CENTURIES | ENDGAME
Chapter Nine
⚡️
WAKEFIELD
GHOSTS OF THE PAST TAUNTED THE BROKEN WOMAN. Their haunting voices echoed through the darkness, beatened corpses floating around and passing her eye line multiple times with wicked grins that showed amusement at her pain and heartbreak. She was shoved in every which way as the ghosts taunted and mocked her, making fake cries that ended with amused laughter. Her best friend sat across from her, decorated in bloody bandages and dark bruises that destroyed her once gorgeous personality. She looked like a creature taken from a supernatural story, a ghost haunting a long abandoned building. But instead of haunting the real world, Reyna Daniels' spirit would forever live within Melissa Ryans' mind and never allowed her to properly rest without guilt and shame.
This was the third time in a single night that Melissa's guilt caused her mind to inflict nightmares that included the deceased. It was a frequent reoccurrence, one that hadn't impoved in the five years since the initial traumatic event occurring. It had only continued to get worse, Melissa guilt eating away at her and constantly causing her what felt like non stop grief and depression.
Her blurred vision slowly removed the nightmare as her eyes opened and she returned to the grieving reality she called home. Melissa didn't move as she awoke, her eyes merely staring at the window that had small raindrops racing down the dirty glass. There was a distant rumble that called fourth thunder, the gloomy clouds flashing with bright shades before returning to grey. It was like the sky mourned with her, that the earth itself failed to move on from the catastrophic event that occurred five years ago.
The bed dipped behind Melissa, but the hybrid didn't budge, nor did she respond as a comforting hand rested on her shoulder, squeezing gently. Carol gently called for the hybrid, trying to pull Melissa attention away from the gloomy day Wakefield was experiencing. Her voice was soft with sympathy, but not fully understanding the pain of loosing someone you saw as family. Multiple people you considered to be close family.
"Melissa, come on, you have to eat something," Carol urged, glancing at the plate of newly made breakfast related food. A glass of water was on the bedside table, resting next to the plate of scrambled eggs and bacon. "Don't do this to me again."
Melissa inhaled lightly, closing her eyes for a moment before letting the breath go and pushing herself up from the position. Her arms felt frail, weak despite the obvious muscle attached to the bones, the mental exhaustion taking its toll on more then just her mind.
"It smells good..." Melissa complimented meekly, forcing a smile.
Carol returned it, but it didn't reach her eyes that had been saturated with undeniable worry. A frequent look Carol adopted during Melissa's times of guilt and shame. This time however, Melissa read a different emotion, one of regret but determination. An odd combination.
"I'm fine..." Melissa assured, unaware that she was being selfish and Carol's emotions were focused elsewhere. She took the plate from the other woman once comfortable resting it in her lap before peeling off a bit of bacon and flicking it into her mouth. Carol shifted her eye contact to her hand, which pulled and twisted the end of the thick quilt cover.
The anxious gesture and avoidance of eye contact caused Melissa's heartbeat to speed up and grow louder with sudden worry. She bit down on her tongue, slightly stressed as her mind reeled to find a reason for Carol's hesitance and forceful breaking of eye contact.
"What's... What's wrong?" Melissa questioned softly, tiredness evident in her voice. "Did something happening? Is someone hurt... dead-!"
"No, no, no... No, nothing like that, Lissa," Carol interrupted, reaching forward and resting her hands on the other's shoulders. Her left hand shifted to gently glide to Melissa's cheek, cupping the soft skin lovingly. Melissa leant into the touch, a soft smile appearing before she tenderly kissed Carol's palm. It caused the intergalactic hero to loos her train of thought, and her heart ached at the thought of leaving Melissa behind.
Carol suddenly stood, sliding away from the other blonde. It made Melissa suddenly alert, and the hybrid slowly rose from bed, her feet feeling as they hit the wooden floorboards, legs aching at the steps made to Carol. "What's wrong..?"
