Remember Me, My Friend
Clint was gone. Natasha was sure that he had to be. Clint Barton would not be killing a man begging for his life. Clint Barton wouldn’t even be using a sword, and Clint Barton would most definitely not have gotten a mohawk. That was one thing Natasha new for a fact. She watched as he sliced his way through the criminals he was fighting. He knew that she was there, she could tell he did.
“Clint,” she said after the last man had fallen. She stepped forward, ignoring the blood that pooled around her feet in the rain. When Clint turned to look at her, Natasha was met with the face of a broken man. She knew that Laura and the kids were gone. So many of his friends were gone, along with his place in the Avengers ever since retirement. Kate Bishop was alive, but she had left after the snap, the loss of her friends and family proving too much to bear. “Clint, we need your help,” she said. The archer just shook his head, and Natasha sighed.
“We’ve found a way to fix this,” she said. “We’re working to fix this.” Clint just shook his head.
“Don’t do that. Don’t give me hope,” he said.
“It’s our only choice,” Natasha said.
“And if it fails?” Clint asked.
“Then we will have died trying,” Natasha replied.
~
Silven felt Jax’s pull on his magic. Now that he had gotten his message to Mestin, he could feel the barriers the soul realm had set up to keep him from the others wearing thin. He pushed with his magic back against the soul realms energy in an attempt to help Jax.
“Silven, are you there?” Jax’s voice rang in his mind and he closed his eyes as he felt the soul stone’s energy begin to weaken and tare. He could feel darkness pulsing around him, and didn’t have to open his eyes to know that she was dragging him to wherever she and the Avengers were in the soul realm.
When Silven felt the darkness begin to retreat, Silven opened his eyes to find himself surrounded by a group of unfamiliar beings. Most looked to be human, while others were species he had never seen before including some sort of weapon-holding raccoon. Jax stood before him, her darkness swirling around her and climbing up her arms and legs.
Beside Jax stood a man in blue robes and a red cloak who gave off a powerful magical signature. Silven reached out lightly with his magic and found that this man was indeed a mage or the Earthen version of one at least. On the other side of Jax was a woman dressed in scarlet with ginger-dyed hair. He could sense a different kind of magic on her. It was not natural, but it seemed to be in the process of molding with her soul. It was far more stable than Jax’s darkness, a creation that was also not a natural gift.
Behind them was a boy that also gave off a signature that attracted Silven’s attention, but for completely different reasons. He could sense familiar energy coming from him. Orûk’s energy. This must have been the winter spirit’s host on Earth.
“Silven Drascoue?” The man in the blue robes asked. Silven returned his gaze to him.
“Yes, Dr. Strange?” he questioned in return. The man nodded his head.
“Well, then I have a lot to tell you. I’m going to need you to get in contact with one of your Earth friends. I have set a plan in motion, and I need someone on the ground floor aware of it. Stephen nodded in agreement and led Silven over to the rock formation where he usually sat when looking through the soul realm.
“What do you need me to do?” Stephen asked.
“I need to pick someone. Someone you know would be wise enough to keep a secret in order to save the future, even if it means having a guilty conscious,” Silven said. Stephen squeezed his eyes shut. He knew exactly who would be able to do that. He just didn’t want to have to put him through it.
“I take it you have someone in mind?” the mages asked. Stephen nodded stiffly. “Good. I need you to find them for me. I can use my magic to open the soul realm, but I need you to transfer the message. I have already spoken to my people on the outside. They are currently headed to Earth and are aware of what’s going to happen.” Stephen nodded.
“Alright, what’s the plan?”
~
Carol maneuvered Mestin and Emilia’s ship carefully through the atmosphere before lowering it down in front of the compound. She could see Tony, Bruce, Steve, and Nebula running out to meet her and heard the war machine armor approaching from above.
“They’re here,” Tony whispered to himself.
“It’s not any kind of ship I recognize,” Nebula said as they approached.
“Frost knows it,” Loki said, appearing beside them. “He says it’s of Enexion.” Tony stared at the trickster god in shock.
“You can hear him?”
“We can communicate in the astral plane,” he replied easily. “The strongest mage in Ferwan and the Lady Love are aboard that ship. They are friends,” Loki reported. Tony watched as Carol put the ship down with a resounding thumb, and opened the ramp.
