Episode 9 fanfic title: Captain who?
Same day...after the ankle monitor argument.
In the Arctic, by a once frozen-over lake, three Eskimo fishermen tug in a massive haul of fish. Suddenly, a large shadow looming over them draws their attention. Iron Man and Thor hover out in front of the Quinjet.
"Excuse me, guys?" Iron Man speaks up. "Hi. You didn't happen to see a cranky, giant, green..." The fishermen simultaneously pointed ahead, surprising Thor and him with their sudden cooperation. "Well, guess they did." Tony remarks.
With further directions, the Quinjet takes off further into the cold.
"This is the coolest thing I've ever done." Janet happily fangirls in the pilot seat, "I'm driving a jet!"
"It's actually on autopilot, Wasp. Sorry." Iron Man says over the jet coms, earning his friend a frown from the Quinjet, "The fishermen were pointing at that crater. What is that Ant-Man? A meteor hit?"
"No. That's the Hulk throwing a tantrum." Ant-Man corrects.
As the Quinjet finally lands just at the edge of where the crater starts, Thor and Iron Man safely land on their feet. "Truly, the Hulk's anger is impressive." Thor comments, before turning to him, and ask: "Tell me, Iron Man. How do you intend to convince him to come back with us?"
"I have no idea, Thor." Tony responds in all honesty, "JARVIS scan for lifeforms."
Thor hmphed at him, "Mortal technology, you would do better to trust your eyes and ears." "I'm picking something up." He begins to tell him, not really wanting to be scolded about that from a god: "It's a life sign, but it's faint. That's so weird though since I can't see or hear it."
If you hear closely, you could already tell that he was grinning at his joke. Sadly, Thor didn't like that one bit. Meanwhile, Janet was flying in small form while talking to herself as she explored the ice.
"Okay, if this is some kind of evil snow monster, I'm going to be—Never mind. Tony," Wasp retorts. "That's...That's..." Everyone from the Quinjet and the three heroes standing before them was unexplainable. "Captain America..." Iron Man stated.
The American Flag-themed superhero, presumed dead after fighting in World War II, stood before them:
"And according to my armor, he's alive."
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(Mia's POV): BACK AT THE MANSION, kitchen...
A few days passed since the Hulk left the mansion, and I was fitted with an ankle tracker.
And so far, everyone has been angered by this, but they all agreed to not fight Tony Stark since their main focus was to look for the green guy and bring him back to the Mansion. I, on the other hand, had been more focused with my new secret contact of importance.
With the Avenger's Liaison position I have, I knew that my job was to ensure that no dangers ever happened, give full reports to Fury about the progress, and finally, to ensure that their connection to S.H.I.E.L.D. isn't fully broken off.
But stayed linked to the Avengers.
However, that's not all I'm doing...
Remember when I said I need to make that secret mission start?
Well, turns out, I got to start on that quite early, because I knew that if I don't find out more info of the government's dirty work right now, then all my efforts into saving other people's lives would be all for nothing, so now, I was secretly desperate to find someone who could help me.
Confined by my ankle tracker and detached from everything, I needed someone I could trust. For this secret mission, I'm willing to do whatever it takes to ensure everyone has a happy ending in the show, even if it means sacrificing myself.
And what's the best way to have an insider is an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.?
Fury hadn't assigned her to help me, but that wasn't the point. I needed someone who operated outside the usual channels, someone whose loyalty was to the mission, not just the bureaucracy.
Anyways, I sat at the kitchen table, absently swirling a spoon in my tea while tapping at an old tablet. Encrypted files filled the screen: contacts, locations, and blueprints, all gathered in the last few days.
"Who is this?" Melinda May. S.H.I.E.L.D.'s most iconic spy in the MCU Fox series.
I smirked, holding out the burner phone Tony had acquired for me, I swear, why does he quickly agree to what I need? Is it weird? Yes. Do I like it? Yes. Does it make me feel like I'm using him? Probably, if I'm trying to put in a plan for the future to stay peaceful, then yes.
But lying is something I NEVER wanted to do.
However, I'm protecting them behind the shadows, so lying was the key to success.
"Agent May. Hello, I'm Mia Lightwood." I cheerfully introduce myself, "I want to talk to you about some important questions that need to be answered, but I also want to hire you as my spy."
