02 x everyone loves a good team-up

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Sam could never get sick of this.

The sky, the clouds and the stars. Living amongst the perfect image that mankind had crafted to idealize gods. He would never consider that a dishonour - the shield, - just a mighty trust factor that he needed to work on. It was on obligation he had held more gravely than his mental health,  so much so that assuming the mantle of Captain America was a necessary commitment. He led the Avengers, pursued conflict and tore down Hydra from the roots. But when the smoke cleared, he would always return to what he truly was: the Falcon.

As a little kid, he had always wanted to fly. His old man had told him that anything was possible if he put his heart into it and really, he wished he had listened. He wasn't a perfect kid, he made mistakes, one too many to count. Between these mistakes were a hodgepodge of troubles and losses, which only got crazier with time. And he learnt that in life, there were people who left and those who stayed. 

He lost his ride-or-die and wing-man in combat. A few years after dire coping, he found to strengthen his resolve at a relief session for Armed Forces veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder. He learnt, all on his own, that the road to recovery was for him to open up - as cliche as it sounded - and encourage others at the scope of it. The general consensus included moving on and that was exactly what he had done.

With a little help from his past life, of course, he finally took flight again. Captain America himself had taken him under his wing, trained him to the best of his abilities and made him an Avenger. When Cap couldn't carry the shield of reliability, Sam took it. With an uneasy hesitance and teeming pride, he held it up high.

And there was nobody more proud of him than Tiana Bright. Not a day passed by that he was thankful to have met her. Even if it were the simplest of occasions - Tia had come in for a session, which Sam had fatefully been conducting, to monitor and examine her medical notes for a study in her hospital. They had a sweet run-in, bonded over coffees and two weeks later, she was back for another session. Tia was an adorable one, he had gathered. Everyone thought so; a spritely soul rather than a sophisticated shade.  Two things he captured from her. One, overly passionate. Two, overly talkative. Sometimes, her rambles would make his ears bleed and sometimes, he could watch her lips move until the sun came up.

Which reminded him off the cool photo he had sent her in that afternoon when he was headed to the mayor's office. That girl had the nerve to blue-tick him. 

'Falcon to Patriot. Do you copy?'

'Hey!' A cheery voice greeted him in mere seconds. He heard the soft slam of a notebook. 'Wassup, Cap? How's the fresh suit treating you?'

Rayshaun Lucas was a pain in his ass. At an age where algebra equations and cross-referencing should've been his priority, avenging and taking on the alias of Patriot had become his a-game. And the boy had the nerve to register himself for the New Avengers initiative. Which meant training with this little asshole in the after-dark hours.

Three months had gone by and fifteen-year-old Shaun was as good as new. Refined and making moves his own way, Patriot was ready to be introduced to the world as a New Avenger. There were multiple anecdotes after the alterations to his new uniform - the red and white weren't as original as adding blue to it. He had just laughed along or given them the death glare as they joked.

'Stark put a lot of tech in here to get used to,' Sam answered truthfully, thinking about the variety of weapon systems that were inbuilt by the tech genius. Which he would add into his to-do list to drop the billionaire a visit and thank him in person. He continued with a small breath, 'You know as I say— '

' —you make the suit, don't let the suit make you,' Shaun finished for him with a hint of pride. 'Did I get it right?'

'Ha, you're really listening!' 

'I always do,' Shaun retorted, offended. 'I'm solid at the grind.'

'I can't make it to training today,' Sam delivered briefly with a graveness, as his goggle's holograph screen pinged with a message from Natasha. 'I'm heading to Jersey for a quick mission.' 

'And after?'

'Spending time with my girl,' he breathed out, a little excited for this one. 'Kinda pissed her off in the morning.'

'Let me guess, you insulted her work or slash and dwelling ethics,' Shaun drawled off, laughing lightly at his expense. 'Speaking off, when do I officially get to meet her?'

Had Sam's relationship fallouts become that predictable? He had to seriously start working on different ways to screw up with Tia. That had spun out wronger than he had imagined. And regarding Shaun rallying Tia, he knew that was like bringing a moth to a flame. They would have one common enemy: himself.

'How about never?' Sam scoffed. 'Look, Shaun, I have to sit out of this one.'

'Come on, dude! How am I gonna be an Avenger if you're slacking on the foundation?'

'You're well on your way, kid,' Sam chuckled, shaking his head. 'Taking a break is a wholesome thing sometimes.'

'All good,' Shaun accepted drearily, a long sigh pealing out of him. 'I'm pretty sure I flunked that bio quiz today.'

'Aw, that sucks,' Sam commiserated in a soft voice. Shaun had been talking his ears off about he was prepping for this one and certain to impress the devil's advocate of a teacher he had for this subject. 'Maybe next time, then.'

