The Valiant (The Seventh Avenger)

Chapter 74

It has been exactly seven hours, thirty-two minutes and twenty-seven seconds since the snap.

The voices of all the creatures and animals and mothers and fathers and sons and daughters swirl around in my mind, creating an endless echo that never seems to go away. I count the seconds to try to distract myself from the strains, but they always return.

They always return.

The plane ride back to the compound is quiet. Too quiet to keep our thoughts away from what just happened. Natasha sits in the corner of the plane as tears stream down her face, her eyes straight forward. When we faced Ultron, I thought I would never see Natasha more broken than the time Wanda showed her worst fear. But I was wrong. Thor stares straight ahead, his mouth slightly open at the shock of having this all happen. Steve, Rhodey, and Banner stare out the window, not saying a word. Their heads shake in denial that this is all happening to us, to everyone on the planet.

We wouldn't be in this situation if it weren't for me. I should have done something more to stop this or at least went to the fight when Steve called us in. None of us were truly prepared for this, none of them knew what they were up against, but I did. I knew what kind of creature Thanos was from the start, I knew his strength and how much he craved for this to happen. I knew so much all these years, yet I didn't do anything. I could've saved all those people from this.

I wish I did more.

I should've done more.

My lips tremble and my throat grows heavy. My gaze flows out of the plane but it only shows a worse sight. Flames erupt from a building where a plane crashed into it and my hand stops a sob from escaping my mouth.

As the plane declines, the scene only gets more critical. First responders line the streets trying to calm the public. The chaos Thanos had caused. Bile rises in my throat and I have to look away. The plane lands and it took too long for them to let us out. But they do and I bolt out the plane. People call out my name, telling me to stop but there is one thing that I want to do.

"Bella!" My voice echoes around the complex but there was no answer. "Bella!"

The hope begins to decimate. There's no pitter padder, there's no barking. Footsteps come up behind me and I turn around. Nat's gaze says it all. Bella's gone along with the rest of the planet. My legs wobble and Nat holds me up. That's when I just let go and fall.

_______________________________________________________________________________

It's empty here, in this living room when no one is around. Nat and Steve went to coordinate search and rescue while Bruce, Rocket, and Rhodey went to the lab. There was so much to be done but so little hands here. And that's when I remember: the communication device Fury dropped is still out there.

I pull out my phone and look up the street which is luckily in New York City. My footsteps echo as I walk to my room to get changed. Someone had taken care of my room along with Bella for me in these past two years. But something sitting on the dresser catches my eye. An envelope with my name on it flips in my hand. I knew the handwriting. It was Tony's. A deep breath takes the stress away and I open it.

Grace,
I understand that there may be no chance of you reading this, but I had to write it. You will always have a home with Pepper and me, even after this whole Accords situation. We want you to come home with us, and we also want you to bring Bella of course.
There is so much we need to talk about when and if you ever come back. There is so much we need to do.
I want you to know that no matter what happened and what will happen in our relationship and in our team, you will always be my daughter. I love you and I hope you come home soon. Bella misses you, we all do. I hired someone to take care of Bella for you, but I know she needs you more than anything. Please come home.

~Tony

My thumb rubs against the date that says a day of over one and a half years ago. I can't imagine the number of times Tony walked into this room to see if I had opened it or changed anything in the room. I can only imagine what I had caused Tony. What I had caused the rest of the team.

I return to the task at hand and quickly change into leggings and a black sweatshirt. It was time for me to go out to see the real effect of the snap. I was going to go outside to find the device and help any of those that I can.

Music blasts in my ears as I walk down the street. The first responders are now going door to door, getting the names of those who disappeared. But the violence is everywhere. Cars getting hijacked as businesses get broken into. First responders try to calm everyone down but it only results in more violence. I droop my head lower so no one would recognize me from the papers. My real identity hasn't been released... yet. But I know I was ready a few months ago, even a few hours ago, but I don't know now. I don't know how the people would react if I was to release my name to the public now.

I follow my phone's GPS down another street and stop at the sight. Empty and crashed cars line the streets like skeletons. People raid in and out of them, taking everything they could get their hands on and I knew I had to hurry if I wanted to have the chance to get it. I put my hood up and take the earbuds out of my ears. This street is vacant of the first responders, but not of people.

Since the snap, it is as if my senses went up by a hundred. I can hear everything clearer, smell everything crisper, see more distinct. I begin to make my way between the cars, searching for the one Nick and Hill were riding in. Screams and cheers sound down the street as jars of flame ignite a car into an explosion. The gang of people making their way to me with whoops and hollers. I sprint down the street searching the ground. I can feel it, that I'm so close to finding the communicator.

My finger points at the car when I find it and my eyes dart around the ground. Slowly, I move around on my hands and knees to look for the object. My hand wraps around a small piece of plastic and I pull it from under a car.

It was the communicator. Lights flash around it and it seemed to be updated from its time, but it sent out a message to someone. A design lights up the small screen: a star with blue and red halves behind it rests on it. The object in my hand warms my chest with the hope that we will undo all this mess, together once again.

The shouts behind me pull me out of my trance and I twist around. They were closer now and I know I have to do something. Cries of a baby pull my attention away from the approaching gang and I run to the car that seems to distribute the noise. I pull open the door and find a baby, its small face is all red and tears stream down its face. The amount of dust in the front shows that both parents are gone. I gently take it out of the car seat and rub its back as I close the car door and bolt down an alley.

Just moments after the car bursts into flames. The baby rests its head on my shoulder before falling back to sleep, I lift up the communicator to make sure the signal is still being sent out and smile when it is. I check behind my back and continue to make my way down the alley but stop when a can rattles beside me.

"Hello?" I ask, the can rattles again and I peek behind it. A small boy with wide eyes stares up at me. It is clear he had parents based on his clothes and it is clear in his eyes that he saw them be decimated. "It's okay, I'm here to help." I crouch down to show him I mean no harm like the gang in the street. He slowly walks over to me, his gaze not leaving mine as he reaches out to touch my hand. "Do you need help?" His head nods and I know what I must do. The communicator goes into my pocket and I offer my hand to the boy. "Come with me."

The boy takes my hand and the three of us make our way back to the compound.