A New Hope

- - - - -

Ana had allowed Steve to manage her physical therapy. Ever since she returned to Earth, her health and strength had deteriorated. She was taking the time to slow down and build herself back up. There was still so much to do. He was still out there. Thanos needed to face the consequences of what he had done. Half of all life in the universe was gone with a snap. That much power on a scale that wide had unfathomable side effects. Governments were down. Countries were divided. Planets were in chaos. Galaxies were at war. The remaining Avengers just didn't know where to begin, though they found it was important that they healed. That they gathered information and allies for what came next.

Steve's eyes were on the stopwatch in his hand as it passed five minutes. At the same time, he counted out loud the number of times his right leg would raise from the ground as Ana performed pushups next to him. The grey mat underneath Ana was getting slippery from the sweat that dripped onto it. She was struggling. Not because of Steve's foot on her back, but the fact that her left arm was still healing. And it wasn't just the arm. Bruce had done a full physical exam, pointing out that Ana had sustained a number of injuries and conditions. Cracked ribs, damaged spinal column, rips in her trapezius muscles, acute organ failure, anaemia, hypoxemia, impaired hearing and vision among other things. Ana didn't think any of it would effect her healing process, but as it turned out, being trapped on a planet without water or food or proper oxygen for three weeks would do that to her.

"One hundred ninety seven, one hundred ninety eight..." Steve counted, glancing at Ana when he noticed her pace slow a fraction of a second. "Almost there." He reminded softly.

Ana powered through the last two. By now her arms were a shaking mess. The brace on her left arm was too stiff for her, and she went to remove it like she had done to the ones before. Steve's hand settled on top of her wrist before she could undo the metal clasps. "That's there to help you heal. Stop dismantling every single one Bruce makes for you."

"Sorry. Bad habit." Ana muttered. "What's next?"

Steve went to tell her to start on the gymnastic rings, but the sound of her heavy breathing stopped him. They had been at it for hours. Running. Sparring. Weights. And seeing as none of them barely slept most nights, he considered taking a break. "That's it. I've got to take over the global monitoring so that Natasha can focus on other things. She's trying to get in contact with Clint. He's still missing."

Ana reached up to place her palm flat against her forehead. "I don't understand why he would go off the grid. We're here. We're waiting for him to come home. He should know that much."

"His wife and kids..." Steve shook his head, still shaken by the fact that their names were among those who had disappeared off the face of the Earth. Nathaniel Pietro Barton, the youngest, was only three years old. "God, I can't imagine what he's going through."

"He's going through what no one should." Ana weaved her good arm with Steve's and leaned her head against his shoulder as they walked out of the training room. She was sore all over and her eyelids drooped heavily. Since their reunion, Ana found it hard to leave their sides. She wanted to see them everyday to make sure they were still alive. It was a nauseating feeling. Worsened her anxiety. She didn't want to lose anybody else.

A few days ago, Ana had used the computer linked to one of Tony's satellites to search for the people she knew, to see if they were victims of the Snap. Danny Rand. Luke Cage. Jessica Jones. Frank Castle. May Parker. Ned Leeds. Sharon Carter. Groot. They were among those who had faded from existence. More names added to the long list of people who needed avenging. Then there were those with question marks next to them. Tony Stark. Stephen Strange. Peter Parker. Gamora. Peter Quill. Drax. Mantis. Nebula. Matt Murdock. And more.

The only thing that held her up was the fact that they could reverse what happened. She held tight with both hands, fixated on that single goal. Something that Fury left behind, a pager, sparked a sliver of a familiar feeling inside of her. Hope. A feeling she was slowly letting go once she learned of the people she lost. Ana was cautious with the pager. She didn't want to pour all of her focus onto it, fearing the universe would see that as something else to take from her. Instead, she gave it a fleeting glance once Natasha returned with it and left without another word.

"...Ana?" Steve called her name a number of times, she just hadn't listened to the captain. When she realised, Ana gave him an apologetic frown and dropped her arm from his.

"Sorry, Steve." Ana said. "What were you saying?"

