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VALOR
xv. THE RETURN OF BUCKY BARNES

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   YOU CAN FIGHT 1,000 wars, but the greatest battle you'll ever face will be the one against yourself.

   It was rare when Riley wasn't at war with herself. The question of the Sokovia Accords was one that haunted her. She swore that every time she felt like she'd made her decision of supporting or opposing the documents, she found herself backtracking. Riley was running in an endless cycle of concessions and rebuttals. Riley needed to make a decision, but she was torn.

   Whenever Riley was feeling particularly overwhelmed, her first response now was to blast her and Tony's favorite music in her room and dance until her nerves decimated. It had become a routine between the pair over the years—one that made her feel at ease, albeit temporarily.

   Emphasis on temporary.

   When Vision walked in on Riley amid her "dance party", she nearly murdered him in cold blood out of sheer embarrassment. Or... cold... wires? Riley still wasn't fully sure of what the android was even though she helped create him.

   Upon getting over her short-lived mortification, Riley went on to explain the logistics behind what she was doing, which Vision naturally didn't understand in the slightest. That was when Riley realized he could assist her in her uncertainties regarding the Accords.

   After all, Riley wasn't used to making these kinds of decisions on her own, and she also happened to be the queen of overthinking. That being said, Vision was the perfect "person" to debate with on her troublesome thoughts. He seemed to always have some kind of answer for all of her queries, which soothed Riley's anxiety immensely.

   This time, the topic at hand was the Accords and whether or not Valor should sign them. Vision and Riley were entering the third hour of their debate, and they still hadn't gotten anywhere.

   "Okay, but hear me out," Riley presented. "The Avengers work most efficiently together." Vision sat on her bed, one leg crossed over the other, calm. Meanwhile, she was on her feet and frantically waving her arms around.

   "The Sokovia Accords wouldn't change that," Vision reminded her. "The Avengers would still be the Avengers, just with a few minor altercations, which are inevitable whether or not you sign onto them."

   "Sure, but the dynamic would basically be fucked in the ass!"

   "Right, the dynamic where the team argues until something goes wrong that happens to be life-threatening and irreversible."

   Riley narrowed her eyes at the android. "Touché." She shook her head. "Okay, hypothetical: What if one of us knows that something bad's going to happen and we can't take initiative because the boss says we can't? They'd have to know we'd act regardless of what they say, right?"

   "Not unless you wish to be arrested or punished accordingly," Vision clarified. "I'm astounded you've managed to have forgotten what it's like to work so closely with the government, Valor."

   Riley pouted. "I didn't forget. I just... prefer how it is now, I guess. We have a system, you know? It's flawed, but it works. I don't want the team to be divided any more than it already is."

   Vision paused. "Riddle me this, Valor. Why were the Avengers formed?"

   She could practically hear Fury's voice in the back of her head as she recited, "To protect the world when the people had battles they couldn't fight themselves."

   "Right," praised Vision. "And what do you suppose the overall purpose of the Accords is?"

   Riley loudly sighed. She knew what he was getting at. "To protect society more efficiently than the Avengers have."

   Vision nodded. "You said it yourself. It's not a matter of preference, it's a matter of what's necessary." Riley tried to argue, only for him to continue, "Just because they're on terms you don't favor doesn't suggest that their intentions are ill-fitted."

   "The way I see it is the Accords are just another way to control people," Riley admitted. "We've been at this for years. Why would they wait until now to create these stupid Accords?"

   "That, I'm not sure. I could suggest a variety of theories, but may I be frank, Miss Valor?" asked Vision. "It sounds to me like you fear change."

   Riley practically choked on her spit. "Yeah, right!" she denied. "I'm not scared of anything, Vis."

   Vision shook his head, offering her a gentle smile. "I've known you for a long time, Miss Valor. You've only ever known one thing: S.H.I.E.L.D. You've been aware of the creation of the Avengers early on in your career. After what happened with HYDRA, I believe it's almost expected that you're driven with trepidation caused by the idea of the Accords. It's a response in your a—"

   "Your amygdala, yeah, yeah. I knew that," interrupted Riley. She sighed, running a hand through her hair. "When did I start sounding like Steve? ...Maybe you're right, Vis."

   "I was already aware of that."

