Chapter Text
Ava was waiting for them when they walked into the Pym Lab, her arms crossed and leaning against what looked to be an abandoned secretary desk. “Oh good,” she said, focusing on Alexei and Yelena. “I was worried I’d have to search Russia for you two.”
“Wouldn’t have found me.” Yelena countered. “I was in Germany when I woke up.”
“What? Why?”
“Mission.”
“So I could’ve met up with you the same time I got Bucky?” Ava sounded exasperated.
“Mm, no, I had left by then. But how did you think I got his coordinates?”
“Uh, yeah, hi,” Stark raised his hand like a kid waiting to be called on in class. “Tony Stark, or Iron Man. Great to meet you.”
“Yes, I’ve heard the name.” Ava snarked. “Apologies if I’m not all that impressed.”
“You are not forgiven.”
“Aren’t the rest of you supposed to be spies?” Ava said, ignoring Stark totally. “You set off every proximity alarm in place. Bill and Pym knew you were coming from two blocks away.”
“Oh, sorry, were we supposed to be sneaking in?” Barton gestured behind him. “We can go back and try again. I’m sure we could make it in without them knowing.”
“That won’t be necessary,” Captain America stepped out from a room behind Ava. He dipped his head in greeting. “Barton. Stark.”
“Cap.” Stark saluted mockingly. “Out of curiosity, are you already aware of the Winter Soldier’s identity?”
“He’s Bucky.” Rogers confirmed. “We’ve had a heart to heart already.”
“It was very sappy.” Ava cut in.
Stark nodded. “Just checking. You want to grab him, we’ll head back to the Tower?”
“I will.” Rogers dug his hand into his pocket and pulled out his phone, frowning at it. “No response from Romanoff yet, though.”
Alexei and Yelena shared concerned glances.
“We’ll reconvene with her when we get to the Tower.” Barton glanced at Yelena and Alexei. “Probably… before we introduce the new time travellers.” Rogers sent him a questioning glance, and he waved towards the two assassins in answer. “Meet her sister and father.”
Rogers’s expression went through a complicated series of emotions at that. “Romanoff has family?”
Yelena’s eyes narrowed at him. “Yep.”
“Huh.” He seemed to take it in stride. “Great. We’ll warn her about you guys and the Winter Soldier, then, since apparently he shot her at some point.”
Stark frowned, mimicking Rogers from earlier, “Romanoff can get shot? At this point, I thought she was immortal.”
“Might still prove to be true,” Rogers quipped. “She hasn’t died yet, has she?”
Yelena flinched violently at that, and from the corner of her eye could see Alexei and Ava do the same- although Ava’s seemed to be from sympathy more than anything else. Rogers caught it anyway. “Are you kidding me? Her too?”
“Too?” Stark echoed.
“According to Buck, I die sometime in the next fifteen years. Seemingly, Romanoff does too.”
“Oh.” Stark’s face darkened. “Do I- nevermind, actually. I don’t want to know.”
“You don’t.” Alexei agreed.
“Oh come on! I die too?” His voice is joking, but Yelena can see the flicker of genuine panic in his eyes. “Does anyone survive?”
Yelena’s eyes strayed to Barton. She could see his shoulders slump in relief.
“That’s just great.” Stark continued, his hands fiddling with his phone as if that would hide their shaking. “Resident normal guy survives.”
“Despite my best efforts.” Yelena muttered.
Barton turned towards her slowly. “Pardon?”
Luckily, she was saved from having to explain that little one liner by Bucky emerging from the same room Rogers had. “Steve, is everything-” he caught sight of them and the tension in his body language eased. “Yelena. Alexei.”
“Winter Soldier!” Alexei crowed loudly, speed-walking over to scoop Bucky in a hug- much to his distaste.
“Glad to see you back to yourself.” Yelena acknowledged with much less outward affection. Based on his grin, Yelena assumed he caught on to the fondness in her voice anyway. “I was worried we’d have to break you from your programming.”
“Could say the same about you, Black Widow.” Bucky said, worming his way out of Alexei’s super-powered hug and moving to stand next to Rogers. “Is it time to move to the Tower?”
“That’s the plan.” Stark said, clicking through his phone. “I’ll add all of you to JARVIS’s database for now, and we can have reunions abound. Sisterly, fatherly, teammate-erly.”
“Don’t suppose they could come here?” Bucky asked. “I’ve got enemies of all kinds in SHIELD.”
“Not if Nat doesn’t respond.” Barton frowned. “She always answers her texts.”
“Can you contact her?” Rogers asked. “See if she can come here?”
“Yeah, I’ll comm her.” Barton agreed, turning to step outside before stopping dead. “Uh… actually, I think I just found the problem.”
The group turned as one towards the street-facing windows. Rogers, Stark, and Barton were all looking on in confusion, but the Thunderbolts all wore matching expressions of dread.
Dark shadows stretched across the street. They were growing, silent but steady. Civilians were running for cover. As they watched, a couple reached for the door handle to Pym’s Lab before the inky black reached their feet, and in a moment they were gone- silhouettes imprinted on the glass like nuclear shadows.
Yelena heard all three Avengers jump more than she saw them.
“What the hell,” Stark hissed.
“Oh, Bob.” Yelena whispered.
“Bob.” Barton looked at her. “He’s doing this?”
“Not him.” Ava shook her head. “The Void.”
“The Void? That’s ‘fwoosh’ing? That’s what he meant by ‘fwoosh’ing us?” Stark whistled. “He really undersold it.”
Yelena stepped forward. “If Natasha is in there, we have to save her.”
“We will.” Alexei put a comforting hand on her arm.
“They can be saved from that?” Rogers stepped back as the shadows seeped out from the door and quickly amended his statement. “We can be?”
“You can. You will.” In contrast, Ava stepped forward, into line with Alexei and Yelena. “Hold yourself together, we’ll be there soon.”
“Hold yourself together?” Stark asked. “What does that even-”
“God damn it.” Bucky interrupted, joining the line of Thunderbolts. “I just got out of that chair, too. You guys better hope I don’t get one of the rooms where they say my code words.”
“I’ll just drag you out again if you do.” Ava smiled innocently.
“Not funny.”
“A little funny.” Yelena disagreed. She tilted her head as the shadows reached towards them, ignoring Bucky’s glare. “See you all on the other side.”
To the protests of the others, the Thunderbolts all stepped into the Void at once, and everything went black.