LEGACY (T.Stark's Daughter)

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Out-heisting the Time Heist.

[ 2023 ]

Suddenly, Stevie and Ace clattered to the ground; the latter spewing his guts into the nearest empty trash can. He wiped his mouth clean and found his way back onto his feet, turning around to face a very unimpressed teenage girl – Ace knows not to mess with teenage girls. From personal experience.

"We're on a time schedule here. I will not be standing around and waiting for you to throw up when my dad is in the same building as me for the first and only time in my life. Do. You. Hear. Me?"

Nodding vigorously, Ace stood up straight and forced a smile, "got it. Great."

She shot him a glare. "And no dying. If you die, that's on me. I don't need that right now. My blood pressure is already rising." She turned around swiftly and stalked off down the nearest hallway, leaving Ace to scramble behind her like a lost puppy.

"This is crazy!" He whispered, "I mean, I'm in the Avengers' Facility. Do you know how much someone would pay to be in the Avengers' facility? This is the facility where the Avengers facilitise Avenging. Do you know how cool that is, Stevie?" His eyes darted around him, taking in everything that he possibly could.

"Facilitise isn't a word. And shut up."

They continued to stalk through the building in silence, leaving behind only the echo of their footsteps. It wasn't until they made their way past Tony's lab that they began to hear voices. Stevie slapped her hand over Ace's chest, snapping him out of his trance. She raised a finger to her lips, peering around the edge.

There they were – decked in white and red suits, each of them carrying a weapon and making their way towards the Quantum Teleportation Platform. Stevie cupped her hand around her ear to try and hear what was being said.

"Five years ago, we lost. All of us. We lost friends, we lost family, we lost a part of ourselves." Stevie didn't know the voice. It was unrecognisable with a hint of familiarity. She edged her head further around the corner. "Today we have a chance to take it all back. You know your teams, you know your missions. Get the stones, get them back."

Beside her, Ace had began peering into the room as well. His cheek was inches from hers and she could feel his heavy breaths fanning against her neck.

"Would you like to breathe louder for the people in the back, Lang?!" She hissed, swatting him away. "If we startle them, they'll blow us to pieces." In response, he nodded swiftly.

The pair focused on the voices again, "one round-trip each. No mistakes. No do-overs. Most of us are going somewhere we know. That doesn't mean we should know what to expect. Be careful; look out for each other. This is the fight of our lives, and we're gonna win... whatever it takes. Good luck."

A small puff of air left Stevie's chest in realisation. They were about to travel back in time to collect the stones. She and Lang had a matter of minutes to find Tony and get out of there before Thanos blew the place to smithereens.

"They're about to enter the Quantum Realm." Ace murmured, "they'll be back in a matter of seconds, but we have no clue what to expect. Stark, we have to get out of here. This isn't a game anymore." His voice had lowered an octave or two from his regularly cheery tone. It was almost unsettling for Stevie to hear him acting seriously.

She stood silently for a moment, watching the 'Avengers' place their hands beside one another. They were about to leave. No do-overs.

"What are the rules of time travel, again? If you travel to the past, that past becomes your present?"

"Yeah." Ace agreed, "my dad's got books and books full of that shit. If you travel to the past, that past becomes your present and your former present becomes your past. Which can't be changed by your new future."

"Right."

"What're you thinking? You're doing that thing where you stare off into the distance like you're in The Office."

"You watch me while I'm thinking." She narrowed her gaze at him.

"No. What? No! That would be... creepy."

"Ok, be quiet for a second. I think we could save some lives here." She pulled out a notepad from her pocket and began to scribble down specific instructions, "if I die in 2012, then there will still be a version of me alive in the future, right?"

"What? Stevie, why would you be dying in 2012?" He snatched the pen from her hands. "I know what you're thinking, ok. You're stressed, you're worried. I am, too. But you can't start fixing things that aren't yours to fix. You can't save Natasha. It was her sacrifice to make."

Locking her eyes with his, she took a step backwards, "I'm not going to save Natasha."

"Ok. We're on the same page, then." Sighed Ace. He handed her the pen back and leant against the wall, letting his shoulders slump.

"I'm going to see my dad."

And then, without warning, she took off in the direction of the Quantum Teleportation Platform at top speed, sliding underneath the handles and crashing against the metal with her full force.

The group disappeared.

"Stevie!"