Avengers: Endgame

Evie examined her reflection in the mirror one last time.

She was wearing one of Natasha’s old Widow suits, which she had modified long ago to create her Void attire. This was the last one left actually.

The black catsuit had no Widow emblems; instead, it had been altered to better accommodate the Iron Armor once it activated. She watched as the nanotech came to life, gliding seamlessly across her body. The matte black color featured discreet blue lines that added a subtle touch, making it uniquely hers. The armor spread to cover the top half of her torso and shoulders, while she placed cuffs to better protect her forearms. It had been designed for defense, which is why they lacked jet propulsors and palm blasters. She relied on her powers for that. Instead, she made sure to pocket her saber, with the blade concealed safely in its hilt, powered down and lacking its luminescent white shine.

“Ms. Stark, your father, and Rocket have the gauntlet in the cradle and are requesting your presence.” With a quick thanks to Friday, Evie made her way into the main laboratory. 

True to her word, Evie found her dad and the feisty mammal giving the artifact a final inspection, just as Friday had said. In fact, everyone was present—well, almost everyone. However, with the daunting task ahead, no one seemed to be questioning where Nebula had disappeared to, neither then nor during lunchtime when she wasn’t around.

“All right…” Rocket said with some hesitancy, “the glove’s ready. Question is, who’s gonna snap their freakin’ fingers?” 

Everyone stares blankly for a bit till someone blurts out, “I’ll do it.” 

They turned to see Thor gunning for the cradle.

“Excuse me?” Tony chided, already stepping forward to stop him. “It’s okay,” the Asgardian said dismissively. But by then, both Steve and Tony had an arm sticking out, putting his course to a halt. Both of them talking over one another, telling Thor to stop, and slow down. “Wait, wait, wait. Thor, just wait.” Steve said calmly, “We haven’t decided who’s gonna put that on yet.”

Evie could sense his anxious energy motivating him, pushing him to act. “I’m sorry. What, we’re all just sitting around waiting for the right opportunity?” He asked incredulously. A hint of desperation in his exasperation. She knew exactly where the conversation was going, and therefore, started to emit a calm tranquility to placate her big brother from space.

Meanwhile, Scott stepped in saying, “We should at least discuss it.” Interrupting Rocket who mumbled under his breath. “Maybe I was getting around to it-” 

“Look,” Thor started up again. “Sitting here staring at that thing, is not going to bring everybody back.” He took a deep breath before continuing to make his case. “I’m the strongest Avenger, okay?” Evie came up behind him placing a firm but steady hand on his shoulder causing him to turn and take her in. “This responsibility falls upon me… Fate wills it so!” 

Very calmly she took his hands, passing on the gentle waves of relaxation over to him. Forcing his mind to be still and clear. “It’s not about that.”

But he was still jumpy, still determined to take on the heavy toll. “Shhh, just stop it sister-” 

“Thor hold on, it’s not about that-” 

“No! Let me do this!” He said with more insurance, pulling away from her. “Just let me-” His face suddenly contorted with mild agony, and he dumped her shoulder with a dull fist. “Just let me do it.” He whispered, pleading with his eyes. “Just let me do something good. Something right.”

Evie was sympathetic, as was everyone else present. She blinked back her own emotions. “Brother listen to me, please. Besides the fact that thing is channeling enough energy to light up our side of the hemisphere. I’m telling you; in all honesty, you are in no condition.”

With a dry chuckle, he grabbed both her shoulder and her dad’s. Eyes flickering between the two Starks. “What, what do you think is coursing through my veins right now?” 

“Cheez Whiz,” Rhodey answered absentmindedly. Thor snapped to her uncle, pointing at him and glaring.

“Lighting.” He clarified confidently. 

“Yes, you are a living storm but-” 

“Lightning won’t help you, pal…” Bruce said, taking the stand after taking Evie’s word right out of her mouth. “It’s gotta be me.” Thor shook his head in defeat as the others went to give their attention to the other man now speaking. Evie rubbed Thor’s back, hoping to convey the feeling of solidarity and understandment in what Banner was taking upon himself and why the former king couldn’t do it himself. Which seemed to work as he bent down and rested his head on her shoulder as she continued to comfort him. 