   Ignoring him, Riley rambled, "I know we need supervision, I know we do. I just don't wanna lose what we already have. I mean, this is my family. If things end up like S.H.I.E.L.D. and HYDRA... I dunno, maybe it wouldn't be that crazy if I didn't sign the Accords..."

   "I'm going to be honest with you," proclaimed the android.

   Riley looked back at him, bewildered. "You weren't being honest already!?"

   "I think you feel obligated to make the choice that opposes the one you feel obligated to make," Vision confessed. "You hardly made decisions for yourself under S.H.I.E.L.D. It's a psychological reaction."

   "Yeah, maybe, but—"

   "Additionally, you're still a minor—"

   "So? I'm my own parent!"

   "According to the law, you're not," he countered. "If you oppose the Accords, you would inevitably be placed into the foster care system. You'd be on their watchlist for the rest of your life."

   Riley faltered. "Well—"

   "There's also the possibility that since you're a minor, they'll force you to sign on, even if you wish to oppose the Accords," Vision concluded. "They were never giving you a choice. They're testing your loyalty. Agreeing quietly with the Accords is your best and only choice, Miss Valor." He paused. "Besides, I believe you're rather young to become a fugitive, don't you think?"

   Finally, Riley was speechless. She hadn't been expecting Vision to essentially slap her across the face with the truth, but she supposed he did that more often than not with all of her ridiculous worries.

   Riley desperately wanted to oppose the Sokovia Accords. Vision was right—she despised the idea of things changing, especially now that she was so comfortable with where she was now. The unknown terrified Riley, but she had no choice. She had to sign the Sokovia Accords.

   Maybe they were right. Maybe the Accords were for the best. The Avengers stood to protect society, and society was calling—no, begging for change.

   Riley hardly slept those three days leading up to the ratification of the Accords. As of now, Tony, Rhodey, Vision, Pietro, and Valor had sighed on. Clint had decided that since he was retired, he didn't need to make a choice. That left Natasha, Steve, Sam, and Wanda.

   Riley and Natasha had debated the Accords, even after the younger signed them. They were afraid of losing each other in this mess. It seemed like Natasha was just as conflicted as her former student, which oddly made sense to Riley. After all, Natasha practically raised her.

   Riley was particularly astonished when Pietro signed the Accords, especially when Wanda was still undecided. He was confident that quietly complying would make their lives easier and fewer accidents would transpire. This was how Pietro was proving to everyone, mostly his sister and Riley, that he was serious about his new life as an Avenger. Riley just wondered if that was what he wanted to do or if he was just doing it out of spite. Maybe both.

   It was the morning of the Accords' ratification and Riley was a nervous wreck for reasons she didn't understand. Maybe because after today, everything would change—permanently. Riley felt some clarity after hearing that Natasha would sign the Accords upon her arrival in Vienna, but it didn't help that much.

   Since Riley's identity was to remain a secret, which Ross allowed after she quietly agreed to the Accords (so, maybe Vision was right all along), she was excluded from the formal meeting at the UN that morning. Instead, she observed the ratification from the comfort of the Avengers Facility.

   She sat on the couch in the common area, legs curled up to her side. A warm cup of coffee rested in her hands as she tried to wake herself up a little bit more. The TV lowly hummed with the morning news.

   "I wasn't expecting you to still be up."

   Riley jumped at the sound of Wanda Maximoff's voice. The woman looked like she'd been up for a while, judging by her tidy appearance and the faint bags hanging underneath her eyes that were covered up with makeup.

   "...Still?" Riley echoed.

   Wanda shrugged. "Your thoughts are... quite loud," she elucidated. Oh. "Don't worry. I... haven't been sleeping much lately either."

   Riley offered her a smile. Between Lagos and relationship problems, Riley knew she'd been dealing with a lot. "I think this is the first time you've left your room in days," she joked.

   With a laugh, Wanda admitted, "Something like that." She walked forward and sat beside Riley. She offered Wanda her cup of coffee, but the latter just waved her hand. "Your taste in coffee is terrible. Who drinks theirs black?"

   "Anything helps when you've been sleep deprived for 15 years," she excused. She faltered. "Hey, uh... I've been meaning to talk to you. Um... about what happened in Lagos."

   Riley wanted to hit herself for how awkward she became when she tried to talk about her feelings. She'd been trying to talk to Wanda about Lagos for the past month, but every time she got around to it, she backed out. Riley could hardly discuss her feelings with people she'd known her whole life. How was she supposed to talk to someone she'd only known for a year?

