Chapter 1: Chapter 1
Chapter Text
Chapter 1
Pony’s POV
It had been a couple of years since the events that ended in Bob’s death and the Windrixville fiasco. That summer had felt like it changed my whole life, like we’d all grown up faster than we should’ve. Luckily, after much physical therapy, Johnny was back to his old self. Even with a very slight limp, he moved with the same quiet determination he always had, like he wasn’t going to let the past win.
It was the beginning of my senior year of high school at 16 years old, and I had just gotten my driver’s license. Darry was already on me about finishing my college applications so I could send them off with scholarship applications. I knew he meant well, that he wanted better for me, but sometimes it felt like having a drill sergeant for a guardian.
Soda and Steve had gotten an apartment together and were still working at the DX. They had both been promoted to manager. Soda was the store manager, while Steve was the manager of the car shop. I could tell Soda was proud, even if he tried to play it cool.
Two-Bit was still living at home while Johnny and Dally had gotten an apartment together. Dally was working at Buck’s still, while Johnny was working at the Dairy Queen part-time while taking nursing school classes at the community college.
It was weird being at home with just Darry sometimes. But the gang was still constantly over like usual, so we weren’t alone all the time. Things had gotten better between Darry and me, but we still weren’t close like I was with Soda.
Luckily, Steve and Soda had fixed up a clunker that was dumped at work, which I was able to drive. They even had a friend who was a mechanic to double-check their work, and it was cleared for me to drive. I didn’t care that it wasn’t pretty; it was mine.
I had just pulled into the driveway at home when Two-Bit pulled up behind me.
Two-Bit had a mischievous look on his face that only meant trouble.
“Oh no,” I groaned as I got out of the car with my backpack slung over my shoulder. “I know that look. What do you have up your sleeve, Two?”
Two-Bit beamed at me while shaking his head, chuckling.
“Hey now,” Two-Bit said with a smirk. “I can have a good idea every now and then.”
Two-Bit followed me into the house. I grabbed a beer from the fridge and handed it to him. Two-Bit took it willingly. He popped it open without missing a beat, eyes glinting with the kind of excitement that always got us in over our heads.
“So,” I said. “What is this big story of yours?”
Two-Bit grinned.
“I’m glad you asked,” Two-Bit said. “Have you heard of the old abandoned house that is on the very edge of town? The one that everyone says has a blue glow and a buzzing noise for it?”
I had heard stories about it around town. It had started over the summer. Kids swapping rumors, daring each other to go near it, always backing out at the last minute.
“I’ve heard about it,” I said slowly. “Where are you going with this, Two-Bit?”
I didn’t like where this was going. Two-Bit’s ideas were always hare-brained.
“I think we should sneak into it,” Two-Bit said. “Try to scope out those rumors. Everyone else is too chicken to do it. I plan on convincing the rest of the gang to do it. Tonight.”
“I don’t know about this, Two,” I said reluctantly. “It’s not a good idea. I want to play it safe, especially after the events that happened with Bob. Plus, I don’t want to do anything to jeopardize the guardianship. Especially since I have two years left, and things have been better with Darry and me.”
Two-Bit nodded.
“Come on, Pone,” Two-Bit begged. “Don’t be such a worrywart. I just know I can get Darry to come around. I could use the ruse of adult supervision.”
“Let’s just see what Darry says,” I said in surrender. “I have to get started on homework to even have Darry consider letting me go.”
Two-Bit nodded.
“You get to it, Pony,” Two-Bit said, leaning back on the couch. “I’m going to watch Mickey until the gang gets here for dinner.”
I grabbed my backpack from a kitchen chair and went into my bedroom to work on my homework.
I wasn’t looking forward to Darry’s mood when Two-Bit told him his hare-brained idea. It would bode well. I could already picture Darry’s face when Two pitched the idea.
Before I knew it, it was dinner time. Darry had made hamburgers with corn on the cob and baked beans. The whole gang was over. Steve and Soda had been arm wrestling earlier, like usual. Dally had been lounging on the front porch with Johnny while he was smoking a cigarette. Right before Darry had called to say that dinner was ready, I had just finished my homework.
“Thanks for dinner, Superman,” Steve said with a full mouth. “The burgers taste good. Is there any chocolate cake tonight?”
Darry rolled his eyes.
“You and your chocolate cake,” Darry groaned. “But yes, there is chocolate cake in the fridge.”
Steve pumped his fist in the air.
“I’ve got an idea for the gang to do tonight,” Two-Bit said with a smirk.
“Oh no,” Dally groaned. “What hare-brained idea do you have now?”
“Probably something stupid,” Darry grumbled.
“Hey now,” Soda said. “It could be something fun. Plush, we haven’t done anything fun together since Pony’s birthday a month ago.”
“So spit it out, Two,” Steve grumbled.
“I was telling Pony earlier that we should go check out the abandoned house on the edge of town that has the buzzing sound and blue glow coming from it,” Two-Bit said giddily.
“You sure that’s a good idea?” Johnny said nervously. “There’s probably a good reason why no one goes over there.”
“That’s just asking for trouble,” Darry grumbled. “We are not doing it.”
“Come on, Dar,” Soda begged. “It’s probably something harmless. Someone probably just put blue lightbulbs into the light fixtures and left a radio or a TV on.”
“Or something like that,” Dally mumbled while taking a sip of beer.
“Does Dally actually believe in ghosts?” Johnny asked in surprise.
“No,” Dally covered with a sneer. “Just get bad vibes.”
“Come on,” Two-Bit begged. “The kid finished his homework, and if Darry goes, we can’t get into much trouble. We’ll have adult supervision.”
Darry groaned as he dragged a tired hand down his face.
“Fine,” Darry grumbled. “But no shenanigans. If something feels off, we’re leaving. Capeesh?”
“Capeesch,” we all said together.
After everyone finished shoveling down their food and helping clean up, we all piled into our cars and drove over to that old abandoned house.
We all got out of our cars and stared at the house.
“Everyone has their flashlights ready?” Two-Bit asked.
“Yep,” I said, clicking mine on and off.
“Got your pepper spray too?” Darry asked.
“Yep,” Johnny said, lifting his up and his thumb hovering over the button to spray it.
“I’ve got some walkie-talkies from Buck,” Dally grumbled.
Dally grabbed a box from his car and started passing it to everyone.
“Let’s get a move on,” Soda said as he ran towards the door.
“I don’t know why he finds this so fun,” Steve grumbled. “It’s a waste of time.”
Two-Bit whacked him on the back of the head.
Darry went with Two-Bit, and Soda, and Steve went off somewhere, so it left Johnny, me, and Dally together.
“This is so stupid,” Dally grumbled. “We’re too old for this.”
We moved through dusty rooms that smelled of rot and old plaster. My flashlight beam caught cobwebs, peeling wallpaper, and warped floorboards.
We were all just rummaging around the house when I noticed a blue glow coming from what looked to be a trap door in the ceiling of one of the guest bedrooms on the second floor.
The buzzing sound seemed to be the loudest from that.
“You think it’s in there?” Johnny asked me quietly.
I shrugged.
“Maybe,” I said. “Whatever it is, we should check it out. Then we could get out of this place.”
“I’m going to call the guys in,” Dally grumbled. “I’m ready to get out of this joint.”
Dally called the rest of the guys up to the guest bedroom we were in.
“Who wants to lead the way?” Two-Bit asked giddily.
“I will,” Darry grumbled. “So you fools won’t do anything stupid.”
Darry yanked the cord, which led to a ladder that folded down. We all followed Darry up the loader.
When we all got up there, we all looked at a blue glowing cube that was sitting on the floor by itself, buzzing.
“What the hell is that thing?” Steve growled. “And why is it the only thing in this attic?”
I looked around nervously, and sure enough, it was.
“I’m not sure we should be around this thing, guys,” I said nervously.
“I’m going to agree with Pony on this one,” Dally grumbled.
“Come on, guys,” Two-Bit said. “It’s probably just a random light that someone left up here.”
Soda moved towards the cube slowly.
“I don’t know about you guys,” Soda said. “But I get a weird tingly feeling the closer I get to this.”
“Then we should probably leave,” Johnny said nervously.
“Come on, Soda,” Darry said. “Quit fooling around.”
Soda didn’t move. He just seemed entranced by the cube.
“Soda,” I said nervously.
We all stepped forward. That’s when we all felt it. A weird, strange pull to this cube. We were all entranced.
“Do you guys all feel that?” Steve asked nervously.
“We all need to go,” Darry said. “Now.”
“But,” Johnny murmured. “I can’t move.”
That’s when I realized I couldn’t either.
“Darry,” I said in alarm.
Before we could say anything. The blue cube seemed to explode. Waves were coming off it and slamming into all of us, throwing us to the ground. It felt like my body was on fire. There was a blinding blue light, and everything went black.
Chapter 2: Chapter 2
Summary:
The gang wakes up in a place they've never seen and learn something that turns their lives upside down. They have superpowers!
Notes:
Hi Everyone,
I hope you like this chapter! Stay tuned for the next one!
Sincerely,
Keylime2001Disclaimer: The Outsiders is owned by S. E. Hinton. I don't own any of the MCU characters.
Chapter Text
Chapter 2
Soda’s POV
I don’t know what it was about that cube, but something drew me to it. It intrigued me. I guess it’s kind of like how Pony is obsessed with or drawn to his books and movies. But there was something else that was pulling me towards the cube. Something that I couldn’t control. But before I knew it, the cube exploded with light and invisible rays coming from it.
Everything had gone black. A painful blackness. Not like falling asleep, more like getting yanked underwater and held there.
I didn’t know how long I was out. I don’t know if I even wanted to know. But when I started to come aware, everything was foggy. I had the worst headache that I've ever had. Worse than a hangover. The air smelled sterile, sharp, like disinfectant. My hands moved over rough sheets until I realized I was lying on a narrow cot. That didn’t make sense. We’d been in an attic. My hands started to feel around frantically.
I slowly blinked awake and slowly sat up.
I looked down. I was wearing what appeared to be a hospital robe.
My heart started beating fast.
“Pony?” I called. “Darry?”
I looked around blearily.
That’s when I saw my brothers and my friends starting to slowly waking up around me. They were each on their own beds in hospital gowns.
Darry grabbed his head and winced.
“Soda?” Darry asked wearily, but alarmed. “Where are we?”
“I was about to ask you that,” I said. “You ok?”
“Just a bad headache,” Darry groaned. “You?”
“Same,” I said. “Pony?”
“I don’t think I’ve ever had a headache this bad,” Pony groaned.
“What the hell happened to our clothes?” Dally groaned.
“I’m glad you’re awake,” A voice boomed through what sounded like an intercom.
“Who the hell is that?” Steve groaned, wincing. “Where are you? And what do you want?”
We all looked around frantically until we saw a guy in a suit standing outside the plexiglass enclosure we were in.
“Good morning,” the man said. “I’m Agent Dugan. I’m with S.H.I.E.L.D.”
“What the hell is that?” Johnny groaned, clutching his head.
“It stands for Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division,” Agent Dugan said. “We were only founded a couple of years ago.”
“Why the hell are we in hospital gowns and trapped in this glass shell?” Dally growled.
“Well,” Agent Dugan said. “You boys came across an object called a Tesseract. It’s a powerful space stone. We’ve been looking for it since it disappeared after WWII. You boys had the unfortunate luck of finding it. But I guess the stone took a liking to your lot and decided to give you all a gift.”
“What do you mean?” Pony asked, eyes wide.
“Well,” Agent Dugan said. “Since you guys have been here since last night's incident, we’ve done some tests. It seemed like the cube wanted to give you guys some powers. Along with altering your cells so they won’t age.”
“What now?” I said. “You’re saying we have superpowers like Captain America, and we’re stuck at this age forever?”
Agent Dugan nodded.
“Afraid so,” Agent Dugan said reluctantly.
“You can’t keep us here,” Darry said. “We have lives to live and jobs to get to.”
Agent Dugan clucked his tongue.
“We can and we will,” Agent Dugan said. “Until you guys get your powers controlled. Then you might be able to help us.”
“Why should we make a deal with you?” Two-Bit sneered.
“Since you don’t have a choice,” Agent Dugan said. “Right now, you guys are dangerous to society. If we don’t control your powers, you can harm the community.”
“What powers do we have?” Johnny asked nervously.
“Why don’t you put on your uniforms, and you can test them out?” Agent Dugan said with a smirk. “They’re under your beds.
We all looked under our beds, and sure enough, our everyday clothes were folded in a pile next to a uniform of some sort.
We all reluctantly put ours on.
Mine was a streamlined, retro-inspired speed suit in navy with white racing stripes. Lightweight and aerodynamic. I had a vintage bomber jacket over the suit, emblazoned with a stylized pulse wave logo on the back. The jacket has Kevlar lining for light protection. My mask was just mirrored aviator goggles. My boots had custom traction soles. They were nicer than anything that I’ve ever owned. I had a symbol on my uniform, a stylized, grinning mouth with a heartbeat line running through it, placed over my left chest.
Darry’s uniform was a heavy-duty utility suit in deep blue-gray with reinforced shoulder and chest plating, similar to tactical SWAT gear but sleeker. He had a shielded visor for heavy combat. He also had military-grade pouches with grappling line, med kits, and reinforced knuckle guards on a belt. He had reinforced steel-toe boots with shock absorption for high-impact landings. Darry’s symbol was a solid silver shield emblem over the heart; simple, strong, unbreakable.
Pony’s uniform was a sleek, tactical bodysuit in deep charcoal with flexible plating over the chest, forearms, and shins. He had armor panels have faint grooves that emit soft, color-shifting light. The lights seemed to be changing frantically, so they must be tied to something. He had a slim tactical visor that could flip down for enhanced vision. Pony had light-projector discs on his palms for illusions and shields, lined with micro-lenses to focus beams. He had an iridescent light field that could be projected around him like a flowing cloak during high-energy use. Pony’s symbol was a subtle, stylized open book emblem over the left breastplate, glowing faintly.
Johnny’s uniform was a matte black leather armor with a burn-texture finish, reinforced with heat-resistant carbon fiber. Ember-like veins pulse across the suit when he powers up. He had a half-mask respirator to filter smoke, painted with faint ash streaks, and goggles with orange-red lenses for fire vision. Johnny had a long, tattered ash cloak that disintegrated into real ash when ignited, reforming when cooled down. He had flame-retardant gloves with fingertip igniters for precision flame control; hidden ash grenades. His symbol was a small, faint phoenix silhouette burned into the leather on the right shoulder.
Dally’s uniform was a lack and dark steel-gray urban combat armor, scuffed and dented, layered with ballistic plates but intentionally light on padding to let hits fuel his powers. He had steel knuckles and was wrapped with leather straps for gloves. Dally had a magnetic holster system for street weapons, smoke cartridges, and throwing knives. His symbol was a jagged silver lightning bolt on the chest, designed to look like it’s been scratched in with a blade.
Two-Bit’s uniform was a patchwork tactical suit in purple, red, and black, patterned with subtle playing card symbols that was flexible, designed for agility. He had a half-domino mask in mismatched colors; sometimes swaps them mid-fight just to throw enemies off. Two-Bit had a short-cropped coat with reversible colors (bright on one side, stealthy on the other). He had a satchel full of prank-based explosives, slippery gels, and noise makers. His symbol was an ace of Spades printed sideways across the chest.
Steve’s uniform was a dark bronze and black armored jumpsuit with exposed mechanical components. (Like a stripped-down Iron Man Mark suit mixed with biker gear.). He had a flip-down welding visor with a HUD interface for hacking and machine control. His gloves were high-tech gauntlets with rotating gear-like joints that glowed faint blue when controlling machinery. Steve also had a back-mounted collapsible drone tool, wrist ports for hijacking vehicles remotely. His symbol was a crossed wrench-and-gear insignia over the heartplate.
“When did you have the time to make these?” Pony asked in awe.
“We did so last night per your powers,” Agent Dugan said with a smile. “We designed them based on your powers. There are hints in them.”
I raised my eyebrows.
“So,” Two-Bit said giddily. “Can we try our powers?”
Agent Dugan chuckled.
“One at a time,” Agent Dugan said. “Soda, why don’t you go first. You have super speed and charm hypnosis. Why don’t you try out your boots? They have traction control.”
I raised my eyebrows and ran around the room. It felt freeing.
“You might have some competition, Pone,” I giggled after a few laps.
“That’s so cool,” Pony said.
I smiled at Darry, which seemed to cause him to relax.
“What the hell?” Darry grumbled.
“That’s part of his charm hypnosis,” Agent Dugan said.
“Creepy,” Dally shuddered.
“Pony,” Agent Dugan said. “You have empathic telepathy and light manipulation. The lights in your suit change with your mood.”
So that’s what I saw earlier.
Pony looked at Johnny.
“I can feel your nervousness and fear in waves,” Pony murmured in awe. “It feels weird.”
Pony moved his hands, and then Johnny seemed to calm down, and Pony’s eyes widened.
“Did you just make me calm down?” Johnny asked.
“I think I did,” Pony said with a small smile.
“That might come in handy with the fights you have with Darry,” Two-Bit joked.
Darry scowled.
We heard something clang in the distance, which caused Pony to flinch. When he flinched, a light shield seemed to appear.
“Cool,” Pony said.
“Why don’t you give it a shot, Johnny?” Agent Dugan said. “You have fire and ash manipulation.”
Agent Dugan walked over to a pile of wood and lit it on fire with a lighter.
Johnny lifted his hands and was able to create art with the fire. He bent it into the air. He scattered the ash with it.
“That would’ve come in handy with the fire in Windrixville,” Steve grumbled.
I wacked him upside the head.
After Johnny was done, Agent Dugan turned to Dally.
“Dallas,” Agent Dugan said sternly. “Your powers are kinetic energy absorption. You can absorb energy from moving objects and use it as energy blasts.”
There was a large Newton’s Cradle in the room. Agent Dugan lifted one of the large balls and let go. Causing Newton’s Cradle to do its thing.
“Go ahead,” Agent Dugan said.
Dally moved so he could absorb the energy from the cradle. After Dally absorbed the energy, he directed it towards a tank that was in the room. It caused the tank to flip into the air and land.
“That’s awesome,” Dally said with a smirk.
Agent Dugan moved towards Two-Bit.
“Keith,” Agent Dugan said. “Your powers are chaos probability, or what we like to call it, luck manipulation. You can mess with reality, and your jokes can throw off enemies.”
Steve groaned.
“So this is going to make him more miserable,” Steve grumbled.
Two-Bit smirked.
Two-Bit tried a few jokes that did cause some chaos. Then he tried some reality manipulation, which caused a few fake doppelgangers of him to appear.
“This is sweet,” Two-Bit said.
“You better not use that on us,” Dally grumbled.
“And Steve,” Agent Dugan said. “Your powers are mechanical telekinesis. You can control and manipulate anything with gears or engines, like cars, bikes, helicopters, and anything else similar.”
“Cool,” Steve said. “So like anything I do for work.”
“Try it out on that car,” Agent Dugan said, pointing to an old Ford car.
Steve was able to start the engine and have it drive without someone driving it. He could also rip it apart and turn it into weapons and other toys.
“This will be awesome,” Steve said with a smirk.
“And last but not least, Darry,” Agent Dugan said. “You have super strength and invulnerability.”
Before Darry could react, Agent Dugan pulled out a gun, pointed it at Darry, and fired.
The bullet collided with Darry’s chest, but there was no mark or wound.
“What the hell!” I shouted. “You ok, Dar?”
Darry frantically felt around his chest.
“Surprisingly, I’m fine,” Darry said.
“Go ahead and lift that tank, Darry,” Agent Dugan said.
Darry moved reluctantly and was able to lift the tank with ease and throw it across the room.
“That’s sick, dude,” Dally said with a grin.
The rest of the day, we all worked on our powers to see how we could control them. It was tiring.
“So,” Johnny said to Agent Dugan at the end of the day. “What happened to the Tesseract?”
“Let me show you,” Agent Dugan said.
We all followed Agent Dugan to a secure room where the Tesseract was.
“What are you going to do with it?” Pony asked.
“We’re going to experiment on it,” Agent Dugan said. “We want…”
Before Agent Dugan could say something, the Tesseract started to vibrate.
“Not this again,” Steve murmured. “Hell no.”
Before we could move, the thing seemed to pull everyone in the gang towards it. Everyone except Agent Dugan.
“Dugan!” Darry shouted. “What’s going on!”
“I,” Agent Dugan stuttered. “ I don’t know.”
Before we could do anything else, a hole formed, and we were sucked through it.
When we landed, the funny thing is that we had a suitcase for each of us with clothes and stuff inside them.
We were standing in an aisle with brick buildings lining it.
There was a skinny, lanky man with brown hair who had a split lip with fists raised towards a few guys.
“I can do this all day,” The guy said.
“What the hell,” Dally said. “That’s a Brooklyn accent.”
“Wait,” Pony said with wide eyes. “Doesn’t Steve Rogers, AKA Captain America, say that?”
“We’re in 1940s Brooklyn,” I said grimly. “Before Steve Rogers becomes Captain America.”
Chapter 3: Chapter 3
Summary:
The gang realizes they were transported back to the 1940s and to Brooklyn. With get this, Captain America.
Notes:
Hi Everyone,
I hope you like this chapter! Stay tuned for the next one!
Sincerely,
Keylime2001Disclaimer: The Outsiders is owned by S. E. Hinton. I don't own any of the MCU Characters.
Chapter Text
Chapter 3
Darry’s POV
Brooklyn in the 1940s smelled like coal smoke, hot pretzels, and motor oil. The streets bustled with trolley cars clanging down the tracks, women in floral dresses carrying shopping baskets, and kids darting between lampposts in suspenders and newsboy caps. We stood out like sore thumbs in our uniforms, and I could already feel eyes on us.
Up ahead, a skinny, pale kid with a split lip stood squared off against three bigger men in flat caps and rolled-up sleeves. His voice carried over the street noise.
“I can do this all day,” Steve Rogers said, breathless but defiant.
The bigger guys laughed, shoving him toward the alley wall.
“Well, it looks like he’s getting his ass kicked,” I grumbled. “We need to step in to help.”
“I don’t know, Dar,” Pony murmured, eyes darting nervously. “I don’t want to mess with the timeline.”
“Timeline, schmimeline,” Dally snorted. “Let’s just show these punks something.”
Before I could stop him, Two-Bit cupped his hands and yelled.
“Hey,” Two-Bit shouted. “Assholes, pick on someone your own size.”
The punks turned to see us coming, and that was the end of their fun. With our new abilities, it wasn’t exactly a fair fight. A quick blur from Soda, a flash of light from Pony, and a sharp crack of Dally’s kinetic blast sent them scrambling.
Then we saw Bucky Barnes come running over.
“Steve,” Bucky said. “You good?”
“I’m ok,” Steve Rogers said. “Thanks to these guys. But I had things handled.
Steve scuffed.
“Sure you did,” Steve said.
“What’s with the git ups?” Bucky asked, eyeing us up and down.
“Uh,” Johnny murmured. “Our work uniforms.”
Steve Rogers cocked an eyebrow.
“Some work,” Steve Rogers said.
“Government jobs,” Soda covered. “We work for SHIELD. You probably haven’t heard of it.”
They clearly hadn’t, but the official-sounding name was enough to keep them from asking too many questions.
“Never heard of that, but sounds official enough,” Bucky said. “But, I’m Bucky by the way. Bucky Barnes, and this is my friend Steve Rogers.”
“Nice to meet you both,” I said, stepping forward, shaking their hands. “I’m Darrel ‘Darry’ Curtis, codename Atlas.”
I turned around and started pointing to the gang. I started with Pony.
“This is my youngest brother Ponyboy ‘Pony’ Curtis, codename, Mindlight,” I said. “Next is my middle brother, Sodapop ‘Soda’ Curtis, codename, Pulse. Next is Soda’s best friend, Steve Randall, codename Breaker. Then, my childhood friend Keith ‘Two-Bit’ Matthews, codename Jokester. Our resident bad boy, Dallas ‘Dally’ Winston, codename Reckless. Finally, our resident sweetheart, Johnny Cade, codename Ash. Our government team's name is The Strays. But no one calls us that unless we’re in the field.”
Steve Rogers cocked an eyebrow.
“Sweet,” Steve Rogers said. “How did you guys land that gig? I’ve been trying to join the military to fight in the war, but I’ve just been denied again.”
“Uh,” Steve grumbled. “It just kind of fell into our laps against our will. We were someplace we weren’t supposed to be due to this bozo right hear.”
Steve whacked Two-Bit on the back of the head.
“That’s how we got the gig,” Steve said.
“Did the asthma trip you up again, Steve?” Bucky asked Rogers.
Steve nodded.
“Say, where are you guys from?” Steve Rogers asked us. “You boys don’t have a Brooklyn or any New York accent.”
“We’re originally from Tulsa,” Johnny said. “But before that, Dally here used to buzz around here. So I guess he’s returning to his roots.”
“Well,” Bucky said. “Welcome back home.”
Dally scuffed.
“Let’s just say I hope I have a better experience this time around,” Dally grumbled.
“Do you mind if we tag along with you guys so we can change out of these to blend in?” Soda asked.
“I don’t see why not,” Steve Rogers said. “You guys helped me out.”
We followed Steve and Bucky to a Brooklyn apartment where we were able to change into era-appropriate clothes.
“It seems like the cube knew where it was sending us for some reason and why,” Two-Bit said. “That isn’t weird at all.”
“It looks like it gave us cash too,” Dally said, grinning, grabbing the wads of cash from each of our suitcases.
I grabbed them from him.
“Hey,” Dally spat.
“I’ll look after this,” I said.
As we finished changing, I saw SHIELD badges with our names on them and handed them to the gang. We then met back with Steve Rogers and Bucky in the living room.
“Thanks for your hospitality,” Pony said. “But we’ve imposed enough. We should probably go find a place to stay.”
“Nonsense,” Steve Rogers. “I’m sure my Mom won’t mind if you stay here as long as you're tidy.”
“Thanks,” I said. “But we couldn’t impose.”
“I insist,” Steve Rogers said.
I bit my lip.
“Thanks, Steve,” Soda said. “We’ll be as tidy as possible.”
“We’re going to the World Expo of Tomorrow,” Bucky said with a smirk. “Would you like to join us?”
Johnny’s face brightened.
“Could we?” Johnny asked, eyes wide.
“Sure, Johnnycakes,” Dally drawled. “I don’t see why not.”
“Great,” Bucky said. “Then you came to help me get Steve here some ladies. He just became the best bachelor here in NYC.”
Steve Rogers groaned.
The fairgrounds were enormous, bright banners snapping in the breeze, music blaring from gramophones, the air thick with roasted peanuts and the metallic tang of machinery. Crowds pressed in on all sides, everyone buzzing with excitement.
I was overwhelmed, and I felt out of place.
“Let’s try to blend in,” I said. “No funny business.”
“Aye aye, captain,” Two-Bit said.
“Before we go any further,” Steve said. “How did you come up with those names? They’re stupid.”
I bawked.
“I was on the spot,” I spluttered. “I had to cover our asses, so I improvised. I just elaborated on some truths.”
“It was brilliant, Dar,” Pony said. “Really. Don’t listen to Steve.”
Steve scowled.
“Come on, guys!” Steve Rogers called back to us. “You’re going to miss out!”
“Let’s get moving,” Johnny said with a rare smile.
I locked a hand on Two-Bit so he didn’t scurry off. Pony did the same with Dally. I gave him a wink of encouragement.
Howard Stark’s pavilion drew the biggest crowd. Women in gloves leaned forward eagerly as Stark himself, younger, clean-shaven, and grinning like a showman, unveiled his “flying car.” The chrome gleamed under the spotlights, and the whole display screamed future.
“Spoiler alert,” Dally muttered under his breath. “It doesn’t work.”
“Hold out hope, Dal,” Soda said. “It might someday.”
“Quiet down, guys,” Pony said. “I want to listen.”
Of course, this would interest Pony. At least we could enjoy this with each other.
Steve Rogers was able to slip away for a bit.
“Guys,” I said. “He’s sneaking off.”
“Let’s follow at a safe distance,” Two-Bit said. “So we don’t spook him.”
When Bucky wasn’t looking, we all slipped away as well. We trailed him to the army recruiting station at the fair. A recruiting poster of Uncle Sam hung crooked by the door.
“Not this again,” Johnny said. “The kid is setting himself up for failure.”
Inside, we caught sight of a man in a bow tie and wire-rimmed glasses speaking with Steve, Dr. Abraham Erskine. Pony’s eyes widened in recognition.
“Wait,” Pony said. “Isn’t that Dr. Erskine. The guy who made the super soldier serum?”
“Good eye, Pone,” Soda said.
“This isn’t going to be good,” Dally groaned.
“But if we sneak in with him,” Steve said slowly. “We might be able to keep an eye on him. That’s probably why the cube sent us here.”
“That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard,” Dally snapped.
“Really,” Two-Bit said. “It sounds fine.”
“I have to agree with Steve and Two-Bit on this one,” I conceded. “Let’s follow.”
We followed Steve and watched closely. A few quick flashes of our S.H.I.E.L.D. badges got us past the attendants. Steve spun on us as soon as we stepped in.
“What the heck are you guys doing in here?” Steve said. “Did you follow me?”
“Who are you?” Dr. Erskine asked in alarm.
We all flashed our SHIELD badges.
“We’re with SHIELD,” Soda explained. “A secret government agency. We’re cleared. The agency has an interest in Mr. Rogers here.”
“Ok,” Dr. Erskine said. “You ok with them being here?”
Dr. Erskine looked at Steve while asking that.
Steve nodded reluctantly.
Something in the way Erskine studied us told me he knew we weren’t telling the full truth, but he didn’t press. He continued with his evaluation, running Steve through his questions before finally stamping his approval.
“I assume you boys are going to follow him there,” Dr. Erskine said.
“We are,” Pony said nervously.
“Just make sure you show those credentials to get through,” Dr. Erskine said. “I have a feeling you might need those.”
I nodded.
“Why did you follow me?” Steve Rogers demanded.
“Because the agency is interested in you,” Dally spat. “So suck it up. We’re your perpetual shadows.”
“We'd better get ready for war,” Johnny said nervously. “Here goes nothing.”
We followed Steve Rogers home, where he packed.
“Don’t tell Bucky,” Steve Rogers warned us.
Pony made a zipper motion over his mouth.
We packed up our things.
I pulled Soda and Pony aside.
“You stick close at all times,” I said. “I can’t lose you both.”
“We hear you loud and clear, Dar,” Soda said.
“I promise, Darry,” Pony said.
We followed Steve Rogers to the base, where we got ready to shadow everything.
Chapter 4: Chapter 4
Summary:
The gang makes a deal with Colonel Phillips and Dr. Erkstine.
Notes:
Hi Everyone,
I hope you like this chapter! Stay tuned for the next one!
Sincerely,
Keylime2001Disclaimer: The Outsiders is owned by S. E. Hinton. I don't own any of the MCU characters.
Chapter Text
Chapter 4
Two-Bit’s POV
Let’s just say this was probably the scariest and coolest thing I’ve ever done.
First off, it was cool that we had superpowers and that we couldn’t age, but I wasn’t excited about going to war. Especially WWII. Also, I felt somewhat guilty for getting us into this mess to begin with. It was my idea to go into the house.
But it was too late now.
I just wanted to go home and pretend nothing happened, but that wasn’t going to happen. I knew that for sure.
It was the only thing I could be sure about.
While Steve Rogers was being shown around and getting acclimated to the base. Dr. Erskine showed us around.
There we met Colonel Phillips.
“Colonel Phillips,” Dr. Erskine. “I would like you to introduce you to Agents Darry Curtis, Agent Soda Curtis, Agent Pony Curtis, Agent Dally Winston, Agent Johnny Cade, Agent Steve Randall, and Agent Two-Bit Matthews. They’re here to shadow your unit and, in particular, Steve Rogers. They’re apparently with a government organization named SHIELD.”
Colonel Phillips cocked an eyebrow at us and shook each of our hands.
“It’s nice to meet you boys,” Colonel Phillips said hesitantly. “But some of you seem a little young to be working for a government agency. Especially one that I’ve never heard of. Even at my standing.”
We all glanced at each other nervously.
“It’s super highly classified, sir,” I fibbed. “But we have code names, a group code name, badges, and uniforms if you need us to prove it.”
“Let’s see the badges first,” Colonel Phillips grumbled.
We each pulled out the badges, and he inspected them carefully.
“Well, they seem legit,” Colonel Phillips said reluctantly. “Are those uniforms of yours military grade?”
“Yes, sir,” Darry said coolly. “We’re more than willing to help out.”
“Good,” Colonel Phillips grunted. “Keep close. You might come in handy. I’m assuming since your organization is highly classified and secret, you have clearance for the classified stuff?”
“You bet,” Soda said with a grin. “We sure can keep secrets.”
Steve elbowed him.
“What’s SHIELD’s interest in Rogers anyway?” Colonel Phillips asked. “He doesn’t look like much.”
“That’s highly classified, sir,” Dally grunted. “Way above your pay grade.”
Dally seemed to get a kick out of not being able to tell an authority figure something. To my relief, Colonel Phillips didn’t push. But he didn’t look happy about it.
“What are your code names if I can ask for them when we’re in the field?” Colonel Phillips pressed.
“I’m Ash,” Johnny said. “Dally is Reckless. Darry is Atlas. Pony is Mindlight. Steve is Breaker. Soda is Pulse. Two-Bit is Jokester. Our group name is The Strays.”
“That seems creative,” A woman said, walking up to us.
“Gentleman,” Colonel Phillips said. “This is Captain Peggy Carter. She is on loan to us from the British.”
I let out a wolf whistle.
“Hot damn,” I said with a grin.
Captain Carter pursed her lips.
“I don’t appreciate that much, Jokester,” Captain Carter said. “Mind your manners. I can handle myself.”
I nodded as I grinned.
I liked a tough lady.
“It’s nice to meet you, ma'am,” Steve said, stepping forward to shake her hand.
“It’s nice to meet you all,” Captain Carter said. “We need all the help we can get. Now, if you will follow the Colonel and me, we have some drills to run. Feel free to watch.”
We followed Colonel Phillips and Captain Carter over to where Steve Rogers' division was lined up to receive marching orders.
Captain Carter started to break in some of the candidates. Then Colonel Phillips gave a speech. I kind of just tuned it out. I was bored. I just wanted to some something, finish whatever we were doing here, and move on. Hopefully home, in our own time.
“Now it’s time for some boot camping training,” Colonel Phillips said. “Get moving, boys!”
The soldiers started running their laps, climbing flag poles, and military crawling with guns under barbed wire.
“Feel free to join them, boys,” Captain Carter said with a smirk.
“I think we had our fair share of boot camp when we joined SHIELD,” Pony said meekly.
This caused Captain Carter to laugh. It looked good on her.
Then came all the physical push-ups.
Captain Carter started verbally berating the soldiers. That was boot camp for you.
“This kind of reminds me of my time in the yard when I was in the slammer,” Dally drawled.
“I’m glad I’ve never been there,” Johnny said with a shudder.
“Hey, guys,” Darry said. “Colonel Phillips is walking off with Dr. Erksine. We'd better follow.”
We heard them talking about some secret project and how Colonel Phillips was hesitant about Rogers being the best fit.
“Are you talking about the super-soldier serum?” Pony called out to them.
They quickly turned around to face us and with wide eyes.
“Who’d you keep your voices down?” Dr. Erskine pleaded. “And how do you know about this?”
“Like we said,” I said with a shrug. “Shadow government agency.”
“We have a special skill set,” Soda, but in. “That’s why SHIELD sent us. We might be of help.”
“Skill set of what?” Colonel Phillips asked, clearly not believing us.
“Like this,” Johnny said, starting a fire in his hands.
“I can manipulate emotions and read them,” Pony said. “Like I can read both of your determination, fear, stubbornness, reluctance, and disbelief. Let me help you calm down.”
Pony raised his hands, and you could see Dr. Erskine’s and Colonel Phillips' shoulders relax a little.
“I can lift a truck and am bulletproof,” Darry said.
In a showcase, Darry picked up a gun and shot himself in the shoulder, and pulled his shirt collar down to show no bullet wound. Then he picked up one of the military trucks.
Dr. Erskine and Colonel Phillips spluttered.
“Not bad, Superman,” Dally said with a smirk. “But watch what I can do.”
Dally used kinetic energy to knock over a military truck.
“Not bad, but I can make the engine explode and then put it back together,” Steve said, bemused.
With that, Steve raised his hands and aimed at one of the trucks and exploding the engine, which startled some of the soldiers.
“Nothing to see here, boys,” Colonel Phillips called, with a fake laugh. “Back to drills.”
The soldiers nodded and continued with the drills.
With that, Steve used his powers to put the truck back together.
I clapped my hands.
“Nice job, Stevie,” I said jokingly. “But I can control things with some jokes and illusions.”
With that, I made multiple versions of myself and walked around in circles to confuse them.