“You saw what those stones did to Thanos. They almost killed him,” Bruce spoke evenly as he approached the cradle with measured steps. “None of you could survive.” 

Steve interjected next, posing the same question Evie was going to ask. “How do we know you will?” 

“We don't,” Bruce said, staring down the thing that held the infinite power of the universe. “But the radiation is mostly gamma. It’s like…” He paused for a beat before adding, “I was made for this.”

As Bruce reached into the cradle suspending the gauntlet in midair, Evie got a horrible chill. A nasty shiver ran down her spine. There was malice in the air but with the events about to unfold, she chalked it up to the six elemental crystals that were moments away from going bang.

“Good to go?” Tony questioned, circling the green giant. 

“Let’s do it,” Bruce replied confidently.

Her father finally stopped his pacing to face Banner directly. Giving him a pointed look. “Okay, remember, everyone Thanos snapped away five years ago… you’re just bringing them back to now, today. Don’t change anything from the last five years. Got it?” With his final words, his eyes darted towards Evie, who nodded curtly before returning her gaze to the man with the gauntlet.

“Got it.”

As Bruce’s fingers flexed around the smooth metal, everyone twitched with anticipation. Steve gripped his shield a bit tighter, Scott’s helmet deployed, as did Rhodey’s. Rocket placed his goggles on before putting both hands over his junk. Prompting Thor to move and block him protectively. Tony armored up, then engaged his nano shield to cover Clint who was beside him. Evie’s eyes glossed over, turning pitch-black. Dark smoke began to billow off her form as she shaped it into a translucent dome around the Hulk.

Meanwhile, Tony spoke to their AI. “Friday, do me a favor and activate Barn Door Protocol, will ya?” 

“Yes, boss.” 

Enormous steel doors slid shut sealing off both the workshop and the compound, effectively encasing them in a metal box.

Finally, with a small nod, Bruce held up the gauntlet muttering mostly to himself, “Everybody comes home.”

“Everybody comes home,” Evie whispered, repeating his words as a prayer. 

Slowly, Bruce inched his hand into the glove. The moment the nanites adjusted to his large size and fully gripped his hand, Banner began to spasm as the crystals flared. As their power surged up his arm, he groaned in pain and dropped to one knee. Soon, he was nearly shouting. His arm convulsed as he fought against the cosmic energy flowing through him.

Concerned, Thor shouted, “Take it off! Take it off!”

Evie moved in to try to siphon some of his pain in hopes of providing relief, but Steve held out his hand to stop her. “No, wait. Bruce, are you okay?” As Banner continued to cry out in distress, Tony stepped in. 

“Talk to me, Banner.”

Working through the agony, Bruce grunted again before finally nodding. “I’m okay,” he breathed out. Thor responded with two thumbs up. With heavy panting, Bruce gathered what little strength he had left and let out a roar, hoisting up his arm just as a bright surge of energy crawled up his neck.

Then, as everyone else held their breath and braced themselves for the inevitable, he snapped his fingers.

A bright white light blinded them all, and Evie felt the ground shake beneath her feet. Once her vision returned, she saw Bruce’s green eyes blaze brightly before they dimmed as he passed out, collapsing onto the floor with a heavy thud and dropping the glove from his hand. As everything came back into focus, everyone rushed to Bruce’s side, while Clint kicked the smoking gauntlet away from them. 

“Bruce!”

“Don’t move him!” Evie instructed, placing herself by his head and placing her hands on the back of his neck and shoulders. Both checking for his pulse and using her powers to draw away his pain. “Dad!” 

“On it.”

While Tony sprayed his affected arm with a medical-grade topical antibiotic sedative, the others crouched down to look him over. With much of his suffering alleviated by Evie’s magic, Bruce pried open his eyes, trying to focus on his surroundings and get grounded. He gripped Cap’s arm. “Did it work?” He asked in between labored breaths. 

There was a split second in which everyone paused, as if the thought had just barely occurred to them. Thor tried to sound positive when saying, “we’re not sure. It’s okay…” 

As Scott noticed the blast doors retreating, he walked tentatively towards the courtyard windows. He stared in awe at the bird feeder hanging in from the lush tree. His mouth slightly agape. There were dozens of cardinals and finches nibbling hungrily on the seeds.

