Begrudging Friends // TFATWS

01

Six months after Endgame

[New World Order]

Birds chirped as a man was ironing his white button-down shirt.

Sam Wilson put on his shirt, then his suit jacket as he stared at himself in the mirror.

In the sunlight, Captain America's shield caught his attention and he stared at it.

He went to pick the shield up and hesitated a moment before doing so. He held it in both hands and put it in a bag, zipping the bag up.

He remembered Old Steve asking, "How does it feel?"

Sam answered, "Like it's someone else's."

"It isn't."

---

In a plane, the Major said, "The criminal organization known as LAF is targeting Captain Vasant, one of our military liaisons."

"LAF?" Sam wondered.

"Yeah, they're high-powered. We lost contact with Vasant's plane just after it took off." The two looked at a screen with an image of the plane. "We need you to make sure that LAF doesn't deliver on their threat." Sam walked towards the other end of the plane, followed by Nia. "Vasant's plane has already entered Tunisian airspace." The Major followed Sam and Nia towards the exit. "US military cannot be seen operating out there."

"I got it." The door buzzed as Sam went to open it. "You guys fly low, drop me and Nia off, we fly up to intercept. No treaties violated."

"First Lieutenant Torres, our intel officer, will be helping on the ground." Sam put on his goggles. "And Sam, Nia, this has to be subtle."

"Subtle. Got it." He fell out of the plane on his back.

Nia saluted with a smirk as she dropped from the plane in a flying suit of her own. "Let's go, Birdie."

Sam chuckled. "Nia, the nicknames have got to stop."

"Oh, please. That wasn't that bad."

"Not insulting really, but you've been more creative in the past."

"Mission now, flirt later."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Oh, God, don't call me that. It makes me feel old like my mom."

"You're literally in your 70s."

"So?"

Mid-drop, he and Nia flipped onto their stomachs and released their wings.

On the ground while riding in a car, Lieutenant Torres looked through binoculars and saw Falcon and Blitzfire flying.

"Sam, Nia, Torres here," Lieutenant Torres said. "Sending intel to your HUDs right now." He did so. "I'll be your boots on the ground, sir, miss."

Sam continued flying and shot up. "We got eyes on a plane. Any sign of LAF?"

"Nah. Nothing yet. But I'll keep tracking the chatter."

Propellers roared as Sam and Nia flew closer to the plane. They looked through the cockpit window to see a dead man and another man who glanced out.

"They've already hijacked the plane," Sam and Nia informed.

Torres lowered his binoculars. "Oh, we're gonna need to call some people."

The man flying the plane noticed Sam and Nia peeking in and jumped, letting out a gasp. Sam and Nia flew off.