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It had all been planned for. They had poured over a map of the terrain, looking for every possible angle, entry and cover points. Every tree, building and pothole had been accounted for in 3D holograms supplied by one of Tony’s new drones.
Sam, Rhodey and Tony would take to the skies and monitor from above, calling out any activity that they could see. They were to take out any areal threats there were sure to be.
Clint would find perch, acting as a sniper for the team. There was a small structure that would be perfect for him, if he managed to make it there. Wanda was to be his partner, making sure that he made it there.
Scott was to take advantage of the fact he could go small, scouting the ground ahead of the rest of the ground team.
Steve, Bucky and Natasha were the lead on the ground, covering as much as they could when the sky team gave them the all clear.
Bruce was to hang back with Spider-Man and Vision in case anyone tried to take them from behind and to avoid any Code Green situation. But even that had been planned for in case the Hulk decided he had had enough and wanted in on the action.
It had all been planned for. The it promptly went to shit.
“Geeze, when Fury said they weren’t going to hold back,” Rhodey muttered over the comms, diving and weaving through the air as he avoided getting hit. “Tony! Any ideas on how shut them down?”
“Working on it,” Tony grunted on his end promptly pirouetting through the clear blue sky to avoid the shots taken at him. “I can’t get close enough. I’m fairly sure this is cheating.”
“Son of a bitch,” Sam growled, swooping down to the ground. “My wings have been hit. They’re out of commission.”
“Are you still good on foot?” Steve asked, raising his shield just in time to be hit in the chest. He lowered it, raising his right hand to fire off a couple of shots, hearing the satisfying grunt of his target being met.
“Yeah,” Sam huffed. “I’m on the East side.”
“Wanda, can you help Sam?” Steve asked.
“I can,” Clint answered. “I have to retreat; they found my nest.”
“I can help too,” Wanda said. “Meet me by the water tank.”
“Got it,” Sam huffed over the comm.
“We are on the West. We can herd them into the cabin like we planned,” Bucky said, peering out from behind the tree.
“It could still work,” Natasha said. She saw movement on her left and ducked just before a shot hit the tree, she had been taking cover behind. She moved swiftly, gun up and fired, hitting her target in the shoulders and in the leg. She smirked before taking cover once again.
“Rhodey, Tony, you still okay up there?” Steve asked.
“Define okay,” Tony answered.
“Can you shut the machine off?” Steve asked, swiftly moving forward through the trees again.
“Easily, if I can get to it,” Tony huffed. “Rhodey, how do you feel about being bait?”
“I’d feel better if it was you,” Rhodey swerved in the air, firing as he did.
“I can work with that,” Tony hummed.
“Uhhhh, I hate to be that guy,” Scott came over the coms. “But that isn’t going to work. The cabin is a trap.”
“What? Scott, repeat,” Steve barked, diving out of the way as a black-glad figure appeared, gun raised.
“It’s a trap!” Scott yelled. “It’s an ambush and – ahh shit!”
“Vision, Bruce, Spider-Man!” Steve commanded, raising his gun and firing but missing his target. “Bring it in. Try and draw them to the East side where that bunker was on the map.”
“Vision and I are coming,” Bruce said. “Not too sure where Spider-Man went.”
“What?!” Tony growled.
“Spider-Man, report,” Steve said.
“Wanda’s been hit,” Clint reported. “Guys, if you could spare some help.”
“On my way,” Natasha said.
“Did you find Spider-Man?” Tony asked.
“Tony, look out!” Rhodey snapped.
“Spider-Man, report!” Steve commanded.
“On your left,” Spider-Man said, the laughter evident in his voice and Steve saw a blur of red and blue. “Mr. America! Toss your shield up!”
Steve fired some shot to give himself some cover before he swung his arm and let the shield go flying. He had enough time to see a web attach to the shield before Spider-Man went flying into the air.
“Mr. Stark, catch me!” Spider-Man whooped.
“God damn it Underoos,” Tony swore colourfully.
“Language,” Steve huffed, sprinting across the ground, firing his gun. He went sliding across the ground to take cover in the small ditch landing next to Bucky who was already there.
They both looked up to see that Tony had caught Spider-Man, the red and blue figure now riding on the back of the red and gold suit.
“Get me close,” Spider-Man voice filtered over their comms.
Steve watched as Tony zipped through the air, getting Spider-Man as close as he could before the vigilante was jumping off Tony’s back and firing a web at the hovering machine, using Steve’s shield to cover himself. There was a flurry of activity, Tony veering away before he could be hit, and then suddenly the machine went silent and started plummeting towards the earth.
“Incoming shield,” Spider-Man said, and Steve felt the magnetic pull on his arm before his shield came flying back into place, Spider-Man soaring into nearby tree’s.
“Were those little wings made out of webs?” Bucky asked, firing off a few shots.
“I’m afraid to ask,” Steve panted.
“Uh oh,” Bruce’s voice came over the comms. “Vision and I have been hit.”
“Code Green?” Steve asked, sharing a look with Bucky.
There was pause before, “No, we’re good.”
“Don’t worry! I’ll avenge-er you,” Spider-Man quipped.
“No more puns out of you,” Tony growled, swooping over the top of them.
“But Mr. Stark!” Spider-Man whined.
“Uh, Steve,” Bucky said. “We’re about to be toast.”
