"Where am I? What is happening?"
Natasha Romanoff glanced around the docks as she found herself in a foreign yet familiar setting. The sun bore down onto the 'reborn' Avenger as the sounds of the ocean and seabirds provided the ambience for the wharf that didn't seem to be too busy at the moment. Perhaps it was a lazy Sunday noon? Only a few cumulus clouds dotted the bright sky at Wharf 52 where she and Hawkeye had captured the arms dealer from Ivory Coast who was selling stolen SHIELD technology to Snakehead warlords in Madripoor. The operation did hit a few snags and things nearly got messy, but as usual, the dynamic duo prevailed and caught their quarry.
Before I ended up here, I am sure I had fired an arrow at Ultron's eye to destroy the Infinity Stones with assistance from Captain Carter and the Guardians of the Multiverse. That Hydra virus really crippled him enough for Strange and Zola to take care of him. I am truly grateful for everyone's sacrifices, even Clint. God, do I miss him.
"Congratulations, Natasha Alianova Romanoff. You get a second chance at life where your 616 counterpart is no longer present. Not very many individuals receive an offer like the one before you."
Setting down her arrows and quivers, the Russian agent glanced up at the translucent figure of the Watcher as he addressed her. The sunlight slightly illuminated the celestial being's body, making it a bit more transparent while the eyes glowed like two twin suns. Black Widow only blinked in confusion as she tried to absorb the fact that she had appeared in a similar Earth, but yet not the same one she hailed from.
"I don't understand. How did I end up at an unfamiliar place that is familiar after our last conversation regarding Ultron's defeat and what it could mean for the multiverse?"
A faint sliver of what Nat thought could pass as a smile formed upon Uatu's not so visible lips. "After our little spat about me not being able to interfere within the affairs of the mortal world, I have decided to make up for my lack of involvement which led to the destruction of your world by Ultron. You walked through the metaphorical door and now here you are in the timeline where your companions are alive and well."
"I....uh..." Natasha glanced downward, intense emotion taking over unsuppressed in her chest.
No way! Clint, Bruce, and Tony are here alive and well? Does this mean Ultron never destroyed the universe here?
"W-where can I find my friends?" She asked the steadfast lurker, but blinked her eyes in confusion as she noticed the outline of the Watcher's shape had dissipated. Before she could question where he disappeared off to, numerous voices reached to her ears. On instinct, Agent Romanoff darted behind one of the large dark blue crates that were awaiting loading and drew her Glock-26s.
"I think I heard voices come from this way!"
"Cover me from above while you flank from the south end. It could be that Fisk's right hand man or even Owlsey himself could be preparing to make a deal with a representative from Ares' Acolytes. We must ensure that the meeting is broken up before it even starts. "
There was a thud from behind the Black Widow assassin, causing her to turn around, weapon raised. Staring down at her from atop a blue crate was the half-masked face of a former foe who had turned into an ally, courtesy of Steve Rogers. Natasha locked eyes with the Winter Soldier before blinking.
"Bucky? Is that you? What is your purpose here? Who else is with you?"
In response, the former Hydra assassin activated his mic. "Boys, you will not believe what I am seeing here. It seems that the dead do walk among us."
"What are you on about, Bucko?" A figure that reminded Nat of an angel landed beside the super soldier. Once the figure's gaze lingered on her behind those red shades, an exclamation of shock and utter surprise left his lips. "Da-yum! Clint, you won't believe what the Celestials left us!"
"What are you talking about, Sam?"
At that moment, Natasha's dynamic duo partner and closest friend had turned the corner, his bow clutched in his hands. Upon seeing his deceased partner standing before him, Clint Barton's face turned pale like the ghost he thought he was seeing. Her heart pounding, Black Widow faced him and smiled, raising her hands.
"Clint, I am so glad you guys are alive and well in this timeline. You have zero idea of how much my heart ached for you-"
At that moment, Hawkeye narrowed his eyes and nocked an arrow in his bow, aiming it at the red-haired Avenger.
"What do you mean you are glad we are alive and well? I watched you die and I regret making that choice, even if it was for the greater good and that thrice-damned titan is gone. I seen your death in my nightmares on replay for about month now. If you are some Skrull who is playing a trick on us, I will put this arrow through the cavity that is supposed to be where your heart is!"
