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GLORY DAYS
i. ONE LAST MISSION
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synopsis. In which Riley Stark and Natasha Romanoff travel to Vormir in search of the Soul Stone
timeline. Alternate Universe, Endgame
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IT WAS RILEY'S IDEA. When the team was deciding who would retrieve each Infinity Stone, it was Riley's idea to go to Vormir with Natasha.
No one expects it from her. She's already been taken to space against her will twice. Why would she want to go back? But she's strangely insistent on it. With her experience and her desire for full closure, she figures she has some leverage over her other team members who haven't been in space before. Third time's the charm, right? One last trip. One last mission. And with Natasha by her side, she's certain it will be a walk in the park.
No one argues against it, though Tony tries to. He always does. He's been arguing for Riley's safety and wellbeing for years, maybe more than anyone she's ever known. And he's a paranoid man (not that anyone can blame him). Alas, no one is more stubborn than a Stark, especially Riley Stark, so he ultimately gives in. He sends her off with a kiss to the cheek and a stern, "Be careful, or I'm donating your suit to the next Met Gala."
"Don't worry, old man. I'll be fine," she assures with a bright smile. The others are gathering around, dressed in their matching Quantum Suits. It's nearly time to go. "Plus, I'll be with Nat the whole time. Nothing can split us apart."
She's optimistic, enthusiastic. Tony hasn't seen her like this in a long time, not since before this whole mess unraveled five years ago. Maybe that's a good sign. He wants to take it as a good sign.
Tony sighs. "You know I love you, right?"
"You're acting like we aren't gonna see each other in a minute," Riley teases. "This is going to work, Dad. Good always beats bad. I didn't survive everything that's come our way for this to fail." She lightly punches his arm. "I love you, too, by the way. Probably more than you."
"Pfft, yeah right."
He pulls her in for a warm hug, and Riley lets herself lean into his touch. The hug lasts for a while, and it's nice. She buries her face in his chest, his hands brushing over her back gently. He kisses the top of her head. They never do this sort of thing. Not really. But this is nice. She loves this gentler side of him a lot. She loves him a lot.
That's the last conversation the father and daughter share before everyone gathers. One cheesy (but glorious) speech later, and soon, the Avengers vanish into the Quantum Realm.
When Riley regains her footing, she finds herself on Morag, and the year is 2014. Natasha is with her, and they're waiting for Rhodey and Nebula to lower an Escape Pod from a now full-sized Benetar, otherwise known as Nebula's ship — the very ship Riley and Natasha will use to fly to Vormir while the other two keep the Escape Pod, just in case.
"That's it, right on that line, Blue," Rhodey coaches. "Keep dropping it."
Morag is a lot what Riley would have expected Titan II to be: bleak, gloomy, dark. Geysers burst nearby. Gaping cliffs are looming in the distance. The terrain is rocky and uneven. A tiny alien nibbles on Natasha's boot. She kicks it away with a grimace.
"Ew." Riley crinkles her nose. "Blegh, this is taking forever."
Natasha agrees. "Yeah, come on, chop-chop! We're on the clock here!"
"All that is really helpful!" Rhodey sasses, to which Natasha and Riley share a laugh.
They haven't actually spoken much about their current mission. That isn't unusual for them though. They've been on countless missions together since Riley was a kid, even before they became a mentor-student duo. There isn't anything they could say that the other doesn't already know: Be careful, watch my back, I can't wait until this is over. They didn't even go over the details of what they plan on doing when they get to Vormir, mostly because they aren't sure what to expect anyway.
But that's just Natasha and Riley. They know each other well, especially Natasha. Natasha knows Riley so well that she can perfectly time her blinks and predict every little word that comes out of her mouth. That's just them. A perfect, dysfunctional pair. Teacher, student. Mother, daughter. Aunt, niece. Sister, sister. Friend, friend.
Enemies to friends. That's something Riley never thought she would be able to say about Natasha Romanoff. She doesn't usually like change, but Riley is glad for this change.
