During her year off-grid, Keira had never once allowed herself to look up what had become of her friends. And while some of them, especially Natasha, had tried to reach her, they all ended up blocked. It was too painful of a reminder.
The fact that it had been her who had abandoned them first was gnawing away at her heart. Not only that, but she had lost herself. Lost every sense of who she was before Thanos. Keira Nowak wasn't a ruthless killer, was she?
No, she was an Avenger, who did everything she could to repent for her bloody past. She didn't kill unless it was truly necessary, and definitely not in cold blood, as she had done the past year. Right...?
Keira dragged the worn laptop closer to her and as she flipped it open, she was forced to squint at the bright screen. She gave her eyes a moment to adjust and she brushed some mahogany strands behind her ears before she started to type the thing she had promised herself to never google.
'The Avengers'
And all thanks to the imaginary voice and touch of Wanda.
The laptop chewed the words for a couple of seconds before it refreshed, and just as expected, millions of results popped up. But the news articles regarding Sokovia, or Lagos, weren't the ones that interested Keira. That was old news. No, it was the most recent ones that caught her interest.
'Where are the Earth's Mightiest Heroes now?'
'What really happened in Wakanda?'
'Why did the Avengers fail to protect the world?'
'Natasha Romanoff, carrying the legacy of our lost heroes on her shoulders.'
At the last headline, Keira felt the lump in her throat grow to such a size it became hard to breathe. "Tasha..." She whispered weakly while blindly reaching for her phone. Not one of her many burner phones, but her real one. The one she always kept charge in the childish hope that she would one day see Wanda's name pop up on it.
As if to make matters worse, her vision blurred even more as her eyes fell on her lock screen. Three women were smiling up at her. A brunette, a blonde, and a redhead. Wanda, Keira herself, and Natasha.
It had been one of those rare days when all three of them had a day off, and like normal, Keira had grown restless within the confines of the compound. But luck turned out to be on her side because at that moment, a carnival just happened to be in town. And what could be a better boredom breaker than such a thing?
To her delight, both Wanda and Natasha had gladly tagged along without complaints.
And when Keira had managed to win the big Toothless plushie, cheered on by both women, how could she resist not taking a victory picture? Since Keira's hands had been busy holding her prize, it was Natasha who had been assigned the title of photographer. Because Wanda was busy holding two cones with blue cotton candy, hers and Natasha's.
All of their smiles stretched wide, but Natasha's most of all.
The fit of laughter that broke out just after the picture was taken was one Keira would never forget. All of them had laughed so much that they nearly cried, their stomachs hurting. And to see Natasha so carefree and happy in public, had made Keira's heart melt.
It had been one of those rare moments when Natasha didn't care if someone saw the real her, something that didn't occur often. Natasha normally kept a very strict façade while around strangers.
Blinking furiously, Keira bit down on her bottom lip to stop it from trembling. What had she done? She had lost Wanda, but instead of staying with her friends, the people who cared about her, she had run away.
What kind of friend did that? Not a very good one, that's for sure.
"I need to get back..." It was as if someone else spoke the words, but it was her own lips that formed the sentence. She might've been walking a path of lost souls for over a year now, but it had to end. There were better ways to handle the situation.
And even if Natasha was the only remaining Avenger at the compound, Keira had to get back to her. She couldn't abandon her best friend any longer.
❆
Said and done, she booked the next flight back to the United States. Keira couldn't say that she would miss Cyprus very much. It was a beautiful country and amazing for tourists, yes. But she had only been here for business. And she couldn't exactly count the business as fun, so it didn't give her particularly fond memories to cherish.
Her head leaned against the cold plane window, giving her something to focus on. She was used to traveling by plane by now, but that still didn't take away the fact that she thought the whole situation uncomfortable.
To know she was stuck in a metal cylinder thousands of feet above the ground with strangers wasn't exactly a calming thought. So, to keep herself occupied, she decided to see what the papers might've written about her. Because, unlike Topaz, nobody knew Viceroy's true identity. She had made sure of that.
It had been enough to get her cover blown one time, and the hate storm she had gotten after the fall of SHIELD wasn't exactly child's play. So, nobody would ever know who Viceroy truly was.
Her curiosity regarding Viceroy was quickly smothered, however. She was being compared to some of the most vicious mutants that had the displeasure of catching the public eye. Some just called her a copycat while others just called her a serial killer, listing all the names that were believed to have lost their lives at her hand.
And while the rumors of Viceroy's identity ran high, nobody could connect the dots correctly. Which meant that Viceroy could walk into a silent grave without the backlash of a private hate storm.
