The highest price
I woke up feeling like utter hell. And then I remembered that I shouldn't be awake at all and my eyes popped open. I was staring at a white ceiling, naked under a blanket. I looked. The bruises were ungodly and there were healing lines where I'd actually been cut. It hurt to breathe, but at least I was breathing, my heart beating, my blood not spurting unpleasantly or dribbling anywhere. I took a moment to enjoy that; it's surprising how satisfying it was. Then I looked around and saw Steve on a bench to my right. He was still in his suit, gashed and bloodstained, his clasped hands resting in his lap and his lips moving, although I couldn't hear him say anything. He was crying.
"Steve," I husked. I cleared my throat a little and tried again. "Honey."
He turned his head and looked over, his handsome face drawn. "Emma," he breathed, then swiped at his cheeks, sinking to the floor by my cot and gingerly taking my hand to press to his cheek. I could feel the dampness and the bristles from his beard. "Sweetheart--" and he broke down, crying in earnest. I was so tired that it took a real strong act of will to move, but I rolled over on my side and petted his hair. The humidity level rose in the area around my cot. I couldn't begin to fathom how I was still alive and I was so grateful Steve seemed to be ok. At least, I hoped that it wasn't his blood on his suit.
Attracted by the activity, an attendant came over and waved a scanner like from Star Trek over me and jabbed a hypospray over my sternum. Son of a bitch, that hurt. Don't let anybody tell you that those damned things don't hurt. Alien technology isn't as awesome as you'd think. He/she/it (I couldn't tell with this species) grunted and told me I could go, but that I should get my next cycle of meals from the last window since it would have additional nutrients and boosters for my healing and that I needed to drink a lot of water. Then my uniform was dumped on the end of the bed, and I was turfed out from medical. I thought Steve was going to start crying again when he saw me as he helped me into my suit, but he tightened his jaw and helped me get dressed. We were just in time to get to the showers at the end of the allotted time, and I did feel marginally better. And I was able to reassure myself that Steve was ok; there were bruises on his magnificent body, but nothing that looked too bad, and that slight orange-reddish stain (like dilute methiolate) that showed up when you were speed-healed (like I was currently sporting all over my torso) was absent. As usual, somehow the suits were clean and fixed by the end of it, but then again they had more time than usual on this occasion. I started to loosen up as we walked over to pick up our meals. The team stood up when we walked over and they managed not to hug or pat me, which was really good. I sat down with my tray of food that came complete with an extra-huge electrolyte drink.
"So what happened?" I asked as I started to eat unenthusiastically. The special menu was blander than bland and had no flavor at all, only a slight texture.
"Hulk saw you go down and went to look. I don't know what you said to him but it seemed to piss him off. Put it on my account," Tony said, and Steve smiled slightly. "He hopped over to the orange bastard and started beating the hell out of him. While he was distracted, the arena attendants evacuated you. Once you were clear, Thor called the lightning and roasted the orange guy. Then he dropped the hammer and yelled out that he and Hulk wanted to join our team. That shut everybody up and we all waited around on the sand until the announcer said that the Grandmaster granted the request, the only rule was that weak members couldn't be dropped and that there wasn't anything about people joining the team. So we got the band all back together again."
"You were the longest in Medical," Natasha said briskly. "They weren't sure if they were going to be able to save you. Everybody else got fixed pretty quickly, and Jim actually has some sensation in his legs again."
Jim was grinning. "Even if it's only temporary, it's good to have," he said.
When the next day's schedule was posted after dinner, I was relieved to see that we were in the late afternoon. We sat around the courtyard, nobody saying much, until it was time for bed. I hung back and touched Hulk's arm to get his attention. "I'm sorry I asked you to do that," I said quietly. "I was in a lot of pain and I didn't see how I could make it. Thank you." Hulk looked down at me and made a sniffy/grumbly sound and a hint of a smile, then went into the sleeping barn. I still felt pretty wrecked, so I located Steve and sat on the edge of his bunk.
"Move over," I said, and his smile blossomed across his face. It seemed like a tradition that everybody slept one to a bunk; even the beings who had sex in the showers didn't sleep together, but we'd never been told we had to, so screw that. Steve tucked me under the light blanket and laid down so that my back was to the wall and he was between me and the room. I squirmed forward so that I cuddled around his back and draped my arm over his side.
It was the best night's sleep I'd had here, and I woke up feeling a lot more cheerful. I pried myself off him reluctantly, and we went through the morning routine. After breakfast, we just sat around in the courtyard, conserving our strength and resting for our next match. Then we had to get our weapons, and we were led out to the sands. Our opponents weren't waiting for us, so we must be the higher ranked team. But as we stood there, the crowd grew restless and no other team appeared. "Look," Sam said finally, and we all looked toward the far end of the oval arena. Someone was coming.
