"So ....outside." Nat stood up, gesturing to the door. "You're gonna have an audience of more than just us," she warned the teens. "No one knows what to expect here."

Rufus came to stand behind the teens, quietly encouraging them to stand and file out after Sue and Natasha.

Steve waited until everyone else filed out before taking up the rear, next to Tony. "Any way we can prevent drawing an audience?" he asked. If anyone was capable of that, Tony was, with the help of Jarvis.

Johnny stepped in to walk beside his daughter, whispering quietly to her, "I hope you know what you're doing." It wasn't that he didn't trust her; it was only that he didn't want to see her or her friends get hurt if they weren't ready. He knew this would be coming someday; he just didn't think it would happen so soon.

"We wouldn't have asked if we didn't think we could do it, Dad," Fliss assured Johnny quietly. "Look, we're not expecting to be right in the thick of it, not this time. It got personal, and it's more than just Mom getting hurt - Hydra upped the stakes, and if they're not taken care of, Uncle Steve is never going to be home for more than two or three days at a time, and the kids don't deserve that. But it's also ....We - I - have the ability to stop bad people from carrying on. If I just stand to one side, then the bad wins. It's like you said - with power comes responsibility, and I'm feeling that responsibility right now."

Johnny quietly listened to everything she had to say before gently taking her arm and pulling her aside, away from the group. "Give us a minute," he said, as the others glanced curiously at the pair.

Nat nodded, drawing the rest of the group along the corridor toward the nearest outside exit, with Sue engaging the nearest of the younger group in conversation just to fill the time.

Fliss moved with Johnny's encouragement, biting her lip as she came to a halt. "I really did think about this," she promised, hoping to get that in there before he spoke again. "We all did."

The delay would give Zach a little time to explain what they could do and how it all worked, but he couldn't stall forever. Johnny waited until they were alone before speaking. What he wanted to say - had to say - couldn't be said in front of a crowd. It wasn't a lecture, but a father's heartfelt words to his beloved daughter.

"Fliss, I know how much you want to help. I understand how important it is to you. And I know what you're capable of, but ..." This was where he paused, unsure if he should go on. Was it fair to tell her how he felt' He didn't want to make her feel guilty, but he needed her to understand the risks. "I almost lost Liv. I don't want to lose you." It wasn't that he didn't trust her or think her capable; it was simply a father's fear of losing those he loved.

Fliss held his gaze for a long moment. "Don't you think that's how I feel about you doing this?" she pointed out. It was a reasonable point - Johnny had always been the one taking the risk to fight the bad guys. She didn't think he had ever been the one waiting at home for news. "I'm not going to be on my own," she promised him. "Lucas, Matt, Zach ....we're a team, Dad. And some of the stuff we can do scares me, sure it does. But if we can make the world safer, then I want to do that. I won't take stupid risks, but I feel like I need to do this."

"Fliss, I hurt someone once because I didn't understand the full extent of my powers. It's something I can never forgive myself for and something that can never be changed. It's not just about what you can do, together or otherwise. It's about control," he pointed out. It was something he'd been stressing ever since they'd found her at the orphanage, and though he was sure she had gained control of her own abilities, could she say the same about the rest of her teammates" "Are you sure Luc and Matt and Zach are in this for the right reasons" Are you sure they aren't gonna go rogue?"

She couldn't help her reaction, feeling defensive and angry on her teammates' behalf. "Yeah, Dad, I trust them," she told him fiercely. "What, you don't think I should trust the guy I love, or his brother, or our friend who was going to join up with you guys whether we joined in with him' Okay, so maybe Matt's a little wild, but he's not stupid, Dad. Mr Bennett made damn sure we know what we're walking into here. He's even talking about teaching us hand to hand so if our powers go down, we're not helpless!"

"It's not about being stupid, Fliss!" Johnny shot back, trying to keep his cool, but they were both pretty hot-headed. He drew a long sigh, not wanting to get angry with her or make her angry. "What do you want me to say' I'm not Luc or Matt's father. I can't tell them what to do. But right now, they're my responsibility. You're my responsibility. And please, don't give me the 'I'm not a kid speech', because I already know that. I also know that if you really want to do this, I can't stop you. But I'm still your father, Fliss, and I'm not gonna stop worrying or caring about you. I know I can't keep you safe in a bubble forever, and I'm damned proud of you for wanting to do this. All I'm asking is that you be careful because I can't lose you. That's all. I just can't," he said, his voice breaking a little toward the end, though he didn't want it to.

