Galactic Savior | Avengers✔️

✮ 𝟎𝟔𝟐 ✮

lies and killing

TONY stared at the group in front of him with an incredulous look on his face. Harry and Morgan were laughing inside with Pepper, but even that could not make him smile at the moment. Scott Lang had just told him that he came from the Quantum Realm and that it could happen again. Tony was not convinced.

"No, you accidentally survived. It's a billion to one cosmic fluke. And now you wanna pull off a... What do you call it?" Tony asked.

Scott grinned to himself. "A time heist?"

"Yeah, a time heist. Of course, why didn't we think of this before? Oh, because it's laughable? Because it's a pipedream?" Tony said with a shake of his head.

Scott gestured with his hands. "The Stones are in the past. We can go back and get them."

"Marlene can reconnect with her stone," Vision added.

"We can snap our own fingers. We can bring everyone back," Natasha finished.

Tony shook his head. "Or screw it up worse than he already has, right?"

"I don't believe we would," Steve said.

"Gotta say, sometimes I miss that giddy optimism. 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 said quickly before he turned his head. "Anyway, where is Marlene? What does she have to say about this?"

Steve furrowed his brows. "What do mean? She goes to those meetings with Pepper."

"What meetings?" Tony asked. "Pepper's inside."

Natasha bit her lip, taking out her phone and ringing her. After a moment, she shook her head. "No answer. Her phone is off."

"Why would she—" Steve started, feeling worry and anger overstepping each other inside of his mind. "I-I'll find her. Tony, we need to do this."

"We have to take a stand," Vision added.

"We did stand. And yet, here we are," Tony said.

Scott nodded. "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. 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. I got a kid," he said as Morgan and Harry ran from inside. "So do you, Cap." Harry jumped into Steve's arms. "Think about him before you do this."

"Mommy told us to come and save you," Morgan whispered to Tony's ear as Harry stared at her from Steve's arms.

Tony smiled and kissed her head. "Good job. I'm saved," he said before looking at them. "I wish you'd come here to ask me something else. Anything else. Honestly, I... I missed you guys."

Steve tightened his hold on Harry. "Tony, I get it. And I'm happy for you, I really am. But this is a second chance."

"I got my second chance right here, Cap, and you've got yours. I can't roll the dice again. If you don't talk shop, you can stay for lunch... I can have Friday locate Marlene to make sure she's safe," Tony said before smiling at Harry. "If you want, we can look after Harry while you find her."

Harry grew excited as Morgan jumped from Tony's arms. Harry pushed out of Steve's as the kids ran inside without waiting for an answer from Steve. He rubbed his forehead before nodding. "I'll pick him up once we find her."

Tony nodded, walking inside without another word.

"He's scared," Natasha murmured.

Steve took out his own phone. "He's not wrong."

"What did you plan to do if this worked? Have Marlene stay home with Harry while you go risk your life?" Natasha asked with a scoff. "No wonder she runs off. You're not letting her do what she was created to do."

Steve tried calling her, but she did not answer. "I'm not controlling her, Nat. You saw what Thanos did to her. I'm scared. I'm terrified she will get into a fight she can't win."

Natasha looked at her phone as she received a message from Tony. "Looke like she already has gotten into a fight. She won, though."

Turning her phone, Steve's eyed widened at all of the dead people in the surveillance photo. "She's not alone," Steve murmured. "Look. Gun shots. Slices like a knife or a sword. She's working with someone."

Natasha turned the phone back just as she gasped. "Shit," she said as Vision sighed. "You knew!?"

Vision frowned. "She asked me to not tell when I found her speaking to him."

"Who?" Scott asked.

"Clint," Steve said as realization struck.

In Tokyo, there were four groups Clint had pinpointed. Marlene and Clint had already taken out one while they were on their way to the next. The witch had been ignoring calls from her husband and Natasha as she killed people with no remorse. She could not allow herself to feel anything when she helped Clint—if she did, she would see Steve's face in her mind. She would feel guilty.

Rushing inside, she took out two men just as Clint swung inside on a rope before sending his machete into the nearest person. People were screaming, the drugs they were harboring flying everywhere. Behind her mask, she watched Clint's figure dance between bodies. Marlene twisted mid air, using the gun Rocket had given her so long ago.

Grinning at the blast, she slid on the ground as someone tried to shoot at her. After finishing off the group, Clint and Marlene stood together, both panting as his guilty eyes met hers. He hated that she asked to join him years ago. He did not have the heart to say no. He felt like he had turned her into a monster of a person. Two sides. One who was the great mother and wife. The other that had no remorse killing. He felt guilty.

Marlene twisted her head at the familiar sound. "Rhodey," Marlene called to Clint. He quickly grabbed her body, using a grappling hook to get out of there. Swinging to the next building, he shoved her aside as he crouched down as well.

He nodded once at her before both took off running to the hidden Quinjet. Sliding into the open hatch, Clint hurried to the pilot's seat as he flew them somewhere to lay low until they were to find the next group.

Turning, he saw her rubbing her ankle with a wince. They both pulled their masks off as they averted eye contact after a moment. Neither liked to talk after killing that many people. It bothered Marlene, sure, but Clint would never admit how much it bothered him as well. Marlene did not need her Mind Reading Powers to know that.

"You should answer your phone," Clint said after a moment. "They might need you."

"You need me more right now," Marlene muttered back, leaning against the metal wall of the jet. "I'll be home soon."