When the Benetar is ready, Rhodey tells them, "Get that stone and come back. No messing around. You guys watch each other's six."
The two girls smile fondly at him. Natasha hugs him as Riley says, "Us? Messing around? Uh, have you met us?"
"Weren't you the same girl who spent half the day we were supposed to fight the others in Berlin watching TV with Pietro?" Rhodey retorts. Despite his tone, he pulls the younger girl in for a hug. "I mean it. Be careful out there, Stark."
"I can't wait for when we get the stone and I get to steal your punchline," Riley jokes. She deepens her voice, adding, "Boom. You lookin' for this?"
Rhodey finds it in him to smile. Her enthusiasm inspires him. Maybe they've got a real chance at fixing this. Maybe this will work.
Together, Riley and Natasha enter the Benetar. Nebula has already put in the coordinates for Vormir. All that's left is for them to get there and find the stone. Easy. They smile warmly at each other. They've come a long way.
Space blurs around them in an assortment of colors as they zip past different planets and cosmos. Riley finds herself counting the stars they soar past, her mind wandering to Roman. She wonders if there's a chance she'll see the remains of his home planet, Asteria. She misses him. A lot. Even after all these years. She wouldn't be here without his sacrifice. None of the Avengers would, truly. She wishes he was here to fight Thanos, to get vengeance for his people. Maybe they would have won the first time if he was still alive.
The longer she thinks about his sacrifice, the more her smile wilts. She knows she needs to get serious. Whatever awaits them on Vormir probably won't give up the Soul Stone very easily. She recalls how Nebula said Thanos did not leave Vormir without the death of her sister, Gamora, occurring. Worry subdues Riley as she wonders if she or Natasha (or both) will meet the same fate as Gamora. She tries to not let the thought bother her. They're going to get that damn stone.
Whatever it takes.
Vormir is beautiful in its own, twisted way. It's a majestic planet, stained with deep shades of purple and violet. As Riley stands on the flight deck admiring it, she can't help but falter. She hopes she won't get stuck in space again.
Natasha notices how her body freezes up, and she wraps an arm around her shoulders. "Now's the worst time to get cold feet," she gently says. Her tone is light, even though she's being completely serious.
A shaky breath escapes Riley. "Promise me you won't leave me here alone," she says.
"You know I'd never—"
"Promise me."
Natasha's eyebrows furrow, but she understands. Pulling the teenager in closer, she assures, "I promise."
"Thank you." Riley clears her throat, offering her former mentor another smile. "One last mission. And then it's all over."
"One last mission," Natasha agrees. "You ready for whatever we're about to face?"
"Nope. You?"
"Not even a little bit. Let's go."
They exit the Benetar as it stands alone on a dune. Natasha fires a Pym Particle at it. Whoosh! The entire ship disappears from their sight in the blink of an eye. She approaches it, lifting the shrunken Benetar and tucking it into her pocket. Riley becomes even more eager to finish this mission. She would love to meet Hank Pym and learn about his research from the man himself.
Vormir is a mostly flat and sandy planet with occasional lakes and a tall mountain in the far distance. The mountain's jagged edges reach toward the heavens as high as they can go — past the breeze, past the dark clouds, past the sun. Speaking of the sun, Riley can't really see it. She can kind of see a ring of light in the sky, but the sun is mostly concealed by darkness. She isn't entirely sure what to think of it, but she carries on.
They walk across Vormir for a long time until they approach the base of the mountain. The stone must be at the top. There's nothing else around them aside from this mounting. When Natasha groans over having to climb it, Riley realizes they can just fly to the top. A forcefield spreads beneath them, and they take to the skies again. It's a wobbly flight, for the wind currents grow stronger the higher they go up. Snowflakes catch their hair and eyelashes, their cheeks reddening. Natasha holds onto Riley as tight as she can, refusing to let go until she knows she won't fall to her death.
"Nice work, shortie," Natasha praises, patting her back. The snowflakes blend into the blonde ends of her braided hair. "I'm gonna bet the raccoon didn't have to climb a mountain."
Riley contemplates it. "Is he a raccoon? Scientifically speaking?"