The first person to walk out was a woman with candy red hair, and a leather jacket with similarly colored ribbons weaved tightly into the material. She eyed the others on the lawn in a way that suggested she was ready for a fight but didn’t particularly want one. It was a look that Nebula knew well from her time with Gamora.
The second person off was a man with dark skin and an orange cloak wrapped tightly around him. He was looking straight ahead, and Loki could sense magic surrounding him. While he looked far less confident than his companion, the waiting Avengers got the sense that he was the deadlier of the two.
“Carol, what’s going on?” Steve asked.
“Picked up two more, they’re friends of Frost’s,” she said. Just then the man’s head snapped up.
“Orûk, he’s here,” he stated. “I can sense him… why can’t I see him? Where is he?” It ended up being Loki who answered the mage’s question.
“His host was killed in Thanos’ snap, so he cannot take a corporeal form until we have undone it,” he explained. Mestin nodded and turned in the general direction of where he could sense Frost.
“Orûk, it’s good to know you’re alright,” he said. The winter spirit smiled sadly, though he knew that none of them could see it. “I was told that you are planning to go back in time to retrieve the stones, we’re here to help,” he explained.
“How do you know that?” Rogers asked. “Carol wasn’t here when we finalized the details… no one but the people that haven’t left the compound sense.” Emilia and Mestin glanced at each other carefully before the mage began to speak again.
“I’ve been contacted by someone in the soul realm. He told me about your plan and that I needed to come and help you. He didn’t say much, only that I’d need to be there afterward,” he said.
“Clint and Natasha just got back an hour ago, so we were getting ready to go. I’m afraid that we don’t have enough extra particles to take anyone else with us,” Scott said, popping up from his shrunk form. Emilia nodded in understanding.
“Well, maybe that’s for the best. While we know how to get the stones, we still need to be able to find a way to wield them. Maybe some magic would be useful,” Loki suggested. “Frost thinks it would be a good idea,” he said when they all turned to look at him in surprise.
“We’ll do that, then. Orûk has never led us wrong before,” Emilia said. Mestin looked like he wanted to disagree, but a glare from Emilia made him shut up.
“Well you won’t be on your own too long,” Scott said. “It will only seem like a moment to you before we’re back.” Mestin nodded.
“Alright everybody, I guess that means that it’s time for us to suit up,” Tony said. “I’ve got special travel suits and new helmets,” he explained as they headed into the compound. “Now I’m not sure how stable this machine is yet… it won’t break down on us, but I haven’t been able to run enough tests to determine if it is releasing any dangerous kinds of radiation, so the suits stay on the whole time. Helmet included,” he said.
“I’m surprised the UN is okay with the risk factor,” Steve said.
“They agreed that these were special circumstances. So long as I made sure the room was insulated and promised to destroy the machine after, they said that they wouldn’t cause any problems,” Tony explained.
“Your suits are in your rooms. Well actually, Bruce, Nebula, and Natasha’s are still in my lab. I just finished them up like, five minutes ago. Next time we do this, I want a nicer schedule,” Tony said. They all nodded and broke apart to get prepared.
“Can we see the machine?” Mestin asked.
“Sure, this way,” Tony replied, bringing the two newcomers towards the room where in just a few moments, they would attempt to rewrite space and time.
~
Stephen watched as Silven closed up the rift he’d made in the soul realm. The mage had exerted all of his strength so that Stephen would be able to have a few extra moments to talk to Tony after delivering the message, and he felt a rush of gratitude towards him for it.
“He understands the plan?” Silven asked, panting from the effort of keeping the connection open for so long.
“Yes,” Stephen said. “It hurts him greatly, but he knows that it must happen. The universe is at stake. We can’t let a hand full of lives stand between us and those stones. We did that last time, and look where it got us,” Stephen replied. Silven nodded.
“You’ve been working with Jax,” he said. Stephen blinked the change of topic startling him for a moment.
“Yes, her power is quite remarkable but equally unstable. It wouldn’t serve us any good to have her lose control the second we get back. I don’t even want to know what would happen if that darkness were allowed to consume Earth.”
“No, you don’t,” Silven agreed. Stephen’s eyes narrowed.
“Do you know? What would happen, I mean?” he asked carefully. Silven stared ahead for a moment before responding.
“There’s a place that lies beyond our universe. They call it the Nox. It’s a place of eternal darkness. Of nothing. It is where Jax’s powers come from. When Morgalith created her, he accidentally made a portal into the Nox. If Jax were to lose control of the darkness, it would pull Earth in and we’d be trapped there.