   Riley's gaze shifted to the half-full mug in her fidgeting hands. The TV sounded so much louder than it was. "I wanted to apologize," she revealed. "I think I might've... put too much pressure on you to do well on that mission. I thought you were ready, but you weren't and... I think that's okay?"

   This took Wanda by surprise. She was used to everyone scolding her, lecturing her, or even babying her after what happened. Wanda expected the same from the teenager since she'd been helping the former the most with her powers. Why shouldn't Riley be disappointed in Wanda?

   Riley swallowed a deep breath. Her words felt foreign on her tongue. "When I was working for S.H.I.E.L.D., they always expected me to be ready for anything without question. But the Avengers are supposed to be different. We're supposed to help each other be ready for the hard stuff, you know? I let you down, Wanda, and... I'm sorry."

   Riley couldn't blame Wanda for what happened, nor could she fully blame herself. Trust goes both ways and Wanda wasn't ready. But that was okay and Riley was realizing that now. All Riley wanted to do was help Wanda through this in the way Riley wished someone would when she was younger and going through the same thing.

   Wanda furrowed her eyebrows together. She didn't know what to say. "It's... It's okay."

   Riley shook her head. "It's not. People died. But... Like Steve said, we can't just give up because bad things happen."

   Wanda placed her hand on Riley's, squeezing it lovingly. "Thank you, Riley." She cleared her throat, deciding to change the topic. "So, Nat signed the Accords?"

   Riley hummed, relaxing again. "Mhm. She said she did when she got to Vienna. That leaves you, Sam, and Steve." She paused. "You know, I really thought you'd sign onto the Accords after Pietro did."

   Wanda sighed. "I wanted to," she admitted, "but the people... they fear me. I don't want to hurt anyone else. No one should have to live in fear. Things are better this way."

   "Maybe, but... You shouldn't have to live in fear either," Riley lingered, shrugging. "Ugh, who am I supposed to watch Disney movies with now?"

   That seemed to have been a common way to kill time amongst the Avengers. When Riley realized how many of her team members grew up without proper childhoods, she forced them to sit down and watch a bunch of movies with her. It was what she grew up doing, so she figured she could replicate the same experience for them. Riley and the twins had bonded over watching Disney movies, specifically.

   Wanda's smile returned to her face. "You still have my brother."

   Riley snorted. "Sure, but—" She paused when something on the TV caught her attention. Shifting her attention to the screen, her eyes widened. "Oh my God?"

   "We're on the scene after a bomb hidden in a news van ripped through the UN building in Vienna. More than 70 people have been injured. At least 12 are dead, including Wakanda's King T'Chaka."

   The news anchor stood before the UN building. It still stood, but there was clear evidence there had been a fire. Ashes and smoke danced together into the atmosphere. "Pietro," Wanda realized. "Pietro and Natasha were there."

   Wanda was already on her feet, rushing to her room to retrieve her cell phone to call her brother. Riley was about to call Natasha for the same reasons when she news anchor said something else that distracted her.

   "Officials have released a video of a suspect who they have identified as James Buchanan Barnes, the Winter Soldier, the infamous HYDRA agent linked to numerous acts of terrorism and political assassinations."

   A photograph taken via a security camera of Bucky Barnes flashed across the screen. Riley glanced down at her phone, seeing a new text from Natasha from a few seconds ago. Instead of reading it to ease her nerves a little bit, Riley dialed a phone number and prayed that Steve Rogers would answer.

   Steve and Sam had spent the past few years searching for Bucky. Now that he'd made an appearance, she knew they'd go after him, too. But since Sam and Steve didn't sign the Accords and the FBI was officially calling a manhunt on the Winter Soldier, Riley feared the consequences.

   Riley held her breath as a ringing droned in her ears. She cursed when his automated voice message played. Beginning to pace, Riley greeted, "Steve, hey. I know you saw the news. I'm not gonna beat around the bush. Don't go after Bucky. I know he's your friend, but..."

   She paused. She sounded ridiculous. Who was she to stop Steve Rogers, of all people? He'd take on an entire alien army by himself if he wanted to, and no one could stop him.