Steve adjusted the baseball cap on his head before crossing his arms over his chest. "You still haven't taken his things from the Talon Flyer."

Ana blinked and avoided his gaze. Her jaw clenched for a brief second as her eyes flickered over to the Talon Flyer stationed on one of the landing zones across the compound. There was a large tarp over it and the ramp was visible. Ana's hands instinctively balled into fists when she felt her throat close up again. Her fingernails dug into her palms while the stinging sensation in her eyes doubled in intensity. She couldn't bring herself to look Steve in the eye. "I... I don't think..." She took a deep breath and tried again. "I don't think I can. No. Not now."

"I know it's hard, but I truly think Bucky would want you to."

Ana grew frustrated with herself when she thought back to the moments before the Snap. "Bucky wouldn't have been on that field if he thought he couldn't trust himself to do the right thing. He was starting to heal. He was learning how to deal with his past."

"I don't think he would've gotten past anything if you weren't there with him every step of the way. You took care of him where I couldn't. He needed someone who was able to help him understand that despite what had happened to him, he could still become the person he always wanted to be." Steve said, placing a hand on Ana's shoulder.

Ana felt the corners of her lips pull up slightly as she pictured him in her mind. "Bucky's strong. Always has been. He just needed a hand and I gave him both of mine completely." Ana peered down at her hands. Palms were flashing. She couldn't control it as well as she used to, and curled her fingers inwards. Her mind was a haze most of the time, more so now because of what happened. "And now I don't have him to hold onto anymore. I lost him. I lost them. I'm grasping at nothing here. Tony and Stephen and Peter are all off world. There's no way I can find them. I tried. I don't know if they're safe. I don't know if they're gone. If we don't find a way to reverse the effects of the Snap, I don't think I'll ever get past this. Not when I know I could've done more. Not when I could've saved them."

"This isn't on you. It never was." Steve told her. He had lost count how many times he repeated the phrase to her.

"You keep saying that, and yet that doesn't change how I feel. I wish it did." Ana muttered. "I wish the same for Thor."

Their heads turned to look at the compound where Thor was, sitting down quietly in the corner inside of the main foyer while Rocket and Bruce talked among themselves in front of him. Thor didn't speak much these days. And when he did, it was something to do with another drink or a snarky remark on how he should've been able to prevent the Snap. He blamed himself openly, and more harshly when he was alone. Ana would hear him praying to Heimdall at night. Their rooms were opposite each other with a wide hall in the middle, though she heard him as if he was right next to her. Every so often she would listen to his voice and lay there until he mumbled himself off to sleep, finding that it eased her, knowing that Thor found reassurance by praying to his fallen friends. What Ana didn't know was that Steve did the same, only he listened to the way she would cry into her pillow for the ones she lost. He didn't need enhanced hearing since their rooms were next to each other. Steve had knocked on her door a few times, only to find her gone with her window wide open. He didn't know where Ana would go until he met Richard. When they all saw the last standing Nova, it made sense that Richard was to be welcomed into the facility and the team.

Ana glanced at Steve. "Thor can't get into contact with his people. The Enchantress is using her sorcery to shield them from any further harm, and that means it also places a barrier between beings with the ability to see and hear things across the galaxies."

Steve tucked his hands into his pocket as he released a heavy exhale. "What about Rider? Is he still considering going back up there?"

Ana shook her head. "Rich was trapped in an alternate dimension for years. He comes back finding his world was decimated and his people eradicated. I think he wants his feet stuck firmly on the ground for now. Until we get a lead, we're all going to remain grounded."

"Hope that pager gives us something to work with." Steve said as they continued towards the compound.

Ana paused before she replied with, "I wouldn't count on it."

Steve didn't say anything and watched as Ana trudged inside. He frowned to himself. He was sure Fury's pager would offer them some sort of comfort, knowing there was a possible solution to their problem. He half expected Ana to revert to a version of her old self again, but it seemed the introduction of hope only made her retreat into herself. She wasn't counting on anything as it seemed. And that disappointed Steve. It disappointed everyone.