“Now, which one is the real one?” I mocked. “Can you guess? I bet not.
Of course, they picked the wrong one.
“What caused this?” Colonel Phillips asked in disbelief.
“Have you ever heard of the Tesseract?” Dally asked with a cocked eyebrow.
“That’s what the Germans have and are trying to use,” Dr. Erskine said. “How did you come into contact with that?”
Pony paled.
“Well,” Pony said reluctantly. “You wouldn’t really believe us.”
“Well, try us,” Colonel Phillips growled. “You just showed us things that weren’t possible before.”
Pony sighed.
“Go ahead, Pone,” Soda said quietly.
Pony nodded.
“We’re not exactly from this time,” Pony explained. “We’re from 1967 Tulsa. There was a rumor of an abandoned house that had a blue glow and a buzzing sound. We thought it was just a tall tale, so we went to check it out. That’s when we found the Tesserct. It lured us in and gave us these powers. That’s how we got to SHIELD. SHIELD helped us learn how to use these powers. But when we came into contact with the Tesseract again, it transported us here. For what, we don’t know. The one thing we do know is who Steve Rogers becomes, Captain America, and the fact that we don’t age.”
“So it works,” Dr. Erksteine said.
“It does,” Johnny said. “He’s a hero.”
“Let’s test that then,” Colonel Phillips said.
Colonel Phillips tossed a non-active grenade into the drills the soldiers were doing, and Rogers was the only one to sacrifice himself. Proving what we were saying all along.
“Believe us now?” Steve asked with a smirk.
“Do you mind if we fill Mr. Rogers and Captain Carter in on this?” Colonel Phillips asked. “In return, Dr. Ekstein and I will read you all into the mission.”
“Sounds like a deal,” Darry said.
“But if you go back on it,” Dally growled. “There will be hell to pay.”
“It’s a deal we’ll take,” Dr. Erkstein said.
Chapter 5: Chapter 5
Summary:
The gang accidentally changes the timeline. They are roped into something they don't want to do.
Notes:
Hi Everyone,
I hope you like this chapter! Stay tuned for the next one!
Sincerely,
Keylime2001Disclaimer: The Outsiders is owned by S. E. Hinton. I don't own any of the MCU characters.
Chapter Text
Chapter 5
Steve’s POV
“So,” Steve Rogers said. “I wasn’t hallucinating when you guys were helping me back home. You guys really do have powers that a glowing blue cube gave you.”
“You heard us right, squirt,” I said. “And it looks like you are about to have some. Just more man-made and not from a glowing cube.”
“And you're from the future?” Agent Carter asked. “Twenty years in the future?”
“That about sums it up,” Dally said. “Now we’re looking forward to finishing whatever the cube wants us to do, so hopefully it can send us back.”
“And you think it has something to do with what we’re doing?” Dr. Erkstine asked.
“We do,” Darry said firmly. “We just want to help and get back to our lives.”
“Ok then,” Colonel Phillips said. “You ready, Rogers?”
“I was born ready,” Steve Rogers said. “I want to serve my country in the best way possible. This sounds like it is.”
Steve Rogers turned to Agent Carter to talk about something before he stepped into the machine.
Pony started fidgeting with his superhero suit.
“You sure this is a good idea?” Johnny asked nervously.
“Well,” Two-Bit said. “In our future, we know it worked out well.”
“That’s the thing,” Pony said worriedly. “In our future. But us being here messes with that. We don’t know what the Tesseract wants us to do.”
“Well,” Soda said slowly, but quietly. “We know that Howard Stark found it while looking for Rogers at the bottom of the ocean. But maybe the Tesseract wants us to find it earlier than when Howard finds it.”
“See, Soda,” I said, elbowing him. “You are smart.”
Soda chuckled and rolled his eyes.
“Goggles on!” Howard called.
We all put on our goggles and watched nervously as Steve Rogers went through the super-serum process.
All things considered, it went the way it went originally.
“Wowee,” Two-Bit whistled. “He’ll give you some competition, Superman.”
Darry shot Two-Bit a glare.
“Shut your trap, Two,” Darry said. “We can’t be joking around right now.”
“Would you two cut it out?” Dally said. “We need to focus.”
“I thought we would never hear that come out of your mouth,” Pony teased.
Dally swatted him on the back of the head.
“Dally,” Johnny warned. “Not here. Not now.”
Then, before we could say anything else, I noticed something else.
Dr. Erkstine was staring wide-eyed at someone. Like he had seen a ghost or someone from his past.
“Hey, guys,” I said slowly. “Get ready. We have company.”
The guys followed my gaze to Dr. Erkstine and then his gaze to a bespeckled man.
Then, all of a sudden, a massive explosion.
“Johnny!” Soda called.
Johnny raised his hands and redirected the blast towards the man as he was grabbing a file of the super-serum.
Luckily, it was in time to prevent him from shooting Dr. Erkstine.
“Uh oh,” Pony said. “We’ve already changed the timeline.”
“What!” Darry shouted. “What do you mean?!”
Dr. Erkstine died from that gunshot last time.
“Too late now,” Dally growled.
“After him!” Dr. Erkstine shouted.
By that time, the door leading outside the lab was swinging, indicating the man had left.
“It looks like it’s my time to shine,” Soda said with a grin.
“Go get him, Pepsi,” I said with a smirk.
As Soda ran after him, I turned to Pony.
“Hey brat,” I grumbled. “Why don’t you use that power of yours to calm some of these people down and take away their pain?”
“Sure thing,” Pony grumbled. “You could’ve asked nicely, though.”
I smeared at him.
“Cut it out, you two,” Johnny said.
Two-Bit walked over to me with a smirk.
“That was a trip,” Two-Bit said. “I guess we’re now a part of history and some action.”
“Thanks for saving me,” Dr. Erkstine said, coming up to us.
“No sweat,” Dally said. “We might as well do something. I hate being bored and doing nothing.”
Then all of a sudden, Soda was back, but dragging the man’s body with him.
“What the hell happened?” Darry asked.
“Language,” Steve Rogers snapped.
“That’s the least of our problems,” I grumbled.
Steve Rogers shot me a look.
“He took something,” Soda said. “He knew he didn’t stand a chance when he saw me after him. So he took something, said ‘Hail Hydra’, and then died in my arms.”
“What’s Hydra?” Two-Bit asked.
“The evil counterpart of SHIELD,” Pony explained.
“How do you know that?” Dally asked.
“I read,” Pony said bluntly.
Dr. Erkstine reached into the man’s pocket and brought away the broken vial of the serum.
“Well, at least he didn’t get this to them,” Dr. Erkstine said.
“Good work, fellas,” Captain Carter said. “But we now have to go after this Hydra to make sure the Germans don’t get a super soldier.”
“You should know something first,” Dr. Erkstine said nervously. “I didn’t say the full story.”
“This can’t be good,” Darry muttered under his breath.
Dr. Erkstine revealed that he was held against his will to create the super-serum for Hydra, but when he learned their plans, he ran with the serum to the US. The leader of Hydra had taken the inferior version of the serum and had some side effects.
“This isn’t good,” Johnny murmured.
“And you didn’t think to bring this forward earlier?” I growled.
“I didn’t think to,” Dr. Erkstine said.
“Well, too late now,” Pony said with an eyeroll.
“What do we do in the meantime?” Two-Bit asked.
“Well,” Captain Phillips said. “We do need some boost in morale for the troops. We were going to have Captain America here to do some patriotic stuff in the field, live shows, and tapes. We would like to have you guys join in.
“Oh hell no,” Dally grumbled.
“Come on,” Two-Bit teased. “It could be fun.”
Before we could do anything else, we were in front of a live audience as back-ups to Captain America.
Steve Rogers looked uncomfortable in his garb.
I just wanted to throttle Two-Bit.
“Now introducing,” The commentator said. “Captain America and The Strays!”
The crowd cheered.
We marched in behind Rogers and were followed by the girls in their git-ups.
Of course, Two-Bit was ogling the girls.
“Eyes forward,” Darry growled at him.
“I want to hide,” Pony whispered.
“You and me both,” Johnny retorted.
“That’s something I can agree with you, brat,” I growled out of the corner of my mouth.
“Chin up, boys,” Soda said with a smirk.
Soda then winked at one of the girls in the front row.
They giggled.
Dally scowled.
“I can’t believe this will be part of the archives,” I moaned.
“Don’t remind me,” Dally grumbled.
We did the whole PSA thing.
Then there were the comic books, movies, action figures, and the whole thing. It made me sick to my stomach.
“I just want to fast forward and get home already,” I grumbled under my breath.
“Patients, Steve,” Soda whispered in my ear. “Just hold on. Trust the process.”
“Process my ass,” Darry grumbled.
The next thing I knew, we were on the front lines with the troops.
“See Steve,” Soda said cheekily. “We’re with the troops now.”
“But how long are we just for show?” Pony grumbled.
“You don’t want to be thrown into this mess, do you?” Johnny asked nervously.
“I don’t think we have a choice,” I said. “If we want to get back home.”
Chapter 6: Chapter 6
Summary:
The Strays and Captain America go on a mission to save the imprisoned troops and to try to get the Tesseract.
Notes:
Hi Everyone,
I hope you like this chapter! Stay tuned for the next one!
Sincerely,
Keylime2001Disclaimer: The Outsiders is owned by S. E. Hinton. I don't own any of the MCU characters.
Chapter Text
Chapter 6
Dally’s POV
I wanted to see some action. Not to be a side piece for morale.
I looked over at Steve Rogers, who was speaking with Agent Carter.
“When do you think we’ll actually be in the field?” I asked Darry.
Darry scuffed.
“I want to keep my kid brothers out of this,” Darry grumbled.
“Too late for that,” Steve said, walking over to us. “We’re all in this. That all went out the window when Two-Bit had the idiotic idea to check out that house.”
“Hey,” Two-Bit snapped. “How was I supposed to know this would happen?”
That’s when I felt a calming presence fall over us.
“What the hell, Pony,” I grumbled as I turned towards him. “What was that for?”
Pony blushed.
“It won’t do us any good if we keep on blaming each other and getting into arguments,” Pony said. “Let’s just finish what we’re here for.”
“See,” Soda said with a grin, and slinging his arm over Pony’s shoulder. “Pony is the smartest out of all of us.”
“If he just uses his head,” Darry grumbled.
We were interrupted by Peggy and Steve Rogers coming over to us.
“You boys ready for your first mission with Rogers?” Peggy asked us, with a straight face.
“Where are we going?” Johnny asked nervously.
“Behind enemy lines,” Steve Rogers said.
“God help us,” I muttered.
“We’ll need it,” I mumbled.
The next thing I knew, we were in a military plane getting ready to parachute down into enemy territory.
“Is it too late now to say that I’m scared of heights?” Pony said meekly.
“Since when?” Soda asked in surprise.
“Since Steve dangled me out of a 2nd story window at school for fun,” Pony said, while glaring at Steve.
“What the hell, Steve?” Darry said. “When was this?”
“The brat deserved it,” Steve spat. “He was being a smart mouth.”
“Would you two cut it out?” Johnny groaned. “We need to focus more on the mission. Especially since we’re about to be shot at.”
“We’re about over the Hydra base,” Peggy called. “Get ready, boys.”
“I hope I don’t regret this,” I grumbled.
The next thing I knew, I was dragging Johnny and Pony kicking out of the plane, and parachuting into the base under the cover of darkness.
“At least these black suits help with camouflage,” Two-Bit said. “But I wish they had more pizazz.”
I rolled my eyes.
“You and your ill-timed jokes,” I grumbled.
“Follow me, guys,” Steve Rogers said as we ducked and covered behind trucks and crates into the compound.
“Since when was he the leader?” Darry grumbled.
“Just go with it, Dar,” Soda said. “You’ll always be our leader once we’re back home.”
“So what’s our plan, Superman?” Steve asked out of the corner of his mouth.
“I don’t know,” Darry snapped. “I don’t follow this kind of stuff. Ask Pony?”
Pony looked at us with wide eyes.
“Well,” Pony said. “If I remember correctly, Cap frees the trapped troops and goes off searching for Bucky. Then he runs into the Red Skull. He has the cube. So I say we just follow him.”
“Let’s just hope we don’t change much more,” Johnny said. “We’ve already changed things with Dr. Erkstine. Who knows how much that would change?”
“Where in the world are they being kept?” Steve Rogers muttered.
“Follow me,” Pony murmured.
Steve raised an eyebrow at him and looked like he was going to protest.
“Just listen to the squirt, man,” I grumbled. “It just makes everything easier.
“If you say so,” Steve Rogers said.
We followed Pony to where these large circular prison cells were holding the soldiers.
“Say,” One of the soldiers said when he saw us. “Aren’t you The Strays and Captain America. From those military videos and tours.”
“Yeah,” Soda said with a smirk. “Thanks for watching.”
One of the soldiers rolled his eyes.
“They really sent the talent to rescue us,” the soldier grumbled. “What a scam.”
“Whatch it, buddy,” Steve snapped. “We’re here, aren’t we?”
The soldier paled.
“That’s what I thought,” Steve muttered.
We were able to get the soldiers freed while Steve Rogers was trying to find Bucky.
Steve Rogers ran off towards the edge of the room.
“Shit, guys,” Johnny said. “He’s leaving.”
“This guy sure knows how to lose a tail,” Two-Bit muttered. “He gives you a run for your money, Dal.”
I scowled at him.
We finally caught up to Steve Rogers as he was unstrapping Bucky from a table.
“You’re here too?” Bucky asked us groggily.
“We couldn’t let this idiot be by himself, could we?” Darry teased. “We promised.”
Bucky laughed.
“You sure did,” Bucky said. “Now let’s get out of here.
“We need to get up to that cube before Skull takes it,” Johnny said nervously. “By now, he knows we’re here.”
“Come on, guys,” Soda said, running towards the center of the base. “Let’s go.”
We all followed him, but we were already too late. We encountered Red Skull and his Dr. Zola on one of the high beams.
Steve Rogers and Bucky weren’t far behind us.
Dr. Zola was holding the Tesseract.
“He has it,” Pony said. “We need to get it.”
“Not so fast,” Steve muttered. “He isn’t going to give it up easily.”
“Young Breaker is right, Mindlight,” Red Skull said with a chuckle. “You should listen to him. But it’s so nice to see The Strays and Captain America. I see that Dr. Erksine’s project worked.”
“Well,” I spat. “You didn’t account for one thing. Us being there when you tried to have him killed.”
“A minor setback, Reckless,” Red Skull said. “But you’ll pay for that.”
Without notice, Red Skull threw a punch at me, but Darry stepped in front of me and threw Red Skull back.
But before we could do anything else, Dr. Zola pulled a lever that pulled the two sides of the bridge apart from each other.
“That little bugger,” Two-Bit seethed. “He sure does know how to play a game.”
“I see you have another one of your super-soldiers,” Red Skull chuckled.
“I’m actually not,” Darry growled. “This is from that cube of yours.”
Dr. Zola looked intrigued. Red Skull was taken aback.
“How interesting,” Red Skull said. “But you see, Captain America. You weren’t Dr. Erskine’s first subject. I was.”
With a flourish, he pulled off his human skin mask and revealed a red face and skull.
“Ugh,” Two-Bit said. “Remind me not to eat red hots again.”
“How did his head make you think of that?” Johnny asked in confusion.
“Just focus,” Soda grumbled.
“How are we supposed to get to the cube now?” Pony asked frantically as Dr. Zola and Red Skull got onto an elevator.
Before we could say anything, there was a large explosion.
“I’ve got it,” Johnny called.
He lifted his hands and directed the blast away from us.
“Whoa,” Bucky said. “So you really did get powers from the cube. I thought you were just kidding.”
“Truth be told,” I said. “We’re not much jokesters, unless you count Jokester here. He’s the only one, though.”
“Guilty as charged,” Two-Bit said cheekily.
“Come on, guys,” Steve Rogers called. “I found our way out. There is a beam up above us that we can use.”
We all looked up, and sure enough, there it was.
“I hope it holds,” Darry muttered.
We followed Steve Rogers and Bucky up to that level.
“Buck you first,” Steve Rogers said.
Bucky nodded nervously and crawled over the railing and slowly started his way across.
While Bucky started going across, the beam started to give a bit.
“I’ve got this,” I muttered.
I used the kinetic energy I stored up to boost the beam and keep it steady while Bucky finished across.
“Come on, gang,” Soda said with a grin. “We’ve got to get out of here.”
We all slowly started across. I was the last one to go, and my energy was draining, and I started to falter.
Right when it was about to collapse, Johnny grabbed my arm and got me across.
“Thanks, Johnnycakes,” I said.
“No sweat,” Johnny said with a shrug. “You would do the same for me.”
Johnny gave me a small smile.
I chuckled under my breath.
“Don’t make me go soft, squirt,” I muttered.
We ran up to the launch pad, but we were too late.
“God damn it,” Steve shouted.
“Language,” Rogers said.
“No one cares, right now,” Darry snapped. “We’ve lost our shot of going home.”
“Not quite sure that’s true,” Pony said.
“What do you mean?” Two-Bit asked. “Is there something you’re not telling us?”
“There is a chance we get onto the ship before it crashes with Cap in it and the cube,” Pony whispered.
“But won’t that mean we’ll crash?” Soda asked nervously. “That doesn’t sound safe.”
“But there is a chance that the cube can transport us back to our time,” Johnny finished, Pony’s thought. “That’s probably what it wants us to do. Make sure it isn’t on the sea floor.”
I always thought it was weird that they could read each other’s minds.
“I guess if that’s our best option,” I muttered. “Then it’s what we’ve got.”
“We need to get going, guys,” Bucky called. “The rest of the troops are leaving to head back to camp.”
We followed reluctantly.
Chapter 7: Chapter 7
Summary:
Something drastic happens on the train mission. The Strays get new equipment and tools in preparation for their big final mission.
Notes:
Hi Everyone,
I hope you like this chapter! Stay tuned for the next one!
Sincerely,
Keylime2001Disclaimer: The Outsiders is owned by S. E. Hinton. I don't own any of the MCU Characters.
Chapter Text
Chapter 7
Johnny’s POV
When we got back to camp, we were greeted by the rest of the troops. They were looking at us in awe and newfound respect.
Colonel Phillips’ jaw was on the ground.
Peggy greeted Steve Rogers.
Two-Bit elbowed Soda.
“It looks like Carter has the hots for Rogers,” Two-Bit teased.
“Lucky man,” Soda responded with a smirk.
Darry cleared his throat, disrupting Pegg and Steve Roger’s reunion.
“So what’s the plan?” Darry asked. “Because we’ve got a cube to find to protect the world, and so we can get back home.”
“Howard might have something in his workshop that can help us,” Peggy said. “It’s secure, and we can make sure that everything that is needed for the mission is provided.”
“Like some cool toys?” Two-Bit asked eagerly.
“Yes,” Peggy said with a chuckle. “Cool toys if that’s what you call them.”
“Sweet,” Dally said. “Actually, government permission to cause trouble and rumble.”
“Don’t get any ideas,” I warned. “We actually need to get home and not get locked up in a 1940s prison.”
Dally rolled his eyes.
“I’m actually with Johnnycakes on this one,” Soda said.
“At least you all are using your heads,” Darry grumbled.
“I’m just shocked that Two-Bit didn’t make that kind of joke,” Steve grumbled.
Two-Bit whacked him on the head.
Pony snickered.
“At least the circumstances didn’t change the dynamic,” Pony murmured.
I nodded in agreement.
We followed Colonel Phillips, Peggy Carter, Bucky Barnes, and Steve Rogers into Howard’s workshop.
Dr. Erksine was working with Howard on some of his inventions.
“I think with Dr. Erksine alive,” Pony murmured to me. “Maybe he can make some steps forward with Stark Industries.”
“But at what cost?” Dally grumbled as he passed us.
“So,” Colonel Phillips said. “Before we do anything, can you show us where some of the bases are and what’s inside?”
“Sure thing,” Steve Rogers said. “Darry, do you care to join?”
“Sure,” Darry said with a small smile.
While Darry was helping Steve Rogers, the rest of us wandered around the lab.
Two-Bit reached out to touch something.
I swatted his hand away.
“Don’t touch,” I grumbled. “The last time you talked us into something, we woke up with superpowers and got transported back in time to here.”
“I didn’t ask for this either,” Two-Bit said scowling. “But I see your point.”
“Just don’t touch anything, doofus,” Steve grumbled.
While Darry and Steve Rogers were walking Colonel Phillips through everything, we got some weapons of choice.
Two-Bit got ninja stars that were shaped like Joker Playing cards.
“These are sweet and on point,” Two-Bit groaned.
Steve got a taser that could pass as a wrench. He also had a gun thatuised as a hammer that could be hung from his belt.
“Sweet,” Steve said with a grin. “Double use.”
Dally got a device that provides endless kinetic energy, so he never runs out and can just pull from it for his use.
“Thanks,” Dally grumbled. “So I guess I need an endless battery. How quaint.”
I got some fire reinforcements for my powers. They helped with aim, and I could funnel the fire that I created through them. I also got a never-ending lighter in case I depleted my energy source to create fire, and there wasn’t a fire source.
“See Dal,” I said with a small smile. “I need a battery too.”
Dally ruffled my hair.
Soda got some other pairs of shoes that could be used for traction in case something happened when we weren’t in uniform. He also got enhancements for his charm abilities.
“Sweet,” Soda said. “I can run in style whenever I want.”
Darry had gotten some protective gloves for his hands when doing heavy lifting.
Steve Rogers got his famous shield that everyone loves. It was cool to see it demonstrated in person.
Pony got emotion stun bombs to help him as weapons.
“Who's ready to go to war?” Steve Rogers said in encouragement.
“You mean who’s ready for us?” Dally corrected.
“Hell yeah,” Bucky said. “I like this dude already.”
Dally smirked.
From there, we did multiple different fights. A lot of them were in snow-covered woods. It was something, though, to help us get more used to our powers and the new weapons before we had to confront Zola and Red Skull.
The final target, though, was the train.
Yeah, that fateful train, where Bucky Barnes falls off and dies.
“We don’t want to tell him right,” I said nervously.
“If we do,” Pony said grimly. “We alter the timeline more. We already changed that with Dr. Erskine. We can’t afford more.”
“Oh man,” Two-Bit said. “I was just getting used to having a sarcastic buddy that could rival Steve.”
Steve scowled at him.
“Watch it,” Steve grumbled. “There’s only one me.”
“Don’t sweat it, Steve,” Soda said, draping his arm over Steve’s shoulders. “No one can replace you in my heart.”
“Gross,” Dally grumbled.
“I’m with Pony on this one,” Darry said, moving our conversation along. “We need to focus on our task. Getting home. That’s it.”
“Let’s hope no one else falls off the train with Bucky,” I muttered.
“We’re in this together,” Pony murmured into my ear. “Dally and I won’t let anything happen to you.”
I gave him a weary smile and nodded reluctantly.
We followed Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes onto the top of the moving train.
“Don’t look down, don’t look down,” I heard Pony murmur to himself.
I was getting motion sickness.
Finally, we dropped down into the train.
“Thank god,” Dally grumbled. “I didn’t like being up there.”
“I thought nothing fazed you, Mr. Tough Guy,” Two-Bit teased.
“Don’t test me,” Dally growled.
“Knock it off, dinguses,” Steve grumbled.
“Trust me,” Soda said quietly. “You don’t want to anger a stressed-out Steve.”
Pony reached out a hand and used his powers to calm down Steve.
“Thanks, brat,” Steve grumbled. “But next time, ask for permission unless they’re shooting at us.”
Pony blushed.
“Sorry,” Pony mumbled.
We started following Cap and Bucky through the train cars until we were met with open fire.
“Shit,” Darry grumbled, pulling us behind boxes. “Here goes nothing!”
We started using our powers.
Two-Bit used distraction trickery. Soda helped with running around. Pony used the emotion of fear and planted false emotions in the shooters.
Then all of a sudden, Bucky was blasted out of a hole in the side of the train while trying to block a shot.
Steve Rogers tried to go after him.
“Rogers!” Darry boomed. “Stay down. It’s too dangerous!”
“No,” Steve Rogers yelled back. “He’s my friend!”
But it was too late. Bucky fell with a scream into the white, snowy mountains.
“Damn,” Steve said. “Don’t you do that.” Steve looked at Soda.
“I don’t plan on it,” Soda murmured sadly.
Then a fellow soldier’s voice chirped through our walkie-talkies.
“We’ve got Zola,” The voice said.
“At least something good came out of this,” Two-Bit said.
We went back to base, where Steve Rogers slipped away, and we started to watch Colonel Phillips interrogate Zola.
“This guy gives me the creeps,” Dally said. “And that’s saying something.”
I leaned over to Pony.
“We should go check on Rogers,” I murmured. “He needs support.”
Pony nodded.
“Good idea,” Pony said. “Especially since we’ve been there. When we were trying to save each other in Windrixville. At least we had a better outcome.”
We followed Steve Roger’s footprints in the snow to a rundown warehouse. Peggy Carter was walking out after talking with him.
She gave us a weary smile as we passed.
“Steve?” Pony called wearily.
Seve Rogers startled and looked up at us.
“Oh,” Steve Rogers said. “Hey, guys.”
“We came to check in,” I said. “We know somewhat how hard this can be. We were in a situation where we were afraid the other would die. One almost did. Heck, Pony lost his parents in a car wreck. So we’re here if you need anything.
Steve Rogers gave us a sad smile.
“I appreciate it, guys,” Steve Rogers said. “I really appreciate it. I could use all the friends I could get right now.”
We nodded and just sat there with him before we headed back.
“We have a mission to do,” Steve Rogers said darkly. “For Bucky.”
Chapter 8: Chapter 8
Summary:
The gang goes on the big mission, but where they end up is somewhere they don't expect.
Notes:
Hi Everyone,
I hope you like this chapter! Stay tuned for the next one!
Sincerely,
Keylime2001Disclaimer: The Outsiders is owned by S. E. Hinton. I don't own any of the MCU Characters.
Chapter Text
Chapter 8
Pony’s POV
I didn’t like the plan. Not one bit. I could tell Darry didn’t either.
“You really think it’s smart to allow ourselves and Cap to get kidnapped by Nazis?” Darry growled. “You're delusional.”
“Drastic times come with drastic measures,” Colonel Phillips said. “We don’t have a choice.”
“Dar,” Soda said slowly. “It will give us a chance to get closer to the Tesseract and grab it.”
Darry let out a low sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose.
“Fine,” Darry said. “We’ll do it. But cautiously. I don’t have to like it one bit, though.”
“You’re such a mother hen,” Dally grumbled.
“See,” I murmured to Dally. “This is what I have to deal with day in and day out.”
Dally huffed.
Before I knew it, we were flying through the forest on motorcycles.
“This is sweet,” Two-Bit said with glee. “I feel like I’m flying!”
Steve was grinning from ear to ear.
“I’m with you on that one,” Steve said with a smirk.
“I just don’t want to die on this thing,” Johnny said nervously.
“I’m with you on that one,” I muttered.
I had just gotten my driver's license after all.
Before I knew it, like we had planned, Cap and the rest of the gang were surrounded by Nazi Hydra soldiers.
We were led into a Hydra compound.
I looked around nervously.
“Stay close,” Darry warned.
“It’s not like we have a choice,” Dally snapped.
I just rolled my eyes while Johnny shot Dally a look.
We were escorted to a room by soldiers, where we were greeted by the Red Skull.
“Well, isn’t it Captain America and his lackeys, The Strays?” Red Skull sneered.
Red Skull clucked his tongue.
“You really think you’re special, don’t you?” Red Skull continued. “Superpowers and super serums.”
Steve let out a snort.
“I’m not really that special,” Cap said. “I’m just a kid from Brooklyn.”
That caused Red Skull to punch Cap in the stomach.
I winced.
Red Skull looked at us.
“Is it so funny now?” Red Skull said.
“It kind of is,” Two-Bit said. “A cube thought we were special enough.”
“Even though we’re just delinquents from the East side of Tulsa,” Steve said.
Red Skull stepped forward, looking to do to Steve what he did to Cap, but I used my emotion control to create fear in Red Skull’s mind.
It caused him to falter, and he shook his head.
“You have to do better than that,” Red Skunll sneered.
Soda flashed his charming smile and fluttered his eyelashes.
“Come on, Princess Red,” Soda said teasingly, but with his charm power. “We will do better.”
This caused Red Skull’s eyes to glaze over, and a deeper red to creep into his face.
Then Red Skull snapped out of it and snorted.
“I’m not going to waste my breath on the likes of you,” Red Skull said. “You’re just greasy skum.”
Anger flared in Dally’s face.
“I would watch your mouth if I were you,” I warned.
Red Skull laughed.
“Tough words coming from a kid,” Red Skull said.
“Don’t you dare call him that,” Johnny said. “He’s done more in his life than you’ll do in yours.”
“Johnny,” Darry warned. “Don’t.”
“I would listen to him if I were you, boy,” Red Skull chided. “Especially since we’re on a tight schedule.”
Then we heard a wheezing coming from outside as the other soldiers came through the windows on ziplines.
“So are we,” Cap said.
“Let the games begin,” Two-Bit crowed.
There was a barrage of gunfire as we dodged and weaved as we followed Cap to where the blue cube would be.
“I hate running from a fight,” Steve sneered.
“It’s not like we have a choice if we want to get home,” Soda said, determined.
We careened into an airplane hangar.
“Uh, guys,” Johnny said nervously. “He’s getting away.”
Johnny pointed to an airplane that was starting to roar to life.
Soda pulled out a harness wire and wove it around us.
“Hold on tight,” Soda said with a grin.
“Soda,” Dally warned. “I swear to god…”
But before Dally could finish, Soda took off and was dragging us at the speed of light.
I felt like I was going to puke.
We were able to get into the airplane before it took off.
Cap was green in the face. Dally cursed.
“You ok, Cap?” Darry asked, knitting his eyebrows together.
“Remind me to never do that again,” Cap groaned.
“How about we do this?” Two-Bit said. “Cap, you go for the Red Skull, while we go for the cube.”
I cocked an eyebrow.
“Two-Bit making an actual good plan?” I teased.
“Hardy har,” Two-Bit said.
“I think it could work,” Cap said. “Let’s get going.”
We slowly and quietly started to work our way towards the cockpit when we were greeted by Hydra soldiers.
“Oh hell no,” Steve muttered.
“Not again,” Johnny said. “I thought we would shake these guys.”
“That’s wishful thinking,” Dally snapped. “But let’s focus.”
We were all distracted with our one-on-one combat to worry about what the others were doing.
That’s when I noticed that Cap was missing.
“Uh, guys,” I said. “Where’ cap?”
We all looked around.
“I think he fell into one of those small planes,” Darry said.
We all looked outside, and sure enough, he was.
“I’ll be damned,” Dally said. “I’m kind of jealous.”
We watched as he battled the other soldiers before kind of crashing a bit into the hull of the ship.
“You good?” Two-Bit asked. “Because that was so cool.”
Cap gave us a small smile.
“I wouldn’t recommend it, though,” Cap said. “Let’s get going, so we can get you guys back home and the cube safe. Also, to destroy this guy for good.”
“Aye aye, captain,” Steve teased dryly.
We slowly made our way to the cockpit, where it was eerily quiet.
“It seems too quiet in here,” Soda said.
“Too quiet,” Johnny agreed. “Where do you think…”
Before Johnny could finish, a blue orb flew past our heads.
“There you are,” The Red Skull yelled.
We all turned on our heels and came face to face with the Red Skull with his blue orb gun.
That’s when things started to get messy.
As Cap started to tussle with the Red Skull, we moved over to where the Tesseract was.
“How the hell do we get this thing out of here?” Dally yelled.
We tried everything when the Red Skull somehow made it back.
“I would get away from that if I were you,” the Red Skull said.
But before we could respond, Cap’s shield came careening through the air and hit the container for the Tesseract, opening it up.
“Now you’ve done it,” The Red Skull yelled in anger.
“That’s one way to do it,” Darry said.
We all dove for the Tesseract, but the Red Skull ended up with it.
“Hand it over,” I yelled. “You don’t know what that can do.”
“Yes, I do,” the Red Skull said.
Then all of a sudden, the Tesseract started to react.
“Well, this isn’t good,” Johnny murmured.
We all slowly backed up until we were standing with Cap.
“You good?” I asked nervously.
“Never better,” Cap said. “This can’t be good. Do you know what it’s doing?”
“No clue,” Dally said. “Nothing good though.”
Then all of a sudden, the light got more intense, and so did the energy coming off of it.
Then a beam of light blasted into the air through the ship as the ship continued to careen towards the ocean.
Then, the Red Skull was gone, and the Tesseract bounced to the ground.
“Well, at least the cube took care of him for us,” Two-Bit said. “We should’ve let him do that sooner.”
“I’ll try to get the airplane back on track while you guys get that,” Cap said as he ran towards the cockpit.
“Sounds like a plan,” Steve shouted.
We ran towards the cube and we picked it up.
But then we got that weird trance-like feeling again.
“Not this again,” Soda groaned.
“Everything good back there?” Cap called.
But before we could answer, we were transported through a black hole, and we landed on concrete ground.
We still had the Tesseract.
“Thank god,” Johnny groaned.
We slowly sat up, and we saw a wide-eyed Agent Dugan.
“Dugan,” Darry said slowly. “Please tell me this is 1967.”
Chapter 9: Chapter 9
Summary:
The gang is back where they need to be, 1967, but they have to face another threat in their own time.
Notes:
Hi Everyone,
I hope you like this chapter! Stay tuned for the next one!
Sincerely,
Keylime2001Disclaimer: The Outsiders is owned by S. E. Hinton. I don't own any of the MCU characters.
Chapter Text
Chapter 9
Soda’s POV
Agent Dugan blinked at us a few times. His jaw hung, almost to the ground.
“The Strays,” Agent Dugan stuttered. “How did you? Uh…yes. It’s 1967.”
I let out a sigh.
“Thank god,” I said gratefully. “How long have we been gone?”
You could see the thoughts running through Agent Dugan’s head, and they started to overwhelm him.
“Time travel shouldn’t be possible,” Agent Dugan muttered. “But they did it. My memories seemed to rewrite themselves. But I don’t know any different.”
Agent Dugan shook his head in disbelief before he looked back at us.
“You’ve only been gone for at least 15 minutes,” Agent Dugan said. “But you guys are now legends in the SHIELD History books. Agent Carter set up bank accounts after Captain America said you disappeared on the airplane. Just in case. They filled it with your paychecks as SHIELD agents just in case you guys didn’t die at the bottom of the ocean.”
I paled.
“Is Cap still down there?” Pony asked quietly.
Agent Dugan nodded.
“He is,” Agent Dugan said grimly. “We haven’t been able to find the ship. Everyone has been searching. They’ve been searching for the Tesseract, too. But you guys holding that explains everything.”
“You said money,” Darry said slowly. “How much are you talking about? Especially after all of these years.”
Agent Dugan gave a wry laugh.
“A lot,” Agent Dugan said. “Enough that you all of you guys could go to college 5 times over each, get a nicer house in a better area, so and so forth.”
Darry paled.
“You’ve got to be joking,” Dally said. “There’s no fucking way.”
“I’m not joking,” Agent Dugan said. “Like it or not, you guys are part of SHIELD now and will continue to be.”
Agent Dugan passed us pagers.
“These are for each of you,” Agent Dugan said. “In case something happens and we need your help.”
Steve’s lip twitched.
“You're acting like we want to keep saving things,” Steve grumbled.
“You don’t have a choice,” Agent Dugan said. “You sealed your fate when you stepped in to help start SHIELD. Just like Cap, you're a symbol now. People love you guys. You have a lore now. Cartoons, movies, comic books, and action figures. The whole thing.”
Johnny looked like he wanted to keel over.
“They don’t know our real names, right?” Johnny asked nervously.
Agent Dugan shook his head.
“They don’t,” Agent Dugan said. “They just know your group name and the individual superhero names. The masks help with that and the uniforms. So you can go back to your day-to-day lives. Also, I had already called you all out of school and work today, saying you were sick. So you’re good to acclimate to life here at this time. Just stay by your pagers and try to blend in.”
We all nodded.
“Thank you, sir,” Pony said. “Let us know if we can help.”
“You’ll keep this cube safe, right?” I asked, handing over the Tesseract to Dugan.
Dugan nodded.
“Sure will,” Agent Dugan said. “You guys didn’t go to all of that trouble for us not to keep it safe.”
“We’ll hold you to that,” Darry warned.
With that, we were shown out of the compound and driven back to the house, where all of our cars were waiting for us.
“Should we go make sure that all the cash is true?” Two-Bit asked. “Just to make sure this isn’t some elaborate prank.”
“We probably should,” Steve muttered. “I don’t buy it either. Plus, we have the day to ourselves.”
We all drove to the bank, and sure enough, it was all true.
“Damn,” Dally said. “Dugan wasn’t lying. We’re pretty much Soc rich now. What do you guys want to do?”