"Whatever. He eats garbage—"
Something rustles nearby.
Riley's hands glow with light. Natasha cocks her gun. Their faces fall and their jaws clench as a voice greets, "Welcome... Natasha, Daughter of Ivan. Riley, Daughter of Roberto."
Daughter of Anthony. Riley bites her tongue.
"Who are you?" Natasha demands. They slowly inch forward, together.
"Consider me a guide... to you, and to all who seek the Soul Stone," the voice reveals. For a second, Riley swears the alien's accent is German. But that shouldn't be possible... right?
"Great. You can tell us where it is, and we'll be on our way," Riley dryly suggests.
"Oh, liebchen," it cooes in German. "If only it were that easy..."
The alien steps forth from the shadows, but a black, jaded robe conceals its face. It reminds Riley of those Star Wars movies Peter is so obsessed with. The closer the alien gets, the clearer its appearance becomes. Riley can see a flash of crimson and sharp features, almost skeleton-like. No, wait— It's the Red Skull.
Riley does not react outwardly, as expected for a stellar agent of her kind. Her face doesn't fall, nor does she falter. She remains tense and stoic, but that does not mean she isn't surprised to see Steve Rogers' old enemy. She knows who he is from Steve's stories, from all the old files. The two girls exchange glances, and again, they seem to know what the other is thinking.
They step over jagged rocks, following the Red Skull across the mountaintop. He seems to glide over the snow, much like a ghost. His ragged robe whips behind him with the wind, almost as if luring them in. Riley does not like how closely he resembles the Grim Reaper.
They reach a cliff, where an Altar arches over their heads. They're so high up that Riley swears she can see Heaven or Valhalla or whatever afterlife she might go to one day. A glimmer of a reddish-orange light peeks through the clouds. She isn't sure if it's the light of the sun or the Soul Stone. She thinks it might be the latter, for she swears she can feel its presence. It whispers in her ear so softly that she mistakes it for the wind. A knotted feeling ties at her stomach. She doesn't know how to feel about all of this, but she knows that she's nervous.
"Alright, so where is it?" Riley demands. "What's the password?"
"What you seek lies in front of you, as does what you fear," the Red Skull says, his voice icy and grave.
"I'm not scared of anything," Riley argues, and usually, when she says this, she is confident of that. But this time, she isn't sure. She thinks she left a piece of herself behind on Titan II — the piece of herself that is brave and courageous and valiant. She originally thought that piece of herself would return as she went back to space a third time, but now she's realizing it may never come back to her. It crushes her to think she will never be the same girl she once was.
Natasha gazes down at the world below. "The stone's down there," she realizes.
"For one of you," the Red Skull confirms. "For the other... In order to take the stone... you must lose that which you love. An everlasting exchange." He points a bony finger toward the cliff's edge. "A soul for a soul."
Riley immediately scoffs. "Yeah, okay, sure. So, what are the loopholes here?"
Natasha knows that she's joking because it's her defense mechanism. But now is not the time. Right away, she understands the severity of the situation.
"Riley—"
"No, I'm serious," the teen goes on. She's trying to joke, but her tone is giving her away. Her nervousness is blatant. "Loopholes are my jam. How do you think I've survived this long? There's always a loophole."
"There are no exceptions," announces the Red Skull. "A soul for a soul. This is the only way."
His words cut deep into Riley, and her urge to crack jokes suddenly vanishes.
A soul for a soul...
Oh.
Only one of them would retrieve the stone.
Only one of them would be leaving Vormir.
Oh.
○ ○ ○
From the beginning, Riley and Natasha have always known of the inevitability of their deaths.
It is how they were raised, how they were bred. They are not heroes, they never will be. They are cows born to be slaughtered. They are pawns in a greater game of chess, never meant to see the endgame. Born to get the job done, to complete mission after mission. Their lives, their dreams, their hearts — these never belonged to them. Their blood was always meant to be spilled. This, they have always known.
