Infinity

Chapter 143

Nat's POV

I sat on the Quinn Jet and Steve flew us back to the compound. No, one spoke. All any of us could do was sit in silence. When we arrived in Wakanda to face Thanos there were seven of us, me, Steve, Rhodey, Sam, Wanda, Vision, and Bruce. Now only four of us were returning plus Thor and Rocket, who was a raccoon experiment thing that I didn't understand.

The effect of our loss weighted heave on each of us as we flew through the air lost in our own thoughts. I couldn't help but wonder about the others, who weren't here. Were Clint and his family still here? Or my Russian family, Yelena, Alexei, and Melina were they any of them still alive. And Marlie, Tony, and Peter went up into space with Dr. Strange. There were to many questions and not enough answers. We had to do something. We had to try and fix this.

Once we landed back at the compound, I marched off the jet and went straight to my room. I needed to make some calls and I wanted privacy. I grabbed my cellphone and dialed Clint's number first. It rang once before the panicked voice of Clint Barton, my best friend, came through.

"Nat! What the hell is happening? Laura, the kids, their all gone. Where'd they go?"

It broke my heart hearing the fear and panic in his voice, as the faces of Laura and the kids flashed through my mind drawing tears to my eyes.

"Clint. We couldn't beat him. He got all six of the stones. He did exactly what he said he would. Half the universe is gone. I'm so sorry, Clint."

I waited a long time as the images of our failure played through my mind. I couldn't believe it. How had we failed so badly? What could we have done differently to avoid this outcome.

"Clint? Hello?" I questioned through the phone, but there was no reply. Clint was gone.

I couldn't imagine what was coursing through Clint's mind right now or the pain he was feeling. I wouldn't give up on my friend, but right now there were more pressing matters. After waiting another moment to see if Clint was still there, I hung up and dialed a different number.

"I'm sorry, but the number you are trying to reach has been disconnected." An automated voice said.

I started pacing the floor. Yelena's emergency number wasn't working. Did that mean she was gone too? God, I hope not. I then continued to try number after number trying to reach anyone that I could. The only one that went through was Melina. She was still here, but Yelena and Alexei weren't. I couldn't take it anymore. I needed an outlet for this grief. I changed into a different suit and replaced Yelena's vest before marching out if the room and down to the shooting range. My body was to sore for anything other than firing my gun. I emptied clip after clip destroying countless targets.

"Nat."

I turned and saw Steve leaning against the door frame. I didn't even hear him, that's how upset I was. I didn't even realize that I was crying until I tried to speak. I casually cleared my throat and brushed my tears away.

"What is it, Steve?"

Steve looked down at his feet when he responded. I could see the pain he was feeling. The weight of this loss bared heavy on all of us.

"We're gathering in the conference room. We're gonna try to make sense of all this and see what we can do. There has to be a way to undo this."

I nodded and holstered the gun. "Alright. Let's go."

I followed Steve out and we walked together in silence towards the conference room. When we walked in, I saw that everyone was already here. Well, everyone that's left. I sat down around the round table between Steve and Bruce. I scanned the room and saw the effects of our defeat and loss written across everyone's faces. Rhodey, Steve, Thor, Bruce, and Rocket; we all sat in silence none of us knowing where to start.