"That's not exactly what I would call light reading."
Keira peeled her eyes from her screen and raised a challenging eyebrow. "And I was taught it's impolite to read over someone's shoulder." She bit back, a bit harsher than she'd meant to while she tilted her phone against her arm to cover it from view.
The man who met her eyes was broad-shouldered and it would've been easy for her to fit at least two of herself into his sleek suit. He towered, quite literally, over her and it was a miracle that his head didn't hit the ceiling of the plane.
But his enormous size didn't cause her to shrink back, no, quite the opposite. She straightened her back and met his blue eyes calmly while crossing her arms over her chest.
"You'll have to excuse me. Old habit, I'm afraid. My eyes tend to fall on things they deem interesting." The corners of his lips twitched slightly, as if he wanted to smile but didn't quite dare to. "And I can't deny that I deem Viceroy interesting."
Keira couldn't help but narrow her eyes slightly and tilted her head curiously. "What do you know about them?" Her gut told her that the man beside her knew a lot more than he let on, and she couldn't help but feel a bit uneasy at the thought.
After all, she was crammed against the window if the man proved to be something else than harmless.
Now, the man actually dared to smile. He readjusted his seat slightly, accidentally brushing against Keira's shoulder while doing so. It was purely by accident though, as he barely had space to move at all. "Can't say I know anything more than what the papers have reported." He began slowly, his head tilted slightly upwards in thought. "But I do pride myself on being more observant than the normal citizen."
Glancing to his right, he saw the woman's skeptically raised eyebrow and chuckled quietly. "You see, it's not Viceroy's powers that make her dangerous. Some people might say that it is, but they are wrong. It's not her powers, nor is it her mask. It's her ideology." He paused slightly, seeing the woman's questioning look. "You see, there's a small detail the newspapers have failed to report. All the people that lost their lives at her hand, were all part of an old organization that met its end years ago.
"HYDRA." Keira hummed, nodding faintly as she met his eyes again. "You're not the only one who observers more than what meets the eye." She added defensively when the man seemed a bit surprised by her intel. The fact that he seemed to believe that Viceroy was a woman hadn't slipped past her guard either, which made her even more uneasy. Who was this man? "Do you think they deserved it?"
The man tilted his head curiously and turned to face her. He held eye contact, not branching off once while he seemed to ponder the question. "I don't doubt they did horrible deeds during their lifetime. But now, when their lives have been snuffed out, they have no chance of redemption either. Do you think that's fair?"
Keira gave an amused huff and shook her head slowly.
It was clear that this man was a lot smarter than she initially would've thought. The way he carefully balanced the conversation, revealing just enough information to make it clear that he knew something, but without revealing anything of importance. "Doesn't really matter if it's fair or not, does it? Life isn't some fairytale where everyone gets a happy ending, and let's be honest, not everyone deserves one either."
The man just chuckled and brushed one of his giant hands over his bald head. "Can't argue against that. You're quite the sharp woman. What's your name?"
"Does the name really matter when we'll never see each other again once this plane lands on American soil?" Keira countered quickly, arching an eyebrow. She couldn't put a finger on it, but the man made her uneasy, and she had no desire to continue this conversation. "But for the sake of pleasantries, Julia Huxley." She held out a hand and the man took it.
The very second she mentioned her alias, she realized her mistake.
The glint of familiarity that flashed across the man's blue eyes was unmistakable, but he merely smiled, shaking her hand with a firm grip. "My pleasure, Mrs. Huxley. Allow me to formally introduce myself, Harold Howard."
"Likewise, Mr. Howard."
The rest of the trip continued in silence and Keira had to fight hard to keep her breathing calm and level. She was feeling more boxed in by the minute, knowing that the man, or Harold, was blocking her only way out.
On top of that, she was certain that she too, had been given a false name, one she didn't recognize, but a false one, nevertheless.
When she finally stepped out of the plane, she couldn't help but draw a big breath of relief. It had taken all her willpower to not ask the flight attendant for another seat, but that would've just raised even more suspicion. But now, she was finally free to get out of there and to never see that man again.
While walking through the airport, Keira couldn't help but throw uneasy glances over her shoulder.
The feeling of being watched followed her like a ghost, and it was one she did not appreciate. And even after she had listened to the minds around her, to make sure that she wasn't, in fact, being followed, she still didn't allow herself to lower her guard.
Only when she shut the car door closed on her rental, did she finally allow herself to breathe out and relax her shoulders.