Carol's arms folded as she turned to look at the Superhuman, a similar frown on each of their faces. "I have to go away again..." she admitted timidly, unable to make eye contact out of fear that she'd see a look of distraught and sadness over her girlfriend's expression.
Melissa immediately backed off, her arms falling by her sides. Despite her heart wanting Carol to stay, Melissa knew the other woman couldn. "How long...?" she murmured.
Carol bit the inside of her cheek, her frown falling further if it was possible. "I'm not sure, it was a distress signal beyond this galaxy... It could be a while. "
Melissa exhaled slowly, her shoulders slouching forward. She nodded at the response, knowing that she'd be selfish if she made Carol stay when there could be someone further out suffering. She slowly nodded and looked up, offering a small smile. "It's okay... Don't worry about me, go be a hero."
"I just... Can you go to the Compound, please," Carol pleaded, clasping her hands around Melissa's left. Her eyes glowed with desperation, her grip tight around Melissa hands as if holding her in front of her. "I'm worried what will happen, Melissa... You need someone near you just to make sure you're all right."
Melissa nodded again, using her free hand to wipe her suddenly painful gaze. "I heard... I heard you guys talking over the systems," she admitted, and had to agree with Carol's, she just didn't want to say goodbye to her home." i know Wakefield is falling apart, I just... I don't want to say goodbye to home..."
"When I get back, I promise to work overtime to try and save it..."
Melissa smiled softly, leaning onto her toes to press a kiss to Carol's lift, her hands falling on the hero's shoulders. Carol's arms gently rested around Melissa's waist, pulling her code so their chests were flushed against one another, savouring the final kiss she'd receive for a while whilst leaving a promise to return with the small gesture.
✨
AVENGERS COMPOUND
THE STREETS WERE EMPTY AS MELISSA FLEW THROUGH THE COUNTLESS CITY THAT BECAME ABANDONED AFTER THE SNAP. She'd never adapt to this new world, it wasn't right in her eyes and she couldn't comprehend that some of the most popular cities in the world were pretty much empty with the exception of one or two survivors.
Melissa felt that the Avengers Compound no longer resembled a place of heroism or justice. It looked old and empty, the walls barely clinging onto life after years of being left unclean, windows covered in multiple layers of dust and dirt with the flower pat hes pretty much dead except from an array if different garden weeds. But what felt wrong was seeing a brown van parked outside the front gate, and what was even weirder was the fact Scott Lang was stood in front of the security camera, begging for someone to reply.
Melissa froze midair at the sight, gliding back slowly as she started down at the male, unable to believe her eyes. They had thought Scott died with th rest of him, yet he was standing right in front of her, unharmed.
"Scott?" the hybrid whispered, slowly descending to earth, her hands secured beneath the straps of her backpack, pulling at them awkwardly. She was blinking rapidly, head shaking as she tried to snap out of this disgusting dream she was stuck in.
Scott jumped at her weak voice, spinning around with his arms flying over his face to shield it from an attack. But slowly, he dropped both arms to reveal a distraught Superhuman. "Melissa! Oh, Melissa, please tell me... What-What happened-"
"How are you here right now?" Melissa questioned, forcing herself forward before beginning to circle him like a predator threatening its prey. Scott would be lying if he said he wasn't afraid.
"What... What do you mean?" Scott replied, shaking his head slightly as his fear started to morph into confusion again.
Melissa opened her mouth to offer a response, but the creak of the large gates beginning to part altered what she said. "Let's get inside, you have a lot of explaining to do."
When entering the Compound, Melissa greeted Steve and Natasha with tight hugs and faint words of welcoming were given to the hybrid. The two Avengers shared Melissa's unbelievable confusion at the sight of Scott Lang, but he didn't bother greeting them, instead hurrying inside without another word.
"Scott. Are you okay?" Steve was the first to question the man's frazzled state, finding him pacing back and fourth in Natasha's office.
