Vormir is striking. Barren and littered with crags, it appears almost uninhabited, and the sky is awash with shades of purple, black and blue. It's breathtaking like nothing Nat has ever seen before.
There's been a lot of that going around over the past ten years. From alien invasions to murderous robots and all-powerful stones, the word "weird" has been redefined several times over.
It's odd. She's long since reconciled herself with the fact that any mission could be her last; in her profession, anyone who thinks they aren't putting everything on the line is fooling themselves. But she has never considered the possibility that she might die on a far-distant planet whose name she only recently learned.
Will Clint take her body back with him? Or will her remains be stuck here forever?
She's glad Clint is the one who's here with her for this. For his sake, she wishes he could be spared this, but she needs her best friend.
The moment the man in the hood explained what was required for them to retrieve the soul stone, Natasha knew how this was going to end. They can't return to their own time empty-handed; back in her KGB days, she would have accepted that outcome, but not now. Too much is riding on this.
And there's no way she's letting Clint sacrifice himself for it.
Long ago, when she had grown disillusioned with the KGB but couldn't fathom a life outside of it, Clint gave her a second chance. By refusing to give up on her, believing in her when she didn't even believe in herself, he showed her what love and hope could feel like.
Now, it's her turn to return the favour. She might not have been able to keep him from sinking into darkness, but she can give him a way out. When they win — when the people who disappeared return — Clint has to be there to see it. To embrace his family. To heal.
It's time, she thinks, rising from where she's been sitting on the ground. Even after years as an Avenger, her ledger is still soaked red. Maybe Loki was right; maybe it always will be.
Or, maybe, what she does today will be the thing that finally cleanses it.
It's time.