“I don’t know about you,” I said. “But I’m thinking about getting my GED and going to tech school to be a mechanic. You with me, Steve?”
“Hell yeah, buddy,” Steve said. “Sounds like a plan.”
“Is that ok, Dar?” I asked Darry nervously.
Darry gave me a warm smile and nodded.
“That sounds good with me,” Darry said. “I was thinking about finishing up my business degree with night classes. If that’s good with you and Pone.”
“Why wouldn’t it be?” Pony said in confusion. “You deserve it.”
“I could go to welding school,” Dally said thoughtfully. “And Johnnycakes won’t have to worry about student loans for nursing school anymore.”
“Pony wouldn’t have to worry about tuition anymore,” Johnny said quietly. “Or you guys wouldn’t have to worry about the bills.”
“We could also finish all the projects we wanted to finish,” Two-Bit said. “Especially at your house, Dar.”
“That sounds nice,” Darry said. Darry was about to say something else, but our thoughts were cut off by everyone’s stomachs grumbling.
“I think that’s our cue to get a celebratory lunch at the DQ,” I said with a smirk.
We all drove towards the DQ, and sure enough, in the windows we saw posters showing us and Captain America in bookstores and action figures.
“I just hope nobody recognizes us,” Dally grumbled as we walked into the DQ.
Luckily, no one looked in our direction while we grabbed dinner.
Everything seemed to be getting back to normal the whole week. We went generally unnoticed.
Pony, Darry, and I were working on our college applications. So were Steve, Dally, and Two-Bit.
It was the first weekend back when our pagers started going off.
“What now?” Steve groaned. “I swear if this is something major, someone is going down.”
We all raced to our cars and drove to the SHIELD compound to change into our uniforms.
Afterwards, we were greeted by an older Agent Peggy Carter.
“Nice to see you boys again,” Agent Carter said with a sad, small smile.
“It’s nice to see you again, ma’am,” Johnny said.
“What’s the urgent call for?” Darry asked tensely.
Agent Dugan cleared his throat.
“Let me show you to the conference room,” Agent Dugan said. “We have a lot of agents waiting to fill you guys in.”
We followed Agent Dugan and Agent Carter to a large conference room, where a bunch of men and women in suits greeted us.
“Welcome, Strays,” one agent said. “It’s nice to meet you all. Agent Carter will be filling you in.”
Agent Carter walked up to a screen and projected a profile of a man on it. He was a stern-looking man, with glasses, a scowl, and a lab coat.
“His name is Dr. Lucien Vex,” Agent Carter explained. “He was a former SHIELD black-ops scientist. He defected during the HYDRA uprising. Brilliant but unstable, Vex specialized in experimental neural-link weapons and psionic warfare. After a failed experiment to fuse human cognition with alien tech recovered from an Inhuman site, Vex gained parasitic telepathy and reality-warping hallucination powers, but at the cost of his sanity. He goes by Mindspike now.”
“So it sounds like you’ll be our biggest asset, Mindlight,” Johnny said carefully.
We had to be careful not to use our real names around others, especially agents, to keep our identities secret.
“So,” Two-Bit said. “What does he want? Why emerge now?”
“Let’s just say there is a leak here at SHIELD,” Agent Dugan said. “He has heard that you all are back, and so is the Tesseract. He wants to try and reverse the effects of his failed experiment as well as to make sure his experiment succeeds this time.”
“We need you to stop him,” Agent Carter said. “Can you do that?”
“We can try,” Steve said. “But there are no guarantees.”
“We didn’t protect this cube just for a raging lunatic to use it for something stupid, like the Red Skull,” Dally said. “Let’s do this.”
Chapter 10: Chapter 10
Summary:
The gang gets prepped for the fight with Vex.
Notes:
Hi Everyone,
I wanted to add a mission or two in between when they interact with Captain America in the '40s and Captain Marvel in 1995, so I created a fictional villain that isn't in the MCU for them. I hope you like it. Stay tuned for the next one!
Sincerely,
Keylime2001Disclaimer: The Outsiders is owned by S. E. Hinton. I don't own any of the MCU characters.
Chapter Text
Chapter 10
Darry’s POV
The walls of the S.H.I.E.L.D. base in 1967 didn’t feel all that different from the camps and bunkers we’d walked through back in the ‘40s: same humming lights, same smell of metal and gun oil, but everything else had changed. It was the world that we had left and come back to. It was interesting to see the differences and the similarities.
It was the same fight. Hydra hadn’t died with the war. They’d just gone underground, sprouted new heads. And now this Dr. Vex was their latest nightmare.
I stood with my arms crossed as the briefing wrapped up. Agent Timothy Dugan - older now, with more lines around his eyes but still carrying himself like a man who’d seen one too many wars- finished laying out what intel they had.
The gang shifted uneasily after we agreed to do everything. Pony leaned forward in his chair, eyes glowing faintly in the dim, like the cube was humming inside him again.
Before I could say anything, the door creaked open, and Peggy Carter stepped in. Not the sharp-dressed soldier we’d met in the 40s, time had touched her, silver threading her dark hair, lines carved deep around her eyes. But she still carried that same steel in her spine.
“Gentlemen,” she said, her British accent cutting clean through the air. “It’s been a long time. You really up to this?”
Two-Bit muttered, “No kidding, but yes,” earning a sharp elbow from Steve Randall.
Peggy’s eyes lingered on me, Soda, and Pony.
“Like I said earlier, I thought I’d seen the last of you the day Rogers went down with that ship.” Her voice softened, just a fraction. “It’s strange, seeing you exactly as you were. Not a day older.”
I shifted, uncomfortable under her gaze. She was right, we hadn’t aged a bit. Everyone else around us had.
“We didn’t ask for this,” I said flatly. “But we’re here, and if Vex is gunning for the cube, we can’t sit this out.”
Peggy nodded once, as if she’d expected no less.
“Then you understand what’s at stake,” Peggy said. “Hydra is patient. They never stop. Vex has no loyalty, not even to them. He’ll burn the world down if it suits him.”
Pony’s voice was quiet, but steady.
“I can feel him,” Pony said. “Even just hearing his name, it’s like the cube inside me reacts.”
That turned heads. Dugan raised a bushy eyebrow, and Peggy stepped closer, studying Pony with the same sharp intensity she’d once given Rogers.
“You’ve been changed, more resigned, ” Peggy murmured. “The Tesseract left its mark.”
Pony shifted under her stare, and I put a hand on his shoulder before she could press harder.
“We’re still the same,” I said. “Whatever that cube did, it doesn’t change that. It didn’t change any of us. No matter how many times we interact with it, it has already left its mark after the first time, but it doesn’t change who we really are.”
“On the contrary,” Peggy said softly. “It may make you all more important than any of you realize.”
That didn’t sit right with me. I didn’t like the idea of anyone, Hydra, S.H.I.E.L.D., or Peggy Carter herself, seeing Pony as anything but the young adults we all were. I’d fought too hard to keep all of us from getting swallowed up by the world.
Dugan broke the silence, clearing his throat.
“Point is, we’ve got a lead,” Dugan said. “Vex has a lab on the outskirts of Berlin. You boys still know how to handle yourselves in the field?”
Soda smirked, leaning back in his chair.
“We’ve gotten into a fight or two since you saw us last, Agent,” Soda said.
Peggy allowed herself the smallest smile.
“That’s what I was afraid of,” Peggy said.
I looked around the table, at Soda’s easy grin, Pony’s too-bright eyes, Johnny’s nervous fidgeting, Two-Bit’s smirk that didn’t hide his fear, Dally’s clenched jaw, Steve’s restless hands. My gang. My family.
“Then we gear up,” I said. “We finish this before Vex gets any closer to that cube. No screw-ups, no shortcuts. We stick together, or we don’t make it at all.”
Peggy Carter studied me for a long moment, then gave a single approving nod.
“Very well, Atlas,” Peggy said. “Let’s see if The Strays can do what S.H.I.E.L.D. alone cannot. And without Captain America.”
And for the first time since we’d landed back in this decade, I felt the weight settle on me again. Not just as their brother, or their guardian. But as their leader.
The meeting room turned into a flurry of movement once Peggy and Dugan laid the Berlin assignment on the table. Maps rolled out, folders opened, photographs slid across the steel surface under the stark overhead lights.
Dugan jabbed a thick finger at the grainy picture of a concrete complex.
“That’s Vex’s playground,” Dugan said. “We’ve been monitoring power spikes coming from here for the last six months. If he’s stabilizing cube energy, this is where it’s happening.”
Johnny frowned at the photo.
“Looks like a factory,” Johnny said.
“That’s the idea,” Peggy answered. “Hydra’s gotten clever about hiding. It looks ordinary from the outside, but every source we have says he’s buried labs underneath.”
I leaned over the table, scanning the schematics.
“Entry points?” I asked.
“Main gates here,” Dugan pointed, “but that’s suicide. We’ll get you inside through the old sewer line. Narrow, but it leads right to the sub-levels.”
Dally scoffed.
“Figures,” Dally grumbled. “Always sewers.”
“Don’t like it?” Dugan shot back, arching a brow. “Feel free to knock on the front door and ask Dr. Vex politely to hand over his toys.”
Dally shut up at that.
Peggy’s gaze shifted across us, measuring, weighing.
“You’ll need more than luck,” Peggy said. “Hydra’s soldiers are better trained than most, and Vex isn’t predictable. Which means we’ll put you through drills.”
Two-Bit groaned.
“Boot camp again?” Two-Bit said. “What is this, round two?”
“Think of it as practice for staying alive,” Peggy said crisply.
The training yard felt like déjà vu from twenty years earlier. Rows of sandbags, obstacle courses, a shooting range buzzing with recruits. Except this time it wasn’t strangers being tested, it was us.
“Form up!” Dugan barked, louder than a drill sergeant. “Let’s see what the Strays are made of.”
We ran the course, Soda blazing through with his speed, Steve tearing apart and reassembling the mock vehicles as if it were second nature, Johnny igniting targets in controlled bursts. Pony’s powers shimmered brighter than before, his light shields flaring under simulated gunfire. Two-Bit summoned three copies of himself mid-climb, confusing the recruits watching. Even Dally, scowling the whole time, absorbed enough kinetic force to flip one of the weighted dummies clear off the course.
When my turn came, I hauled a truck across the gravel lot, the recruits staring like they’d never seen a man bend steel. I caught Peggy’s expression, impressed, but cautious. She wasn’t dazzled like the others. She was calculating.
“Not bad,” Dugan muttered, chewing his cigar. “Still rough around the edges. But not bad.”
Peggy stepped forward, her tone softer.
“Strength and powers will only get you so far,” Peggy said. “What matters is discipline. You stay together, you move as one, you trust each other. That’s the only way you’ll survive Berlin.”
I nodded, meeting her gaze.
“That’s how we’ve always done it,” I said.
Her expression warmed, just slightly.
“Then you might just have a chance,” Peggy said.
After drills, they handed us fresh uniforms. Same symbols, same tailored edges for our abilities, but updated, sleeker, threaded with stronger Kevlar. I slid mine on, flexing my hands in the reinforced gloves. It felt heavier than before, but solid. Dependable.
Two-Bit twirled in his patchwork suit.
“See?” Two-Bit said. “Now this has pizazz.”
“Looks the same as before,” Steve muttered.
“Exactly,” Two-Bit grinned. “That’s the pizazz.”
I rolled my eyes, but it loosened something in my chest hearing them joke again.
When we returned to the briefing room, Peggy was waiting with a neat stack of folders.
“One more thing before Berlin,” she said. “Your lives in Tulsa.”
We froze.
“What about ‘em?” I asked carefully.
“You’re still minors,” she said, her eyes flicking to Pony. “And the rest of you, well, your names are attached to jobs, schools, records. You can’t simply vanish for months without questions being asked. That’s where S.H.I.E.L.D. comes in.”
Dugan slid the folders across the table. Inside were forged doctor’s notes, school excusals, and work leave slips, every detail signed, stamped, official.
Soda whistled low.
“Guess we don’t have to worry about getting fired,” Soda said.
Peggy smirked.
“As far as Tulsa knows, you’ve been placed in a government training program,” Peggy said. “Academic credits and wages will continue as usual. Consider it covered.”
Relief washed over me, though I didn’t show it. I’d been chewing on how we’d explain weeks or months away from our lives. For once, somebody had the answers.
I looked at my brothers, then at the rest of the gang.
“No excuses now,” I said. “We focus. We train. And we shut Vex down before he gets anywhere near that cube.”
They all nodded. Even Dally.
Peggy stepped closer, her voice carrying the weight of every year she’d fought this war.
“Berlin won’t be easy,” Peggy said. “But if you succeed… you won’t just be protecting your own time. You’ll be protecting everyone’s future.”
I squared my shoulders, feeling the weight settle in. Atlas, holding the sky.
“We won’t let it fall,” I said.
And I meant it.
The sun was going down by the time Peggy finally dismissed us from the yard. Sweat stung my eyes, and my arms ached from hauling weight after weight, but the gang didn’t look much better. Soda flopped down on the grass, chest heaving, and Two-Bit leaned against Johnny like his knees couldn’t quite remember how to hold him.
Peggy stood at the edge of the training field with her arms crossed, not a hair out of place. She might’ve been older, but her eyes were as sharp as the first time I saw her back in the ’40s.
“You’ll do,” she said simply, then turned on her heel and strode back toward the base.
“High praise,” Dally muttered, wiping sweat off his brow.
“Better than ‘you’ll die,’” Steve Randall shot back, though his grin faltered when he said it.
I let them breathe a minute before I called everyone in. They circled me like they always had, even when I wasn’t sure I deserved to lead.
“Listen,” I said, low so only they could hear, “this mission ain’t about showing off. We get in, we stick to the plan, and we watch each other. Nobody wanders. Nobody pulls a stunt without warning the rest. You hear me?”
“Loud and clear,” Soda said, though his smile was thinner than usual. Pony echoed him with a nod, eyes glowing faintly in the dim light.
Johnny fiddled with his gloves, the faint scent of smoke rising from them.
“What if something goes wrong?” Johnny asked.
“Then we get each other out,” I answered without hesitation. “We’ve survived worse.”
I didn’t add what I was thinking: barely.
Back inside, Peggy and Dugan had turned one of the conference rooms into a staging area. Maps of Berlin covered the walls, and a scale model of Vex’s compound sat on the table like some twisted science fair project.
Peggy pointed to the model with a pencil.
“Your entry is here, northeast quadrant, disguised maintenance tunnel,” Peggy said. “Once inside, you’ll split: two groups. One draws the guards, the other presses for the lab. The cube energy signatures are coming from sub-level two. That’s where you’ll find Vex.”
“Split up?” I said flatly. “Not a fan.”
“I don’t like it either,” Peggy admitted, “but it’s the most efficient way to cover ground. If you stay together, you risk being boxed in. This way, you force Hydra to divide its attention.”
Dugan set a box on the table with a heavy thump.
“Equipment upgrades,” Dugan said. “Field comms. Stronger than the walkie-talkies we scrounged up last time.” He grinned through his mustache. “Should keep you in each other’s ears even underground.”
Two-Bit immediately grabbed one, turning it over in his hands.
“Do they come in purple?” Two-Bit asked cheekily. “Feels like my color.”
“Shut up and take it,” Dugan said.
I passed the rest out, making sure Pony clipped his securely to his belt.
Peggy’s gaze softened when it landed on him.
“If you feel the cube resonate again, we need to know immediately,” Peggy said. “You may sense it before our instruments do.”
Pony ducked his head, uncomfortable with the attention, but murmured, “I’ll try.”
I put a hand on his shoulder.
“You’ll do more than try,” I said. “You’ll listen to me, and you won’t overextend yourself. Clear?”
“Clear,” he whispered.
Soda gave me a look, half warning, half agreement. He knew as well as I did that Pony had been pushing himself too hard, trying to prove he wasn’t just the kid tagging along.
Peggy closed the folder in front of her.
“You deploy in forty-eight hours,” Peggy said. “Get rest. Get focused.”
“Don’t forget that S.H.I.E.L.D. already patched things over with your schools and jobs,” Dugan added with a grunt. “As far as Tulsa knows, you’re in a federal training program for the next month. You won’t fall behind.”
I felt the tension in my shoulders ease, just a bit. One less thing for me to worry about. At least when we went home, we’d still have lives to return to.
“Alright,” I said, pushing back from the table. “You heard the lady. Rest up. We hit this running.”
The gang started filing out, chattering low, exhausted but buzzing from the weight of it all. Soda clapped Pony on the back, Johnny leaned into Dally for support, and Two-Bit made some joke about Berlin sausages that I didn’t quite catch.
I stayed behind a second longer, staring down at the model of Vex’s compound. It was just plastic and paint, but in my head, I could already see the fire, hear the gunfire, feel the ground shake.
Peggy lingered by the doorway.
“They trust you,” Peggy said quietly.
“They’re my brothers,” I answered. “And my responsibility.”
She gave me a long, knowing look, the kind only someone who’d carried the same kind of weight could give. Then she nodded once and left me alone with the model.
I pressed both hands flat against the table, willing myself steady.
Atlas. That’s what they called me. The one who holds it all up.
And by God, I wasn’t about to let it fall now.
I just couldn’t believe they already lost the cube in the last few days we were back after all that trouble.
Chapter 11: Chapter 11
Summary:
The gang heads to Berlin to start the mission.
Notes:
Hi Everyone,
I hope you like this chapter! Stay tuned for the next one!
Sincerely,
Keylime2001Disclaimer: The Outsiders is owned by S. E. Hinton. I don't own any of the MCU Characters. (Vex is an OC character for me)
Chapter Text
Chapter 11
Two-Bit’s POV
You’d think traveling through time, fighting Hydra, and training under Peggy Carter herself would knock the wind outta a guy. But nope. My mouth still worked fine, even if the rest of me ached like I’d been run over by a tank.
“Berlin,” I said, leaning back in my chair and tossing a playing card in the air. “City of bratwursts, beer, and… what else they got over there?”
Johnny raised an eyebrow from where he sat polishing his gloves.
“Hydra,” Johnny deadpanned.
“Right, right. Almost forgot that tiny detail.” I smirked, catching the card before it hit the floor.
We were crammed into one of the barracks S.H.I.E.L.D. had set us up in, metal bunks, thin mattresses, not much to look at. Soda and Pony were arguing in the corner about who was hogging more space on the bed they were half-sharing, while Dally muttered curses about the new comm devices Dugan gave us.
I figured it was as good a time as any to lighten the mood. That’s what I did best, wasn’t it?
“Y’know,” I said, “these shiny new uniforms make us look like a knockoff Beatles cover band. We should get some guitars and tour Europe while we’re at it. ‘The Strays: Live from Berlin!’”
Steve barked a laugh, but Darry shot me that look, the one that said this ain’t the time, Keith. Yeah, yeah, I knew. But someone had to keep us from falling apart, and if that meant making a fool outta myself, so be it.
Peggy showed up not long after, striding into the barracks like she owned the place. Which, knowing her, she probably did.
“Gentlemen,” Peggy said, her clipped accent sharp as ever. “Final briefing is at 0600. Get some rest. You’ll need it.”
“More briefings?” Dally groaned.
“You’d prefer to go in blind?” Peggy shot back, eyebrow arched.
I snorted.
“Careful, Dal,” I teased. “She could probably knock your teeth out and not spill her tea.”
Peggy didn’t smile, but I thought I saw the corner of her mouth twitch before she turned to leave.
When the lights went out, a quiet settled heavily over the room. Too heavy. My jokes couldn’t keep out the nerves creeping in. I lay there on my bunk, staring at the ceiling, listening to Soda’s steady breathing and Pony’s restless turning.
Tomorrow, we’d be crawling through a sewer to face a mad scientist with a piece of the cube humming inside him. And for the first time, I wondered if maybe Darry was right to be scared of how far gone Pony looked when his eyes lit up.
“We’re gonna make it out, right?” I whispered into the dark, not sure if anyone was awake enough to hear.
No one answered.
And that silence was louder than any punchline I could come up with.
Morning came way too early, like it always does when you’ve barely slept. The buzzer on the wall went off at 0600 sharp, and Darry was already up, lacing his boots like he’d been awake for hours. Guy probably was.
Me? I rolled outta the bunk with my hair sticking up six different ways and my comm strapped to my wrist backward. Real picture of professionalism.
“Rise and shine, Strays,” Dugan barked as he shoved the barracks door open. He had a cigar clenched between his teeth already, smoke curling out in lazy rings. “Briefing in five. Move it!”
“Five?” I groaned, dragging myself upright. “Doesn’t the army believe in coffee?”
“Coffee’s at the briefing,” Dugan shot back without missing a beat.
That got me moving.
The briefing room looked like something out of a spy movie. A big map of Berlin stretched across the wall, red pins marking Hydra checkpoints. Peggy Carter was already there, arms crossed, watching us file in like she was grading every step we took.
She waited until Darry shut the door before she spoke.
“Dr. Vex is located here,” Peggy said, tapping a spot outside the city limits. “Industrial façade, but intelligence confirms his laboratories run several levels underground.”
She looked right at me.
“Hydra will expect infiltration from the ground level,” Peggy continued. “Which is why you’ll be entering from below.”
“Ah, yes,” I muttered, “the glamorous life of international heroes. Nothing says ‘saving the world’ like crawling through a sewer.”
Soda snorted. Darry shot me his patented shut it look. I shut it. For the moment.
Peggy went on.
“Once inside, you’ll split into two teams,” Peggy said. Distraction unit and recovery unit. Communication will be constant, no exceptions. If anyone goes silent, the mission is compromised.”
Dugan stomped out his cigar in the ashtray and dropped a folder on the table.
“And here’s the kicker, Vex doesn’t work alone,” Dugan said. “We’ve confirmed at least two enhanced operatives under his command. Expect resistance beyond standard Hydra troops.”
That set the room buzzing. Dally swore under his breath. Pony’s glow flickered faintly around his eyes, like the thought of cube energy nearby made his whole body hum.
Peggy’s voice cut clean through the noise.
“You are not alone in this,” Peggy said. “We’ll be monitoring from above. But once you’re inside, it’s you and only you.”
I leaned back in my chair, lacing my hands behind my head.
“So basically, same as it’s always been,” I said. “Us against the world.”
Peggy’s gaze pinned me down.
“If you want to survive Berlin, Mr. Matthews, I suggest you take it more seriously than that,” Peggy said.
I swallowed. Hard. She never called me by my last name before.
After the briefing, we suited up. The new uniforms weren’t exactly comfortable, but they felt solid. Mine even had extra holsters for my cards, which meant someone at S.H.I.E.L.D. had been paying attention. Nice touch.
As I slipped the mask over my eyes, I caught my reflection in the steel locker door. Didn’t look much like Keith Matthews anymore. Looked like someone else. Someone who might actually belong in this crazy world of cubes and Hydra and war.
“Ready?” Darry’s voice rumbled behind me.
“Ready as I’ll ever be,” I said, forcing a grin. “Let’s go save the future.”
But deep down, I wasn’t sure if I was trying to convince him… or myself.
The Quinjet (yeah, that’s what Dugan called the bird we were riding in) cut through the sky like something out of a sci-fi comic. Way quieter than it had any right to be, considering we were flying over Europe.
I sat strapped in across from Pony, who kept twisting the comm unit on his wrist like he was trying to rub the nerves out of it. His eyes flickered blue now and again, little flashes he couldn’t hide. Every time they did, Darry’s jaw tightened a notch.
I wanted to crack a joke, but it felt wrong. Like laughing in church.
Soda leaned over, bumping my shoulder.
“You’re awfully quiet,” Soda whispered.
“Saving my energy,” I said. “Gonna need it for when the sewer stench knocks me out.”
That got him to grin, which was worth the effort.
Dugan stood near the cockpit, bracing himself as the jet tilted lower.
“We’re coming up on the insertion point,” Dugan called. “Strays, masks on, comms hot.”
Peggy’s voice came through the intercom, sharp, steady.
“Remember: two units,” Peggy said. “Darry leads recovery with Pony. Dally, Johnny, Soda, you’re a distraction. Two-Bit, you move between both units as needed. Keep them talking, keep them laughing if you must. Just keep them together.”
I blinked.
“That’s… actually my job?” I asked.
“Don’t disappoint me,” Peggy said, and the line clicked off.
No pressure, right?
We landed in the woods outside Berlin. Cold air hit me the second the hatch dropped, carrying that damp, earthy smell of winter. The compound wasn’t far, just a cluster of smokestacks stabbing the sky, but we didn’t head for the front.
Nope. Straight for the sewers.
The grate creaked as Darry wrenched it open, the smell hitting us like a brick wall.
“Great,” Steve groaned. “Just great.”
I tugged my mask down and waved him in.
“After you, sweetheart,” I teased.
“Bite me,” Steve muttered, but he went first.
One by one, we climbed down, boots splashing in cold, knee-deep water. My nose burned from the stench, but I kept the wisecracks rolling.
“Look at us,” I said, flashlight beam dancing over the brick walls. “Saviors of the free world, reduced to Ninja Turtles.”
Soda chuckled. Even Johnny cracked a small smile. Mission accomplished.
We slogged through the tunnels until Darry raised a fist, signaling halt. Up ahead, a faint hum thrummed through the walls, low and steady, like a giant’s heartbeat.
Pony froze. His eyes glowed brighter, washing the tunnel in pale light.
“It’s here,” Pony whispered. “The cube energy. It’s close.”
The whole gang went silent, every sound magnified: the drip of water, the shuffle of boots, the thud of my own heart.
Darry nodded once.
“Alright,” Darry said. “We split here. Distraction team, head left and stir up hell. Recovery, with me. Two-Bit, float.”
“Like a butterfly,” I said, masking the quiver in my gut.
Soda clapped my back.
“Don’t get lost,” Soda said.
“Me? Never.” I winked. “Hydra wouldn’t know what to do with me anyway.”
But the truth was, as we split off into the darkness, I couldn’t shake the feeling Hydra knew exactly what to do with all of us.
And I wasn’t sure jokes alone were gonna cut it this time.
Chapter 12: Chapter 12
Summary:
The gang heads into Dr. Vex's layer.
Notes:
Hi Everyone,
I hope you like this chapter! Stay tuned for the next one!
Sincerely,
Keylime2001Disclaimer: The Outsiders is owned by S. E. Hinton. I don't own any of the MCU Characters. (Vex is my own OC).
Chapter Text
Chapter 12
Steve’s POV
I hated sewers. Not ‘cause of the smell, though, yeah, that was bad enough, but because you couldn’t hear right down there. Every splash echoed, every drip sounded like footsteps sneaking up on you. And when you’ve got Hydra lurking around the corner, that kind of thing messes with your head.
I stayed close behind Johnny, trying to keep my nerves in check. He was quiet, flames flickering faintly around his hands like he was warming himself in the chill. Dally grumbled under his breath, and Soda, well, Soda tried to keep it light, but even he couldn’t hide the tension in his voice.
“Distraction team, my ass,” Dally muttered. “We’re the bait.”
“Bait works,” Soda said, though he didn’t sound convinced. “Fish bites, then Darry reels ‘em in.”
I tightened my grip on the shield slung over my arm. Not the Captain America one, we didn’t have that, but a reinforced S.H.I.E.L.D. model they’d lent me. It felt heavy, strange. Still, I figured if Hydra bullets came our way, it’d do the job.
Up ahead, the tunnel widened into a chamber. That’s when we heard it, boots. Dozens of them, stomping in rhythm. Hydra.
Johnny stiffened.
“They’re close,” Johnny said.
“Good,” Dally growled, cracking his knuckles. “Let ‘em come.”
I swallowed hard. We were outnumbered, for sure. But that was the point, wasn’t it? Get their eyes on us, give Darry and Pony a shot at the lab.
The first soldier rounded the corner, rifle raised. Then another, and another. In seconds, the chamber lit up with Hydra flashlights, the hiss of German voices echoing.
Soda flashed me a grin, wild and sharp.
“Time to make some noise,” Soda said.
Johnny stepped forward, flames bursting bright in his palms, the light throwing Hydra shadows against the walls. The soldiers shouted, raising their guns…
And then all hell broke loose.
I charged with the shield, catching the first Hydra soldier square in the chest. He slammed back into two others, rifles clattering into the water. Bullets ricocheted against the metal walls, sparks flying, the smell of gunpowder mixing with sewer rot.
Soda zipped past, a blur of motion, knocking helmets off with a speed punch. Johnny let loose a stream of fire that roared down the tunnel, forcing Hydra back in panic.
Through it all, Dally barreled forward like a wrecking ball, fists soaking up bullet impact until he swung and sent a soldier flying clear into the wall.
Me? I kept the shield up, blocking shots from Johnny’s blind side, making sure none of the guys went down. That was my job. Hold the line.
For the first time since setting foot in that sewer, I felt steady. Like maybe we could actually pull this off.
Still, as more boots thundered from deeper in the tunnel, I couldn’t shake the thought, this was only the beginning.
And somewhere above us, Darry and Pony were walking straight into Vex’s lair.
Hydra soldiers just kept coming. Didn’t matter how many Johnny singed or how many Soda zipped past and clocked in the jaw, there were more boots, more shouts in German, more rifles aimed our way.
I braced the shield as another volley of bullets rang out, the clang rattling up my arm. Dally shoved in next to me, soaking up impact like it was nothing, his face twisted into that half-snarl he always wore when the fight got good.
“Keep ‘em comin’!” Dally barked, swinging a fist that sent one soldier sailing into the water with a splash.
Soda zipped by, knocking rifles out of hands faster than the soldiers could even track him.
“Careful what you wish for, Dal,” Soda shouted. “We’ll be swimming in Hydra at this rate.”
Johnny flung a fireball down the tunnel, the flames catching a line of soldiers by their coats. They screamed and scattered, the light throwing shadows that danced across the walls. He looked pale, though; every blast drained him.
I tightened my grip on the shield, heart hammering.
“We need to draw them away from here," I said. "If they realize what we’re doing-”
“They’ll go for Darry and Pony,” Soda finished grimly.
Another squad rounded the corner, rifles raised. No time to think. I charged, shield first. The impact cracked against the nearest soldier, driving him back into the line. Water sprayed as I shoved forward, shouting over the chaos, “Keep moving! Pull them after us!”
Dally grinned, wild and dangerous.
“Now you’re talkin’,” Dally said.
We fought our way through the chamber, Hydra chasing in waves. Bullets sparked against stone, the air thick with smoke and sewer stench. I led with the shield, Johnny’s fire covering our flanks, Soda darting like lightning between us, and Dally wrecking everything in his path.
For a second, just a second, it felt like we had control.
Then something new echoed from the far tunnel.
Heavy, deliberate. Not boots. Not soldiers.
Clang. Clang.
Hydra soldiers backed off, muttering nervously. That alone set my gut twisting.
Out of the shadows, a figure stepped forward. Taller than Darry, armored head to toe in steel that gleamed under Johnny’s light. Hydra insignia painted across the chestplate. And in its hand, a massive, hammer-like weapon crackling faintly with blue energy.
“Aw, hell,” Soda whispered.
The thing’s voice boomed, distorted, and mechanical.
“You are not authorized to be here,” It said. “By order of Dr. Vex, you will be neutralized.”
Johnny’s flames flickered higher, but I raised a hand.
“Stand ready,” I said.
Dally spat into the water.
“Finally,” Dally said A real fight.”
I swallowed hard, lifted the shield, and planted my boots.
Hydra grunts were bad enough. But this? This was something else entirely.
And if this was the kind of monster Vex built for the tunnels, I didn’t even want to imagine what Darry and Pony were walking into upstairs.
The armored soldier stomped into the chamber, water rippling out around its boots. Sparks crackled from the hammer in its grip, the hum of cube energy setting my teeth on edge.
Hydra soldiers fell back to the walls, letting the thing take center stage. Which told me everything I needed to know: this wasn’t a grunt. This was their ace.
“Get behind me,” I muttered.
Dally barked a laugh.
“Cute, Randall,” Dally said. “But I don’t play backup.”
“Not a joke,” I snapped, planting the shield in front of me. The armored figure raised the hammer, and that’s when I felt it.
The hum inside the weapon wasn’t just energy. It was gears, pistons, a core thrumming with machinery. I could feel it, like invisible strings tugging against my mind.
I reached out with my will, the way Peggy and Dugan drilled me back in training. For a second, nothing. Then, click. The hammer shifted in its grip.
The soldier hesitated, looking down.
A grin tugged at my mouth.
“Oh, you’re mine,” I said.
I yanked with my mind. The hammer wrenched sideways, jerking against its gauntlet. The soldier staggered, surprised.
“Now!” I barked.
Johnny hurled fire, splashing across the armor’s chestplate in a burst of orange light. Soda zipped in, striking the joints at its knees and dashing back before the hammer could swing. Dally barreled forward, absorbing bullets from the soldiers still firing along the edges, then slammed a fist into the thing’s side.
The armored soldier roared, shoving us back with a shockwave of blue energy. My ears rang, my shield arm went numb, but I held on. The hammer lifted again, crackling brighter-
And I focused harder, sweat prickling my forehead. Engines, gears, machinery. Listen to it. Control it.
The hammer froze mid-swing.
The soldier strained, servos whirring, but I locked it in place with sheer will. Then, with a grunt, I wrenched it free. The weapon tore out of its grip and clattered across the chamber toward me.
I caught it with my free hand, cube energy buzzing so hot it nearly jolted me off my feet. My arm trembled, but I held it high.
The Hydra soldiers shouted in alarm. The armored brute staggered forward, fists empty.
“Looks like you dropped something,” I said, voice low.
Behind me, Soda laughed breathlessly.
“Now that’s what I’m talkin’ about!” Soda crowed.
The soldier charged bare-handed, water exploding under its steps. Johnny lit the ground in flame, slowing it down, while Dally wound up for a hit that could drop a wall.
And me? I lifted the hammer I’d stolen with my mind, gears thrumming under my command, and swung it back at the monster it came from.
The impact cracked like thunder.
The fight wasn’t over, but for the first time since setting foot in Berlin, I believed we had a shot.
The hammer slammed into the brute’s chestplate, sparks scattering across the tunnel. It reeled back, water churning under its boots. The cube energy flickered in the core of its armor, the glow stuttering like a dying lightbulb.
“Don’t let up!” I shouted.
Johnny didn’t need telling twice. Flames roared from his hands, coating the thing in fire. The steel hissed and blackened, though the brute barely slowed. Soda blurred in, landing a dozen strikes against its head before dashing clear.
Dally charged straight through the heat, his fist glowing faintly with energy from the bullets he’d absorbed. He swung, smashing into the brute’s chest. The armor caved in a little, and the monster let out a metallic roar, stumbling to one knee.
I held the hammer with both hands, mind locked on the gears inside. I could feel the cube energy fighting me, trying to override, but I gritted my teeth and forced it still. “
You’re done!” I said.
With one last pull of my power, I drove the hammer down onto the brute’s helmet. Metal crunched. The glow in its chest flickered, then went dark. The soldier collapsed into the water with a splash that echoed down the tunnels.
For a beat, no one moved.
Then Soda let out a whoop.
“That’s how it’s done, baby!” Soda crowed.
Johnny slumped against the wall, breathing hard, flames dying down around his hands.
“Tell that… to the rest of them," Johnny said.
Because the Hydra soldiers lining the chamber hadn’t stopped. More boots thundered from the tunnels ahead, rifles clicking into place.
Dally cracked his knuckles, grinning wildly.
“Round two," Dally grumbled.
I lifted the shield, still clutching the hammer in my other hand. My muscles screamed, but the machinery inside the weapon answered me now—like it recognized who was in charge.
The Hydra squad opened fire.
I swept my will across their rifles, gears jamming, bolts seizing up. One by one, the guns locked mid-fire, useless in their hands. Panic spread fast as bullets clattered into the water instead of flying at us.
“Whoa,” Soda breathed, wide-eyed. “That’s a neat trick.”
“Keep moving,” I barked. “We’ve done our job. Darry and Pony need us to hold them here.”
Hydra regrouped, pulling knives, batons, anything left. Dally cracked a grin and stepped forward.
“Finally,” Dally said. “A fair fight.”
The chamber erupted again, fists and fire and metal clashing in the dark.
Even as I swung the hammer and shield together, cutting down soldier after soldier, I couldn’t shake the thought running cold through my head:
If this is what Hydra throws at the bait… what the hell is waiting for Darry and Pony in the lab?
Chapter 13: Chapter 13
Summary:
Two-Bit joins the fight after checking in on Darry and Pony.
Notes:
Hi Everyone,
I hope you like this chapter! Stay tuned for the next one!
Sincerely,
Keylime2001Disclaimer: The Outsiders is owned by S. E. Hinton. I don't own any of the MCU Characters. (Vex is my own OC).
Chapter Text
Chapter 13
Dally’s POV
The hunk of metal hit the sewer floor with a splash that nearly knocked me off my feet. Sparks hissed, smoke curled, and for a second, all I could do was stare. Randall had just, what, thought at the thing? And the machine listened?