He quickly brushed the hero off. "Yeah. I'm fine." He paused, turning to face the three Avengers, hands resting over his face as he struggle to connect his words. "Have you ever studied Quantum Physics?" He blurred out.
Natasha lips pursed as she shared a short glance with Melissa. "Only to make conversation."
Scott nodded, clasping his hands together. "Alright. So... five years ago, right before Thanos, I was in a place called the Quantum Realm." His explanation was listened too, but no fully understood. "The Quantum Realm is like its own microscopic universe. To get in there, you have to be incredibly small. Hope, she's my... She was my..." Scott trailed off suddenly, earning an odd but sympathetic look from Melissa. It was the best she could do considering she didn't exactly understand this... quantum realm nonsense..."She was supposed to pull me out. And then Thanos happened, and I got stuck in there."
Natasha straight lips fell at the words. "I'm sorry. That must've been a very long five years."
"Yeah, but that's just it. It wasn't. For me, it was five hours."
Melissa's attention was caught on that statement, eyes darting to look at Scott closely. "Excuse me?" She had her head tilted, blonde hair flowing over her shoulder with a look of bewilderment residing in her gaze.
"See," Scott began, extending his arms before reeling them back in. "The rules of the Quantum Realm aren't like they are up here. Everything is unpredictable." He paused, pointing to a nearly untouched sandwich that sat beside him. "Is that anybody's sandwich? I'm starving." He didn't wait for an answer, taking the plate and biting it to it without hesitation.
Steve held a hand out to insist for the man to pause, his mind reeling to connect the dots. "Scott, what are you talking about?"
"What I'm saying is, time works differently in the Quantum Realm. The only problem is right now, we don't have a way to navigate it. But what if we did? I can't stop thinking about it. What if, we could somehow control the chaos, and we could navigate it? What if there was a way to enter the Quantum Realm at a certain point in time but then exit at another point in time? Like... Like..."
"...Before Thanos..." Melissa whispered to finish, her shoulders falling like she exhaled a breath slowly. The thought made her heart practically leap from her chest, but she didn't want to get her hopes up, she couldn't.
Steve seemed to share her thoughts but was more upfront with it. He spoke with a tone of questioning, squinted eyes directed at Scott. "Wait, are you talking about a time machine?"
Scott shook his head, speaking with a mouth full of food still. "No. No, of course not. No, not a time machine." He swallowed the bite, covering his mouth as he debated a different title to his plan. "It's more like a... Yeah, a time machine-"
"I cannot get my hopes up, again," Melissa interrupted, her clenched fist slamming into the wooden table. A dent was left behind as her eyes suddenly lit to their threatening glow. Natasha flinched from beside the Superhuman, startled by her sudden movements after being almost silent through the explanation. "You know how many times I have done that in the past five years, only for them to... to get crushed."
"I-I know it's crazy, Melissa... And-And I can't imagine what you went through loosing her." Scott struggled to get through his reply as he started into the scorching red glow of heat vision. But slowly, Melissa's eyes cleared up to reveal a softer stare, a hopeful one that hadn't been seen in the Superhuman's eyes for years. "But I can't stop thinking about it. There's gotta be some way... There's gotta be...some w... it's crazy.
Natasha gently rested a hand on Melissa's shoulder, the mere touch of her friend making Melissa loosen up and relax. The red head glanced to Scott, a look that said sorry instead of connecting to her reply: "Scott, I get e-mails from a raccoon, so nothing sounds crazy anymore."
That didn't even seem to phase Scott. All he wanted was to attempt the experiment, in hopes of fixing everything. "So who do we talk to about this?"
There was an immediate answer the Avengers thought of to that question.
After Thanos won, the Avengers practically split up again. Only a select few stayed together as shown by Natasha's weekly meetings with those who choose to join. But in reference to the original six, Natasha seemed to be the only one still dedicating her life to heroism. Steve was stuck trying to move on from the past and Melissa was trapped inside her own head most days. Thor and Bruce were essentially off the grid, Clint was nowhere to be found since the Avengers split up, and Reyna... died...
