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After Dr. Bruce Banner finished answering their questions, Starsky and Hutch were left alone.
While Hutch was in the kitchen retrieving beers for them. Starsky slid onto the barstool.
“You know, I was expecting to find us a load of bad guys,” Starsky said after taking the bottle from Hutch.
“You and me both.”
“I don’t know what to do, you know. Six of them.”
“It’s a lot to take in, Starsky.”
“There’s a part of me that’s giddy as hell. I’ve got an Avenger for a…”
“Starsk,” Hutch cut him off. “You have no idea what he wants or any of them for that matter. As far as they’re concerned, you may be nothing more than an involuntary donor.”
“That’s another thing, Hutch. There’s a hell of a lot we don’t know. I mean, it’s not a stretch to see how that whole mess with Nash and the castle would be connected.”
“I’ll make sure we get the full reports, Starsky. It’ll take some time to go through, but I don’t see how we can fill any gaps there might be at this point.”
Neither spoke for a few minutes, being alone with their own thoughts. Hutch had been briefly taken back in time when Starsky had nearly lost his life so long ago. He was enraged at the notion of some doctor swooping in and stealing genetic material for their own benefit. They’d taken it a twisted step further by impregnating a woman. Starsky’s DNA had been used for killing. There were still so many questions.
Starsky on the other hand was thinking about the man who’d been in this room not long ago, Clint Barton. He was an Avenger. Starsky wished he could take credit for it. He couldn’t see his DNA having much to do with it. Then there was Brian Gamble, the exact likeness. He nearly smiled at how protective Clint was of Brian, just how he’d expect brothers to be.
“Do you think we should go home?” Starsky asked. He still wasn’t sure how his husband was taking all of this.
“Well, I know you well enough that going home would mean you regretting not meeting them. If two of them are here, it stands to reason the rest of them will be as well. You’re going to have questions, some answers you won’t be happy with.” Hutch came around the counter and moved closer to Starsky. He held his hand. “You need to be prepared for the possibility not all of them will be on board with any kind of relationship. I know you, Starsk. You’ll get attached and I don’t want you to get hurt.”
“I’m not saying it’ll be easy, Hutch, but I feel like we should see what happens and where it goes. I want to meet them all. We’ll leave it to them to decide what they want. None of us asked for this.”
“If you’re sure.”
“I am.”
~*~
Clint was in the bedroom when he got word that Starsky and Hutch were willing to meet everyone. He sat on the bed trying to figure out how best to go about it. His brothers were leaving it up to him and Clint wasn’t sure if he should keep taking the lead, but they were looking to him to make the decisions.
In the end, it was decided that a large meal in the main kitchen was in order. It would only be him, his brothers and Starsky and Hutch. Phil would take everyone else out for the evening. Clint had Bruce and Steve getting Tony out of the Tower. Tony came up with the idea of getting a couple of limos and taking everyone out on the town. He couldn’t hide his relief when Phil had told him.
Starsky and Hutch were agreeable to the idea.
The meal was catered from one of the best Italian restaurants in the city. When it was all set, the brothers waited patiently. They all were hovering around the buffet table where the food was spread out before them.
Clint hurried to the door and opened it, allowing Starsky and Hutch into the room.
“I’ve told them not to crowd you,” Clint said. “We’re just going to sit around the table, eat and talk. Maybe get to know one another.”
“Sounds good, Clint,” Hutch said with an earnest smile. He looked over at Starsky. “Right?”
“Yeah.” Starsky couldn’t hide his nervousness. He wanted them to like him.
As they went further inside, Clint pointed to each brother.
“Aaron, Cory, James, Will and Brian. We each have our own quirks and hopefully it won’t take you long to see them and be able to tell us apart.”
The five brothers were stock still. Clint looked from them to Starsky and Hutch.
“I don’t know about anybody else, but I’m starved.” He started towards the buffet table. “Aaron, get the beers and a soda for Cory.”
Once Clint started filling his plate, everyone slowly began moving. It took only minutes for the group to sit at the large dining room table. The first of the meal was quietly eaten for a few minutes with no one quite sure what to say.
“How did you know to come here to Stark Tower?” Will asked.
Before Starsky or Hutch could answer, Clint interjected.
“Why don’t we start out getting to know one another?” He shot a look at Will who seemed to get the message.
“Yeah,” Starsky agreed. “That’s a good idea. We can just go around the table.”
Clint kicked Aaron’s foot with his own to send a message.
“Uh, yeah,” Aaron said straightening in his seat. “Aaron Cross. Used to be another name, but I like this one. Jobless and homeless. That’s me.” He nervously laughed.
“Right,” James shot back smirking. “Stark’s ready and willing to give you a job including a luxurious suite here at the Tower. I heard you telling Marta about it.”
“No way,” Aaron responded. “Marta and I are looking at trying for a normal life somewhere once we get my identity sorted out. No one’s filed charges so at least we’re clear there.”
“Charges?” Hutch asked.
“It’s a long story,” Aaron told him. “I’ll give you the short version later like Clint suggested.”
