"Where is Fury?"

My head jerks up. The hallway, empty a moment before, was occupied. Her blonde hair was just settling around her shoulders as though she moved very fast.

The bright colors of her outfit scream at my eyes for attention. She's slim but muscular. Average. But the thing that calls my attention is the emblem on the front of her suit. The gold star separating red on top and blue underneath. The emblem on the device Fury had activated with his last breath.

I can feel hope rising up from under the despair I've been buried under. My breath comes faster. This girl, she could mean something, could do something. She could be a lead, our first lead, our only lead. She could mean something to do, some way out of this hell I've been trapped in.

The girl cocks her head slightly, her brown eyes narrow at me. Her body tenses slightly as if expecting a fight, her hands begin to close, forming fists.

"Where is Fury?" she asks again, her voice more threatening, her shoulders square, leaning forward slightly. Natasha looks at me, her eyes wide, her calm composure rattled. She looks back to our newcomer.

"Who are you?" Natasha asks, her regular unconcerned attitude returning. The girl in front of us crosses her arms.

"Where is Fury? Did he call me or did you push the button?" There is a hint of sass in her voice, like she's talking to kids.

I step forward. "Fury did," I say, about to say more when she raises her eyebrows at me.

"So where is he? I gave him specific instructions to not prank call me."

I study her, surprised by how young she looks. I don't know anything about her, but I'm past waiting for a good solution, and while I've found it hard to really trust Fury he usually has good back up plans. And I'm desperate. I hold out my hand.

"I'm Steve Rogers," I say.

She looks at my hand for a moment, then uncrosses her arms to shake it. "Carol Danvers," she replies. "Are you agents?"

I feel my brow furrowed in confusion. Natasha comes to my rescue.

"We were agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. but it doesn't exist anymore."

Carol's eyes search me. "Where's Fury?" Her voice has an urgent tone to it, giving me even more questions.

Bruce steps forward. "I don't know where you're from or anything like that, but our planet got invaded by a guy named Thanos. He used the infinity stones to kill off half our planet. Fury sent that signal to you with his last breath."

"Thanos." Her voice is soft, her features contorted into a deep frown. "So he's dead?"

"Yes." My voice is hollow. "Along with most of our team."

"Your team?" She asks, almost absentmindedly.

"The Avengers," Bruce supplies. "Earth's mightiest heroes," he adds quietly after. Carol smirks.

"The Avengers, huh." The room shifts uncomfortably.

"How did you know Fury?" I ask.

"Oh, we met when I was trying to stop Skrulls from invading your planet," she says matter of factly, as though this should explain everything. I try to interpret as much as I can from her sentence.

"And Fury helped you do this, stopping Skrulls?"

"Yeah!" She looks at me incredulously. "Come on, didn't he ever tell you how he lost his eye?"

The rest of the room freezes. Fury had never told me how he lost his eye. Desperation takes over my pride.

"We're trying to get everyone back. Look I don't know who you are, but we could use some help. A lot of help actually."

Natasha shoots me a glance.

"That's what I'm here for." Carol says.

"It might be a one way trip," Natasha says, testing her nerve.

"It won't," she says, her voice really confident. "We're gonna beat this guy."

"That's not what happened last time," Bruce says quietly.

"You're going to win because this time you have me," Carol smirks.

"Just like that we're a we?" Natasha asks.

"I trust Fury and he trusts you so what's the problem?" Carol shoots back.

"You really think you can help us?" I ask, hoping she has some kind of power.

"Yeah, I think I can help you." Carol smirks again.

"Can you prove it?" Natasha asks.

Carol raises her arm and points it at the wall in front of her. Light shoots from her hand and the wall explodes. I look back at Carol. Her hands are glowing, as well as her hair floating around her. Her eyes are glowing too, her feet hovering off the ground.

"Yeah, I think I can help you." she says.