The quinjet was deathly silent as it soared home; not one person spoke. Even movement was kept to a minimum.

The objective in Lagos had been simple enough – get in, find Rumlow and his mercenaries and arrest them before they could obtain anything that could be used as a biological weapon from IFID. As was often said when it came to missions, you can plan for any contingencies but the second the rubber hits the road, all bets were off.

Rumlow had outsmarted them, managed to break into the Institute for Infectious Diseases with the Avengers hot on their tail. He'd managed to get a vial of something, too. And that's when it all when to hell.

Their running battle had managed to take down the mercenaries without any civilian casualties. There'd been some minor property damage, but nothing severe. Rumlow, though, had been ready for them with an explosive vest, ready to sacrifice himself in order to see the Avengers fail.

The explosion was sure to kill dozens at the very least. Wanda, though, had managed to wrap her magic around the exploding man and bomb. But it was powerful, too powerful for her. She'd attempted to send it skyward where it could explode without doing any harm.

Unfortunately, she'd lost control of it when it'd been far too close to the IFID Headquarters building. Twenty-six people had been killed in the blast, another eighteen injured.

They'd worked as quickly as they could, finding the survivors, doing what they could for them before and even after the ambulances arrived.

It hadn't been enough.

Every one of them was shaken by what'd happened, analysing what had gone wrong, what they could have done differently, what they should have done differently. Wanda, though, took it the hardest. Even now, she was as close to a ball as you could get – her knees up against her chest, her arms locked around her legs, head down and hair hiding her from the world. Silent tears fell from her face as she mourned what'd happened, what she felt responsible for.

Both Steve and Nat had spent time with her, talking to her about missions that'd gone wrong for them, about how you never forgot but you made damn sure that you learnt from it so that nothing like it could ever happen again.

As Sam banked the quinjet in towards the hanger, he was pleased to see that Doc Greengrass was already there, waiting for them. She was a Magical Mind Healer, a counsellor of sorts from what Sam could work out. And that sounded exactly what Wanda needed. Hell, Sam was of the opinion that they could all do with some time talking to her; he knew that he sure would be.

ooo00ooo

The King of Wakanda stood stiffly as he watched the jet coming in to land. Beside him and slight behind to either side of him stood his children, the Prince and Princess. His guards, his Dora Milaje, were at attention, fanned out as well.

This jet was being honoured not for itself, but for what it carried inside it. Coffins. Eleven of them. Relief workers, going about their normal duties, doing what they could for the poor and underprivileged of the world.

In this case, they had been in Lagos, Nigeria, discussing medicines and diseases and how to prevent and treat them when the disaster struck. A bomb exploded, killing them instantly. Instantly, at least they had that much, not being forced to suffer. What made it worse was that they should have been safe on the ninth floor of the building when the explosion happened outside of the building.

But the Avengers had interfered. Made the bomb fly into the sky until it was just the right height to detonate and kill the people inside.

These Avengers had no right being in Nigeria at all. None were citizens of that country. From what King T'Chaka had been told, they hadn't even requested permission from the government to enter or even informed them that they were there to apprehend a criminal. No, they simply went wherever they pleased, did whatever they wanted and damn the consequences. The innocent were made to suffer, to bleed and die.

King T'Chaka bowed as the first of the coffins was brought forth by six guards, marched slowly across the tarmac and loaded into the first of the carts waiting for it.

"This atrocity must not be allowed to stand," Prince T'Challa stated.

"I agree, my son, but what would you have us do? Wakanda is considered a poor, backwards, third-world country by the outside world," King T'Chaka reminded him.

"Allow me to take my jet and strike back, to teach them that Wakanda is not their plaything," the prince replied harshly.

"Your anger is getting the better of you, my son," King T'Chaka said gently. "War is not our way and the Black Panther is to protect Wakanda, not to attack and start a fight with those who would harm us. But there may be another way."

"What way, Father?" Shuri, his daughter asked.

"The United Nations has been working on a document that would curtail these Avengers and others like them, make them follow laws and work with governments, not despite or against them," King T'Chaka replied. "So far, I have remained silent in the talks but perhaps it is time to speak up."