“Well, I’ll be damned,” I muttered, kicking the mech’s helmet with the tip of my boot. “Didn’t think you had it in you, Stevie.”
Steve still looked pale, sweat dripping down his forehead, but he held the shield tight like it was the only thing keeping him upright. Soda clapped him on the back, laughing, while Johnny tried to hide how drained he was from all the fire he’d thrown.
I shook my head. They were kids. Strong kids, sure, but kids. And the deeper we went, the worse it was gonna get. Hydra wasn’t stupid. They’d be loading the big guns around Vex.
Which meant Darry and Pony were probably walking straight into a death trap.
“C’mon,” I growled, waving them forward. “Standing around patting each other on the back ain’t gonna get us anywhere.”
We pushed deeper into the tunnels, water sloshing around our boots. The air was hotter now, thicker, like the whole place was alive. I didn’t need Pony’s glowing eyes to tell me we were close to the cube. I could feel it in my bones, humming like it wanted to crack me open from the inside out.
Hydra soldiers kept popping up in waves. Not as many as before, but enough to keep us on edge. I was running on muscle memory, swing, block, hit harder, while Steve used his shield like a wrecking ball, and Soda zipped circles around us. Johnny stayed quiet, his flames smaller now, but steady.
Finally, we hit a fork in the tunnels. Left sloped upward, toward what looked like an access ladder. Right plunged deeper, where the humming was louder.
I wiped sweat off my forehead, glancing between them.
“Well?” I said. “Up or down?”
Steve frowned, focusing like he could hear the gears even in the walls.
“Hydra’s sending reinforcements down here,” Steve grumbled. “They’ll bottleneck us if we keep going. We need higher ground.”
“Great,” I muttered. “Guess we climb.”
I let Soda go first, figured if the rungs broke, he’d at least hit the ground fast enough to bounce. Then Johnny, then Steve, and finally me. The ladder creaked, but it held, dumping us into what looked like a maintenance corridor. The air was clearer, the hum fainter.
For half a second, I thought maybe we’d caught a break.
Then the alarms blared. Red lights flashed, sirens howling through the compound.
Johnny swore under his breath. Steve lifted the shield. Soda’s grin faded.
And me? I just spat on the floor and cracked my knuckles.
“Good,” I said. “Let ‘em come. Been itching to break more skulls anyway.”
But deep down, I wasn’t just itching for a fight. I was itching to get to Darry and Pony before Hydra, or Vex, got to them first.
The sirens screamed like the whole place was choking on itself. Red lights pulsed down the narrow corridor, painting everything in flashes. Soda’s head whipped around, jittery like a damn jackrabbit. Steve was all stiff shoulders and shield raised, ready to throw down. Johnny’s fire flickered weakly at his fingertips, his face pale but determined.
Then, like it was the most normal thing in the world, Two-Bit slid out of a side hatch, hair wild, grin plastered across his face.
“Took you long enough,” I muttered.
He wiggled his eyebrows.
“Hey, somebody’s gotta check in on the other team,” Two-Bit said. “Don’t worry, Darry and Pony are still kicking. Or at least, they were when I left ‘em.”
Relief punched me in the chest harder than I expected. I covered it with a snort.
“Good,” I grunted. “Means I can keep bustin’ heads without worrying they’re already gone.”
Two-Bit fell in step with us, twirling a knife he must’ve picked up off some Hydra goon.
“So, what’d I miss?” Two-Bit asked.
“Giant metal freak with a hammer,” Soda said, still a little too breathless.
“Steve wrestled it with his brain,” Johnny added.
Two-Bit blinked.
“What, like Jedi mind tricks?” Two-Bit asked.
“More like wrench-in-the-gears tricks,” Steve muttered, rubbing his temple.
Two-Bit gave a low whistle.
“Well, that’s awesome.”
Before I could crack back, boots thundered from both ends of the corridor. Hydra troops, plenty of ‘em. Rifles raised, shouting in German, blocking every way out.
“Guess story time’s over,” I growled.
They opened fire.
I charged first, catching bullets in my shoulder and chest like they were nothing more than bee stings. My fists met the first soldier’s helmet and cracked it sideways. Behind me, Steve’s shield rang out, deflecting shots back down the hall. Soda zipped past in a blur, knocking rifles clean from hands before they could reload.
Two-Bit was everywhere at once, one second tossing a knife into a Hydra soldier’s thigh, the next cracking a joke in the middle of chaos.
“Hey, Dal, you’re really making a splash here!” Two-Bit yelled as I sent another guy into a leaking pipe.
“Shut up and swing!” I barked back, but I couldn’t hide the edge of a grin.
Johnny’s flames roared higher than before, lighting up the corridor, forcing the rest of Hydra to stumble back. His face was pale, sweat dripping, but his eyes burned just as hot as his fire.
The last soldier tried to bolt. Two-Bit tripped him with a sweep of his boot and knocked him out cold with the butt of a stolen rifle.
“And that’s how it’s done, boys,” Two-Bit said, brushing his hands together.
We stood there, catching our breath, the floor littered with groaning Hydra troops. The alarms still blared, red lights still flashing, but for a second, the fight was ours.
Steve glanced at me, voice low.
“We need to move,” Steve said. “Now. Darry’s counting on us to keep the heat away from his side.”
I spat, knuckles still throbbing.
“Then let’s make sure Hydra’s got no one left to throw at ‘em,” I said.
Two-Bit slapped my shoulder with a lopsided grin.
“Knew I was stuck with you for a reason, Dal,” Two-Bit said. “You’ve got a real motivational streak under all that grump.”
“Keep talking and I’ll show you my motivational fist,” I shot back.
But as we started moving again, deeper into the compound, I knew the joking was only covering what we all felt. The longer this went on, the closer Darry and Pony were to running out of time.
And I wasn’t about to let Hydra or Vex take them without a fight.
We moved fast, Hydra’s alarms still screaming down every corridor. My knuckles were raw, my shirt torn, and I was itching for another fight. Hydra wasn’t gonna quit, and neither was I.
Two-Bit, though, he was having the time of his life.
He sauntered along beside us like we weren’t marching straight into hell, spinning that knife around his fingers.
“Y’know,” Two-Bit said, voice carrying loud over the sirens, “this place is a real fixer-upper. Bit of paint, some curtains, maybe fewer Nazi scientists, could be cozy.”
The words were barely out of his mouth when the ceiling light above flickered and blew, showering sparks right on the Hydra squad rounding the corner ahead. They shouted, blinded just long enough for Soda to zip through and send their rifles flying.
I stopped short, glaring at him.
“Did you…?” I said.
Two-Bit grinned, all teeth.
“What can I say?” Two-Bit said. “My charm’s electric.”
Johnny groaned, but the smirk tugging at his mouth gave him away.
We pressed on, and the corridor widened into what looked like a storage bay, crates stacked high, catwalks above, Hydra symbols painted everywhere. Soldiers poured in from both sides.
I cracked my knuckles.
“Finally,” I said. “A proper welcome.”
“Careful what you wish for,” Steve muttered, raising the shield.
The fight broke like a dam. Bullets shredded through the air, clattering against Steve’s shield and my chest as we charged. Soda darted between the crates, Johnny’s flames roared bright again, and I tore through anyone dumb enough to get close.
Then Two-Bit shouted over the chaos.
“Hey, careful with those crates!” Two-Bit said. “Pretty sure they’re full of top-secret Hydra toilet paper!”
The nearest soldier hesitated, actually hesitated, looking back at the crates. His buddy tripped over a box a second later, knocking half the stack down onto their own squad.
“Unbelievable,” Steve muttered as he bashed two helmets together.
“That’s me,” Two-Bit called, ducking under a swing and elbowing a soldier square in the gut. “Unbelievable luck.”
I didn’t want to admit it, but damn if he wasn’t right. The more he ran his mouth, the more Hydra stumbled, guns jammed, boots slipped on a wet floor, crates toppled at the worst possible moments for them.
It was chaos. Beautiful, stupid chaos.
And it kept us alive.
By the time the last soldier dropped, the storage bay looked like a tornado had ripped through it. Smoke curled, crates splintered, Hydra groaning on the ground.
Johnny wiped sweat off his forehead, flames dimming.
“That… shouldn’t have worked,” Johnny said tiredly.
“Eh,” Two-Bit said, brushing himself off. “Don’t question genius.”
I shoved past him, breathing hard but grinning despite myself.
“Genius, my ass,” I grumbled. “But if your mouth keeps screwing with Hydra like that, I ain’t telling you to shut it anymore.”
Two-Bit bowed like he was on stage.
“High praise, Dal,” Two-Bit said. “High praise.”
Steve shouldered his shield, scanning the far door.
“We don’t stop here,” Steve said. “Darry and Pony are still ahead. Let’s finish this.”
I spat, tightening my fists.
“Yeah,” I said. “Let’s.”
We started toward the next hall, Two-Bit still humming some off-key tune under his breath. And even though the alarms blared, and my gut told me Hydra had worse waiting for us, I couldn’t help but feel like the bastard might just laugh us all into surviving this.
Chapter 14: Chapter 14
Summary:
Things aren't looking great against Dr. Vex.
Notes:
Hi Everyone,
I hope you like this chapter! Stay tuned for the next chapter!
Sincerely,
Keylime2001Disclaimer: The Outsiders is owned by S. E. Hinton. I don't own any of the MCU Characters. (Vex is my own OC).
Chapter Text
Chapter 14
Johnny’s POV
I was running on fumes. My chest burned, my legs felt heavy, and every time the fire came to my hands, it came slower. Smaller. Like, even the flames knew I was wearing out.
But I didn’t stop. Couldn’t. Not with Darry and Pony out there.
We pushed through another hallway, Hydra alarms wailing in our ears. Steve led with the shield, Dally swung at anything dumb enough to block us with his kinetic powers, Soda zipped so fast I barely caught more than flashes, and Two-Bit, well, Two-Bit talked, and somehow the walls shook and Hydra tripped over themselves every time he did.
Me? I just tried to keep the light in front of us. My fire lit the path when the red emergency lamps sputtered out. Without it, we’d be stumbling blind.
We reached a heavy blast door at the end of the hall, sealed tight. Steve pressed his palm against it, eyes narrowing.
“Hydra tech,” Steve said. “Gears. I can feel the locks.”
“Think you can open it?” Soda asked.
Steve gritted his teeth. The metal groaned, gears whining under pressure. Sparks danced along the seams. Slowly, painfully, the door shuddered and rolled aside, screeching like it hadn’t been moved in years.
What waited on the other side froze me in place.
A wide chamber, lined with glass tanks filled with glowing blue liquid. Shapes floated inside—half-finished machines, human silhouettes wired with tubing, masks clamped over their faces. Hydra wasn’t just making weapons. They were making… things.
Two-Bit muttered, “Well, that’s not creepy at all.”
I stepped closer, stomach twisting. The fire at my fingertips flickered on its own, reacting to the hum of energy in the room. I pressed my hand against one of the tanks and jerked back when the figure’s eyes snapped open, glowing the same blue as the cube.
Before I could shout, alarms shifted to a deeper tone. The whole chamber trembled.
From the far wall, a platform lowered, and there he was. Dr. Vex.
White lab coat, gloves glowing with faint blue light, glasses glinting in the alarms. He didn’t look like a monster. He looked calm. Too calm.
“Ah,” Dr. Vex said, his voice carrying across the chamber. “The Strays. I was wondering when you’d find me.”
“You’ve got five seconds to come quietly before I break every bone in your body,” Dally snarled.
Vex smiled thinly.
“I’m afraid I can’t do that,” Dr. Vex said. “You’ve seen too much. But don’t worry…” He lifted his hands, energy crackling around them. “…you’ll serve a purpose yet.”
The tanks hissed. One by one, the figures inside stirred. Their eyes glowed, their limbs jerked, and then glass shattered, spilling glowing liquid as Hydra’s creations stepped free.
I staggered back, fire lighting at my fists even as my arms trembled.
“Guys… we’re in trouble,” I said.
And for the first time all night, I wasn’t sure if the fire in me would be enough.
The first of Hydra’s “creations” stumbled out of its broken tank, skin stretched thin over metal plates, tubes still dangling from its arms. Its eyes glowed cube-blue, and when it let out a mechanical hiss, the others followed, half a dozen of ‘em, surrounding us.
My fire sparked up without me even thinking. Instinct. Fear. I could feel the heat pulse off my palms, but it was shaky, sputtering. Not enough. Not for this.
Vex watched us like we were rats in a maze. Calm. Detached.
“Don’t waste your strength,” Dr. Vex said. “My soldiers don’t tire. They don’t bleed. You cannot win.”
“Yeah?” Dally spat, stepping forward with a grin that made my stomach twist. “Then they’re perfect for me.”
The first creature lunged, claws scraping sparks off the floor. Dally didn’t dodge. He took the hit, let it slam into his chest, hard enough to knock any normal guy flat. He stumbled back a step, then straightened, eyes burning brighter.
“Yeah,” Dally muttered, flexing his shoulders. “That’s what I needed.”
Another came at him. He caught the punch with his bare hand, let the force roll through him, and laughed. His whole frame seemed to vibrate with raw energy, every hit feeding him, building him stronger.
“Dally, don’t overdo it!” Steve barked.
But Dally just barreled forward, slamming his fist into the creature’s jaw. The thing went airborne, crashing through a row of tanks in a spray of glass and blue liquid.
Two-Bit whistled.
“Remind me never to arm-wrestle you again,” Two-Bit said.
“Shut up and swing,” Dally growled, but he was grinning.
I tried to keep up. Flames burst from my hands, catching two of the creatures across their chests. They staggered, hissing, but didn’t fall. My knees buckled. I was running out, fast.
Soda zipped in, knocking a claw swipe just off course.
“Johnny, focus!” Soda said.
“I am focusing!” I snapped, flames flaring hot before sputtering again. My vision blurred. I couldn’t tell if it was the smoke, the sirens, or just me burning out.
One of the creatures zeroed in on me. Claws raised. Too fast. Too strong.
Then, bam. It slammed into Dally’s shoulder instead, raking him open. He grunted, blood running down his arm, but instead of dropping, he roared, energy flooding him. His fist lit up with a burst of raw kinetic power, and he smashed the creature down so hard the floor cracked beneath it.
He looked back at me, panting but alive, stronger than I’d ever seen him.
“Don’t sweat it, kid,” Dally said. “I’ll take the hits. You keep the fire.”
I wanted to tell him I didn’t have much left. That the flames were burning me out. But looking at him, standing taller, stronger, feeding on every blow Hydra threw, I swallowed it down and lit my hands again.
“Alright,” I muttered, forcing the fire up one more time. “Then let’s burn ‘em together.”
Vex just smiled from his perch, hands glowing brighter, like this was all part of the plan.
And deep down, I knew he hadn’t even shown us the real fight yet.
The room was in chaos. Sparks rained from busted tanks, Hydra’s pet monsters thrashed and hissed, alarms screamed until I thought my ears would split. Dally was a storm in the middle of it all; every hit he took made him burn hotter, stronger.
He slammed one creation down, and when another clawed his ribs, he straight-up laughed, driving a fist into its chest so hard its metal frame crumpled in on itself. The floor shook with every blow.
“Come on, you bastards!” Dally roared. “Hit me harder!”
It scared me almost as much as it scared them.
Two-Bit darted past, knife flashing, his jokes spilling out like he was just messing around back home.
“Careful, Dal!” Two-Bit said. “You keep yelling like that, Hydra’ll think you’re on their payroll.”
As if to prove him wrong, a creature lunged at Two-Bit, only to trip on a loose pipe that hadn’t been there a second before. It slammed headfirst into the wall and didn’t get back up. Two-Bit tipped me a wink.
“See?” Two-Bit said. “Told ya, Johnny-boy. Luck’s on our side.”
I wanted to believe him. But the fire in my hands was guttering like a candle in the wind. Each blast left me dizzier, my legs shaking under me.
Then the humming changed. Louder. Sharper.
I looked up, and Dr. Vex finally moved.
He stepped down from the platform, calm as ever, his gloves glowing brighter with that sick cube-blue light. The air around him crackled, tugging at the flames in my palms. My fire bent toward him, like he was sucking the energy right out of me.
“Impressive,” Dr. Vex said, voice smooth, clinical. “But all your chaos, your strength, your fire, nothing compared to this.”
He raised a hand. Blue energy lashed out in a whip, catching Steve’s shield and hurling him clear across the chamber. The clang when he hit the wall made my stomach twist.
Soda blurred forward, aiming a punch for Vex’s jaw, but froze mid-swing, suspended in glowing threads of energy. Vex flicked his wrist, and Soda went flying, crashing into a tank with a sickening thud.
“Stop!” I shouted, flames flaring, but weaker, pulled toward his glow. My knees buckled, fire sputtering.
Vex turned those cold eyes on me.
“Ah,” Dr. Vex mocked. “The boy with the fire. You’re… different.” He stepped closer, the energy around him tugging at me like invisible chains. “The cube hums through you. It wants to burn brighter. But you… You’re holding it back.”
My chest clenched. Heat swirled in my ribs like it wanted out, like it wasn’t even mine anymore.
“Get away from him!” Dally bellowed. He charged, fists blazing with stored energy. Vex didn’t even flinch. He caught Dally’s punch in one hand, the room shaking with the impact.
Dally roared, shoving harder, his strength climbing with every ounce of damage pouring into him. For a second, he had Vex sliding back, boots screeching on metal.
But then Vex smiled and unleashed a blast of energy point-blank.
It hurled Dally across the chamber like a rag doll. He hit the floor hard, smoke curling off his chest, and for the first time, all fight… he didn’t get up right away.
My stomach dropped. The fire in me surged, desperate, furious. My vision blurred red-orange.
“No…” I whispered.
And then the flames roared out of me like they’d been waiting, swallowing my arms, my chest, the whole chamber glowing bright.
Vex’s smirk finally faltered.
The fire ripped out of me before I could stop it.
Not the flickers I’d been throwing all night. Not the little bursts that kept the dark at bay. This was everything: a flood, a furnace, a sun trapped in my chest, finally breaking loose.
The walls glowed red under the heat. Metal warped, pipes shrieked as they burst, and alarms melted into silence. For a heartbeat, even Hydra’s monsters froze.
Vex raised an arm, his cube energy flaring like a shield. My flames slammed into it, so bright I had to squeeze my eyes shut. I felt the ground tremble beneath us, felt the air scream as heat tore through it.
When I opened my eyes, Vex was sliding back, boots scraping. His smirk was gone. His shield cracked, spiderwebs of blue splitting under the weight of my fire.
“You-!” Dr. Vex’s voice wavered for the first time. “You shouldn’t, this power! It’s not yours!”
“Then take it from me!” I shouted, voice raw, fire pouring out harder, hotter.
The creations shrieked, their cube-blue eyes flickering as my flames washed over them. Tubes melted, circuits fried. They collapsed one by one, screeching as liquid boiled off their bodies.
Behind me, I could hear Two-Bit whooping, his laughter echoing like it made the flames stronger. Steve dragged himself up, shield raised against the heat, eyes wide but steady. Soda groaned from where he landed, staring at me like I’d grown a second head.
And Dally, Dally was laughing. Coughing, beaten, but laughing.
“That’s it, kid!” Dally said. “Burn that son of a bitch down!”
I wanted to. God, I wanted to.
But the fire wasn’t listening to me anymore. My arms shook, my chest felt like it was tearing open, and still the flames poured. The heat licked at the team, too, forcing them back. The chamber was turning into an oven.
Vex staggered, glove sparking, his shield cracking apart. But instead of fear, I saw recognition. Calculation.
“You’re… connected,” Dr. Vex whispered through the roar. “The cube sings in you, all of you. Perfect. You’ll burn the world, and I’ll harness it.”
He thrust his hand forward, and his energy lashed into the heart of my fire. For a second, blue and orange clashed, screaming light filling every corner of the room. The floor split, the tanks shattered, liquid and steam flooding the chamber.
I fell to my knees, the fire snapping back against me, burning me from the inside. I screamed, clutching my chest, vision swimming.
I didn’t know if it was me or the cube or something else entirely, but I knew one thing.
If I didn’t stop soon, I was gonna take everyone with me.
Chapter 15: Chapter 15
Summary:
The Strays get Dr. Vex to stand down. But for how long? Only time will tell.
Notes:
Hi Everyone,
I hope you like this chapter! Stay tuned for the next one!
Sincerely,
Keylime2001Disclaimer: The Outsiders is owned by S. E. Hinton. I don't own any of the MCU Characters. (Vex is my own OC).
Chapter Text
Chapter 15
Pony’s POV
The ground shook beneath us, a low rumble that rattled dust from the ceiling of the Hydra base. My chest tightened. Johnny. I could feel it, fear, pain, fire tearing him apart inside. His emotions slammed into me like waves, burning hot and desperate.
“Darry,” I gasped, clutching my head. “It’s Johnny. He’s losing it.”
Darry slowed, his jaw set, shielded from the quake by nothing but sheer stubbornness and skin tougher than steel.
“Hold it together, Pony,” Darry said. “We’ll get to him.”
We were deep in the compound, Peggy and Dugan just behind us, both armed and scanning the corridors. Hydra alarms still screamed, but the real danger was under our feet. Johnny’s panic wasn’t just panic; it was an inferno, threatening to swallow everything.
I closed my eyes, breathing hard. If I focused, I could reach further. Not just feel Johnny, I could push back. My mind brushed against his, flames searing, fear twisting. He was begging for it to stop, terrified of burning us all alive.
“I’ve got him,” I whispered, light sparking in my hands, wrapping me in a pale shield. “He’s scared. He’s… he’s killing himself with it.”
Darry’s hand landed heavily on my shoulder.
“Then you keep him steady,” Darry said. “I’ll take care of Vex.”
We rounded the corner, and the world turned orange. Heat slammed us in the face as we stepped into the chamber, a nightmare of fire and steam. Tanks melted into slag, Hydra’s monsters charred husks on the floor. In the middle of it, Johnny knelt, fire pouring off him like a volcano cracking open.
Dally was down, coughing, but pushing himself up. Steve’s shield glowed from the heat. Soda shielded his face, Two-Bit squinting through the flames.
And Vex, Vex stood firm in the heart of the storm, cube energy wrapping around him like armor, feeding off Johnny’s fire. His eyes gleamed when he saw us.
“Ah,” Vex sneered. “The brothers join the fray. Just in time to burn.”
Darry stepped forward, rolling his shoulders, the air shimmering from the heat.
“You’ve got a real mouth on you for a dead man,” Darry said.
Before Vex could answer, Darry charged. The floor cracked under his boots as he plowed through the inferno, fists swinging. Fire washed over him, but his skin didn’t so much as blister. He caught Vex square in the chest, the impact shaking the whole chamber.
Meanwhile, I forced myself toward Johnny. The flames licked at me, burning, but I wrapped myself in light, shields, thin at first, then brighter, bending the fire away.
“Johnny!” I shouted, dropping to my knees beside him. His eyes were wild, glowing orange, tears cutting clean lines down his soot-stained face. “You gotta hear me, Johnny, it’s me. It’s Pony.”
“I…I can’t stop it!” Johnny choked, flames bursting from his hands, slamming against my shield. “I’ll kill you, get away, ”
“No!” I threw every ounce of will into my voice, into my power. Light surged, not to block but to connect—threads of calm, of memory. I pushed into his mind, nights under the stars, books we passed between us, the way he always looked smaller but never weaker.
“You’re not fire, Johnny,” I said. “You’re you. You’re one of us. And you ain’t burning alone.”
The flames stuttered, flickered. His emotions hit me raw: fear, shame, but also hope. For a second, I felt him ease.
Behind us, Darry and Vex crashed together, cube energy colliding with unbreakable strength, each blow shaking the walls.
And in front of me, Johnny’s fire finally began to bend. Not vanish, never vanish, but bend, wrapping into the light I projected, shaped, steadied.
We weren’t out of it. Not yet. But Johnny wasn’t burning alone anymore.
The chamber was alive with chaos, Darry trading blows with Dr. Vex like gods colliding, Johnny flickering between control and collapse, and the rest of us struggling to keep the whole place from burning down on top of us.
I pressed harder into Johnny’s mind, light flooding from my palms to weave around his fire. My shields bent, shaping his flames instead of smothering them. It was like trying to tame a hurricane with a thread, but the more I pushed my calm into him, the more he grabbed onto it.
“You’re not a monster,” I whispered, voice trembling but steady in his head. “You’re family.”
His panic hit me in a raw wave.
“I don’t wanna kill you, Pony, I can’t stop-” Johnny thought.
“You don’t have to,” I shot back, wrapping him in memory and light. “I’ll stop it with you.”
The fire curved, bending into streams that coiled harmlessly against my shield instead of exploding outward. He gasped like he’d just surfaced for air.
Meanwhile, Darry roared and smashed Vex through a steel pillar. Sparks rained down as Vex staggered, cube-light crawling over his body like armor.
“You’re wasting your strength!” Vex shouted, hurling a blue bolt that scorched the air. Darry caught it with both hands. His shirt burned, his skin smoked, but he planted his boots and didn’t budge.
“You call this strength?” Darry growled, throwing the energy aside. “Strength’s knowing when you’ve got responsibility, when people are counting on you.”
He charged again, fists like wrecking balls. Vex raised a shield, but Darry’s punch shattered through it like glass, sending him reeling.
Steve picked that moment to step in. He stretched out a hand, eyes narrowing. The gears and mechanisms in Hydra’s broken tanks shivered, then shot across the floor like a swarm of angry bees. Pipes wrapped around Vex’s arm, machinery clamped onto his leg, slowing him down.
“Thought you liked machines,” Steve muttered, sweat beading on his forehead. “Try choking on ‘em.”
Vex snarled and ripped free with a blast of energy, but it gave Darry the opening to drive him back into the wall.
Across the chamber, Two-Bit was chaos incarnate. He darted between collapsing pipes, tossing out jokes like grenades.
“Careful, Doc!” Two-Bit hollered. “Pretty sure OSHA’s gonna have a word with you about all this workplace safety stuff!”
Almost on cue, a steel beam broke loose overhead and crashed down, missing Two-Bit by inches, but slamming right onto one of Vex’s failed creations that had started to rise again.
Two-Bit grinned like the devil.
“See?” Two-Bit taunted. “Comedy kills.”
Soda blurred in beside him, steam coming from his boots from the speed. He skidded to a stop, grin flashing as three Hydra soldiers, who must’ve survived the earlier carnage, rushed through a side door.
“Fellas,” Soda said, voice honey-smooth, “why don’t you sit this one out?”
Their aggression flickered, their grips loosening on their weapons. Before they could shake it off, Soda blurred forward again, disarming them and getting them to put their guard down to his charm.
He tossed a wink back at me.
“Fast and charming,” Soda said. “Still got it.”
Dally, meanwhile, was back on his feet, bloodied but grinning widely. He let one of the creatures slash him across the back, his body jerking forward with the force. Then he straightened, chest heaving, eyes wild.
“That all you got?” Dally asked. His fists blazed with stolen kinetic energy, brighter than before. With a roar, he grabbed the creature by the throat and slammed it into the ground so hard the floor cracked.
I felt Johnny’s awe ripple through me, weak but steady. His fire had steadied now, folding into my light like we were breathing the same air. His voice brushed mine, hoarse but certain.
“I got this, Pony,” Johnny thought. “Thanks to you.”
I tightened my grip on his shoulder.
“No, Johnny,” I said. “We got this. Together.”
In front of us, Darry lifted a dented metal beam like it weighed nothing, using it as a club to keep Vex off balance. Steve’s gears locked around Vex’s gauntlet again, and Dally barreled in with a punch that detonated in a burst of energy.
For the first time, Dr. Vex actually stumbled, coughing blood. His sneer faltered.
But his eyes burned brighter, cube energy pulsing like a heartbeat.
“You think this is victory?” Vex hissed. “You’re only delaying the inevitable. The cube chose me.”
Darry planted himself between him and us, fists raised, voice steady as a rock.
“No,” Darry said. “It chose all of us. And we ain’t done fighting.”
The chamber shook again as Vex drew more power. My light shields brightened, Johnny’s fire coiling with mine like a shared heartbeat. Darry’s stance hardened, the others circling in.
We were bruised, bloody, and burning out.
But for the first time, I knew, really knew, we were fighting as one.
The chamber pulsed with cube-light, every beat rattling through my bones. Vex stood at the center, pulling power into himself like a black hole, veins glowing blue beneath his skin. The others were holding strong, but I could feel it, fear spiking under their anger, exhaustion creeping in at the edges.
I didn’t just hear it. I felt it. Their emotions hit me like thunderclaps.
Darry’s stubborn resolve: “I won’t let them down.”
Johnny’s fragile steadiness: “I can’t lose control again.”
Dally’s savage joy: “Hit me harder, I’ll hit back harder.”
Steve’s focus, Soda’s charm-smirk covering his worry, Two-Bit’s humor hiding a sliver of fear.
All of it poured into me. I held it. Shaped it.
Vex sneered at us, blue flames sparking in his hands.
“You think six broken boys and two washed-up agents can stop me?” Vex sneered. “I’ve tapped the cube. I am.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Two-Bit cut in, twirling his knife. “You’re inevitable. You’re destiny. You’re what happens when Einstein gets bored and evil. Heard it before.”
He winked, and right then, the ceiling groaned. A pipe burst, spraying scalding steam straight into Vex’s face. He staggered, cursing.
Dally didn’t hesitate. He charged through the steam, letting Vex’s blast hammer him square in the chest. Energy flared, hurling him backward, but when he rose, his fists glowed white-hot with stored power.
“Bad move,” Dally growled and swung. His punch cracked against Vex’s shield, shattering it like glass.
Steve followed, gears and shards of machinery rising from the floor to wrap around Vex’s legs.
“Let’s keep you grounded,” Steve said.
Soda blurred in; his grin was dazzling, working its charm.
“Relax, Doc,” Soda said. “Breathe. Maybe stop trying to conquer the world, huh?”
The hypnosis seeped in. I felt it, Vex’s fury slipping, confusion taking hold.
That was my moment.
I raised my hands, light blooming around me, not just shields this time, illusions. I wrapped the chamber in a blaze of false fire and shadows, mirrors of Vex himself surrounding him from every angle. His eyes widened, darting from copy to copy, trying to tell what was real.
“You ain’t fighting one of us,” I said, my voice ringing in his mind and through the illusions. “You’re fighting all of us.”
Johnny stepped up beside me, his fire curling into the light, coiling brighter and hotter but steady now.
“And we ain’t alone anymore,” Johnny said.
Vex roared, breaking free of Johny’s ash, shattering Steve’s gears, and Soda’s charm, but Darry was already moving. He swung that steel beam like it weighed nothing, slamming it across Vex’s chest. The sound echoed like thunder.
The scientist flew backward, crashing through the wreckage of tanks, sparks raining down. He staggered to his feet, blood on his lip, cube-light dimming. His smirk was gone.
“This isn’t over,” Vex spat, clutching his chest. The cube energy around him flared violently, and before Darry could close the distance, Vex vanished in a burst of blue light, gone, like smoke in the wind.
The silence afterward was deafening. The alarms had burned out, the flames guttered low. The only sounds were our ragged breaths.
I dropped to my knees, my light flickering out. Johnny leaned against me, exhausted but alive. Darry set the beam down with a heavy clang, scanning the room like Vex might pop back any second.
Soda flashed us a tired grin.
“Well… if that’s what Berlin’s like, can we vote for Paris next time?” Sodas asked.
Two-Bit laughed, shaky but real.
“Yeah, but only if Hydra’s dumb enough to follow us there,” Two-Bit said.
I couldn’t laugh. Not yet. Not with the echo of Vex’s fury still humming through me. He wasn’t done. Not even close.
But I looked around at my brothers, bloodied, burned, exhausted, and I knew one thing.
Neither were we.
Chapter 16: Chapter 16
Summary:
Dr. Vex disappears for now, but when will he appear next?
Notes:
Hi Everyone,
I hope you like this chapter! Stay tuned for the next one!
Sincerely,
Keylime2001Disclaimer: The Outsiders is owned by S. E. Hinton. I don't own any of the MCU Characters. (Vex is my own OC).
Chapter Text
Chapter 16
Soda’s POV
The first thing I noticed after Vex blinked outta the room wasn’t the wreckage. It wasn’t the fried monsters or the busted tanks or the fact that the whole place still smelled like burnt rubber and metal.
It was my brothers.
Pony was kneeling with Johnny, both of ‘em covered in soot, Pony’s light flickering faint like a dying candle. Darry stood tall but stiff, chest heaving like he’d carried the weight of the world again. Two-Bit still cracked a smile, but it was shaky, too close to the edge. And Dally… Dally was grinning like a lunatic even though he was bleeding from everywhere.
Me? My legs wouldn’t stop moving, even when I was standing still. Adrenaline made me jittery. I wanted to crack a joke, flash a smile, make it all seem easier, but my legs were buzzing.
Then the boots came. Heavy, sure, disciplined. SHIELD stormed the chamber in formation, guns out, eyes sharp. Peggy Carter herself strode in after them, silver hair shining under the ruined lights, expression somewhere between relief and a storm cloud. Dugan followed, shotgun slung, scowling like we were all grounded.
Peggy’s eyes swept the room, landed on us, and for half a second, the storm broke. Relief softened her face. “
You’re alive,” Peggy said, voice low but certain. “Thank God.”
“Barely,” Dally muttered, then spat blood on the floor. “But we gave him hell.”
“That you did,” Dugan grumbled, checking over the wreckage. “And you wrecked half a Hydra compound in the process. Fine work, kids. Next time, maybe leave some for the cleanup crew.”
I couldn’t help it, I laughed. Not because it was funny, but because if I didn’t, I was gonna choke on the weight in the air.
“Sorry, sir,” I said. “We don’t really do things halfway.”
Peggy’s eyes landed on me, sharp.
“Clearly,” Peggy said. “You all just faced one of Hydra’s most dangerous scientists and lived. That’s no small feat.” She softened again when she looked at Pony, then Johnny. “But this nearly cost you more than your lives, didn’t it?”
I felt Pony flinch, emotions spiking in him, fear, shame, love for Johnny, all tangled. I put a hand on his shoulder, squeezing.
“He’s still here,” I said, my voice firmer than I felt. “We all are.”
Darry crossed his arms, the blood on his shirt steaming as it dried. “
We’ve gotta be ready,” Darry said. “Vex’ll be back, and stronger. We can’t stumble into it again. Next time, we end it.”
Peggy nodded.
“You’ll have SHIELD’s support,” Peggy said. “For now, you’ll rest. Heal. We’ll cover your tracks back home. School, work, no one will know you were gone.”
That actually made me grin.
“So basically, superhero sick days?” I asked.
Two-Bit chuckled weakly.
“Guess that makes Peggy the world’s scariest principal,” Two-Bit said.
Peggy didn’t smile, but her eyes warmed.
“If that’s what it takes to keep you boys alive,” Peggy said.
The team started moving, SHIELD medics checking wounds, agents clearing debris. Johnny leaned heavily against Pony, who kept that shield of light around them both, fragile but steady. Dally waved off help, naturally. Steve fiddled with a broken piece of machinery, already thinking about how to use it.
Me? I stood in the middle of the chaos, smoke coming off my traction boots, and realized I wasn’t shaking anymore. The fight was over, for now.
But I couldn’t shake Vex’s words. The cube chose us.
My grin slipped. Because deep down, I knew he wasn’t finished. And neither were we.
The years rolled on quicker than a Chevy on an open road. One minute we were limping outta that Hydra base, coughing on ash and cube-light, and the next… well, twenty years had passed, and we still looked like kids caught in the middle of a gang war.
In the rest of 1967…
Peggy and Dugan sat us down in a SHIELD safehouse not long after Berlin. A round table, coffee that tasted like tar, and folders thick with lies they were gonna feed the world.
“You boys can’t go back to Tulsa like nothing’s happened,” Peggy told us, her voice iron wrapped in velvet. “Hydra will be watching. But you also can’t vanish. People will ask questions.”
“Yeah,” Two-Bit muttered, slouched in his chair, “like how we’re supposed to explain looking twenty-one forever. Folks back home are already saying I don’t age ’cause of all the beer.”
That earned him a smack upside the head from Darry.
Peggy laid it out straight: SHIELD would give us covers, identities, papers that said we were students, workers, soldiers, whatever we needed. The story would be that we’d been “recruited into special government programs.” Technically true.
And we… went along with it. What else could we do?
In 1970…
By the early ’70s, Darry was a full-on college man. SHIELD set him up at Columbia, pushing him into degrees in structural engineering and political science. He lectured on responsibility the same way he used to scold us for leaving dishes in the sink. Except now he wore a tie, and his students actually took notes.
I remember barging into one of his classes once, leaning against the doorway in my leather jacket.
“Hey, teach,” I called, “you explainin’ to them kids how to lift Buicks in your free time?”
Darry gave me the look. The same look that used to freeze me when I was twelve.
