END-GAME

“He's... calling us...by numbers,you say...”,Theo arched an eyebrow,tilting her head as she starred at Tony.

“It's not as it sounds, okay-”

“I'm number one, you're two, Wanda's three”,Natasha casually chimed in, her eyes brushing through their file on her tablet.

Theo pulled her lips to a forced, tight smile. It shouldn't even surprise her at that point, that Tony had been calling them like that. Peter began growing a tad nervous over the development on this matter, and so he poked Pietro,mumbling something to his ear. Pietro simply dismissed him.

“Have I ever shot you, Stark?”

“Yes”,he pulled his lips to a forced smile. “C'me on, Bennet, what were the chances that all three women we got on the team are redhead ?”

Wanda intertwined her fingers in some strands of her hair; looking down, studying the color, her eyes showed some faint bafflement.

“Always though it was more of a brown and ginger mix up...”,she muttered to herself.

“Nah, falls more on the red side”,Peter assured her.

Theo was about to speak again, not too eager to let this one go that easily, but Marcus' coming in interrupted her train of thought. A group of four marines marching behind him, their chins raised, and as Theo noticed, all male.

She stood up, only to study those marines. Her hands tied behind her, she walked right by the straight line they had formed; Marcus was trying hard to keep down that smirk on his lips.

“The lack of estrogen in this troop of yours Anderson,is infuriating”.

“Thas' what we got you for, Bennet”.

She tilted her head all so slightly, though no response came out other than a faint half smile.

Tony rested his cheek on his palm, a rather distressful expression on his face. This team was coming to look more like an army department as the time went by.

“Names and ranks, marines”,Marcus shouted at them.

They all tapped their one foot down, beginning to talk in order as they were laid down.

“Corporal Christopher Matthews,ma'am”,the first one said in a rather thick Australian accent.

“Private Naveen Boudreaux,ma'am”.

“Lance Corporal Alvaro Perez ma'ams. And sirs”,he motioned his head, showing he'd been paying enough attention.

Natasha's attention was caught by that one; she eyed the tall, brunette man. Something about him forced her eyes to wander a little too long, though she made sure to be as discreet as possibly.

Surely enough, Marcus had warned his men about all the Avengers that were to be on that mission. Theo being a marine herself though, it certainly attached a particular importance in their eyes.

Marines only trusted marines, Theo thought.

If this was to be truth though, she couldn't exactly know.

Pietro on the other hand- well, it was no secret that he didn't exactly like people like that. People so deep in the military life, be it marines or the army. To him, even if Theo had grown on him, all these military branches were the same.

Patriotism over humans. Over rights, over freedom.

And he'd make sure to voice those feelings of him quite a lot, as the time went by.

“Sergeant Feye Otieno”,the last' ones voice came out rather husk.

Marcus patted his back, “He grew up in Mombasa,Bennet. Same 's me- what're the chances, huh?”

“Mombasa,Kenya?”,Tony asked,although he wasn't all that invested in this particual conversation.

“'S right mister Stark. 'Lthough my folks 'n I came to the States when I was 14”.

Tony nodded, once again showing just how little interest he held on that information. Theo smiled all so slightly, but didn't comment on it.

She breathed in through her mouth, going back as to sit down.

The screens were all showing details of both files, for both cases. This wasn't one of Tony's private jets, but one of Fury's. It had both a conference room filled with computers and a gunnery one.

Tony clicked his tongue, “Really worked some wonders on you,didn't I ?”,he smirked,his fingers motioning over his eye.

He'd manage to work on Theo's scar on her eye, however the split iris had remained. Tony had said this part wasn't something he could fix. The tears that had occurred which then caused the color split were too dangerous to be messed with. Theo couldn't risk and have a damaged eyesight, not in her line of job.

The scar,however, had been beautifully turned into a light pink soft tissue, vertically dragged along her eye. It wouldn't completely disappear, but it was much less vibrant, as she thought. Much less intimidating, and painful for her to watch on the mirror every morning.

“Yeah, you can barely notice it”,Peter said in a sweet smile.

Theo's lips curved a tad upwards, but she made sure to not give him a stand.

“I believe you've been informed about the details”,Natasha huffed out.

“Yes ma'am. Made sure my men are caught up”,Marcus answered in their part.

Theo sat next to Pietro, her back straightened and arms crossed. He took notice, much to his surprise, that once again she'd failed to braid her hair. It wasn't that much of a deal, or it shouldn't be – but Pietro in all his years with her, had only seen her with her hair lacking braids once. Counting that day.

She'd kept them in a high ponytail, a washed out ginger-red color spreading in wavy strands that grew a tad silverish on their edges. Pietro thought it was a good look on her, but then again, so did Steve, and in all honesty, Theo had began to wonder about dying them, or at least having a cut. Not the point at the moment, though.