'For Captain America, you sure are the worst at sympathies,' Shaun mused making Sam grumble under his breath. 'So what's up in Jersey town?'

'Something about securing a payload on a semi,' Sam informed as he soared down an altitude as approaching New Jersey's skyline came into view. His wings in an intuitive manner, flexed upwards to allow him to round up the bridge's podiums smoothly. The wind cut through his suit and he let out a hum of delight.

'But, you're doing this all by yourself?'

'I'm working with Elle Stark and Natasha Romanoff,' he told him and the teenager immediately broke out in gradual spurts of squeals. More like blubbering words at miles per hour and Sam found it hard to catch.

After Tony's construct talks on live television about a year ago, there was uproar and unsettlement amongst the public. Their favourite billionaire, ex-playboy was going to focus on his career and lifestyle and Sam respected that. Tony Stark had yielded half his life to the world security cause and achieved what he had wanted. About time he caught a damned break.

In that pitch, his wife and best friend, Colonel James Rhodes, were holding up his loose mantle like strongest support. He was mentoring a younger generation prodigy on a larger basis which again, appeared like taking the A-train to Legacyville.

'The Black Widow and the Iron Maiden, like,' he let out a cry of delight. 'Sam, I'm tired of low-level, crime-fighting bullshit. These powerful ladies need me to be their hype man. Please, please, just this—'

'Fame shouldn't be a goal, boy.' 

Ignoring the fact that he sounded just like his father. Sam pressed a hand into his eyes as he arched his back to the motion of the glider's retreat. This time the frame of his goggles alerted him with another onrush of messages from Elle Stark herself.

'Says the famous guy,' Shaun mocked in a dark voice. 'I know the situation can get unpredictable. But this could be like the old-school field training?'

'Shaun, stay at home,' Sam ordered sternly. 'Next go-round, you're my first call. Talk later.'

Sam hoped that his words were precaution enough for the boy to fall back. He had too much in line tonight with his team-up and Shaun was not going to mess this up. Only, the Patriot had different plans.

♦

From his position over the pillar on the steel and cable bridge, Sam kept his eyes wide for his next target or order through the commlinks. The skies were thankfully clear and constantly streaming checks on ongoing air transport vehicles. He was vigilant of his surrounding, surveying the six-lane bridge with the help of his trusty old drone-pal from the jetpack. No one had the skills to build such an ingenious bridge and even if they did, they were too whacked out on drugs.

'Hello there, birdman,' a voice established through his comms and he swirled over the metre-wide space on the pillar with a soft grin. 

The Iron Maiden grounded herself beside him after a short hover. Her suit was genius to the next level - sleeker, more accessible and definitely more shapely than the Iron Man. It was in the colours of its twin except there was a more silver contrast with the hot-rod red and her repulsors generating a bluish thrust rather than gold. 

Her headgear rematerialized in a swift motion, revealing Elle's sunny blue eyes and the dark fringe of hair that downed into her eyes. Her red lips pulled to a smile as she struck her fist with Sam's waiting ones. 

'Oh, don't be so chuffed,' the Stark said, thick British dialect bleeding into her speech. She rapped a metal fist over the shield in his hands. 'Thirty more seconds and you would have been slops.'

Sam tried not to sound cowed. Elle definitely had more field experience than him but he tried to reason with conscience saying that he was Captain America. But, she was an Oxford graduate. She was also the most unselfish human being to exist after Tia. In fact, Elle had been the one to place the offer of revamping his suit and shield to Tony. Stark hadn't blinked twice before saying yes.

'You're only saying that cause you got your ass beat,' Sam retorted, looking back down on the street. 'So, am I here as a watcher or—'

'Of course not,' she smacked her hand over his shoulder in annoyance. 'This is my mission, Sam. Not Fury's.'

'Good to know,' he nodded, satisfied. 'So, this semi. What's it carrying and how do we stop it?'

'Illegal drug transaction and we're not stopping it just yet,' she sent him a wry smile, glancing back down on the six-laned bridge. 'Dekko there, Cap.'

On the fourth one, the familiar semi that had been mentioned in the mission statement had come racing through the asphalt. It was silver with no logos of any sort and veering faster than usual, surpassing the gradually moving cars. He could hear the screeches as it steered unnaturally between the lane and he immediately sent Redwing down for recon.

'I'm reading ten heat signatures,' he mentioned as he scanned through the images that were being recorded by his drone. 'Eight near the payload. Two at the steering.'

'Alright, I'm bringing in our corker,' she mused, pressing down on her comms to install a new link to another person. Sam perceived himself being connected through. 'Tasha, you better not be dawdling.'

'Easy, shellhead,' a smooth voice interacted through the comms. 'I'm closing on your marker. And just for the record, this is not my standard operating procedure.'