She bit her lip, tears threatening to douse the familiar flames in her eyes. It hurt to think he didn't trust that she would make certain before volunteering herself for this. "Dad ....I wouldn't be here, asking for this, if Mr. Bennett didn't think we could handle it," she told him, wondering if he would take the Watcher's opinion on them over her own. "He made us promise that we wouldn't force it if he didn't think we were up to it. We're not going to take stupid risks, I promise. But wouldn't you rather have us working with you, than going it alone?"

"That's why I'm going to say yes," he told her, having already made up his mind about it the minute they'd volunteered. He wasn't so old that he didn't remember what it was like to be that age and to want to do the right thing. "I trust you, Fliss, but you have to promise me something."

"This isn't going to be my life, Dad, I just need to -" She blinked as her brain caught up with her ears. "Wait, what?"

"I said I trust you, but I need you to promise me something," he repeated, not realizing she was stuck on the first part of what he'd just said.

"I can't make any promises for the guys," she warned him, still a little amazed that he had already decided to let them come. "But I can make promises for me."

Now that they'd reached this point, he wasn't even sure what it was exactly that he'd wanted her to promise. He reached for her, hands upon her shoulders to make sure she met his gaze. "You're not gonna be on the front lines, and you're not going alone. It's not that I don't trust you, but you're inexperienced, and if Hydra were to get their hands on you ..." He didn't bother to fill in the blanks there; she'd seen enough with her youngers siblings to know what Hydra was capable of.

"I know," she assured him. "Seriously, Dad, we all know we're not ready for the frontlines. And we know the consequences if Hydra get hold of us. We'll be careful, I promise."

"That's all I ask," he said, reaching for her to pull her into his embrace. "I love you, Fliss. And I'm proud of you," he whispered, for her ears alone, even though there was no one there to overhear them.

Hugging him, Fliss could feel the worst of her tension relaxing as Johnny gave her his blessing to pursue this as far as they were allowed. "I love you, Daddy," she whispered back to him. "Thank you."

"Don't be a hero, Fliss. Remember, you're not in this alone. You're part of a team," he told her - something it had taken him a while to learn. "Okay?" he asked, pulling back from her to meet her gaze once again.

"I promise you, none of us is going to try and be a hero," she said confidently. "You'll see why in a second. Alone, we're all different, but together it's something else."

"Okay, let's go see what you've got," he said, offering a smile, though inside his heart was aching. He knew he had to let her go sometime, but he hoped he wasn't doing the wrong thing. "By the way, the guy you love?" he asked, a hint of teasing in his expression.

"Debriefing in two, three hours," Tony reminded everyone. He might not have been in charge, but he liked pretending he might be on occasion. Even after all these years, he was still integrating into being part of a team.

"Reed, come to the lab," Bruce suggested. "We should get the kids kitted out with the adapted tech."

Reed perked up a little at that. "That's a good idea," he agreed.

"They're gonna need suits," Steve agreed, though he wasn't sure there was enough time for that now. "All of them should be fire resistant, like Johnny's," he pointed out further.

"I'm willing to bet they've got suits," Sue pointed out with a shrug. "We've been sending material back to Earth for Fliss for a while now - pretty sure Bennett's wife has run up a few pieces for this new team of theirs."

"I'm going to watch Nat, too. Who knows" She might need a pair of wings," Sam said, giving Johnny's shoulder a squeeze. "Don't worry. No one's gonna let them get hurt."

As Alyona and Nikolai slipped away to perform their own prep, the group split up, leaving Johnny and Steve with Tony, who looked the Torch square in the eye. "Level with me, Pyro," Stark said bluntly. "Why are you behind her doing this?"

"Do you remember what it was like to be a teenager, Tony?" Johnny countered. It couldn't have been that long ago, could it' It wasn't for him. "What do you think she's gonna do if I tell her no?"

"Sulk and play with her dolls?" Tony suggested, frowning once again. "I don't like it. She's your kid, why are you letting her put herself in danger like this?"