Grabbing the steering wheel with both hands, she sighed deeply as she let her head hang. "Note to self; do not reuse old aliases. Bad choice." But she had become lazy, and the passport for a Julia Huxley had already been created years back. Closing her eyes briefly, she shook her head.
With any luck, it was just an old HYDRA operative that wouldn't stir up any trouble for her. "Okay, enough sulking. You have a best friend to get home to."
❆
Driving up to the gates of the compound, Keira couldn't help the guilt that washed over her. She had left it all behind without looking back even once. Biting down on her bottom lip, she took a deep breath before pressing in the code on the keypad.
Judging from the squeaking metal as the gates slid to the side, it hadn't been oiled in a long time, and that wasn't a very reassuring sign.
The grass was higher than she had ever seen before, but it wasn't wild-grown yet, so someone was still moving the lawn, although less frequently than before. When she finally parked the car and got out of it, a small smile found its way onto her lips.
Home again.
It all seemed to have remained untouched, every code and key still being the same. Grabbing her bag, she hoisted it over her shoulder before leaving the garage. She couldn't say she was too surprised when she didn't feel the normal amount of minds running around the compound. As she had expected, her friends had just waited for the trailblazer, so they all could leave after that without having a guilty conscience.
But there was one mind that was still here, the only one that mattered.
Natasha.
Keira fell into a run, blindly turning the corners with her duffel bag bouncing against her hip. It didn't take long until the distant sound of gunshots reached her ears, and the small smile she had been wearing ever since entering the compound, only widened.
The gun range was overlooking the beautiful lake with big, floor-to-ceiling windows, and considering the fact that the sun had started to settle, she could just picture the scene. When she slid to a stop and stretched out her hand to turn the handle, she noticed that she was shaking slightly.
She had managed to suppress her nervousness pretty well while running, but now, it all came flowing back. With her heart beating in her chest, she slowly turned the handle and opened the door. Immediately, the volume of the gunshots spiked, and Keira's eyes fell on Natasha's figure.
Her hair was longer now, reaching just below her shoulders, and the red color that Keira adored so much had started to grow out again, starting to blend with the blonde. A pair of dark maroon ear protectors were firmly in place as Natasha fired shot after shot, each bullet hitting the middle of the target on the opposite wall.
The former assassin didn't falter in her step as she changed the clip, almost emptying it before spinning around so fast she nearly cricked her neck.
With the barrel of the gun staring right at her, Keira didn't move a muscle but merely met the stern green eyes of the redhead with a slightly raised eyebrow. For just a moment, it seemed like Natasha didn't recognize her. The jade eyes seemed devoid of any emotion as the gears turned behind them, but then, they finally clicked into place.
"K- Keira?"
The gun clattered to the floor and before Keira had time to react, she was embraced by a pair of strong arms and the familiar scent of Natasha invaded her senses. She didn't hesitate but wrapped her arms around her best friend and hugged her tightly, burying her face in the crook of her neck.
Silent tears streamed down Keira's face without her permission, soon staining the black tank top Natasha was wearing.
They both sunk to their knees, still clutching each other tightly, as if each of them were afraid that the other person would vanish into thin air if they dared to lighten their grip. Keira soon felt her shoulder becoming soaked as well, indicating that she wasn't the only one crying. "I am so sorry, Tasha. I never should've left. I- I don't know what came over me. I was just overwhelmed by my own head, and everybody's thoughts, so I thought if I just- If I just-"
"I know, it's okay." Natasha hushed, sucking in a shuddering breath. She couldn't believe it. Keira was back. After more than twelve months apart, she had her best friend back, one she thought she might've lost forever.
Because that dreaded morning when she had woken up to find Keira's room abandoned, she had felt her world crashing down on her, again.
Wiping her tears against Keira's hoodie, Natasha bit down on her lip before pulling back but not without keeping her hands on the mutant's shoulder, looking her up and down. The dark hair had been a bit of a shocker at first, but she understood Keira's reasoning behind it.
Keeping the blonde hair would've just made it easier for the authorities to identify her. Honestly, Natasha was surprised that Keira hadn't colored her hair earlier, like during her years on the run together with Wanda.
Another scar, a rather deep and jagged one on the mutant's right cheek had joined the small one she previously had on her bottom lip.
It made Natasha wonder if Keira had been up against more enemies than just the old HYDRA operatives. Because while the public didn't connect the strings, it was clear as day to Natasha that the murders had been Keira's work, even with the new tricks she had up her sleeve.
"I'm just glad you're back, Key."