Rocket groaned when the tools in his hands sparked again, and he pulled them back to shake the smoke away before it could singe his fur. The bulky and oversized goggles on his head protected his eyes from being zapped by the electric charge, though Richard would argue they made him look funny. Like a pet had gone through their owner's belongings and ended up wearing something not meant for them. But he wouldn't say that. Not to Rocket's face at least. Not when the raccoon was working on restoring the comms on his helmet. Ana hadn't realised when she crashed into the Sanctum after being teleported by Heimdall back to Earth that the helmet was damaged slightly. Richard moved his elbows from the metal table and sat back in his seat, glancing around the tech lab. It was a lot more advanced than he had last seen on Earth. The man Ana told him about was good at breaking boundaries and coming up with highly developed technology. Even Rocket had commented on the craftsmanship, noting how similar it was to alien technology.

"So you and your team, the Protectors of the—"

Rocket straightened up from his stance on the table, shooting Nova a look. "Guardians of the Galaxy." He corrected.

Richard nodded, waving off the raccoon's aggressive tone of voice. "Right. Guardians of the Galaxy. You defeated Ronan the Accuser and saved Xandar."

"Yes. Why? Don't believe me?" Rocket questioned, aiming his welding tool at Richard. "I've got the scars to prove it, Bucket-Head."

"What I don't believe is how a bunch of strange individuals with no prior association or experience managed to work together to stop one of the most powerful Kree Accusers in the galaxy within a couple of days. And you said one of Thanos' daughters was on the team."

Rocket shrugged. "I can't make this stuff up."

Richard chuckled as Rocket returned to work on his helmet. "No, you can't. For what it's worth, thank you for saving Xandar when you did." He added on a softer note.

Rocket sent him a quick glance. "If only we had done it again."

The sound of the doors sliding open made Richard and Rocket turn to face Ana as she stepped inside. She was still in her training gear. Her boots padded heavily against the metal floors and she sent them both a short smile as she made her way across the room to the conference table where Natasha sat, staring at the global statistics as if she was waiting for the numbers to stop climbing. They wouldn't. Nat's eyes were glossed over. It was a horror to witness. The body count was hitting well over three billion as more people were reported missing. She could never have imagined something like this happening. Not in her lifetime. Natasha flinched when a hand touched her elbow, and she heard the way Ana sighed.

"Rhodey brought some food, it's in the dining room. Bruce and Thor are already there. Go. Eat something. Steve said he'll take over once he's done getting cleaned up." Ana urged her. Natasha wanted to protest, but Ana was already pushing her in the direction of the dining room. She nodded at Richard and Rocket to stand up, "You two, go on. I'll be down in a few minutes."

Rocket tossed the goggles from his face onto the table with a loud clang and hopped onto Richard's shoulders. "Rhodes better have gotten what I asked for."

Richard sent Ana a smile before following Natasha into the dining room. "I don't think Earth has that kind of meal." He mentioned to Rocket who only groaned in response.

Once she was satisfied that everyone was going to sit down and have a decent meal for the night, Ana retreated back to her room to get her clothes ready after a much needed shower. When she opened her bedroom door, Ana shivered when the cool air hit her. The training hoodie did nothing to keep goosebumps from forming on her skin. She didn't realise she left the window open that day. Her whole room felt below zero. She crossed the distance from the door to her window in the dark, closed it shut and locked it up. Ana placed her palm flat against the reinforced glass, and scanned the grounds. She had a feeling. It was at the back of her mind, nagging her to keep an eye out. Her breath fogged up the glass and she lowered her head, placing her hands on the window sill. The grainy sensation on her fingertips made her frown. She lifted her hand to find what it seemed to be dirt on her skin.

"F.R.I.D.A.Y.?" Ana called out, and the lights in her room turned on. "How many people are in the compound?"

"Eight if you count the raccoon. There hasn't been anyone new on the grounds for a week, Ms Michaels." The female voice replied, easing Ana's worries. She knew she could trust the A.I. since Tony had installed it to further aid and protect the Avengers facility. At the thought of Tony, Ana's frown deepened. He should be there with them.

