Guardian Angel | Steve Rogers

15

21 Days After the Snap

"So it's never done this before?" Arden asked Carol.

"Never. It was only for emergencies only." Carol answered, looking down at the pager that she had in her hand, being paged by Fury. 

"I wonder if it has to do with the disappearances that's been happening. If it happened on the other planets we were on, it must have on Earth." Arden commented. 

They took off together, traveling back to Earth when Arden stopped abruptly in space. Carol circling back for her as soon as she realized she was falling behind. 

"Why is there a ship just floating around?" Carol asked, the both of them just staring at it. 

"Well, we're about to find out." Arden replied, making her way to the front of the ship.

Carol using her powers to shine light around them, stopping in front of the ship when Arden realized who the person sitting in the seat, almost dead was. 

"Oh my god, Tony." Arden whispered to herself. 

Someone walked up behind Tony, holding up a knife like she was protecting him, but Arden didn't recognize her. 

"I'm a friend. Let us in, please." Arden begged. 

The woman, looked at Tony who gave her a small nod, then walked to the back of the ship, allowing them to come in. Arden pushed past the blue woman, who introduced herself as Nebula, making her way to the front, dropping on her knees in front of Tony. 

"Tony." She shook him lightly, trying to wake him back up, but he refused. 

She leaned forward, checking his pulse.

"His pulse is weak. What happened?" Arden looked up.

"He's wounded, I treated it as best I could, and he's malnourished. Our ship doesn't have enough juice to get us back to Earth, so we've been stranded here." Nebula explained. 

Arden put her hands on each side of Tony's face, trying to get a good look at him, and her heart broke. To see him so hurt, exhausted and in pain, she felt like she failed him. 

"Pep?" Tony mumbled, trying to pry his eyes open.

"Tony, it's Arden. I'm gonna get you home to Pepper, just stay with me, okay?" She promised him, and he nodded slowly, before falling back asleep. 

"We'll get you back to Earth." Arden repeated to Nebula, turning to Carol who nodded at her. 

Carol took the initiative to guide the ship back to Earth, while Arden stayed inside the ship with Nebula and Tony. Keeping an eye on him while Nebula explained everything to her. Her view on things at least, so it held the Earth's defenders point of view pretty vague. As they got closer, Arden exited the ship, directing Carol on where to land. 

"You sure you don't want to go with? I'm sure they need you now more than ever." Carol insisted. 

"I'm not ready to face them yet." Arden answered.

Carol nodded, continuing to land the ship safely, Arden watched to make sure, but she took off before she saw anyone come out. 

The next day, Arden lingered around the compound, her nerves and guilt building up but she forced herself inside anyways. Peeking at Tony in a wheelchair connected to an IV line, seeing the others in the room. 

"What's wrong with him?" Tony asked, looking at Thor behind the glass window. 

"Oh, he's pissed. He thinks he failed. Which, of course, he did. But there's a lot of that going around, ain't there?" Rocket answered.