We got our first look at the Grandmaster when he stopped in front of us. Tall, around seven feet, he had blue skin, white hair, and reddish eyes that kind of creeped me out. It was also very, very creepy how fast he moved. He surveyed us all carefully, then his gaze returned to me.
"So this is the catalyst for the unexpected events in yesterday's game," he said, in a strangely normal voice. "Interesting. Ordinary looking, but...interesting. You have been touched by the Allfather's power." He walked slowly over to me, circling me. It took a lot of will power to let him go behind my back, but I felt that it was really important to not piss him off.
"It seems like the power was originally related to durability, strength, but for a lifeform, it has translated to years of life. You currently possess about seventy years of extra life that will be used when your years are over. Interesting. Given your injuries yesterday, I would have expected the extra lifespan to have tolled, but this is not the case." His eyes narrowed. "A new game. I give you three choices. You can keep your years to yourself, and outlive most of those you love." He showed his weird red stare to Steve. "Or I can take those years and use them to return you to a physical state of twenty years ago. This would happen." He motioned, and we were all shown what those years would bring.
A baby girl, with Steve, and later, a baby boy. I watched our daughter have her first crush on Peter, our son learning archery from Clint. Natasha gave her makeup lessons and Bucky taught both of them to shoot and maintain firearms. Our daughter, graduating from Oxford and later from Harvard, working for Tony. Our son joining the Avengers. Scenes flipped by. Then they ended.
"And the third choice," the Grandmaster said in satisfaction. A gesture, and two lifeless bodies appeared, hanging limply in the air. Vision, and a white-haired boy.
"That's Pietro, Wanda's twin," Steve muttered, his hand gripping mine so tightly it was painful.
"Your seventy years to one of them. Your choice would be restored, their memories and abilities intact." The Grandmaster's smile now was cruel. "Make your choice."
It wasn't an impossible choice; the first choice, keeping the years, was out. I didn't want to outlive my friends like that. But the remaining two choices.... if the Grandmaster had disemboweled me and I was watching my guts slither over the sand, it would have hurt less. I hadn't wanted kids, but the suddenly prospect of having kids with Steve...
I pointed. "That one."
I'd taken the Grandmaster by surprise. He nodded once, and the figure of Pietro fell to the sand and sat up, shaking his head. Wanda dropped down beside him to embrace him.
"Why did you choose him?" Sam asked, baffled. "I'd have bet my wings here that you'd have taken the kids."
I swiped at my cheeks and snorted back the snot. "Odin told me that the Grandmaster always keeps his word. His words were that these events would happen. Steve and I would have two children." I had to stop talking to keep myself from breaking down completely. I could barely feel the tears anymore, but my eyes hurt.
"You guys didn't see?" Tony said impatiently. "Sure, they had the two kids, but Rogers quit the Avengers and went on the PR circuit, which you could see he hated. Barnes taught them to be killers, and Romanov was teaching the girl how to bait a honey trap. Barnes disappeared from the images about then and never came back. So did Romanov. The Hulk and Thor never showed up in any of the images. I turn into a raging drunk, apparently, with the girl having to oust me from the company to save it. Emma stops showing up after the girl takes over the company, then the boy, then Rogers. Everybody else stops appearing in the images prior to that. And none of us ended up looking happy except for Barton. So if there aren't the kids, then the rest of us might not end up in that future."
About halfway through Tony's explanation, Steve pulled me into a hug that was so tight it almost balanced out the pain inside, rocking me.
"But why not Vision?" Thor wanted to know.
I managed to turn my head enough to say, "Mindstone."
For once, Tony didn't have the interpretation. There was silence on the sand except for the sounds of Steve and me trying to keep it together. "The model of Vision didn't have the Mindstone. And the Grandmaster doesn't have it, Hela does, to give to Thanos. The reason Thor trusted Vision was because the power of the Mindstone would keep him from being like Ultron." I managed to explain.
"I'm a little disappointed that you picked that up," the Grandmaster said severely. "The return of the other one would have been most entertaining to watch. The rest of it is as you were told; the birth of those children would have led to a string of events that would have fractured the strongest of friendships, beginning with the retirement of your leader that would have left your band vulnerable to actions that went bad. The safest choice would have been for her to retain her gift of years. The selfless choice was to benefit the unstable teammate. I'm still getting the best of the arrangement with Hela, however."
"What was the rest of the arrangement?" Thor wanted to know, his anger practically palpable.
"What you would expect," the Grandmaster said dismissively. "I agreed to provide you with every opportunity to get yourself killed. In return, she has provided me with quite astonishing variables for my games. Satisfaction all around. Prepare yourself for your match." He surveyed us again; Steve was the only thing keeping me upright, he was as emotionally wrecked as I was, and who knew if Wanda and Pietro would be effective. Everybody else was disturbed at varying levels, but Hawkeye was the most level headed as he stepped over to check on the twins. If we got another fat orange bastard, we'd be toast. The Grandmaster gave us that cruel smile again and used that inhuman speed to return to the far end of the oval.