“Sodapop, some of us are trying to shape the next generation,” Darry said.
“Yeah, shape ’em into what?” I teased. “Superheroes with homework?”
The class laughed. Darry didn’t. But later, I caught him smiling when he thought I wasn’t looking.
In 1972….
Pony turned his gifts inward. Empathy, light, all that deep-thinking stuff, it was perfect for a writer. SHIELD made sure his books hit shelves under pen names. Poetry, essays, and even a novel about brothers that critics called “haunting and luminous.”
He didn’t age, but his words did. They grew heavier every year.
One night, I found him hunched over a typewriter, light dancing faintly at his fingertips as he wrote.
“Don’t you ever get tired of carrying everyone else’s feelings?” I asked.
He glanced up, eyes glowing soft in the lamplight.
“Don’t you?” Pony asked.
Couldn’t answer that one.
In 1974…
Steve Randall dove headfirst into mechanics. Airplanes, cars, even the first clunky computers SHIELD dragged in. His power made him a prodigy, gears bent for him, engines purred.
By ’74, he had a master’s in mechanical engineering and a secret clearance at Stark Industries. Sometimes he’d sit in a garage with a Mustang stripped to the frame, parts floating in the air around him, his eyes glazed like he was half in love with the machinery.
“Steve,” Two-Bit once called, balancing a wrench on his finger, “you ever think about how creepy it is you’re basically dating your car?”
“Shut up,” Steve muttered, cheeks red. But the Mustang revved without him touching it, like it was backing him up.
In 1976…
Two-Bit never did the degree thing. SHIELD didn’t want him anywhere near formal structures, too unpredictable. But they used him as a field agent, the kind of guy who could walk into a rigged poker game and walk out with enemy intel and everyone smiling.
He bragged about “studying probability” in Vegas. Which was his way of saying he drank his way through missions, cracked jokes that warped reality, and somehow always landed on his feet.
Once, Peggy pinched the bridge of her nose in a briefing and sighed.
“You are either a miracle or a disaster, Mr. Mathews,” Peggy said. “I’m not sure which.”
Two-Bit just grinned.
“Why not both?” Two-Bit asked.'
In 1978…
Dally never sat behind a desk. He stayed in the field, SHIELD’s wrecking ball. Hydra bases, mob operations, dirty wars, he went where the pain was and came back stronger for it.
Every mission nearly broke him. Every mission made him scarier.
He’d show up bloodied, bruised, and smirking.
“You shoulda seen the other guys,” Dally rasped, before collapsing on the couch.
I asked him once if he ever thought about a normal life. He snorted.
“Normal’s for suckers, Soda,” Dally said. “I take the hits so you don’t gotta.”
And that was that.
In 1980….
Johnny stuck close to Pony and me. He was scared of his power, sure, but by the ’80s, he learned control, meditation, training, long nights with Peggy guiding him.
By ’80, he could light a match in his palm and let it burn without fear. He even worked with SHIELD’s science division, helping them understand “cube resonance.”
But I still saw the look in his eyes sometimes. Afraid that if he slipped, he’d take us all down with him.
In 1983…
Me? I bounced around. Tried acting for a while, SHIELD set me up with screen tests. My charm field made me too good. Directors said I was magnetic, but unnatural. Like, people couldn’t stop staring.
So I stuck with SHIELD. Missions, recon, charm when we needed it. My speed made me the courier. In combat, I felt untouchable, my smile breaking fights before they started.
Still, every time I looked in a mirror, I saw the same face I’d had in ’67. Not a wrinkle. Not a line. Just me, stuck.
“You think folks’ll ever notice?” I asked Darry one night. “That we don’t change?”
He didn’t answer right away. Just stared out a window.
“They already have,” Darry said.
In 1987…. Things changed.
We were together in New York, a rare night. Pizza boxes stacked on Steve’s workbench, Two-Bit teaching Johnny a card trick, Pony pretending he wasn’t watching Darry grade papers. Dally smoked by the window, looking bored.
Then all our pagers buzzed at once.
I flipped mine open. One word.
VEX.
The room went silent. Twenty years of pretending, of building lives, of waiting, over in a heartbeat.
Two-Bit whistled low.
“Well, boys… looks like round two,” Two-Bit said.
Johnny’s hand flared fire. Pony’s light pulsed in answer. Darry set his papers down like they weighed nothing.
And me? I grinned, even though my stomach twisted.
“Guess the vacation’s over,” I said.
Chapter 17: Chapter 17
Summary:
It's been 20 years, but Dr. Vex reappears.
Notes:
Hi Everyone,
I hope you like this chapter! Stay tuned for the next one!
Sincerely,
Keylime2001Disclaimer: The Outsiders is owned by S. E. Hinton. I don't own any of the MCU Characters. (Vex is my own OC).
Chapter Text
Chapter 17
Darry’s POV
The pager buzzed, and I knew before I even looked.
Vex.
Twenty years. Twenty years of building lives we couldn’t really keep, of pretending to be normal when the mirror said otherwise. And now, it was as if the last two decades had folded into nothing. We were right back in the fire.
The boys looked at me first. They always did. Pony with that quiet glow in his eyes, Johnny’s ash curling at his feet like smoke, Soda trying to grin through the tension. Steve’s hands twitched toward the nearest engine. Two-Bit looked like he wanted to laugh it off, and Dally, well, Dally looked like he was itching for round two.
I stood up slowly, pager in hand.
“Pack it up,” I said with a sigh. “SHIELD wants us back.”
The ride in was silent, except for Two-Bit cracking a joke about how pagers were already outdated. Nobody laughed, not even him.
SHIELD had changed in twenty years. New buildings, newer tech. Sleek walls, monitors buzzing with things we didn’t have words for back in ’67. Agents half our “age” passed us in the halls, giving us sideways looks. They knew who we were, or at least what we were. Legends. Ghost stories with files too redacted to read.
And then there she was.
Peggy Carter.
Older now, hair white, face lined with years. But still sharp. Still strong. The kind of presence that made rooms fall quiet. She walked in with a cane, but it didn’t slow her down one bit.
“Boys,” Peggy said, voice low and steady. “It’s been a long time.”
Soda stepped forward, his grin a little softer this time. “
Not for us, ma’am,” Soda said.
Peggy studied us, one by one. Her eyes lingered on Pony, on Johnny, on me. She’d been there when we were just kids, dragged into a war we didn’t ask for. Now we looked the same, and she carried twenty more years.
“You haven’t changed,” Peggy murmured. Not a question. A fact.
“We noticed,” Two-Bit piped up. “If you got the secret to making it look normal, we’re all ears.”
Peggy almost smiled, but her eyes were grave.
“Dr. Vex has resurfaced,” Peggy said. “We have intel that he’s reactivating Hydra cells across Berlin, Paris, and Moscow. He’s more dangerous than before, and his work with the cube hasn’t stopped.”
Johnny stiffened beside Pony, ash whispering off his shoulders. Pony reached out, steadying him with a touch, light flickering between them.
“What’s the plan?” I asked.
Peggy tapped her cane against the floor.
“First, we remind the world what SHIELD can do,” Peggy said. “And then… we stop Vex before he tears the world apart.”
Dugan entered next, older but no less gruff, shotgun strapped to his back.
“I swear, you punks look the same as the day I met you,” Dugan said. “Makes me sick. You'd better fight half as good as you look.”
Dally smirked.
“Better,” Dally said.
They laid it out on a holographic table, something straight outta Star Trek. Maps of Europe lit up, red circles spreading like an infection. Hydra cells, funding, weapons caches. And right in the middle: Vex.
Steve leaned forward, eyes scanning the designs.
“He’s moving machinery through East Berlin,” Steve said. “Some of it’s Stark-tech knockoffs.” His fingers twitched, and the projection flickered like it could feel him.
“Which means it’ll respond to you,” I said. “We use that.”
Two-Bit tossed a coin in the air.
“And me?” Two-Bit asked.
Peggy raised an eyebrow.
“Do exactly what you’ve always done,” Peggy said. “Distract, disorient, and pray your luck holds.”
Two-Bit grinned. “My favorite three words.”
Johnny stayed quiet, ash cloak shifting behind him. Soda finally broke the silence, flashing that lopsided grin. “Don’t worry. We’ve been waiting twenty years for this. Vex doesn’t stand a chance.”
Peggy’s gaze snapped to him.
“Don’t underestimate him,” Peggy said. “He hasn’t been idle.”
I crossed my arms.
“Neither have we,” I said.
The room went quiet.
I looked around at my brothers, my team. They weren’t the scared kids from Tulsa anymore. They weren’t even the raw recruits SHIELD had pulled out of 1940s chaos. They were men now. Stronger. Sharper. Still mine to protect.
I set my hands on the table, voice firm.
“We end this,” I said. “Once and for all.”
Peggy nodded, cane tapping once more.
“Then let’s get to work,” Peggy said.
Peggy and Dugan didn’t waste time after the briefing. Within the hour, they had us following a young SHIELD handler down a long corridor lined with reinforced doors. The air smelled of metal and ozone, machines humming deeper than you could see.
“Feels like déjà vu,” Steve muttered beside me. “Same as back in ’67. Except now the walls glow.”
“Yeah,” Two-Bit said, smirking, “back then they gave us hand-me-down leather and helmets. Now maybe I’ll finally get something with pockets.”
The handler keyed a panel, and the door slid open into a cavernous training hall. SHIELD had upgraded since the days of sandbags and punching dummies. Now holographic drones zipped through the air, mechanical turrets adjusted with AI precision, and sparring platforms shifted underfoot like shifting terrain.
Waiting for us inside was a row of gear racks. Modernized suits. Sleek, armored fabrics tailored for flexibility and durability, black with faint SHIELD insignias etched at the shoulders. Each one adjusted for our builds, our quirks.
Peggy’s voice came over the intercom.
“Gentlemen, it’s time to see if twenty years has dulled your edge or sharpened it,” Peggy said.
I stepped toward mine first. The material felt heavier than leather but lighter than steel, woven with fibers SHIELD called “impact-reactive.” It stretched but wouldn’t tear, and it carried the weight like it was meant for me.
Soda was already halfway into his, grinning at his reflection in a mirrored panel.
“Not bad, huh?” Soda said. “Think I look faster already.”
“You look like a track star on picture day,” Dally grunted, tugging his sleeves tight. His suit was reinforced heavier than ours, layered for heat absorption and kinetic storage. “If I’m taking hits, I want padding.”
Two-Bit slid his on and threw his arms wide.
“Stylish and bulletproof?” Two-Bit said with a smirk. “About time SHIELD figured out I’m worth the fabric.” He snapped his fingers, and a coin appeared between them like magic. “Ladies and gentlemen, prepare for chaos… in style.”
Johnny hung back a moment, staring at his suit. His was darker, fire-resistant plating lining the sleeves, ash-absorbent fibers woven in. He touched it like it might burn him.
“You okay, Johnnycake?” Soda asked, softer now.
Johnny nodded, pulling it on. The air shifted, a faint glow of embers already curling from his fingertips.
“Yeah,” Johnny said softly. “Just… don’t want to screw this up.”
Pony stepped beside him, already suited, his eyes faintly glowing.
“You won’t,” Pony said. “We’re in this together. Always.”
I strapped my gloves and checked the fit. The others looked sharp, older in spirit, younger in body. Veterans in the flesh of kids.
And for a second, I felt proud. We weren’t just greasers anymore. We were a team.
“Simulation One,” Dugan barked through the speakers. “Urban assault. Hostiles are Hydra-class drones. No quarter, boys, show us what twenty years bought you.”
The lights shifted. The hall transformed into a holographic Berlin street, gray buildings, neon signs, and smoke curling from alleys. Drones poured out, metal gleaming, eyes red.
“Let’s go,” I said, and the fight was on.
Soda was a blur, weaving through fire, smiling at drones that faltered mid-aim as his field bent their aggression.
“Gotta admit, still fun!” Soda shouted, ducking under a turret blast.
Steve lifted his hand, and half the drones froze midair, gears whining before snapping apart in pieces.
“They still build them with bolts,” Steve grumbled. “Big mistake.”
Two-Bit laughed as bullets sprayed toward him, each one somehow ricocheting harmlessly off metal signs.
“Oh, come on, you call this bad luck?” Two-Bit said with a smirk. “I’ve had worse hands at poker!”
Johnny’s ash cloak swept out, smothering a drone in cinders before flames consumed it whole. His face was grim, but his hands were steady.
“They burn easier than I thought,” Johnny said nervously.
Dally barreled through two at once, letting the blasts hit him full on. His skin lit faintly with absorbed energy, muscles flexing as he slammed a drone to scrap.
“Hit me harder, dammit!” Dally roared.
And Pony, he was the center. Light shields burst around him, deflecting beams, while waves of calm pulsed from his empathy, keeping Johnny steady, keeping Two-Bit’s chaos from tipping too far. His illusions flickered in the streets, confusing drones into firing on each other.
I ripped one drone off the ground, its metal snapping under my grip.
“You boys are reckless,” I shouted over the noise, “but you’re still mine to keep standing. Eyes up, shoulders tight, don’t lose formation!”
“Still lecturing us in the middle of a warzone,” Two-Bit cackled. “Never change, Darry!”
The drones went down one by one, our powers overlapping, complementing, filling gaps we didn’t even have to think about anymore.
When the last one collapsed in sparks, the Berlin street dissolved back to steel walls. The smell of ash and ozone lingered.
Peggy’s voice came through again.
“Well,” Peggy said. “I’d say the twenty years did you some good.”
“About damn time,” Dugan added. “You fight like a pack, not strays.”
I looked around at the boys, all breathing hard but grinning in their own ways. We weren’t kids anymore. We weren’t pretending.
“Gear up,” I said, standing tall. “Vex won’t wait for us to get comfortable.”
The boys nodded, the weight of the past twenty years finally settling on us like armor.
This wasn’t a second chance. This was the fight we’d been waiting for.
The simulation dissolved, leaving us in the steel-and-glass training hall. My knuckles were still tight from crushing that last drone, the sound of gears snapping ringing in my ears.
The boys were buzzing, adrenaline high, grins on their faces, powers still sparking around them. Twenty years hadn’t dulled us. If anything, it made us sharper. Stronger.
Peggy and Dugan came down from the observation deck, footsteps echoing. Peggy leaned on her cane, but her eyes burned as sharp as ever.
“You fight like you’ve been training every day of those twenty years,” Peggy said.
“Guess we kinda have,” Soda answered, slicking back his hair. “Life doesn’t exactly slow down for us.”
Dugan crossed his arms.
“Yeah, well, life’s about to speed up,” Dugan said. “Berlin’s a powder keg, and Vex is the spark. You boys’ll be the hammer.” He jabbed a finger at us. “Don’t forget that.”
We followed them into the armory, a vault stacked with more weapons and gadgets than any of us had ever seen. Rifles with sleek designs, gadgets that looked like they belonged in a comic book, and even jetpacks.
But what drew me were the custom rigs set aside just for us.
Steve’s had gauntlets designed to interface directly with any machine, Stark tech spinoffs, SHIELD enhancements. He ran a hand over them like a man greeting an old friend.
Two-Bit’s gear included throwing discs, weighted, balanced, and rigged to ricochet unpredictably. He palmed one, winked at us, and said, “Now my bad luck’s officially weaponized.”
Johnny’s had insulated plating layered through the sleeves, ash filters built into his gloves. He flexed his fingers, and a curl of flame lit the air.
“Guess SHIELD expects me to get messy,” Johnny said wearily.
Dally’s suit got heavier reinforcements, absorptive padding layered with kinetic conduits. He grinned sharply.
“Means I get to hit harder the more they hit me,” Dally said.
Soda’s was light, almost runner’s gear, with a mask that could obscure his grin when needed. He tugged it on and flashed that same grin anyway.
“Don’t worry, Darry,” Soda said. “I’ll still smile when I need to.”
Pony’s suit was something else. Lined with luminous thread that glowed faintly whenever his powers stirred, the armor was reinforced for shields but flexible enough for movement. He looked… older in it, even if his face hadn’t changed. More dangerous.
And me? Mine was built like a tank. Reinforced chest, bracers strong enough to block missiles, boots that could anchor me when the ground shook. I tested the weight, rolled my shoulders. It fit.
For the first time in twenty years, I felt like I wasn’t just holding the line, I was ready to lead into fire.
Later, in the barracks SHIELD had set aside for us, the adrenaline wore thin. The boys sprawled where they could, Soda tossing a ball at the ceiling, Two-Bit flipping cards, Steve sketching out plans on a pad, Johnny watching the glow of embers dance between his fingers.
Pony sat by the window, staring at the night. His glow faintly lit the glass.
“You’re thinking too hard,” I told him, leaning against the doorframe.
He glanced up, his eyes carrying that weight he always wore.
“I can feel it, Darry,” Pony said quietly. “Everyone’s nerves. Fear. Excitement. It’s… loud.”
I stepped closer, resting a hand on his shoulder.
“Block it out,” I said. “We’ll handle Vex together, same as always. You don’t have to carry all of it yourself.”
He nodded, but I could tell he didn’t believe me all the way. He never did.
Behind us, Two-Bit said, “So what’s the plan after we smash Vex this time? We retire? Open a bowling alley? Maybe I will finally run for office. Chaos Party 1988.”
The others laughed, even Johnny a little, and the room eased.
But I didn’t laugh. I just watched them. Soda, still restless but still smiling. Dally, pretending he wasn’t itching for violence. Steve, trying to build the future out of bolts and blueprints. Two-Bit, hiding fear under jokes. Johnny, still scarred but burning steady. And Pony, my kid brother, is glowing like a light trying to hold back the dark.
They were all mine to keep standing. And tomorrow, Berlin was going to test us like never before.
I clenched my fists, the weight of the suit heavy on my frame.
“Get some rest, boys,” I said finally. “Tomorrow, we remind Vex what happens when he messes with the Strays.”
Chapter 18: Chapter 18
Summary:
The Strays come face-to-face with Vex after 20 years.
Notes:
Hi Everyone,
I hope you like this chapter! Stay tuned for the next one!
Sincerely,
Keylime2001Disclaimer: The Outsiders is owned by S. E. Hinton. I don't own any of the MCU Characters. (Vex is my own OC).
Chapter Text
Chapter 18
Two-Bit’s POV
They say Berlin in ’87 was gray. Concrete walls, gray skies, gray faces on either side of a line that split a city in half. And maybe that was true, except for the neon signs flickering against the gloom and the red Hydra banners Peggy said were cropping up in the shadows.
Me? I never liked gray. Too boring. So naturally, SHIELD drops the Strays into Berlin like a splash of paint on a blank wall.
We came in low, SHIELD jet whispering across the clouds. Darry stood like a statue at the hatch, arms crossed, jaw tight, classic big brother “don’t screw this up” pose. Soda bounced on his heels like the floor was too slow for him. Pony glowed faintly around the edges, like his powers couldn’t stay inside anymore. Johnny sat quietly, ash coiling at his boots, and Dally grinned sharply like a man who’d been waiting twenty years for a bar fight. Steve was already tinkering with a dismantled SHIELD drone like it was a puzzle.
And me? I was flipping a coin.
“Berlin,” I said, catching it and making it vanish with a sleight of hand. “City of history, secrets, and, most importantly, beer. Place a bet, boys: we finish this mission, first round’s on Hydra.”
“Two-Bit,” Darry warned, not even looking back.
“What?” I asked teasingly. “Too soon?”
The hatch opened, and the cold air hit us. Streets below, sharp angles of buildings, searchlights sweeping. We were ghosts in the dark. Well, except for Pony, who could literally glow if he sneezed wrong.
We hit the rooftops running, Soda literally running, the rest of us landing hard enough to shake gravel loose. Hydra patrols moved on the streets below, armored trucks rolling like they owned the place.
“Alright, Strays,” Darry’s voice rumbled in our comms. “Remember the plan. And use our code names to keep anonymity. Quiet entry, find Vex’s bunker, disable his tech, then we hit hard if we have to.”
“‘If’ we have to,” I repeated, grinning. “That’s adorable.”
We moved fast, rooftops to alleys, shadows to shadows. Every time I cracked a joke, about the guards’ bad mustaches, about how Hydra should invest in better boots, their patrols stumbled, tripped, or walked right into each other. Chaos probability, baby. Even I didn’t fully get how it worked, but boy, did it work.
Mindlight (Pony) whispered in my head; sometimes, he forgot he projected when he got tense. “Keep it down, Jokester. You’re rattling, Atlas (Darry).”
“Yeah, well,” I muttered under my breath, “somebody’s gotta keep this mission entertaining.”
We dropped into a courtyard crawling with Hydra drones. Not people, machines, spindly-legged, eyes glowing red.
“Guess they didn’t get the memo about staying quiet,” Reckless (Dally) said, rolling his shoulders.
“Then we improvise,” I shot back.
Pulse (Soda_ blurred, knocking two down before they could even turn. Breaker (Steve) raised his hand, and half the bots froze mid-step, gears grinding against his will. Mindlight (Pony) lit the whole place with a shield that shimmered like stained glass, deflecting the first volley of plasma fire.
Me? I strolled through the middle, whistling off-key.
“Hey, fellas!” I called. “Bet you weren’t programmed to deal with this.”
The bots’ aim faltered. One tripped over its own leg. Another spun in circles. Probability shifted, chaos spun, and suddenly Hydra’s army looked like slapstick comedy.
“Jokester (Two-Bit)!” Atlas (Darry) barked.
“Relax, big guy,” I called back, slipping under a wild laser beam. “I’m helping!”
And the truth was, I was. The more I joked, the more things went wrong for Hydra and right for us. Reckless (Dally) caught a shot to the chest, growled, and his fists glowed brighter as he slammed two drones into scrap. Ash’s flames ripped through the ash that he sent curling around the courtyard, blinding the machines before he burned them down.
Hydra didn’t stand a chance.
But it wasn’t the bots that worried me. It was the silence after. The sense that we were being watched.
Mindlight (Pony) stiffened, light flickering across his eyes.
“He’s here,” Mindlight (Pony) whispered.
Vex.
And that’s when the street below split open, machines rising like monsters from the sewers, and the real fight began.
The street cracked like an eggshell under a hammer, asphalt caving as iron claws ripped upward. Machines, bigger, meaner, nothing like the drones we’d shredded, rose from the sewers. Each one was a walking tank, Hydra insignia glowing across their metal hides.
“Well, ain’t that just dandy,” I muttered, flipping my coin. “We beat the appetizer, now here comes the entrée.”
Mindlight’s (Pony’s) glow flared brighter, his shield snapping into place just in time to block a cannon blast that would’ve roasted us all. The air vibrated with the force. He gritted his teeth, eyes burning with light.
“They’re stronger,” Mindlight (Pony) rasped. “But I can feel them; someone’s feeding them orders. Cold, calculated… It’s him.”
Dr. Vex.
Figures the old creep would be hiding behind his toys.
“Quit talking and start breaking!” Reckless roared, already charging one of the tanks. Plasma rounds slammed into his chest, but instead of dropping him, they juiced him up, his fists glowing hotter, his smirk nastier. He punched, and the machine folded like a soda can.
Ash’s (Johnny’s) cloak of ash whipped around him, a storm in human shape. Flames burst from his palms, searing the joints of another mech until the legs buckled. The ash hissed and swirled, blinding their sensors.
Meanwhile, Pulse (Soda) was everywhere at once, blurring across the battlefield, grinning at soldiers that stumbled as if hypnotized, their rifles lowering before he ripped the clips out.
“C’mon, fellas,” Pulse (Soda) laughed, “don’t you wanna dance instead?”
Breaker (Steve) raised his hands, and half the machines froze mid-stride, gears squealing against his will. One he yanked apart like it was a toy, screws pinging against the pavement.
“Hydra still thinks bolts and wires will save them?” Breaker (Steve) muttered. “Idiots.”
And Atlas (Darry)? My big brother figure ripped a cannon clean off one mech and swung it like a club into the next. The street shuddered under him, concrete breaking, his voice booming.
“Formation!” Atlas (Darry) yelled. “Watch your spacing!” he yelled, even while crushing steel. “Ash, cover Pulse’s flank! Mindlight, keep those shields up, don’t let ‘em slip!”
Typical Atlas (Darry), lecturing in the middle of an apocalypse.
Me? I strolled into the middle of it all, coin flipping lazily between my fingers.
“Alright, boys,” I called. “Let’s see how much bad luck Hydra can handle.”
I tossed the coin high. It glinted once, then the world tilted.
One mech misfired, blasting its buddy in the chest. Another stumbled on rubble that hadn’t been there a second ago. A Hydra soldier slipped, fell on the controls of his walker, and the damn thing toppled sideways into three more.
“Oops,” I called, grinning widely. “Somebody call the insurance man.”
Mindlight (Pony) shot me a look over his glowing shield.
“You’re bending probabilities again,” Mindlight (Pony) thought at me. “Careful.”
“Careful’s boring,” I shot back.
A beam screamed toward me, but ricocheted off a falling streetlamp and nailed the mech that fired it. The boys stared.
I bowed.
“See?” I said with a smirk. “Lady Luck and I, we’re on speaking terms.”
And then everything stopped.
Not literally, there was still fire, still smoke, still Ash’s ash storm swirling, but the machines froze mid-motion. A voice echoed through the wreckage, oily and smug.
“Twenty years,” it said, sharp with static. “And you still fight like children playing at heroes.”
A figure stepped from the shadows, a man in black armor threaded with veins of crimson light. His helmet was smooth, reflective, like glass hiding a skull.
Dr. Vex.
The weight of him hit like a punch. Mindlight (Pony) gasped, clutching his head.
“His mind, it’s like knives,” Mindlight (Pony) said in pain. “He’s… wrong.”
“About damn time,” Reckless (Dally) growled, fists still glowing. “Been waiting to put you in the ground.”
Vex raised one hand, and the machines stirred again, faster, more coordinated, red light burning brighter in their eyes.
“This city will burn,” Vex hissed. “And you Strays will be its kindling.”
I spat on the ground, flipped my coin, and grinned sharply.
“Funny thing about kindling, Doc, ash blows away on the wind,” I said. “And lucky for us, Ash’s got that covered.”
The fight was about to get ugly.
The second Vex showed himself, and it felt like Berlin froze. Not the city, the fight. Us. Him. The air between. Even Atlas (Darry), who could bulldoze through tanks without blinking, tightened his stance like he knew we weren’t dealing with just another Hydra tin can.
Vex raised one hand, and every busted mech lit up like Christmas. Some twisted their frames back into shape, joints popping, wires sparking back alive. Others fused together, becoming bigger, meaner versions of themselves.
“Well, ain’t that a neat party trick?” I said, flipping my coin. “Too bad you still look like Darth Vader’s less charming cousin.”
Atlas’s (Darry) glare burned a hole through me.
“Jokester- (Two-Bit)” Atlas (Darry) warned.
But my joke worked. Vex’s helmet tilted toward me, like I’d poked him in the ribs. And just like that, one of his bots tripped over rubble trying to get to me, smashing its buddy in the head. Chaos probability is doing its thing.
Reckless (Dally) roared, charging forward as plasma fire hammered him. Each hit only made him glow hotter, his punches louder.
“C’mon, Doc!” Reckless (Dally) called. “Hit me again! I like it!” He slammed a mech into the pavement so hard it cratered.
Pulse (Soda) blurred past, disarming soldiers Hydra hadn’t pulled out yet, flashing that grin that left them dazed and harmless.
“Relax, boys,” Pulse (Soda) said, voice honey-smooth. “No need to fight. Just take a nap.” They dropped like dominoes.
Breaker (Steve) locked onto the biggest mech and tore its chest plate apart with a flick of his hand, gears shrieking as they spun out of his control.
“Your toys aren’t yours anymore, Vex,” Breaker (Steve) muttered, sweat beading his brow.
Ash’s (Johnny’s) ash storm thickened, wrapping around the battlefield, turning Vex’s machines blind. Fire burst out of the haze in controlled arcs, ripping through circuits. His voice was low but steady.
“Ash to ash,” Ash (Johnny) murmured.
And Mindlight (Pony), my god, Mindlight (Pony) lit up. He projected a shield dome so bright it painted the ruins like stained glass. Every hit ricocheted. But more than that, I felt him; his power wasn’t just defense. He was inside us all, boosting courage, pushing back fear. His voice rang in my skull, clear as day.
“We can do this,” Mindlight (Pony) thought. “Together.”
For a second, I almost believed we couldn’t lose.
Then Vex stepped into the ash cloud, untouched by the fire. His armor pulsed with crimson veins; every strike we landed dissolved into sparks that crawled back into him.
“Pathetic,” Vex sneered, his voice vibrating through the comms. “Do you think chaos, light, fire, and luck can touch me? I bend probability. I consume energy. I weaponize your strength.”
A wave of crimson energy burst from him, slamming us back. Mindlight’s (Pony’s) shield cracked but held. Atlas anked the hit, teeth bared, while Pulse caught Ash before he hit the wall.
“Okay,” I coughed, dragging myself up. “Gotta admit, Doc, you’re tougher than you look. But you just made a mistake.”
Vex’s head tilted. “And what mistake is that?”
I flipped my coin, caught it, and grinned widely.
“You gave me more stuff to break,” I teased.
The coin glowed faintly in the firelight. I tossed it again, higher this time, and the whole fight shifted sideways. A mech stumbled into Vex’s energy wave. Another cannon backfired. One of his crimson surges ricocheted off Mindlight’s (Pony) cracked shield and slammed straight into Vex’s own soldier line.
Chaos probability wasn’t clean. Wasn’t neat. But it was ours.
“Strays!” Atlas (Darry) roared, swinging the cannon he’d ripped free. “Hit him hard while he’s off-balance!”
We all moved at once.
Ash’s (Johnny’s) flames seared the ground at Vex’s feet, ash pulling around his legs like chains. Breaker ripped open the joints on Vex’s machines, scattering gears like rain. Pulse (Soda’s) blurred through the battlefield, pulling wounded Hydra soldiers clear so they wouldn’t get caught in the crossfire 'cause that’s Pulse (Soda) for you.
Reckless (Dally’s) barreled into the crimson wave, tanking the damage and glowing brighter than ever, fists swinging like meteors. Mindlight’s (Pony’s) shield pushed us forward, light bleeding into the cracks of Vex’s armor, straining him.
And me? I just kept laughing, cracking jokes, shifting fate inch by inch.
“C’mon, Vex!” I called mockingly. “Smile for once, you’ll live longer!”
He staggered under the chaos, armor flaring, sparks dripping from his gauntlets.
But he didn’t fall. Not yet.
He pointed straight at Mindlight (Pony), voice cutting sharply.
“Your light will break before mine,” Vex said.
And I swear, for one second, the glow around my kid brother flickered.
His words cut sharper than the crimson light bleeding off him.
“Your light will break before mine.”
And just like that, Mindlight’s (Pony’s) glow faltered. Only for a second, but in this fight, a second was an eternity.
I couldn’t let him see it. Couldn’t let Vex think he had us cornered. So I laughed. Loud, obnoxious, right in his face.
“Break his light?” I teased. “Buddy, you ever try to snuff out a sunrise? ’Cause lemme tell ya, no amount of creepy red glow is beating my kid brother’s shine.” I flipped my coin, let it spin in the burning air. “And besides, you’ve got the worst helmet design I’ve seen since Darth Vader. Who styled you?”
Vex’s crimson energy sputtered. He twitched, like I’d actually gotten under his skin. Perfect. Chaos probability nudged the field: one of his mechs stumbled and its cannon misfired, blasting another clean in the chest.
“Strays,” Atlas (Darry) barked, raising the cannon he’d ripped free, “push him back!”
We moved. Not as kids anymore. Not as screwups from Tulsa. As a unit.
Reckless (Dally) charged first, catching a crimson blast full-on. The energy knocked him to his knees for half a breath, then he grinned, eyes wild, power flaring hotter.
“That all you got?” Reckless (Dally) mocked. He swung, and the shockwave from his fist toppled a mech into two more.
Pulse (Soda) blurred behind him, a streak of motion weaving through fire and metal. His grin flashed like a weapon itself, and soldiers froze mid-step, aggression bleeding out of them.
“Why fight when you can chill, huh, boys?” Pulse (Soda) called. He pulled the ammo from their rifles before they even realized they’d dropped them.
Breaker (Steve) lifted his hands, eyes narrowing, and the biggest mech froze in mid-strike. Gears screeched, then ripped clean out of their sockets. He hurled the twisted mess into another squad, a storm of broken parts raining down.
“These toys are mine now, Vex,” Breaker (Steve) growled.
Ash (Johnny) rose next, fire spiraling from his hands. His cloak of ash wrapped Vex’s soldiers in a suffocating shroud, cutting sensors, choking barrels. A burst of fire licked across the battlefield, searing a path open.
“You’ll choke on your own machines before we choke on your empire,” Ash (Johnny) muttered.
Mindlight (Pony) braced in the center, shields flaring bright again. His voice pulsed in our heads, steady, strong.
“I’m not breaking,” Mindlight (Pony) thought. “Not tonight.”
The shield shoved us forward, crimson blasts bending around it, reflecting back into Hydra’s ranks.
And me? I kept laughing, kept talking, kept flipping that coin until probability bent so far it snapped. Blasts went wide. Tanks sputtered out. Vex’s armor flickered for just an instant.
“There!” I shouted. “He’s cracked!”
Atlas (Darry) didn’t waste a second. He charged, every step shaking the street. Vex threw up a crimson shield, looked just like Mindlight’s (Pony’s), only colder. Atlas (Darry) plowed straight through it, like it was paper. His fist connected with Vex’s chest, denting the armor with a sound like thunder.
Vex staggered back, crimson light sputtering.
“You think power makes you untouchable,” Atlas (Darry) growled, voice booming over the fire. “But strength means nothing without responsibility.”
Typical Atlas (Darry), lecturing while smashing a supervillain through a wall.
The combined weight of us, light, fire, steel, speed, chaos, and raw strength, pushed him down. His armor flared, then cracked again, sparks spitting from the seams.
“This isn’t over,” Vex hissed, voice twisting through his broken mask. “You can’t outrun inevitability. Chaos can’t save you.”
“Guess what?” I called, flipping my coin one last time. “Chaos just did.”
The coin landed, and right then, the ground beneath Vex buckled. A broken mech collapsed on top of him, smoke and fire swallowing the spot where he’d stood. When it cleared, he was gone.
Retreating in a shimmer of crimson energy, like smoke sucked into the night.
The street went quiet. Only the ash drifted, glowing faintly against the firelight.
Pulse (Soda) leaned against a busted wall, chest heaving. “Well,” he panted, flashing that grin, “I’d call that a win.”
Reckless (Dally) spat blood and smirked. “Wasn’t enough of a fight if you ask me.”
Breaker (Steve) wiped grease off his hands, muttering, “Machines that patch themselves? We’ve gotta study that tech.”
Ash just pulled his cloak tighter, quiet, fire fading from his hands.
And Mindlight (Pony) stood in the middle, glowing faintly, eyes tired but steady.
“We held him off. That’s what matters,” Mindlight muttered.
I pocketed my coin, grinning widely.
“Held him off?” I said. “Kid, we wrecked him. Jokester, Pulse, Breaker, Mindlight, Reckless, Atlas, Ash, The Strays forever. Berlin’s not forgetting tonight.”
Atlas gave me that look, you know the one, half proud, half ready to wring my neck.
“Don’t get cocky, Jokester (Two-Bit),” Atlas (Darry) warned. “He’ll be back. Stronger.”
“Yeah,” I said, smirk never fading, “and so will we.”
Chapter 19: Chapter 19
Summary:
The Strays regroup for the next battle with Vex.
Notes:
Hi Everyone,
I hope you like this chapter! Stay tuned for the next one! Also, please check out my other new story called, The Hill We Climb.
Sincerely,
Keylime2001Disclaimer: The Outsiders is owned by S. E. Hinton. I don't own any of the MCU Characters. (Vex is my own OC).
Chapter Text
Chapter 19
Steve’s POV
The fight was over, but my hands were still shaking.
Not from fear, no, I’d burned through that years ago, but from the adrenaline. From the sound of gears tearing apart in my head, the hum of machines going dead under my control. It was like every engine in Berlin was whispering to me at once, and now that it was quiet, I didn’t know how to shut it out.
We got herded into a gutted building by SHIELD agents, a makeshift command post, wires snaking across the cracked floor, radios buzzing. Berlin smoldered outside, smoke curling through broken windows.
Peggy Carter stood waiting. Older now than when history books said she was supposed to be in her prime, but no less commanding. The cane at her side didn’t make her smaller. If anything, it made her seem steadier, like the city itself leaned on her. Beside her, Timothy Dugan, bigger, broader, with that same bulldog glare I’d seen in the Howling Commandos footage, crossed his arms, watching us like he was trying to measure if we were worth the trouble.
“Strays,” Peggy said, her voice cutting through the static. “Berlin stands because of you tonight. But victory isn’t the same as survival.” Her eyes swept over us, sharp, weighing. “Dr. Vex was testing you. Probing. And he learned something. The question is, did you?”