   "Okay, scratch that. I know you and Sam are gonna go after Bucky. I guess there's nothing I can say to stop you." She sighed. "Don't be stupid, alright, Brooklyn? You know I love you, but if I have to throw you in jail myself, you're never gonna hear the end of it. Got it? ...Okay, um, bye. See you soon, I hope."

   With that, Riley hung up. She pressed her phone against her chest, an exasperated sigh escaping her almost instantaneously. She wondered what it was like being a normal teenager who didn't have to worry about the safety of her grown-ass friends.

   The next few hours were radio silent. All Riley O'Dair knew was that one minute, she was watching the Accords' ratification, and the next, the entire globe was on the hunt for the Winter Soldier.

   Riley was immediately flown out to Berlin, Germany, where she was to be reunited with the others. Riley managed to leave without Wanda, who would have tried to follow after her, noticing. She didn't want to be the one to tell her she was under house arrest, so sneaking out was her best option.

   Riley wasn't surprised in the slightest when she was informed that Steve and Sam tried to protect Bucky, who had been hiding out in Bucharest, against the Task Force. What did surprise her was that during this event, someone else had tried to arrest Bucky before the UN. He was called the Black Panther, the protector of Wakanda. The rest of the world knew him best as Prince T'Challa Udaku, now known as the King after his father's death.

   Oh, and there was also the little important fact where King T'Challa wanted to kill Bucky Barnes for his crimes against the King, not arrest him.

   Needless to say, when Riley arrived in Berlin and felt the tension in the air practically suffocate her, she knew it was going to be a long day.

   Riley never would have thought she'd say it aloud, but she was relieved to be reunited with Natasha Romanoff.

   "Yeah? Believe me, I missed you, too," quipped the Russian. The two walked throughout the Task Force HQ, which was on high alert in response to everything that'd been going on. "Everyone here's been acting like Captain America killed someone."

   "It's like some super confusing love story," she remarked. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say Steve's in love with Barnes."

   "You sound jealous," Natasha taunted, causing Riley to roll her eyes. "I don't think I'll ever get over that."

   "If I build you a bridge, will you?"

   "Cute," Natasha mocked as they spotted Steve, Sam, and King T'Challa being escorted by Agent Sharon Carter, Pietro, and the Deputy Task Force Commander, Everett Ross.

   Riley raised her eyebrows when she saw Pietro with the group. "Look at you, wearing your big boy pants," she greeted as she and Natasha began to walk alongside them.

   Pietro smirked. "You know, I'm getting pretty good at this stuff."

   Riley refrained from frowning at his faux American accent. She'd always preferred his and Wanda's natural Sokovian accents, but they always switched to an American one when they were on the clock. These were hints of Natasha's spy training.

   "You're just getting cocky because you automatically got your citizenship," Riley dismissed. "If anything, that just means I can arrest you whenever I want now."

   "For the record, this is what making things worse looks like," Natasha told Steve before mentioning to Riley. "Stop taking advantage of Pietro's lack of knowledge about the law, shortie!"

   Riley shot her a meaningless glare as Pietro to lightly elbowed her. Honestly, Riley was just trying to brighten the atmosphere, and this was the best she could do: be herself.

   Ignoring their banter, Steve just recalled, satisfied, "He's alive." An unspoken "That doesn't sound like I'm making things worse to me" hung in the air.

   They entered another room where Tony Stark was practically yelling into the phone. "No, Romania was not Accords-sanctioned. And Colonel Rhodes is supervising cleanup."

   Natasha and Pietro kept walking forward while Sam and Steve lingered at the front of the room. "Try not to break anything while we fix this," Natasha told them.

   "Consequences? You bet there'll be consequences," Tony snapped. "Obviously you can quote me on that 'cause I just said it. Anything else? ...Thank you, sir." He ended his call and approached the two newest criminals in the room.

   Steve eyed Tony. "Consequences?"

   "Secretary Ross wants you both prosecuted," reported Tony, motioning to him and Sam. "Had to give him something." Then, he headed in Natasha and Pietro's direction.

   "I'm not getting that shield back, am I?" Steve almost mockingly challenged. He didn't seem to give a damn about what he'd done.

   "Technically, it's the government's property," Natasha riposted. "Wings, too."

   "That's cold," Sam said.

   "Warmer than jail!" Tony called.

   Before Riley followed the others, she glanced between Sam and Steve, unsure of what to say. "You guys are idiots," she ultimately declared, walking backward toward the next room. "How hard is it to not break the law?"

