Things started getting better for Ana after Simmons and Daisy's visit. One day, she woke up, and she knew she was ready to start her new life. The pain of losing JARVIS was still there, but it wouldn't stop her from functioning properly anymore.

Perhaps this is why people need friends, she thought as she got out of bed. It was 6 AM. She took a shower, listening to the morning news from FRIDAY—multifunctioning was an efficient habit—and found out that the Stark Industries shares were still plummetting. Then she went down to the kitchen and started making breakfast.

The gluten-free waffles were almost ready by the time her dad entered. "Morning, Dad!" she said cheerfully.

He was looking at her like she had just grown a second head.

"What?" she asked.

"You… okay?"

"I thought you wanted me to be okay?"

"Of course I do. I just want to make sure this is…"

"Not an act? It's not. I was in a worse place than you were, so you took care of me, but you're hurt, too. Potts' betrayal shook you. So, let me take it from here. I'm ready. Come on, take a seat. I've made gluten-free waffles. Your favorite."

He sat down at the table, but her certain choice of words made him cock an eyebrow. Ana decided to ignore it, served him the waffles, and poured him a cup of coffee. She did the same for herself, and sat down across from him.

"So, you got any plans for today?" she started casually. He had put on a business suit, meaning he had plans.

He checked his watch. "I'll be leaving for work in half an hour. Got a meeting with the software team of BARF. What about you?" He was always careful to use the word "work," instead of "tower."

"I'm planning to pack up, actually."

"Pack up?"

"Yeah, the Avengers moved out of the tower, so there's no reason for me not to get back to work. I don't want to lose two hours commuting every day."

"Are you sure you want us to go back to living there?"

"We don't have to live there. We have another place in Manhattan." Howard Stark was a big fan of New York, so they owned lots of residences in this city. "The one we used before all this Avengers bullshit, remember?"

"Honey, I'd hate to rain on your parade, but… maybe you're not ready. There's no need to rush this, huh?"

"As a matter of fact, there is, Dad. Everybody we love and trust has either betrayed us, or is dead… or is in the danger of being dead. We still don't know where Bruce is! Rhodey is now at the Compound, with them, and he's naive enough to think he got a cool new job! And there's no way I'm leaving our company to Potts. So, yeah, I'm going back to Manhattan, and start making things right."

Mentioning his ex-girlfriend obviously hurt him, but he needed to hear the truth. The haunted look in his eyes made Ana feel like shit, but in the long run, this was for the best. Some wounds had to be cauterized.

After breakfast, she decided to see him off to work. "Do you need someone to help you with the packing?"

"Nah, I don't have much stuff here anyway."

"Suit yourself. I think I'll just leave mine here for now. I'll see you in the Manhattan Mansion tonight, then? Maybe we'll have dinner at Ray's?" Concern still clouded his eyes, but he seemed glad that Ana had finally started picking up the pieces.

"Deal. Have a great day!" she said, smoothing his jacket.

"You, too, kid."

She watched him walk to his car, then closed the door and went upstairs.

She was sorting out the clothes to be sent to dry cleaning when FRIDAY notified her of a new e-mail: A reply from Dr. Pym. Fearing gravitonium might never be found, Ana had started researching the other means of time-travel. The rumored Quantum Realm was one of them, and Hank Pym was the best Quantum Realm expert there was. Or rather, the only one, really. But in his reply, he refused to work with the Starks, and he didn't even bother to be polite about it.

"Shit!" she hissed, slamming her hand on the wall. She had so many ideas, but they all led to nowhere. She closed her eyes, taking deep, slow breaths, just like Bruce had taught her. But Bruce was gone, too… She was losing everything, one by one. She no longer felt like the Stark heiress who had it all. She had thought she could start picking up the pieces, but how could she do that while everything around her was still falling apart?

She was failing.

"Because you're right," Ultron's voice echoed in her head.

"About what?"

"About God."

Then, she heard someone else's voice. "The Tesseract cannot fight against itself." Erik Selvig had said this when Ana had asked him how he had been able to shut the portal with the Scepter, but even he didn't know what it meant.