Riley knows it is her destiny to die for the sake of someone else, but she struggles to accept it. Her biological parents, Roman, Coulson, Vision, and countless other people have died so that she may live another day. There have always been people that died because of her, whether by her hand or someone else's — like those people Wanda killed in Lagos, Ultron's victims, and half the universe that died from Thanos's snap. They all stood between her and death, delaying the inevitable.
There has always been someone standing between her and death. This time, that person is Natasha Romanoff.
"What if he's lying?" Riley is pacing across the mountaintop now, her braided hair whipping over her shoulders. She steals glances at the Red Skull, who is awaiting their decision, waiting to see what they will do. "He has to be playing tricks on us."
"I don't think so."
"Why? Because he knew your old man's name?" Riley retorts.
Natasha looks up at her from where she sits on a rock. "I didn't."
Riley stops pacing. "Oh. Sorry."
"Thanos left here with the stone and without his daughter. You really think that's a coincidence?" Natasha points out. She hasn't been this stern with Riley in a long, long time. Riley feels like that little girl who couldn't make it through a single fight without collapsing into tears again.
"Correlation doesn't equal causation," the teenager hesitantly counters. "There has to be another way. I'm not dying today, and neither are you. Just let me think—"
"Riley—"
"I'm serious! Why can't we sacrifice the skull dude? Who cares if it has to be someone we love? Give me a few hours, I'll find a way to love him—!"
"These are grounds outside our territory, Riley," Natasha firmly says. "These are rules that even Thanos had to abide by. This is the only way—"
"You promised me," Riley snaps. Already, she's ravenous with desperation. She's reaching the same conclusions Natasha already came to. "You promised me we would leave together."
Natasha's eyes soften as the girl sits beside her. Frustration hardens Riley's face. She's trying to work out an equation in her head. She's too much like Tony. She's thinking too much about this. She's trying to find loopholes. She tries and tries, only to fail. She's losing. There has to be another way. This can't be the only way.
They do not speak for a long time.
Natasha is looking for the words to say. Part of her wants to just do it now, to just run over and sacrifice herself. This is it. This is her chance to clear her name and wipe out all of the red in her ledger. She's been trying so hard to lead the Avengers these past five years. She's been trying to save people and be the hero she dreams of being. She wants to be good so badly that she's willing to die for it. Maybe this is how she can cleanse her soul — by sacrificing it.
But seeing the distress on Riley's face is making this difficult. Natasha can sacrifice herself in a heartbeat. She isn't scared of death. She's never been scared of it. But she worries about Riley. She's the one thing keeping her feet on the ground, keeping her from breaking out into a sprint and throwing herself over. The sun cannot shine like this. Not like this. She wants to comfort Riley for just one last moment before she sacrifices her soul for humanity.
Natasha reaches out to her, taking her hand and squeezing it.
She knows what Riley is thinking. Of course, she does. They spent a lifetime together. There is no Riley without Natasha. There is no Natasha without Riley. They went from hating each other to... to this. To friends. To family. And it is because of this that she knows Riley will do whatever it takes to save the day. This is how she's always been. She will do anything to ensure she is the one who dies today.
And it worries Natasha. It worries her because now, Riley is just as strong as she is. No, she's stronger. The student becomes the teacher. Natasha's always been able to outsmart every enemy she encounters, no matter how strong they are, but Riley was never her enemy. Is that supposed to change now? Natasha wants to refuse.
There is no coming back from this either. The soul that is sacrificed will not be brought back with the others. This death will be the only one that is irreversible. It's a one-way ticket. One last mission.
"I wanted to be like you when I grew up, you know," Riley eventually says. Her voice is fragile as she stares at their intertwined hands. "I never told anyone because... I guess everyone already knew you hated me when I was a kid, and I didn't want them to pity me. So I kept it to myself. But now's a good time as any to confess it."
Natasha watches her, frowning. "I hate to be the one to tell you this, but I know. Everything there is about you, I already know."
Riley chokes out a bitter laugh. "Yeah, I figured. Auntie Nat... the freaking know-it-all." She runs her fingers over Natasha's glove. "I just wanted you to hear it from me. You were always my hero, even when you didn't like me. You still are. You're everything I wanted to become."
