Chapter Text
Evie waited to see if Steve was going to come back or not before letting it all out. After about five minutes (give or take a few seconds, come on! It's freezing in this bunker.) she realized she was alone. She let her head fall back before opening her mouth to scream as tears streamed down her face.
"So much for "Never leave a man behind" asshole! I freeze to death, I'm haunting your ass for the rest of your shitty existance! You hear me Rogers?! You won't be able to-" Evie choked on a sob. "Screw it." She began to violently sob. "Mom, why? Why you?! Dad... Oh god, I am so sorry, all this time we thought you... I blamed you and..." Evie's normally steady lit trailed off and she let herself simply lay there in the snow as the sharp cold bit into her exposed face as the pain from her many wounds kept her constant compnany. After a while her eyes began to drift shut and each time she found a struggle to reopen them.
'Maybe it would be easier that way, to just let go. Let's face it, I've been on borrowed time since Afghanistan. No more Avengers, no more pain, no more betrayal...' Evie's green eyes began to drift shut. 'Yeah, that sounds kind of nice right now.'
With a start they popped open again. Various faces flashed through her mind, hazy memories replayed in stereo. She could hear the echo of laughter as a familiar group of people splashed in the waters of Malibu like they didn't have a care in the world. She felt familiar arms wrap around her making her safe and warm.
'Pepper, Rhodey, Happy, Helen, Uncle Daniel, Harley, Moira, Izzy, Christine, Vision, Maria, Kid, Bruce, Friday, Dum-E, Butterfingers, U, Hope.
The names repeated like a mantra in her head as the haziness lifted. They were the people she relied on, could one day hope to rely on (Vison, Maria, and Kid- Peter), or could one day rely on a new (Hope). And here she was contemplating on how easy it would be to die in a bunker in the middle of nowhere for crying out loud. How could she do that to them? After all they've been through? No way in hell. She was a Stark, and Starks where fighters. She gritted her teeth.
'Okay, enough of the pity party. Focus Evie. Now what did Uncle Daniel teach you?... Right assess yourself.' She moved her limbs pleased to find only her left arm a bit sorer than the rest of her body. She attempted to sit up but gasped at the explosion of pain in her chest.
"Fuck!" She cursed out loud.
'Right, definitely broken ribs, maybe a punctured lung.' She mentally commented. 'So, I can't get myself out of this. Friday, should have sent out a distress signal when she lost contact with the suit... And Everett Ross and the Accords Council know I'm here or well in Siberia. So all I have to do is stay awake until back up arrives. Easy.'
It wasn't easy, as thought but it was the best she got. She let herself think about various projects she had in mind but found herself drifting back to the Civil War and the shit storm that went with it.
'Fine, let's review. World wants accountability for our actions, simple. But apparently the safest hands are our own Rogers? What the freaking hell?! Where were your "safe hands" when you dropped three helicarriers in DC? Or the S.H.I.E.L.D. data dump?! It's a miracle me and Maria saved as many people as we did. I call bullshit on that statement.
'And speaking of where was it in Bucharest or Berlin?! What made you think it was okay to engage law enforcement officials? Much less take the fire fight into a heavily populated CIVILIAN area?! Or crash a helicopter to help your best friend escape capture, again might I add.
As the thought came to her Evie scrunched up her nose in thought. How had Rogers known which apartment to go to anyway? Natasha didn't tell him so who did? She filed that information to later investigate.
'Putting all that aside, let's review the airport. What the hell kind of orders did you give your "team"? Because they sure weren't pulling any punches when we were. We could have talked this through but no, you just had to use your fists instead of your words. Bravo. No really, bravo.'
'While I'm on the subject, let's talk about your team. Let's start with dear old Natasha, because I firmly put her in your corner now. My ego? What was that about? Just cause I don't automatically believe your word is gospel doesn't mean I have an ego. She should count herself lucky at that point because now, no one is protecting her and it's only a matter of time. I stopped the agents who wanted a few "words" with her for endangering their lives once, but this time... Darling Itsy Bitsy Spider is on her own. She burned her last bridge with me. I should have known anyway: once a double agent, always a double agent.
'Next we have good old Clint. Why? Why would you take the man from his family? When he said he was out, he meant it for their sake. And now, what's going to happen when one of them turns on the TV and sees that their father is a criminal? There were cameras at that airport and I guarantee either the footage will be released by the Council if and when they decide to prosecute or some idiot looking for a quick buck is going to sell it to a news station. Who is going to explain that to them? That that is the reason there dad picked up and left them? Speaking of, what did you tell him to get him to do it anyway? That I was being the big bad dictator? Screw you both. And what he said about Rhodey on the Raft wasn't very nice to hear either. Where did he expect to be put, the Ritz?'
