Time After Time (Book 3)

Saviours and Sacrifice

"Did you know about that?" she asked her husband.

"Well yeah, but I never thought I'd ever..."

"We should head back to the palace, regroup, and figure out what's going on." T'Challa said again. "If Thanos did snap are we the ones left?"

A rustling noise sounded from the brush to the right of them and they turned to find Wanda appearing through the tree line. Betty ran over to give her a hug but stopped dead at the emotionless expression on her face.

"Wanda, what happened?" she asked gently.

"He did it.  Thanos got the stone from...Vis and he...he did it. I stopped him...I...I...I killed VISION!" She wailed. "But it was pointless.  Thanos used the time stone to reverse time and took the mind stone from Vision anyway. He's...gone. I've lost...everything."

Betty wrapped her arms around her friend, and she broke down, sobbing, but not for long. Betty could almost feel how she turned her pain inwards, recognising it as she'd done the same thing herself.

"We dusted," Wanda confirmed, "and I was happy to go, but something has brought us back. We need to find out what and why."

Their small band exchanged nods and turned towards the plain. With one hand in Bucky's she turned and held out her other.

"Come on Groot," she encouraged, and smiled warmly as the young tree slipped his gnarled hand into hers.

Sam's voice sounded through their comms devices which, to their relief, were still active. "There's some transports heading this way full of Dora.  Okoye and Shuri are with them."

"Thanks be to Bast!" T'Challa exclaimed, picking up the pace a little in his haste to reach his sister and friend.

When they reached the plain it didn't take long for the transports to catch up to them.  Shuri and Okoye were off the vehicles before they'd even stopped, launching themselves at T'Challa with undisguised emotion. It was Okoye who explained to the group what had happened.

"I know that it seems mere moments for you but for us, the snap happened five years ago."

"Five years?" Betty exclaimed, and Okoye nodded sadly.

She shared a horrified look with Bucky.  They were both thinking about Steve.

"After half of all life on the planet disintegrated into dust, the Avengers worked tirelessly to find Thanos. They located him on a distant planet but when they reached him he had already destroyed the stones. We lost all hope of ever being reunited with our loved ones." Okoye bowed her head in sadness for a moment before finding the strength to continue. "Some of us continued to police the world as it fell apart, but it was a never-ending and thankless task. It was only with the reappearance of a Mr Scott Lang that things started to change."

"The guy that can change size?" asked Bucky, and Betty nodded.

"Using his technology, Stark and Banner developed a way to travel back in time, and retrieved the stones when they emerged at various points in history. I'm assuming from your blessed reappearance that they have succeeded in their mission."

"I am groot?" Groot asked, a somewhat hopeful expression on his face as he wrung his hands together.

"What did he say?" Okoye asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I think he's asking about his friend," Betty answered, hoping she was right.

"Oh, the talking civet?"

"I am groot," he grumbled.

"Sorry," Okoye smiled graciously, "I meant Rocket.  Yes, he's fine.  I saw him via hologram just last week."