   The corners of Steve's lips flickered upward as he teased, "For the record, I love you, too, Manhattan."

   Despite Riley's cheeks flaring up, she rolled her eyes. "I miss when it was easy to hate you," she mumbled before joining the others.

   The control room was the brain of any facility, Riley had learned. Monitors and cameras were set up in almost every corner of the building. You'd think nothing could get by due to the constant surveillance, but Riley and the Avengers were about to learn that wasn't always true.

   If there's one thing that's universal about any "body", it's that the quickest way to overthrow someone is by rendering them braindead. But, then again, judging how the government had been handling things these past few years, maybe they'd been braindead this whole time.

   Riley stood alongside Pietro, Natasha, and Tony, her eyes glued to the screens mounted on the wall. They watched Bucky Barnes, who was encased and restrained within a pod, as he received a psychological evaluation from someone sent by the UN.

   She didn't want to say it out loud, but part of Riley pitied Bucky. He looked scared, unsure of himself. All of the times Riley faced him, he was stoic and emotionless. She wondered if that had something to do with him not being held captive by HYDRA anymore. Maybe was just empathetic because she'd learned so much about Bucky through Steve after they last saw him.

   "Tell me, Bucky. You've seen a great deal, haven't you?" the man asked.

   Dryly, Bucky muttered, "I don't wanna talk about it."

   "Shouldn't someone be down there? You know, for protection?" asked Riley, nodding to the man evaluating Bucky. "What if Barnes tries to break out or something? I mean, no offense to him, but this dude doesn't look very strong."

   "You fear that if you open your mouth, the horrors might never stop. Don't worry. We only have to talk about one."

   "If he tries to escape, we'll stop him," assured Natasha.

   Riley's eyebrow cocked upward as the lights flickered off in the building. Power outage. A loud alarm sounded in their ears. Emergency lights dimly flowered, leaving the majority of the HQ in the dark.

   "...Maybe I spoke too soon," Natasha darkly mumbled.

   Everett Ross held up a walkie-talkie, commanding, "Come on, guys, get me eyes on Barnes." He waved his hands, sending his employees to work.

   "FRIDAY, get me a source on that outage," Tony directed after pressing a button on the side of his glasses.

   "Evac all civilians. Get me a perimeter around the building, and gunships in the air," Everett continued.

   The four Avengers in the room immediately took off, hurriedly walking side-by-side. The last thing they needed was the Winter Soldier on the loose again.

   "Please tell me you brought a suit," Natasha pleaded.

   "Sure did," jeered Tony. "It's a lovely Tom Ford, three-piece, two-button. I'm an active-duty non-combatant!"

   Natasha sighed. "You up for this, Riley?"

   "Didn't realize I had a choice," Riley returned, becoming rather serious in the matter of seconds. Pietro seriously wondered how she did that.

   She wasn't in her suit, but she didn't exactly need it. She could still fight without it. If anything, Riley just had to be more careful. The whole reason Riley had a suit was to monitor her body's UV output. If she put out too much energy at a time, her body could face severe consequences, and now that she'd been practicing what Thor called her "glow", anything could happen.

   But Riley didn't care. Her top priority was locking down the Winter Soldier, not worrying about her health.

   "Follow me!" Sharon Carter called, running past the four.

   The blonde agent guided them toward the building's ground floor where the Winter Soldier was reportedly heading toward. Pietro was already zipping past them, taking Bucky on himself.

   Riley turned herself invisible, quickly analyzing his fighting patterns. She swore it changed every time she fought him, sometimes in the middle of fights. Perhaps that was why it was so rare for others to defeat the Winter Soldier.

   In the blink of an eye, Bucky had already battered Pietro, Tony, and Sharon. Riley had been looking for an opening, but when she realized he was choking Natasha to death, she needed to act now.

   She forged a forcefield between Bucky and Natasha, pushing the Winter Soldier off of the spy. Riley then turned visible in hopes of putting his attention on her rather than the others. After all, she wasn't sure what his intentions were. Riley kicked her leg out, sending Bucky stumbling backward.

   The look in Bucky's eyes wasn't empty like it usually was. This time, his gaze was filled with pure rage. The monster deep inside of him had been unleashed. Bucky grabbed her leg when she tried to kick him once more, throwing her over his shoulder. Riley rolled forward and raised a wall, preventing him from running toward the stairwell.