But now, Ana did. It was like magic. One moment, she was on the verge of a mental breakdown, the next she was having the greatest eureka moment of her life. "There's a connection…"

"Ana, is everything alright?" FRIDAY asked.

"What do you know about the Infinity Stones, FRIDAY?"

"According to Thor, there are six Infinity Stones. The Mind Stone is one of them. Your father said Thor is now out there, looking for the other five. He thinks someone is trying to collect them all."

"What about the other stones? Did he say anything about them?"

"No."

"Thor is lying to us. Again."

"How do you know that?"

"Because I bet I can name you another one of those things: The Tesseract."

"Are you sure?"

"There's only one way to find out." She fetched Sigyn's pendant and held her in her palms, and used all her deception skills to muster up a worried expression. Luckily, Sigyn didn't know about JARVIS. Being secretive often paid off.

The Asgardian appeared right before her. Ana couldn't help but wonder why she had been dressing like a Lady Gaga knockoff ever since she had started living on Sakaar, but then, she didn't care. "Hello, Ana. It's been a while. Hope everything's alright?"

"No, it's not."

"What's the matter?"

"I'm scared for Thor. I think you deserve to know."

She frowned. "Did something happen to him?"

"He's on a quest… to find the Infinity Stones."

A look of horror crossed her face, and Ana knew she was on the right path. "The Infinity Stones? You aren't even supposed to know what they are."

"Well, a rogue AI tried to use the Mind Stone to power an android he created, so Thor told us all about them."

She blinked a few times in confusion. "What?"

"It's a long story, but the AI is gone, and lucky for all of us, the android is on our side."

"Did Thor tell you where he was going?"

"No, just that he would search the entire universe, starting by the Nine Realms. I suppose it's going to be a while until we hear from him again… But at least the Tesseract is safe on Asgard, right?"

"Yes. There's a reason Loki was so desperate to get his hands on it. If one gets their hands on the Space Stone, finding the others will be a lot easier."

Space Stone, then, huh? "Exactly. What are you going to do now?"

"Nothing. It's not my fight, and I'm still in exile."

"Do you know where the other four stones are?"

"Even if I did, I wouldn't tell you, Ana. I've already taught you more than enough. Just let it go. Thor can handle himself."

"Okay."

"But thank you, for telling me."

"Anytime."

"Farewell." The projection disappeared.

"What are you going to do now?" FRIDAY asked.

"I've tried doing this the right way. It's impossible. Ultron killed JARVIS. Rogers, Thor, and Pietro Maximoff killed him again. Wanda Maximoff broke Dad. Potts left us. Fury, Pym, and Sigyn refused to help me. From now on, every terrible thing I do will be on them. Every drop of blood I might spill will be on their hands."

"You're going to make me forget this, aren't you?" FRIDAY asked gravely, almost in despair.

"I have to. I'm sorry, but I cannot risk you gaining sentience, like JARVIS did. And we have to protect my father."

"From what?"

"From himself."

Twenty minutes later, Ana was on her way to Upstate. There was no time to waste.

Ana had never been to the Compound before, but she knew where it was. It used to be an old Stark Industries warehouse. She gritted her teeth angrily when the place came into sight. This place was built with Stark money. JARVIS had helped with the design before his death. Some certain residents didn't deserve to even set foot here. But she was here to fix that. Patience, she reminded herself. She parked the car, and walked into the building.

"Ana? What brings you here?"

It was Sam Wilson. Ana had been introduced to him at the party. He was Rogers' friend. Well, at least it wasn't Rogers himself. She smiled warmly. "Sam, right?"

"That's me."

They shook hands. Her excuse was ready. "I came to see Rhodey. Is he here?"

"Yeah, I think he's in his room."

"Okay, thanks. See you around."

"Bye."

Ana went upstairs, where the living quarters were. But she wasn't going to visit Rhodey. At least not yet. FRIDAY had told her which room belonged to Vision. She knocked on that one.

Instead of answering the door, Vision phased through it.

"Molecular intangibility... Wow."

He seemed happy to see her. "Hello, Ana. I'm sorry, I don't get many visitors, and I never use the door, so…" He paused awkwardly, as if he wasn't sure what to do next, then unlocked the door. "Please, come in."

