𝐒𝐎𝐋𝐀𝐑 𝐄𝐂𝐋𝐈𝐏𝐒𝐄 ➳ 𝙥𝙟𝙤 // 𝙖𝙫𝙚𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙧𝙨

i

❝ 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭𝐬 𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐤𝐞 ,, 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐢𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐳𝐞 - 𝐥𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐚𝐥𝐥 ,, 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐦𝐞. ❞

"We have to stop Clint," Natasha sighed rubbing her temple. Steve paced around Natasha's desk and she glared at him. He stopped immediately. 

"How many did he kill today?" Steve asked.

"Three." 

"Damnit, Clint," Steve muttered. "It's been a week. How much longer is he gonna keep this up?"

"I don't know if it's Clint, Steve," Bruce grimaced. He turned the laptop towards Nat and Steve and they glanced at it with wide eyes. The footage showed a teenage boy with pale skin, jet black unruly hair, and an aviator's jacket shooting one of the country's most wanted criminals in the head and then disappearing into the shadows.

"We ran a facial recognition scan, and according to that, the kid's name is Nico di Angelo - and he was born in 1932."

"How is that... how is that possible?" Natasha asked, eyes wide.

"How am I possible?" Steve joked sadly.

Natasha looked at him. "You were frozen in ice. We would've known if another super soldier was running around."

"He's not a super soldier," Bruce muttered. Typing something into his laptop and turning it around to face them, the screen displayed video footage of this 'Nico di Angelo' fighting what looked like a giant bull on two legs, wielding a smoking black sword. 

"Oh my God," Steve stared at Bruce. "Who is this kid?"

"He's only 14 years younger than you," Natasha reminded him. She tossed her red-blonde hair over her shoulder and glanced at the empty chair behind her.

"I forgot about that," Steve grimaced. "But whatever he's doing, it looks like he's killing the world's most wanted criminals. Are you sure we should be going after him?"

"He's killing them, Steve," Bruce looked at him urgently. "Not taking them in, not tying them up for the government to have. Killing them. Permanently."

"That's what killing is, Sherlock," Steve snapped. Bruce shrunk back, and Nat put a hand on his shoulder. Steve rubbed the bridge of his nose with a groan.

"I'm sorry, Bruce. It's just, first Peggy, then Bucky... I had him back and then I lost him again. I just..."

Nat rubbed circles on his back, and he smiled at her sadly.

"Clint was the first friend I ever had, and God knows where he is right now. I can't imagine... He lost his wife, his kids..." she shook her head and a blank expression swept over her face. "About this guy. What does he call himself?"

"He doesn't. But everywhere he goes, the only thing people can find is the stench of death, the shadow of a skull wearing a crown, and a skull ring lying next to the victim." Bruce showed them a clip of Nico di Angelo murdering a serial killer wanted for many crimes.

"We have to take him in," Natasha stood up at her desk and Steve looked at her solemnly. 

"He's a kid, and this is what I'm against, but... it's what Bucky would've wanted. The crime stopped in the world."

"Bucky..." Bruce muttered, before getting to his feet. "Did we consider that this kid could be a brainwashed mutant?"

The three looked at each other before Natasha grabbed the keys to the Quinjet. 

"Let's go save this kid."