   Bucky turned back to Riley, soon realizing that he needed to take her down in order to proceed. He grabbed a nearby table and chucked it at her, to which she captured with another forcefield. Riley sprinted toward him with her fists glowing with energy. She cranked her arm back to punch him, which he defended against by using his metal arm. When her energy collided with his metal arm, a blinding light flashed in their eyes that caused the two to recoil.

   Riley winced at the light, furiously blinking in hopes the images burned into her retinas would fade. By the time she and Bucky recovered, King T'Challa had emerged from seemingly nowhere to join the fight. Riley and T'Challa could only hold him off for so long, for soon, Bucky was gone.

   Again.

○ ○ ○

   Riley O'Dair was only a little annoyed after Bucky escaped. She was even more annoyed when she was informed that Steve and Sam were missing, too. She had a feeling they were with Bucky, which only meant that they were officially part of the manhunt, too.

   "Idiots," Riley bitterly mumbled to herself as Secretary Ross entered the control room where they had regrouped. She sat with Pietro, Natasha, and Tony.

   "You're sure Steve and Sam are with Barnes?" wondered Pietro.

   "Positive," Riley dryly confirmed. She folded her arms over her chest, dry blood gathering on her lower lip from where she'd been hit the hardest during the fight.

   Secretary Ross looked pissed. "I don't suppose you have any idea where they are?"

   Riley opened her mouth to say something sarcastic, but she was interrupted by Tony. "We will," he assured. He was just as annoyed as Riley and Secretary Ross were at the moment. Maybe it was because he had a new black eye, courtesy of the Winter Soldier. "GSG-9's got the borders covered. Recon's flying 24/7. They'll get a hit. We'll handle it."

   "You don't get it, Stark. It's not yours to handle," Secretary Ross opposed.

   "Well, judging the last guy the UN sent in, we're your best chance at finding them," Riley pointed out, her tone sharp.

   Secretary Ross shook his head. "It's clear you can't be objective. I'm putting Special Ops on this."

   Natasha pinched her eyebrows together. A bruise was beginning to form around her neck. "What happens when the shooting starts?" she quickly demanded. "What, do you kill Steve Rogers?"

   Riley leaned back in her seat. "Yeah, because that's how you show society that they're safe," she bitterly muttered.

   "If we're provoked," Ross returned, ignoring Riley. "Barnes would've been eliminated in Romania if it wasn't for Rogers. There are dead people who would be alive now. Feel free to check my math."

   "All due respect, you're not gonna solve this with boys and bullets, Ross," Tony asserted. "You gotta let us bring them in."

   "How would that end any differently from the last time?"

   "Because this time, I won't be wearing loafers and a silk shirt," Tony snapped. "72 hours, guaranteed."

   Secretary Ross sighed. "36 hours. Barnes, Rogers, Wilson!" Then, he left the room, leaving the Avengers alone.

   Tony slumped forward, quietly exhaling as he rubbed his hand on his chest. "My left arm is numb, is that normal?"

   Natasha rose from her chair, putting Tony's shoulder. "You alright?"

   "Always."

   Riley eyed her best friend. "You better not have a heart attack on me, gramps," she lightly warned. Though it was clear in her tone that she was concerned about his wellbeing, and he recognized that.

   "In your dreams," he retorted. He sighed. "36 hours, geez."

   "Don't take this the wrong way," started Pietro, "but is that enough time to bring them in?"

   "We don't have a choice," admitted Riley.

   "We're seriously understaffed," pointed out Natasha, almost humorously.

   Riley sat up. "I can take them," she argued. "What's stronger than the sun?"

   The others lightly laughed as Tony confessed, "It'd be great if we had a Hulk right about now. Any shot?"

   Riley often thought about Bruce. She wondered where he was, what he was doing. Part of her believed he was dead, but she was too scared of speaking that into existence.

   Natasha scoffed. "No. You really think he'd be on our side?" she doubted. Tony shook his head. "I have an idea."

   Tony glanced back at her. "Me, too. Where's yours?"

   Natasha eyed him suspiciously. "Downstairs. Where's yours?"

   Tony didn't respond. Instead, a sly smile pulled at the corners of his lips.

   Let's just say, Riley O'Dair was going to have to get over her aversion toward bugs sooner than she'd prefer.