Steve peeked over the edge of the pit and gritted his teeth as he saw a group advancing on them.
“Tony how about some cover,” Steve asked.
“I got them!” Spider-Man said.
There was a brief sound of a scuffle as Bucky and Steve ducked down for cover and when it fell silent, they peeked up over the edge and saw that the group were bound together in a circle, covered in webbing and each hit with a single shot. Sharing a look with Bucky, the two climbed out of the ditch and crept forward.
“Damn it!” Sam swore crackled through the comms. “I’ve been hit.”
“How many times is that now?” Rhodey asked, amusement in his voice.
“Ha ha,” Sam said dryly.
“Natasha, report,” Steve said, breaking into a run with Bucky.
“I’ve reached Clint, but we are being pinned –“ Natasha promptly cut herself off and silence rang out through the comms.
“How the hell can he bend like that,” Clint’s comment broke the silence. “It’s not normal.”
“Hey!” Spidey cried. “That’s not nice. I just saved your butt.”
“My butt was perfectly fine,” Clint huffed. “We had it.”
“Water tank cleared,” Natasha said. “How many left?”
“Scans show there are at least another fourteen on the field,” Tony answered. “Looks like they are re-grouping by the lookout tower in the North.”
“Let’s move,” Steve said, and he chose to ignore the small whoop of excitement that Spider-Man let out.
By the time Steve, Bucky and Natasha make it to the lookout tower, Rhodey and Tony are on the ground, helmets retracted and Spider-Man his hanging upside on a web, gently swaying from side to side.
“That was awesome!” Spider-Man crowed.
Steve takes a look around the area, gun still up and body tense. “Is it clear?”
“Yeah, all clear,” Rhodey answered, gesturing the remaining fourteen agents lingering around the base of the lookout tower, pulling off their balaclavas.
Steve lowered the gun, letting it come to rest by his thigh and gently touches his comm with his free hand. “Game over guys. We won. Meet you back at the start.”
“Copy that Cap,” Sam answered.
“You guys all good?” Steve asked the fourteen SHEILD Agents who are mostly covered in blue paint balls with a few red and silver shots mixed among them.
They nodded, grumbling about un-fair advantages before Spider-Man was swinging himself over the top of them and landing lightly on his feet.
“That was the best game of paint ball ever!”
“It wasn’t a game,” Steve reminded the young vigilante sternly. “It was a training session. One where most of us got taken out, despite what we planned.”
“Yeah, totally,” Spider-Man nodded.
“Real convincing kid,” Tony snorted. His face mask flipped back over his face and rose into the air.
“Wait for me!” Spider-Man shot a well-aimed web at Tony’s suit and let out another whoop of excitement as he was yanked into the air, flying behind Tony as the man took off in the direction of the others. As he did, his paint ball gun went off, hitting Steve right in the chest with a splat, bright blue paint covering his chest, neck and chin.
Rhodey took off after them, shoulders suspiciously shaking, leaving Natasha, Bucky and Steve to walk back with the rest of the SHEILD Agents. Steve took the walk back to go over in his mind everything that had happened and how they had come to nearly lose. It was only the second time the team had come back together after the year they had spent apart, the first time they had run an exercise this big. By the time they returned to the others, he thought he had figured it out and how they could improve.
Until Steve saw the SHEILD agents all huddled together covered in various colours of paint but most were covered in blue. Spider-Man’s paint gun colour. Steve had only fought against Spider-Man once, but he had forgotten just how quick the vigilante could move. Judging by the amount of blue paint covering the SHEILD agents, had Spider-Man not been there, they most likely would have lost.
“-and then I was like, bam, bam, bam,” Spider-Man was jumping up and down as he re-capped everything to an amused looking Bruce. “I totally got them back for you Doctor Banner!”
“Thanks Spidey,” Bruce smiled. “Although, it wasn’t necessary, but I appreciate the sentiment.”
“Maybe next time the Hulk could play too?” Spider-Man asked eagerly. “I would totally let him yeet me across the field!”
“There will be no yeeting of any Spiderlings,” Tony warned, putting a hand on Spider-Man’s shoulder, the armour now retracted and him in loose pants and an old band t-shirt.
“Mr Stark, do you even know what yeet means?” Spider-Man asked.
“Yes.”
“Okay Boomer.”
“I know that was offensive,” Tony cuffed Spider-Man over the back of the head while the vigilante cackled. “Right, deals off. No working on the Iron Man suit for you.”
“What?!” Spider-Man yelped. “Mr. Stark you promised! A deal’s a deal! I hit more guys than you and I get to work on your suit! Come on, man. I take it back! You’re not a boomer! Rhodey help me out!”
“Pfft, you’re on your own,” Rhodey smirked, own armour retracted and brace’s glinting in the light. “Your bet, not mine.”
“This is the guy who caught my arm,” Bucky said, watching the scene with disbelief. “And just beat us at paint ball.”
“Yeah,” Steve nodded; eyes wide.
“I guess you’ll learn not to underestimate a spider again,” Natasha smirked before slinking away to join Clint who was grumbling about the white pain spot on his quiver strap.
“I can’t believe you shot Rogers,” Tony snorted, his voice supposed to be quiet but with Steve’s hearing he still caught it.
“He put me in the back Mr. Stark,” Spider-Man huffed.
Steve silently agreed – he would never underestimate Spider-Man again.