Using my Spanish accent, I mimicked the caller's voice during our wire phone conversation on the kitchen counter (courtesy of Pepper). As a hacker, I'd disabled the cameras and ensured JARVIS wasn't listening, which is why I wanted to keep my secret conversations private.
Oh, and yeah, it's the reason why I'm hiring a spy to do my dirty work.
Well, not like dirty dangerous, but you all get my point!
I need someone operating both inside and outside S.H.I.E.L.D.'s view. I hear someone answering, and the first thing I hear is her voice, cold and sharp, as it always was, "You have five seconds to explain how you got this number before I trace this call and put a bullet between your eyes."
'Oh, she's charming! I'm already excited! And like her! But why didn't Melinda marry Phil Coulson in the series? I so~~~want to kill the directors!' I sighed, trying to reassure her. "Relax, May. I'm a friend, sort of. I need your help. Off the books."
"Not interested," she replied coldly.
I then began to lie, "Even if Fury assigned you?"
Silence.
Wow, I guess that works too.
"Y'know you can't disobey a direct order from him, right?" I casually pressed. "Good. Now, I'm calling because I need you to help me take down some top secret illegal activity related to the MRD's sentient robot projects, an underground trafficking rings, and of course, crooks in politicians clothing.
She silently gasped over the phone, "Who the hell are you?" Her reaction caused me to grin in amusement, "Someone who knows too much and has too little patience." I took a sip of my tea, trying to contain my excitement as I took the USB, the same one that had the files of everyone.
"Fury doesn't know I'm calling you, and neither do the Avengers." I whisper lowly to her, twirling the wire of the phone with ease, "This stays between us."
I lowered my voice.
"Why me?" She asked, skeptical, "Why not someone else?"
I took a bite of my cookie and sipped my tea carefully, trying not to burn myself. "You're better than the Black Widow. I know you dislike paperwork and easy tasks, which is why I need you—to help those who can't help themselves."
Paused.
"Do we have an accord to work together?" I innocently tilt my head to the side in curiosity. On the inside, I felt bad about it but if I didn't use a negotiation tactic right then, it was either disappearing from existence or the timeline dies.
Another pause.
But then...grudgingly, Melinda sighed in defeat, "What do you need?"
And I calmly spoke while fist bumping the air in joy, 'Damn, I'm good at this negotiation stuff. Mom would be so proud.' The thought of my mom made me saddened, because somewhere in the real world I lived in, she must be worried sick that I haven't woken up from my coma.
"Everything you've got on the politicians backing these operations. Names, locations, financial trails. I'll handle the rest."
Tears blurred my vision, but I blinked them away, keeping my voice steady as I discussed the secret mission to save lives. My mom would be terrified, but supportive, if she knew what I was facing and willing to do.
I know her, and she knows me.
And what we have in common is that we make sure to get the job done.
Melinda's voice broke through my thoughts. "You work for S.H.I.E.L.D., correct?"
"I do," I confirmed, "but I'm a better boss."
A scoff echoed through the phone. "You're certainly the first to make me laugh, but asking me for this mission makes you sound either stupid or dangerous." "I would like to call it 'efficient', my dear." I corrected, grinning. "So, do we have an accord?"
A long exhale.
"Well, since you were so generous as to say that my skills surpass even those of Black Widow," Melinda acknowledged, a hint of amusement in her voice, "I'll certainly do my best to send you whatever information and resources I can gather."
I responded, wanting to give her a reasonable timeframe but also emphasizing the urgency of the situation, "I'll plan to give you a call in a few weeks to follow up on your progress and see what you've uncovered."
"However, and this is important, if you happen to stumble upon any promising leads, no matter how small or insignificant they might seem at first glance, please don't hesitate to call me right away. I want to be kept in the loop immediately if anything comes up."
With that being said, and done, she hung up. I smirked.
'If only she knew what I was up to, then she would be asking a lot of questions.'
The ankle tracker around my ankle beeped softly, a reminder of the leash SHIELD had on me. But leashes could be chewed through, and I had teeth. A faint *click* from a distance, a window I believe had opened from behind me, made my fingers still.
Once I heard silent movements coming from upstairs, I was already walking towards the stairs, I did think of calling JARVIS, but that wouldn't be fun, so instead, I took a slow sip of my tea, exhaled, went out, and held my cup to spot him.
"You know, if you wanted to come in, you could've just knocked," I said casually.
