Captain America: Civil War (Charlotte Stark)

Ch. 8 Leipzig Pt. 1

Steve and I were on the move across the tarmac toward the helicopter when a small projectile streaked down out of the sky and hit it behind the rotors. All its electrical systems shorted out, and, side by side, Iron Man and War Machine dropped down in front of it.

"Wow," Iron Man said. He retracted the faceplate of his helmet. "It's so weird how you run into people at the airport." He turned to War Machine. "Don't you just feel weird?"

"Definitely weird," he agreed.

"Hear me out, Tony," I said. "That doctor, the psychiatrist, he's behind all of this."

Black Panther sprang into view, dropping from the top of a hangar to land near Iron Man and War Machine. "Captain," he said.

Steve nodded at him. "Your Highness."

"Anyway," Iron Man said, "Ross gave me thirty-six hours to bring you two in. That was twenty-four hours ago. Can you help a brother out?"

"You're after the wrong guy," Steve said.

But Tony wasn't listening. "Your judgment is askew. Your war buddy killed innocent people yesterday."

"And there are five more Super-Soldiers just like him. I can't let the doctor find them first, Tony. I can't." I tell him. It wasn't about the Sokovia Accords anymore. It was about doing the right thing. About standing like a tree and saying, No, you move.

"Steve, Charlie." We turned to see Nat behind us. "You know what's about to happen." She gave him one last chance. "Do you really want to punch your way out of this one?"

We didn't answer. Iron Man waited as long as he could, then said, "All right, I've run out of patience. Underoos!"

Right on cue, Spider-Man swung down from another hangar rooftop, snagging Cap's shield with a web and reeling it in as he landed on top of the helicopter. While he was flipping overhead, he also bound Cap and I's hands together with a second glob of webbing.

"Nice job, kid," Iron Man called out.

"Thanks," Spider-Man said. "Well, I could've stuck the landing a little better. It's... just the new suit... Well, it's nothing, Mr. Stark. It's perfect, thank you."

"Yeah, we don't really need to start a conversation," Iron Man said. The kid needed to settle his nerves. He was in the big leagues now.

"Okay. Cap... Captain. Big fan. I'm Spider-Man."

"Yeah, we'll talk about it later," Iron Man said.

Spider-Man couldn't stop quite yet. "Just... Hey, everyone."

"Good job," Iron Man said again, cutting him off. God, he really was just a kid.

"You've been busy," Steve observed. We didn't try to get out of the webbing. The important thing was to face Iron Man and his team, and stay cool while the rest of our plan fell into place.

"And you've been a complete idiot," Tony snapped. "Dragging in Clint. Rescuing Wanda from a place she doesn't even want to leave. A safe place. Filling my sisters head with your nonsense." I cut him off.

"I'm getting sick and tired of you thinking I can't make my own decisions."

Tony then continues. "I'm trying to keep... I'm trying to keep you from tearing the Avengers apart." He got emotional at the end of his little speech. It hadn't hit him until right then how much we meant to him.

But Captain America wasn't backing down. "You did that when you signed," he said.

"All right, I'm done." Iron Man had tried talking. Now he was going to issue some orders. "You're going to turn Barnes over and you're going to come with us. Now! Because it's us!" He paused, and whispered, "Our a squad of JSOC guys, with no compunction about being impolite."

We still didn't move... until we heard Falcon's voice in his ear. "We found it. The Quinjet's in Hangar Five, north runway." Redwing's remote surveillance had come through again.

Cap and I raised both webbed arms over our heads. From an elevated position on the other side of the tarmac, Hawkeye loosed an arrow, which split the webbing and freed Cap and I's hands. Now it was time.

"All right, Lang," he said.

Ant-Man, appropriately ant-size, was on the rim of Cap's shield. Spider-Man looked down, noticing him. "Hey, guys, there's something—"

He didn't get any further. Flashing back to full size, Ant-Man knocked Spider-Man off the helicopter and somersaulted backward to land next to Cap with the shield in his hand. "I believe this is yours, Captain America."

I immediately flew up and met with Bucky and Sam inside one of the airport terminals.

"How'd it go?" Sam asked me.

"About as good as can be expected." I inform them. Then Bucky looks to both of us.

"We gotta go." He says then all of us start to make a run for it.

Bucky saw Spider-Man crawling fast along the outside of the terminal window. "What was that?"

"Everyone's got a gimmick now," Falcon said. A split second later, Spider-Man crashed through the window and leveled him with a flying kick. He got up just as Bucky was taking a swing with his cybernetic arm. Spider-Man caught it in his palm. Bucky's eyes widened. That took a lot more strength than he would have expected from this kid, who sounded like he was about fourteen.

"You have a metal arm?" Spider-Man was amazed. "That is awesome, dude!"

He didn't have a chance to say more because I hit him hard from the side and, flew up toward the terminal roof. "You have the right to remain silent!" Spider-Man yelled over the noise.

Spider-Man and I fought an aerial battle throughout the open terminal. Bucky threw a heavy piece of steel at Spider-Man, who caught it and called out, "Hey, buddy, I think you lost this!" When the Winter Soldier peeked out from cover, the steel sheet buried itself in the pillar next to his head.

Falcon came after him, but Spider-Man webbed up his wings and he crashed through a kiosk. As Falcon tried to get up, Spider-Man quickly webbed both of his hands to the railing behind him. I land next to Sam, in hopes to in web him, but the kid webs me up too. Then the boy couldn't help himself. He was too curious. "Are those wings carbon fiber?"

Sam, astonished, had questions of his own. He looked at the webbing. "Is this stuff coming out of you?"

Spider-Man was still talking, a full nerd rush. "That would explain the rigidity-flexibility ratio, which, gotta say, that's awesome, man."

"I don't know if you've been in a fight before, but there's usually not this much talking." I tell him.

"All right, sorry, my bad." Spider-Man saw Bucky coming out of cover to help. He plowed into both of them, knocking them down to the baggage-claim level. Quickly, he webbed Bucky's metal arm to the floor and stuck Sam and I's arms to our sides.

"Guys, look," he said. "I'd love to keep this up, but I've only got one job here today, and I gotta impress Mr. Stark, so I'm really sorry."

Whatever else he was going to do, Spider-Man never got the chance. Redwing shot into view and caught Spider-Man, dragging him by his own webs through the window and out into the open air. "Aaaahhhh!" he shouted as he disappeared.

Lying on the floor, Bucky said, "You couldn't have done that earlier?"

Falcon paused. "I hate you."

"Both of you can shut up." I pant out.

"How the hell did a teenager just take the three of us down?" Sam asks.

"That was not a normal teenager." Buck says.

"Whatever he is, I gotta give him mad props." I add, then take a blow torch out of my utility belt and slice through the webbing. I then turn to both men and help them too.