#was trying to subtly communicate to dolly that she needs to move over a little so i can sit on the bed

[boowomp]

god forbid i give a little kitty a kissy on the head

[larissaloki]

Walking Avengers 17

the poem at the begining is curtesy to @thoughtfulbreadpolice who gave me permission ages ago to add this in. Hope you guys like this! comments deeply appreciated!

No Dead Nation

No, dead sky

No, dead nation, flies right on by.

No, dead soul

And No, dead don’t care

No Dead Nation

Eats the living and the living eat the soul.

Run through the woods

Past the trees, fallen oaks and vines

Run for freedom, run for sky

No Dead Nation has taken the night.

Sing a lullaby to the grieving

Sing a song to kiss the dead

Sing a song to wave past the living

No Dead Nation to kiss us goodbye.

Run, run, and don’t look back

Dead nation coming

Dead Nation has found the end.

Then tell us in the morning

What the world was like

Only if for a night

Tell Us How;

No Dead Nation has taken the light.

~~~ ~~~ ~~~

Tony spent two hours grilling Colossus and Yukio; names were finally swapped after an initial freak out; asking them about who they are, how do they know the group that attacked, why would they attack them and what information did Colossus have that he could share?

The information on the attacking group was depressingly little yet alarming, to have such a powerful group that supposedly had control of such a large area, yet was staying well hidden from any passing groups. Tony took a mental note of the leaders name; Francis, the only solid information that Colossus could give him; and tried to think of anyone he could have met in the past, that could fit this mystery before them.

On the verge of pulling strands of his hair out in frustration, Tony kept pulling up blanks in his mind- even Natasha had nothing from her time with shield or Red room that could help. If anyone hated not knowing something, it’s Natasha. She often took pride in having so much knowledge and knowing the important people in life, if Natasha didn’t know everything about you yet, it was only a matter of time before she did.

They could only conclude, that this Francis had to be a new development from either the result of this current world or a new villain that hadn’t had the chance to hit their radar before all this happened. They were going in this essentially blind.

However, they could hazard a guess that the attacking group has possibly got access to labs, as Colossus explained how that before the attackers would only go for the easier ones to kidnap. Using devices they had never seen before to restrain or capture. Stronger ones that could pose to be to dangerous to approach where left alone. Until now.

Seeing as Cap was taken this time- a super soldier beef tank that took down hydra in his prime, was a massive cause for concern. Could they now take on the Nordic Gods? Hulk? Why attack and kidnap and not ask the Avengers to join instead?

To many questions and not enough answers for Tony’s liking at all.

Admitting defeat in chasing info about Francis, Tony turned his attention on Colossus’s own group; it is a relatively big group considering Tony had only seen duos or singular people before now; the group consists of an old man in a wheelchair called Charles, an older teen/young adult called John but went by his super name Pyro. A man called Logan that had helped save Nat’s group earlier, Negasonic, Dopinder and finally an old lady called Al who is blind.

By the time Colossus had finished describing his group, the Avenger’s where reluctantly impressed that they had managed to survive this long considering that most of Colossus’s group had people with many disadvantages. Disadvantages that would normally get either the group or themselves killed early on. They key to them surviving it seemed, was that most had Mutant abilities, giving them an edge to survive.

Tony could see that Bucky; who had yet to leave his side since Nat returned; liked this group, Loki had even given Tony a nod after Colossus had finished talking to indicate that Colossus hadn’t lied to them. Having the god of lies on your side was proving to be handy.

Natasha even vouched for them, as well as Clint when Tony asked him. Calling for a quick group meeting, Wade and Peter playing with Punk in a corner of the “medical” room while the adults talked, Tony asked the group as a whole about what they should do.

“We all heard Metal man and Dollies story, we should discuss as a group what to do from here. Should we trust Colossus and his group?”

Hands squeezing the back of a chair that Loki had claimed, Tony’s knuckles where white from how hard he was gripping the chair. A near futile effort to keep calm and still, when all he wanted was to get in a truck and get Steve right then and now. It took Bucky a few moments out in the hall earlier, telling him; just as much for his own benefit as Tony’s; that they needed to make a plan before running off. Steve would kill them if they ran into this half cocked.

Nearby, Bucky is leaning in the corner right by the kids, in the shadows and the perfect angle to see both the door and window, arms crossed over his chest as he broods. Body rigid and tense with the need to go and look for Steve himself. He hated being idle when someone he cared for was in untold danger.

“I think it would be a good idea to join forces, safety in numbers after all. They have a lot of manpower which would be welcome I’m sure we all agree, I mean it’s not like were hurting for space?” Natasha reasoned, turning her gaze to each member of the room as she talks.

Sam was nodding along with her, perched on a rickety table that’s set against the wall, opposite the bed.

“I think it would be a good idea to bring them in, more people to split into defending this place while also getting Steve back. Hell, we maybe able to save more people out there from hoards, if we have a bigger group. Start a new community, draw other survivors to fight back against the dead”

Well, that certainly was a good argument for allowing the new group to join Tony had to admit.

“Everyone that thinks that we should join forces, raise your hand?”

Practically everyone raised their hand or voiced their agreement verbally, even the kids waved heir hands about. Excited by the prospect of having new people around.

“Daddy, does that mean there will be other kids?” Peter tugged on Tony’s leg, looking up curiously. Smiling down at his son, Tony ran a hand through Peters messy curls causing him to giggle and bat at his fathers hand.

“I’m afraid not sweetheart, but we may find other’s with kids in the future hmm?”

Pouting but pacified by the prospect of eventually seeing other kids, Peter nods and goes back to his game with Wade.

“What shell we do about Steve? We have to come up with a plan as soon as possible, the longer we leave it the more chance of something bad happening…”

Nervously fiddling with his glasses, cleaning them with the hm of his shirt, Bruce finally spoke up. Bringing up the most dreaded conversation that none of them wanted to have but needed to have.

It was Bucky who spoke, face a stone cold mask, voice soft and quiet that only seemed much more foreboding than if he had shouted.

“We should wait til the kids are in bed, and Colossus’s group is here and settled. I think if we all discussed it as one big group, we may have better results. Find out each of their strengths to help us”

“I agree with Bucky, we need to plan this properly or else this could go really wrong”

Tony took in both Bucky’s and Natasha’s advice, nodding slowly as he thought it over, though most of his focus was on the tech that was stored in the room next door. Ideas and plans formulating in his mind on ways to use it all, mentally calculating the parts that each item would have.

“Aye, in all my years as a warrior, it was always better to take a little bit of extra time to properly prepare an attack or course of action, rather than rush in foolishly rush in-“

“Oh please Thor,”

“-and risk more lives…”

Thor glared at Loki who had muttered while he had been talking, not appreciating the jab from the trickster.

Hissing between his teeth as he shifted, Clint rubs at his face tiredly as his body is using all his energy to try and heal faster, his fatigue made worse by the lack of nutrition from being on the run. He s going to need as much rest as possible to heal fast.

“You guys go and arrange that, I’m going to catch a few winks after downing these pain killers. Thank fuc- frick that we raided that medi centre huh?”

Clint quickly trying to censor his swearing when Nat elbowed him subtly, pouting at her, Clint plucked up the pills and some water. Taking the hint, the group file out leaving only Natasha behind to keep watch over him in case.

Sam and Thor deciding to take Colossus and Yukio back to collect their group to bring back, Loki went to sort food, the kids following behind him bugging him to show them (or Wade asking him to teach them some magic, to which Loki scoffed and told him a flat no.) some magic. Leaving Tony, Bruce and Bucky in the corridor.

“Tony? What you hatching in that head of yours?..” Bruce asked tentatively, watching Tony as he goes into the next room, seemingly ignoring the other two. Muttering under his breathe as he moves around the machines.

Confused, the other two trail behind him, curious as to what Tony could possibly be dong.

“Er..Doll? Could you slow down and -why the hell are you ripping that apart?!”

Alarmed, Bucky rushes forward to yank Tony away from one of the monitors that he had started to rip apart.

“The hell James? I’m trying to work here!”

“Would you like to share with the class first?!”

“U-um, guys? Let’s keep it down yeah?...” Both proceeded to ignore Bruce as they bickered.

“I have ideas for weapons and and small traps, I only need around half these machines to make what I need!”

“Warning us would have been nice you little punk! Jesus between you and Steve I’m surprised I’m not entirely grey”

“What the hell does that mean? You haven’t got a single grey yet at all you dick! I’m the one with grey’s!”

“…yeah but you look sexy with the silver streaks”

Grinning unrepentantly in the face of Tony’s sudden silence, face going red from the compliment. It’ been a long while since someone had paid him any compliments on his appearance, having long since passed his prime what with his more squishy body and belly. Lines starting to show on his face.

Spluttering while trying to fight down his blush, Tony squirmed out of Bucky’s grip, straightening his clothes and subtly tugging at the collar of his shirt.

“Shut up and go watch Peter for me? Bruce fancy helping me tear a apart a few mor machines? We need to start preparing for a fight”