As her closest friend pulled the arrow back an inch, Nat, shocked at hearing that outrageous accusation, stepped forward.
"You think I am a Skrull? Go ahead and shoot me then! If I turn into a green alien upon the arrow making contact with me, then I am a Skrull. If not, then can you live with the fact that you just killed your closest confidante and friend?" Black Widow raised her hands, her left one clutching her weapon. "If you really think I am not who I say I am, then go ahead and fire away. I won't counterattack. You have my word. Besides, I remember how you rescued me from that explosion back in Budapest? Would a Skrull know that or about Laura, Cooper, Nathan, and Lila?"
Sam Wilson spread his mechanical wings and leapt down beside Nat. "I don't know what you think, but I am pretty sure this woman is no Skrull. She sounds like she knows some personal details about you Bucky and I don't have a clue about. I thought I seen it all during the Battle of Titan, but nah, this takes the cake."
Bucky Barnes also leapt down beside his latest companion who took Steve's place. "I am convinced this is the true Nat. Or at least, someone who is closest to the real thing. She knows about what happened during your escapade in Budapest in addition to knowing the names of your offspring. Sam and I are still none the wiser about them."
That seemed to convince Hawkeye, resulting in him lowering his arrow. "It's fine. I'm satisfied in knowing you are the closest thing to the real Nat. Welcome back!"
"Hey now!" Black Widow frowned, crossing her arms. "I am the real Nat. I don't appreciate being called an impostor! I know myself better than anyone else."
"Yo, just take what he says as a compliment and let's move!" Sam Wilson stated.
The Winter Soldier nodded. " Yes, we got some criminals to catch, sophisticated organized crime types. we could really use your assistance."
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"Nat, can you pass me the pretzels?"
Startled out of her memory of the past few months, Natasha Romanoff blinked her eyes groggily as if she woke up from a nap. She glanced over at Clint from where he was seated at the window seat of the Quinjet. Nodding, the Avenger leaned over to the counter behind her seat and grabbed a couple of Snyder's packets before handing them to Hawkeye.
"Funny, I never took you for someone who liked pretzels."
Clint Barton raised a brow as he took the packets. "When did I say I didn't? Well, it has been a while since we had seen each other before that day you decided to drop in at New York Harbor. You'd be surprised to see what has changed."
Nat tilted her head to the side. "Change? Other than Stark's untimely demise and Rogers leaving us, I don't notice any significant changes since I returned other than the ominous dread hanging over everyone and the quality of life not being like before. I am glad to hear that my sacrifice was worth it. Yet with Thanos gone, I'd have thought things would be better for everyone, I guess not everyone on our planet is thrilled the Avengers were victorious."
Her green eyes landed across the jet to where Falcon was seated, holding a purple and white mug that wrote 'Thanos Was Right' in bold letters. As he chatted with Bucky, who was seated across from him, he noticed the former Shield Agent duo staring at him.
"What?" Glancing downward at the mug, the powerless superhero realized the reason he was the center of attention and smiled. "Oh, you looking at this? Nah, I don't support that butt-chinned self-righteous purple ecoterrorist. For the record, I broke my last mug and this was the only one the Five and Dime had. Bucko here can attest to that, right?"
Bucky shook his head. "I am not knowledgeable in where you buy your products so don't ask me."
Sam groaned. "Ah, come on, man! I thought we were partners. Don't partners got each other's backs?"
Shaking hear head with an amused grin, Natasha turned her attention back to Clint. "With that said, I am glad you were able to get your family back. When is the next barbecue? I'd love to drop in and say hi to Laura and the little ones. I was so relieved to learn that they were not lost forever thanks to Stark reversing the snap. I figure they will be glad to see me."
Hawkeye took a sip of his water bottle. "Oh, I am sure you will be quite the surprise for them, especially Lila. She looks up to you."
"I'm glad to serve as her role model." Natasha sighed as she leaned her head back in the dark green-blue cushiony seat. "There could be worse. Did you work on closing the loose ends on your time as the Ronin? I shudder to think how things would be if Laura and the kids learned of your 'adventures' as a mass murderer masquerading as a vigilante. I'm sure you encountered our old friend Frank at one point or another."
Clint Barton chuckled. "Yes, as a matter of fact, I enlisted his help on a couple of , er, for the lack of a better term, missions. Those were the bloodiest they ever got. As for the Ronin question, don't worry about it. Kate has it covered for me."