But, Melissa was stunned to find Tony had been the one to adjust the most successful to the new world. He had been fortunate enough that Pepper was there to greet him when he returned to earth, and they stuck by one another through the past five years. They currently resides in a gorgeous lakeside cabin that rested away from what remained of civilisation. Melissa was happy for her friend, proud even knowing that the billionaire playboy managed to settle down with the love of his life. And her happiness exploded when she saw what that love resulted in.
Morgan watched the four heroes curiously in her father's grasp, head tilted as she recognised the Black Widow, Captain America and The Superhuman without a second thought. But despite knowing them as heroes, she could see her father's discomfort at the sight of his old teammates.
Tony slowly dropped Morgan to the floor, guiding her up the cabin and insisting she went inside where Pepper was preparing their lunch. Morgan followed his request with a nod and innocent smile, unaware of the difficult conversation Tony would endure moments after.
He listened to Scott's explanation closely, mind reeling to understand what the man was talking about. But the odd glance Tony gave Scott didn't slow the explanation down whatsoever. "Now, we know what it sounds like..."
When Tony didn't respond, Steve spoke up in hopes of further backing up Scott's claims. "Tony, after everything you've seen, is anything really impossible?"
"Quantum fluctuation messes with the Planck Scale, which then triggers the Deutsch Proposition," he replied, leaning his head to the left and on his open palm. "Can we agree on that?"
Melissa swallowed nervously, shifting on her feet, feeling out of place with all the science talk. She didn't notice that Steve, Natasha and Scott shared puzzled looks that were similar to her confusion when science was brought into the conversation.
The puzzled expressions allowed Tony tiny amusement, an almost invisible smirk appearing on his lips as he handed a glass of water over. "In Layman's terms, it means you're not coming home."
Scott shrugged, lifting a hand to jut his thumb and gesture to himself. "I did."
Tony didn't let it go, shaking his head and shutting Scott down without hesitation. "No, you accidentally survived. It's a billion to one cosmic fluke. And now you wanna pull off a... What do you call it?
"A time heist?" Scott's spirits weren't damaged by the Iron Man's harsh remark. He was quite proud of his idea and did very little to hide that pride from the others.
"Yeah, a time heist. Of course, why didn't we think of this before?" The sarcasm earned a harsh glare from Melissa, who Tony didn't stray away from, returning the glare. "Oh, because it's laughable? Because it's a pipedream?"
Scott continued to fight back, determined to succeed in recruiting Tony. "The Stones are in the past. We can go back and get them."
"We can snap our own fingers," Natasha added. "We can bring everyone back.
Melissa slowly sat down in the open deck chair on Tony's right, her movements seeming frail and as she extended her arms to gesture her words, Tony took notice of her light skin and thin body parts. "We can bring everyone back, T'Challa, the Guardians, Peter... Reyna..." though she was trying to recreate her hopeful personality, her voice was saddened as she mentioned the fallen.
The sight of such a powerful and hopeful figure look so broken was heartbreaking. He didn't want to snap back at Melissa, but he knew he had to. "Or screw it up worse than he already has."
The response shut Melissa back down, and Tony instantly regretted it but his attention shifted back to Steve as he spoke up: "I don't believe we would."
"Gotta say, sometimes I miss that giddy optimism." Tony glanced back to Melissa adding, "and your hopeful persona." He turned back to Steve. "However, high hopes won't help if there's no logical, tangible way for me to safely execute said time heist. I believe the most likely outcome would be our collective demise."
Tony reached over and rested a hand on Melissa's arm, causing the blonde to look up. "I know you want Reyna back, I do too, but you have to realise the dangers of what you're trying to accomplish." He sounded like a father comforting a child, and Melissa found it oddly assuring but crushing.
Why did the world hate her? Why couldn't the gods just give her sister back? Is that too much to ask for?
