thursday 9th of june 2016

"Here they come." Wanda muttered, glancing out the window.

"Finally." J.D muttered, before glancing down at Scott in a mixture of amusement and disgust. He had been asleep since they arrived in Saxony, missing out on when they dropped the suitcases off at the hotel, only bringing their uniforms and gear. "This guy's been drooling on me, you'd think a grown man would know how to control his saliva."

"That's gross." Clint pulled a face, before glancing back at her. "Stay here while Wanda and I talk to Cap."

"You got it." J.D responded, and Wanda sent the girl a soft smile before exiting the van.

"Cap." She heard Clint say from inside the vehicle.

"You know I wouldn't have called if I had any other choice." Someone unfamiliar replied, and J.D almost smiled at the new voice of Captain Fucking America himself. Though it was muffled, it was definitely a voice she wouldn't mind hearing again.

"You're doing me a favour. Besides, I owe a debt." Clint responded easily.

"Thanks for having my back." The Captain said and J.D leaned against the headrest, bored and wanting to see what was going on behind the door.

"It was time to get off my ass." Wanda's accent was thrown in the mix.

"How about our other recruits?" Captain America asked, but J.D missed it, as she was rubbing her tired eyes. Suddenly the door was swung open and both she and Scott jumped, the latter only just waking up. She sighed in relief at the weight leaving her lap, and she yawned in the natural light.

"-had to put a little coffee in the old one, but he should be good." Clint announced and Scott groaned, blinking tiredly and pulling himself up. He left the van first, J.D in suit.

"What time zone is this?" He asked, his voice scratchy. J.D rolled her eyes and jumped out, her converse-clad feet hitting still ground.

"Come on." Clint mumbled, before shoving him forward. "Come on."

J.D folded her arms as she stood behind Scott awkwardly. She looked around with squinty eyes, seeing a blue sky and several parking levels. Noticing Scott's hesitation, she subtly nudged him forward with her shoulder, so he was closer to the Captain. She didn't want to make eye contact with any of his intimidating friends just yet, so she kept her eyes either to the ground or to the parking lot.

"Hey, Captain America!" Scott finally gaped, and began to shake the tall blond's hand.

"Mr. Lang." The buff man replied, and J.D swallowed nervously. He sounded very serious.

"It's an honour." Scott rushed out, before looking down at their hands. "I'm shaking your hand too long. Wow! This is awesome!" He looked back at Wanda and J.D. "Captain America! I know you, too. You're great."

Wanda smiled as he turned back around. Though it was a small comment, she felt her spirits lifted.

Scott reached forward and squeezed the superhero's biceps. Same, J.D thought. "Jeez. Ah, look, I wanna say, I know you know a lot of super people, so, thinks for thanking of me." He looked around Captain America and saw Sam Wilson, better known as the Falcon. "Hey, man!"

"What's up, Tic Tac?" The bearded man responded, and J.D scratched behind her head, enduring Scott's awkward rambling.

"Good to see you. Look, what happened last time when I..." Scott began, but Falcon was quick to stop him.

"It was a great audition, but it'll never happen again." He interrupted, and J.D knew she would have to ask what happened.

"And who's this?" The Captain sent J.D a kind smile and she nervously glanced up at him, her grey eyes wide.

"Jessica-Diana Purnell. J.D for short." Wanda came up beside J.D and wrapped her arm around the teen's shoulder.

"Steve Rogers." Captain America held his hand out and J.D swallowed before shaking it, her tiny hand engulfed in his large one. "Pleasure to meet you, kid."

"You too, sir." She squeaked and he chuckled deeply, and she met his bright blue eyes, feeling starstruck.

"This is Sam Wilson, and that's James Barnes, but we call him Bucky." Steve pointed to his friends, and J.D sent them both hesitant nods. Sam sent her a wave, and Bucky smiled slightly, though it seemed somewhat pained. Steve looked between J.D and Scott. "They tell you what we're up against?"

"Something about some psycho-assassins?" Scott asked, his eyebrows furrowed.

"We're outside the law on this one." Steve explained. "So if you two come with us, you're wanted people."

"Yeah, well, what else is new?" Scott shrugged carelessly.

Steve looked down at J.D, who placed her hands in her pockets. She pursed her lips, before smiling a little. "I'm a kid in high school, what's there for me to do anyway?"

"Well, if there's any chance we can get you out, we'll take it, but I can't promise your safety." Steve spoke carefully to her, and she nodded.

"I know, and that's okay." She said. "I've made my decision."

"We should get moving." Bucky spoke up, and Steve's eyes lingered on the younger girl reluctantly before he turned to his friend.

"We got a chopper lined up." Clint informed the new trio.

A man began speaking over the PA in German, and J.D looked up at Wanda, neither of them understanding.

"They're evacuating the airport." Bucky stated, easily translating for them.

"Stark." Sam muttered, glancing at Steve.