"And now you're better."
Riley scoffs, but she goes on, "I could never bring myself to hate you. I just wanted to be seen by you. I wanted to be accepted by you. I wanted to prove myself to you so bad... that I'm good enough to be a hero."
"You proved yourself a long time ago," Natasha promises. "You are and always have been good enough."
Riley sniffles. "Thanks, Nat. I know we didn't always see eye-to-eye, but... I'm glad you took a chance on me."
Natasha hates this feeling in her heart. She hates this feeling of goodbye. Neither of them can bring themself to say it, but this is it. This is the end of the road between them.
"Me too."
Riley turns to her, facing her properly. Her eyes are tinged with red, but no tears fall. She doesn't let them. Natasha presses their foreheads together, holding her hands in her grasp tightly. She brings Riley's smaller hand to her lips, kissing it fondly.
"Whatever it takes," Natasha whispers.
"Whatever it takes," Riley whispers back. "If we don't get that stone, billions of people will stay dead. This will all be for nothing."
"You know what this means then, right?"
"Yeah. I do."
Riley knows that Natasha is going to try to sacrifice herself.
Natasha knows that Riley is going to try, too.
They're going to have to fight for it.
"For the last five years, I've been trying to do one thing — get to right here," Natasha says as they stand up. "This is all it's been about. Bringing everybody back."
"How do you think I feel?" Riley sharply argues. "I cheated death. I traveled through time. I destroyed the stones. I even invented fucking time travel just to get here. I've been trying to avenge my losses since I learned how to walk. It has to be me."
"You have your whole life ahead of you. You have a family. Tony, Pepper, Morgan... They need you. The Avengers need you. We all just got you back—"
"You have a family, too. Yelena will need you when this is all over," Riley insists. "Maybe this is how it was supposed to be. You all thought I was dead for a reason. Because I was trying to make things right. I'm just following my destiny."
"Destiny's bullshit. I'm trying to save your life, genius—"
"Oh, so now you admit I'm a genius. When we're on the brink of life and death again."
"Don't try to get all funny on me now," Natasha dismisses. "I wish we had more time. I missed you every day we were apart. I missed you every day I thought you were dead. But you got a second chance. I can't let you make the sacrifice play again. Not again. I... I can't."
"Yeah, I bet you regret being all mean to me when I was a kid now, huh?" Riley tries to joke, but the joke falls flat. Regret pools Natasha's eyes. "I don't blame you. I never did. And I hope you don't blame me for destroying the stones in the first place—"
"I don't judge people by their worst mistakes."
"Maybe you should—"
"You never did." Natasha's voice trembles. "You never judged me for my past. And I never blamed you for yours."
Riley forces a smile, but it's nowhere near as bright as it usually is. "It's just like that song you used to sing," she weakly jokes. "This will be the day that I die."
And she means it. No one else will die because of her.
"Not on my watch, kid."
Natasha means that, too.
They take one more minute. That's all they want. Just one more minute. There's a shaky breath. Silence. This will be the day that I die.
Without warning, Riley sweeps Natasha's feet, and then she turns invisible. It's the easiest trick in the book. It's the most expected one. But it's efficient. Natasha's back slams against the mountain. She groans, but her reflexes are fast. She reaches out at the air blindly until she feels Riley's leg and pulls her down.
Riley turns visible again, cringing at the blood rushing to her head. She whips to the side to face her old friend. "Tell Tony I'm sorry," she begs. "Tell him it's not his fault."
"Won't need to."
Natasha's on her feet again, but Riley tackles her legs. They roll on the ground, grunting and groaning in pain as they push against each other. Neither girl actually wants to hurt the other, but desperate times call for desperate measures. They haven't fought like this in years. All of their training together is finally being put to the test.
Natasha pins Riley. She jumps up and fires an electric Widow's Bite at the teenager, shocking her and forcing her to remain on the ground. Natasha doesn't wait. This will be the day that I die.
