A while after we'd made our plans, Steve had gone up to the top of the dam. When Steve had been up there for a while, Sam went up to join him, leaving the rest of us behind.

Tony and I were supposed to make stuff for the team to use. We went to room that was clearly set up to be a makeshift engineering facility of some sort, with technological parts everywhere. We sat in swivel chairs with a list, but before that, Tony had some questions.

“So this is alien tech?” Tony held my wrist, looking at the Omnitrix.

“Made by the Galvan scientist, Azmuth,” I confirmed.

“Huh,” Tony let go of my wrist. “Kid, can you just take that off so I can look at it already?”

“You gonna let me try out an suit?” I quipped.

“Sure, I got some Armani's I'm probably gonna give to Goodwill soon,” Tony said.

“I meant-”

“I know what you meant,” Tony snarked. “And no. Just show me how it works.”

I opened up the dial. The hologram of Swampfire showed up, and I pressed down on it. In a second, I was the tall and broad plant creature.

“Swampfire!”

“What, you have to call out the name every time you change?” Tony asked. Then he blinked. “Also, what the hell is that smell?”

“First, it's tradition,” I said in my nasally voice. “Second, it's me. I'm a Methanosian, we smell like that.”

“What, so you can smell like literal crap?” Tony sounded nasally too, though it was because he was holding his nose.

I frowned, somehow insulted. “No. I produce several gases due to my bodies compostition. Some of them smell. But one lets me do this,” I held up a hand and let a flame loose. “I may be plant based,” I raised my other hand and sprouted a flower from the palm, making it red and gold just for Tony. “But I also produce methane I can ignite.”

“Huh,” Tony put his hand down, leaning closer to look at the Omnitrix now resting on my chest. “And you can switch to another form?”

“Yeah,” I put out the flame, and handed the flower to Tony.

He blinked, staring at it. “Uh, I'm flattered Fanboy, but-”

“It's for Pepper, you ass,” I rolled my eyes, tapping the Omnitrix.

“So much for being your favorite Avenger,” Tony quipped. He looked up from the flower to me. Then a little further up. “Huh. That is impressive.”

I was Blitzwolfer again. I stretched upwards and smiled as savagely as I could. Which was pretty damn savagely. “Thanks. So yeah, I can change.”

“I really wish I had time to study how you do that,” Tony said with a grimace. “Okay, let's get to business,” he turned away to pick up a tablet Maria had handed him. “Time to waste my skills making a bunch of things you can find in a grocery store.”

“Or...”

Tony looked over at me. “Or?”

“I mean, we have to make stuff. Why not go all out?” I growled.

He spun in his swivel chair. “...I'm listening.”

Nothing does a vicious grin the way a wolf does. I reached for the Omnitrix and changed once more.

“Let's get to work!” I said, laughing maniacally. “Time to disassemble!”

Tony stared at me for a moment. “Huh. Nice shirt.”

------

January 12, 2014

We'd had 20 hours when we'd been picked up by HYDRA. We had four left now. Tony and Rhodey were getting their suits while the rest of us packed up our own gear. Bored, I'd gravitated towards Steve when he returned from a mission of his own, leading to the two of us in the costume room. I was leaning against a rack of clown costumes while Steve put on his suit.

On any other day, wondering what the hell kind of assassin/spy needs a clown costume would have been my question. But I had other issues.

“Steve, I'm not sure it's exactly kosher to do that,” I said as I stared at when Steve was putting on.

“Well, I did own it,” he gave me a grin. “Besides, I'll put it back when I'm done. I'm basically adding history to it.”

“That is not how it works,” I said. “I mean, what if someone gets fired?”

Steve stopped for a moment. Then he shook his head. “I'll cover it. Besides, my other suit is torn up from when I had to escape the Triskelion.”

He was putting on his World War 2 suit, stolen from fucking Smithsonian.

“That's not the real reason.”