Steve looked back at Wanda, Clint, Scott and J.D. His face was covered in dirt, and he wore a basic grey shirt and dark pants, plain enough to hide from the law. "Suit up."

+++

"So, what can you do?" Sam asked, as J.D approached him, already in her suit. Steve and Bucky looked over at her as well, showing interest. J.D cleared her throat as she tied her hair in a ponytail.

Without a word, she felt the familiar tingle and her body disappeared in front of them. Steve grinned and Sam hooted excitedly, while Bucky inched forward curiously, though his eyes showed that he was impressed.

"You ready?" Clint asked, and J.D reappeared, turning to see him, Wanda and Scott approaching. They were all in their gear, though Scott looked the oddest. He wore a huge hemet on his head with two points sticking out of the sides. New experiences are always weird, J.D.

"Alright. Scott, J.D, you two are with me. Here's the plan." Steve ushered them towards him and began to explain exactly what they were going to do.

+++

J.D nervously trailed behind Steve, her powers activated. Her dagger was hidden in Steve's utility belt, out of sight. Scott clutched onto the edge of the red, white and blue weapon, and though he wasn't visible to the naked eye, he was definitely there.

"First battle, huh kid?" Steve queried over his shoulder, and J.D was silent for a moment before realising that America's golden boy was talking to her.

"You could say that." She exhaled and he chuckled. They were going to take their chances and get to the helicopter provided, but it was a given that Tony Stark would try and stop them.

"Don't be nervous." He said, and before she could quip back that she wasn't, he spoke again. "I was nervous for my first battle too. Hell, I'm nervous now."

"That's 'cause you're fighting against your own." She responded quietly, and she caught up to Steve just in time to see him purse his lips. "It's nothing you've ever done before."

"Well, it's a new experience for both of us, then." Steve smiled and she couldn't help but grin at the positive attitude the man seemed to have, even it was slightly faked. "You ready?"

"As I'll ever be."

Steve broke into a run, and she did the same, both of them moving out into the open airport tarmac, where six or so planes sat idly.

The helicopter sat in the centre, and the pair ran towards it, but stopped midway when an electronic force hit the top. J.D looked up and gaped at the sight of the Iron Man suit, with War Machine following behind.

They both dropped to the ground, and stood confidently before whom they only assumed was Steve, unknowing to J.D and Scott's presence. Iron Man spoke first. His helmet lifted up and folded into the back of the suit, revealing a beaten face and a funny beard. He turned to his comrade, whose helmet stayed on. "Wow, it's so weird how you run into people at the airport. Don't you think that's weird?"

"Definitely weird." War Machine, or Rhodes (as J.D had been told) responded. His voice was muffled through his helmet, and was released as a sort of distorted, technological sound that was still perfectly understandable.

"That doctor, the psychiatrist, he's behind all of this." Steve began, already trying to bring them to peace. J.D could see that the two men in machines wouldn't go down without a fight, they were already riled up enough.

J.D looked to the side when she saw a figure dressed in all black jump from behind a tow tractor, sticking the landing perfectly. When he lifted his head, J.D saw that his mask was like a cat, lined with a silver metal. His voice was deep and powerful, and J.D was almost intimidated. This wasn't anything like Flash Thompson, these were the Avengers and their superhero friends, they were scary. "Captain."

"Your Highness." Steve responded respectfully, and J.D's eyes widened. No way.

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

"You're after the wrong guy." Steve said calmly, and J.D watched the interaction with her hands at her sides, ready for pretty much anything.

"Your judgement is askew." Tony snarled, looking venomous. "Your old war buddy killed innocent people yesterday."

Bucky? But he seemed so precious? J.D had seen all of the secrets that S.H.I.E.L.D had leaked a couple years back, and the endless news segments on the Winter Soldier, but Bucky hadn't come across as necessarily murderous ten minutes ago.

"And there are five more super soldiers just like him." Steve informed Tony. "I can't let the doctor find them first, Tony. I can't."

"Steve..." J.D saw Natasha Romanoff, or Black Widow emerge from the shadows. She looked regretful, and as if she really didn't want the team to come to this. "You know what's about to happen. Do you really wanna punch your way out of this one?"

Steve was silent, and Tony sighed, before clearing his throat. "All right, I've run out of patience." He cupped his mouth with his hands. "Underoos!"

All of a sudden, an all too familiar webbing hooked onto Steve's shield, and it was yanked out of the soldier's grasp. J.D let out an annoyed breath when of all people, Spider-Man landed on a piece of equipment with the shield in hand. He was clad in a brand new suit that was skin tight, rather than baggy and awkward, and his mask was sophisticated with moving eye patches instead of a two-dollar ski mask.

"Nice job, kid." Tony called over his shoulder, and J.D smirked at Steve's confused expression.

"Thanks." Spider-Man responded cheerfully, and stood up. "I could've stuck the landing a little better, it's just...new suit. It's nothing, Mr. Stark! It's perfect, thank you--"

"Yeah, we don't really need to start a conversation." Tony tried coaching him, and Spider-Man reluctantly nodded, before looking at the other heroes.