“What would happen once there?” Stephen asked, his time in the dark dimension flashing through his mind.
“Nothing,” Silven replied simply. “The Nox is nothing but darkness. There is no time, and there is no light. We would be frozen as we are for the rest of eternity. There is no worse Hell.”
“So this Nox, can it be stopped?” Stephen asked.
“Once fully freed? No. It can be contained, but not stopped. If it were to take Earth, it is very unlikely that it would contaminate other planets. In order to leave, Jax would have to be conscious, and so they would be trapped once more.”
“Would she be able to save Earth? If the happened?” Stephen asked, casting an uneasy look at the Shadow Wielder as she practiced with Wanda.
“I can’t be sure. It’s never been tested before, so we have no way of knowing,” Silven explained. Stephen nodded, brow furrowed.
“And your sure that she won’t lose control on the battlefield with Thanos?” he asked and Silven nodded.
“She’s been in a stressful situation that has called for her powers before. She can do it,” the mage said confidently. The conversation died down for a moment before Silven asked yet another question that caught Stephen off guard. “Have you tried looking into the future again?”
“No I mean, I don’t have the time stone anymore. It’s impossible,” Stephen said. Silven sighed.
“Then I suppose we’ll have to rely solely on what you saw before and hope it works. I’m afraid that the soul realm will be able to offer us no further assistance.”
~
The assembled heroes stood around the machine, their suits and helmets fully activated, and their Pym particles ready to go.
“Alright, everybody clear on the plan?” Tony asked across the coms. “Rogers, Ant-man, and I will be heading to New York to get the time, space, and mind stones. Thor, Loki, and Rocket will retrieve the reality stone from Asgard. Nebula and War Machine will head off to grab the power stone before Starlord can get his hands on it, and Black Widow will head to Vormir with Hawkeye for the soul stone,” he said. They all nodded.
“Great, then let’s get going,” Bruce said only to be interrupted as Clea came skidding into the room.
“Wait!” she said, running over to Tony. “Take this,” she said, handing him an ancient looking ring. It was thick and made of solid gold and encrusted with shards of dark pink geode. “Take this with you. If you show it to the Sorceress Supreme, she’ll believe your story,” she instructed.
“What is it?” Tony asked, examining the artifact.
“It’s not dangerous, don’t worry. It’s enchanted to protect the wearer, but mostly just sits in a glass case for the students to look at. She recognizes it though, and she’ll know that only Strange could have given it to you.” Tony nodded his thanks and Clea quickly portaled away. All the sorcerers were on guard in case something went wrong with the time travel. Should time be ripped apart, it would be up to them to protect whatever remained of reality.
“Well I guess this is it, then,” Scott said.
“I’ll be waiting,” Carol called, smiling at Rhodey who smiled back behind his helmet. Cint gave Natasha a reassuring half-smile which she returned.
“See you in a minute,” she said into the comms.
“You too,” Steve said. And then they were gone.
~
The feeling of speeding through the quantum realm was not one that Tony enjoyed. It wasn’t anything like flying in the Ironman suit or even speeding down the freeway with the top down. Even with the suit on, he still felt as though his skin was being peeled away by the speed they were going at.
The group of three landed abruptly in New York City, and they all had to take a moment to steady themselves.
“Well that was unsettling,” Scott noted before diving to the side to avoid a piece of falling debris.
“Ah, memories,” Tony said sarcastically. “Now, let’s get going. Bruce, you take the sanctum. Scott, Rogers and I will-”
“Ah, Tony? I don’t think that’s the best idea,” Bruce said.
“What? What do you mean?” Tony demanded.
“Well, Clea gave you the artifact, so clearly she thinks it’s best if you go talk to the sorceress. Besides, you’ve been there a lot more than the rest of us, so wouldn’t it be quicker?” he pointed out Tony looked down at the rng in his hand and eventually nodded.
“Yeah, I suppose you’re right,” he agreed. “Keep the coms open though. If you run into any problems, let me know.”
“Got it. So, we break now?” Scott asked. Given the circumstances, Tony had expected the Ant-man’s energy and optimism to have been a bit squandered. Clearly, he was wrong.
“Alright, let’s head out,” Steve said. He, Bruce, and Scott headed towards the compound while Tony made his way quickly to the Sanctum. It would be far faster to fly, he thought, but far more noticeable too. The Iron Legion wasn’t in use yet, so he wouldn’t be able to blend in as one of them if he took to the skies. Walking would have to do.