"Hey there," a voice behind us said, and I peer around Steve blearily to see a group of five standing behind us. "I'm Peter Quill, but you might know me better as Starlord." I dropped my head back on Steve's chest. "No? Dammit," he complained to his companions. "We save Xandar and the rest of the universe and still nobody recognizes me?"
"I am Gamora," the green woman said icily. She looked like a stone killer.
"Drax the Destroyer," the big bulky man proclaimed proudly. Whatever. Wait til he gets a load of Hulk, smashing.
"And I'm Rocket," a talking raccoon said in kind of a mean voice. I blinked to make sure I was seeing what I thought I was seeing. Yep, still a raccoon. Carrying a potted plant.
"I am Groot," the plant said helpfully.
Tony flipped up his mask. "We're the Avengers," he said briefly. Quill spread his hands, shaking his head. "We're from Earth," Tony said.
"Really?" Quill said, delighted. "Me too! I was kidnapped by Yondu when I was a kid, though. Haven't been back."
"Uh, yeah," Tony said. "Tony Stark. I'm Iron Man. That's Steve Rogers, Captain America, the lady is the Paladin, then there's Thor, Hulk, Ant-Man--" Scott waves--"War Machine, Jim Rhodes, Sam Wilson, the Falcon, Black Panther, King T'Challa, the Winter Soldier, Bucky Barnes, and the Black Widow, Natasha Romanov. There's Hawkeye, Scarlet Witch, and her brother."
I see that Gamora and Natasha have recognized each other's ability, and everybody is sizing up everybody else. The other team looks a little daunted.
"You know, this has been a really sucky couple of days," I said, sniffing and loosening Steve's hold on me a little. "Do you mind if we ask for single combat?"
Tony put his hand on my shoulder. I looked up at him and he nodded. The other team conferred. "OK," Quill said cautiously. Tony made the request, and we waited. And waited.
Finally--"The Grandmaster has seen fit to grant your request," the announcer said.
Great. "Let's fuck with the Grandmaster a little," I muttered.
"That's a freebie," Steve murmured, and I managed a little smile. He helped me up, and we walked halfway over to the other team. The raccoon glared at us suspiciously.
"So what's the most fun kind of single combat you can come up with?" I asked, and Quill's face lit up.
"Dance off, bro!" he exclaimed. I snorted accidentally in amusement and choked on some snot.
We turned back to our team. "Somebody get out there and prepare to bust a move," I said, and dropped to the sand, Steve beside me. Jim, Thor, and Hulk came over to stand beside us. The others huddled, then T'Challa, Bucky, the twins, and Hawkeye joined us too. Natasha sat beside me.
Sam, Scott, and Tony stood in a line across from Quill, Gamora, and Drax. Quill jumped into the space between the two groups and started singing "Kung Fu Fighting." I sat up straight, jaw dropping. It was ridiculous, but he was giving it his all, dancing like nobody's business. It wasn't "So You Think You Can Dance," but damned if it wasn't fun. Drax had a little smile on his face, and my team started to smile.
Tony countered credibly with Van Halen's "Runaround." Then Drax was up with some song that I didn't know, probably interstellar, moving awkwardly to what might be a beat, and Scott broke out some break dancing moves to the unexpected choice of "I Wanna Be Sedated," by the Ramones. Then Gamora got into the grove of "Take Your Time (Do It Right)" with backing vocals by Quill, and Sam tore up the sand with a rousing rendition of "Rock the Boat." Quill shoved Rocket out, and he did his best with a kind of spastic version of "Blitzkreig Bop," and Natasha stood up, dusted the sand off her pants, and proceeded to boogie to "Don't Bring Me Down." Who knew she was an ELO fan? Then Rocket put Groot's pot down, and the little tree-like guy waved his branches to the Jackson 5's "ABC". It was adorable. Then, to my great surprise, Clint stepped over and sat crosslegged and proceeded to wave his arms around to "I'll Take You There." It was so funny that I started to laugh, and before long, everybody was laughing and singing along. After the last notes died away, Rocket picked up the pot again and Clint joined us. We waited. And waited. I dozed a little, leaning against Steve.
Finally, the announcer spoke. "The Grandmaster is unable to determine who won the match," the voice said, surly. "The combatants are dismissed." We picked ourselves up smartly and headed for the gate.
"I think you made the right choice," Steve said to me, his voice low. "I didn't see all of what you and Tony saw, but I saw Bucky looking unhappy and disappearing, everybody getting progressively grimmer. Including you; I've never seen you look so sad." I looked at him, startled. I hadn't noticed me. "It wasn't a good future. Even the kids didn't look happy." He let out a deep breath. "I think that some prices are too high to pay."
"I was afraid..." I started, then couldn't finish.
"I would have loved to have kids with you," he said simply. "But not those two." We reached the gates in silence. But not alone.