"Why haven't you spoken before this?" T'Challa asked.

"That is simple, my son," King T'Chaka replied, turning to face him. "These new laws, these Accords, are aimed at all enhanced individuals, be it through technology or science or magic or experimentation. The Black Panther will fall under this law as well."

"The Black Panther has never operated outside of Wakanda," Shuri stated.

"Not true, Daughter. You may need to revise your history of our people," King T'Chaka replied. "It is rare, however. And if he needed to again, those laws may hamper his ability to protect our people. But perhaps by speaking up, I can assure that there are ways around the law for our Protector."

"May I accompany you to these talks, Father?" Prince T'Challa asked.

"I was going to suggest it," King T'Chaka said, inclining his head. "One day, you will lead our people not only here within our own lands but also within the eyes of the world. It is my duty to ensure that you are ready for that time."

"That won't be for a great many years," T'Challa said.

"Perhaps, perhaps not. One never knows when the call to the Great Plains will come, we must always be ready to heed the call," King T'Chaka stated.

With that decided, the three turned back to the unloading of the jet, honouring each one on their final journey home.

ooo00ooo

Captain America looked over the assembled Avengers before him, taking them all in, judging their readiness. Most looked eager for whatever was to come, not that they knew what it was just yet. A couple appeared to be relaxing, conserving their energy. And then there was Wanda. She was just as he expected – looking incredibly depressed, the weight of what happened in Lagos still haunting her.

Nodding to Mockingbird, the two stepped forward, instantly capturing everyone's attention.

"Today we're going to be trying something a little different," he began. "A training scenario that we've never attempted before but one that you should all learn a lot from."

"As well as have a lot of fun with," Mockingbird added.

"That's right," Cap nodded. "First and foremost, this is a training scenario. And while we'll all be using our suits and abilities and treating it as though it was real, you also get to have some fun."

"Exactly what have you got up that spangly sleeve of yours?" Iron Man asked.

"In its simplest terms, Capture the Flag," Cap replied.

That got some interest and had them all looking slightly more attentively.

"This will be a team event and we'll be using a fair swath of the island for it," Mockingbird continued. "There are twenty of us here, so two teams of ten. The aim is to work together to find and capture the other team's flag while protecting your own. There will also be some automatons. Mage?"

Mage stepped forward and swished his wand at a large box off to the side, making it disappear. What it revealed was a crude human-shaped body dressed in basic black shorts and shirt. It was bald and its face only really approximated a person's, with a blob for a nose and ears and sunken parts where eyes should be.

"This can follow basic commands – sit, stand, walk, stop, turn right, turn left," Mage stated.

"Each team will have six of these, 'hostages' located with their flag," Cap continued. "Rescuing the hostages from the opposing team will gain you bonus points."

"There are also these," Mockingbird stated, pulling a sheet off of a table to the side.

On it, were two dozen over-large firearms, both handheld and rifle. She picked one up and held it up for all there to see properly.

"These fire like a normal gun," Mockingbird continued. "But what they actually fire are paintballs, albeit with a magical 'kick'."

"They'll knock you out for approximately thirty seconds," Mage explained. "And the paint will stay, allowing everyone to see at the end who was hit and how many times."

"That'll also be taken into account when we determine which team is the 'winner'," Cap stated. "There are two portkeys that will take the teams to two different parts of the island. Once your team has the flag and as many 'hostages' saved as possible, use your watches to let everyone know and we'll rendezvous back here."

"What are the teams?" Widow asked.

"Before we reveal that," Cap replied. "There are two of our number that have yet to announce their codenames. Wanda? Pietro?"

For a second, both looked startled.

"Quicksilver," Pietro called proudly.

"I ... I'm not sure," Wanda replied hesitantly. "I haven't really given it much thought."

"You want to leave it to the master," Iron Man jumped in. "Let's see, what'd sound good?"

"She's magical, right, like a witch?" Marauder called.