Evie sighed as other thoughts wormed their way into her brain. Rhodey, paralysis. It would devastate him, it would take away the thing he loved most. His ability to fly. Not to mention his military career. Nope, that wouldn't do at all, another project to file away at the top of her to do list. One way or another, her friend would walk again. She'd defied the impossible almost ten years ago in a cave when she built the arc reactor and the Mark I. She'd do it again.
Second after that was the Barton clan. She wasn't a naïve as Ross thought, she knew he had already began digging into their pasts when she had visited the Raft. No doubt to find leverage to use against them so one of them would crack and give up Rogers and Barnes. She didn't care how good S.H.I.E.L.D. had hidden the information or lack of. One thing taking over SI at nineteen before she gave half the control over to Pepper had taught her was that a paper trail always existed somewhere. Sooner or later Ross would find it, no matter, she'd just have to get to the Barton's first.
'Now on to my least favorite of your posse. Wanda... I mean seriously, I locked her in her room?! She had free reign of the compound you idiot. And she had Vision (and I really mean had because he probably isn't so sweet on her after she and Barton assaulted him in his own home). Regardless of lives she saved, none of you should have been in Lagos in the first place. It was an unsanctioned mission that went bad and people wanted her blood. I warned you this would happen, we should have left her to face the consequences of her actions for Johannesburg a long time ago. But no, "she understood what she did was wrong, Toni. We don't need to put her through that, Toni. Haven't you done enough to her already, Toni?" For fuck's sake, I did nothing to the crazy bitch in the first place. Whatever bomb dropped on her home, most likely wasn't SI tech. You used it, you know I don't tolerate duds or failures. And if it was Si tech it was probably one of the various my dearly departed godfather sold right under my nose. Again, NOT my fault. That gave her no right to try to seek revenge. Or to join HYDRA or did you forget that little detail? Because I sure haven't. And while we are on the subject she also willing worked with Ultron and I'm still not convinced she didn't play a role in his creation as well. But no, she's just a "kid." Yeah right, legal adult right there Rogers. And how many times will I have to repeat myself? ULTRON WAS NOT MY FAULT!!!!!!
'The Ant-Guy or whatever you call him, where did you find this guy? On second thought, where did Pym find this guy? "Hank Pym said never to trust a Stark." Hank Pym hasn't seen me since I was ten years old. He has absolutely zero right to judge me, or did he forget who was my mother's best friend and my honorary aunt? And whose bright idea was it to put him into my suit and have him start yanking wires? He could have killed me or himself and that would have been on you. I never should have looked the other way when he broke into the compound. Surprise! I knew about that. An old friend asked me to after I confronted her, "for old times sake."
"Oh, Hope, what have you gotten yourself into?" Evie asked aloud.
'Finally we have Sam. And yes, I count him last because frankly I'm too traumatized to deal with shorting out the mess that is Barnes in my head. And I barely have anything to say about him besides the fact that he's an ignorant moron. Seriously he was in the Air Force for crying out loud. He knows the rules of engagement. But I guess his head is so far up your ass that he doesn't see anything beyond your sense of "right and wrong". But he was also the only one to show remorse, which is more than you recently showed me.'
'So congratulations, you won... for now. Because this little stunt didn't just burn the bridge between all of us, it obliterated it. And now, the next time we play, it will be by my rules. But right now I'm to tired to do play... but I guarantee my friends aren't.
"Ha." Evie laughed as she thought about the hell that was potentially about to be unleashed on Rogers little band of pirates. "Funny, I don't feel sorry for them one bit."
"Miss Stark?" A familiar voice asked. Evie opened her eyes. When had she closed them in the first place?
"Hey, Vis." She greeted weakly with a cough. The android's concerned face didn't move from in front of hers. "You came."
"Of course." He reassured her attempting to smile but failing.
"Wouldn't let us go without him." A familiar voice rang out. Evie turned her head towards it or attempted to. Why did everything hurt so much now?
"Ross...?" Everett leaned into her field of vision.
"Even threatened to sneak aboard." Evie felt a twinge in her heart at that. She subconsciously moved Vision to the file of people she trusted and relied on without hesitation. "Get the med team in here now!" He called over his shoulder making Evie wince.
"Thank you, Vis." She told him. This time the android managed a small smile.
"Everything is going to be alright now Miss Stark." Her eyes drifted shut again the last thing she saw was someone picking up the shield.
'I swear the second I get workshop time and take care of everything else, I'm melting that thing down and using it to coat a new arm for Dum-E. We'll call it an, 'I'm sorry for all those times I threatened to donate you to a community college' gift. She thought before she willingly let her mind shut down, she was in good hands now. She was... well not safe but close to it as she could get at the moment.