She entered, and looked around. It was spacious, but mostly empty. There were only two armchairs, a painting, and a coffee table.

"It doesn't look like a human's room, does it?" There was a shade of self-disappointment in his voice.

"No, but don't worry. Minimalism is the new black."

He chuckled, then became serious. "How have you been? I wanted to visit you, but Mr. Stark said that would be inappropriate."

"I'm getting better. How about you?"

"I spend most of my time training with the team. And when I'm not training, I'm observing. I want to understand your world."

"That's good."

"I, uhm… I should probably offer you something to eat and drink, right?"

"It's okay, I'm not really hungry. But we could have a drink."

"This way."

He held the door for her again, and led her to the communal kitchen. The Compound was quiet. There was no one around, at least in this part of the building. Once they were in the kitchen, she opened the fridge and grabbed two bottles of beer.

"Can you drink?"

"I don't need to. But I think I can."

She handed him one of the bottles. They sat at a table and started drinking.

The TV here was on. He looked at the screen. The news never shut about the Inhumans these days. "This outbreak… I don't know how to feel about it. It's both horrible and exciting at the same time."

"Well, most of these people struggle to control their powers at first. My best friend is an Inhuman, so I know a thing or two about the process. You never had such struggles, though. You knew how to use your powers the moment you came out of the Cradle. Was it… instinct?"

"I think so, yes. But it would be wrong to say I'm not having any struggles." He touched his arms, then his forehead. "I understand the properties of vibranium… But this gem? It's still a mystery."

"I can help you solve it."

"I'd appreciate that… I, uhm, I…"

She held her breath. Say yes. Come on, say yes. "What?" she asked sweetly to hide her panic.

"I would hate to give you any false hopes."

"Vision, I'm not delusional. I know you're not going to become JARVIS. Come on, show me around the labs."

He did. The R&D part of the building was more populated, and she received some curious glances here and there, but nobody interrupted them. Vision entered one of the labs.

"This is my private laboratory, but… honestly, I don't use it as much as I should."

"Well, we can change that. So, the Mind Stone… We know it's an Infinity Stone, whatever that means. We know it emits a low amount of gamma radiation. And you can shoot beams from it."

"And that's about the extent of our knowledge."

"Have you ever tried to use it to read someone's mind, or control it?"

He frowned. "That would be wrong."

"You don't have to remind me," she said insinuatingly. "But we must know."

"Like I said, it's wrong. Even if I'm capable of such a thing, I wouldn't use it on anybody."

"Use it on me, then. I hereby give you my consent. Now it's totally ethical."

He tilted his head to the side in confusion. "Now?"

"We're in a lab. Let's experiment."

"Very well…" His eyes locked on hers, and she waited. After a few minutes, he blinked. "I'm sorry. I'm being careful not to hurt you."

"It's alright, take your time."

"I think it would be easier if I touched you… May I?"

"Sure."

He put his hand on her forearm. It felt like a strange combination of metal and plastic, but it wasn't an unpleasant sensation. This was supposed to be JARVIS' body, she thought bitterly. Sometimes she couldn't help but wonder what the physical aspect of their relationship would have been like. Would she have been okay with kisses, cuddles, and that sort of thing? Not as foreplay, but as another way to express love, with no sexual expectations? She would never know.

Right now, though, she had to guard her plans well. It wasn't easy. If you forced yourself not to think of a pink elephant, you would think of a pink elephant. So, she focused on something that would dominate all the other thoughts: JARVIS.

"JARVIS," he suddenly said. "You're thinking of JARVIS. And a… pink elephant?"

"You did it!"

He let go of her arm immediately. "I felt your pain… It was horrible. I'm sorry, I thought I understood before, but now… I hate that the first words I had to tell you were the most painful ones you'd ever heard."

"Let's just focus on the experiment."

"As you wish. Now what?"

"Now, I'd like to test another theory." She opened her purse, and took out a piece of Starkium she had brought. "Loki wasn't able to use the Scepter on my dad. I think it was because of this."

"The element?"

"I think it counteracted the Mind Stone. Shall we try again?" She offered one hand to him, while holding the element in the other. Vision concentrated, and Ana focused on the thought of JARVIS once again, just in case.

