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Obviously, Endgame spoilers.
--
It takes Maria fourteen days to travel what usually takes twenty-four hours.
All through it, Nick's pager quietly does its thing on the car dash, never stopping, never running out of juice.
The facility seems empty and abandoned, and her codes don't work. Maybe Stark cancelled it - only she was here just six months ago to talk out the situation with Parker, but it seems that in that time...
"Maria Hill, Avengers Facility."
"Identification not recognised."
Oh, he did not— "Maria Hill, the Chill Pill."
"Identification confirmed."
Maria is going to kill Tony. If he's not already dead.
As she starts the car up and drives it into the compound, she pushes her hopes into the basement of her soul and slams the door on it. They're probably dead - that's why this is happening, right? They’ve failed and they're dead and the world is in a shambles...
Tony hasn't been answering his phone. Neither has Rhodey or Vision or Pepper or Clint. The number she has for Natasha is six months old, the number she has for Sam is twelve months old, and she always figured she could get hold of Wanda through Vision or one of those two. Steve didn't give her a number, still angry to discover that she was in contact with Nick during the Ultron situation. But Tony had a burn phone with the number in it, so that was all the world needed...
The parking garage or the main entryway? Maria is caught by indecision for a moment, then sees movement by the doors - the gleam of sunlight off glass and steel as someone pushes open a door and runs out.
Natasha. Sprinting out into the driveway, stopping dead as she sees the car and who's driving it. Steve is two steps behind, shading his eyes.
Thank God. Thank God.
She hard brakes to a dead stop, shoves the door open and swings herself out.
"Maria—"
They're not tactile women. No hugs and air-kisses for them. But the arms that wrap around her are flesh and blood, and it feels like it's been years since Maria touched anyone— It stings her eyes— It stings her heart...
Over Nat's shoulder, she sees Steve surveying the car, his mouth set in a grim line, looking for the dark figure he expects to see with her.
"He's gone," she says, answering the question he won't voice, knowing it's what Nat's going to ask first anyway. Pulling back, she sees the blink of pain and loss in the other woman's eyes before they shutter. They both know how to put the loss away and deal with the situation. They're professional women and they've done this rodeo before.
"I tried calling, but the number was disconnected—"
"Yours are old, too." And that's not important. There are people here - people who know the score. People who might have something for her to work with - a solution - something. "How bad is it?"
They look at each other, and the midday light picks mercilessly at the lines of grief and frustration on their faces.
"You'd better come inside," Steve says, "It's a long story."
Maria reaches back into the car for the pager on the dashboard.
"What's that?"
"Nick kept it with him. He was activating it when he died..." She stretched out a hand, and her fingers fluttered through dust and ashes....but the pager remained.
Nat takes the device from her hand. "Bruce is here. He'll analyze it."
"Banner's here?" Maria looks from Nat to Steve, startled. There's been no reports of the Hulk in two years, man and monster both seem to have fallen off the face of the planet.
"So's Pepper." The grooves either side of Steve's mouth have deepened, tucking into folds of defeat that remain even as he speaks. "Another long story. You'd better come in."
--
At this point, I'm writing this for me and maybe five other people in fandom.
--
It takes Maria fourteen days to travel what usually takes twenty-four hours.
All through it, Nick's pager quietly does its thing on the car dash, never stopping, never running out of juice.
The facility seems empty and abandoned, and her codes don't work. Maybe Stark cancelled it - only she was here just six months ago to talk out the situation with Parker, but it seems that in that time...
"Maria Hill, Avengers Facility."
"Identification not recognised."
Oh, he did not— "Maria Hill, the Chill Pill."
"Identification confirmed."
Maria is going to kill Tony. If he's not already dead.
As she starts the car up and drives it into the compound, she pushes her hopes into the basement of her soul and slams the door on it. They're probably dead - that's why this is happening, right? They’ve failed and they're dead and the world is in a shambles...
Tony hasn't been answering his phone. Neither has Rhodey or Vision or Pepper or Clint. The number she has for Natasha is six months old, the number she has for Sam is twelve months old, and she always figured she could get hold of Wanda through Vision or one of those two. Steve didn't give her a number, still angry to discover that she was in contact with Nick during the Ultron situation. But Tony had a burn phone with the number in it, so that was all the world needed...
The parking garage or the main entryway? Maria is caught by indecision for a moment, then sees movement by the doors - the gleam of sunlight off glass and steel as someone pushes open a door and runs out.
Natasha. Sprinting out into the driveway, stopping dead as she sees the car and who's driving it. Steve is two steps behind, shading his eyes.
Thank God. Thank God.
She hard brakes to a dead stop, shoves the door open and swings herself out.
"Maria—"
They're not tactile women. No hugs and air-kisses for them. But the arms that wrap around her are flesh and blood, and it feels like it's been years since Maria touched anyone— It stings her eyes— It stings her heart...
Over Nat's shoulder, she sees Steve surveying the car, his mouth set in a grim line, looking for the dark figure he expects to see with her.
"He's gone," she says, answering the question he won't voice, knowing it's what Nat's going to ask first anyway. Pulling back, she sees the blink of pain and loss in the other woman's eyes before they shutter. They both know how to put the loss away and deal with the situation. They're professional women and they've done this rodeo before.
"I tried calling, but the number was disconnected—"
"Yours are old, too." And that's not important. There are people here - people who know the score. People who might have something for her to work with - a solution - something. "How bad is it?"
They look at each other, and the midday light picks mercilessly at the lines of grief and frustration on their faces.
"You'd better come inside," Steve says, "It's a long story."
Maria reaches back into the car for the pager on the dashboard.
"What's that?"
"Nick kept it with him. He was activating it when he died..." She stretched out a hand, and her fingers fluttered through dust and ashes....but the pager remained.
Nat takes the device from her hand. "Bruce is here. He'll analyze it."
"Banner's here?" Maria looks from Nat to Steve, startled. There's been no reports of the Hulk in two years, man and monster both seem to have fallen off the face of the planet.
"So's Pepper." The grooves either side of Steve's mouth have deepened, tucking into folds of defeat that remain even as he speaks. "Another long story. You'd better come in."
--
At this point, I'm writing this for me and maybe five other people in fandom.
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Nat/Maria hug! //Kermitflail YESSSSS.
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