Then, the black figure jumped down and froze, followed by the quiet tension lingering in the air. I leaned back against the wall of the stairs next to the control system as the Black Panther—T'Challa—landed gracefully on the floor.
His masked eyes locked onto mine, unreadable but calculating.
For a moment, neither of us spoke. Then, I gestured to the fridge.
"You hungry?" His head tilted slightly, as if trying to decipher whether this was a trap.
I playfully rolled my eyes: "Look, I get it. You're sneaking into the Avengers Mansion for reasons I definitely shouldn't ask about." I continue, seeing him glare at me, "But if you're gonna lurk, you might as well eat something before that. I have tea and cookies."
Tension in the air thickened around us, I mean, who wouldn't? I'm just a woman who used to be an orphan, experimented, and is now an ex-prisoner.
Then, to my surprise, he reached up and retracted half of his mask, revealing the sharp jaw, regal features of Wakanda's prince. Not gonna lie, but the live-action version of him was better-looking than the animated one.
His expression was guarded but intrigued. "You are not what I expected," he admitted, voice smooth and accented.
I grinned at his comment.
"That's the general agreement." I turned back to the fridge, pulling out a jar of cookies I had made in the early morning, and placed them on the kitchen counter. "So. What brings the Black Panther to our humble abode? Intel? Revenge?"
T'Challa watched me carefully as I handed him a cookie, which he took and ate. "You are familiar with me, are you not?" "Yep." I popped the 'p.' "And before you ask—no, I'm not a threat. Just someone who knows more than she should."
His eyes flicked to the wire phone I'd left on the counter. I took notice of that and carried it back to one of the cabinets. "And what is it you should know?"
I crossed my arms and took a bite of my cookie.
"Oh, I don't know. Something to relate to you?" I glanced at him, and smiled: "Or more accurately, I had this gut in my stomach that you're here because you've been watching the Avengers for a long time. And you are looking for help on something very personal."
His jaw tightened. "You are well-informed."
"I'm particular when it comes to strangers, sir." I then turned to pour some hot tea into an extra cup so he could drink. "And before you get any ideas—no, I'm not Hydra. Not a spy. Just an orphan woman with a good memory and a grudge against people who think they can play god."
T'Challa studied me for a long moment before speaking again. "And the ankle monitor?"
I snorted, just to lift my ankle a bit so he could have a better look.
"My probation. Long story." I place the cup of tea in front of him. "Point is, I'm not your enemy. In fact... I might be the only person in this mansion who can help you with whatever you're here for."
His gaze lowered but darkened slightly. "And why would you do that?" "Because I don't like warriors who cheat." I slid the tea and plate of cookies to him. "And neither do you." Black Panther didn't say much, but the only expression was that his lips had parted.
He finally spoke, his voice a low rumble that seemed to vibrate in the very air, "What do you want in return?" I leaned against the counter again, crossing my arms. "Nothing yet. But if you're going to dig through the Avengers' files, let me save you the trouble—I can give you access."
"No alarms, no traces whatsoever."
His eyes widen in surprise, "You would betray them?"
"I'm not betraying anyone," I said. "I'm ensuring the right people are informed. The Avengers are good, but—no offense—not the sharpest. Right now, I want to help you."
T'Challa was silent for a long moment. Then, finally, he picked up the tea beside the plate of his cookies: "Who are you *really*?" I smirked. "Mia. Ex-experiment. Ex-prisoner. Current pain in SHIELD's ass. And, if you're interested, I can show you the Avenger's files."
His eyes flickered with something—curiosity, suspicion, maybe even respect.
"Prove it."
I rose and gestured for him to follow. He obeyed, and we headed to the fireplace. It opened automatically when I swiped my S.H.I.E.L.D. ID, revealing a dark corridor leading to the elevator. We entered, and I pressed the down button.
In the silence, we both didn't say anything, but I could feel the Black Panther's yellow eyes watching me like a hawk that I completely ignored, and I continued to wait until we got to the bottom of the underground.
We exited at the right floor, and as soon as we heard the elevator stop, I turned to him, and he looked down at me; With his mask now fully on, I couldn't read his expression: "Well? You gonna look, or should I help you with it?" I jokingly asked.
No laughter.
Great.
"Sorry, it was a joke." I frowned.
Only for him to just place his gloved hand over my shoulder, and what I didn't expect him to do was say this: "It was good. And thank you." I blinked, surprised, and thought, 'Huh. Maybe T'Challa wasn't as stoic as everyone made him out to be.'