Natasha moved her fingers across a holographic screen in front of her, trying to organize the information shown on the bigger screen ,for everyone to see. A blonde woman was shown in a photograph seemingly taken without her knowledge; her skin was smooth and pale, and her smirk went along with an otherwise mesmerizing expression.

“Emma Frost”,Marcus huffed out. “Supposedly, she's the link between the two groups..Tha's if there's any 't all..”

“There are mentions of a so called White Queen, operating on most assassinations reports regarding the group in Macao”,Natasha explained, “ We have to assume it's Frost they're talking about. And if it is..”

“Means trouble, doesn't it?”,Peter murmured.

Natasha motioned her eyebrows at him, clicking her tongue. Theo couldn't help but feel a wave of anger and embarrassment both flowing on her. Perhaps Tony was right to call her a lapdog that always complied to Fury's orders, since as it appeared, there were more deep connections in between the two cases that he cared to admit.

“Well our fellas are mostly KGB big shots, and Chinese hitmen”,Tony clicked his tongue. “Not very good for us. Those guys could kill you in your sleep”.

“Three names mark the spot”,Natasha continued, “Antonov Kristoff”,she began counting on her fingers, “Kira Nikolaevna, and Bolin Huang”.

They all turned their heads over to look at each screen, every person they'd heard about portrayed in one of them. Their files listed a number of offenses, and yet the one thing they all shared in common was a red font writing, reading: suspect released due to lack of evidence.

“Know what that means, don't we?”,Theo sighed.

“Care to share?”

“Means we're about to take a stroll down the gunroom, number three”,she hummed in a smirk.

Theo pushed her chair behind as she stood up. Walking casually past Marcus' marines, she reached the door, only to stop as she opened it.

“Just admit you wanna avoid the hard part where we have to actually work and follow their trails”,Tony noted,one eyebrow arched.

“We all got our strengths here, Stark. Yours is snoopin' around- mine, is shooting”.

She was about to walk out when she turned back again, her lips pursed.

“You need an invitation, boys?”

“No ma'am”,Marcus hummed.

She motioned her hands, until they all got out. She stood there for a second, saying something to Marcus, though most of it sounded like lightheaded mumbling.

Tony saw an opportunity there, and he grabbed it by the collar. He leaned over to Pietro,to which he responded by arching an eyebrow.

“What?”

“You never answered my question, Maximoff”.

“What question?”,he asked,not giving him much attention.

“You do like redhead number two- don't you?”

Tony seemed a little too eager,too hyped for this one. Natasha had grown a little tired over Tony's constant need to create some mixed,love drama in the team. He was the one whispering into Steve's ears about Theo in the first place; the one to plant ideas into Bucky and Clint's heads about both her and Wanda.

Natasha merely shook her head just so she could show her dismissal of that. Wanda on the other hand, was cautiously studying her brother's reaction at that question. Truly enough, nobody knew her better than he did, and nobody knew Pietro better than she did.

“I don't find women that look like they can kick my assthateasily all that appealing, Stark”.

Tony smirked, “Oh,my dear Maximoff, why do I think that this is exactly the type of woman you like?”

Pietro huffed and puffed a short chuckle before turning his head around. Ironically enough, this was the moment Theo chose to look for something over her and Marcus' heads, sitting on a rather tall shelve, into one of their bags.

Pietro had to admit this one; in the past five years with the blipped ones gone, and along with them Wanda, he had chosen to take a step back. He hadn't seen Theo for more than three years,before their final battle against Thanos took place.

Never got the chance to truly appreciate just how well built she was. Seeing her now,more like starring, as she wore a sleeveless dark shirt along with her army rangers trousers, he realized something oddly new about himself.

Pietro truly liked sculpted women. Women looking strong, independent. To paraphrase Tony, although he'd hate that, Pietro really liked women that looked like they could kick his ass.

Wanda had figured that much, merely by looking just how Pietro had been starring at Theo all this time. Truly enough, his eyes were glued on her for a few moments, as long as was stretching her body to pick whatever she had been looking for.

The way she bent her waist, the shadows fallen on the lines around the faint looking muscles on her arms; the length of her legs,going all the way down there. Wanda didn't need to read his mind at that point. Both her and Tony could tell that his thoughts weren't exactly pure.

She used her powers, red mass covering a Rubik cube Peter had left hanging under a table from behind, flying in great impetus across the other side of the jet to fall hard on the back of Pietro's head.

“Oi!”,he shouted at her, “You crazy Wanda?!”