When he arrived at the Sanctum, he looked around quickly before taking off and landing on the roof to find a woman with a shaved head and flowing, yellow robes block debris from hitting the sanctum.
“I take it you’re the Ancient One?” Tony asked. “I’m here because of Stephen Strange.” The women considered him thoughtfully, and Tony got the uncomfortable feeling that she was reading his soul like a book.
“Well, then I’m afraid your about five years too early. Dr. Strange is currently performing surgery a few blocks over,” she replied. “You aren’t here for him though, you were hoping to catch a glimpse of him, but he’s not the reason you came,” she said.
“Yeah, I came for that,” Tony said, pointing to the time stone that hung around her neck.
“Well I’m afraid that isn’t an option,” she said, eyebrows raised. “As the Sorceress Supreme, it is my job to protect the time stone at all costs.” Tony really wanted to just take it, but he knew that he was pathetically overpowered.
“Please, if we don’t get that stone, then the future is forfeit. We need to-”
“But if I were to give you the stone, I would doom my timeline to a darker fate, she interrupted. A stream of yellow dust followed her fingers as she demonstrated the dangers of removing a stone from the timeline. “As you can see, it is my job to protect the stone. We would die and watch the world die with us
“Well if it’s such a big deal, then why’s Stephen give it to Thanos!” Tony exclaimed in frustration. The sorceress’ expression shifted to one of calm interest ot one of surprise.
“He what?” she asked.
“The stone. He gave it to Thanos so that he wouldn’t kill me. He kept saying that it was the ‘only way’,” Tony said. “I’m not lying, look! It was one of your sorcerers who gave me this.” They agree with me!” Tony said, holding out the heavy ring. Her eyes widened when she saw it, and Tony had a feeling that he probably should have brought it out earlier. Oh well.
“Steven Strange gave that to you,” she stated.
“No, Clea did. Before we left to come back to 2012,” Tony said. The Ancient One didn’t seem to care, though.
“Stephen Strange was said to be the best of us. If he intended for you to come here and get the time stone, then he must have known that you’d be able to bring it back to this exact moment once you were done.” Slowly she opened the Eye of Agamotto and Tony watched as the shimmering, green stone drifted into his outstretched hand.
“Thank you,” he said.
“Remember, you must bring the stone back to this exact moment in time, or our timeline is lost,” she said. Tony nodded before hurrying off to join the others.
“Mr. Stark, one more thing!” she called.
“Yes?” he asked, turning back.
“Stephen Strange did give you that ring. Nly the Sorcerer Supreme has access to it. If Clea was the one to bring it to you, then it means that Stephen was already planning on t and had taken it out of the warding,” she said, a smile on her face. With that, she went back to blocking the falling debris, and Tony headed back to the compound.
~
Clint and Natasha trudged up the snowy mountain, wind whipping at the assassin's braid, and tangling in the archer's mohawk.
“So, any idea where this stone is hiding?” Natasha asked.
“Not sure, but we better find it fast. I don’t like the look of this place,” Clint replied. “I’m pretty sure this is the place where Thanos was before fighting Stark and his team on Titan,” the archer continued. And where his daughter died.
“Do we know why he killed her?” Nat asked.
“Well she probably tried to stop him from getting the stone,” Clint said. “I mean, we know that she was on our side. I’ll bet you it was either her or the rock, and he picked the rock.” They continued onward in silence, both unsure of what they would find when they reached the top.
“Wait, there’s something there,” Natasha said, staring intently at a stone archway a little further up. Clint rested a hand on one of his swords, and Natasha grabbed her batons as they warily approached the archway. Clint looked apprehensive as they drew nearer, while Natasha just looked focused.
“Welcome, Clint, son of Edith, and Natasha, daughter of Ivan,” a voice echoed through the archway. They watched as a shadowy figure glided towards them.
“Is that-” Natasha began.
“Red Skull,” Clint finished. “That’s Red Skull.”
“One, yes, that was my name,” the creature before them agreed. “Now, I am the keeper of the soul stone. I guide others to a treasure I once sought desperately, and can never possess.”
“Well I guess you’re gonna have to do it one more time,” Natasha said, stepping forward.
“Very well,” the stone keeper said. He led them past the archway and up onto a large stone ledge. Clint looked over to see a large slab of rock with a perfect circle carved in it below.