I smiled and watched him run over to the Assembly room, filled with determination: 'Or maybe he was just really desperate. Either way, I wasn't complaining.'
"Alright, your Highness," I said, leading him down the dimly lit room. "I'll be waiting here until you're done." On the way to lean myself against the wall, I watched him turn on the hologram, filled with everyone's classified file.
*Scene changes to the Avengers flying the Quinjet back to New York, while thawing every last block of ice off of Captain America*
After Iron Man had managed to carve out the chunk of ice that trapped the world's first superhero for 70-some odd years, and now, Captain America was unconscious and undergoing the defrosting process aboard the Quinjet.
Flying back to New York, as they speak.
"This is incredible..." Ant-Man was quietly but indeed, breathless.
And just then, Captain America suddenly shows signs of movement, "He's waking up." Iron Man notices. "Is his brain, okay?" Wasp wonders aloud as she pilots the jet. For real this time. Ant-Man leans in close to the barely conscious war hero.
"Captain...Are you alright?"
The living legend's blue eyes snap open, and the first thing he says was, "BUCKY!" He backhands Ant-Man with his signature shield that's been in his grip since he's been frozen. He then kicks Thor away and rolls off the table he just lay upon.
Me/Author: Ouch. (fourth wall break)
"Whoa, whoa! Wait. Everything's—Agh!" Iron Man doesn't get the chance to finish explaining as Captain America forces the exam table back, pinning the armored hero to the wall of the Quinjet. "Okay...Captain...You're safe. You're with friends."
He tries to convey through his shortness of breath with the sudden weight pinning him, as Captain America just glares coldly at him, "What are you? Some sort of HYDRA automaton?" "Listen! You've been frozen in ice for decades!" Iron Man tries to explain.
"You're creative, I'll give you that!" Captain retorts, still not believing a single word coming out of his mouth, and furrows his eyes in anger, "Where have you taken me? Where's Bucky?!" Recovering from the war hero's kick, Thor says calmly, "Calm yourself, Captain."
He continues on, "As the robot says: You are among friends."
Captain America, glance at Thor's hand on his shoulder as a sign of hostility, strikes him with his shield, followed by an elbow to the stomach and an over-the-shoulder throw. Thor flew into Ant-Man and then crashed into the Quinjet's piloting console.
Causing the Quinjet to suddenly descend rapidly in mid-flight.
As it made it to national and worldwide news.
Meanwhile, still in the mansion with Mia...
As Black Panther continues his research, Mia notices that soon the Quinjet will come back, so she immediately tells him to stop so he won't be seen since she got a call from the heroes that they were coming back earlier.
Which was a lie, but it did work; he understood her words and let her escort him back upstairs to the kitchen where they both could chat a bit.
"So, that's why you wanted their help? To take back your throne that's rightfully yours?" She blinks, genuinely surprised to hear the story, which she already knew, now recounted by the King of Wakanda.
Black Panther nods, "Yes, because M'baku challenged my father for the throne," he continues telling the story: "Just so he could control the vibranium... Which led to my father being killed by him."
Mia softened.
"Damn, that's rough, buddy." She looks down at her hands and then back up at him, "Family drama on a global scale. You'd think royalty would have it easier, huh?" His jaw tightened, his gaze averted, but he didn't interrupt. It was as if he wanted to hear it.
Which led her to continue talking, "So that's a yes then?" Mia nods, biting her lips inside while fiddling with her fingers. "You came to the Avengers hoping they could force M'Baku out of power?" "Helping my people escape M'Baku's greed is paramount, Mia."
He told her politely, only to be cut off.
"Mia is fine," she corrected. "Not Miss, I'm not that old." She sighed, refocusing the conversation. "I'm twenty-two. But anyway, I understand the struggle your people are facing... wait." A sudden realization crossed her face. "You never had time to grieve, did you?"
Her innocent question made the Black Panther stiffen, his silence confirming her suspicion. Mia swallowed, resisting the urge to apologize. She leaned back, the metal chair legs squeaking against the tile.
"Look, I get it. World's on your shoulders, gotta be strong for Wakanda. But even kings need a minute, ya know? To just...process." She pauses, letting the silence hang for a while, "I may not understand how losing a parent hurts because of my past of being an orphan, but..."