Cory had set his cowboy hat on the corner of the back of the chair he was sitting in. He leaned forward. “Cory Lambert. I’m a tracker for Fish and Wildlife on the Wind River Indian Reservation. I’ve got a son named Casey and a couple of lazy horses.”
“How’d you get into that line of work?” Starsky asked.
“Fell into it when I got back home. I was Recon with the Marines.”
“And a son, too.” Starsky smiled. “That’s great.”
“Sure is,” Cory said in a low voice. He wanted to tell him about Emily. Instead he stabbed at his pasta.
“I suppose it’s my turn,” Will said after setting his beer down. “Will Brandt. For anyone else, I’d say I’m an independent security contractor. Since classified intel is on the table for our little group, you get to know what few do. I’m an analyst for the IMF.”
“IMF?” Hutch asked.
“Call it a poor man’s SHIELD,” Clint joked. He loved just how serious Will could get. The guy needed to loosen up more.
“Impossible Mission Force,” Will explained. “We answer to the government, just not much of it knows about us. Makes it easier to get the bad guys when the public doesn’t know you exist.”
“Just don’t compare them to the CIA,” James smirked. “Will takes it personally like that.”
“We don’t have to resort to those tactics to get the job done,” Will fired back. He looked at Starsky. “We go after immediate threats and do it without the public knowing it.”
“Will isn’t just an analyst,” Clint told Starsky and Hutch. “He’s their chief analyst and is very good at what he does. Plus, he’s almost as good as I am in the field.”
That had nearly all the brothers guffawing and tossing out light-hearted insults at one another. Starsky glanced at Hutch who was enjoying it just as much as he was.
“Shut up, you assholes,” James said. He looked at Starsky. “The name’s William James. Everybody just calls me James. Did a couple of tours in Iraq defusing bombs and now I’m in Houston basically doing the same job. I’ve got a son, too. He lives with his mom in Dallas.”
“Starsky and I’ve known a few from the bomb squad during our time as cops. It’s a rough gig.”
“Not for me,” James said. “It’s easy a lot of times. Dangerous as hell, yeah, but I’m the best at it and I wouldn’t trust anyone else to do it. I figure in a few more years I’ll start teaching some kids the job. Someone helped me figure out that I need to be around a while longer.”
“Hutch and I stayed on the street longer than most because we didn’t have kids, but it made sense to step aside and let the rookies get some glory for a change.”
Starsky and James exchanged a smile.
Everyone’s attention turned to Brian who slid out his chair and stood.
“Well, I don’t have any hero stories to tell. You know all about me and the shit I’ve done. The way I figure it, you’ve got five others to be proud of.”
He started to walk away when Clint shot out of his chair.
“Brian, that’s bullshit and you know it! You think Jim hasn’t bragged about the people you’ve saved. The good work you do.”
“I quit my job, Clint. I give fucking surfing lessons at the damn beach.”
“Three of those kids have won tournaments. Two of them you got back into school and the last one, Jim said you and him have talked about fostering. No bad guy does that shit.”
Brian just shook his head. “Nice try.”
As he walked away, Clint started to follow and Starsky stood. “Clint, I’ve got it. This is on me.”
They watched Starsky follow Brian who had headed out the door.
“This has been rough on him,” Cory said. “Jim’s worried about him since day one.”
“I don’t know about the rest of you, but Brian’s always going to know he’s got family that cares about him,” Clint insisted.
“Damn straight,” James agreed.
“My mother wants to rent out one of the most exclusive restaurants in DC for the lot of us for the next holiday,” Will told the room. “When I told her about you guys, she cried. She sees all of you like her own kids in a way.”
Hutch laughed a little. “Starsky’s been the same. I didn’t want to get his hopes up.”
“And here we thought we’d scare the hell out of him,” Aaron grinned.
“Not a chance,” Hutch replied smiling.
~*~
Jarvis directed Starsky to another floor, a common living area shared by the Avengers. He found Brian out on the balcony nursing a drink. He was careful in his approach.
“Listen,” Brian began. “I’m gonna stay out of the way. You need to get to know them. They want to know you.”
Starsky nodded. That had been the plan, but right now Brian came first.
“I killed a kid.”
That got Brian’s attention and he turned around. “What?”
“It was a long time ago when me and Hutch were on the street.” Starsky gazed at the New York City lights. “His name was Lonnie Craig and he was 16-years-old. He never got to get married, have kids or even grandkids. I think about that sometimes.”
“If you’re here to tell me that you know what it’s like…”
“No, I’m not. Pretty sure you’ve heard that more than once.” Starsky turned to look him in the eye. “I forgot. I’ve been living in a bubble of sorts for a while and you reminded me that I’ve done some terrible shit in the name of the job. I’ve been a damn hypocrite. I should never have thrown any of that in your face.”
“I’ve never paid for my crimes,” Brian told him. “I should have.”
“We pay for them every day whether we know it or not. I’ve hurt people and some have died. I’ve used people in the worst possible way and I’m pretty sure they were traumatized over it. Back in the day, Hutch and me were all about getting the bad guy and using whoever we could. There are years of broken hearts and blood on our hands because of us.”
“Why are you telling me this? Hell, what are you doing here? You should be with them right now.”