Darry straightened, shoulders square like always.
“We learned he’s dangerous, and he’s not stopping,” Darry said. “So we can’t, either.”
Peggy’s lips curved, not quite a smile.
“Correct,” Peggy said. “She turned her gaze on me then, like she’d plucked me out of the lineup. “And you, Breaker. You’ve been bending every machine on that battlefield. But machines break under stress. So do men. Do you know your limits?”
I swallowed, jaw tight.
“I’m figuring them out,” I said. “Sir, ma’am. The more complex the engine, the louder it gets. The bigger the strain. But I can hold it. As long as I’ve got the team.”
Dugan grunted, finally speaking.
“Long as you’ve got the team, huh?” Dugan said. “That’s good. ’Cause we’re not looking for lone heroes here. We’re looking for soldiers who can take orders and give them when it counts.” His eyes flicked to Two-Bit, who was flipping his coin again. “Even the loudmouths.”
“Hey,” Two-Bit said, grinning. “The loudmouth’s why we’re alive.”
“Luck ain’t a strategy,” Dugan shot back.
“Tell that to the coin,” Two-Bit quipped, flipping it higher. The coin spun, caught the light from Pony’s glow, and landed perfectly on its edge. Balanced. Nobody breathed for a second.
Dugan’s glare cracked, just a hair.
“...Huh,” Dugan said.
Johnny was quiet in the corner, a cloak of ash curling around him. The fire in his eyes hadn’t faded. He spoke low, but it cut through the room.
“Vex feeds on energy,” Johnny said. “He bends it. The more we hit him, the more he twists it. We can’t just throw ourselves at him. We’ve gotta think different.”
Peggy nodded.
“Exactly,” Peggy said. “Vex isn’t Hydra’s past. He’s its evolution. If you meet him again, and you will, you’ll need to adapt. You’ll need precision. You’ll need discipline.”
Her eyes lingered on Pony, whose glow was dim but steady.
“And you’ll need unity,” Peggy continued. “You are stronger together than any of you are apart. Remember that.”
Dugan pulled a file from his coat and slapped it on the table. Photos spilled across. Hydra bunkers, scientists, schematics, crimson circuitry that made my stomach knot.
“He’s moving fast,” Dugan said. “Intel says he’s fortifying in Eastern Europe, drawing power from stolen Stark prototypes. You’ll have a window to strike before he consolidates.”
Atlas (Darry) frowned. “And our cover? Our lives back home?”
Peggy’s gaze softened, just slightly.
“Handled. SHIELD will maintain your identities, your families, your records,” Peggy said. “Your lives won’t skip a beat, school, work, home. You’ll fight in the shadows so the world can stay in the light.”
Soda whistled low.
“So…,” Soda said. “We’re ghosts now.”
“Not ghosts,” Peggy said. “Guardians.”
I leaned forward, staring at the blueprints, machines humming in the back of my head like they were already mine. My voice came out steady.
“Then point us in the right direction,” I said. “Breaker’s ready.”
Peggy nodded once.
“Then suit up,” Peggy said. “You leave at dawn.”
The briefing ended with Peggy’s words echoing in the silence: “Then suit up. You leave at dawn.”
I’d thought after Berlin—after twenty years of training, hiding, and fighting in the shadows—we’d seen it all. But the moment we followed Dugan down into SHIELD’s new armory, I realized we were wrong.
The place was alive with hums, clicks, the heartbeat of machines. For me, it was like walking into a cathedral. Every gear whispered, every servo turned its face toward me, like they knew I was there.
“Welcome to the new century,” Dugan said, throwing open the doors. “Don’t break it all at once.”
“Can’t promise that,” I muttered, and the corner of his mouth twitched like he half-expected me to say it.
The briefing ended with Peggy’s words echoing in the silence: “Then suit up. You leave at dawn.”
I’d thought after Berlin, after twenty years of training, hiding, and fighting in the shadows, we’d seen it all. But the moment we followed Dugan down into SHIELD’s new armory, I realized we were wrong.
The place was alive with hums, clicks, the heartbeat of machines. For me, it was like walking into a cathedral. Every gear whispered, every servo turned its face toward me, like they knew I was there.
“Welcome to the new century,” Dugan said, throwing open the doors. “Don’t break it all at once.”
“Can’t promise that,” I muttered, and the corner of his mouth twitched like he half-expected me to say it.
Atlas (Darry) stepped forward first, naturally. The techs presented him with reinforced tactical armor, not bulky, but woven with alloys Stark himself would’ve drooled over. Flexible plates over his shoulders and chest, built to absorb missiles, flames, even kinetic blasts.
“Indestructible, huh?” Atlas (Darry) grunted, flexing his arm, the armor moving like a second skin.
“Close as science can get you,” Dugan said. “You’ll still have to duck sometimes.”
Atlas (Darry) snorted.
“Not my style,” Atlas (Darry) said.
Pulse (Soda) zipped in next, circling the racks like a kid in a candy store. They fitted him with boots lined with shock-absorption and micro-thrusters, amplifying every step, every sprint. His gloves were layered with sensors that could sync his reflexes with the battlefield.
Soda (Pulse) grinned wide enough to hypnotize the whole room.
“Man, I could run laps around Berlin in these,” Pulse (Soda) said. “Twice.”
“Just don’t forget to stop,” I said.
“Why would I stop? That’s your job, Breaker (Steve).”
Reckless (Dally) got something simpler: armored braces along his arms and chest, wired to channel kinetic energy more efficiently. Every punch he took would store in the braces, letting him release it in controlled blasts.
Reckless (Dally) slipped them on with a grin.
“Finally,” Reckless (Dally) said. “Something that makes my bad habits useful.”
“Your bad habits are gonna level half of Europe,” Atlas (Darry) muttered.
“Yeah, and?” Reckless (Dally) snapped back.
Ash’s (Johnny’s) upgrade looked like it was built for myth. A cloak laced with fibers resistant to heat and flame, woven with SHIELD polymers that bent like smoke but held like steel. It amplified his ash, let him extend it further, control it with finer precision.
Johnny (Ash)pulled it around his shoulders. Fire flickered in his eyes. For a moment, he didn’t look like the quiet kid from the lot. He looked like a phoenix, ready to burn the world clean.
Mindlight’s (Pony’s) new gear was different, lighter, sleeker. His armor shimmered faintly, woven with refractive fibers that bent light to his will. Built not to protect his body, but to amplify his illusions, to make his shields stronger, brighter.
Pony (Mindlight) flexed his hands, light spilling between his fingers. His eyes glowed, and I felt his emotions pulse through the room: hope, fear, determination. Stronger than ever.
“You’re not alone this time,” I told him. He nodded, steady, like he knew I meant it.
And Jokester (Two-Bit), well, nobody really knew what to give a guy who broke reality with bad jokes and lucky coin flips. They handed him a bandolier of SHIELD-mod gadgets, smoke bombs, flash charges, EMP pellets, and prayed the universe stayed on his side.
Two-Bit (Jokester) strapped it on, tossing a smoke bomb in the air and catching it.
“Guess I’m the trickster god of this circus,” Jokester (Two-Bit) said.
“You always were,” Pulse (Soda) said, smirking.
And then there was me.
They rolled out a new exo-frame, subtle but powerful. Bracers linked to my nerves, letting me channel my mechanical telekinesis through hardwired conduits. I could sync with engines faster, manipulate them from a distance with precision I hadn’t dreamed of.
I slid the bracers on, felt the pulse of every gear in the room sharpen, like the machines were standing at attention.
“Breaker (Steve),” Dugan said, clapping me on the shoulder. “Don’t fry the jets before you even take off.”
“No promises,” I muttered, but deep down, I swore I wouldn’t. Not this time.
We stood together in the center of the armory, seven kids from Tulsa who weren’t kids anymore. Atlas, Pulse, Reckless, Ash, Mindlight, Jokester, and me, Breaker.
Peggy entered again, cane tapping against the floor, eyes sharper than any of us. She looked us over like a general surveying her army.
“You’ve been given more than power. You’ve been given trust,” Peggy said. “Berlin was survival. What comes next will be war. Hydra believes Dr. Vex will lead them into a new age. Prove them wrong. Show them the Strays are more than shadows.”
Her gaze held mine last, and I straightened, hands steady now.
“Yes, ma’am,” I said.
When the lights dimmed and we boarded the SHIELD jet waiting outside, I sat by the window, the engines whispering to me like old friends. I could feel the tension in the team, the weight of what was ahead. But above it all, I felt something steadier.
We weren’t kids trying to survive anymore. We were soldiers. A family. A unit.
And if Vex thought Berlin was the worst we could throw at him, he hadn’t seen anything yet.
The jet purred under me, steady as a heartbeat. I didn’t even have to touch the controls to feel her, every rotor, every panel, every fuel line humming like a living thing. It grounded me, gave me something to focus on besides the war we were flying toward.
The others settled into the cabin, SHIELD agents keeping to the back, leaving us space. We weren’t soldiers in the traditional sense, not like Dugan’s commandos. We were something messier, harder to define. Family first. Soldiers second. But that didn’t make us weaker.
If anything, it made us sharper.
Atlas (Darry) sat across from me, helmet off, arms crossed, the weight of the whole team on his shoulders like usual. His new armor gleamed under the cabin lights. You’d think after twenty years he’d ease up, but he was still watching us, lecturing us in silence with just a look.
Pulse (Soda) was restless, vibrating like he’d run laps around the plane if we let him.
“So, what’s the bet?” Pulse (Soda) said, grinning. “How long ‘til I’m the one who saves all your butts this time?”
“Never,” Reckless (Dally) said flatly, leaning back with his arms behind his head. “You’re too busy runnin’ circles to actually finish the fight.”
“That’s rich, coming from the guy who uses his face as a punching bag,” Pulse (Soda) shot back.
Reckless (Dally) smirked.
“And every time, I get up stronger,” Reckless (Dally) said. “What do you do? Smile ‘em to death?”
That actually made a couple of the agents snort, but Pulse (Soda) just flashed the grin, his grin. I could feel the tension in the room lower, like his charm was leaking out, smoothing the edges even here.
Mindlight (Pony) was quiet, staring out the window. His glow flickered faintly, emotions rippling through the cabin. He didn’t have to speak; I felt the thrum of his doubt and his determination both. When he turned his head, his eyes locked with mine for just a second, and I gave him a nod.
“You’ll do fine,” I said.
Mindlight (Pony) blinked, surprised.
“How do you know?” Pony (Mindlight) asked.
I tapped my bracers.
“Same way I know when an engine’s gonna hold together,” I said. “I can feel it.”
That got him to smile, just a little.
Jokester (Two-Bit) leaned back in his seat, flipping his coin again like the world’s fate rested on a fifty-fifty toss.
“I say we’ll walk in, Hydra’ll trip over their own shoelaces, and we’ll be home before lunch,” Jokester (Two-Bit) said.
Atlas (Darry) groaned.
“That’s not how strategy works,” Atlas (Darry) said.
“Maybe not for you, big guy, but for me?” Jokester (Two-Bit) said lightly. “It’s a lifestyle.” He flicked the coin. It spun high, landed in his palm. Heads. He winked. “See? Already winning.”
Ash (Johnny) sat separately, a cloak of smoke curling faintly around him even though the cabin was sealed. His eyes burned low, like coals that never went out. He finally spoke, his voice quiet but sharp enough to cut through the chatter.
“Hydra doesn’t just trip,” Ash (Johnny) said. “They plan. Vex is planning something bigger. He wouldn’t bait us to Berlin unless he was ready for what came next.”
The silence that followed was heavy. Even Jokester (Two-Bit) stopped flipping his coin.
Atlas (Darry) leaned forward.
“Then we’re ready too,” Atlas (Darry) said darkly. His eyes swept us all, the weight of the promise binding us. “No half-measures this time. We hit hard. We end it.”
Peggy’s voice crackled through the comms, steady even across the Atlantic.
“Strays, your target is a Hydra fortress hidden in the Carpathians,” Peggy said. “Intelligence suggests Vex is consolidating stolen Stark tech and experimenting on enhanced operatives. Expect resistance. Expect traps. But above all, expect him.”
I closed my eyes, felt the machine under me steady, her engines bracing for war. The others straightened, tension sharpening into readiness.
“Breaker (Steve)?” Atlas (Darry) asked, eyes on me.
I opened my eyes, flexed my hands, the bracers alive with power. The jet whispered to me, the machines ahead whispered too, distant, faint, but calling.
“I’ve got the engines,” I said. My voice didn’t shake. “Let’s break his toys.”
Pulse (Soda) leaned forward, grin sharp.
“Then let’s show Hydra what the Strays can do,” Pulse (Soda) said with a grin.
The cabin went quiet, heavy with purpose. Even Jokester’s (Two-Bit’s) smirk felt steadier now, less of a joke and more of a dare to the universe.
For the first time in a long time, I didn’t feel like a greaser kid playing soldier. I felt like what Peggy called us.
Not ghosts. Not strays.
Guardians.
And God help Hydra if they didn’t believe it yet.
Chapter 20: Chapter 20
Summary:
The Strays come face-to-face with Dr. Vex again.
Notes:
Hi Everyone,
I hope you like this chapter! Stay tuned for the next one!
Sincerely,
Keylime2001Disclaimer: The Outsiders is owned by S. E. Hinton. I don't own any of the MCU Characters. (Vex is my own OC).
Chapter Text
Chapter 20
Dally’s POV
The jet cut low through the Carpathian peaks, the fortress ahead like a scar on the mountainside, metal and stone woven together, Hydra’s ugly stamp on history. My fists itched. My veins buzzed. The closer we got, the more I wanted to throw myself straight through their front gate and watch the pieces fly.
Atlas (Darry) stood at the hatch, helmet tucked under his arm, barking last-minute strategy.
“We move as a unit,” Atlas (Darry) said. “Pulse (Soda), you scout. Breaker (Steve), disable their defenses. Mindlight (Pony), you keep a shield up. Ash (Johnny), cover the rear with fire. Jokester (Two-Bit), you’ll be a distraction.”
“And me?” I asked, leaning back in my seat, smirking.
Atlas (Darry) looked at me like I’d just asked the dumbest question on earth.
“You take the hits,” Atlas (Darry) said. “Like always.”
Damn right.
The hatch blew open, mountain air slicing cold across my face. Pulse (Soda) blurred past first, a streak of silver and charm, agents not even raising their rifles before his hypnotic grin dropped them like they’d just remembered better things to do. Breaker’s (Steve) bracers lit up next, whole watchtowers sparking as he yanked gears from their guts. Jokester (Two-Bit) smirked and tossed his coin in the air, and started his illusions and tricks.
Me? I went straight down the middle.
The second my boots hit the dirt, bullets shredded the ground around me. The first impact punched into my shoulder, hot, sharp, but then the fire spread, feeding the beast under my skin. By the time the second and third rounds slammed in, my whole body was glowing with that charged-up hum, strength rolling through me.
I grinned, teeth bared.
“That all you got?” I sneered.
I barreled forward, tearing through their line. Rifles cracked against me, clubs bounced. Every hit just made me stronger. One poor bastard swung a pipe; I caught it in my hand, bent it like tinfoil, and knocked him cold with the same swing.
Mindlight’s (Pony) shield flared beside me, soaking up a rocket blast that would’ve shredded us. He staggered, clutching his head, but the barrier held. I grabbed him by the arm and shoved him behind me.
“Stay back, kid,” I growled. “I’ll take point.”
“You can’t take everything,” Mindlight (Pony) snapped. His glow pulsed brighter, stubborn as hell.
“Watch me,” I said.
Behind us, Jokester’s (Two-Bit) laughter cut through the chaos.
“Hey fellas!” Jokester (Two-Bit) called. “Did you know Hydra stands for How You Die Real Awful?”
The trooper aiming at him actually tripped backward, gun jamming in his hands as if the universe itself couldn’t resist Two-Bit’s lousy timing.
Breaker (Steve) stormed in, gears flying around him like shrapnel. He ripped open a steel door with just a thought, sparks raining. Pulse (Soda) darted through before the dust settled, moving faster than I could track. Screams echoed inside, then silence.
Ash (Johnny) followed last, cloak flaring like a demon’s wing. Fire roared from his palms, sealing the halls behind us in blackened steel and smoke. His eyes burned, distant and hard.
The fortress stank of oil, blood, and experiments. Cells lined the hall, smashed glass and broken restraints scattered. Vex’s fingerprints were all over it, machines half-finished, wires humming like nerves exposed.
Atlas (Darry) moved up front again, voice steady.
“Stay sharp,” Atlas (Darry) said. “This isn’t a base, it’s a lab. And we’re in his maze now.”
Didn’t matter to me. Maze, fortress, lab, it all broke the same when you hit it hard enough.
I cracked my knuckles, heat thrumming through my bones. If Vex was down here, I’d find him. And this time?
This time, I wasn’t just taking hits. I was giving ‘em back.
We pushed deeper into the fortress, boots crunching glass and metal. Every step felt like Hydra’s eyes were on us. I could taste the electricity in the air, sharp and sour, like a storm ready to split the sky.
That’s when the doors ahead slammed open.
Out walked four figures - humanoid, but wrong. Too stiff, too perfect. Vex’s little pets, stitched together with steel and glowing veins of blue cube energy. Their eyes burned the same way his glove did.
Atlas (Darry) squared his shoulders, holding us back with one arm.
“Strays,” Atlas (Darry) said. “Enhanced. Move smart-”
“Or we move hard,” I cut in, stepping forward with a grin. “This one’s mine.”
The first Hydra brute charged, swinging a metal arm the size of a tree trunk. It hit me square in the chest, throwing me across the hall, smashing through a wall of equipment. Pain detonated across my ribs. My grin only widened.
I stood, rolling my shoulders. The hum under my skin roared alive, fire in my veins.
“That all you got, pal?” I sneered.
I charged back, every hit he landed feeding me. His fists cracked across my jaw, rattled my bones - by the time I hit him back, I was lit up like dynamite. My punch caved in his chest plate, sparks flying. He dropped hard, smoke pouring from his mouth.
Behind me, chaos unfolded.
Breaker (Steve) lifted his hands, and the gears in the other brutes’ joints screeched, locking up.
“Got ‘em -” Breaker (Steve) growled, veins standing out from the strain.
But one brute broke free, hurling a chunk of wall at him.
“Not today!” Jokester (Two-Bit) cackled, tossing his helmet like a Frisbee. The brute slipped on a wire that wasn’t there, falling flat on its back. Two-Bit winked. “Guess Hydra didn’t account for bad luck insurance.”
Pulse (Soda) zipped in, snatching a rifle out of another’s hand before the guy even blinked. His smile flashed, disarming.
“You don’t really wanna shoot me, do ya?” Pulse (Soda) teased. The operative hesitated long enough for Ash (Johnny) to drown him in flame, his ash cloak twisting like wings around his shoulders.
Mindlight’s (Pony) glow filled the room, a shield of searing white holding back a rain of bullets from above. I felt his mind brush against mine, steady and stubborn. “Stay angry, Dally. Just don’t lose yourself.”
“Don’t tell me what to do, kid,” I muttered, even though I needed it.
The last brute roared and came for Atlas (Darry). Darry didn’t flinch; he caught the thing’s punch with one hand and twisted, muscles straining like steel cables.
“You think you’re strong?” Atlas (Darry) barked, his voice like thunder. “You’ve got no idea.”
He drove the brute straight into the floor, stone cracking under the impact.
I wiped blood from my mouth, laughing.
“Well, that’s one way to redecorate,” I said.
But before we could catch our breath, a slow clap echoed through the chamber.
Dr. Vex stepped out from the shadows, his glove glowing, his smile sharp as glass.
“Bravo. Hydra couldn’t ask for a better demonstration,” Vex sneered. “You’re everything I hoped you’d be.” His eyes lingered on me, then Pony, then Johnny. “And so much more dangerous than you realize.”
Every nerve in me screamed to rush him. To let him hit me, break me, feed me until I could break him in half.
But Atlas’s (Darry) arm shot out across my chest.
“Not yet, Reckless (Dally),” Atlas (Darry) warned. “We do this together.”
And for once, I didn’t argue.
Vex’s glow cut across the chamber like a blade, his glove humming louder with every gesture. Energy crackled in the air, raw and unstable. He grinned at us like he had already won.
“Do you know what I see when I look at you?” Vex said, voice echoing. “Potential. Weapons shaped by fate. And weapons-” he raised his hand, the glove’s glow swelling into a sphere of pure energy “are meant to be wielded.”
He hurled it.
Atlas shoved me aside and took the hit. The blast shook the floor, smoke curling around him. But Darry (Atlas) stood in the crater, fists clenched, not even swaying.
“You’re gonna need more than that,” Darry (Atlas) growled.
“Gladly,” Vex snarled, charging another strike.
“Breaker (Steve), now!” Atlas (Darry) barked.
Steve (Breaker) spread his arms wide, gears and metal screaming in answer. The whole chamber groaned as Vex’s own tech, his glove, his belt, the wires feeding the cube’s stolen power shuddered against his control.
“Got it, hold him,” Breaker (Steve) said.
Vex strained, fighting him, the glove sparking violently.
That was my cue.
“Hit me, you son of a-!” I roared, charging into Vex’s energy burst. The glove’s strike slammed into my chest, pain tearing through me, then igniting into fire. My veins burned, muscles bulging, the raw energy feeding me like gasoline to a blaze. I laughed through gritted teeth.
“Now you’re in trouble,” I snarled.
Pulse (Soda) blurred past me, hands snatching Hydra rifles and tossing them into a heap.
“Disarm them, disarm him,” Soda (Pulse) muttered, flashing that smile. Vex’s nearby guards faltered, lowering their weapons under the pull of Soda’s (Pulse) charm before Johnny’s (Ash) flames swallowed them in a storm of fire and ash.
Ash (Johnny) spread his cloak wide, embers glowing in his eyes.
“Stay down,” Ash (Johnny) rasped, fire curling around his arms.
Meanwhile, Jokester strutted forward, twirling a pistol he’d “borrowed” off a guard. “Hey Vex! Y’know what your problem is?” he called. “You put all your eggs in one shiny glove basket!”
Vex snarled and tripped. Right into the path of Atlas’s (Darry) punch.
The crack echoed through the chamber as Darry’s fist connected, sending Vex sprawling.
But he wasn’t down yet. The glove sparked, overloading, cube-light spilling into the room. He staggered up, eyes wild.
“If I can’t control you, I’ll erase you!” Vex screamed.
Mindlight (Pony) stepped forward, his eyes glowing white. The light poured out of him, brighter than I’d ever seen, washing over us in a shield of pure emotion, courage, unity, and stubborn hope. My fists clenched tighter, my chest steadied. Pony’s voice whispered in all our heads at once: Together.
Vex screamed and unleashed the glove’s full force.
Atlas (Darry) anchored himself, absorbing the brunt. Breaker (Steve) wrenched the glove’s gears against themselves, sparks flying. Jokester’s (Two-Bit) laugh echoed, reality itself flickering, Vex’s aim faltered. Pulse (Soda) blurred in and struck his wrist, knocking it askew. Ash’s (Johnny) flames surged, wrapping the glove in fire. And I, charged with every hit, every ounce of pain, slammed both fists into Vex’s chest.
The glove shattered. Energy erupted, shaking the whole base. Vex shrieked as the cube’s stolen light tore through him, consuming his body in a brilliant flash.
When it cleared, all that was left was smoke and a charred crater where Dr. Vex had stood.
We were all breathing heavy, battered but alive.
Jokester (Two-Bit) finally broke the silence.
“Well,” Jokester (Two-Bit) said, hands on his hips, “anybody else think we should keep that glove as a nightlight?”
Pulse (Soda) snorted, shoving him lightly.
“Shut up, Jokester,” Pulse (Soda) teased.
Atlas (Darry) looked at the empty crater, jaw tight.
“It’s over,” he said, steady as stone. “Once and for all.”
But Pony (Mindlight) still stared at the smoke, his glow dimming.
“No,” Mindlight (Pony) whispered. “It’s never over. Not for us.”
And the way his voice shook… made me wonder if he was right.
The Quinjet ride back was dead quiet. Not the good kind of quiet, either. The kind where everybody’s got their own ghosts rattling around.
Darry sat across from me, arms folded like a damn statue, his eyes locked somewhere way past the metal walls. Pony leaned against his shoulder, eyes closed, the glow burned out of him. Steve was tinkering with some busted Hydra tech, hands moving like he had to do something or lose his mind. Two-Bit hummed some stupid Bugs Bunny tune, but even his jokes sounded hollow. Soda drummed his fingers on his knee, jittery from too much speed and adrenaline. Johnny sat nearest the hatch, flames flickering under his skin, his face unreadable in the dark.
Me? I was still buzzing. My veins thrummed with leftover energy, and every time I flexed my fists, I wanted to hit something again. Vex was ash in the wind, but it didn’t feel like enough. Not for twenty damn years of fighting his shadow.
The Quinjet landed on the SHIELD strip with that familiar hiss of hydraulics. No cheers, no welcome, just floodlights and Peggy Carter waiting with that steely expression that could cut you to ribbons. Dugan was with her, arms crossed, his bowler hat tilted like he was watching a firing squad.
We filed out, one by one. Carter’s eyes swept over us like she was counting heads. Making sure she hadn’t lost another team.
“Dally,” Peggy said when her gaze landed on me. Not a compliment. Not an insult. Just sharp, like she knew exactly how close I’d come to going too far.
“Peg,” I muttered, shoving my hands in my jacket. “Good to see you too.”
“Inside,” she snapped.
The debrief room was colder than the battlefield. Long table, metal walls, one-way mirror. SHIELD agents lined the corners, silent, while Carter and Dugan sat at the head like judge and jury.
Darry sat up straight, shoulders squared, every inch the soldier he pretends he ain’t. Pony sat beside him, pale but steady. I sprawled in my chair, ankle on my knee, just to get under their skin. Two-Bit kept grinning like he was hiding cards up his sleeve. Steve laid the scrap of Hydra tech on the table like evidence. Soda tried to smile, but even his charm field couldn’t soften Carter’s face tonight. Johnny kept his head down, shadows of flame twitching along his sleeve.
Peggy finally spoke.
“Doctor Vex is gone,” Peggy said in a matter-of-fact tone.
No one said a word. We all knew it. We all saw it.
She leaned forward, her voice lowering.
“You ended a Hydra operation that has spanned decades,” Peggy said. “That is no small feat. But-” her eyes cut to me - “your methods were… excessive.”
I let out a bark of a laugh.
“Lady, he nearly fried half of Europe,” I said. “Forgive me for not playin’ nice.”
Dugan slammed a hand on the table.
“You think this is a game, boy?” Dugan snarled. “We put our trust in you, The Strays, and every damn time you walk away like you’re invincible.”
Darry’s jaw clenched, but his voice was steady.
“We walked away because we’re good at what we do,” Darry said tersely. “Because we had each other’s backs.”
Soda leaned forward, his voice softer.
“We didn’t just win, ma’am,” Soda said. “We survived. And we’ve been doing that since long before SHIELD found us.”
Peggy’s eyes softened a fraction at that. Just a fraction.
“Perhaps,” Peggy said slowly. “But survival isn’t victory unless you learn from it. The world is changing, gentlemen. You cannot keep hiding behind street instincts and luck.”
“Hey,” Two-Bit piped up, smirking, “don’t knock luck. It’s got us this far.”
That earned a glare sharp enough to pin him to the wall.
Peggy straightened. “The Strays are disbanded effective immediately. Until further notice, you are civilians again. SHIELD will decide what comes next.”
The silence after that was heavier than any battle.
I shot up from my chair, fists curling.
“What the hell do you mean by ‘disbanded’?” I shouted. “After everything we did, everything we lost-”
“Sit down, Dally,” Darry muttered, voice low but firm.
“No,” I said. My chair screeched across the floor. “We bled for this. We burned for this. And now we’re just supposed to walk away?”
Peggy’s gaze didn’t waver.
“Yes,” Peggy deadpanned. “Until the world needs you again.”
For a second, I thought I’d explode. The energy in my chest was still alive, begging for a fight. But then I caught Pony’s eyes. His glow was faint, but steady, like he was pushing calm into me without saying a word.
I sat down hard, scowling at the floor.
Carter nodded once.
“Good,” Peggy said. “Rest. Live your lives. Because when the time comes, and it will come, we will call you. And you had better be ready.”
Her words hung in the air like a promise and a threat all at once.
And for the first time since Vex turned to ash, I realized this fight wasn’t really over. Not for us. Not ever.
Chapter 21: Chapter 21
Summary:
Time passes, until the gang is called back in by Nick Fury to help with someone called Captain Marvel.
Notes:
Hi Everyone,
I hope you like this chapter! Stay tuned for the next one!
Sincerely,
Keylime2001Disclaimer: The Outsiders is owned by S. E. Hinton. I don't own any of the MCU Characters.
Chapter Text
Chapter 21
Johnny’s POV
Eight years passed like smoke curling through my fingers, slow, fast, all at once.
When Peggy shut us down in ’87, it felt like losing a war we’d already won. One minute we were heroes, the next… nobodies. SHIELD ghosts.
I thought maybe that was fine. Thought maybe I could live quietly. But fire doesn’t go quiet. Not really.
In 1988, Tulsa…
We stayed close. Couldn’t help it. You don’t walk through hell together and then just walk away.
Darry went back to construction. Big contracts now. Bridges, towers. He wore a hard hat instead of SHIELD armor, but he carried himself like he was still on the battlefield. Guys respected him. He taught safety lectures that sounded like Captain America himself had written them.
“Rebar doesn’t bend for carelessness,” I heard him scold one rookie. “You cut corners, you’re asking gravity to finish the job for you.”
Same Darry. Always teaching. Always be shouldering more than his share.
Soda got restless. He modeled for a bit, no joke. His grin sold car commercials, his speed kept him sharp on the side. He’d vanish for weeks, come back with stories of coastlines and women, and still somehow sit cross-legged on the Curtis porch and make you feel like the only person in the world.
Pony went deep into writing. College classes again. Journalism, literature, philosophy. He wrote about things no one else could see: human connection, emotion, the threads tying us together. I read one of his essays once. Nearly burned it after. It felt like he’d cracked open my chest and written down the smoke inside.
Two-Bit tried being a stand-up comedian. Swear to God. Clubs in Dallas, Chicago. Half the time, his powers bent the room into chaos, drunk hecklers tripping over their own chairs, mics shorting out. He ate it up. But I think he was running from something, too. We all were.
Steve went mechanical. Full-time. Built engines, restored cars, and messed around with early computer systems. I’d catch him staring at machines too long, like he could feel their heartbeat. Maybe he could.
Dally fought his own battles. Bar fights, mostly. He didn’t say it, but I knew. Every bruise, every swing, he was chasing that power high. The one that only came when the world was trying to break him and couldn’t.
Me? I worked in a garage. Flames licked at my skin sometimes, the ash coiling under my nails. I pretended it was enough. Pretended the fire didn’t want more.
1990 - Christmas Eve.
We were all back in Tulsa. Snow thick on the streets. Soda lit the tree with one grin, Pony read a poem that left the room too quiet, and Two-Bit spiked the eggnog so hard Darry nearly threw him through the window.
I stepped out onto the porch, watching ash drift from the cigarette I couldn’t bring myself to light. Dally joined me, bruised knuckles stuffed in his pockets.
“Feels fake, don’t it?” Dally muttered.
I nodded.
“Like we’re wearing lives that don’t fit,” I said quietly.
He spat into the snow. “
We were made for the fight, Johnny,” Dally snarled. “That’s the truth. It doesn’t matter how many Christmas trees or college diplomas we pile up. Fights’ the only thing that sticks.”
His words burned, because I knew he was right.
1992…
That’s when we first felt it.
Not a battle. Not Hydra. Something else.
Pony was the first to say it out loud. We were all out back one night, beer cans, laughter, the usual, and he went still.
“You feel that?” Pony asked. His eyes glowed faintly, a shimmer of gold.
We all did. The air had weight, like static before a storm. My flames sputtered to life without me meaning to.
Steve said the engines in his garage were humming without power. Soda couldn’t sit still, jittery like lightning in his veins. Two-Bit kept cracking jokes that made no sense even to him. Dally punched a brick wall just to bleed off the edge. Darry tightened his jaw, like he was bracing for something big.
And me? The fire whispered, something’s coming.
The years crawled, but the feeling never left. Every time the sky shifted, every time thunder rolled strangely, I swore the world was changing and we were just waiting.
Then one night, it came.
We were at Steve’s garage, a lazy evening, Jokester making fun of Darry’s “dad lectures,” Soda flipping cards faster than my eyes could follow, Pony lost in a notebook. I was leaning back, letting embers curl through my fingers when the beeper on the counter buzzed.
Not Peggy. Not Dugan.
The name glowed: Nick Fury.
We froze. Soda picked it up, brows furrowed.
“Who the hell’s Nick Fury?” Soda asked in confusion.
Darry’s voice rumbled low.
“If he’s got SHIELD codes, he’s someone who matters,” Darry said sternly.
Pony swallowed.
“And if SHIELD’s calling us again… it means whatever’s coming is bigger than Vex ever was,” Pony said nervously.
I stared at the name on the screen, the fire in my chest answering it like a beacon. Eight years of smoke and waiting.
“Guess we’re back in the game,” I said, my voice rough.
And somewhere above us, in skies we didn’t yet understand, the storm was finally breaking.
The pager buzzed like a heartbeat none of us could ignore. Eight years out of the fight, and here it was again.
We didn’t wait for SHIELD to send a car; we drove. Steve was behind the wheel, his power humming through the engine like it was an extension of himself. Darry sat shotgun, scanning the horizon like the roads themselves were another battlefield. The rest of us filled the back, tense and too quiet, the kind of silence that comes before a storm.
We pulled up to the SHIELD safehouse, a squat concrete bunker outside Oklahoma City. Not Peggy. Not Dugan. A new name, a new call.
And waiting by the door was a man we’d never seen before. Black leather jacket, sharp eyes that missed nothing, and a presence that made even Darry straighten like he was back in boot camp.
“Strays,” he said, voice smooth, low. “Name’s Nick Fury. Deputy Director of SHIELD.”
Soda broke the silence first, flashing that grin of his.
“Deputy Director, huh? Does that mean Peggy finally took a vacation?”
Fury didn’t smile.
“Peggy Carter retired,” Fury said matter-of-factly. “Howard Stark’s dead. Dugan’s off the board. I’m what you’ve got now.”
That shut us up. Even Two-Bit didn’t joke.
Fury’s gaze moved across us like he was measuring weight, not height. His eyes lingered on Dally’s scarred knuckles, on the faint glow in Pony's eyes, on the ash curling at my fingertips.
“You don’t look like much,” Fury finally said. “But SHIELD’s old guard swore by you. Said you saved their asses more times than they could count. So here’s the deal: something big just landed. Out of the sky. Doesn’t belong to Earth. And I don’t like the feel of it.”
The room shifted. I felt the fire in me answering like it recognized the threat. Pony winced beside me, his voice tight.
“He’s not lying,” Pony murmured. “He believes what he’s saying, fear, curiosity, and determination. He’s… different. But he means it.”
Fury arched an eyebrow at Pony.
“Telepath, huh?” Fury said. “That’ll be useful. If you’re done reading my mind, maybe you’d all like to hear the briefing.”
Darry leaned forward, voice steady but carrying that warning edge.
“If you’re bringing us back in, you’d better understand, we don’t half-step,” Darry said cautiously. “You’re asking us to fight, we’re all in.”
Fury didn’t flinch.
“Good,” Fury said. “Because this isn’t just another Hydra splinter cell. We’ve got alien tech on the ground. Beings walking among us who can change their faces like pulling a mask off. They’re called Skrulls.”
Steve let out a low whistle.
“Aliens, huh?” Steve said, shaking his head. “Knew those weird hums in my machines weren’t just my imagination.”
“Shapeshifters,” Two-Bit said, eyes wide. “That’s cheating. How am I supposed to know who to flirt with now?”
Fury ignored him, sliding a folder across the table. Inside: grainy photos, wreckage, and a woman in a strange green-and-black uniform, mid-battle stance.
“She calls herself Vers. Crashed in L.A.,” Fury said. “Claims she’s Kree, a different kind of alien. Says the Skrulls are hunting her. And from what I’ve seen? She’s more powerful than anything I’ve ever put eyes on. We need to figure out if she’s friend or foe.”
Soda leaned back in his chair, smile fading.
“And you want us to babysit the alien,” Soda said.
“I want you to figure out what the hell she is before she burns half the planet down,” Fury corrected. His voice was steel now. “You all say you’re ready for the fight? Congratulations. You’re back on the roster. Codenames and all.”
The fire coiled inside me, hotter than it had been in years. I looked at the others: Soda, Pony, Darry, Steve, Two-Bit, and Dally. My family.
“Name’s Ash,” I said, letting sparks flicker across my palm. “And if the sky’s falling, we’ll be there to catch it.”