We looked over to see Natasha walking in wearing all navy blue. A skirt, jacket, and shirt. And some pearl and and gold necklaces that glimer slightly as she walked catlike into the room. She was holding a wig in one hand, short and blonde. She stepped closer, looking closely at Steve.

After a moment, he answered. “Bucky... he might need a reminder. The closer I look to how I was back then, maybe...” He turned to look at his helmet. “...Maybe it'll be easier for him to remember me.”

Natasha and I didn't say anything. He seemed to take it as acceptance, which it was. He picked up the helmet. With a feeling of ceremony, he put it on.

Captain America, in full costume. The stars and stripes, right down to the star on his chest. Awesome.

“Stop grinning like that,” Natasha said, punching me lightly in the shoulder. “It's creepy.”

“Sorry,” I replied.

She smiled, then nodded towards my right pectoral. “I see you found that spray paint you wanted.”

I looked down and smiled. It was a bit rough. But now the symbol of the Omnitrix rested on my chest in green and black. It had dripped a bit as it dried, but it looked good.

“Yeah. Can't be the only one of us without a cool costume after all. I'll leave that to you,” I said. Then I looked at Black Widow, looking her up and down dramatically. “Kinda funny, you having to play elderly politician. Although I was sorta looking forward to the leather.”

“Well, play your cards right...” Natasha's red lips lifted just slightly.

I blinked, not knowing how to respond. That just made her eyes glimmer. She turned to walk away.

“Uh...” I looked at Steve, who was smirking at me. “I don't understand what just happened.”

“She has that effect,” Steve noted. He stepped forward and put his hand on my shoulder, walking me out. “Come on. If all ninety-six years hasn't taught me anything about woman, a couple minutes talking won't help either.”

“Weren't you trapped under ice for seventy of those years?” I groused.

“Details.”

Out on the floor, Tony and Rhodey came toward us with another man. Happy Hogan. I recognized him from hacking into Stark Industries... Man, that felt like a lifetime ago, just patrolling in New York City and watching for any changes. Hopefully I'd be able to do that again one day.

Happy was about my height, with a heavy build, a black suit, and slightly balding hair. I tried to figure out if he looked like an actor I knew, but none came to mind, which was almost a relief.

“Steve, you've met Happy,” Tony said, walking by us quickly.

“Hey Howard,” Steve said as Happy strode into the room. “Uh, Tony?” Tony stopped to look at Steve, as did Rhodey and Happy. “I thought we were keeping it confidential? That was our agreement.”

“It's okay,” Tony waved a hand dismissively. “Happy's my guy, so he gets to know about this.”

“And you don't even discuss it with us?” Steve asked, affronted.

“Dude,” I added, giving Tony the same look. Happy and Rhodey shared a look, both apparently understanding where we were coming from.

“Oh, I'm sorry, 'dude', is the guy who hacked my company and Happy's email for weeks extending an opinion?” Tony asked pointedly.

“Wait, what happened now?” Happy looked at me, stepping closer.

“Hey, I was spying on him in case some guy tried to kidnap the president again,” I said briskly. “If people had been listening to Happy from the start, things might have ended better.”

“Thank you!” Happy raised his hands dramatically, looking at Tony. “You see if people had listened to me-”

“You see what you did?” Tony told me.

“If people had just listened-”

“I did listen, that's how I found out how Killian was doing the bombs!”

“Yeah, and then I was in a coma!”

“You want to do this now, in front of Fanboy and Cap?”

“Hell, bring Natasha in too.”

“For the love of... Happy!”

The two walked away, bickering, leaving Rhodey silently shaking his shoulders in laughter. He waited until they'd left to turn to Steve, who seemed stuck between exasperated and amused.

“So, yeah,” Rhodey said. “Happy brought our suits over. We'll be ready to go.”

“Yeah about that,” I said. “Didn't Tony blow up his suits? I mean, I remember reading about it in the news.”

“He did,” Rhodey looked over at his friend. “But he just can't stop making more. Pepper complains about it.”

I thought about Pepper Potts. Then I thought about Rescue, the superhero identity Pepper would eventually take on. Hell, she did really good work as Rescue.

Something for the future.

“Okay, come on,” Cap patted me on the back. “Time to get started.”

“Actually, can I talk to him?” Rhodey said.

Steve and I looked at Rhodey.

“Uh, sure,” I said. Rhodey waved me over to another section of the room, and we walked over to one of the damp hallways.

“I'm going to be blunt about this,” Rhodey said simply. “I don't think you should go.”

That was not what I expected at all. “Wait, what?”

“I don't think this mission is one you should go on,” he said firmly.

“Are you kidding?” Rhodey shook his head. “I'm one of the strongest members of our team! I mean, I know I'm new, but I can do a lot of good!”

“I'm not saying that-”

“Hell, I'm already on HYDRA's hitlist, I deserve to fight!”

“And kill?”

“...”

“Because this isn't a fight. This is a war,” Rhodey shook his head. “I know you're powerful. Natasha told me what you could do. But I remember what my first kill was like. And it doesn't matter what happens, it still changed me. I don't want that changing you too.”

I heard footsteps behind me. When I turned, Steve and Sam were standing there.

“You guys agree with him?”

Sam didn't say anything, just looking between Rhodey and me. Steve opened his mouth, then closed it after a bit of hesitation.

“It's not about how powerful you are,” Rhodey said. “But if you join, then there will be a point where things will come down to killing or dying. And if I allowed you to just dive into this without warning you about what could happen...”

He trailed off. I looked at Steve.

“Cap, I-”

He held up a hand. I stopped talking. “Are you going?”

“Yes,” I didn't hesitate. “I know I might have to... to kill people. I don't like the idea. But I can't stand by and not help.”

“Yeah, I know what that's like.” Steve shook his head. “I felt the same way when I joined.”

“Same,” Sam said.

Rhodey nodded reluctantly.

“Just know, that afterward... You have someone to talk to if you need it.” Steve said.

“I still don't like it,” Rhodey said.

“I know,” I told him. I clenched my fist. “But I'm still going.”

War. Ready or not, it was time to go.

------

The Triskelion really was pretty. From our position in a forest nearby, I could see it across the river. Something about it just screamed of authority and strength.

Too bad it was going to be a warzone soon.

“Okay, this is where we split,” Steve said.

There were six of us. Captain America, Iron Man, War Machine, Maria Hill, Sam Wilson, and me.

We stopped for a moment. “Everyone has their comm systems on?”

“Yep,” I said. “Well, the Omnitrix is connecting well.”

“Was it really necessary to make these so powerful?” Sam asked, tapping at his ear.

He had a point. When Tony and Jury Rigg had made comm links, they went crazy with them.

They looked like small ear buds. Elegant design really, only thanks to Tony curbing Jury Rigg's antics. Crystal clear sound, it could pick up the vibrations of the bones in the jaw so even whispering was heard clearly, unable to be picked up by any comm system on Earth we didn't want it to. Oh, and it was FTL in speed, and could project in deep space through quantum entanglement, even pierce through a mountain's worth of material to still connect.

“Hey, you want my best or something you can find out of a Radio Shack?” Tony said, his Iron Man mask flipped up.

Oh yeah. Tony and Rhodey were in their suits.

God, the suits were so badass. Iron Man in the classic red and gold, all sleek and shiny, with an upside-down triangular light in the center representing the arc reactor that powered the suit. It gave him a presence that matched with Cap's. Almost as though Tony was magnified in every respect by the suit.

War Machine was different. Black and somber gray to Iron Man's flashy red and gold. Bulky instead of sleek, with a square light in the chest, and a massive minigun on his right shoulder. His forearms also carried a pair of guns. If Tony would have looked right at home with a sleek sci-fi movie, Rhodey belonged to a more gritty cyberpunk noir. All business.

More importantly, I was staring at some of the coolest suits in fiction. Oh, wait. I was staring.

I looked back at the Triskelion. Mission time man. Gotta focus.

“Okay, enough talk,” Steve said. He looked over us. “You all know what to do. Launch.”

------

Inside the Triskelion, things should have been going smoothly. Everyone would infiltrate, beginning our assault by disrupting HYDRA from the start. It was probably very intense.

“God, this is so boring,” Tony grumbled next to me. “How can something so intense be so boring?”

“It's just how it goes, Tony,” Rhodey said. “'Hurry up and wait.' It's one of the oldest military adages, man.”

Tony grunted.

The three of us had taken a spot in the forest to wait for our signal. Once it came, we had some of the most important roles in the attack. But for now, it was just the three of us watching the Triskelion in the distance.

The wind blew through the trees, rustled the grass, and blew ripples across the water. For a moment, we sat in peace.

“...Yeah, this is boring,” I finally admitted.

“You see!?” Tony said to Rhodey, who sighed in annoyance.

“I really wish I could see what everyone else was doing,” I grumbled.

Well, maybe they'd tell me about it later.

------

Sam Wilson/Falcon

As he followed Captain America through the Triskelion, Sam had to admit he was having a weird couple of days. Even the Air Force couldn't provide the training needed to prepare for all of what he was going through.

A guy who could turn into aliens, Iron Man and War Machine, SHIELD actually being HYDRA, suddenly getting drafted into making a new espionage organization.

As the three went around the next corner, Sam found himself shaking his head. “I really didn't expect this to be how my day would go.”

“Yeah,” Steve said as they hurried forward. “It's not what I expected either. But you get used to it.”

“I doubt that,” Maria said, the spy wearing her blue uniform with the SHIELD symbol on the shoulders. “But then, I was about ready to destroy SHIELD yesterday,” Maria looked at Steve. “Are you sure about this? Making a new SHIELD?”

“No,” Steve said. They turned another corner. “But we do need something. Once the dust settles, we can decide what to make of it all. For now, let's hope the toys Tony and Mahmoud made pull through.”

“I hope so,” Sam looked at the device hanging on Maria's hip. “It doesn't look like much.”

Maria looked down as well. The device looked like a metal pirate symbol, with an 'X' welded haphazardly attached to the back of a bulbous object reminiscent of a human skull.

“Doesn't matter how it looks,” Maria said. “As long as it works.”

At that moment, she raised a hand holding a square object and pressed a button. They came to a door, Sam pulling out one of his Steyr SPP machine pistols, Maria a Glock 19, and both pointed the gun at the door, Steve in-between them, shield at the ready.

The door opened to reveal a skinny young man with dark skin, wearing a SHIELD uniform and hat. He stared at them in shock.

“Excuse us,” Steve quipped.

The young man raised his hands up and stepped aside hurriedly, letting them pass.

“Okay,” Steve said as he stepped inside. The technicians in the room turned and stared at him. “I'm going to need this room. If you all could kindly head out, I'd appreciate it.”

Whether it was the guns, Steve's politeness, or the dichotomy of both, the technicians ran out of the door.

“Okay, Maria,” Steve nodded towards her. Maria nodded back, heading to a computer while taking the device at her hips in her hands.

“I'll watch the doors,” Sam said. He moved to the center of the room and pulled out his other gun. “Do your thing, Steve.”

“On it,” Steve waited until Maria had plugged in the device. It came to life.

“Ready when you are sir,” X said from his newly modified home.

“Okay...” Steve took a deep breath. Then he hit the intercom. And X began his work.

A British voice spoke from the device. “This is Jarvis. We are beginning our assault, Miss Hill.”

“Yeah,” Maria stared at the screen as files began to pop in and out of existence on the monitor. “I uh... I can see that.”

“I really hope we didn't just upload Skynet,” Sam whispered to himself, trying to stay ready.

Steve sighed. “For once, I don't feel good about understanding the reference.”