Black Panther slowly looks up at her as he continues to listen to her.
"I know that bottling up your grief without mourning the loss is how it destroys your mentality. If you would like to cry, then this is the right time." With her encouraging words, he was hesitant at first, but then, he finally took a moment to let himself crack.
A tear escaped, tracing a path down his half-covered face cheek, stark against the dark vibranium weave of his suit. He quickly swiped it away, but Mia's hand was already reaching across the small kitchen table, covering his.
Her touch was surprisingly warm, a grounding presence in the whirlwind of emotions threatening to consume him. "It's okay," she murmured, her voice soft. "Let it out. Wakanda can wait a few minutes. You can't lead a nation if you're drowning in sorrow."
More tears followed, a silent torrent of grief that had been dammed up for far too long.
He didn't sob, didn't wail. Just wept, silently in tears that spoke loud volumes of loss, of responsibility, of the weight of a crown he never truly wanted to wear until he was ready. Mia squeezed his hand, offering silent support, a silent promise of understanding.
After a while, the tears slowed, then stopped.
He pulled his hand away, and looks up to see the controls were blinking behind him, Black Panther then covers his face, turns to her, already composed and collected, he gets up slowly and stands next to her: "Thank you for your hospitality, Mia. However, I should go."
Mia took notice of where he was looking and saw that the blinking of the controls wasn't going to hold on any longer. "I wish you could stay," she said, then trailed off as her guest vanished. She blinked, and mumbled, "And he's gone. Okay, now let's get to business."
That being said, Mia went upstairs to change into something more welcoming than what she was wearing this morning was now a soft green sweater, dark grey jeans, and dark green boots.
After she was done, Mia then swiftly used her hacking skills to ensure JARVIS believed she had simply come out from her room to head for the kitchen after the Avengers had left on the Quinjet.
There was a minor blackout, thus erasing any memory of her encounter with the Black Panther, and their conversation, and she said she fixed it up while it was out of communication. Anyways, as quickly as she gets to the bottom of the stairs, Mia stops, and takes a good look at the railing.
When a mischievous idea sparks in her mind.
Remembering her childhood memories, grinning, Mia raced back up the stairs and slid down the railing, yelling, "Wheeeeeee!" Giggles erupted as she immediately scrambled up for another slide, but at the next railing, she realized her mistake.
The railing curved sharply at the end.
"Oh shit," she blurted. Before she could stop herself, she spotted someone below, her eyes widening in horror. "Incoming fall!" she shouted, grabbing the blonde man's attention.
Confused by the sound next to him, he turned around, and before he could figure out what was going on, it was too late to stop. Mia had already crashed into him, causing them both to fall onto the tile floor together in a twirl, and they both groaned.
"You alright, ma'am?" The man grunted, and as soon as their eye contact, both of them froze.
Heat rushed to Mia's face as she found herself on top of the blonde man, who was equally flushed, and scrambled to her feet, "I'm so sorry!" She quickly apologizes, already freaked out by the unexpected landing: "I was sliding down the stair railing and...well, I bumped into you."
"I-It's fine," he said, rubbing the back of his neck. "I just... didn't expect that." "Yeah, again. I'm so sorry." Mia apologizes as she notices his suit being familiar, but then gets a flashback of her doppelganger's of how she had never heard of the legendary hero before.
Thankfully, she was different and knew about his existence since he was first introduced in the comics, so to make it like Mia never recognized him would make it more her doppelganger's than her real self.
Mia blinked up at the man she had just collided with, her face still warm from the embarrassing crash. Now that she had a proper look at him, she couldn't help but notice the damage to his suit—tears and scorch marks that looked fresh.
"You okay?" she asked, brushing herself off before offering him a hand up. "That was a rough landing." The blonde man took her hand, standing with an effortless grace that spoke of military training. "I've had worse," he said with a small, polite smile.
Mia tilted her head, studying him. "You're new here, right? I don't think we've met." He hesitated, as if expecting recognition to dawn on her face. When it didn't, he frowned slightly. "You... don't know who I am?"
She blinked.
"Should I?"
His expression shifted—surprise, then something almost like relief. "No, I suppose not," he admitted. "I'm Steve Rogers." Mia's eyes widened in mock realization. "Oh! Right, the guy who was frozen in ice for seventy years?" She grinned. "That's wild. How's the thaw treating you?"
Steve chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. "Still adjusting. The future's... a lot."