“I’ve been an asshole,” Starsky freely admitted. “You didn’t deserve that especially without me knowing the whole story. Besides, you all are a package deal the way I see it.”
Brian finished off his drink and sighed. He had to admit Starsky knew how to talk to him. He even liked the guy now.
“Made a real ass of myself.”
“I should tell you about the time I was an undercover Brazilian dance instructor.”
“Seriously?”
“Pulled off the accent and Hutch is a much better dancer because of it.”
They shared a small laugh.
“If we don’t get back they’ll clean out the desserts,” Brian told him. “James eats enough for a small army.”
Neither were surprised to see the brothers had already dived into the desserts. Starsky and Brian managed to snag a piece of cake. The previous drama was long forgotten as stories were exchanged and everyone was getting to know each other.
It wasn’t long until the conversation turned towards what had brought them all together in the first place.
“Since we now know the whys and wherefores of how Hillcott got your genetic material and what he did with it, there’s not much more to know at this point.” Clint sat next to Starsky on the sofa. “Hell, we never thought we’d get this far.”
“How did he know to pick your mother?” Starsky asked. “Did he do the same thing to other women? Seems to me there’s a few years missing before he got to Detrick. I want those answers.”
Aaron took a seat across from them. “The CIA was likely covering his tracks.”
“He’s right, you know.” Cory moved closer carrying a second piece of cake. “In those intervening years he could’ve done anything.”
“Phil said Hillcott’s itinerary was sporadic after 1980 before getting with Sterisyn-Morlanta,” Clint explained.
“What is Sterisyn,” Hutch asked. He sat on the arm of the sofa next to Starsky.
“It’s the same company that supplied the meds for the Outcome agents,” Will said. “They made Aaron what he is now.”
“Jesus,” Starsky sighed. “You volunteered?”
“Yes,” Aaron simply answered.
“No,” James emphatically stated. He looked at Aaron. “We saw the video. You were a fucking mess and still recovering from an IED that damn near killed you.”
“You weren’t in a good place,” Brian added. “They manipulated you the way we all saw it.”
“I don’t want to see it,” Starsky muttered. He finished off his beer and set it aside. He was done drinking.
“I take it Sterisyn-Morlanta is still in operation,” Hutch supplied. A change of subject was needed.
“The labs are still in full operation,” Clint told him. “The CIA probably still wants those drugs. One of their high-powered execs was in it up to his eyeballs.”
“He’s been in bed with Hirsch and Hillcott since the beginning from what we could tell,” Will said. “His background is as clean as it gets. It helps with inquisitive senators.”
“How clean?” Starsky asked.
“Not even a parking ticket or overdue library book and he gives to all the right charities. He started a PAC which he and a few others have funded quite well.”
“Do we need to know who the beneficiaries of this PAC are?” Hutch asked.
“Mainly the ones sitting in on senate intelligence briefings,” Will answered.
“Who is this paragon?” Starsky grimly asked.
“Terrance Ward,” Clint answered. “We don’t have a thing to bring him down.”
“What?” Hutch asked. “Are you sure?”
“Yeah, his name is on the brochure and he gave a nice in-house promo interview for the troops who work at Sterisyn,” Cory put in.
“We need a picture,” Starsky said. He glanced at Hutch. “If we’re right, then this fills in a big piece.”
“Jarvis,” Clint said. “There’s no connection that we could find between you and Terrance Ward.”
Starsky and Hutch both got to their feet when Jarvis displayed the photo.
“I don’t fucking believe it.” Starsky stated it simply. “Hutch?”
“It’s him, Starsk.”
“Who?” Clint asked.
“You know him?” Aaron got up and stood next to Clint.
“Not as Terrance Ward,” Hutch replied. “We knew him as Terry Nash, a victim of what was done to him at the castle.”
“TN.” Will sighed. “How did he go from being a brainwashed assassin to running a multi-million dollar drug outfit?”
“Only one way to find out.” Starsky looked upwards. “Jarvis, right?”
“Yes, Captain Starsky.”
“Care to tell us where Terrance Ward lives?”
“His permanent home is in Langley, VA. Mr. Ward also has a penthouse in the city. He is currently attending a Broadway show which ends within the hour.”
Starsky found his jacket and slipped it on. Hutch met him there and put a hand on his waist.
“If you’re doing what I think you are, don’t you think everyone has a stake here?”
That was when Starsky realized the brothers were getting ready to leave with him. He nodded at Hutch.
Hutch looked at the brothers and his husband. “Starsk, remember the first time we met Terry? He was proud of killing Joe Durniak.”
“Yeah, he thought the old man killed his wife.”
“It won’t be any different now,” Hutch told him.
“You can’t know that,” Brian said. “How many decades has it been?”
“And look at what he’s accomplished since then,” Hutch iterated.
“What are you telling us?” Clint asked.
“Let him talk. Terry is going to want to talk to whoever listens and what better people than the ones he thinks he helped,” Hutch said.
“You’re right.” Starsky adjusted his jacket. “We let him say his piece.”
“Fine,” Clint said. “We can do that. No promises afterwards. Jarvis send the address to the Navigator. We need a big car.”
“Already done, Agent Barton.”