END-GAME

Bolin Huang, one of the big three – as Natasha called them, doing most the hits ,was walking down the street, holding two bags filled with oranges and apples. He stopped,only to catch a talk with an elder woman.

He had quite the big build, dragon tattoos with roses embracing said dragons' tails covering both Bolin's arms entirely,as it was shown by his raised sleeves. He patted the woman gently on the back,only to hug her as he laughed about something.

Theo sighed,though she didn't move from her position. It was like that- day after day, she'd spot one of them doing nothing helpful to them. All she could do was remember every little movement of their arms, every facial expression, each person they'd meet and or talk to while outside.

She pressed her earpiece, as the device spread on top of her right eye. It allowed her to get a capture of Bolin and the woman,just to send it over to Tony.

“Got this?”,she asked through the earpiece as the device left her eye.

“Loud and clear, Bennet. Though, I gotta say.. none of these people are..you know, anyone to be afraid of. Most of them are low class civilians”.

Theo brushed some hair behind as she sighed quietly. She thought so herself. Sometimes she wondered if there was any reason for them to try at all. All trails washed away, every droplet of blood wiped. They had nothing.

All they could do, was sit around and be vigilant, hoping Feye and Matthews would give them something to work on.

“Any word on our boys?”

Marcus' voice threw her off. They all shared the same frequency, although she and Perez were strictly communicating via a VHF radio. It was mostly a matter of secrecy, and the marines team felt more at ease by that, seeing how Theo and Perez had eyes on every person they knew to be involved.

“We keep tabs the old fashioned way,Anderson. Your boys don't give word out unless they're completely sure mama terror isn't listening”,he huffed out.

“Callisto?”,Peter asked,sitting on the bed.

Naveen sat on the corner, only to see something on the computer Tony had given both them and Perez's team. He pulled a big screen, showing Callisto's face for them, along with every new person's identity they had discovered. Nonetheless, they weren't that many.

Theo turned her body around, as she had managed to crack a slight hole in between the wall's bricks to put the riffle's neck in. She left her post, as she crouched her body to watch what was shown on the screen: at first, a gloom looking woman,dressed in black, with short hair and an eye-patch on her right eye. She was pictured on a rather blurry shot.

“She's operating most the bombs as we know, and Perez caught her hanging around with Kira, our big number two, on the other side of town. My guess? They're cooking something, and we're about to get burned, boys and girls. Real scary woman,if you ask me”.

“What's goin' on?”,Pietro asked as he had just gotten in the living room.

He was wiping his hair, a towel the only thing to cover up his lower body, as he had just gotten out the bathroom. Theo snorted. That's one thing she feared the first time Tony announced this tragedy of a cohabitation.

“Could you stop parading half naked? It's not that nice of a view either way,Maximoff”.

Pietro narrowed his eyes. “What? I'm I distracting you?”

Then his eyes fell down on his stomach; he tilted his head a little. For someone who's sole hobby is constantly running and extremely high metabolizing – there was no going wrong,he thought.

Theo sighed, standing up all too abruptly. She went ahead and lied down to put her eye on her sniper riffle's scope.

Pietro's eyes fell on her entire behind, as she was laid down. He arched an eyebrow as he crossed his arms.

“Now that on the other hand is not a bad view, Bennet”,he noted.

“Know what?”,she said,still in the same position, “I believe you two have grown awfully familiar with me”.

Naveen let out a faint chuckle, “What'd I do?”

“You looked”.

He pulled his lips. No lie there, he thought.

Peter scratched the back of his head, a rather goofy smile on his lips. At least they were having some form of fun,he thought. Naveen continued showing pictured of Callisto and Kira downtown,supposedly taking care of their last job.

“Go on Perez”.

“Still haven't jumped Bourdeaux?”,his voice said.

Theo let a deep breath come out. She moved away from the riffle and placed her back against the wall, her hands hanging on her knees. She eyed Naveen, as that comment had forced a smile on his face, an awfully smug one as well.

“Depends. Still haven't asked Romanoff out?”

“Ah- you play dirty,Bennet”.

If Perez could share the vision he had, he'd shown them quite the smile as he saw Natasha after Theo's question. But he chose to keep that image to himself.

Pietro walked and grabbed her radio off her hands. Theo arched an eyebrow, but decided it was for the best. As she had said, those men had grown overly familiar over this past month.

“All good on the other side?”

“Ey, Pietro. You got quite the commentary, didn't you hermano?”

“Yeah..”,he mumbled whilst eyeing Theo. “Think i've grown soft on her?”

They all heard Perez's laughter coming all the way from the other side.

Theo went back in position. For a sniper, it was a requirement to be placed like that for long hours – even days if necessary without moving a muscle.

“Naah... think she's the one growing soft on you”,he managed to say.

Perez's laughter soon came to an abrupt end as his eye caught something from his scope. Natasha rushed to approach him, though she didn't speak. She merely waited, her hand reaching unconsciously for her pistol,kept on her belt.

Marcus's entire body grew stiff, as he tightened both fists. The moment he most feared might had just arrived.

“Oscar Mike – Bennet. Whiskey Alpha, Bravo”.

Theo curved her back, only to move the riffle. Naveen grabbed the radio and closed it as he rushed to the window. He placed his back against the wall and put on his binoculars.