“Alright, where’s the stone?” He demanded. Red Skull watched him calmly before answering.
“The soul stone possesses a special place amongst the infinity stones. Therefore a price that evenly matches it’s worth must be paid to attain it. A soul, for a soul,” Red Skull explained. Clint felt his mouth run dry as the guardian's words sunk in, and Natasha took a deep breath. A soul for a soul. A life, for billions of others.
~
Thor, Loki, and Rocket landed in the palace with a crash which Loki had to use magic to make sure the guards didn’t hear. The trickster god couldn’t say he was overjoyed to be back, but it was necessary. It was necessary.
“Wow, this place is nice,” Rocket commented as they headed down the hallway. “Alright, so when are we? What exactly was going down in Asgard around now?” he continued.
“Well I was locked in a cell, and Thor was swooning over an Earth-maiden,” Loki replied. “An Earth-maiden who is currently being possessed by the Aether. The reality stone,” he added.
“Well, then how the Hell are we supposed to get it back?” Rocket demanded.
“That, sweet rabbit, is why you’re here,” Thor said, handing him a syringe. “Jane Foster should be in my mother’s chambers right now. I need you to extract the Aether from her and bring it back here without getting caught.”
“Well, what are you going to do?” Rocket demanded.
“I do believe that we had quite an extensive wine cellar here on Asgard, so I think I’ll just-”
“I’ll watch him,” Loki promised, grabbing Thor’s collar and pulling him back.
“I feel like I’m doing all the work here,” Rocket grumbled as he scampered off to extract the Aether from Jane. Thor and Loki watched him go before suddenly the former was off again.
“Thor,” Loki hissed, “what are you- oh,” he said, skidding to a halt upon realizing what Thor had seen. Frigga.
“Mother,” Loki breathed. This was the last day she had been alive, the last day that Loki had ever seen her, and he had turned her away. Rejected her. Before he knew it, he was following Thor.
“Mother!” Thor called quietly, making the queen turn.
“Thor!” she greeted. “I thought you were training with Lady Sif,” she commented. “What… what are you wearing? And what is on your face?” she asked, taking in his clothes and beard.
“Oh this, I’m just,” he tried to cover, only for her to rest a hand on his cheek.
“Oh my son, the future has not been kind to you, has it?” she questioned and Thor’s eyes widened.
“How did you, I’m not,” he stuttered.
“I was raised by witches, darling, I know these things,” she said before looking up, eyes settling on Loki who was hanging awkwardly behind the two, unsure how he would be received.
“Loki,” she said smiling softly. She held out her hand, and the trickster slowly took it. “I take it you and your brother have returned to each other’s sides?” she asked. Loki nodded quickly, struggling to keep his tears at bay. He failed.
“I’m so sorry, mother,” he sobbed, burying his head in her shoulder. He could feel Thor’s steady hand on his back, and Frigga’s fingers running through his hair. “You’ve always been my mother,” he said. “I didn’t mean what I said, you’re my mother. I don’t care that I’m not your blood son,” he continued.
“I know,” Frigga assured him. “I know. You have, and always will be, my son. You’re magic has gotten stronger, I can feel it,” she said with a smile. “My sons, together again,” she said, holding both at arm's length to get a good look at them. “The future has not been kind to either of you, I take it,” she said. Neither had to answer as they both knew that she could already tell the answer. Frigga sighed and shook her head.
“As much as I’d like to think it, I doubt that your journey into the past was to see me alone,” she said. “You must hurry, the next people who spot you probably won’t be as understanding of the situation as myself. Especially to you, Loki,” she said. Loki straightened and brushed the last of his tears away.
“Right,” he said. “I imagine Rocket has gotten the… thing, by now. Quickly, brother, we must go.” He looked at Frigga one last time before quickly turning and heading back to where they were planning to meet Rocket. Thor turned to follow but stopped.
“Mother… if I know something, something about you that-”
“No, my son,” she cut him off, smiling sadly. “Whatever it is, I don’t want to know. All that matters to me is that I got to see you two, together once more. Whatever may happen, know that my last wish has been granted,” she said. Thor allowed himself to be pulled into one last hug before hurrying after Loki.
~
Natasha sat on one of the large rocks, staring straight ahead while Clint paced. A soul for a soul. A life for a life. Clint growled in frustration while Natasha remained eerily calm.
“We don’t even know if this Red Skull dud is telling the truth,” Clint rationalized.
