Chapter Text
Prologue: Time Goes By
Steve and Natasha Rogers couldn’t imagine their lives could ever get any better. They’ve been married for sixteen years and have two twin children. An extroverted son James Joseph Rogers, and a beautiful daughter, Talia Alaina Rogers. As Avengers these two have fought enemies, human and alien alike. Every challenge, every threat has only brought them closer together. Over the past years the team has become more than friends, they’ve become family. Clint and Bobbi’s daughter Becca Barton was born two years after James and Talia. She would grow up to be just as beautiful and strong willed as her mother. As Talia would grow up, she would be somewhat shy and reserved, much like her father in his youth, her brother would be more outspoken, and sometimes aggressive but unwilling to let people in, much like Natasha before she met Steve. As birthdays came and went the twins would show remarkable intelligence, and abilities that rivaled those of their parents. This of course came from the combination of the serums passed down genetically from Steve and Natasha. When their fifteenth birthday came the Avengers would face a threat that none of them would expect, and it would come from within.
The day of James and Talia’s fifteenth birthday arrived. Steve, Tasha, Clint and Bobbi had the party all planned out. Most of the Avengers were in attendance, except Thor who had returned to Asgard for the anniversary of the memorial service for Queen Frigga. Jane went with him to pay her respects even though in the intervening years she had married someone else. On Asgard Thor was finally reunited with Sif, reigniting a relationship they had both thought long since ended. Thor would finally ascend to the throne with a new Queen at his side.
“Morning beautiful,” Steve says he as looks over at Tasha while she finishes preparing their kids favorite birthday breakfast.
“About time you woke up, sleepy head, I was beginning to think you would sleep the whole day away,” she replies with a smile.
“Are you kidding, not even another alien invasion would keep me from missing this day.”
“Well let’s hope we don’t have to deal with one of those again.” Tasha walks barefoot back over to the couch where Steve has just woken up and sits with him. “That was a rough assignment you had yesterday. You came in and crashed here on the couch after kissing me hello. You’re getting old Rogers.”
“Well I did turn 112 almost a month ago. “I’m lucky I’ve got you to keep me feeling young.”
“I always tell you’re only as old as you feel.”
Tasha climbs on his lap and gives him a deep passionate kiss, as the kids walk in and see the display.
“Oh come on Mom, can’t you guys go to your room if you’re going to do that, we really don’t want to see you making out with Dad when we get up on our birthday,” James says.
“Hey, leave them alone,” Talia says. “I didn’t whine when I caught you making out with Becca in Uncle Tony’s movie theater.”
Steve and Tasha look at each other and say the same thing: “They take after you, you know.” Sharing this joke, they burst into laughter; the kids just roll their eyes.
“God, you two are so lame,” James says.
“Well, get ready for it son, because it’s genetic,” Steve says. After another bout of laughter, Tasha finally calms down and questions their children.
“So, it’s your fifteenth birthday, what would you like to do after breakfast?”
Before they can answer the power goes out in their apartment as Tony comes over the building intercom.
“Avengers! Report to the Situation Room. This is a Priority Seven Alert. Threat level red!”
Slipping back into Cap mode, Steve starts issuing directions.
“James, Talia, stay here, you’ll be safe. Your mother and I better go check this out.”
“Stay here, Dad…come on, can’t we…,”James complains
“No arguments. This is for your own good.” Quickly Steve and Tasha suit up as best they can and take the stairwell down to the situation room. As they arrive Tony is speaking with Jarvis trying to defeat the virus over-riding his systems.
“Jarvis, enable security protocol eight, the new virus blockers should…”
Jarvis interrupts him: “I’m sorry, Sir, but all security protocols have been rewritten. I have no access; I am no longer in control of the tower.”
“Bullshit Jarvis. I programmed you; there isn’t anyone alive who can do this. Not even Modok…” The realization dawns on him that Modok didn’t just hijack the sound system fifteen years ago, he planted the virus. Not being programmed for emotions, Jarvis can only apologize as Modok corrupts the entire tower.
“I’m sorry Sir, it appears that I am…,” Jarvis isn’t even able to finish his statement.
“Greetings, Stark,” Modok says. “I warned you fifteen years ago that if you defeated my Cabal I would be back, and the Avengers would die.”
“You don’t have the capability for that Modok,” Tony replies. “We beat you and your goon squad, we can do it again.” Clint, Bobbi, and Bruce have arrived and are being filled in by Steve and Tasha.
“Nat, what’s going on,” Clint asks.
“Modok again, he never learns and we always beat him.”