"Yeah, I bet." Mia crossed her arms. "So, uh... You ever slid down a railing before?"
Steve blinked. "What?" "The railing," Mia gestured to the staircase: "You know, for fun?" He looked at it, then back at her, bewildered. "Can't say I have." His response made her smirk, before she pulled his arm to follow.
"Well, you just saw me do it—badly—but it's way more fun when you don't crash into people at the bottom." She nudged him playfully. "Wanna try?" Steve hesitated, then glanced around as if making sure no one was watching. "...Once."
Mia beamed. "Yes! Okay, watch me first." She dashed back up the stairs, positioned herself at the top, and—with far more caution this time—slid down smoothly, landing on her feet with a flourish. "See? Easy!"
Steve shook his head but smiled. "You're reckless."
"Only a little," Mia admitted. "Your turn, Cap."
Steve took a deep breath, then carefully mounted the railing. He slid down—far more controlled than Mia's chaotic descent—and landed perfectly.
Mia clapped. "Not bad for your first time!"
Steve chuckled, but then his gaze dropped to her ankle. His expression shifted to concern. "Is that... a tracker?"
Mia followed his gaze and winced. "Oh. Yeah. Forgot about that." She lifted her pant leg slightly, revealing the sleek black band around her ankle. "House arrest."
Steve's brows furrowed. "House arrest?"
Mia sighed, scratching the back of her head. "Long story short: I used to be an orphan." This left him shocked, but he softened slightly, "But then when I thought about earning money to leave the place, by getting experimented on, which led me to die in the ditch."
"Later, I woke up after a few days, or weeks, I think, and became an ex-former lab experiment, and later, ex-prisoner, but I'm now on probation for three months. SHIELD's keeping an eye on me while I work as the Avengers' liaison."
Steve's frown deepened. "What crimes did you commit?" Mia exhaled. "Destroyed DNA samples, escaped prison twice, hacked SHIELD, leaked government secrets..." She shrugged. "Tony vouched for me, so here I am." Steve stared, stunned completely, "That's...quite a lot."
"Don't worry, I'm on my best behavior now." Before Steve could reply, a voice chimed in from above. "What are you two doing?" Janet van Dyne—the Wasp—hovered in the air, arms crossed, an amused smirk on her face.
Mia and Steve spoke at the same time: "Sliding down the railing. /Introducing ourselves." Janet laughed. "You two are already in sync!" "Mia was just showing me around," Steve said, clearing his throat and glancing briefly at Mia, who awkwardly scratched her cheek.
"Uh-huh," She said, winking at Mia. "Well, Cap, has she told you that you're a living legend yet?" "Wait, he is?" Mia blinked. Steve sighed. "Mia mentioned she didn't have much education growing up. Orphanage life."
Janet's expression softened. "Oh. Right."
Mia waved a hand.
"It's fine. I've got a lot of catching up to do." She glanced at Steve. "JARVIS actually prepared a room for you. I was just about to show you where it was before, uh..." She gestured to the railing.
Janet grinned. "I'll take over from here. Mia, don't you have a report to file for SHIELD?"
Mia snapped her fingers. "Right! Almost forgot." She gave Steve a quick salute. "Nice meeting you, Cap. Welcome to the future."
Steve nodded. "Thanks, Mia."
With that, Mia hurried off to her room, leaving Janet to escort the still-disoriented Captain America to his new quarters.
In Steve Rogers' new bedroom...
Opening the door, Janet, in her Wasp suit, found the war hero with his hood down, revealing a handsome face framed by blond hair and blue eyes. He held a framed black-and-white photograph of himself and a young Bucky in their hero costumes.
"Iron Man tries to make it feel as much like the 40s as he could." Jan offers a hopeful gesture, gesturing to the simple yet homey-feeling room that had a vintage pin-up girl poster on the wall, "Mia, on the other hand, did the posters."
The blonde man offered a brief smile, but a sudden beep from an old turn-dial radio on the dresser immediately drew everyone's attention. Its back panels shift and part open to reveal one of JARVIS's interface consoles to peek out.
"/Wasp, there appears to be a guest at the main gate./"
It announces, then it turns off right away.
"As much like the '40s, expect for the talking computer." She jokes a bit, only for her to receive no response from the man, "Are you okay?" "I should have never woken up..." Steve remarked softly, his shoulder slumping in sadness.