“What just happened?”,Peter asked worried, sharing the same look with Pietro.

“On the Move. White Queen is Back”,Naveen translated in a muttering voice.

Pietro rushed to get a change of clothes, dressed himself up in merely a second. He sat on the bed, waiting for directions – or orders if necessary.

“I'll never understand this language coding you got..”

Theo raised her arm,no speaking. Naveen put the radio down and pushed it until it reached her hand. She pressed the button,putting the device close to her lips.

“Hotel India Tango”,she huffed out. “CallSierra”.

“On it”.

Pietro knitted his eyebrows. Naveen soon put the binoculars down, and rushed to grab his pistol. He put on a bulletproof vest while Pietro was merely eyeing him confused.

Peter realized none of it sounded all too good. He rushed inside,only to make sure he'd at least be suited up in case his gut was correct. No time to dress up when needed, he thought.

“A hit's about to happen. We're calling Stark”.

“What hit?”

Theo loaded the riffle,ready to shoot on cue.

“Callisto's making the deal. Stark's gonna have to fill us in with the bug system”,she explained.

Pietro breathed in. This kept on making less and less sense,the longer they remained on that mission. They'd only managed to learn so much in this past month.

One, they'd learn about two more people in Emma's group: Callisto and Ororo.

Callisto usually worked her way with knives, but they'd figured out that along with her powers, she could heal herself rather quickly.

Ororo on the other hand, a woman with silver long hair and the power to manipulate the weather- was much more frightening. She'd been gone,along with Emma, possibly to work their way through business. Natasha managed to track them down in Belgrade, went there herself, and only returned the day before.

Theo could see both Feye and Christopher- and things looked rather grim. She had no way of knowing what was being said, but one thing was sure: they were both in trouble.

Emma had just gotten in, her face awfully serene and calm as she was saying something. But Christopher's expression suggested that the conversation wasn't so smooth.

Callisto had been eyeing her dagger, and as Theo could tell, she wasn't about to wait all that long to use it.

“We got a situation here”,Tony's voice said through the intercom.

“You think Stark? We need to act, permission to shoot”.

“Not yet Theo.. Matthews' and Otieno's positions have been compromised. We need to go in. I need you to be ready,but don't take the shot until I ask”.

Theo's lips parted for a second.

“Perhaps I should come in”,she suggested, not too sure of it herself.

“No. You stay in place Theo. That's an order”.

Theo narrowed her eyes, as if to make sure she heard correctly. He huffed out an ironic chuckle, but she re adjusted her body to remain at her stationed position. She re arranged the riffle's neck, only to make sure she had both Frost and Callisto. To make sure she'd have a clear shot if needed.

“You're afraid I'm gonna lose it. Ain't you?”,she asked,now far more composed than before.

She could feel Tony's sigh, his hesitation to reply. He scratched the back of his head just as his suit was beginning to take form, embracing his body gradually.

Just as his helmet closed, shielding his head, he spoke.

“I'm trusting you'll have my back,Theo. Like you always do”,he said firmly. “Be ready at cue”.

Theo's lips formed a sly half smile. At times, Tony surely had his way with words. She loaded the riffle, tightening her arm, feeling her muscles stiff. This could be the end. She didn't know how many shots she'd have- but she'd certainly make sure she'd load all her repressed anger on those shots.

Peter had just gotten back,full on his red suit. His mask was uneven, half his face shown as he breathed heavily.

“Crap. We're going in- aren't we? Damnit, I knew it”.

Pietro cracked his neck and knuckles. He eyed Peter and Naveen, as they seemed to be both prepared. Naveen himself had put on his cammies, pistols in every possible place he could think of.

“Hope you're not a barfer , Bourdeaux”,Pietro said calmly, an awfully sly smirk on his lips.

Theo chuckled at that, while Peter sighed deeply. This only made Naveen the more confused. Well, at a time like this, being so far away from the apartment they knew Emma's team to be- they didn't exactly afford time to go there by walking.

In a matter on nanoseconds, in an image all so blurry, Pietro carried them both to the targets' location. Theo shook her head slightly. She had to admit, it was always fun to watch first timers. Although,she herself hadn't allowed him to do that on her yet- and thankfully Pietro had complied on that.

For some reason though, Pietro rushed back in just one second. Theo shook her head, looked through her scope again. Peter and Naveen were right on the pavement under the apartment, Naveen himself looking rather dizzy.

“What happened?”,she asked as she quickly got up to stand right across him. “Did something happen? What's wrong?”

Pietro smiled, a crooked one. She was more than confused,and Pietro himself didn't really know what had gotten to him, but he was extremely calm, seeming awfully sure of himself.

“You gonna be here when I get back?”

“I...uh, yes..”,she mumbled.

“Good. Yeah,good”,he nodded to himself.

After saying that, he simply left in a matter of nanoseconds. Theo just stood there for a while, her lips trying to form words out of confusion. Soon though, she heard an explosion- her entire body flinched as she ran,falling to the ground hard to get back in place.

She watched a tremendous red mass taking over the apartment. Pietro himself was running up and down just to make sure the civilians would be as away as possible.

Theo found herself still thinking about what Pietro had said.

Nervous ticks took over her facial expressions.

“Why do we always end up recruiting the weirdest of the oddballs..”,she wondered.