“He knew our parents,” Natasha argued.
“Okay, so he knew your father’s name,” Clint said. “So what?”
“Clint, I don’t even know my father’s name,” Natasha shot back. Clint was quiet for a moment, the feeling of Red Skull’s dispassionate eyes on his back eating away at him.
“So one of us has to die,” he said.
“I guess they do,” Natasha replied, standing and walking over to Clint.
“I think we both know who that person has to be,” Clint said, and Natasha nodded her agreement.
“We do.”
They stared at each other for another minute, neither making any moves to grab the other and haul them over the cliff.
“Why do I get the feeling we’re thinking of different people,” Clint said, with an achingly familiar smirk. “Natasha…” he began.
“Clint, it has to be me,” she said. “You need to be there when your family comes back,” she rationalized as Clint grabbed her arm.
“I can’t let you do this,” he said. “It’s you that the team needs right now, not me. Not after everything I’ve done. You’ll be able to help my family far better than I can now.” Natasha bit her lip but said nothing. Clint pressed their foreheads together and gave her arm a reassuring squeeze. “Tell my family I love them,” he said, pulling away and running towards the cliff.
Natasha jumped into action. She threw out her widow’s bites and pinned Clint to the ground, wrist pointing threateningly at him to keep him down.
“You can tell them yourself,” she said. Slowly she turned towards the cliff and began to run when the butt of Clint's swords slammed into the back of her leg, knocking her down.
“I’m sorry, Nat,” Clint said, panting, “but it has to be this way. I love you, you’re my best friend. My sister. I can’t let you do this,” he said. Natasha tried to struggle to her feet, but Clint was already running. He felt a wave of vertigo as he leaped over the edge, and then a weight slam into him as Natasha, quick as lightning, lassoed him to her grappling hook as she jumped over the edge as well. Clint grabbed onto her wrist, desperately trying to pull her back up, but she offered him no help.
“Clint, look at me,” she said, “it’s the only way.” Clint shook his head in denial, tears streaming freely down his face.
“Damn you,” he whispered, and Natasha flinched.
“Get the stone and keep going,” she said, her voice calm and steady.
“No, Natasha, please don’t, Natasha no,” Clint begged.
“Clint, it’s okay,” she said, staring earnestly up at his pain-stricken face. “I’m okay,” she said again. “I’m okay.”
“Please?” Clint asked. Natasha gave him a small smile and, not breaking eye contact, pushed off of the cliff face. Clint screamed as she fell, unable to tear his tear-filled eyes away from her own peaceful ones as she plummeted downward. He kept screaming as she hit the rocky slap at the bottom, and continued still as his vision faded to black.
~
Clint woke in a pool of water, orange light surrounding him on all sides. He could feel a warm weight in his palm and uncurled his fist to see an orangey gold stone sitting in his hand.
“I would say congratulations, but I doubt that you are in much of the mood to hear it,” a voice said. He looked up to see a man with dark skin and an orange cloak standing in front of him. His expression was neutral, but Silven could see the pain in his hazel eyes.
“Who are you?” Clint asked, too tired to get to his feet.
“Silven Drascoue,” the man replied.
“From Frost’s stories,” Clint recalled. Silven nodded.
“You’ve got the soul stone. That is not an easy feat,” the mage noted and Clint looked down once again at the stone in his hand. He felt hatred boil through his veins at the sight of it.
“I know you're questioning whether or not it was worth the cost,” Silven began, “and I can tell you that it was. I will always hurt, but it was worth it.” The mage’s voice sounded like he was holding back tears, and Clint got the feeling that he wasn’t the only one who had lost someone in such a manner.
~
Natasha Romanoff had been many things in her life. An assassin, an Avenger, Natalie Rushman, and Auntie Nat when it came to Clint’s children.
The Red Room had not made up her character. It had created her name, given her skills and purpose, but it had not created her. Her memories, the memories that made up her soul and her morals, were not the Red Room. They were seeing how Tony and his family interrupted as Natalie Rushman. They were at yearly parties at the Avengers tower, and raining with the Junior Avengers. They were dinners at the Barton household and meeting Morgan Stark. They were of bantering with Steve and laughing with Clint They were of sweet moments with Bruce, and heart-to-heart talks with Wanda.
Natasha Romanoff, the women who everyone saw as the emotionless assassin, was anything but that. She was compassionate, she was loyal, and she was, as of a now, awake.