"Because unless I lock her up and throw away the key, she's gonna do it anyway," Johnny told him, unable to hide his annoyance. And if he did lock her up, she'd only end up hating him. "You saw the demonstration, Tony. They're scary powerful. Don't you think it's better we do what we can to lead them than let them go off on their own?"

"She's a kid, Johnny!" Tony protested. "And she's not even the youngest, she's just the shortest - that water boy is even more of a kid than she is!" But the truth was that the decision had been made, and Tony hadn't argued with it. He just didn't understand why Johnny had agreed so easily to what he thought was an unnecessary risk.

"You're not getting it, Tony!" Johnny said, resisting the urge to poke the other man in the chest. "That kid's mother was almost killed. She hates Hydra as much as we do, and if I refuse to let her come along, she's gonna hate me for the rest of her life."

"And if it was just her holding your hand, I'd be cooler with it than unleashing four completely untried kids into a war zone," Tony countered. "What are you gonna ask them to do, destroy one of the main bases" Or send them to evacuate one of the research bases, would that be better for them' Those kids are going to be killers by tomorrow night, no matter where we send them!"

"Not necessarily," another voice broke in, perhaps the voice of reason. It seemed both Tony and Johnny had forgotten that Steve was still standing there, waiting for them to accompany him to see Croft. "You saw what they're capable of, Tony. We're not gonna put them on the front lines, but we sure could use their help."

Tony's jaw twitched as he scowled, but he'd said his piece. "I still don't like it," he said again, shaking his head. "C'mon, let's get Croft in on the act and find out who gets to babysit."

Steve was half-tempted to tell Tony to do it, but he was too worried the man would go off half-cocked and not play fair. As much as Tony had changed, he still didn't seem to understand that there was no I in Team. It was something at least Johnny had come to understand. He had to clench his jaw against arguing further. He knew Tony meant well, but what choice did they have"

"Don't have to be sixteen to need a babysitter," Johnny muttered, turning to go along.

"Pyro, if you are about to tell me she's pregnant too, I am going to kill you," Tony informed him, uncharacteristically blunt for once. He might not consider himself a good uncle, but the mere fact that he was so worried about this suggested he had more invested in his sisters' families than he was willing to admit.

Johnny cringed, gritting his teeth, his temperature rising even higher than it already was.

"Knock it off! Both of you," Steve lectured. "We're supposed to be on the same side here, so act like it!"

"Gosh darn it, if you don't behave yourselves, G.I Capsicle is going to turn this base around," Tony countered, but his voice was definitely lighter than before, a hint of laughter at the fact that he had somehow managed to piss off both his brothers-in-law by stating his case.

"If you think for one second that I'm happy about this or that I'm taking it lightly, you're wrong," Johnny said, swinging around to get in Tony's face, just barely stopping himself from giving his brother-in-law a shove. "What the hell do you know about it, anyway' She's my daughter, not yours, so back off."

Tony's expression darkened as Johnny glared at him. "No, you're right," he agreed. "What would I know" It's not like I have children, or a family I care about. You want me to back off" Sure, fine, I can do that. Your kids won't miss me."

Steve got in between the two of them again. "I said cool off! Both of you!" he scolded, feeling like he was a mediator at the playground trying to talk a couple of schoolkids down from a fist fight. "Johnny, take a walk. Tony and I need to have a few words."

Tony muttered something under his breath - thankfully too low for either of them to hear clearly - and stalked away a few steps, shaking his head.

Johnny didn't look much happier, glaring after Tony and huffing a breath before turning on a heel to leave, but instead of walking away, he turned to flame and shot upwards into the air.

Steve sighed, suddenly feeling old, as he made his way toward Tony. He didn't want to scold either of them, but someone had to. "Are you done?" he asked the other man.

Tony turned his head. "I'm done," he said. "Obviously, I'm done. I'm not allowed to have an opinion on what my sister's kid is deciding to do, so sure, I'm done."

"No one said you're not allowed to voice an opinion, but in the end, it's up to Johnny and Liv," Steve pointed out, still feeling like he was talking to a child.

"It's a really stupid idea," Tony flared suddenly. "She could do anything with her life, why risk it doing this? It's not like we can't handle this without her and her friends."

"You tell me," Steve said, turning the tables on Tony. "Why are you doing it' And don't tell me it's because you're independently wealthy because that's not a reason."