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'You just shot me?! You're on my side!' Steve exclaims, defensively, watching the screen pulsate red at the corners and his health bar fizzle and lower. He fiddles, accessing a medical field stim and using it.
'You were slowing me down. See you upstairs' Natasha replies, not looking at him.
'Tash, seriously – wow, your kill count is staggering' Steve cranes over to peer at her wide, curved screen, reading her character statistics. Natasha smirks a little predatory.
'You expect less?' she tuts, and taps a key on her controller pad, throwing a grenade and eliminating a pack of soldiers.
They are at the tower in Tony's games room. He didn't know Tony had one, although it doesn't surprise him that he does. It's packed with upgraded online gaming software, and screen technology the engineer uses at Stark Industries, and Steve is shocked to find enjoys it all as much as he does. They are playing a war game – a MMORPG. Steve's character has an automatic machine gun, Natasha two handguns she traded online. He doesn't need to ask where she got that idea from. Steve has to admit, Tony's software is impeccable, and with precise movements of his hand, he receives a panoramic view of the game and other players' characters. A dialogue box pops up.
'Aquatic Stapler Anarchy wants to join our squad, what do you think?' he asks Natasha pulling up his handgun and shooting at an enemy playing, clipping him in the knees. He grins in triumph as the character drops. Natasha loots the body with scary efficiency.
'Decline him. He just wants experience' and Steve gives her a look. She sighs. 'I play with Clint sometimes. That's what he does'
'Right' he says vaguely and taps the screen, declining the character, the box sinking.
'There's a bomb on location. Take cover. Repeat: All Red Locke soldiers find cover!' a voiceover says, the voice blaring through the speakers.
'Follow me' Natasha says, and he turns his character around, to seeing Natasha's character (a woman who looks, in a way, like Natasha except blonde and taller). She's heading to the north exit. He sets off in her direction, watching the glitching as other characters pass through his own. It's eerie. They leave the destruction zone just in time and take cover.
The bomb goes off.
The number of soldiers – characters – who need regenerating glow in block numbers on their screens.
Death count: 56.
'Nicely done, Cap'
'How did you know there was a door there?'
'Like I said: I played with Clint' she explains and Steve absently accepts the cut-screen scene.
'Clint thinks the Wii is fixed because-'
'He fails at Archery' Natasha finishes for him.
'Did he tell you about the Kitten Appreciation Club he's setting up?' he asks. Natasha taps on her character's amour and then minimizes it like an afterthought.
'There is no Kitten Appreciation Club'
Steve hums, 'Unless you count the Association of Evil Felines For World Domination' he says.
'You freak' Natasha says and Steve breaks into a full wattage smile at her tone. There's an upwards curl at the side of her mouth. 'Another round?' she asks and he nods decisively.
'Yes, ma'am'