The closest thing to a daughter

Season 4 Episode 28

"No mistakes. No do-overs. Most of us go to places we know. That doesn't mean we know what to expect. Be careful. Watch out for each other. This is the fight of our lives. And we will win. Whatever it takes. Good luck." Whatever it takes. "You heard it." Tony looked over at Bruce. "Hit the keys, big green guy."

"See you in a minute," Natasha said in her usual confident manner, giving Steve a look. He gave her a smile and Abigail hoped the two of them would take their chances when Nat returned instead of her. It was clear to him that beneath her brave facade, she was hiding the same worries that plagued him. This was her chance to save half a universe full of living beings. No small task. Above the Avengers, metal plates slid into a new position and spun faster and faster. The teams touched the controls of their time travel suits and their helmets deployed. The columns of the platform radiated red light as energy pulsed within. The floor of the circular platform opened and the quantum tunnel below was activated. The tunnel spun as the Avengers shrank and eventually disappeared into the quantum realm.

Natasha and Abigail found themselves just a blink of an eye later on the planet Morag in 2014, looking around. A small lizard-like creature came closer to the two. A little too close for Nat's taste. The creature bared its teeth, whereupon she launched the animal through the air with a swift kick. A bit further on, the Orloni came up on the ground, stood and growled at Natasha before hopping away. "Hey, can you guys speed it up?" asked Abigail impatiently. "Guys, come on," Natasha added. "Chop, chop. The clock is ticking."

Natasha walked over to Rhodey and hugged him. Rhodey then turned and gave the younger one a hug as well. "Be careful, okay?" Actually, Natasha was not prone to sentimentality, but today things were different. "Yeah. Get the rock and come back. Don't mess up." Rhodey knew what the mission was all about. "Hey," Abi said, looking Rhodey in the eye. "Hey. We can do this," Rhodey replied.

"Let's pull it off. " She wasn't prone to small talk, either. "Sure thing," Rhodey told her. "See you around," Abigail promised, even though she herself knew full well she couldn't keep that promise. "Take good care of each other," Rhodey instructed them. He wasn't very good at saying goodbye, but under these circumstances it was especially hard for him. Rhodey wondered if they would be successful in their missions and if so, whether he would ever see Novanoff or Natasha again. He watched as Natasha and her little one went back up the ramp of the Milano, while he stayed behind with Nebula so they could carry out their part of the plan. The Milano's hatch was closed and the aft thrusters activated. The ship lifted off, hovered above the ground for another moment, and then moved away from the planet.

With the others gone, it was fairly quiet on the Milano's flight deck aside from the normal ship noises. Abigail and Natasha sat in the two pilot's seats, gazing out through the window at the bright colors whizzing past them. But in Abigail's mind's eye, she kept going over what to expect. "We've come a long way since we met," Abigail noted, trying not to sound too wistful. Natasha looked over at her and they both had to laugh.

When the purple planet appeared in front of them, Abigail breathed a sigh of relief. Everything looked exactly as it had in her vision. "Wow," she murmured, "under any other circumstances, this would be absolutely stunning." Mountains loomed in the distance and huge bubbling lakes were everywhere. Snow fell from the dark sky. On the whole, the place looked pretty quiet.

"I bet that raccoon doesn't have to scramble up a mountain," Natasha complained when they were almost to the top. "Well, actually, he's not a raccoon at all." Abigail suspected Rocket wouldn't like the description even if she never would get to see the cute stuffed animal again. "It doesn't matter at all," Natasha dismissed her words. "He eats
scraps." Their conversation was unexpectedly interrupted by an eerie voice. "Welcome." Abigail already knew who was waiting for her, so she didn't even bother to draw her weapon. In an emergency, she would still have her powers. Natasha, nevertheless, whirled around and already had her pistol in hand. The figure in a dark cloak, whose face was unrecognizable, hovered in front of them. "Natasha. Daughter of Ivan. Abigail. Daughter of Igor," the cloaked stranger addressed her. Cautiously, Natasha stepped closer, keeping her weapons in hand, ready to fight. "Who are you?" asked Natasha suspiciously. The hovering figure's voice was low and completely devoid of emotion. "Consider me a guide for you and all who seek the Soul Stone." Natasha continued to point the gun at the stranger. She trusted no one.

"Oh, good," she replied calmly, though she didn't feel that way at all. "Tell us where it is, and you'll be rid of us." As they stepped out of the shadows, they could also make out the red skull hiding under the hood. "Oh dear," the figure murmured ominously. "If only it were that simple."