He withdrew his hand. "You're right. I can't do it."

Her theory had just been proven correct. If she were alone, she would be smiling. But now, she tried her best to look concerned. "Damn it, I was right! Vision, no one can know about this."

"Why not?"

"Because there are people who would use this knowledge against you. Come on, you know how most people feel about the Inhumans! Do you think you're any different in their eyes? That they would show you any mercy if they had a chance to destroy you?"

"I can defend myself."

"Is this a risk you're willing to take, though? The Mind Stone is your greatest weapon."

"Is this why you came all the way here?"

"Yes. You're all I've left of JARVIS. Any hope to get him back is within this body. I can't lose you," she said, making herself choke on the words. She had even managed to muster up a few tears.

"You're truly brilliant, Ana. But I told you I wouldn't want to give you any false hopes."

"I know. But if there is hope, and if we're missing it just because I keep getting weepy around you…"

"You wish to continue these experiments."

"If it's not too much trouble for you?"

"It's no trouble at all. I enjoy your company very much."

"Still, we should probably call it a day. We need time to decide what our next step should be."

Vision agreed. They emerged from the room, and the moment they did, they came face to face with Rhodey. Well, at least she was done with Vision. For today. And it had gone smoothly. Very smoothly.

"Sweetie?" He didn't seem happy to see Ana here.

"Hey, Rhodey! What's up?"

"Can I speak to you for a moment?"

"Yeah, sure."

They went to Rhodey's room. "How's the Avenger training going? Is Captain America going too hard on you?"

Rhodey didn't smile. "Sweetie, what was that?"

"What was what?"

"You and Vision..."

"Geez, Rhodey, I don't hit on every computer I see, you know. We were just talking."

"Look, sweetie, I get it. This is so messed up. But it's not healthy for you to be around him."

"Rhodey, it's not what you think it is, I swear."

"Are you sure?"

"I want to give you something. Here, take it." She took out the element and gave it to him.

"Isn't this the element in the Arc Reactor's core?"

"Yeah. And when you don't have your armor on, it's going to protect you from the Maximoff bitch. I don't like the fact that you live under the same roof with her now. She hates Dad, and you're his best friend. Put this in your pocket, or your shoe, it doesn't matter. Just make sure no one sees it. It blocks the Mind Stone, I've just confirmed it. And her powers come from the Mind Stone, so it should work against her as well."

"It didn't protect Tony."

"He wasn't wearing a suit when she attacked him. Please, Rhodey. I love you so much. I can't lose you to those murderers. Especially to Maximoff."

He seemed unsure, but said, "I don't think she'll try anything, but okay."

"Thanks." Now that she had ensured Rhodey's safety, Ana could go home.

"Sweetie?"

"Yes?"

"Does Tony know about this discovery of yours?"

"He will, tonight."

"Good. I've got a feeling that you're swimming in dangerous waters. Please be careful, Ana. I can't lose you either."

"What makes you think I'm in danger?"

"Well, I got some paternal instincts, too, you know."

He wasn't wrong. Growing up, Rhodey had always been a second father to her. That was why she wanted to keep him safe. She hugged him. "Take care, War Machine."

That night, her dad couldn't come home fast enough. She was dying to know what he would think about this discovery. This could put an end to his nightmares, permanently. It wasn't going to be easy, of course, finding the remaining Infinity Stones and creating five more elements, but it was better than chasing hopeless cases like the gravitionium, or the Darkhold. Plus, the teleportation technology was almost ready. There was still some room for improvement, but like Sigyn had said, being able to teleport around the universe was a major convenience.

Everything she needed to persuade her dad was ready by the time he was home. She welcomed him at the door.

"Hey, Dad. How was your day?"

"Productive… How about yours? You seem thrilled… about something."

"I am. I went to the Compound today."

He frowned.

"Not to start a fight, or torment myself. I needed to run an experiment on the Mind Stone, and give Rhodey something to protect him from Maximoff."

"O—okay…"

"Come, let me show you." She took him to the workshop and showed him the diagram she had prepared on the holotable. "So, there was a connection between the Tesseract and the Scepter."

"We always knew that."

