Part 4: Splinters and Smoke
Location: Avengers Compound, Various
Time: Early evening
Steve Rogers stood in the briefing room, arms crossed, eyes locked on the last known location of Riven Dax flashing across the digital map. It had been hours since their confrontation. The memory of Riven's words still echoed in his mind: the coldness in his eyes, the storm behind his restraint.
Steve exhaled slowly. He hadn't meant for it to escalate like that. Maybe he'd pushed too hard.
He left the room, deciding it was time to speak with Riven—man to man. The halls of the Compound felt quieter than usual, their sterile walls now tinged with tension.
First stop: the training wing. Empty.
Medical bay? Also clear.
Gym? No sign.
Eventually, he made his way toward Riven's quarters. When he arrived, the door was slightly ajar, but the room was empty. A faint chill lingered, like someone had just left.
He turned and nearly bumped into Natasha.
"Looking for Riven?" she asked, arms crossed casually.
"Yeah," Steve replied. "I need to talk to him. Set things right."
Natasha hesitated for a second. "He's gone out."
"Gone where?"
She didn't answer immediately. Wanda walked by, pausing only briefly. Her eyes flicked toward Steve, then away. She didn't say a word. That alone made Steve's gut twist.
He stepped closer to Natasha. "What does that mean? Gone out? He's not cleared for field work."
Natasha sighed. "You think that's going to stop him?"
Steve's jaw clenched. He stormed down to the lower levels, straight into Tony Stark's lab.
Tony glanced up from his table, clearly expecting this.
"Where is he?" Steve asked.
Tony sipped his drink. "Out."
"Tony—"
"What do you want me to say, Rogers?" Tony cut in sharply. "That I shackled a ticking bomb to a chair and called it a day? He's not yours to leash."
"You gave him intel," Steve accused. "You knew he'd act on it."
"Damn right I did," Tony shot back. "Because unlike you, I don't look at someone like him and see a liability. I see a man trying to clean up a mess we all ignored."
"He's unstable!"
"So was I in a cave with a car battery strapped to my chest, but no one stopped me then."
Steve's fists clenched. "You're enabling him."
Tony stepped forward, eyes narrowing. "And you're so obsessed with your perfect order that you forgot what Hydra did to him. To those kids. You think barking orders and holding meetings is going to fix it?"
"I'm trying to prevent another war," Steve snapped.
Tony's voice dropped cold. "It's already started, Steve. You just weren't paying attention."
For a long second, neither man moved. Then Steve turned away, his expression carved from stone.
"I hope you're right about him," he said quietly.
Tony didn't respond. He just stared after him, jaw tight.
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