Ten - Whatever It Takes
Morag - Space
2014
Upon arrival on the distant and quiet planet of Morag, the group split up. Rhodey, Karen, and Nebula would stay here for the Power Stone, while Clint, Nat, and Sascha would travel further on to Vormir for the Soul Stone.
"Let's take cover," Nebula said once they had seen the others off.
"So we just wait for this Quill guy to show up then?" asked Rhodey.
"We must be careful," Nebula advised. "We're not the only ones out here in 2014 searching for the Stones."
"Who else was looking?" asked Karen.
Nebula sighed. "My father, my sister - and me."
"So he's an idiot."
Rhodey, Nebula, and Karen crouched behind some rocks, watching the approach of Peter Quill, who was currently dancing his way towards his destination, music blasting from his cassette player.
"Yes," said Nebula. "I will never understand my sister's taste in men."
"'Cause you're fine, and you're mine, and you look so divine!'" Quill sang along, spinning in a circle, arms outstretched.
"Can we put an end to this?" requested Rhodey.
They took their places. Karen stepped out into Quill's path.
"Oh, hey there." Quill stopped mid dance, keeping his music playing though. "Well, I did expect to find one treasure on this shit planet, but not two," he flirted.
Karen rolled her eyes. "You're Peter Quill?"
"Yes ma'am. But there's one other name you might know me by-"
"Star-Lord."
"Oh, so you do know me. But I don't know you. That's hardly fair, don't you think?"
Karen nodded to the cassette player attached to his belt. "What're you listening to?"
"Come and Get Your Love by Redbone. You know it?"
"I'm more of a Frank Sinatra fan myself."
"Sinatra? He's from like the '40s."
"So am I." Zap! Karen zapped him in the neck with her electric wrist guard, he crumbling to the ground. Rhodey and Nebula stepped out of hiding.
"He is an idiot," confirmed Rhodey.
Vormir - Space
2014
"Under different circumstances, this would be totally awesome."
The plain before them was dark and vast, stretching as far as the eye could see out to meet the orange, pink, and purple sky.
Nat, Clint, and Sascha climbed up the tallest rock formation until they came to an archway. There, a dark, sinister figure glided forward into their path.
"Welcome." The trio withdrew their respective weapons as the stranger spoke, addressing each of them. "Clint, son of Edith. Natasha, daughter of Ivan. Sascha, daughter of Alexei."
"Who are you?"
"I am the guardian of this place."
"You know our names, thought you might tell us yours as well." The stranger ignored their comment and got right to business.
"You come in search of the Soul Stone, one of the six Infinity Stones. Consider me a guide to you."
"He was expecting us," said Sascha.
The stranger led them beneath the archway and to a sprawling cliffside.
"What the hell is this?" demanded Nat, cautiously peering over the edge.
The stranger remained calm. "What you seek, as well as what you will find: an everlasting exchange; a soul for a soul. What you seek lies ahead of you, as does what you fear..."
On that note, the stranger left them to contemplate his riddle.
"Hey, yoo hoo, over here!" Clint was waving to the stranger, trying to get him to move or say something else, but he did neither. "Maybe he's making this shit up."
"No." Nat shook her head, dead serious. "I don't think so."
"What, cause he knew your dad's name you think he knows all?"
"I didn't. Thanos left here with the Stone and without his daughter-"
"Can't be a coincidence," agreed Sascha.
"Yeah..." Even Clint had to agree to that.
Nat rose to her feet from where she had been seated on a rock, considering. "Whatever it takes."
"Whatever it takes," he repeated.
"If we don't get that Stone, billions of people stay dead." The two were so absorbed in their conversation, they didn't notice what Sascha was doing. They didn't see the strawberry blonde approach the cliff's edge and peer down like Nat had done.
"Perhaps I will see you soon, My Love," she whispered. She backed up a few steps and then took off running.
Natasha saw a flash of something go by out of the corner of her eye - the next thing she knew, Sascha disappeared over the cliff's edge.
"Oh my God-" Nat rushed to the cliffside. She stared, shocked. "Sascha! Sascha!" Her voice echoed back.
The echo was soon drowned out by a distant scream, growing steadily nearer. Sascha reappeared, having dropped from the foggy sky.
She landed hard, crumbling to the ground. "What the hell?" She turned to the stranger.
He hardly seemed phased. "Your sacrifice did not work."
"Yeah, no shit. Then what's the point?"
"One of you will retrieve the Stone, while two of you must lose that which you love."
The three exchanged a glance. "Well, then I guess we know who it's gotta be," said Clint.
"Yeah, I guess we do." He and Nat clasped hands.
"I'm starting to think we mean different people here, Natasha."
"For the last five years all I've been doing was trying to get to right here. That's all it's been about, bringing everybody back."
"Oh don't you get all decent on me-"
"You think I want to do it? I'm trying to save your life, you idiot."
"Well I don't want you to, how's that. Natasha, you know what I've done, what I've become-"
"Well you know I don't judge people on their worst mistakes. You didn't."
Clint cursed under his breath. "You're a pain in my ass, you know that." Nat only nodded. "Fine, you win."
"Natalia, don't you dare."
"You know who it's gotta be, Sascha."
"Natalia-"
"You went and threw yourself off this cliff without hesitation - if you had any red left in your ledger, you wiped it out." Nat looked her way. "I'm so sorry about Yelena. I really am."
Seconds later, Nat was thrown to the ground by Clint, who took off running towards the cliffside. Nat tackled him to the ground, zapping him with one of her Widow Stings.
Both fought their way to the cliff's edge, both falling off it together, hanging on only by the wire Nat threw over to suspend them.
"It's okay," she told Clint. "It's okay. Let me go."
"No!" He tried to pull her up.
His body when briefly numb again when another Widow Sting struck him - though this time not from Nat.
Realizing what must be done, Sascha used her own sting to stun him for long enough. Nat looked up at her and they met eyes briefly before she let go of Clint's hand. Sascha looked away.
There was a flash of light, and she was gone.
I was so shocked by Nat's death the first time I saw this movie! D: Miss her so much! But also SO EXCITED for her own movie - finally! ;)
Thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed this chapter! :)