"Kate?" The Black Widow blinked and pushed a strand of her hair from her eyes. "Who is Kate?"
Before Hawkeye could respond to his old friend's query, the Falcon's exclamation cut him off.
"Look at the size of that thing out there? That's gotta be Fury's Helicarrier!"
Glancing out the windows of their aircraft, the four heroes watched as they started their descent to a large aircraft carrier that resembled the tarmac of a runway at an international airport. The Quinjet was like a flea on a mastiff as it touched down on the floating fortress. Thanks to the late Tony Stark, the Helicarrier now had repulsor lift engines rather than the original turbine lifts after Loki's escape during the Battle for New York in order for the giant carrier to stay in the air in the event of an attack. As soon as they had landed, the doors to the outside slowly parted and the four Avengers rose from their seats to exit the vehicle.
The Falcon stretched his arms and yawned. "For real, what situation could be so out of whack that Director Fury requires all the Avengers? I thought we would only have jobs like cleaning up some Hydra upstarts or an occasional flare up from the Hand or one of Fisk's or the Owl's gangsters, not to mention occasional terrorists like those Flag Smashers, once we took out the Big Bad Barney? "
"That's what I'd like to know," Hawkeye admitted as the four exited the high-tech craft. "I am sure we will find out since that must be Director Fury himself. Beside him must be Agent Maria Hill."
As the sunlight greeted them and the cool air caressed their bodies, the attending Avengers arrived before the Directors of SHIELD. Nick Fury's one good eye scanned four of the world's greatest heroes before speaking.
"Glad to see you four after all this time, even you." His gaze lingered on Bucky for a bit before he continued. "Now, I am grateful y'all answered my summons as the world is in a dire predicament with a new threat who's level is not yet determined, but is not to be taken lightly. "
"What's this new threat that is alarming even the great Nick Fury?" Bucky asked. "Is it another Titan or a raving android hellbent on world domination? It could be another Celestial incident. Perhaps we have a kaiju problem for once and the world is not prepared to deal with it?"
"Don't the folks at the Japanese Defense Force watch those movies?" Sam asked. "You'd think they'd be the most qualified to handle monster-level threats. "
"It's more complicated than that," Agent Hill replied. "We will brief you as soon as the others arrive?"
"Wait, others?" Sam frowned. "There are more?"
"Ah, here come the Guardians."
Hearing Fury's remark, Natasha turned her green eyes to face the incoming vessel that made its way to the landing platform. Once the the cross-shaped spacecraft made its landing, the ramp opened up and several figures that she recognized made their way down it and toward the group. Hawkeye glanced from Peter Quill to Nick Fury.
"You didn't notify us about these guys getting involved as well."
Rocket locked and loaded his rifle cannon. "Hey, you got a problem with that?"
"We do need all the help we can get in this endeavor," Fury explained. "Besides, you have no luck with getting in touch with Parker or Strange?"
It's that precarious?
Seeing the Avengers shake their heads, Fury only sighed. "I figured as much. " He then turned to address his deputy. "Maria, please send out the distress signal to Danvers. I'll try to arrange something with T'Challa myself. Once he sees what is going down in the world, he will mobilize the whole Wakandan military at once."
At that moment, a bright orange-yellow ribbon appeared between them and out stepped Dr. Strange and the new Sorcerer Supreme Wong. As all eyes landed on the magicians, Strange cleared his throat and spoke.
"Apologies for our delay. We had to attend to a pressing matter in the Universe between Universes. I am pleased to say that it has been taken care of. Now, what can we do for you?"
The founder of the Avengers cleared his throat and showed them a tablet. "I'm pleased that you were able to join us. What you are about to see will greatly.
Thor hiccupped. "I'll definitely need a drink to get through this one."
Drax laughed as he smacked his back while Groot responded with his infamous tagline. Mantis only giggled while Nebula placed her face in her palms. Quill raised an eyebrow.
"Just how bad is this new threat that you need both the Guardians and the Avengers? Certainly more than a few Reaver raids here and there?"
"That is for you to judge," Nick Fury replied in an even tone. "Now watch the clips and tell me what you think. Your feedback is highly critical in combatting this new 'Avengers-level threat' to our world."
Thor raised his hand. " Can someone get me some Kleptonian Panda from the Benatar? I figure I'll need it now."
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