But Wanda's eye was strict like a parent's who had just caught their child doing something truly disappointing. Tony chuckled a bit,enjoying this a tad too much. Natasha and Peter on the other hand, who had missed the entire thing, were looking merely confused. Although Natasha didn't take that long to connect the pieces,and she returned back to her tablet.

“Why did you do that for?”,Peter asked in a quiet voice.

“He was eyeing Theo”,Natasha mumbled,not paying much attention.

“I was not”.

Theo and Marcus both turned their heads around, having just heard Pietro's shouting. Theo motioned her hand at Marcus, indicating he shouldn't pay too much attention, although she hadn't really gotten what had happened either.

She got what she'd been looking for, which wasn't anything all that important after all, and walked out with Marcus, closing the door behind her.

Theo was quick to get to work; her eyes falling on what she'd missed the most. She grabbed the riffle, put in on top of her shoulder as she placed her eye on the scope.

“Always was a sucker for a good ol' light fifty, ain't that right Bennet?”

Theo clicked her tongue, putting the riffle down, “What can I say, I'm an M82 girl Anderson”.

“Took you for an M99 girl myself”,Naveen commented, hands tied behind his back.

Theo placed the riffle down, crossing her arms, “Why? Cause it's lighter?”

“I'm still 'mazed at how easy you make carrying this thing look,Theo..”,Marcus butted in.

“It's not that heavy”.

“It weighs 'lmost 30 pounds Bennet”.

Theo shrugged. “You can carry it. Did you assume it'd be more difficult for me because I'm a woman?”,she arched an eyebrow at him.

“I certainly wouldn't,ma'am. Only said so because of it's accuracy”,Naveen noted.

Theo narrowed her eyes a little. She brushed her fingers along her riffle, her eyes stuck on every part of that M82.

“Surely loses accuracy after 900 yards,this one. But was my first ever sniper riffle, the Barrett... No need for much accuracy when you're good yourself, Private Boudreaux”.

“Call me Naveen,ma'am”,he put on a half smile for her, which highlighted his dimple.

Theo let out a huff, presumably a light chuckle. Naveen didn't lose his cool while she exchanged a look with Marcus.

“Wouldn't go there,Private. Bennet's been quite the hot stuff while she'was with the SEALs. Even I tried,myself”,he raised his eyebrows. “Got m'self quite the beating”.

“By the SEALs, sir?”

“By me”,Theo spelled out.

Marcus lowered his head as he chuckled,remembering this particular event. Quite a long time ago, but as he figured, the feeling was still there.

Naveen motioned his eyebrows, still smiling.

“Dully noted,ma'am”.

Theo turned around; she picked up the fabric on the large table as to reveal the rest of the ammunition. Motioning her hand, she cued them to come closer.

“We got Colts and Glocks; as far as riffles go, I'd recommend using none,unless you wanna join me in the three-to-four-mile-distance radius. If you're good enough, then I suggest you either get yourselves a Barrett,or a McMillan TAC-50”.

Alvaro got himself a riffle, his hand falling on the second one she mentioned. Theo arched an eyebrow, since she'd figured they'd all go for the pistols. Matthews was about to get a Barrett as well, when Marcus stopped him by grabbing his arm.

“We don't wan' too many of us so far away, Corporal, do we?”

“Of course,sir”,he nodded. “But.. allow me to ask- isn't a four mile radius too far?”

Marcus looked over at Theo,licking his teeth. She wasn't about to say anything, if she was still as he knew her to be, so Marcus made sure to say so himself.

“Not if you've shot from a six miles one before, Corporal. It is not”.

“Six miles you say, sir?”,he repeated. “That's..-”

“Those peopl' we gonna go after- they ain't like anything we've dealt with before, fellas”.

Theo placed a pistol down, leaning on the table as she listened to him. All eyes were on Marcus; he was quite invested in this one,and as Theo figured, he knew most about this case than anyone else could ever hope to.

“We talkin' about people movin' thing with their minds here. At best”,he spelled out. “Orders are we catch the leaders alive. If they're not an option,then we keep the others alive 's well”.

“Permission to kill?”,Theo asked.

“Granted,Bennet”,he turned to the rest of them, “You gotta shoot t' kill,marines. If you hold back- we all gonna die. Ya hear me?”

“Yes sir”,they said in unison, all but Theo.

Theo's arms were still crossed against her chest, her facial muscles stiff. She approached him,looking him straight in the eye.

“Not me,Marcus. You know me; if I shoot to kill..”

“Then you'll kill,Bennet”,he huffed out,rubbing his nose bridge. “I know..We don't got much options here.. You only shoot if there's danger ahead,'kay?”

She nodded, grunting her teeth.

She then felt a buzzing coming from her earpiece, and she pressed it.

“You done playing cops and thieves Theo?”,Natasha's voice called. “Come back, we got a location”.

