We Need More Time

Chapter Six

Verizon Store
Somewhere in New York

"You sure you're okay?" Abby questions while staring at Max intently, he nods his head slowly with a smile. 

"I'm sorry, we tried to stop Echo from coming." Max shakes his head. "He destroyed the machine again but this time it's going to be harder to fix." 

"It's okay." Abby breathes. "If he's here, that means the sphere is too." 

"Okay." Max nods as a smile breaks onto his face. "But tell me, did you really use your fire abilities? I'm so proud!" 

"Thanks." Abby awkwardly chuckles. "It's just the Carol Danvers in me." 

"She'd be proud too," Max assures. "You were never able to produce anything larger than a pin and now you're telling me you scorched the grass and burned Echo to release you from his ice trap! That's incredible, Abby!"

"Yeah?" She chuckles again.

"Definitely!" Max claps his hands. "God, if only you could practice some more. You honestly could be like the next Captain Iron Marvel America Woman." 

"That is not happening." Abby shakes her head. "And I swear to god if you print that anywhere, I'm gonna burn your ass." 

"Now you can actually threaten me with that!" He cries with joy spreading across his cheeks. 

"Max," Abby warns but there was still a smile on her face. 

"Okay. Maybe we can try to speed up the process," Max mumbles while rubbing his chin, his eyes gazing towards the other monitors, anything but Abby herself. 

"Look I'm in the middle of a random cell phone shop and I have to find a new one every time I try to call you!" Abby grumbles while rubbing her temples. "Now I know that New York has plenty of stores to choose from but if we continue this way, then we're really going to run out of places to choose from." 

"Have you got a location on that universes Avengers?" Max inquires. "Are they close by?"

"I don't know," Abby mumbles with a small huff. "I used EDITH to locate them the first time, I'm not sure how much more she can do over here without overloading the system." 

"If you can connect that software to something over there, you should be okay," Max mumbles while tapping his chin in thought. "I think." 

"Great, so I'll either solve the problem or reveal my location to the people I'm trying to avoid," Abby announces, more to herself than Max. "I've got to go, don't want to draw too much attention just yet. I'll see you later?"

"Yeah." Max nods, his mind already jumping to the different tests he'd have to perform to try and get their machine up and running again. "If I don't answer, it's because I'm working on the machine. Don't get kidnapped, okay?"

"Great now I'm getting kidnapped." Abby gruffs while ripping the USB out of the device, her mind reeling with how she was going to escape everything. She stuffs the small thing into her pocket before slipping from the store without being seen. How could she hide from the freaking Avengers? It was hard enough hiding back in her dimension but here? Things weren't falling apart just yet, so they had full resources. 

Abby stalks down the street, somehow ending up back in Times Square where she had first heard the message of her 'death' in public. Slowly, she releases a breath and turns around, trying to get a glimpse of an area that she could spend the night in. Maybe the park? An alley? God this couldn't be that different! Did this version of her have a secret base funded by SHIELD? No, Bucky was too shocked to see her using her abilities, which meant that this version of her had no powers. No sense of SHIELD presence, and certainly no fighting experience. 

"A-Abby?" Someone stutters from behind her, causing Abby to whip around in surprise. 

"Pe-Peter." She stutters back, her eyes widening at the sudden appearance of her deceased boyfriend. It was different seeing him so close, it felt more real. It hurt even more to see the expression he held towards her. "I can't do this, turn around and walk away." 

"I just want to...to talk," Peter states while holding his hand in the air as if trying to stop Abby from running again. "You...what Hydra did to you was scary, I know, but we're all just trying to help. It's not real." 

Oh, so it was this again. He was here to convince her to come back to the tower with him, to try and forget her life as just some Hydra hoax. What had Abby expected? Her Peter? She couldn't be ridiculous. Her Peter was dead and that's just how it was going to stay.

"Yeah, it was," Abby admits, causing Peter's expression to brighten. "Fourteen years ago. See I've been within Hydra much longer than a week. You can't control these abilities like I can after a week, Parker, it takes years to be able to control them with every emotion that one could ever feel. It takes years to be able to cry about your family being dead and not have things explode or scream in frustration that your boyfriend had to be next without something catching fire. I am not your Abby, I will never be your Abby, so stop trying to make me her! I'm here for the Sphere, that's it. If you or your fellow Avengers can't handle that, then leave me alone and focus your efforts on the incoming threats, okay? You all could use it." 

"Abby, please-" 

"Don't." She interrupts while holding her hand in the air to stop him from speaking anymore. "If you loved this girl...if you loved me, then leave me alone Peter Parker. Forget about me as I am trying to forget about all of you, it'll make it easier."

"I can't forget you." Peter denies while reaching his hand towards Abby. "Please, Abby, I can't live without you." 

"I've lived without you for years and it hasn't gotten easier." Abby sniffs. "But...you learn to live with the pain." 

Slowly, she cups Peter's face, trying to force the tears away as she offers him the best smile that she could. Peter places his hand on top of hers, his own tears forming. They stand in the middle of the sidewalk like this for a few minutes before Abby quickly forces herself to pull away, though her heart yearned for his touch just one more time.

"I've always loved you, Parker." She sighs. "But let me go." 

Before Peter can stop her, Abby's suit quickly forms around her body and she takes off into the sky. Peter doesn't start running after her as the Avengers had ordered, instead, he stands in the street and watches her go. Was it really true? Not even Hydra can fake such an emotion, which meant that his Abby was gone.