He continues on talking, "I'm a soldier. Not some future man. I can't imagine a world that's changed so much still needs Captain America. This kind of thing probably didn't happen in the '40s. He might freak out. Like I am now. "
Without any thought, the two superheroes move to investigate.
"I need my shield!" Cap announces as they run to the halls, where Mia pops open her door to see them running, confused, she then asks, "What's going—" "Mia, stay inside your room, and don't come out unless one of us is back!"
He orders her, and Mia, startled but compliant, signals Wasp to zoom ahead, urging him to follow: "C'mon! We're almost there!" "Wasp, wait!" Cap calls out, but she's already too far ahead to hear. As she zips through the halls, she freezes in mid-air.
A massive, beige playdough monster with a gruesome, crooked-toothed maw and spindly limbs hovered in the hallway. Its doughy form slid effortlessly between the marble pillars, reassembling on the other side. Mia arrived, stopping short as she stared at the sight.
"What the hell is that?!" she exclaimed. Janet responded with a disgusted "Ew!" before launching four missiles at the enemy via the mansion's automated defense system. The attack failed; the floating dough absorbed the missiles, the resulting explosion causing it to burp.
Both stood in shock.
"Okay, you're fat and disgusting! And lucky for me: slow." She then charges at the creature, blasting it with her stingers. The yellow-green bolts of energy seem to cause the creature pain as it leaves smoking gapes in its doughy skin.
Mia watches the scene nervously while secretly in awe of how Janet's attack also seems to anger it as it gains a burst of speed and lunges at her, "Okay, I take it back. Not! Slow!" She retreated, unleashing a barrage of fire that only enraged the living dough.
Captain America intervenes after Janet dodges another attack, using the distraction to strike the dough monster. However, physical attacks prove ineffective. The creature retaliates, slamming Mia and Captain into the wall, causing minor concussions.
When the creature turns its attention to the miniature superhero, she uses her stingers. (Again)
"Be careful, Janet! You can kick its butt!"
Mia tries to cheer for her, but is interrupted when Captain America notices her and grabs her shoulders, showing a scolding expression (not too much), "I told you to stay until one of us gets back to find you."
"Yeah, well, forgot to mention, I can be very stubborn when it comes to seeing a freaking playdough monster trying to attack my friends!" She argued, only for them to hear a weird sound, and both turn around to see Janet trying to hold her own against the creature.
Sadly, her stings were useless; the creature devoured her with crooked, slimy teeth when she screamed, "Ahh!" "No!" Steve shouted, and Mia tried to run, but he pulled her back. Horrified, they watched the playdough monster turn toward them.
Suddenly, its eyes widened, and Mia instinctively grabbed Steve's shield for cover, but Steve was too late to use it, instead, he used his arm. The monster exploded, splattering slime across the hallway. After that, there was silence until Steve narrowed his eyes at this sight, then turned to her.
"You alright?" He asked, half covered in its dough slime, as he only wanted to receive a thumbs up from her, "Was the shield helpful?" "Yeah, actually, thanks." Except for Mia; Apparently, thanks to the shield, it protected her from the SPLAT explosion.
Noticing some small movement within the slime, a pair of insect wings emerges and begins fluttering, lifting a tiny body into the air. Recognizing her, Mia and Steve stifled their laughter, seeing the woman covered in slime and struggling to breathe.
"Okay, that was disturbing."
Mia snorted, trying not to laugh at Janet, covered in slime, but a death glare sent her over the edge. "I didn't say anything, Janet...Just—" Mia dissolved into laughter, waving one hand dismissively while the other gripped the wall for support.
"Haha, very funny, Mia," Janet said, disgusted. Steve Rogers masked his amusement with a fake cough. Suddenly, their laughter ceased. A small energy blast whizzed past Rogers and the Liaison, striking Wasp.
"Janet!" Mia cried, rushing to the tiny, unconscious woman. She found a pulse—alive, but just barely. As they turned to face the shooter, Mia was stunned by the sight of a man. There he stood, wearing a gold crown, a purple one-piece suit, and a leopard fur draped over his shoulders while saying:
"𝐶𝑎𝑝𝑡𝑎𝑖𝑛 𝐴𝑚𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑐𝑎...𝑖𝑡'𝑠 𝑏𝑒𝑒𝑛 𝑎 𝑙𝑜𝑛𝑔 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒."