Frostbite

Three

Bruce and I cautiously made our way through the renovated headquarters, unsure who we'd find. We entered the meeting room, but it was empty. It was weird being here without the others. A soft clearing of a throat made us spin around.

"Rhodey!" I cried, unable to hide my grin as I rushed forward. We embraced briefly, while he did return the enthusiasm, it quickly faded.

"I'm glad to see you guys," he inclined his head to Bruce, and they grasped hands, "It's been a while man. But where's Tony? The attack is all over the news. There are agents out looking for you since you were spotted out there. What the hell is going on?"

We quickly explained everything, and he fell back into a nearby chair as he processed the information. He rubbed his temples and exhaled a large breath. It was a lot to take in.

"When will the others be here?" he asked Bruce.

"Cap said to give them a few hours."

There was a shrill ringing and Rhodey said "Alright, that's a video conference from Secretary Ross, so you'll have to make yourselves scarce.

"Understood," I saluted, dragging Bruce behind me as we hurried from the room. We got well out of the way and turned on a tv to the first news station that popped up.

It played in the background as we sat there waiting. We talked for a while, both of us sharing our experiences over the past few years. I couldn't remember the last time I had talked so much. Bruce seemed relieved after voicing so much aloud that he hadn't before.

Something suddenly caught my eye on the tv, and I turned to watch as the story changed. Bruce turned the volume up and leaned forward, listening. It was Scotland. There was an alien ship hovering over Edinburgh.

I jumped from my seat and slid my sling ring on, transforming back into my robes. I conjured a dark cloak as well, pulling the oversized hood up. It had only been a few months since I had been in Scotland. I didn't need to be easily recognized. A small spell would keep it in place.

"Uh- what are you doing?" Bruce demanded, quickly getting to his feet as well.

"That could be them. Tony, Stephen, and Peter have to be there," I replied, studying the surroundings on the screen.

"We're extremely understaffed. What if they're not even on the ship anymore? We need a better plan than just dropping in!" he exclaimed, hoping to reason with me. I just shook my head and began the motions to open the portal.

"I'm not leaving them," I answered firmly, meeting his eyes briefly with a wry smile, "and no one said we."

Before he could get another word in, I stepped through the portal, and it vanished behind me. It was dark out, not a soul outside as I glanced around for a sign of anything. Shouting and a flash of red caught my attention. I sprinted in that direction.

When I came around the corner, I spotted two figures fighting in the street. The red, wispy magic was a dead giveaway. They had found Wanda and Vision; they were here for the mind stone. These weren't the same minions from before, either. Brick crumbled as Vision fought on a rooftop with one of them. Wanda deflected the other from nearly stabbing her with the spear in her hand.

She hadn't spotted me yet. I held out my own hand, summoning Poseidon's trident. She cried out as I dashed through a portal and knocked her aside, slicing her upper arm. She turned her attention on me, and I didn't glance back.