~~~ ~~~ ~~~

Sam and Thor had decided to take the truck with the camper van on the back to collect the group, ironically the same vehicles that they were in that started this. Clint’s dried blood still standing the footwell on the passenger side.

Sam being the only one who can a) drive and b) actually fit in the drivers seat, was the designated driver while Yukio gave him directions. Thor and Colossus sat in the truck bay, keeping a sharp eye out for any more surprise attacks. Inside, Yukio was happily keeping conversation going with Sam as she chatted about her group and her girlfriend Negasonic, whom she loved completely.

Sam was happy for her, to have managed to keep ahold of something so pure in such dark times, Sam was a little envious but mostly, he is happy for her. Everyone needed something good to help them carry on.

“-so I told her, not to put so much rice in the pot, but she did anyway and went off to fix the perimeter while the rest of us was collecting water and such. When she came back the rice had expanded so much that there was a tower of rice coming out of the pot! The lid on top.”

Blinking as Sam tune back into the story, catching the last bit, he snorts in amusement.

“I take it she was taken off cooking duty huh?” Grinning, Sam takes a left that Yukio tells him to take, Yukio giggles nodding in agreement.

“She was, Colossus tried hard to salvage the rice! It wasn’t the best meal but it wasn’t to bad either. Professor Charles since then had taken to doing cooking lessons with her every now and again, hoping to try and avoid that situation again”

Yukio directed him a little way outside of the main town, a small drive that has trees on both sides of the road, leading to a small cottage like building. The darkening sky making the place look more ominous than usual, over grown bushes and plants hid any pathway that would usually be there.

“Here we are!”

“…if we weren’t in a post-apocalyptic world…I’d be scared that you were about to murder me..”

“Serial killers could still be alive you know” Chirping cheerfully, Yukio climbs out of the truck, leaving a suddenly frozen Sam.