“Well, come on Tony, what’s the plan,” Bruce asks. “How do we beat him this time?”
“Excellent question Dr. Banner, the answer is this time you don’t. I have complete control of the tower. Now I will turn it against you,” Modok replies.
Weapons start coming out of the walls, and doors are magnetically sealed, Tony looks up with regret in his eyes.
“Guys, I’m sorry, this is a battle we can’t win,” he says. Ever the consummate leader, Steve refuses to give up.
“BULLSHIT, Tony. We’re Avengers, we always survive. Let’s Move!”
From outside the room a blast explodes through the door, standing there ready to assist is War Machine.
“Come on! Modok can’t hit what he can’t catch. Move it!”
One by one the Avengers exit the room, a blur of motion disabling the tower’s weapons. With Rhodey covering for him, Tony gets to the fabrication room, and suits up.
“This is a lot easier when Jarvis is controlling the robots. Come on, Dummy, get that booster pack in place!”
Steve, Clint, Bobbi, and Tasha move through the tower as a unit, covering each other’s backs and taking appropriate offensive action. All four of them only have one thing on their minds, save the children. By now though James, Talia and Becca all know something is wrong, gathering up what weapons they could find, they head down in search of their parents. When all seven of them unite on the team recreation floor, Steve starts to lead the way down again to the main lobby.
“All right, let’s move. We’ve got Iron Man and War Machine providing cover fire. Hulk is creating a pathway to the outside. We’ve got one chance to make it out. Our path leads us down through the emergency stairwell to the lobby. If we come across a space Hulk has created we jump. Clint, Becca, take out any guns you can find, use explosive arrows. Tasha, the Widow’s Bite, the electric charge may disable the weapons long enough. Bobbi, use the flash grenades, I have no doubt these can blind the sensors. James, Talia stay on my six,” Steve calmly addresses the group.
With Steve leading them, they make it through a maze of gunfire and explosions. As they reach the lobby almost all of their weapons are spent, and Modok speaks to them again.
“Sorry Captain, but none of you will escape my vengeance. At the time of your little escape attempt I had already set the tower’s self-destruct timer. The lobby doors are sealed, your death is inevitable.”
As he pushes Tasha and the kids forward, Steve turns and sees one last gun emerge from the walls; Modok uses his technopathy to aim it directly at Tasha and his children, throwing his shield to protect them, he takes the first bullet in the chest, and as he goes down, Tasha rushes to his side, still trying to save him. She shouts to Clint and Bobbi.
“Hawkeye, get them out of here! Mockingbird, help him, save the children! Steve, Steve stay with me, don’t leave…”
With his last ounce of strength he reaches up, placing a hand on her face, Tasha I love…”
“Mom, come on,” Talia screams. “Dad’s gone, we’ve got to get out of here!”
Tasha doesn’t want to leave, but she has to help protect her children, Steve would want her too. Tony and Rhodey have blasted their way down through the floors trying to protect the others, with Hulk not far behind them. As Tasha runs for the door, a last bullet ricochets off Tony’s armor, and strikes her in the spine, severing it. She falls and as Tony sees Bobbi and Clint go down as they went back to help, he knows it’s up to him and Rhodey.
“Rhodey, get James. I’ve got Talia! Hulk save Becca, we’re all that’s left! Move it,” Tony shouts.
Tony and Rhodey blast the doors open and fly the remaining survivors to safety, with Hulk carrying Becca. They escape just as the self-destruct system brings the tower down. Looking around, Tony surveys the scene, making sure everyone is accounted for. He sees everyone except:
“Pepper! Rhodey, where’s Pepper?”
“I thought she was right behind us,” Rhodey says.
“I have to go back in there, I have to find her,” Tony screams.
“You’ll never make it, the tower is coming down to fast, she’s gone Tony…”
“No she’s not,” a voice says from behind them. “It’s a lucky thing you made this armor for me all those years ago Tony.”
They all turn around as Pepper; wearing the Rescue Armor lands behind them.
“What about my parents, Aunt Pepper, did they make it,” Becca asks.
“I’m sorry, Becca, they didn’t make it. They went back to try and save Steve and Natasha.”
“So now what? Where do we go, what do we do Uncle Tony,” Talia asks.
“I know where we’ll go, and I know what we’ll do. We regroup and then we make Modok pay.”
“We’ll need a place to hide out,” Bruce says.
“I know just the place, it’s isolated, well protected, and I may be able to still link up to Jarvis. The tower wasn’t the only place he had an interface,” Tony says.