Sam got what she meant. Natasha Romanoff was known for her entrances and this one just didn't seem like her name. Far behind and quickly closing in on the semi-truck in front, a sleek convertible Audi which swerved past the slow-moving pedestrian cars. Inside, he could spot the redhead who drove with her top off and in mere seconds, the nose of the Audi skimming the backplates of the semi.

'You only wish all your missions work this way, Natasha,' Sam simpered, shooting Elle a smirk.

'Tone it down, Cap, before my stingers meet your crotch,' Nat easily threatened him making him chuckle harder.

'I agree with Sam,' Elle nodded. 'Hon, you finish this for me and I'll feed you the location to those Lithuanian arms dealers you were hunting. Sounds good?'

'Sounds great,' Nat sang out loud, still not breaking her speed as she kept her distance with the truck stealthily. No wonder she had chosen such a miniature vehicle, it would keep her off the sights from the rearview of the semi. 'Kay, I'm ready to set up my block. Elle, your call.'

'Alright, team, listen closely, Elle started, her voice severe. 'The cargo in that target vehicle is a nasty and ultra-addictive narcotic that is causing problems in the inner city. And it's beginning to make its way into the outside businesses.'

'We stop this,' Sam finished.

'Right you are, Cap,' she commented. 'Just as soon as I've hacked into the truck's sat-nav system— shit! Nat, now!'

Natasha, on perfect command, accelerated forward in a boosted speed and forced the semi into a hard-shoulder before they could recognize the hack. As she spun before the truck, Sam watched as a blue beam started to radiate from the frontal plates and building in size whilst increasing in speed. 

'Nat!' Elle yelled, leaping off the pillar where she stood and manifesting her headgear before Natasha could get caught in the crash. The car had gotten ploughed from the tail and lifting the car in an abnormal way. Nat had her eyes awed when Sam flew behind Elle's armoured form, watching the gunmen filter out through the skylight-like entrance of the cargo. They had already steadied themselves over the crate, aiming holes on Nat's back. He saw her eyes widen.

'I got your six,' Sam called out, before striking an agent in the back with both his feet to get all the other's attention. Their red marks shifted on him and he acted fast, dodging punches and jabbing one of his own. 

The truck had come to a steady halt as Elle retrieved Nat off the convertible and dropping her over the roof of the crate where Sam was situated. She helped the load off Sam's back, catching his shield before it shot off into the distance and knocking it into the nose of one of her attackers. She flung it back to him with a sly grin and Sam caught it, cocking a brow.

'Still haven't got the hang of it?' Nat grunted as she aimed her widow's bites into the neck of the armed gunmen. Flying by her, Elle was casually grabbing gunmen and dropping them into the water under the bridge.

'Well,' he hummed, taking a shot at one who leapt over him. 'It's hard to get used to it.'

'It's all in the swing,' she commented. 'Nice too see you, though.'

'Glad you're not roadkill, Nat,' he sighed, out of breath. With a grim smile, he knocked a gunman off the crate with a strike of his wing to his chest and tossing him off with a grunt. He had shifted to see a gun aimed right at his chest and before he could block the hit with the shield, a figure had swooped between them and parried the bullet. It was a blur of white, blue and red with an oak-leaf shaped shield that was raised to his visor clad face. A grin was painted on his dark face when he came into view.

'Really, Shaun?'

'I had to come, Cap,' he shouted before taking a lift from the Iron Maiden as he landed over the asphalt to knock off a few oncoming gunmen with a quick parry of his American-flag painted shield. 

'I've estimated the value of the narcotic in the cargo to be at a price of three-point seven five million dollars,' Elle informed over the comms as she exited the now latched-open truck. 'Anyone copy? The payload is secure.'

'I copy,' Shaun said cheerily. 'Heya, Mrs Stark!'

'Oh, Shaun,' Elle said, an obvious grin in her voice. 'Nice to hear from you, sweetie. How was that test you told me about last week?'

'Ah, it went down in the dumps,' he grunted out, his voice a little embarrassed. Sam was surprised the lady had remembered it, gracing an impressed smirk.

'Guys, small talk can really wait,' Nat hissed as she struggled from the headlock one of them put her in. She bashed her right hook into his side and he keeled over, whilst Sam plunged in to grab the guy by his collar and drop into the water. A fall that high was bound to give you death.

Elle's gasping voice caught his attention. 'Shaun, don't—'

It was too late. He saw it happen but he couldn't move to stop it. It was like experiencing the trainwreck principle; he could only watch it happen while his deadened senses saw the force-field from the frontal engines of the semi blow up a mighty rivulet of cerulean. He watched as it struck Shaun in his chest and shards of glass fly in to pierce his skin in scattered locations. He bled out crimson as the force-field died out.

Shaun fell limp over the lane.

♦

[ oh no! what just happened - what what WHAT. what do you think is up with the drug and ayyy, Elle Stark and Natasha Romanoff are here! who's ready for the next? ]