For the first time, I saw the faintest crack in Fury’s expression. Not fear. No doubt. But respect.
“Good,” Fury said, tucking the folder under his arm. “Then suit up, Strays. You’re about to meet Captain Marvel.”
And just like that, the fire was back.
The first thing I noticed about her wasn’t the uniform or the glow in her fists. It was the way the air itself bent around her, charged, restless, like standing too close to a lightning storm.
Carol Danvers. Or Vers. Or whatever she was calling herself then.
We found her in the wreckage of an old Blockbuster store, neon signs busted and VHS tapes scattered like confetti from a dead decade. Fury led the way in, calm as ever, but I could feel the fire under my skin tightening. My instincts said danger.
She spun before we even spoke, fist blazing with raw cosmic light.
“Stay back!” Carol barked, stance wide, ready to unleash hell.
Atlas (Darry) took the lead, solid as always, holding his hands out.
“Easy, soldier,” Atlas (Darry) said wearily. “We’re not your enemy.”
“Funny,” Carol shot back, eyes narrowed, “you sound exactly like one.”
That was my cue to flare. I let ash drift from my palms, spreading across the floor, dimming the broken fluorescents overhead until the whole store looked like it was breathing smoke. Not attacking, just showing her she wasn’t the only one packing heat.
“Name’s Ash,” I said, voice low. “We’re here on SHIELD’s call. You torch this place, and we’ll all be breathing melted plastic. So how about we talk first?”
Carol’s gaze cut through me like a blade, suspicion hardening her every move. That’s when Mindlight (Pony) stepped forward, his eyes glowing soft gold.
“She doesn’t trust us,” Mindlight (Pony) whispered, his voice carrying that empathic edge that made it impossible to ignore. “Fear, anger, confusion… but under it, she’s lost. She doesn’t even know who she really is.”
Carol’s head snapped toward him, her hand crackling brighter.
“Stay,” Carol scowled. “Out. Of. My. Head.”
“Trust me,” Mindlight (Pony) said quietly, “I wish I could. But it’s leaking out of you like wildfire.”
Pulse (Soda), ever the charmer, stepped in smooth as silk. He leaned on a busted movie stand, flashing that smile that could calm riots.
“Hey, nobody here’s lookin’ to make you an enemy,” Pulse (Soda) said smoothly. “You wanna blast something, we’ll point you toward the Skrulls. But me? I’d rather not get my hair fried tonight, sweetheart.”
For a second, I swear, I saw the corner of her mouth twitch. Almost a smile. Then she caught herself and hardened again.
Breaker (Steve) decided to play backup. He lifted his hand, and the gutted Blockbuster’s neon sign rattled, flickering back to life in a shower of sparks.
“See?” Steve grumbled. “We got tricks too. You’re not alone in this fight.”
Jokester (Two-Bit), predictably, ruined the seriousness of the moment. He picked up a VHS tape, “The Little Mermaid”, and waved it around.
“So, uh… we teaming up with Blockbuster Barbie, or what?” Two-Bit asked with a smirk.
Carol glared at him.
“Who the hell are you people?” Carol asked skeptically.
Atlas (Darry) squared his shoulders, speaking with the weight of all of us.
“We’re the Strays,” Atlas (Darry) said stonily. “You don’t have to like us, you don’t even have to trust us. But SHIELD sent us here because if the Skrulls are your problem, they’re our problem too.”
Carol hesitated. Her fists dimmed, the light fading into her skin. She looked at Fury, who hadn’t said a word since walking in, just watching the chessboard move.
“You vouch for them?” Carol asked, finally.
Fury gave a slow nod.
“They’re a pain in the ass,” Fury said. “But when the world’s on fire, you want the Strays in the fight.”
I clenched my fists, feeling the heat burn brighter. She wasn’t convinced yet, not fully. But she wasn’t trying to kill us anymore, and in my book, that was progress.
Carol exhaled, stepping back, still wary but not hostile.
“Fine,” Carol said reluctantly. “But if any of you try anything-”
Reckless (Dally) cut her off, cracking his knuckles, energy humming around him.
“Lady, you’ll wish we did,” Reckless (Dally) said with a scowl.
I smirked, letting ash swirl back into my skin.
“Welcome to the team, Captain,” I said.
She gave me a look that said she wasn’t sure if I was mocking her or not. Truth was, maybe I didn’t know either. But one thing was clear: whatever fight she was dragging us into, it wasn’t gonna be like any we’d faced before.
Because for the first time… Earth wasn’t the only battleground.
Chapter 22: Chapter 22
Summary:
The team goes on a fact-finding mission.
Notes:
Hi Everyone,
I hope you like this chapter! Stay tuned for the next one!
Sincerely,
Keylime2001Disclaimer: The Outsiders is owned by S. E. Hinton. I don't own any of the MCU Characters.
Chapter Text
Chapter 22
Pony’s POV
The first chase hit like a lightning strike, no time to think, only react.
Carol had barely finished telling us the Skrulls could look like anyone when the first one bolted through the crowded streets of Los Angeles outside of the Blockbuster, morphing mid-sprint from a suit-wearing businessman into a wild-eyed kid. Panic scattered the civilians like marbles on a tile floor.
Carol didn’t hesitate. She ignited like a living flare and shot forward, tearing down the block.
“Move!” Carol shouted, voice cutting through the chaos.
And then it was us, the Strays, snapping into place like old muscle memory.
“Breaker (Steve), eyes on engines,” Atlas (Darry) barked, already vaulting a parked car with ease. “Pulse (Soda), cut off their escape routes. Jokester (Two-Bit) - keep the crowd calm.”
“I’ll keep ‘em entertained,” Jokester (Two-Bit) called back, climbing on top of a mailbox and waving his arms like a carnival barker. “Ladies and gents, don’t panic! You’re just extras in a Michael Bay movie! Keep moving to the exits, single file!” Luck bent in his favor, and somehow people listened, streaming away without trampling each other.
radio stations at once. My eyes burned gold, and I forced out a projection of calm, a glowing pulse that blanketed the block in reassurance. Not perfect, but enough to dull the edges of panic.
Then the Skrull shifted again, this time into a woman in a red dress, darting toward a crowded metro station.
“Not happening,” I muttered. Light flared in my palms, and I fired an illusion ahead of her path: a wall of searing golden energy, flickering like solid glass. She stumbled, thrown off, and that’s when Carol hit her, fist first, sending her skidding across a parked car roof.
Reckless (Dally) was right there, laughing like a lunatic as he dove after her. The Skrull lashed out, cracking him across the jaw with a surge of green energy. The hit should’ve put a normal man through the pavement. Reckless (Dally) only grinned wider. His skin glowed faint red, energy surging into him.
“That all you got, freak?” Reckless (Dally) spat and slugged back twice as hard.
Pulse (Soda) blurred in a streak of motion, already circling the fight. He snagged two Skrulls trying to join the fray, his hypnotic grin flashing as he shoved them into each other.
“Dance partners!” Pulse (Soda) quipped, moving too fast for their strikes to connect.
Ash (Johnny) was fire in human form, flames curling around him as he whipped a cloak of ash into being. The cloak lashed out like a whip, wrapping around one Skrull’s legs and yanking it off balance.
“They don’t quit, do they?” Ash (Johnny) said.
“Neither do we,” Atlas shot back, lifting an entire overturned taxi with one hand and hurling it like it was scrap metal. It smashed down between two Skrulls, blocking their escape route.
Breaker focused, eyes narrowing as his hand twitched. A row of abandoned cars suddenly roared to life, engines growling as though obeying him. He slammed them into motion, herding fleeing Skrulls back toward Carol and the rest of us like cattle being forced into a pen.
And me? I was everywhere and nowhere. My light shields flared against stray blasts, shimmering domes protecting civilians too slow to run. My illusions multiplied, Carol, making it look like there were five of her instead of one, each blazing with cosmic fire.
The Skrulls faltered, confused, unsure which was real.
Carol used the hesitation like a hammer. She charged the nearest one, glowing like a miniature sun, and drove it into the concrete.
“Tell your friends,” Carol snarled.
The fight wasn’t pretty, but it was ours. The Strays had done this dance too many times to count, different enemies, same rhythm. And now Carol was part of it, slipping into the chaos like she’d always been there.
As the last Skrull crumpled under Reckless’s (Dally) fist, I stood in the glowing aftermath, ash floating, neon lights sparking overhead, car alarms wailing. My chest heaved, golden light dimming from my skin.
For a second, everything went still. The city, the people, even the fear in the air.
And then Carol looked around at us—really looked. Her expression was half-disbelief, half-relief.
“You guys fight like… like you’ve been doing this forever,” Carol said, voice hoarse but strong.
Atlas (Darry) crossed his arms, chin set.
“That’s because we have,” Atlas (Darry) said.
I caught her eyes then, her emotions spilling through the cracks in her guarded face. Hope. Wariness. A flicker of belonging she wasn’t ready to admit yet.
And underneath it all… the quiet question she was too proud to ask: “Who am I, really?”
The train screeched to a halt, sparks flying as the brakes locked. The Skrull Carol had chased was gone, slipped through our fingers, shifting faces like smoke. But the passengers were safe, shaken but alive. That counted.
I staggered off the train last, the glow in my skin fading down to a low ember. My head throbbed from the sheer rush of emotions, fear from the civilians, determination from Carol, firebrand joy from Soda still running on adrenaline, and that cold grit Reckless carried like a chip on his shoulder. I pushed it all down before it drowned me.
Nick Fury was already waiting on the platform, trench coat trailing, one hand on his holster. Coulson, no, not Coulson. The lookalike Skrull. My gut twisted, but Fury’s sharp eyes caught the same wrongness, suspicion etched into every line of his face.
Carol stepped forward, squaring her shoulders like a soldier reporting for duty.
“Not the first one we’ve seen today,” Fury muttered, then glanced at us. “You guys clock it too?”
“Yeah,” Darry answered, voice steady as stone. “Slipped through before we could pin it. They’re good at hiding in plain sight.”
Soda leaned against a concrete pillar, a casual grin covering his wired nerves.
“Cops’re still sorting out the civilians,” Soda said. “My guess is we’ll have a city-wide panic by morning.”
“Which is why we keep this tight,” Fury shot back, his gaze flicking between him, Carol, and us. “Nobody says Skrull out loud unless I say so. Understood?”
“Sure thing, boss,” Two-Bit chirped, tipping an invisible hat. “We’ll just tell folks the green guys were actors from Disneyland. Whole train chase? Promotional stunt.”
“Cute,” Fury deadpanned, though I caught the flicker of a smirk he tried to bury.
Carol stepped closer, urgency rolling off her like heat.
“They’re here for a reason,” Carol said. “They risked exposure. Skrulls don’t do that unless the target’s worth it.”
Her emotions spiked, a mix of frustration and grim certainty, and the echo of it thudded into me before I could block it. I steadied, catching her eye. “
You think it’s tied to Lawson?” Fury asked.
Carol’s jaw clenched.
“I know it is,” Carol said.
Johnny adjusted the edge of his jacket, the faint glow of cinders still fading off his shoulders.
“Then we find out what Lawson was working on,” Johnny said, low but sure. “Before the Skrulls beat us to it.”
Fury gave a short nod.
“Agreed,” Fury said. “I’ll work my end of S.H.I.E.L.D. contacts, but they’ll stonewall me without clearance. If Lawson was buried deep, we’ll need another way in.”
Steve cracked his knuckles and shrugged.
“Good thing breaking into places is what we do best,” Steve said.
Darry sighed, rubbing a hand down his face like he already regretted agreeing to this ride. But he didn’t say no. He never did when the stakes were this high.
Carol looked over the lot of us, fire in her eyes, then at Fury.
“Then we move now,” Carol said. “Before the trail goes cold.”
The platform lights buzzed above, casting us in pale orange as we fell into step, Carol and Fury leading, the Strays trailing just behind.
And as I matched stride with Johnny and Soda, I felt that static again under my skin, that wrongness in the atmosphere. The city didn’t just look different anymore; it felt different.
Like something was waking up.
And for the first time in years, I wasn’t sure if we were ready.
“We need to move to the records room,” Carol said.
We didn’t waste time. Carol pushed forward with a soldier’s stride, Fury shadowing her like he’d been doing this all his life. We fell in line behind, each of us moving like gears in an engine, loud on the outside, but running smoothly.
By the time we hit the Records Lab, the sun was low, painting the government complex in burnt gold. I felt it before we even slipped inside: the buzz of secrets. Not just in people’s thoughts, but in the walls, the machines, the ghosts of conversations that clung to places like this. The whole building felt… heavy.
Breaker (Steve) waved a hand, and the locked electronic panel on the side door clicked open like butter melting. He grinned.
“Piece of cake,” Breaker (Steve) said.
“Better be,” Atlas (Darry) muttered, hauling the door open without a creak despite the weight of it.
Pulse (Soda) zipped inside first, eyes scanning the hallways in a blur of motion before flicking his wrist.
“Clear,” Pulse (Soda) said.
Jokester (Two-Bit) was right behind him, whispering loud enough for all of us.
“Man, I was hopin’ for at least one guard dog,” Jokester (Two-Bit) said. “Maybe a tripwire. C’mon, give us somethin’.”
“Shut it,” Reckless (Dally) snapped, tugging his jacket tighter as he slipped inside. “You want excitement, you’ll get it when we’re runnin’ for our skins.”
Ash (Johnny) brushed past me, flickers of ember trailing in his wake, like he couldn’t quite keep his fire down in this place. He gave me a small nod, his way of saying stay sharp.
Inside, the lab was quiet but not dead. Rows of beige cabinets and towering shelves lined the walls, with the faint hum of fluorescent lights. My stomach twisted, not from fear, but from the pressure. Someone had hidden something important here. I could feel it thrumming in the air, like a secret heartbeat.
Carol stalked ahead, scanning file drawers like she already knew the way.
“Lawson’s project would’ve been buried under Defense, maybe R&D,” Carol said. “We need anything with her name or Project PEGASUS.”
“On it,” Fury said, though his eyes flicked to us like he wasn’t sure what to make of having seven wildcards at his back.
Breaker (Steve) lifted his hands, and every filing cabinet in the nearest row rattled, drawers sliding out and hanging midair like they’d been yanked by invisible strings.
“Show-off,” Jokester (Two-Bit) whistled, poking at one floating drawer like he was testing gravity.
“Efficient,” Breaker (Steve) corrected with a smirk. Papers began flipping themselves out, a whirlwind of classified ink circling him until he snapped his fingers, and a specific folder flew neatly into his palm.
“Dr. Wendy Lawson,” Steve read, passing it to Carol.
She grabbed it like it was oxygen. Her face tightened, almost cracking under the weight of the memories pressing up from wherever she kept them buried.
“This is it,” Carol said.
I felt the surge off her before she could tamp it down: grief, anger, longing. It hit me hard, but I let my light bloom faintly in my chest, a ripple of calm to steady her emotions without her noticing. Just enough to keep her focused.
Atlas (Darry) leaned over her shoulder, scanning. “Energy core… experimental propulsion…” His voice dropped lower. “This ain’t just tech. This is something bigger.”
Ash’s hand hovered close, a spark dancing at his fingertips. “Whatever it is, the Skrulls think it’s worth dying for.”
Carol’s jaw set like steel.
“No,” Carol said darkly. “They think it’s worth killing us for.”
Pulse (Soda), who’d been darting between aisles, zipped back with another file clutched in his hand.
“Project PEGASUS cross-referenced with NASA,” Pulse (Soda) said. “It’s not just buried. It’s buried twice.”
Fury swore under his breath.
“Means we’re close,” Fury said. “Too close.”
That’s when I felt it, the ripple of intent brushing against the edge of my mind. A thought that wasn’t ours. Too cold. Too precise.
“We’re not alone,” I hissed.
Carol’s head snapped up. Fury reached for his gun. Atlas (Darry) squared his shoulders like a human wall.
From the far end of the lab, the lights flickered, and a figure stepped out of the shadows. Its face shifted once, twice, like clay trying on different masks before settling into something familiar. A guard.
“Company,” Reckless (Dally) growled, fists clenching, energy humming just beneath his skin.
The Skrull sneered, eyes flashing green.
“You shouldn’t have come here,” The Skrull said.
Jokester (Two-Bit) grinned, flipping his knife.
“Aw, we get that a lot,” Jokester (Two-Bit) said.
The tension broke all at once as the Skrull lunged forward, and I felt the Strays slip into their rhythm, chaos, fire, steel, and light, all moving as one.
We weren’t walking out quietly anymore.
Chapter 23: Chapter 23
Summary:
The Strays and Captain Marvel fill Maria in on what's going on.
Notes:
Hi Everyone,
I hope you like this chapter! Stay tuned for the next one!
Sincerely,
Keylime2001Disclaimer: The Outsiders is owned by S. E. Hinton. I don't own any of the MCU Characters.
Chapter Text
Chapter 23
Soda’s POV
“Fucking shit,” Reckless (Dally) shouted. “It’s SHIELD and Skrulls now.”
“How are you sure it’s not all Skrulls?” Ash (Johnny) asked nervously.
“We don’t,” Breaker (Steve) growled.
“Breaker (Steve) and Jokester (Two-Bit), go after Marvel in the stairway; we’ll help Fury with the one disguised as an agent,” Atlas (Darry) ordered.
“Aye, aye, captain,” Jokester (Two-Bit) said with a smirk.
“File’s safe,” I called. “Now let’s bust some heads.”
Atlas (Darry) didn’t waste time with words; he threw himself between Fury and another Skrull, taking the punch square in the chest like it was nothing. The sound of bone on his skin cracked through the room. The Skrull reeled back, clutching its hand like it had just tried to deck a brick wall.
“You picked the wrong building,” Atlas (Darry) said, voice calm as he shoved the alien across a desk like it was paper.
Meanwhile, Ash (Johnny) moved like smoke, flames unfurling from his hands as ash swirled around him in a cloak. One Skrull tried to flank him, and Johnny vanished into the haze, reappearing behind the thing and lashing its back with a whip of fire.
Carol blasted forward, light blazing from her fists, and slammed another Skrull through a cabinet, scattering files like confetti. She was trailed by Jokester (Two-Bit) and Breaker (Steve).
“I guess she didn’t need our help,” Breaker (Steve) mumbled.
I grinned. Yeah, this was our kind of party.
I darted through the fray, moving so fast the Skrulls couldn’t track me. I’d zip in, tap one on the shoulder, then slip behind and slam a heel into the back of their knees before they even turned. The best part? That little trick in my smile. When one locked eyes with me, snarling, I flashed my teeth. The snarl faltered, hesitation breaking through, like I’d just talked ‘em down without saying a word.
“Bad day to pick a fight, buddy,” I told him. Then I shoved him into one of Breaker’s floating filing cabinets.
Jokester (Two-Bit) was laughing his fool head off, ducking behind desks and tossing files at Skrulls like paper bombs. Thing was, every time one went for him, something went wrong for them. One tripped over a chair leg that wasn’t there a second ago. Another tried to tackle him, but the ceiling light above them just happened to fall at the same moment, clocking the Skrull instead.
“You see that?” Jokester (Two-Bit) cackled. “I don’t even gotta throw a punch! Lady Luck’s got my back, boys.”
Reckless (Dally) was already bloodied, but the more they hit him, the more his fists glowed with kinetic energy. A Skrull slammed him into a wall, and instead of crumpling, (Reckless) Dally pushed back harder, grinning wildly.
“Yeah, hit me again!” Reckless (Dally) barked, driving his fist into the alien’s gut and sending a shockwave through the plaster.
“Reckless, keep the damn building standing!” Atlas (Darry) roared.
Mindlight (Pony) was the quiet storm in the chaos. His eyes lit up as a Skrull grabbed for Fury, and suddenly the alien froze mid-step, clutching its head like it was drowning in emotions that weren’t its own. Mindlight’s (Pony) light shimmered, wrapping Fury in a protective glow as the bullet fire from another Skrull’s stolen gun ricocheted off harmlessly.
“You’re safe,” Pony whispered, voice low but steady, and the shield held until Carol disarmed the shooter with a single glowing punch.
I zipped past Fury, who was crouched with his gun drawn but clearly trying to keep up.
“You good, old man?” I teased, grabbing another Skrull by the arm and spinning him dizzy before dumping him at Atlas’s (Darry) feet.
Fury shot me a look.
“Don’t call me old,” Fury snapped. Then he fired two clean rounds into a Skrull charging Carol.
The whole place was chaos, papers burning from Ash’s (Johnny) fire, desks splintering from Atlas’s swings, cabinets floating like a storm of steel under Breaker’s (Steve) control. Reckless (Dally) was glowing, Jokester (Two-Bit) was laughing, and Mindlight’s (Pony) calm presence cut through it all like a steady heartbeat.
Me? I was everywhere at once, threading the fight together like stitches in cloth.
Finally, Carol drove her glowing fist straight into the lead Skrull’s chest, blasting him back into the far wall. The impact shook the whole lab. The others froze, their forms glitching, and then scattered into ash and green blood across the floor.
Silence hung thick for a second, broken only by the crackle of Ash’s (Johnny’s) flames licking at loose papers.
Carol straightened, breathing hard but steady, her fists still glowing faintly. She glanced at us, a small smile tugging at her lips.
“Not bad, for a pack of strays, ” Carol said.
“The Strays,” I corrected with a wink, brushing dust off my jacket. “Capital S.”
Atlas (Darry) groaned, but Fury holstered his gun, eyeing us with something I swear looked like respect.
“Well,” Fury muttered, “I see why Peggy vouched for you.”
Ash’s (Johnny) flames dimmed, Breaker (Steve) let the cabinets clatter back to the floor, and Mindlight let his shield flicker out.
But me? I kept grinning, ‘cause I knew one thing for sure. This wasn’t the end of the fight; it was just the warm-up.
“It’s not the time to dilly-dally,” Dally growled. “We need to get out of here.”
We followed Carol into the stairway, where we ran into Coulson with a gun pointed at us.
“Holy hell,” I muttered under my breath.
Johnny’s eyes were wide.
Pony’s lip wobbled.
Then Coulson lowered his gun.
“They’re not down here,” Coulson called.
Fury gave him a grateful nod as we headed out the door on that level.
Carol took Fury’s phone for him.
“Burn, dude,” Two-Bit joked.
Fury shot him a look.
Someone slammed into the door. Then agents or Skrulls, whoever they were, started after us.
We hid behind some storage containers.
Carol beckoned us toward a ship.
“This isn’t going to be good,” Pony muttered under his breath.
When we got on board, Carol got into the front seat.
“You know how to drive this thing?” Fury asked.
“I think so,” Carol asked.
“That didn’t sound convincing,” Darry muttered.
Then Carol got it going.
“Now that’s more like it,” Steve said with a smirk.
As we started down the runway, the agents or Skrulls started firing at us.
“I don’t like this,” Johnny murmured.
“Well, too bad,” Carol called back at us.
“Suckers,” Dally called over his shoulder as he looked out the window when we took off.
Then we heard a noise, a meow.
“A kitty!” Pony shrieked.
“Of course you would get excited about a cat,” I laughed.
Darry groaned and ran a hand over his face.
“Did you guys find anything?” Fury asked us.
“I did,” Carol said.
She passed a photo around, and I paled when I saw her in a pilot’s uniform.
“That you?” Steve asked.
“Yep,” Carol said. “I guess my memory must have erased a few things. It traces back to Maria Lambeau.”
We all looked at each other nervously.
“Can she be trusted?” Dally asked.
“Only one way to find out,” Two-Bit said. “To go there.”
“I like you already,” Carol said with a smirk. “Off to Louisiana we go.”
“Have you boys ever been to Louisiana?” Fury asked us.
Darry shook his head.
“We don’t really get out much,” Darry admitted.
“It’s time to change that,” Fury said with a smirk.
Soon enough, we landed in a field in a secluded part.
That’s when we saw a young girl working on a plane.
“That girl sure knows her stuff,” Steve said with a smirk.
“Why don’t you come with me then?” Carol offered. “You guys stay at a distance.”
We watched her and Steve walk up to her reluctantly. While we stayed back reluctantly.
“You sure this is a good idea?” Johnny asked nervously.
“Beats me,” Pony said. “But we don’t have any other choice.”
Then that’s when we saw her. Maria Lambeau. A flicker of recognition flashed across her face.
The next thing we knew, we were in her house.
Carol and Fury told her everything.
She looked at us in disbelief.
“This sounds like something completely made up,” Maria said.
“Believe me,” Dally muttered. “I would normally agree with you, but we got zapped by a glowing cube in 1967 Tulsa and now we have powers, can’t age, traveled back in time to the 1940’s then back to ‘67, and now we’re here battling aliens.”
“You really shouldn’t have said that,” Fury said. “We can’t have a kid blabbing about this.”
Maria’s daughter shot us a dirty look.
Carol showed off her powers by heating up a teapot.
“Believe me now?” Carol asked.
Maria’s daughter, Monica, looked at us now.
“Show me your stuff,” Monica begged.
“Sure thing, sweetheart,” I said with a smirk.
We all did, even Darry and Dally reluctantly.
“Sweet,” Monica said. “But I have all your stuff for you, Aunt Carol.”
With that, Monica ran off.
“Can you guys help her with that?” Carol said.
“But…” Two-Bit spluttered.
“Come on, Two,” I said with an eye roll. “Give Carol and Maria a minute.”
We followed Monica and Fury off to help Monica with Carol’s stuff.
“This stuff is kind of cool,” Darry murmured. “It kind of feels like I’m going through her personal stuff, though.”
“At least it gives us some time to recharge and relax,” Dally said. “We need it. I feel like we need it for whatever comes next.”
“Come look at this, Aunt Carol,” Monica called while she looked at the photos.
“She looked kind of cute as a kid,” Steve muttered.
I gasped.
“Did Steve call someone cute?” I mocked.
Steve rolled his eyes.
Carol came in with Maria, and Monica started going down memory lane.
We all looked at each other cautiously when Carol seemed uneasy.
Darry and I made eye contact.
We both knew how painful old memories could be.
Then there was a knock at the door.
“Oh hell no,” Johnny muttered.
“This can’t be good,” Two-Bit muttered.
“Skrull potential alert,” Pony said nervously. His powers are faintly glowing.
Fury and Carol walked up to the door and carefully opened the door.
Sure enough, it was just a neighbor.
I let out a sigh of relief.
“At least it wasn’t a Skrull,” I said.
“That’s wishful thinking,” a voice said behind us.
We all whirled around, powers activated.
We were facing a Skrull.
Chapter 24: Chapter 24
Summary:
The real bad guys are revealed, and they are put in a tough spot.
Notes:
Hi Everyone,
I hope you like this chapter! Stay tuned for the next one!
Sincerely,
Keylime2001Disclaimer: The Outsiders is owned by S. E. Hinton. I don't own any of the MCU Characters.
Chapter Text
Chapter 24
Darry’s POV
“Who the fuck are you and what do you want?” Dally growled.
“Dal,” I warned. “Don’t do something rash.”
Dally rolled his eyes at me.
I was about to snap back at what Maria said next, throw us off.
“What the hell!” Maria said. “That Skrull outside is impersonating me with my daughter.”
We all turned around, and our eyes widened.
“You’ve got some nerve,” Johnny muttered. “Messing with a kid.”
“No one is going to kill her, just don’t kill me, it will complicate things,” the Skrull said.
We all tensed up.
“Complicated my ass,” Fury sneered. “It’s already complicated.”
“Who the hell is out there?” Carol demanded. “What do you want?”
“I knew you were different,” the Skrull said. “I heard some things from Pegasus that tipped me off, as well as how you crushed many of my men. And many more with the help of these men.”
“We can do much more,” Steve sneered.
The Skrull scuffed.
“How did you get the black box?” Maria asked.
“I can do things, young lady,” The Skrull said.
“Young lady, my ass,” Maria said. She was going to say more, but the Skrull cut her off.
“We can go on and on like this, but we need to talk,” the Skrull said.
“Unhand the girl outside, and then maybe we can talk,” Soda said carefully.
“Listen to him,” Carol said. “She’s done nothing wrong.”
“Fine,” The Skrull said.
Then all of a sudden, he let out a shriek as Goose (the cat) came up to him.
Two-Bit snorted.
“Scared of a cat are we?” Two-Bit teased.
“It’s a Flerkin,” the Skrull said.
“A what now?” Pony asked in confusion.
“A Flerkin, the Skrull said. “They have tentacles that come out of their mouths and eat anyone whole.”
I paled.
“One more reason why I hate cats,” I muttered.
The Skrull stayed true to his word, and Monica came inside with the other Skrull, but Maria wouldn’t let her listen in on the conversation.
She asked Two-Bit to entertain her.
“Why do I get babysitting duty?” Two-Bit grumbled.
“Just behave,” Steve grumbled. “And entertain the kid with your tricks.”
“So are we going to listen to this black box or what?” Dally muttered.
“Do we really want to listen to this?” Johnny asked.
“We have to,” Carol said. “It’s important. But why is it taking so long?”
“It’s loading,” Pony explained. “Technology has made advancements, but there is still room for improvement.”
“You’re such a nerd,” Soda teased.
Pony stuck his tongue out at Soda as the black box tape played.
We listened to Carol’s tape play over the computer.
I still found it odd how technology was evolving, by we, the gang, and I never aged and changed.
“Her blood was blue,” Carol murmured. “Unnatural.”
“What are you talking about?” I asked. “Why was her blood blue?
”
“She wasn’t human,” Carol murmured. “Lawson wasn’t her real name either. It was Marvel. That’s why I’m calling myself that. Captain Marvel. She comes from a different planet.”
“Why was she here?” Fury asked.
“She needed to save someone,” Carol murmured.
“Save who?” Maria asked.
“I don’t know,” Carol said. “But they wanted the energy core. On the ship.”
“What did they want with it?” Johnny asked nervously.
“I don’t know,” Carol said. “But I shot it, so they didn’t get it. It exploded. I think that’s why they took me, because I absorbed its power. That’s why I’m like this.”
“So kind of like us and the cube,” Pony said in awe.
“They called me Vers because of what was left on the dog tag of my last name,” Carol said in realization.
“And you never chose to correct them?” Soda asked.
“Because I forgot,” Carol said in distress. “They manipulated and lied to me.”
“They’re dangerous,” The Skrull said. “That’s what Marvel discovered. She wanted to do what was ride and help us.”
“You’re lying,” Carol cried.
“I’m not,” The Skrull said. “She wanted you to help us. Live up to her. Make her right.”
“Listen to him, Carol,” Maria said. “They need our help. Don’t listen to the people who took you away from us and manipulated you.”
“Listen to her, Carol,” Fury said.
“We’re behind you all the way,” I said. “100%”
“We need to find Marvel’s lab,” The Skurll said. “But it’s somewhere on Earth. Those coordinates are here somewhere.”
“They show a place in space, not on Earth,” Maria said.
“Hunh?” The Skrull said. “You sure?”
“Positive,” Maria said.
“She’s right,” Fury said. “I’ve seen them. That’s why you couldn’t find it.”
“If we track the flight plans of Marvel’s ship that day, we could get there,” Carol said.
“It looks like we’re going to space,” Two-Bit said with a smirk. “The Strays are going to space.”
“You better not do anything stupid,” Steve said. “Because we’re not space-proof.”
“You want to come with us, Maria?” Carol asked. “I need a co-pilot.”
“I can’t leave Monica,” Maria protested.
“You have to,” Monica said. “Don’t say it’s dangerous because you’ve done dangerous things before. You have to go. It’s going to be so cool. I can stay with grandma and grandpa.”
“Listen to the kid,” Dally said with a smirk. “She makes a good point.”
“She kind of reminds me of you, Pone,” Soda said with a smirk at Pony.
“Nuh unh,” Pony said. “I was less stubborn.”
“You sure about that?” I asked. “You are pretty stubborn.”
“Look at yourself, Superman,” Johnny said with a smirk.
Everyone laughed.
“I would say it’s time to suit up, wouldn’t you?” Fury asked us. “Are the Strays going to assemble?”
“Dar?” Two-Bit asked.
“Let’s do this,” I said.
A Skrull went incognito as Carol to throw off Yon-Rogg and the Kree.
“Let’s hope it buys us enough time,” Steve muttered.
We were all on a ship with Maria in the hot seat next to Carol, and Fury was torturing the Skrull with the Flerken.
“I just hope you fly smoother with Maria here,” Johnny murmured.
Carol laughed.
“You guys are funny,” Carol said.
Then we were off.
“Jesus Christ,” Two-Bit said. “This thing has some kick.”
Then we hit zero gravity. It felt so weird.
“This is so cool,” Soda said. “We’re floating.”
“It’s also kind of weird,” Pony said. “To see the Earth from up here. And kind of activating my fear of heights.”
“I’m going to activate cloaking,” Carol said.
“Smart,” I said. “We want to buy ourselves as enough time as possible. So what’s the plan?”
“We’re going to the lab,” Carol said. “To get what’s at the center of the core.”
When we got there, we could feel and sense the familiar buzzing of the Tesseract.
“Is that what I think it is?” Two-Bit asked nervously.
“It can’t be,” Steve muttered. “I thought we left it at SHIELD after we defeated Vex.”
“You lost it already?” Dally sneered at Fury.
“Don’t blame me,” Fury said. “I wasn’t on Tesseract duty.”
“You can feel it too?” Carol asked us. “The Tesseract.”
We nodded.
“It gave us our powers,” Johnny said. “It looks like we’re connected after all.”
“Looks like it,” Carol said with a small smile.
“Welcome to the weird Tesseract-infected club,” Soda said.
“This is so weird,” Maria muttered.
“Do you guys feel that presence?” Pony asked. “There are more people here.”
We all tensed up.
“Don’t shoot,” The Skrull said. “They’re family.”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
Soon enough, Skrulls, young and old, appeared.
“Oh,” I said. “That’s why. The innocents. Those Marvel was trying to protect.”
Then all of a sudden, there was a movement.
“Oh shit,” Two-Bit muttered. “We’ve got company.”
Sure enough, the Kree appeared.
“Stop right there,” Dally snarled. “Don’t come a step forward.”
Yon Rogg laughed.
“You act like you have any say,” Yon Rogg said. “But you’re on the wrong side here. Just like Vers here. But one thing she didn’t account for is that she also brought me more of the energy source to deplete. You lot.”
“Don’t you dare hurt them,” I growled.
Yon Rogg scuffed.
“You don’t have a say, you brute,” Yon Rogg sneered. “It can all be taken away.”
That’s when Carold started attacking Yon Rogg, but she was easily dispatched.
“This isn’t going to be good,” Johnny murmured nervously.
Soda put a nervous hand on Pony’s shoulder.
“Stay behind me, Pone,” Soda said quietly.
“I’m not a kid..” Pony protested, but I shot him a look to shut him up.
They got the Tesseract from Maria’s lunchbox.
“Let that go,” Steve snarled. “That doesn’t belong to you.”
Yon Rogg ignored him and rolled his eyes.
Before we could do anything, we were all escorted to a holding cell.
“This is going to be fun,” Two-Bit muttered.
“This kind of reminds me of my juvie days,” Dally said. “Don’t worry, I’ll find us a way out.”
I rolled my eyes.
“I think it’s a little more high-tech than that, Dal,” Johnny said.
Pony snorted with laughter.
“Where’s Carol?” Pony asked seriously.
“I don’t know,” Steve muttered. “But wherever it is, it isn’t good. They’re going to try to pull information out of her about Marvel. So what’s the plan, big guy?”
Everyone looked at me.
I groaned.
“We need to get to her before they can get that information,” I said after a moment.
Chapter 25: Chapter 25
Summary:
The gang finishes their mission with Captain Marvel. But after 13 years have passed, they have a new one: Iron Man.
Notes:
Hi Everyone,
I hope you like this chapter! Stay tuned for the next one!
Sincerely,
Keylime2001Disclaimer: The Outsiders is owned by S. E. Hinton. I don't own any of the MCU Characters.
Chapter Text
Chapter 25
Two-Bit’s POV
Before we could move, though, Carol blasted through the wall.
“So much for your plan, Superman,” I teased.
“Not the time, Jokester (Two-Bit),” Atlas (Darry) growled.
“You guys ok?” Carol asked.
“Never better,” Dally grumbled. “You good?”
“Peachy,” Carol said. “We need to get going to get the Tesseract out of here. Fury, can you grab it?”
“I’m not touching that thing,” Fury spluttered.
“We could handle it,” Mindlight (Pony) offered. “We’ve handled it before.”
Pony was about to grab it when Goose ate it.
“I guess that’s one way to handle it,” Breaker (Steve) said with a smirk.
“But how are we going to get it out of the cat?” Ash (Johnny) asked.
“Problem for another time,” Pulse (Soda) said. “Let’s just get out of here.”
“Carol,” Atlas (Darry) said. “We’ll come with you as backup.”
Darry turned to Fury and Maria.
“Do you guys need us with you?” Atlas (Darry) asked.
Fury shook his head.
“We should be good,” Fury said.