"Witch," Iron Man repeated and if it wasn't for his face mask, all there were sure that he was wrinkling his nose in disgust. "Lame. Needs something to spice it up."

"Red Witch?" Squirrel Girl suggested. "You know, because of her magic being red."

"That's it," Iron Man stated. "Scarlet Witch!"

"Oh, I thought you liked my idea," Squirrel Girl sighed.

"Wanda?" Cap asked.

"Sounds okay," she shrugged.

"Okay? Just 'okay'? It's better than anything else any of you could come up with," Iron Man replied indignantly.

"Moving on," Mockingbird said. "The teams."

That got everyone's attention and distracted Iron Man from the beginning of his rant.

"We were thinking that it would be interesting to see how the Academy did as one unit," she continued. "They've been training a lot together and have a fairly good idea of how well they can work together. That should counter the more 'experienced' members of the Avengers."

"Blue team, when I call your name, you can collect your weapon from this end of the table; yellow team, yours are at the other end," Cap said. "Yellow Team consists of Spider-Man, Squirrel Girl, She-Hulk, Marauder, Komodo, Falcon, War Machine, Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver, with Mockingbird leading them. That means everyone else – Iron Man, Mage, Widow, Hawkeye, Hulk, Quake, Daredevil, Vision and Wolf – you're with me on Blue Team."

"Is there a time limit?" Hawkeye asked.

"No. This goes for as long as it takes," Mockingbird said. "And considering that none of you know exactly how far apart the two teams will start, it's probably best that way."

"The only overriding factor will be in the case of an emergency and Hill will be in charge of letting us know that," Cap added. "Well, what are you waiting for? Grab your gear and get to your portkey!"

There was a mad scramble as the two teams sorted themselves out, each of them picking up a gun and forming around the two large hula-hoops. Then, once everyone had grabbed hold, Mage activated them, causing a pair of large, multicoloured flashes of light before the training room was emptied.

ooo00ooo

"Alright, Gandalf, where are we and which way to the wannabes?" Tony asked the instant that the portkey had released them and the Blue Team had dropped the hoop.

"We're somewhere on the island," Harry replied. "Other than that, your guess is as good as mine."

"I thought that you had to know where you were going in order to create one of your magic portkeys?" Nat said.

"True. If I had made the portkeys."

"You didn't?" Daisy asked, clearly surprised.

"No," Harry replied, shaking his head. "Lavender and Daphne came out on brooms to find the places the two groups would start at. We thought that it'd be fairer that way."

"So, we're going to have to do this the old-fashioned way?" Tony asked. "Where's the fun in that?"

"Sounds fun to me?" Bucky stated.

"Don't worry 'dad', your idea of fun will change soon enough," Clint grinned.

"And Tony, don't dismiss the other team, they've got some good people with some amazing skills on it," Steve stated. "We've worked with them before and Bobbi's been training them for quite a while now. They could easily surprise all of us."

"It would be prudent to assess our strengths and weaknesses and come up with a strategy," Vision suggested.

They were on the top of a small hill. Three grassy sides led down into a valley; the fourth side was heavily forested, dipped down a small way before rising again, higher than the hill they were on, right up the side of the mountain. Just in front of them was a small cabin with a single door and no windows on any of its sides.

"What exactly are these automatons?" Matt asked, cocking his head in the direction that the six humanoids were sitting against the back wall.

"A basic magical construct," Harry replied. "They'll only last for a couple of days before reverting to their base components. Figured they were good enough for this exercise."

"This is no good," Clint stated, squeezing in through the door and across to the blue flag that had been planted in the middle of the room.

Taking the flag off of its staff, he looked straight up and then across to Harry.

"Gimme a boost."

Lifting his hand, Harry levitated Clint so that he was able to reach the roof where he attached the flag to the ceiling with four arrowheads.

"No one ever looks up," Clint explained as Harry lowered him back to the ground.

"Peter says the same thing all the time," Matt commented.

"I'd assume that the other team has a similar sort of set up," Daisy stated. "So, we have to find them, get their flag and hostages and get out, right?"