At the same time from across the room, Clint heard the vibration of a cell phone. His phone.Stunned, he approached the device as if it were to blow up at any given moment. But when he saw his wife’s photograph along with her name across the screen his bottom lip wobbled as the tidal wave of emotion overcame him. He plucked it off the table and held it to his ear.

“Honey?” 

“Clint?” 

Evie just barely heard Scott speak. Saying, “guys… I think it worked.” When suddenly she had a strange warning blaring in her mind. A warning that provoked her to shutter horribly. Just then a sinister shadow blocked out the sun’s natural light.

As she focused up to see what was the source, Evie recognized the space craft looming above. It was Thanos' warship, the Sanctuary. The very one that brought death and destruction to the Statesman. The vessel the Asgardians used to flee from Ragnarok. She had just barely made out the lights of a missile and sucked in air when a massive blast detonated in the courtyard.

The swell of the explosive tossed everyone in different directions. She heard glass and metal shatter and twist, feeling the heat of an intense flame lick at her face and skin as she was propelled through the air like a rag doll cast aside. Evie collided violently against something hard and jagged, no sooner did she try to open her eyes, when more bombs went off.

They were being attacked without mercy. Rocking the compound down to the bedrock, destroying everything within its perimeters. There was no chance to raise any sort of defence. No form of protection.

Evie was given no time to think or breathe before she felt the crushing weight of something massive collapse on top of her, forcing out any remaining air from her lungs as the world plunged into an abyss. But she didn’t succumb to the darkness. She called upon her power to take over fully. Yet right as she used them to lift the massive piece of debris from her, the ground below caved. A sinkhole swallowed her and everything on top. 

Landing harshly, she just barely opened her eyes in time to throw her hands up and hold back tons of concrete and metal from crushing her. However, regrettably late, Evie noticed the break in her arm.

The immense pressure of the rubble slipped from her grasp and she was soon buried. With smoke polluting the air, everything came to settle with a disturbing silence. She started to panic. There was barely any room to move and something had very clearly gone clean through the small area above her right hip. Piercing her intestines and narrowly missing something more important like her kidney. She screamed out in pain. She couldn’t breath, must less wiggle out to free herself. And to make matters worse there was a fire spreading and it was starting to get close to her feet. Just then her comms crackle to life. 

“Mayday, mayday! Does anyone copy?!” 

It was the voice of her uncle Rhodey. With one arm trying to mend, she forced the other one to reach her ear. 

“We’re on the lower level. It’s flooding!” 

Another frustrated yell was released as she tried to get back on her feet. The worst possible thoughts clouded her mind as she forced her body to catch up with what she was trying to do. 

“We’re drowning! Does anybody copy? Mayday!” 

Evie gritted her teeth and tried to push the rubble off once more. As she grunted in pain and excursion, she channeled everything into getting the boulders off her when the sound of feet crunching the rubble caught her attention. “Hey! Hey, over here!” She screamed frantically, hoping it was a friend and not one of Thanos’ disciples here to finish what they hadn’t accomplished five years prior. As the heavy footsteps came closer, her mind instantly leveled enough to let her know it was exactly who she needed in that moment. 

“Little sister! Oh thank the All-Fathers you’re alive!” A bitter laugh fell from her lips, “not for much longer if we don’t get this shit off me! I got rebar in my gut and if I keep bleeding like this I’m not gonna last long!” 

“Okay, okay! I got you, don’t worry!” Thor examined the mass before choosing from where to hoist up the ruins. She soon felt the relief from the pressure pinning her down. Thor lifted it with ease before throwing it aside.

Without giving her mind a chance to remind her of how much it was about to hurt, Evie obligated her body to comply with the demand. Thor reached down and helped get her off the floor. As they did, Evie screamed as the rough and serrated metal left her with a surge of blood gushing from the wound.

Free from her entrapment, Evie held on to Thor, steading herself as she dug around her pockets with shaky hands searching for the bottle of suture spray to temporarily bind the skin together allowing her powers to mend the wound. Once she found it she immediately began to apply it.

Gritting her teeth, she inhaled sharply as the burning sensation led the way for her to continue on despite the severe injury now on the way to healing.