second-in-Command of the spaceship.
The Hellhound almost smirked as he turned around to face him. Rodren Polak was an impressive block; built like a damn brick house. He was also a pompous piece of shit who loved to beat down whoever was lower than his rank. But when it came to the Hellhound, he always cowered like a worm. They all did.
"The technicians detected an engine malfunction, my General," the Lieutenant let out in one breath.
"An engine malfunction?!" he snapped.
Polak's eyes were now riveted to the floor "Y-yes, my General. There was a sudden depressurization once we entered Hala's orbit. The turbines got damaged. It will be another few days before they fix it."
"More delay?!" he roared, clenching his fist tightly "Is anyone on this ship capable of doing their job correctly?!"
Polak was practically squirming "I'm sorry m-my General. This is out of our control!"
The Hellhound grabbed him by the throat, forcing the man to look him in the eyes — into his dark pupils, where specks of gold now appeared. The sight made all colors drain from Polak's face. He, along with everyone on this ship, knew what it meant when the Hellhound's eyes turned golden.
"When I find who's at fault for stranding us on this bloody orbit, I will tear them to shreds until there is nothing left; do you understand me?!" he barked as his palms closed in tighter on the man's neck.
The Second-in-Command's mouth opened and closed several times but no sound would come out. He only managed to nod frantically, letting out a long breath of relief when the grip on his throat was released.
"Leave," the General let out in a low voice that chilled Polak to the bone.
He practically darted away from sight, almost amazed that the Hellhound let him see another day.
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-L