"Thank you, F.R.I.D.A.Y." Ana called out. The lights dimmed and Ana went to turn back and collect her clothes, when the a bright light caught her attention. At first she thought it was the exterior lights turning on. But those didn't move across the sky. Then she thought about Richard, but the energy hue was more golden in comparison. Warmer like the sun. Ana's heart quickened. She dropped everything and raced out of her bedroom. Whatever or whoever it was, it had bypassed F.R.I.D.A.Y.'s security precautions. And to Ana, that resembled a threat — but not for long.

- - -

"This is a nightmare."

Steve pulled back from the global hologram, finding he was getting more nauseous as the numbers rose significantly. They had data from the continents all over the world, and according to their records, the casualties were reaching fifty per cent of the population.

"I've had better nightmares." Natasha said next to him.

Rhodey walked into the main room and approached the two. "Hey. So that thing just stopped doing whatever the hell it was doing."

He led Natasha and Steve to the chamber housing the transmitter device, where Bruce Banner was analysing it closely. He straightened up and glanced at Natasha when she stood next to him. "What have we got?" She questioned.

Bruce motioned to the transmitter pager sitting in the centre of the chamber, the small screen that previously displayed a symbol had cut to black. "Whatever signal it was sending finally crapped out." Bruce explained.

"I thought we bypassed the battery." Steve stated.

"We did. It's still plugged in, it just... it just stopped." Rhodey pointed out.

"Reboot and send the signal again." Steve said after glancing up at the chamber.

"We don't even know what this is." Bruce argued.

"Fury did. Just do it, please. You tell me the second you get a signal. I want to know who's on the other end of that thing." Natasha told them, before turning around. She went rigid when an unfamiliar blonde woman was standing in front of her. She was dressed in a red and blue armoured uniform with a gold star in the centre of her chest. Her appearance caught them all off guard. The facility's security systems should've notified them when she arrived. But Carol already took care of that. Someone had left a window open and that made it easier to disable the security protocols.

"Where's Fury?" She asked, voice low and sharp.

Ana didn't even bother being at all quiet about it. She stormed towards the blonde woman, the heels of her boots thumping against the waxed floors as she removed the space between them. The being she believed to be a Skrull. An imposter. A threat. Ana pulled her good arm back and balled her hand into a white-knuckled fist. She waited for the Skrull to face her before snapping her wrist forward, fist meeting her jaw with a resounding smack. If Ana's heart wasn't pumping so loud in her ears, she would've heard the blonde grunt in pain from the unpredicted attack. Ana choked out a groan and shook her fist, unclenching it to assess the damage. Her skin was red and knuckles were bruised. She didn't remember the Skrull being that dense.

Carol stumbled in her stance, having to follow through with the blow so her head wouldn't detach from her shoulders. Her sleek, blonde hair covered her narrowed and now glowing eyes. She didn't know who this woman was or what her problem seemed to be. But two could play at that game — punch first ask questions later. All Carol had to do was return the favor. Judging by the mere seconds she spent with the brunette, Carol noticed the weight behind the hit, meaning she was either enhanced or the long journey to make it to Earth drained her more than she thought it did.

Carol bet she had something the brunette didn't.

Ana's eyes widened when two blinding rays of photon energy fired from the Skrull's hands and in her direction. That was new. Ana twisted her torso out of the way, dodging the photon blast narrowly. It hit the ceiling light, making it spark and fall the the ground in bits. Bruce jumped out of the way. Ana composed herself and she stepped forward, showing the Skrull that it wasn't going to be that easy taking her down for the second time. Just because the Skrull hadn't used the photon blasts in their first confrontation, didn't mean Ana was at a disadvantage.

"Damn Skrull..." Ana cursed under her breath and catapulted herself towards the Skrull, slamming her shoulder into her sternum. Carol's body was hoisted into the air. Before she knew it, her back met with the exit doors, and she was thrown across the compound, rolling to a stop near the Talon Flyer's landing zone.

"Uh, Ana?" Natasha called after her, "You know her?"

Ana looked over her shoulder at the Widow. "She's bad news."