Natasha breaks out into a sprint. She's given herself enough time. She can do this. She runs and runs, and when she reaches the halfway point— Boom! She runs directly into a forcefield.
Natasha's starting to get pissed off. She sighs heavily and demands, "Drop the forcefield, Riley."
Riley doesn't care to listen. She's on her feet, too, and she's running for the cliff. But before she can pass Natasha, the older woman turns around in the opposite direction and tackles her again. She throws a punch, and Riley blocks it. Again. Again. Again. Every time Riley turns invisible, Natasha can find her in seconds. That's how well she knows the girl. She knows Riley enough to find her blindly.
Riley doesn't want to hurt Natasha, but this is the only way. She'll recover eventually. She shrouds her body with light and waits for her to recoil. When she does, Riley pushes her away and makes a break for it. The end is near. The end is close.
This will be the day that I die.
Riley's momentum doesn't waver. She's getting closer... and closer... and closer... She shuts her eyes and feels her feet leave the ground—
A body flings itself at her. Natasha's arms wrap around Riley, and they begin their descent. The wind howls in their ears, blood pounding against their heads. A forcefield catches the two of them mid-air.
Riley's chest is heaving. "You crazy Russian," she breathlessly says, glaring at her.
Natasha tries to push herself out of the forcefield, but it's useless. She punches at the forcefield encasing them, pathetic. "Let... Let me out," she tiredly commands.
Riley nods. She places a hand on Natasha's bleeding cheek. She smiles, and for a moment, Natasha thinks that she'll obey for once
She is wrong.
"Until another day, Nat."
Riley leans back and phases through the forcefield. As she does so, she pushes the bubble Natasha is trapped in back to the mountaintop. It spits Natasha onto the gravel, and she lands with a pained cry.
And Riley falls.
And she falls.
And she falls.
Natasha scrambles to the edge of the cliff. She doesn't want to, but she looks over the edge. A body slams against the ground, and she swears the lifeless face is faintly smiling. A last sign of hope. But it doesn't matter.
Riley Stark is dead.
Hot tears stream down Natasha's face as she screams into the void that is Vormir. It's a pained, raspy scream — one she's been holding in her whole life. It climbs from within her, through her battered spirit and shreds through her vocal cords. She screams so loud that the souls wandering the afterlife can hear her. She screams so loud that the people on Earth can feel an unusual shift in the atmosphere.
Natasha's hands claw at the ground as she kneels. Her entire body violently trembles, and her breathing is shallow. This can't be it. This can't be the end.
But it is. She cannot accept it, but this is the end. She cannot accept it, even as the Soul Stone appears in her grasp. She stares at the tiny object, a fiery fury whirling through her core, through her broken heart, through her weary spirit. Riley Stark died for this? This stupid rock? Riley Stark had her soul stolen from her body... for this?
The sun is shining down on her, the Soul Stone is finally in her grasp, and yet all Natasha can do is sit there as her heart splits itself in half. Natasha holds the Soul Stone to her heart, hoping that she can somehow feel Riley's presence through it. She doesn't even care if she can't. She's sorrowful enough to pretend the sunlight shining down on her is from Riley.
And she cries. All she can do is cry.
Natasha never even got to tell Riley that she was her hero, too.
○ ○ ○
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
Now think about how Tony lost his daughter and best friend, how each of the Avengers lost their youngest and brightest member. Think about how Natasha will spend the rest of her life mourning Riley. Think about how Pietro will eventually return to life, only to discover that Riley sacrificed herself for him again. Think about how Wanda has lost someone she considered a little sister. Think about how Pepper lost her first daughter. Think about how Morgan will grow up not truly knowing who Riley was, only the distant memory of her in the back of her head from their brief time together. Think about Thor, who trained her himself and was the proudest Avenger when she figured out how to glow. Think about Steve, who was willing to pass the mantle of Avengers leader to her one day. Think about Clint, who treated her like his daughter. Think about Bruce and how Riley was the only one who understood what it was like to feel like an accident. Think about Peter. Just think about Peter.
Okay, now cry.