Solaris ⋯ Steve Rogers|Marvel Cinematic Universe

[chapter 128]

AVENGERS COMPOUND, UPSTATE NEW YORK

When they arrived, Thor kept silent and headed off on his own. Steve had snapped out of his initial shock and was leading the group as he always did, Bruce and Rocket talking about using a deep scan to monitor the galaxy so they could find their friends. Rhodey joined them at the lab as Natasha and Evelyn stopped at the entrance.

"I'll gather all the old tech." Natasha stated, knowing she'd be able to reach Clint that way. "If I don't get anything, I'm going there."

"I'll come with." Evelyn replied with a curt nod. "I'll go check on the Tower first."

Hoping they both would come back with good news, Evelyn looked up and took a deep breath before unleashing her wings. She knew taking a car would be useless as she didn't know the state the roads were in and she wanted to check what was going on the city knowing she wouldn't be able to look clearly if she took the jet.

As she headed deeper into the city, she realized it was all chaotic. There were multiple cars crashed in random places, their drivers having been snapped out of existence. She saw couple people looking up at her and call out to her but Evelyn kept on going, not knowing what she would tell them. Landing on the Avengers Tower next to a Quinjet, Evelyn only hoped Pepper would be there as she usually would. Seeing no open windows or anything, she broke the glass with a blast and rushed in.

"Pepper!" She called out running around the penthouse. "Pepper?!"

"Evelyn?!" The woman came down the stairs with wide eyes. "What's going on?"

"We failed..." Evelyn managed to get out and Pepper wrapped her arms around Evelyn's shoulders making her wince. "We couldn't stop it."

"Tony..." Pepper sniffled, pulling back from the hug. "He was on the ship."

"Georgiana?" Evelyn asked, hoping the woman knew the answer. "Was she with him?"

"F.R.I.D.A.Y. told me Tony had activated hers and Peter's suits." Pepper replied as Evelyn slowly nodded along. "They're both up there with him."

"We're starting a search for them. Do you want to stay here?" She asked but Pepper shook her head. "Or you can come to the Compound with me."

Evelyn waited as Pepper quickly packed a bag for herself. She explained what she could, telling her Thanos had managed to wipe half of the universe. Neither of them wanted to think their loved ones were a part of the erased half. Seeing the look on Pepper's face, Evelyn mustered up a weak smile at her and squeezed her shoulder.

"We'll find them Pepper."

Knowing her way around the Compound, Pepper set off on her own, clearly overwhelmed with everything she learned. She found Natasha sitting in her room and walked in with a sigh. Natasha saw her walk in and wordlessly put the device in her hands down.

"He's alive." She quietly spoke, not sounding too happy about it.

"Oh, thank god." Evelyn breathed out, feeling a little weight lift from her shoulders but frowned when she heard Natasha sniffle. "Nat?"

"Laura..." Natasha's voice cracked as she wrung her hands together. "Cooper, Lila, Nate..."

"No..." Evelyn's eyes widened as she shook her head in disbelief. "No, no, no..."

"He doesn't want us to go there." Natasha stated, furiously wiping under her eyes. "Said he'd reach us."

Evelyn didn't even know what to say as she bit her lip to stop herself from crying out. Yes, she knew what it was like to lose family but she couldn't even imagine what it felt like to lose your own children. Natasha's strong façade finally broke as she put her head on Evelyn's healthy shoulder and silently cried, mourning the loss of the kids they loved dearly.

She stayed there till Natasha finally fell asleep, all the physical fighting and emotional distress finally catching up with the woman. Gently laying her back, Evelyn pulled the covers on her friend and silently left the room. She didn't break down, keeping herself together for everyone. Needing some alone time, she made a beeline to her room and got in the shower, ready to get out of her dirty suit. Putting on a pair of leggings and a t-shirt, she walked out to the kitchen, her body on autopilot. She didn't expect for someone to be there but she was glad she wasn't alone with her thoughts.

"Want one?" Steve asked her as he poured himself a bowl of cereal.

Evelyn nodded and sat at the bar stool, weakly smiling at him as he passed her a bowl before joining her side. They ate and cleaned up in silence. Neither of them had to speak to know they needed each other.

"The Bartons are gone..." Evelyn stated with a small voice, her bottom lip trembling.

Steve pulled her in for a hug and she rested her head on his shoulder, taking in the scent of his shampoo to calm herself down. He rubbed her back to give her some sort of comfort as he was processing what he had just heard.

"Guys!" Bruce frantically rushed in, followed by Rhodey as they broke their embrace. "We got something."

"What is it?" Steve asked, both feeling their hearts leap with hope.

"A strong signal." Rhodey replied, holding a tablet in his hands. "It's coming from Atlanta.