“Aye”,she huffed out. “Fun time's over,boys”.

She made sure everybody got what they needed, since they should be armed. They couldn't know what would happen, and Theo's personal policy was to always be prepared for battle.

Walking together to go the upper floor where the rest were, she felt Marcus' stare.

“How's old man Will by the way?”

“Ah..”,Theo got a flash, “Right. He said to sent you his best wishes- I kind of forgot.. But he's..fine,you know. Thriving in that whole cute grandpa thingy”.

Marcus huffed out a chuckle, “Man I love y'r dad. He always brought food for me as well,back then.. I still send 'im birt'day card,y'know.. Send you cards too, 'lthough you never reply”.

She scratched the back of her head. In all honesty, it had been quite a while since Theo last celebrated a birthday.

“Sorry about that.. I'm usually busy in the May, you know, missions and all..”

“Ah, thas craptalk Rosie!”

She stopped moving. She wasn't angry, as Marcus could tell, but reading her face and knowing what he did, it wasn't much of a mystery.

“Marcus..please,stop calling me that. I haven't gone by my first name in ages..”

“Right. Sorry 'bout that,Theo. Slips the tongue some'times. Old habits,y'know.. By the way- haven't seen your Captain anywhere.. He 'lright?”

“Steve and I broke up”.

“Ah..shit,Theo.. am sorry 'bout that.. Jeez. You alright?”

“Always am, Marcus. You know that”.

He wanted to at least pat her arm, or give her a hug. But she wasn't that kind of person. Perhaps once upon a time, but certainly not now. Hadn't been in a long,long while.

They didn't talk anymore until they reached the upper floor. Theo was the first one to walk inside, and Peter couldn't help but flinch and widen his eyes as he saw the riffle she had tied behind her back.

“Safety's on,Parker. No need to wet your pants”.

“Yeah well, easy for you to say. That's a completely normal reaction you know-”

“Yeah,yeah”,she waved her arm as she sat down. “Hush now”.

Pietro was eyeing her quite a lot, as she noticed. In their defense, Theo hadn't used a riffle, or a pistol or anything like that in quite a time. She'd grown somewhat used in merely using her powers, although the process didn't differentiate that much from firing a riffle.

“You look like a terrorist”,he noted.

“Sorry Maximoff. Didn't wanna ruin that dream of yours that Stark shoots rainbows out his suit. Thought you knew”,she teased him, a forced and tight smile on her lips.

“So we should all grab a gun then”,he said in a rather categorical tone.

Theo rolled her eyes,letting out a huff of air. She wasn't aware of that side of him, of that annoyance over the matter. Still, she found it to be pointless.

Tony motioned his hand, as to shush them.

He stood up, fixing his shirt as he approached a map shown on the screen. Several images and footage of that location were spread out, as to show possible spots.

“Hill's notes on the case, along with Jarvis' geographical profile and Jenny's whereabouts suggest our killer queens are mostly operating on this area”.

He pressed his finger on the spot, a rather big circle on the map. As Theo figured, it looked like a rather busy area; many shops, many main streets all over the place. Not exactly easy to go and shoot down people. It would mean they'd need to minimize civilian activity, all without alerting said groups.

“That's a high traffic area, Tony.. we can't act on our own on this one”,Wanda noted quite correctly.

Tony sighed, “I know,sweet number three. Our best option here in stay low; monitor, and only act when we're left with no other option”.

“Should our snipers be held in position, sir?”,Feye asked.

Tony turned his head, surprise in his eyes, as if he'd forgotten about that part, or the marines in general.

“Well...”,he puffed his cheeks, “Yeah? I don't know, Bennet?- be a dear and handle this one”.

“Yes”,she stated all too quickly. “We know next to nothing about those people. No numbers, no power info, no nada. Perez and myself will be stationed in different positions-”

She stood up and approached the map; pulling it to a holographic screen on top of their table, she made sure to zoom in and out as to study the area.

“One should take the southern position,one the western; we gotta keep them as surrounded as possible. If something's to go wrong- we'll be able to take care of it”.

Marcus nodded in agreement, as did Alvaro.

“Alright then”,Natasha scoffed, “what's left?”

“Well,ma'am, we really ought t' be careful of this one”,Marcus showed a certain blond man on one of the screens, “they call 'im Cypher. He's the one that makes most deals with Iraq and Macao. And any other place the got 'n mind, my guess”.

“What are they called, again? As a group, I mean. They must have a name..”

Marcus scratched the back of his head. He clicked his tongue, placing both palms on the table as he stood up. His expression was much calmer, though this only indicated a certain amount of newly found seriousness.

“The X-Men, ma'am. That's what they call themselves”.