Arachnophobia

3.9

                                      Alex
Two weeks later

"Say hi to Auntie Nat and Alex!" Nat's phone played a video of Laura's new child. The baby has been named Nathaniel Pietro Barton.

"Fat." Nat said, and I chuckled.

"One of our tech boys with the help of Parker flagged this, splashed down in the Banda Sea. Could be the Quinjet. But with Stark's stealth tech, we still can't track the damn thing." Fury said as Nat put her phone away.

"Right."

"Probably jumped out and swam to Fiji. He'll send a postcard."

"Wish you were here." You sent me to recruit him, way back when. Did you know then what was going to happen?"

"You never know. You hope for the best and make do with what you get. I got a great team."

"Nothing lasts forever." Nat said and I nodded.

"Never." I sighed, rubbing my temples.

"Trouble, Miss Romanoff and Parker. No matter who wins or loses, trouble still comes around." Fury said, and I left the two. The facility Stark had built for us was charming. Avengers Compound.

It was large, yes. I would be moving into my new room today. It was close, thank god. My plans were coming together perfectly to surprise May.

"The rules have changed." Steve said as I walked with him, Tony, and Thor.

"We're dealing with something new." Tony breathed.

"Well, the Vision's artificial intelligence." Steve said.

"A machine!" Tony interjected.

"So it doesn't count." Steve said, referring to when Vision had lifted mjölnir.

"No. It's not like a person lifting the hammer."

"Right. Different rules for us."

"Nice guy, but artificial." I grumbled, and Tony and Thor looked at me as if they saw a ghost. I kept walking.

"Thank you!" Steve exclaimed.

"I'm sorry, did I just hear Alex Parker speak after, what a while of knowing each other?" Tony said, lowering his glasses.

"If he can wield the hammer, he can keep the Mind Stone. It's safe with the Vision and these days, safe is in short supply." Thor said, and everyone seemed to groan.

"But if you put the hammer in an elevator..."

"It would still go up."

"Elevator's not worthy."

"I'm going to miss these little talks of ours." Thor smiled, his cape waving around as he walked.

"Well, not if you don't leave."

"I have no choice. The Mind Stone is the fourth of the Infinity Stones to show up in the last few years. That's not a coincidence. Someone has been playing an intricate game and has made pawns of us. But once all these pieces are in position..."

"Triple Yahtzee?"

"You think you can find out what's coming?"

"I do." In reference to Stark. "Besides this one, there's nothing that can't be explained." Thor returns to Asgard, and the Bifrost burns a sigil in the grass he was standing on. Tony groaned.

"That man has no regard for lawn maintenance. I'm gonna miss him though. And you're gonna miss me. There's gonna be a lot of manful tears." Tony said as we walked over towards Stark's car, which was self-driving itself over.