Fight For Freedom |4| The Ascension

Chapter Twenty Six: The Impossible Astronaut

Amy, Rory, Pietro, and Zoë stepped off the bus, thanking the driver before he pulled away. "This is it, yeah?" Amy checked. "The right place?"

"Nowhere, middle of?" Rory raised his eyebrows, looking at the desert around them. "Yeah, this is it."

"Well, I guess it's picturesque." Zoë shrugged.

They looked up as the Quinjet landed, shielding their faces from the sand and the wind. The hatch opened and Zosia climbed out, her bump showing through her shirt. "You guys got the message too, huh?" she asked. Steve, Sam, Wanda, and Natasha came out after her, Clint coming out a moment later.

"Nice place for it," he commented as Wanda hugged her brother. "Hope I don't get sand in the engines."

"Howdy!"

They all turned around to see McKenzie sprawled on the hood of a large car.

"Mum!" Zoë grinned, running over to hug her.

McKenzie jumped to her feet, grinning widely. "Ha ha! Come here!" They all piled in for hugs, laughing and smiling.

"So, someone's been busy," Pietro pointed out.

McKenzie laughed. "Did you see me?"

"Да, of course," he answered. "Really, Charles II?"

She poked her tongue out. "Stalker."

"Flirt," he retorted.

"Hey, nice hat." Steve raised his eyebrows.

"Oh, I know," she gushed. "Stetsons are cool." The stetson was shot off her head, and the others all yelped, but she just smirked. "Good afternoon, Doctor Song!"

River smiled, blowing the smoke from her gun theatrically. "Hello, sweetie."

***

"Right then, where are we?" River asked as the two women sat opposite each other in a diner, the others buying drinks. "Have we done Easter Island yet?"

McKenzie made a face. "Uhh... Wait, no, yes! I've got Easter Island." She was using her memory, River her diary.

"They worshipped you there." River smirked. "Have you seen the statues?"

"What about Jim the fish?" McKenzie suggested.

"Oh, Jim the fish!" River smiled fondly. "How is he?"

McKenzie tilted her head. "Still building his dam, I believe."

Rory frowned. "Sorry, what are you two doing?"

"They're both time travellers, so they never meet in the right order. They're syncing their diaries," Pietro explained, sliding into the booth next to his mother. The others gathered around.

"So, what's happening, then?" Natasha asked, taking a seat opposite. "Because you've been up to something."

McKenzie hesitated before answering, gathering her thoughts. "I've been running," she said eventually. "Faster than I've ever run. I've been running my whole life, it seems. Now, it's... time for me to stop. And tonight, I'm going to need you all with me."

"Okay." Clint shrugged. "We're here. What's up?"

"A picnic. And then a trip," she told them. "Somewhere different, somewhere brand new."