Melissa had to force herself to look away, glancing the opposite direction and suddenly found the wooden floors extremely interesting. A sniff followed shortly after, as her eyes suddenly became blurred with warm tears. Another day, another let down.
"You could have worded it better," Steve muttered, watching the hybrid hero with a look of sympathy, finding himself experiencing similar pain when their thought to be deceased teammate was mentioned.
"But, if we strictly follow the rules of time travel." Scott's optimistic tone suddenly appeared in attempt to continue to support the idea of a time heist. "That means no talking to our past selves, no betting on sporting events—"
"I'm gonna stop you right there, Scott." Tony's interruption immediately made the man in question zip his lips. When the glare of Tony Stark was turned on him, he would shut down before being able to perk up again and fight back. "Are you seriously telling me that your plan to save the universe is based on Back To The Future?"
Scott slid back slowly, trying to hide behind Steve and Natasha. "No..."
Tony's sarcasm never died when he replied. "Good. You had me worried there." His words seemed quite mocking. "'Cause that'd be horse shit. That's not how quantum physics works." Scott looked away, his eyes moving to floor as he failed to find an answer to reply with.
Natasha voice was soft and felt like she was trying a last act of desperation to bring the Iron Man into their plan. "Tony... We have to take a stand."
Tony didn't hesitate as he responded, feeling a pang of sadness in his chest at the thoughts of the past. "We did stand. And yet, here we are."
Scott found his voice suddenly. "I know you got a lot on the line. You got a wife, a daughter. But I lost someone very important to me. A lot of people did." Scott no longer held a tone of sympathy and kindness, his voice growing louder to allow his desperation to be showed. "And now, now we have a chance to bring her back. To bring everyone back. And you're telling me that won't even..."
"That's right, Scott, I won't even." Tony sighed slowly, jutting his chin to gesture to Morgan who was hurrying outside to her father. "I got a kid."
"Mommy told me to come and save you," Morgan said, arms outstretched to be captured in Tony's tight embrace.
"Good job. I'm saved." Melissa easily saw the look of relief over Tony's eyes as he picked Morgan up, hugging her tightly. He turned to face Steve. "I wish you'd come here to ask me something else. Anything else. Honestly, I... I missed you guys, it was... Oh, and table's set for seven."
"Tony, I get it." Steve didn't really pay much thought to the offer. "And I'm happy for you, I really am. But this is a second chance."
"I got my second chance right here, Cap." There was a small smile upon Tony's face as he glanced at his daughter, the girl showing a toothy grin. "I can't roll the dice again. If you don't talk shop, you can stay for lunch."
Without another word, Tony turned and went inside, leaving the four alone with their thoughts as they walked back to the car. The discussion left Melissa even deeper in her thoughts, slowly changing her attention to the thought of Carol and what she was up to. She just had to leave the day there was a potential discovery as to how they could reverse the effects of the snap. Melissa could really use one of Carol's hugs right about now.
"He's scared," Natasha spoke up, pausing at the passenger side door, her arm resting over the rooftop.
Melissa passed her with a frown. "Can you blame him?" She said, pulling the back door opened and freezing before glancing over to Natasha. "What if he's right, I don't want to disturb Reyna. I would prefer to let her rest rather then risk hurting her more." Her gaze then settled on Steve, knowing he could share her pain when it came to loosing a best friend. "I know you would do the same for Bucky-"
"I would stop at nothing to get him back, Melissa," Steve shot back, a cold glare over his gaze. "I thought you'd be the same for Rey."
"I would, but if there's a risk we can screw it up further..." The blonde trailed off, biting her tongue as she waited for a response.
Steve's shoulders slowly lifted before falling, and he easily understood where Melissa was coming from. Of course, he felt the same. He didn't want to disturb his friends resting places nor did he want to screw up the world further. "I wanna do it right. We're gonna need a really big brain."
Scott shot his gaze to the Captain, a similar look of questioning as Melissa. He jutted a thumb back to the cabin. "Bigger then his?"