Insane in my Russian Brain - P. Parker

Chapter Thirty Five

The team was back. Kat and Clint's faces were stained with tears, but the team was back. Most of it, at least.

Kat couldn't stop staring at the empty spot where Natasha should be standing. If only she had been quick enough, maybe her mother would still be here.

"Did we get 'em all?"

"Are you telling me this actually worked?"

The group turned to Clint when he fell to his knees, running his hands through his hair. "Clint, where's Nat?"

"She..." Kat let out a strangled sob, her silence telling the group exactly what they needed to know. "Not every battle can be won."

⧗ ⧗ ⧗

"Do we know if she had family?"

The Avengers were sitting on a dock outside of Tony's house, staring out at the water. Kat had laid a bundle of orchids, Natasha's favorites, in the lake.

"Other than me?" Kat shrugged and looked at the ground. "Not anyone who didn't disappear."

Steve nodded and looked at the broken-down wood. "We were her family." He slung his arm around Kat, letting her head rest on his shoulder.

"You're acting like she's dead. Why are we acting like she's dead? We have the stones, right? As long as we have the stones, we can bring her back. Isn't that right? So, stop this shit. We're the Avengers. Get it together."

"We can't get her back, Thor. She's gone." As hard as it was for her to admit it, Natasha was really gone. "It hurts, trust me, I know. But there's nothing we can do."

Thor laughed, staring at the back of Kat's head. "No offense, but you're a very earthly being, okay? And we're talking about space magic. And "can't" seems very definitive. Don't you think?"

She stood, leaning against the wall next to Clint. "Yeah, I know that I'm way outside my pay grade here. But she still isn't here, is she? I-I watched her die, I watched my own mother die, and you're telling me it wasn't real."

She looked at the ground, fresh tears lining her vision. "It was supposed to be me. She sacrificed her life for that goddamn stone. She bet her life on it. And I didn't even get to say goodbye."

Bruce yelled out, throwing a bench out into the trees. "She's not coming back. We have to make it worth it. We have to."

Kat moved from against the wall and swiped a bottle of vodka from off the table. "Let's go kill that son of a bitch."

⧗ ⧗ ⧗

"All right, the globe's ready. Question is, who's gonna snap their freakin' fingers?"

"I'll do it." Thor was quick to step forward, walking towards the glove.

"Excuse me?"

"I'll do it."

"Stop, stop. Slow down. Thor just wait. We haven't decided who's gonna out that on yet."

"I'm sorry. What, we're all just sitting around waiting for the right opportunity?"

Kat shook her head and sighed. "We should at least discuss it."

"Look, sitting here staring at the thing is not gonna bring everybody back. I'm the strongest Avenger, okay? So, this responsibility falls upon me. It's my duty-"

"It's not about it. Buddy-"

"Stop it! Just let me. Just let me do it. Just let me do something good. Something right."

"Thor, I understand you. But it's not that, it's the fact that the globe is channeling enough energy to light up a continent. I'm telling you. You're in no condition."

"Child, how would you know? What do you think is coursing through my veins right now?"

"Adrenaline. We all want to get this done, but you cannot be deciding something that could hurt yourself. We need to take a minute to discuss."

"No, you listen to me. Lightening. It's lightning."

Bruce rolled his eyes. "Lightening won't help you, pal. It's gotta be me." He walked closer, a look of determination on his face. "You saw what those stones did to Thanos. They almost killed him. None of you could survive."

"How do we know you will?"

"We don't."

"Are we seriously going to let you risk your life for this? We've already lost Nat today, we can't lose you too." It took Kat a lot to not break down when she said that. She was talking about her own mother being dead.

"The radiation's mostly gamma. It's like I was made for this."

Kat sighed. She knew he was right, even if it was hard to admit. "Okay then. We good to go?"

"Let's do it."

"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." They all activated their suits. Tony put a shield in front of Kat and Clint, being they were the least prepared in terms of their suits.

"Friday, do me a favor and activate Barn Door Protocol, will ya?" A layer of iron doors surrounded the rooms, reinforced by what looked like vibranium.

"Everybody comes home." Bruce attached the glove to his hand, groaning at the overwhelming feeling of power rushing through his veins.

"Take it off! Take it off!"

Steve held his hand out to Kat, getting her to stop talking. "No wait. Bruce, are you okay?"

"Talk to me, Banner."

"I'm okay. I'm okay." They let out a sigh of relief, even if it was short-lived. He wasn't okay, it was very obvious, but they knew he would let them know his limits.

Bruce screamed out, using all his strength to snap his fingers. He collapsed, and the Avengers surrounded him. "Bruce!"

They watched as his arm detached from the rest of his body, landing beside him. Clint kicked it away, keeping a close eye on the gauntlet to make sure nothing went wrong. "Don't move him."

"Did it work?" Tony sprayed a layer of ice on his detached arm, trying his best to patch up the missing space.

"We're not sure. It's okay."

Scott walked towards the window, looking out. The world looked healthier, there were more plants. Clint turned around to the faint sound of a phone buzzing. His phone buzzing.

Kat walked towards his phone, looking at the caller ID. Laura. "Clint..." she paused to look up at him, a grin taking over her face. "Your family is back."

He smiled, quiet tears running down his face. He took the phone with a shaking hand, pressing it against his ear. "Honey. Honey."

"Guys, I think it worked." Scott watched the window, amazed at the scenery. Everything was so green, so healthy.

And then the missiles hit the compound.