The Third Black Widow

Locating And Leaving

Clint changes, and we start brainstorming. We are in the office, and multiple screens project images of the six Infinity Stones.

"Okay, so the how works. Now, we gotta figure out the when and the where. Almost everyone in this room has had an encounter with a least one of the six Infinity Stones." says Steve. "Or substitute the word "encounter" for "damn near been killed" by one of the six Infinity Stones," says Tony.

"Well, I haven't, but I don't even know what the hell you're all talking about," says Scott. "I haven't had contact, but I know what you're talking about," I say.

"Regardless, we only have enough Pym Particles for one round-trip each. And these stones have been in a lot of different places throughout history," says Bruce. "Our history. So, not a lot of convenient spots to just drop in, yeah?" says Tony. "Which means we have to pick our targets," adds Clint. "Correct," says Tony.

"So, let's start with the Aether. Thor, what do you know?" says Steve. We all look at Thor, sitting in a chair with his sunglasses on and a beer in his hand. He looks like he's asleep or dead. "Is he asleep?" asks Nat. "No, no. I'm pretty sure he's dead," says Rhodey making me laugh.

We wake Thor up, and I whisper to Nat, "Oh boy, here we go, Thor and his long story explanation." "Exactly," she says.

The screens project things related to the Reality Stone, aka the Aether. I put my head down on my arms on the table and daydream, and I don't even listen to a word he says. I look around, and everyone except Scott looks pretty bored. I only listen when I hear him say that it was on Asgard for a short time.

Then I let my concentration leave again. You would think that I'd be interested in this type of thing but, no not really. The only thing I'm interested in is getting Yelena back. Tony makes Thor sit down, thank goodness.

The Power Stone is next. We order dinner from a Chinese restaurant, and we eat. The screens project things about the Power Stone, and Rocket talks about how Peter Quill, one of his Guardians of the Galaxy, stole it from a planet called Morag.

"Is that a person?" asks Bruce. "No, Morag's a planet. Quill was a person," says Rocket. "Like a planet? Like in outer space?" asks Scott, and I facepalm myself.

"Oh, look. It's like a little puppy, all happy and everything. Do you wanna go to space? You wanna go to space, puppy? I'll take you to space." says Rocket treating Scott like a puppy which makes me laugh. Great, we know two locations and approximate time frames.

Up next is the Soul Stone. The screens project stuff for the Soul Stone. "Thanos found the Soul Stone on Vormir," says Nebula. "What is Vormir?" asks Nat. "A dominion of death at the very center of celestial existence. It's where Thanos murdered my sister," explains Nebula. "Not it," says Scott, and I roll my eyes. Yay! We're halfway there!

The Time Stone is next. The screens project info regarding the Time Stone. It's just Nat, Steve, Bruce, and I right now. We're laying on the table and on the floor.

"That Time Stone guy," says Nat. "Doctor Strange," says Bruce. "Yeah, what kind of doctor was he?" asks Nat. "Ear-nose-throat meets rabbit-from-hat," says Tony. "Nice place in the Village, though," says Bruce. "Yeah, on Sullivan Street?" asks Tony. "Mm... Bleecker Street," says Bruce.

"Wait, he lived in New York?" asks Nat. "No, he lived in Toronto," says Tony. "Uh, yeah, on Bleecker and Sullivan," says Bruce.

"Guys. If you pick the right year, there are three stones in New York," says Nat. "That's what I was gonna say!" I say. "Shut the front door," says Bruce sitting up.

We meet up with everyone and divide into teams. Nat isn't letting me go. She says, and I quote, "It's too dangerous" so I will be anxiously waiting here.

The teams are Nat and Clint going to Vormir, Tony, Steve, Bruce, and Scott are going to New York, Thor and Rocket are going to Asgard, and Rhodey and Nebula are going to Morag.

Nat, Clint, Rhodey, and Nebula are going to Morag together, then Nat and Clint are flying the Milano to Vormir.

"All right. We have a plan. Six stones, three teams, one shot." says Steve.

Everyone goes to suit up. Once Nat is suited up, I pull her aside. "Nat, please be careful. I need you to come back alive. I can't live without you. You're the only one keeping me together. I love you no matter what." I say, and I hug her really tight. "Lizzie, I'll try my best. I love you more than you could ever know," says Nat. "Thanks," I say. "Everything is going to work out," says Nat. "Ok. I love you!" I say, and we hug one more time before she has to go.

Then I think of something. I do my special secret whistle and Nat turns around, smiles, and does hers back. I smile back at her. I wish that Yelena is here so she could do hers. It's not the same without all three whistles. I imagine Yelena's in my head. I walk behind everyone as we walk to the platform.

"Five years ago, we lost. All of us. We lost friends. We lost family. We lost a part of ourselves. Today, we have a chance to take it all back. You know your teams. You know your missions. Get the stones. Get them back. One round-trip each. No mistakes, no do-overs. Most of us are going somewhere we know. That doesn't mean we should know what to expect. Be careful. Look out for each other. This is the fight of our lives, and we're gonna win. Whatever it takes. Good luck." says Steve.

Everyone except for Bruce and me is standing on the platform. "He's pretty good at that," says Rocket. "Right?" says Scott. "All right. You heard the man. Stroke those keys, Jolly Green." says Tony. "Trackers engaged," says Bruce.

"You promise to bring that back in one piece, right?" Rocket asks Clint, referring to the Milano, shrunken to the size of a Lego brick. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay, I'll do my best," says Clint. "As promises go, that was pretty lame," says Rocket.

Bruce walks onto the platform and presses a button. "See you in a minute," says Nat smiling. "See ya in a minute, Nat!" I say. I wave to everyone, and their helmets activate, and they all disappear.