"Okay." He said, before staring at Steve. He raised his flat hand to his head, saluting. "Cap. Captain. Big fan. I'm Spider-Man."

"We'll talk about it later." J.D could see that Tony just wanted the kid to shut up.

"Hey, everyone." Spider-Man exhaled, and Tony quickly got the last word.

"Good job." The older man praised, and J.D folded her arms from beside Steve.

"You've been busy." The soldier stated, and J.D's lips curved into a smirk. So have we.

"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. I'm trying to keep...I'm trying to keep you from tearing the Avengers apart."

"You did that when you signed." Steve responded, still managing to stay composed and calm. J.D assumed he was talking about the Sokovia Records that Wanda had talked to her about.

Tony stared at Steve in what seemed like shock, before clenching his jaw. "All right, we're done. You're gonna turn Barnes over, you're gonna come with us, now, because it's us...or a squad of J-SOC guys with no conjunction about being impolite. Come on."

"We found it." Falcon's voice was projected through both Steve and J.D's comlinks, and J.D exhaled and clenched her fists, ready to fight. "Their Quinjet's in hangar five, north runway."

Steve held his hands in the air, and Clint shot an arrow from where he and Wanda were, perfectly slicing the webbing apart and freeing the soldier. "All right, Lang."

"Hey, guys, something...." Spider-Man grunted when Scott transitioned into normal size and kicked him in the face, sending the teen back onto the ground.

Scott straightened up next to Steve and handed the shield back. "I believe this is yours, Captain America."

Iron Man and Black Panther raced off in different directions, Stark to Wanda and Clint, Black Panther to Bucky and Sam.

"Hey, Mr. Stark, what should I do?" J.D heard Spider-Man ask and she reached to her side to unsheathe her dagger.

"He can come at me." J.D muttered under her breath, jogging over to him and hiding behind the cart he fell from.

"Okay, copy that." She heard him respond, and after the sounds of webbing, she huffed and ran over to Scott. He was standing with Natasha, seeming reluctant to fight her.

"Look, I really don't want to hurt you." He muttered, and she smirked.

"I wouldn't stress about it." The redhead responded and kicked him in the side. Scott pathetically groaned as he was beaten up.

J.D jumped forward and kicked Natasha in the stomach, taking her by surprise. Because of the distraction, Scott took matters into his own hands. He shrunk and overpowered her, sending the assassin to the ground.

The redhead was prepared though. She pressed a button on her wrist and electrified Scott, and the man hit the side of a plane, creating a golf ball sized dent.

"Stay as far from the fight as you can, J.D." J.D heard Wanda mutter through the comms, and the teen sighed, watching as Natasha ran off. She glanced over at Scott, who transitioned back into full.

J.D pulled the older man up by the arm and helped steady him. "Come on, man. We gotta help Cap."

Scott exhaled deeply and nodded, before gesturing for her to follow him. He threw one of his shrinking devices at a truck, and J.D furrowed her eyebrows. "It's gonna look so cool when they all fall down."

"With an oil truck?" She muttered under her breath and jogged after him as he made his way to Cap.

"Hey, Cap, heads-up!" Scott threw the miniature truck to Steve, who caught it easily. Scott held up another small device with a bright blue centre. "Throw it at this. Now!"

Steve hit the device that Scott threw in the air, and the truck grew in size, flying through the air. It hit War Machine, as the others jumped out of the way. The truck blew in a fiery explosion, and Scott huffed.

"Oh, man, I thought it was a water truck." He grumbled, and Steve looked at him, dumbfounded. J.D rolled her eyes. "Uh, Sorry."

J.D ran alongside Scott as they joined up with the rest of the team, their eyes set on the Quinjet in hangar five. J.D felt adrenaline pumping through her, she felt alive. This was until a bright yellow beam shot out before them and curved a line in the ground. She accidentally ran into Bucky's side and became visible, the super soldier quickly ushering her back and standing in front of her protectively.

"Captain Rogers." A red and silvery man hovered before them. "I know you believe what you're doing is right. But for the collective good, you must surrender now."

The rest of Iron Man's team fell in line across the tarmac, and J.D knew they could see her.

Spider-Man gasped when he noticed her behind Bucky. "Blade?"

J.D clenched her jaw and pursed her lips. If they weren't on the same side, she had no choice but to fight him. Though she didn't want to, her decision had been final.

"What do we do, Cap?" Sam asked, and J.D glanced up at Steve.

The soldier was silent for a moment, before speaking with a sense of determination. "We fight."

Both teams began walking towards each other, and J.D's fists tightened. She looked from side to side, seeing the angry and purposeful expressions on her team's faces. She copied the look and broke into a run, hearing the sounds of Sam and Wanda flying up. She inhaled a breath and felt a weightlessness leave her hands, and she glanced down to see blue force fields that looked as harmless as bubbles.

As soon as the teams collided, all hell broke loose.

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