JAMES RHODES STOOD IN THE LOUNGE speaking to Secretary Ross who presented himself through a hologram. Rhodey would've rather been doing something else such kicking back and watching flicks. He was retired after all.

But Thaddeus insisted that they have a meeting to discuss the situation with Vision along with what had happened in New York. Rhodes could never catch a break.

"Still no word on the Vision?" Thaddeus asked the colonel.

"Satellites lost him somewhere over Edinburgh." He replied.

"On a stolen Quinjet with five of the world's most wanted criminals."

Rhodey crossed his arms. Steve, Natasha, Sam, Wanda, and Y/N had been on the run for the past two years and Ross tried all that he could to track them down...to no avail. They've done well in laying low.

Rhodey is glad that his friends haven't been caught.

"You know they're only criminals because you've chosen to call them that, right, sir?"

Thaddeus groaned, "My God, Rhodes. Your talent for horseshit rivals my own."

"If it weren't for those Accords, Vision would've been right here."

Thaddeus got up from his seat and walked closer to Rhodey. The colonel looked straight into the eyes of Ross's hologram form.

"I remember your signature on those papers, Colonel."

Rhodey nodded, "That's right...", he looked down at his legs that were being supported with Stark-tech braces, "And I'm pretty sure I paid for that."

"You have second thoughts? Like L/N did in Berlin?" Thaddeus asked.

"Not anymore." Rhodey replied.

The two heard a mechanical door open, and they turned to look at who it was. To their surprise, the fugitives who Ross was adamant on apprehending entered.

Steve and Natasha walked into the room with the rest following behind. Y/N and Sam were helping Vision with Wanda walking beside them.

"Mr. Secretary." Steve greeted the hologram of Ross.

"You got some nerve. I'll give you that." He replied.

"You could use some of that right now." Natasha rebutted.

"The world's on fire. And you think all is forgiven?"

"I'm not looking for forgiveness. And I'm way past asking for permission." Steve told him. "Earth just lost her best defender. So we're here to fight. And if you want to stand in our way, we'll fight you too."

Thaddeus stared at the Captain for a moment, trying to contain his annoyance and anger. He turned around to face Rhodey.

"Arrest them."

Rhodey gave a sly nod, "All over it.", and then ended the call with him.

He wasn't going to abide by his orders.

"That's a court-martial. Good to see you, Cap."

Steve walked up to Rhodey and shook his hand, "You too, Rhodey."

He also hugged Natasha, then looked at the rest of the team.

"Wow. You guys...really look like crap." Rhodey remarked. "Must've been a rough couple years."

"Yeah, well, the hotels weren't exactly five star." Sam replied, then pointed at Y/N. "And then you have ghost-boy here hogging the queen beds and hot water."

Y/N shook his head, "Now that's a lie."

Suddenly, a familiar face entered the room. Y/N looked ahead, and was in awe at seeing an old friend.

Bruce Banner.

"Uh, I think you all look great." He spoke. He fiddled with his hands in the classic Banner way, and let out a chuckle. "Yeah, I'm back."

Out of everyone, Natasha was the most surprised. She's spent the last two years wondering where he had gone, and their plan on running away together still lurked in her mind. She never thought she'd see him again, and now there he stood.

"Hi, Bruce." She greeted.

"Nat."

There was silence in the room. Sam turned his head and whispered at Y/N, Vision, and Wanda. "This is awkward."

• • •

THE TEAM DISCUSSED the situation at hand in the office. A projection of Corvus Glaive and Proxima Midnight was displayed in the middle of the table.

"So we got to assume they're coming back, right?" Rhodey asked.

"And they can clearly find us." Wanda added.

Bruce paced around the room, "We need all hands on deck. Where's Clint?"

Y/N leaned against the wall with his arms crossed as he replied, "After the whole Accords situation, he and Scott took a deal."

"It was too tough on their families. They're on house arrest." Natasha chimed in.

"Who's Scott?" Bruce asked.

"Ant-Man." Steve answered.

"There's an Ant-Man and a Spider-Man?"

"Welcome back to Earth, Doctor." Y/N remarked.

Bruce shook his head trying to understand the situation. He started to get serious, "Okay, look. Thanos has the biggest army in the universe and he is not gonna stop until he gets...Vision's stone."

"Then we have to protect it." Natasha said.

"No, we have to destroy it." Vision chimed in from the other side of the room. He leaned against the wall, a hand over the wound Corvus Glaive gave him. "I've been giving a good deal of thought to this entity in my head. About its nature. But also it's composition."

Vision got off the wall and began walking towards Wanda. They all continued to listen.

"I think if it were exposed to a sufficiently powerful energy source, something very similar to its own signature, perhaps it's molecular integrity could fail."

"Yeah, and you with it." Wanda replied.

Y/N walked up to the two, understanding what his close friend was inferring. "We're not doing this, Vis."

"Eliminating the stone is the only way to be certain that Thanos can't get it."

"That's too high a price." Wanda said.

Vision shook his head, looking at his two friends before staring directly at Wanda. Y/N had similar powers, but only Wanda's was powerful enough to damage the stone.

"Only you have the power to pay it."

Wanda walked away, not wanting to discuss it any further. Steve was listening in, and dropped his head.

"Thanos threatens half the universe. One life cannot stand in the way of defeating him." Vision continued.

"But it should." Steve responded. "We don't trade lives, Vision."

"Captain, 70 years ago, you laid down your life to save how many millions of people? Tell me, why is this any different?"

"Because you might have a choice." Bruce told him. "You are a complex construct of overlays. Jarvis, Ultron, Tony, me, the stone. All of them mixed together, all of them learning from one another."

"You're saying Vision isn't just the stone?" Y/N asked.

"I'm saying that if we take out the stone there's still a whole lot a Vision left. Perhaps the best parts.

"How can we do that?"

Bruce shook his head, "Not me, not here."

"Well you gotta find someone and somewhere fast. Ross isn't just gonna let you guys have your old rooms back." Rhodey said.

Y/N sighed and crossed his arms again. He thought of his old room, he wondered if his game consoles were still plugged in.

Steve looked down, he knew a place they could go that can help. A place that currently was helping Bucky erase his programming. Along with helping Vision, it'd be nice to reunite with an old friend.

He looked up and faced the team.

"I know somewhere."