"I missed you too," Iris whispered back, wishing dearly that the cuffs on her wrists weren't present. They didn't cut into her skin, but they were uncomfortable, and kept her from embracing her oldest friend. Tears stung at her eyes. Somehow, somehow Celeste had forgiven her for everything she'd done. Even not too long ago when she'd attempted to take Celeste's life because of the control Hydra had held over her.

Nearby, Hawkeye and Widow kept a close watch on the pair, wary of any sort of betrayal from the prisoner.

But Iris was far too absorbed in her reunion with Celeste to notice or care. If they put a bullet or arrow in her now, she wouldn't care. After her near-death. years in captivity, and hunting down Celeste at Hydra's will, she'd been in turmoil.

And now, she had Lithium's forgiveness.

"You truly are made of titanium, aren't you?" Iris asked softly, staring at Celeste with wonder. She thought she'd been imagining it before, but looking at Celeste now, steadily and without panic, she swore something was different. Somehow, Lithium looked different. Stronger, purer, more determined.

But also more damaged. Lithium hadn't been sheltered by Hydra anymore. She'd seen true combat. She'd learned things. She'd been beaten and thrown, blood and sweat running down her skin as she fought to survive after leaving Hydra's fold.

So, yes, it was evident now that Lithium was different.

And, as such, Iris believed she deserved a different name.

Something stronger and more evident of what she'd overcome.

Celeste opened her mouth to respond, but never got the chance.

A blast shook the jet, and flames erupted from outside the window.

With a small shriek, Lithium and Copper both fell to the floor, and for a split second, Copper was frightened for the bullet that might come to pierce her flesh. However, Widow and Hawkeye were more interested in the assailants that were outside the jet.

Ahead of them, the pair could hear the Avengers shouting, Tony assuring the team that he could still land the plane, albeit roughly, as long as the other engine didn't give out.

The problem was, the people who'd shot out the first one were still outside, missiles still loaded.

After looking around, a bit panicked to say the least, Iris turned her attention back to Celeste.

"We're going to die if we don't do something."

"But what can we do?" Celeste asked, wide-eyed like a deer in the headlights. "We're miles above the ground, we can't just jump out there and neutralize them!"

"I can," Copper told her quietly. "I can go out there and take out their jet so they can't destroy our other engine. If you control my body, you'll be able to make sure I make the jump back to the plane. Your ability to control others also means you can orchestrate their muscle movements perfectly. You can unlock their potential and you will keep me safe. I trust you, 'Leste. You can do this for us. For them." Copper's eyes flicked over to where the rest of the Avengers were desperately trying to come up with a solution. If they didn't do something soon, they would all go crashing into the ground.

Without another word, leaving no room for protest, Iris shot up, metal spheres shooting out of her arms and ankles and shredding the cuffs that held her.

She sprinted to the door without hesitation, glancing back at Celeste who was close behind, before throwing it open.

In under a second, Copper had leapt out of the jet, freefalling to the smaller striker jet below.

"Iris!"

The Avengers rushed to Lithium's side, holding her as she rushed to the open door to keep her from jumping out after their former prisoner.

But jumping out wasn't on Lithium's mind.

Making sure her friend lived was.

Holding tightly to her shoulders, Natasha and Bucky were still terrified of Lithium's intentions. The girl refused to release her grip on the edge of the plane's doorways, and it was interfering with the pressure inside the plane. It was hard to breathe, both from the insane wind speeds and the tension building inside her chest.

She wanted to scream, but no sound came out of her mouth. She barely heard a thing as her team screamed at her to get back inside the aircraft.

Iris wasn't scared though. She was determined. Adrenaline was pumping through her system as she steadied herself on top of the right wing, nails digging into the metal and leaving behind indents as she'd fought not to be swept away.

Biting her lip, metal spheres shot out of Copper's body again, flying straight into the engine beneath her, flames and smoke shooting out, the aircraft stuttering.

Temporarily, Iris lost her balance, nearly falling off the craft again, her fingers digging into the wing, scraping along as she fought to hang on.

She may be doomed to die, but not now. Not today. Focusing, she sent another wave of metal towards the pilots that had so relentlessly hunted them down.

The spheres shattered through the window with ease, leaving a spray of blood in the cockpit as they pierced the torso and skulls of their assailants.

Then, the plane below them began to tip, damaged wing first.

"Iris!" Lithium screamed, but her voice was lost to the wind.

Still, she heard. " 'Leste! Now!"

Celeste reached out, and, working her like a puppet, moved her fingers delicately as the movements became second nature. Without thinking, without control, Iris ran to up the edge of the wing that still had a working engine, making her way to the very tip before leaping up, reaching desperately for Lithium's hand as she flew through the air.

With hardly any air in her lungs, she still screamed. " 'Leste!"

Fingertips grazing, as Lithium plunged down, she gripped Copper's hand as tightly as she could, fear coursing through her system, even though she knocked the air out of her lungs in the process.

For a moment, Iris dangled there, looking up to see the tears flying out of Lithium's eyes, the terror she'd felt at the possibility of losing her oldest friend. Even if they'd been separated and had their differences, they'd still been through a lifetime of struggles together.

"I've got you," Lith murmured, and even though it was inaudible, Iris still knew. "I've got you."