"Yes," Steve stated. "I think two teams would be best – one to defend our own flag and hostages, the other to capture our targets."

"I don't think it'd be a good idea to have the Hulk on the attacking team," Bruce said. "I'm not sure that he'd get it that this is just a game."

"I'll stay behind as well," Harry said. "I can think of a few tricks to slow down any attackers."

"You'll need them, especially with Pietro," Clint commented.

"Right, here's what we'll do ..." Steve began.

ooo00ooo

Marauder loved the feel of the wind in his face as he raced across the island on his brand new Lightning Bolt broom. Far to either side of him, flew Falcon and War Machine. The three of them had been tasked with searching out the 'enemy', to either find their 'hideout' or to spot them attempting to find their own.

Their base – a hut in the middle of a plain of grassy fields – would ordinarily be easily to spot from the sky. Marauder, though, had done his best to make it harder to find. He'd 'cloaked' the whole building in a notice-me-not charm. He'd almost completely drained himself doing it, though. Notice-me-nots weren't supposed to be used on something so big, not to mention that it was a NEWT-level spell at that. To be honest, he wasn't sure how long it'd hold; hopefully long enough for them to achieve their goals first.

Already, they'd been searching the island for the other team for close to two hours. For a small island, it was sure taking a surprisingly long time to search, even with the three of them in the air plus the others on the ground. Their plan called for them to search in a spiral pattern out from their base. He knew that, eventually, they'd find them; the question was fast becoming whether it'd be before dark or not.

Movement in the tree line ahead of him had him slowing, focussing in on what it was, checking to see if he'd finally found the 'enemy'. A feathered head followed by a sleek black body, its wings tucked back told Marauder exactly what it was: a hippogriff.

Now that he'd seen one, the rest of the herd could be made out as each one emerged from the trees. Unconsciously, he'd drifted lower, a smile on his face at the majestic animals.

Unfortunately, they were also his undoing.

A grunt escaped him as something slammed into the side of his thigh and his broom shied away. Looking down, he frowned at the blob of blue.

And then the world faded to black as he slipped from his broom, falling the ten metres to the ground. He never even felt it when gravity waves caught him and lowered him gently the rest of the way, nor knew it when his broom was retrieved and placed beside him.

ooo00ooo

"What do you want me to get first? The flag or the hostages?" Quicksilver asked.

"They'll know we're here and ready to attack no matter what you grab first," She-Hulk pointed out.

"Not if I'm quick enough," Quicksilver grinned.

"I'm only counting the three of them – Mage, Daredevil and Bruce," Spider-Man said as he crept forward on his hands and feet.

"If Matt's here, what's the odds that they already know we're here?" Squirrel Girl whispered. "His hearing if phenomenal."

"Then I'd best get the flag first," Quicksilver said, standing up and cracking his neck. "Ensure the victory, at least."

And then, in a blur, he was gone. Well, a blur to the others. To him, it was just as though everyone else had slowed down to the point of all but being frozen in time.

The hut was directly before him, the door closed, but that didn't mean anything – not even a lock lasted very long when vibrated quickly enough.

A strange tingle washed over his skin metres in front of the hut and Quicksilver frowned at it, wondering what it was. But he was already past before it registered so, he ignored it. His hand closed around the doorknob and he paused in surprise to find that it wasn't even locked.

Shrugging at their stupidity and arrogance, he simply opened the door and sped in.

There was the flag, sitting on its pole in the middle of the room. The six 'hostages' were lined up on chairs against the back wall. Quicksilver aimed to race straight across the room, grab the flag and a single automaton and race back out again.

At least, that was his plan.

What actually happened was that, the instant that his foot stepped inside the hut, it slid out from under him and it was all that he could do to keep his balance as he began sliding across the floor. And then he began accelerating! His feet churned under him and shot him forward at a speed that he'd never dreamed possible – straight at and then through the automatons that weren't there and the make-believe wall.

Quicksilver didn't stop until he was out the other side, into the trees, down the hill and halfway up the mountain. By the time that he'd managed to