“Better than good,” Maria said as she picked up one of the dropped guns from the Kree.
We followed Carol to face off against Yon Rogg.
“I thought you would come back, Vers,” Yon Rogg said when he saw her.
“But she’s got back up this time,” I quipped.
“Dangerous backup,” Reckless (Dally) grumbled.
“Game on,” Yon Rogg said with a smirk.
Before they could do anything, Reckless (Dally) shot them in the chest with a kinetic blast. Johnny then set the canisters on the wall off with the fire, knocking the others on the ground with the blasts.
That didn’t hold them down for long.
“I’ve got some distractions up my sleeve,” I said with a smirk.
I made extra copies of myself as illusions to distract the other Kree soldiers that popped up from the debris.
Carol was going to engage in hand-to-hand combat with Yon Rogg.
“We need to help her,” Mindlight (Pony) said nervously. “She won’t hold for long.”
“We just need to distract the other soldiers while we can to keep them from Fury and Maria,” Soda said with a shake of his head. “She’s got this.”
“Let’s just hope this is enough,” Breaker (Steve) said grimly.
We were wearing ourselves too thin.
“I can feel myself getting worn out,” Atlas (Darry) called.
“Same here,” I panted.
By that time, Carol was already pinned against the wall.
“You imbeciles,” Yon Rogg growled when he saw we were a distraction.
“Well, you're the imbeciles,” Carol said. “You fell for it.”
That’s when Yon Rogg took off.
“We need to go help them,” Carol called, chasing after him.
“How?” Ash (Johnny) asked. “We can’t fly.”
“We grab a ship,” Breaker (Steve) said. “I can rig it, remember?”
“I like the way you think,” Pulse (Soda) said with a smirk.
“God save us all,” Atlas (Darry) groaned.
We all hopped into one of the Kree ships, and Breaker (Steve) took off.
It took a few dips and dives, but he got us in the fight.
“You think you can duplicate us, Jokester (Two-Bit)?” Reckless (Dally) asked.
“Do you even have to ask?” I teased with a smirk.
I put my hands on the walls of the ship and channeled my power through it to help chase off the other Kree ships.
We were able to shoot down a few of the ships while Carol took on Yon Rogg.
“Let’s meet at Maria’s,” Carol called through the intercoms. “Yon Rogg is taken care of, and the Tesseract is taken care of.”
“Good,” Mindlight (Pony) said. “It should be with SHIELD again. Hopefully, this time for good.”
“Don’t jinx us,” Johnny said, his eyes wide.
I rolled my eyes and chuckled.
We finally landed back at Maria’s house.
I grimaced when I saw Goose’s claw marks over Fury’s eye.
“You good there, Fury?” Darry asked. “That doesn’t look too hot.”
Maria snorted.
“It was kind of funny, though,” Maria said.
“Don’t start that,” Fury snapped. “But I’m fine.”
We all settled in for a card game to decompress.
“Just like the good old days,” Soda said. “I missed this.”
“What were you guys like as kids?” Carol asked as we sat down.
“More of the same,” Dally said with a grimace. “Just more carefree and less on our plate.”
“Do you guys ever wish things would go back to normal?” Maria asked us.
Johnny smiled faintly.
“Not really,” Johnny said quietly. “In more ways, it has brought us more together and helped us find purpose.”
“How did you even find the Tesseract to begin with?” Fury asked. “It wasn’t in your guys' file.”
“I decided to go to a haunted house at the edge of town that glowed blue and pulsed,” I said with a smirk. “These guys were stupid enough to go with me.”
“More like we wouldn’t let you go alone,” Steve grumbled. “Dingus.”
Everyone laughed.
“You guys sticking around?” Monica asked hopefully.
“I think we’re going back to Tulsa to lay low,” Darry admitted. “But Fury, you have us on a pager, though.”
“Speaking of which,” Fury said with a smirk. “I had some people back at SHIELD grab you some emergency cellphones to get in better contact.”
Fury tossed us each one.
“Cool,” Soda said. “We could get into trouble with this.”
Darry groaned.
“But we won’t,” Darry promised.
Soda rolled his eyes.
“I’m not sticking around either,” Carol admitted.
Everyone looked sad, but I wasn’t shocked.
“I’ve already programmed my pager with you guys,” Carol gestured towards us. “So stay in touch.”
Carol tossed a pager to Fury.
“You too,” Carol said with a smirk.
“Thanks for taking us for an out of this world ride, Captain,” I said with a smirk. “It was special.”
“Well,” Carol said. “I think Earth is in good hands with you guys, so don’t get into too much trouble with those phones of yours.”
“Can’t promise you that, sweetheart,” Dally said with a smirk and a wink.
“You know how to contact us, Fury,” Pony said. “Just give us a call when you need us. That goes for you, too, Maria and Monica.”
Maria stood up and shook our hands.
“I’ll keep that in mind,” Maria said. “Take care. But how do you plan on getting back to Tulsa?”
“That ship,” Steve said with a smirk.
“I don’t like this at all,” Johnny muttered.
Everyone laughed.
Thirteen years later…
Thirteen years. You’d think that’d be enough time to hang up the tights, stash the SHIELD gear in a closet, and call it a day. But the thing about being one of Fury’s “Strays” is, you’re never really done. We weren’t built for quiet.
Still, life found ways to sneak normal in between the chaos.
1995-1998
I got a job running a garage with Steve, because if anybody was gonna keep engines alive, it was the guy who could make ‘em hum with a thought. I mostly cracked jokes at customers until they paid up. Steve muttered about me scaring business away, but between his skills and my “lucky streak,” we never had a car come back twice for the same problem.
Soda was a natural salesman. He bounced between gigs, sometimes modeling, sometimes pulling shifts at the shop, charming every client who came through. Darry kept us steady, working construction while staying sharp, training us on weekends like the big brother-slash-drill sergeant he always was.
Johnny spent those years figuring himself out. Fire and ash don’t come easily. Some nights I’d find him out back, smoke curling off his hands, staring at the sky like he was afraid of burning the world down. Pony was his anchor. The kid had this glow to him now, literally. When his eyes lit up, you couldn’t hide a damn thing from him, and he didn’t let Johnny drown in his own fire.
Dally did his own thing, drifting but always coming back. He’d pick fights he knew he could soak up, just to feel that energy in his bones. He swore it made him feel alive. Scared the hell out of me sometimes, but it worked for him.
1999-2003
We didn’t hear much from SHIELD for a while. Fury was a shadow, checking in once or twice. Said we were “on ice” unless something world-ending hit. Fine by us. Gave us space to breathe.
But we couldn’t stay out of trouble forever.
We started running small ops off the books, stuff we stumbled into. Smugglers moving alien tech in back alleys. Crooked dealers are trying to weaponize engines. (Steve nearly blew a gasket over that one, pun intended.) Whenever we jumped in, it felt like slipping back into old jackets.
“Jokester,” Darry would groan, “this isn’t what Fury wants us doing.”
“Relax, Atlas,” I’d grin, “lady luck’s on our side.”
And somehow? She always was.
2004-2007
The years wore us differently. Soda toured with racing circuits, too fast for his own good but too charming to stay out of the spotlight. Pony started teaching part-time at a local college, burying himself in books while moonlighting on SHIELD research gigs. Darry bought a house, saying it was “for all of us if we needed it.” Of course it was.
Johnny… Johnny got quieter. He controlled his fire, but now and then, I’d see the ash fall off his shoulders like snow, and I knew he was holding more than flames inside. Dally never quit testing limits. Sometimes I thought the two of them were fire and gasoline, dangerous, but impossible to separate.
Me? I told myself I was keeping morale up—jokes, pranks, dumb luck in the right place. Truth is, I was scared. Scared the world didn’t need the Strays anymore.
2008…
Then came the page.
We were in the garage, Steve under a car, Soda leaning against the counter, telling some poor delivery guy his life story, Darry sorting invoices as if it were life-or-death, when it buzzed in.
Not Peggy. Not Dugan. Not even Coulson.
Nick Fury.
Message: “Stark compromised. I need the Strays.”
I whistled low, tossing the pager across the room.
“Well, boys,” I said with a smirk. “Looks like the world remembered us.”
Steve slid out from under the car, grease on his face, brow furrowed.
“Stark?” Steve asked with a cocked eyebrow. “As in Tony Stark? Howard’s son?”
“Yeah,” I said. “The guy with the ego bigger than his weapons catalog. Guess he’s in deep.”
Soda grinned, eyes already lit with that restless energy.
“Bet he’ll love us,” Soda laughed.
Johnny’s voice was quiet, but steady.
“If Fury’s calling… this ain’t small,” Johnny said nervously.
Pony’s glow flared in his eyes, catching emotions before we spoke them.
“No, it’s the start of something bigger,” Pony said quietly.
Dally cracked his knuckles, grin sharp.
“Finally,” Dally growled. “Something to do while the world moves on without us and we still look the same as we did in 1967.”
And Darry? Darry just looked at us, steady as ever, that mix of pride and worry in his eyes.
“Alright, Strays,” Darry said with a smile tugging at his lips. “Saddle up. If Fury needs us, we’re back in.”
And for the first time in years, I felt it, the rush of the fight waiting ahead. The luck buzzing in my bones. The Strays weren’t done. Not even close.
Chapter 26: Chapter 26
Summary:
The Strays rescue Tony Stark from desert captivity.
Notes:
Hi Everyone,
I hope you like this chapter! Stay tuned for the next one!
Sincerely,
Keylime2001Disclaimer: The Outsiders is owned by S. E. Hinton. I don't own any of the MCU Characters.
Chapter Text
Chapter 26
Steve’s POV
I always thought engines had a language of their own. The hum of a carburetor, the grind of gears, the steady tick of pistons, if you knew how to listen, machines told you everything. That’s how I knew something was wrong the second we touched down in the desert. The air was too still, the silence broken only by the faint rattle of military vehicles that weren’t ours.
Fury didn’t give us much, just coordinates, a grainy sat photo, and two words: “Stark. Rescue.”
We piled out of the quinjet into the sand. Pulse (Soda) was already bouncing in place, dust kicking up around his boots. Atlas (Darry) squinted against the glare, a mountain carved out of sunlight. Reckless (Dally) cracked his neck like he was daring the desert to throw a punch. Ash’s (Johnny) hands smoldered faintly, smoke curling like the desert heat. Jokester (Two-Bit) smirked as if he’d just been waiting for a good excuse to crack wise.
And Mindlight (Pony)? His eyes glowed faintly, emotions shimmering around us like threads. He didn’t even speak before I caught it, a cocktail of fear, pain, and stubborn defiance coming from somewhere nearby. Stark.
“Breaker (Steve),” Darry barked. “Direction.”
I knelt, palm pressed against the sand, and reached. The desert floor whispered back, engines idling under strain, not military-grade, not maintained like they should be. Trucks. Old, patched together with stolen parts. And beneath it all, the faint rhythm of something else, metal scraping against rock, improvised machinery straining to stay alive.
“He’s underground,” I said. “And they’ve got toys they shouldn’t have.”
“Then let’s crash the party,” Dally muttered, rolling his shoulders.
The Ten Rings camp was dug into the cliffs, trucks and weapons scattered around like a junkyard’s fever dream. We slipped in under the cover of Jokester’s (Two-Bit) insane luck, a guard tripped on nothing at all right when he might’ve spotted us. Another sneezed loud enough to cover Pulse’s (Soda) blur as he yanked two rifles out of their hands before they knew they’d been robbed.
Inside the cave, that’s when I felt it. A heartbeat of machinery out of place, the bones of an engine being bent into something it was never meant to be. I followed it down the stone halls, the others trailing close.
And there he was. Tony Stark. Thin, ragged, eyes sharp even in chains. And behind him-
My heart skipped. An arc reactor, glowing faint blue, was wired into a suit of armor that looked like a walking furnace. Rough, brutal, welded together out of scraps. But it breathed. It worked.
“Hell,” I muttered. “He built himself a tank in a cave.”
Soda whistled.
“Guy’s either crazy or brilliant,” Soda mumbled.
“Both,” Tony croaked, glancing up at us. “ And who the hell are you supposed to be? The circus?”
“Rescue detail,” Darry said flatly, stepping in to snap his chains like they were twine.
Of course, it didn’t go clean. It never does. Guards poured in before Stark could even get his suit fully primed. Dally took point, soaking bullets like rain, every hit making him glow hotter. Ash ignited the air, his cloak of embers choking the guards in smoke and panic.
“This thing isn’t meant to last!” Stark barked, struggling into his armor. “Help me keep it together!”
“I’ve got this,” I yelled out.
I reached out, every gear, every bolt, every struggling piston singing to me. I held it in place, tightened seams with my mind, kept fuel flowing where it wanted to choke. The suit roared to life, steam hissing. Stark stumbled, but it moved.
The cave shook as he fired the first shot, flames ripping the walls apart. Pulse (Soda) darted through the chaos, pulling Stark toward daylight faster than his clunky armor could drag him. Atlas (Darry) lifted a truck and threw it across the path of reinforcements. Mindlight (Pony) blinded them with a shield of raw brilliance. Jokester (Two-Bit)? He just laughed, bullets missing him by miles, ricocheting into their own men.
We blew out of that cave like a storm. Stark’s suit barely made it past the dunes before collapsing in a heap of broken metal. He crawled out, chest reactor glowing, eyes wild with the rush of survival.
“Not bad,” Tony gasped, looking us over. “You guys are a band or something?”
“Yeah,” Two-Bit grinned. “The Strays. We take requests.”
“Wait,” Tony said with an inquisitive look. “That sounds familiar. From one of my father’s stories.”
“That’s because we worked with your father during WWII,” I quipped. “With Captain America and Agent Carter as well.”
Tony looked at us with a smirk.
“Didn’t you guys do other things in the ’60s as well?” Tony asked.
“You caught us,” Dally said. “We did some missions against HYDRA and Dr. Vex in the ’60s and the ’80s, as well as some underground work in the ’90s.”
“How come you guys aren’t dead yet and look like you haven’t aged?” Tony asked skeptically.
“That’s the Tesseract for you,” Pony said. “Keeps us the same forever and gave us our powers.”
“That kind of explains things,” Tony muttered. “But who sent you here?”
“SHIELD and Nick Fury,” Darry explained. “So we need to get moving. Before more of those flunkies keep coming.”
“But where have you guys been since the ‘90s?” Tony spluttered.
“Let’s just say we’re SHIELD's kept secret until something major happens,” Johnny said. “Like you getting kidnapped. What is that suit you created and the arc reactor?”
“Let’s just say that those thugs wanted me to create some tech for them to combat the warheads my company created,” Tony said.
“Figures,” Soda said. “They wanted to fight fire with fire. But I don’t want to stick around long enough to see if they were able to rescue anything in the rubble of what we left behind. So let's get going, Mr. Stark.”
We escorted Tony to a Quinjet that was waiting for us.
“How the hell did you get this?” Tony asked.
“Like we said,” I said, annoyed. “We work for SHIELD.”
“Why should I believe you?” Tony asked as we got strapped in.
“We saved you, didn’t we, you brat,” Dally sneered.
“I guess, but shouldn’t I know your names?” Tony snapped back.
Darry sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.
“I’m Darry,” Darry said reluctantly. “Code name Atlas.”
Darry started going down the line, pointing at each person.
“That’s Steve, code name Breaker, Two-Bit, code name Jokester, my middle brother Soda, code name Pulse, my youngest brother Pony, code name Mindlight, that’s Dally, code name Reckless, and last but not least Johnny, code name Ash,” Darry said. “Collectively, like we mentioned earlier, we call ourselves The Strays.”
“Catchy,” Tony said. “So you really got your powers from the Tesseract? My dad told me how dangerous and powerful that thing is.”
“Yeah,” Pony said. “Trust us. It’s a long story. And the Tesseract can be dangerous in the wrong hands. Just like your arc reactor.”
Tony nodded thoughtfully.
“We need to tell Fury we got Stark here in one piece,” Johnny said. “You'd better call Darry.”
Darry nodded and started to call Fury over our SHIELD-issued iPhones.
“I still can’t believe there are smartphones now,” Two-Bit said. “I wonder what’s next.”
“You better not get into any trouble with this thing,” I groaned.
“It’ll probably be some harmless pranks,” Soda said with some reassurance.
I gave him a look that said I really didn’t buy it.
Soon enough, we landed back in the U.S., and we were greeted on the tarmac by three people eagerly awaiting Tony and some military personnel.
“Who is the hot lady?” Dally asked with a smirk.
Darry wacked Dally on the back of his head.
“Keep it professional, please,” Darry snapped.
“This is Pepper Potts,” Tony introduced us. “She’s my assistant. Here is my best friend, Colonel James Rhodes, and my driver, Happy Hogan.”
We shook their hands.
“Nice to meet you all,” Pony said quietly.
“Thanks for helping us get Tony back home in one piece,” Pepper said gratefully. “We need to take you to the hospital.”
“No way,” Tony said. “These guys made sure I’m fine. They can go on their way, and I can go home.”
Two-Bit laughed.
“I think you’re stuck with us,” Two-Bit said. “Fury wants to babysit your ass.”
“I don’t need a babysitter,” Tony balked.
“You bet your ass you do,” I quipped.
“I agree with them on this one,” Rhodes said. “Just to be on the safe side in case those guys who kidnapped you come back.”
“Fine,” Tony grumbled. “But you better not get in my way.”
“We can’t promise anything,” Johnny said quietly. “But we’ll do our best.”
Tony nodded.
“We’ll follow behind you in our car,” Soda said, gesturing to our SHIELD-issued car that was waiting for us.
I was walking towards the driver's side, but Darry beat me to it.
“Let me handle this one, Steve,” Darry said.
I scowled at him.
We finally reached the outside of Stark Tower, where a man in a suit surrounded by a crowd and media was waiting.
“Great,” Dally snapped. “Just what we needed.”
“I don’t know,” Two-Bit said with a grin. “I kind of like the attention.”
“This is going to be a circus, so we'd better be ready,” Pony said nervously.
As soon as we got out of the car behind Tony, the whole crowd went wild.
“Welcome home, Tony,” The man in the pinstripe suit said.
“Obadiah,” Tony said. “Nice to meet you. I would like you to introduce my friends.”
Tony gestured towards us.
A flash of recognition crossed Obadiah’s face. He turned towards the crowd.
“Everyone, please welcome back Mr. Stark and his friends and rescuers, The Strays,” Obadiah boomed.
The cameras started to flash, and murmurs.
“I thought they were just legends,” one reporter said.
“So they really don’t age,” another said.
“Why are they here?” One asked.
“Great,” Johnny mumbled. “More attention.”
When we got inside, I saw Pepper talking with Coulson.
“At least we see a familiar face,” Soda said as we nodded at Coulson.
“Let’s just hope that no Skrulls are lurking about this time,” I muttered.
“You and me both,” Darry agreed.
We stood on guard as Tony went up in front of the cameras to give a speech at Obadiah’s side.
“I know that look,” Darry murmured. “I see it on Pony’s face all the time when he gets overwhelmed in crowds.”
I suddenly saw that on Tony’s face when Obadiah dragged him in front of the crowds.
“This is bound to get messy,” Dally grumbled. “So let’s get prepared.”
“I hate guys like Obadiah,” Johnny murmured. “They always have a secret agenda.”
“That just means that we need to have luck on our side,” Two-Bit said with a smirk. “Which we do.”
“And to get a file on Obadiah Stane,” Pony said. “That way we can stay ahead of the game.”
“Well said, kid,” I muttered. “Well said.”
Chapter 27: Chapter 27
Summary:
The Strays look into Stane while Tony creates his IronMan Suit.
Notes:
Hi Everyone,
I hope you like this chapter! Stay tuned for the next one!
Sincerely,
Keylime2001Disclaimer: The Outsiders is owned by S. E. Hinton. I don't own any of the MCU Characters.
Chapter Text
Chapter 27
Dally’s POV
I booted up my fancy schmancy new iPhone and pushed the button to call Nick Fury.
It was still weird not to have to dial an actual number and just click on a contact.
After a few rings, Nick Fury finally picked up.
“Reckless (Dally),” Fury said when he picked up. “What can I do for you? Stark hasn’t gotten into any trouble yet again?”
“Not yet,” I grumbled. “But I don’t like this Obadiah Stane character. The others feel the same. Would you be able to have your tech wizards put together a file on any information you can find on him?”
“You sure you want to do this?” Fury asked. “Stane is a pretty powerful figure. If he finds out what you’re up to, you’ll have a pretty powerful enemy.”
“I’m sure,” I grunted. “There’s something not right about him. He was a little too eager to put Tony in front of the cameras. But that all went to hell when Tony spouted off what he did.”
Fury sighed.
“The market analysts didn’t seem to like it either,” Fury muttered. “But I’ll get the agents on that file and send it over to you guys at Stark Tower. Stay on Tony’s tail. No matter what.”
“You’ve got it, Fury,” I muttered as I hung up.
“Is Fury sending over the file on Stane?” Darry asked.
“Yep,” I said. “He’ll be sending it over, but we have to be careful because of who he has in his pocket.”
“Figures,” Steve grumbled. “Another Soc. I thought we left those back in Tulsa.”
Two-Bit laughed.
“Tough luck there, Stevie,” Two-Bit said. “We’ll never escape those damn Socs.”
“Speaking of which,” Johnny said. “Let’s go see what that Playboy is doing.”
“Hey, sweetheart,” Soda said as we walked up to Pepper in Tony’s condo. “Where is Stark?”
Pepper rolled her eyes.
“It’s Pepper to you,” Pepper snapped. “And he’s in his lab downstairs. I’ll get you through the door since he needs my help with something.”
“Why is this dude so helpless?” Pony muttered.
“You’re one to talk,” I muttered.
Pony scowled at me.
We followed Pepper down a set of stairs to a glass door.
“Finally,” Tony called from what looked like an exam table. “What took you so long?”
Pepper cleared her throat.
“We have some company,” Pepper said, gesturing toward us.
“I thought I told you guys I was fine,” Tony grumbled.
“Apparently not, according to SHIELD standards,” Darry said, eyes trailing to the arc reactor in Tony’s chest. “Especially with that thing keeping you alive.”
“That’s actually kind of cool,” Two-Bit said with wide eyes. “Can I touch?”
Johnny swatted his hand away.
“Remember the last time you wanted to explore something blue and glowing?” Johnny warned.
Two-Bit blushed.
“What do you need help with?” Pepper asked nervously.
“I’m trying to swap the arc reactor out for an upgrade, and I need small and nimble fingers,” Pepper said.
“I can help,” Pony offered.
“I’m not having a 16-year-old stick his grubby fingers in my chest,” Tony muttered.
“He’s actually 57,” Soda said with a smirk. “But in a 16-year-old's body. Because we don’t age.”
“The answer is still no,” Tony said, eyes narrowing.
“Probably a good call,” Steve said with a smirk.
Pony stuck his tongue out at him.
“Are you sure this is safe?” Pepper asked.
“Well, I need this upgrade,” Tony said. “So it needs to be done.”
Pepper hesitantly took the arc reactor into her hands.
“I don’t like this,” Pepper said. “I can’t do this.”
“You can do this,” Tony said reassuringly. “I trust you.”
Pepper nodded reluctantly.
“Here goes nothing,” Pepper said, sticking her hand in his chest hole.
“This is so gross,” Pepper said, turning her face up in disgust. “It’s all gooey.”
“Is this what it feels like when you’re changing oil in a car?” Pony teased Steve.
“Probably,” Steve said. “But I don’t find it gross, brat.”
“Would you two cut it out?” Darry asked, rolling his eyes.
“No, let them do it,” Tony said. “It’s entertaining. Also, it’s a distraction.”
“See, Dar,” Soda said with a grin. “We’re a good distraction.”
“Is that what you say about the girls at work?” I teased.
Soda stuck his tongue at me. I rolled my eyes.
Just as Tony was finishing up getting his arc reactor changed, my phone pinged.
I pulled it out of my uniform’s pocket and looked at the notification. It was from SHIELD.
I had to put my badge number into the email to unlock my email and the file.
“Should we take a look at it?” Johnny asked nervously.
“Not in front of Tony or Pepper,” Darry said quietly. “We don’t know if we can trust.”
Before we could do anything, Tony got off the table.
“Come on, guys,” Tony said. “Since you guys won’t leave me alone and are on babysitting duty, we’re going to go see Mr. Rhodes.”
“Let’s do this tonight,” Steve muttered. “When everyone is asleep.”
I nodded in agreement as we followed Tony out of his apartment.
We followed Tony in our car to an air force base and flashed our badges to get inside.
“Are we really supposed to be here?” Pony asked nervously.
“Since my company provides materials for the military,” Tony explained. “They let me in with no problem. Plus, Rhodey is my friend.”
“Do all of your friends come with perks?” Soda teased.
Tony smirked.
“Some do,” Tony said.
Rhodes was showing some of the planes to some other soldiers. But when he saw us with Tony, he dismissed them.
“What brings you by?” Rhodes asked with a grin. “I highly doubt this is a social call. Don’t tell me it’s about that stunt you pulled at the press conference. Because it wasn’t cute.”
“But, it needs to be done,” Tony said. “If you would just listen…”
Rhodes cut him off with a look.
“You'd better get your mind back in order,” Rhodes said in warning. “Or you’ll make some big enemies. Just make sure you keep your military bodyguards.”
“He seems like a douche,” I muttered as Rhodes walked away.
“File on him, too?” Johnny asked.
“Probably,” Darry muttered. “I’ll send Fury a text.”
“So what’s the game plan now, big guy?” Two-Bit asked Tony as we walked back to the cars.
“I’ve got a machine to build,” Tony said darkly. “One that can do good when it’s in the right hands.”
“Hopefully this won’t blow up in our faces,” Steve muttered.
“I have a feeling it will,” I said darkly.
Soon enough, we were back in Stark’s home lab as he was putting together an iron suit and talking to his virtual assistant.
“Why do I have a feeling that we are heading towards a world where AI will take over with evil robots?” Pony said nervously.
“Because we probably are,” Soda said. “Which I’m not looking forward to.”
“Not if we use the tech wisely,” Tony said.
“But that’s not guaranteed,” Steve snapped back.
“With our luck, it will be,” Two-Bit said.
“Like Steve said,” Johnny repeated. “It’s not guaranteed.”
As Tony started working on his suit, we started sifting through the files we had on Rhodes and Stane.
“Stane seems a little shady,” Darry muttered. “But who isn’t?”
“But there are some parts here that are a little too clean,” I said. “Like it has been whipped.”
All of a sudden, there was a crash as Tony crashed his first test run.
“Oof,” Pony said with a wince. “It looks like today is going to be a painful day of test runs.”
“At least it will keep him distracted while we focus on this,” Soda said with a smirk. “And him out of trouble.”
“Do you guys ever have any fun?” Tony called over to us.
“We used to,” Two-Bit said. “But last time I got these guys to do something fun, let's just say it kind of blew up in our faces.”
“Well,” Tony said. “You guys need to learn how to get back there again. Sometimes having fun comes with a little hurt.”
I rolled my eyes as we started to pore over Rhode’s file.
“Just some awards and just some small stuff from when he was a kid,” Steve muttered. “Nothing too eye-catching.”
“Let’s just keep an eye on him,” Darry said cautiously. “He could just be upset about what Tony said because he’s military.”
I was about to say something, but then Pepper came in carrying some coffee.
“Tony,” Pepper called. “Didn’t you hear me calling? Obadaiah is here to talk with you.”
Everyone in our group looked at each other grimly.
“This can’t be good,” Pony said.
“I have a bad feeling about this, too,” Johnny said. “Let’s keep our guards up.”
We followed Tony and Pepper upstairs to talk with Obadaiah, who was eerily playing the piano.
“How did it go with the board of directors?” Tony asked.
Tony glanced at the pizza and sighed.
“It didn’t go well, huh?” Tony said. “I thought you had it handled.”
“Well, I’m sorry,” Obadiah said. “But the board didn’t like your press conference stunt. They also think you have PTSD from your kidnapping. The stock took a dip. They want to block you out.”
Tony scuffed.
“They knew it was going to do that,” Tony said. “Plus, I’m being responsible.”
“Sure he is,” I mumbled under my breath.
Obadiah shot Tony a look.
“Whatever,” Tony said, getting up and grabbing the pizza. “I’m going back down to the lab. Come on, babysitters.”
“Sorry about him,” Soda said with a small smile. “You know how he can get.”
Obadiah waved us away.
“Just keep him in line,” Obadiah mumbled as he turned back to Pepper.
Chapter 28: Chapter 28
Summary:
The Strays go to the Stark Gala with Tony, then they chase him back into the desert.
Notes:
Hi Everyone,
I hope you like this chapter! Stay tuned for the next one!
Sincerely,
Keylime2001Disclaimer: The Outsiders is owned by S. E. Hinton. I don't own any of the MCU Characters.
Chapter Text
Chapter 28
Johnny’s POV
Tony went back to testing his new and improved armor.
“You sure this is safe to do, Tony?” I asked, wincing as Tony was trying to get a handle on the boosters.
“It’s perfectly safe, squirt,” Tony said with a smirk. “Just need to get a handle on it. Plus, we have Jarvis. You won’t let anything happen to me, right, Jarvis?”
“Right, sir,” Jarvis said.
“Because that ain’t creepy at all,” Dally muttered.
“Something you and I can agree upon,” Steve said. “Wait until we get self-driving cars.”
“Like hell I would get one,” Darry said.
“Of course you wouldn’t,” Soda teased. “You wouldn’t give up on control.”
Our little petty argument was interrupted by Two-Bit’s wolf whistle.
“That’s one fancy-schmancy suit you built yourself, Mr. Stark,” Two-Bit said with eyes wide in awe.
We all turned to face Tony, who was in a metal suit and was way better than the one we found him using in the desert.
“That is so cool,” Pony said. “Can I touch?”
Pony walked forward in a touch.
Darry held him back.
“Don’t touch,” Darry chided. “Like a museum.”
Tony laughed.
“I’ll take that as a compliment,” Tony said with a smirk as he lifted his mask. “I see the big brother instincts haven’t lost their touch.”
Darry scoweled.
“Let’s test those insects as I take this baby for a joy ride,” Tony said.
With that, he blasted out of the house and into the sky and took off.
“Shit,” Dally said. “We can’t have Fury on our asses.”
“Where do you think he’s going?” Steve asked as he tossed Darry the car keys.
“No clue,” I said. “But we'd better track him.”
Two-Bit smirked as he held up a tracking device.
“Well, at least I inserted a tracking device in his suit,” Two-Bit said.
“I can’t believe I’m going to say this,” Darry muttered. “But Two-Bit, you are a genius.”
With that, we got in the car and drove around town following Tony wherever he went, and finally back to his house.
“I see I wasn’t able to shake your tail,” Tony said with a smirk. “You guys really are good.”
“Let's just say we’ve been around the block a few times,” Pony said. “So don’t test us.”
Tony gave us a look of respect.
“You guys might prove useful,” Tony said, intrigued. “That just means you are coming with me to the Stark gala tonight.”
“The what now?” I said paling. “We don’t have suits.”
“That won’t be a problem,” Tony said with a smirk.
He hit the intercom on the wall.
“Pepper, can you get the suit tailors here ASAP?” Tony said.
“Right away, Tony,” Pepper responded.
“Why do I feel like we’re in for the long haul?” Dally moaned.
“Because we probably are,” Steve grumbled.
“Come on, guys,” Soda said, beaming. “We’re going to a big league Soc party.”
That didn’t make me feel any better. With the look that I shared with Pony, he didn’t either.
Soon enough, Tony had a tailor working on our suits, which Tony later fixed so that they could easily melt away into a compartment in our supersuits in case of need.
“That’s better,” Tony said with a smirk. “You guys clean up nice.”
“We can in a pinch,” Two-Bit said with a smirk.
“You all better behave,” Darry chided. “The whole world will be watching.”
“Yes, Dar,” Pony said, rolling his eyes. “You know we always try our best.”
“Why don’t I believe you?” Darry quipped.
Soda stepped in between them.
“Both of you cool down,” Soda warned. “We’re a team, remember?”
Darry and Pony both nodded.
Soon, we were pulling up to the gala with Tony in a black limo.
The cameras were flashing like crazy. It looked like a circus.
“Let the circus begin,” I muttered.
“Come on, guys,” Tony said cheekily. “Enjoy the free press and food.”
“Did you say free food?” Two-Bit said, eyes lighting up.
“You and your food,” Steve said, rolling his eyes.
“How about you and your chocolate cake?” Dally rebuked him.
Pony took a deep breath as we stepped out of the car after Tony.
“Here goes nothing,” Pony muttered.
Soda squeezed his shoulder.
“We’ve got this baby brother,” Soda murmured.
We all clocked Obadiah Stane talking to a reporter.
“Let’s keep an eye on him and Rhodes if he’s here,” Darry murmured. “Just in case.”
We all nodded in agreement.
“All code names tonight, too,” Darry continued.
“Strays, Strays!” Reporters called on us.
“How do you know Mr. Stark?” Another called.
“Smile over here!” Another called.
“It’s nice to see you, Tony,” Obadiah drawled. “And your babysitters.”
Dally sneered at him.
“Asshole,” Dally muttered.
When we followed Tony over to the bar, that’s when we saw Colson again.
“So my babysitters have babysitters too,” Tony teased.
“Watch it, Stark,” Steve warned.
“It’s ok, Breaker,” Coulson said. “Just working a different angle here with our mutual friend.”
“What is that?” I asked nervously.
“Just a partnership between SHIELD and Stark Industries,” Coulson said curtly.
“Didn’t you hear my press conference?” Tony asked, taking a sip of his drink.
“Didn’t you hear when I said we’re different?” Colson quipped back. “Also, we need a debrief of what happened in the desert.”
“Well,” Tony said. “Get in touch with Ms. Potts.”
With that, Tony walked over to Pepper to get a dance.
“Well, he’s subtle,” Soda said.
“He’s such a prick,” Darry muttered. “Kind of reminds me of Paul. I wonder what he’s up to?”
“Don’t tell me you still think about him,” Pony moaned. “You deserved better friends anyway.”
“Or was he more than a friend?” Two-Bit teased.
Darry looked like he was going to blow.
“Jokester,” I warned. “Not now.”
Soon, we saw a reporter come up to Tony with a batch of photos.
“We need to intervene, guys,” I muttered. “Based on Tony’s reaction, those aren’t good. We have to shut it down.”
“Good catch, Ash,” Dally muttered. “Let’s move. And get him out of here.”
We swooped in.
“Excuse us,” Soda said, working his charm powers. “We need to borrow Mr. Stark here. Name’s Pulse by the way.”
“No problem, doll,” the blond reporter said.
“What the hell was that?” Tony asked. “Never mind. I have to find Stane.”
“That isn’t a good idea,” Steve warned.
“Well, I don’t give a damn, Breaker,” Tony snapped.
“Let’s just go with it,” Two-Bit said. “Luck is on our side anyway.”
Two-Bit flipped his coin. This caused a reporter talking to Stane to drop his camera and drink on Stane, causing a distraction for Tony to get Stane away from the reporters to talk.
Something tipped me over the edge, though, when we heard their conversation.
“Who do you think blocked you out?” Obadiah muttered darkly in Tony’s ear. “I filed the injunction to block you.”
“That snake,” Darry muttered. “We were right all along.”
“You surprised?” Dally asked. “All Socs are alike.”
“But what does he want?” I muttered.
“He’s playing both sides,” Pony said, paling. “He’s the one who got Tony kidnapped. He wants to take the company over.”
“How do you know that?” Two-Bit asked. Then shook his head. “Stupid question. You read his mind. Good going, Mindlight.”
Tony started walking towards the limo in anger.
“Come on, boys,” Tony muttered. “I’ve lost my ability to socialize for tonight.”
“Looks like someone's got their britches in a twist,” Soda muttered darkly.
When we finally got back to Stark Tower, Tony turned on the news and apparently didn’t see what he liked.
He took a hammer to the glass panels in his lab.
“Seems like something Dal would do,” Steve muttered.
Dally growled at him.
“I’ve got some things to do,” Tony muttered. “Follow in your freakin’ Quinn jet.”
“Tony,” Darry said in a warning tone. “Don’t do anything stupid, and you can’t take it back. Especially things that Stane can use as ammo.”
“It’s too late for that,” Tony growled. “I have to expose certain things and hold my ground. So you’re either against me or with me. Which is it?”
“We’re with you, Tony,” Pony said, stepping forward.
“We all are,” Two-Bit said with a nod.
“Here goes nothing,” I muttered. “Another war zone to go to. I thought we left this in WWII. But I guess not.”
Soon enough, we were following Tony in the air, with Darry piloting the Quinjet.
When we got to the desert, Tony started blasting missiles out of the air and saving some of the civilians. Then he went to the base sites where some of the weapons were stored and started blasting them.
“He’s on a rampage,” Dally muttered. “I don’t like this.”
“We have a job to do,” Darry said. “Protect him. So let's do that.”
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