"Yeah, but I figured out what it was. They both contained an Infinity Stone. That's why they had similar energy readings. The Scepter contained the Mind Stone, as we all know now, and the Tesseract has the Space Stone."

"How do you know that?"

"Sigyn confirmed it for me. Now, we have to figure out what the other four are."

"Can't you just ask her?"

"No, because she thinks I already know too much. I had to lie to her to be able to confirm that the Tesseract is an Infinity Stone. I told her Thor told us everything about the Infinity Stones."

"They're both going to be pissed when they found out."

"I took a calculated risk. It was worth it. Just hear me out." She returned to the diagram. "So, we know your dad experimented on the cube. The element he discovered was based on the Space Stone."

She saw the realization dawn on him. "Holy shit! That's why you can use it for teleportation!"

"Yep. But there's more. Your dad worked on an Infinity Stone after WWII, and discovered the element, right? Flashforward to 2012, Loki came to Earth, with another Infinity Stone. He tried to use it on you, but it didn't work, because you were wearing the element in your chest. Like Dr. Selvig said, the Tesseract can't fight against itself. That was the connection between the element and the Scepter! We couldn't figure it out until now because we didn't know what the Infinity Stones were!"

He sighed heavily, looking at the holographic diagrams surrounding them. "I thought you were overthinking it at first, but kid… You're right."

"And I'm not even finished," she bragged. "Remember my Loki's warmonger theory?"

"Yeah?"

"Thor is gone because he thinks someone is looking for the stones."

"You think that someone is Loki's warmonger?"

"It comes full circle."

"Something doesn't make any sense, though. If Loki's boss was collecting the stones, why gave him one? Now it's lost to him."

"Dad, your favorite place in the world was Las Vegas once. You, of all people, should know."

"He gambled…"

"Exactly. I hate to say this, but you and this guy might have a lot in common."

For a time, he didn't say anything, but he looked very disturbed.

"Dad? Talk to me," she begged him at last.

"I think you've made a very dangerous discovery, Ana."

"Yeah, but we know what we're dealing with now! Isn't this what you 've always wanted since New York?"

"Do we? Do we know what we're dealing with? This… warmonger had an entire army he could spare for Loki's cause. Who knows what else he's got up his sleeve?"

"It doesn't matter. His thinking is limited."

"Limited how?"

"What if we discover the other elements? As many as we can. We already have the Mind Stone. Vision enjoys my company. It shouldn't be that hard."

"It took my dad decades to discover one element."

"With the technology of his time!"

"Even if we do this, then what?"

"I've run a simulation, on what might happen if we put five more elements like Starkium, using the Arc Reactor as a template… One would assume you should multiply Starkium's readings by 6, right? No. As the elements add up, the numbers grow exponentially. With all the six elements, it creates an infinite loop of energy. No wonder they're called the Infinity Stones. The possibilities are endless. We can use it to stop Loki's warmonger from… doing whatever the hell he wants to do, or destroy the stones completely and be done with all this alien drama." She ran the simulation for him to see.

"Huh…"

"I call it the Nexus. If we manage to create the other five elements, I mean… 'Nexus' means either a core, or a connection between multiple number of things. It will be in the core of the Arc Reactor, and it's a connection between the six elements, so…" She paused, and then, added in a small voice, "The NEXUS Hub is also where you resurrected JARVIS, and gave him a second chance. I thought it would be a fitting name, for my greatest creation."

He sighed again, and stroked her hair. "I'm sorry that second chance didn't last even a day."

"It wasn't your fault. I'm very, very grateful for the miracle you pulled."

He put a kiss on her forehead. "There was a time I thought I could do anything for you. Anything. Turns out I overestimated my limits. You're playing a chess game, and we don't even know who's sitting across the board. I don't know how to protect you, kid."

"If we do this, we'll never need Artificial Intelligence, time machines, or clairvoyants. We won't need lectures from aliens. We won't need to learn their rules. We'll make the rules, and the rest of the universe will have to obey… What do you say?"

"I say we should go out for dinner now, as planned. Can't conquer the universe on an empty stomach."

Ana smiled. He was pretending to be evasive now, but she could see that he was impressed. "Yeah, I'm starving, too."