"FRIDAY, I want you to send Daisy a message. Tell her I remember everything," Ana said, as she flew to the Appalachians.

"Will do. Anything else?"

"Tell me about this new place. Is it another secret SSR base? Or, one of Fury's?"

"Actually, it's a decommissioned United States Army bunker."

"Huh…" That was a much simpler explanation than she had expected.

"May I ask what exactly your plan is?"

"I'm going to make things right." How she was going to do it depended on what she was going to find there.

"Last time you said that, you ended up in another dimension," FRIDAY reminded her darkly.

"Trust me, this won't be anything like the last time. I'll never let my guard down around them again. Or, around anyone who's not Dad, really."

They didn't talk again. Soon, Ana was at the location. She spotted a clearing in the snow-covered wilderness, landed, and scanned the area. On her right, there was a tightly-closed metal gate. Her helmet retracted, and she approached the entrance of the forgotten military base.

"What?" she called out. "Are you waiting for me to knock?"

In response, the gate parted open. There was a middle-aged woman standing on the other side, but Ana had never seen her before. "Hello, Ms. Stark. I'm General Hale, of the United States Air Force."

She might be a general, but she wasn't wearing a uniform right now, which led Ana to think this meeting was off the books. Ana could think of only one reason. "General Hale… Let me guess, Coulson's team was never missing? You've been aiding them this whole time?"

"Coulson and I… made a deal. The enemy of my enemy is my friend, right? Especially if the enemy is Thanos."

Since when the military had known about Thanos? And more importantly, how? Maybe the rest of the world was catching up, after all. A girl could hope.

"Come in, I'll explain everything."

She stepped inside, and heard the door close behind her. "When our paths crossed, it was a lot easier for me to convince Coulson about the severity of the threat than I'd imagined. I believe I have you to thank for that."

"I see Coulson has put all cards on the table for this one…"

"As have I."

Hale led her to a cafeteria, where the team was. They were all here, and each one of them looked mortified. Good. At least they had some decency left to be ashamed of what they had done.

"Hello, Ana," Coulson said softly. "It's good to see you."

"See me? That's funny, because you can't even look me in the eye. You sent out an Air Force general to greet me at the door!"

"General Hale is not my messenger. She wanted to explain the situation herself. And since we don't have time for the drama, I thought it would be better."

She turned to Hale. "Please tell me you've been preparing for Thanos."

"We have. We'd been warned against Thanos even before you were."

"How come?"

"After the Battle of New York, my predecessors recovered a device. They were able to contact aliens."

"Wait, are you saying this has been going on since New York?"

"Yes."

"Look, at this point I'm pretty certain you're running a black-ops unit, but it doesn't matter. The rules are clear: Any alien artifact goes to Damage Control! No offense, General, but you and your 'predecessors' were way out of your league!"

"Yeah, that's the thing," Daisy winced. "They were not."

"What?"

"Hale isn't just Air Force. That's just her cover. She's HYDRA."

Ana gaped at them, at a loss for words for what felt like an eternity, then she burst into hysterical laughter. For a second there, she had tried being optimistic, and now there was this. But it was still a fact that they were running out of time, so she composed herself and got to the point.

"So, you guys work with HYDRA now? I wish I could say this is beneath you, but it's actually not."

"Ana, please," Daisy said. "You know that's not the case."

"Just to be clear, you guys know I can literally bring this place down on you, and fly away unscathed, right?"

"We don't wish to fight you," Hale-HYDRA said. "It's time we put our differences aside, because Thanos is coming, and it doesn't matter what flag we fly."

Well, considering every horrible crime HYDRA had ever committed, it kind of did matter, but as much as Ana hated to admit it, Hale had a point. "Okay, so you contacted aliens. Don't tell me it was Thanos himself."

"No. They call themselves the Confederacy."

Great, now Ana wished they had contacted Thanos himself instead. At least they wouldn't have brought another enemy into the mix. She had heard enough horror stories about the Confederacy from Sigyn. "Oh, no, no, no… Don't tell me it's the Confederacy! The one with the Astrans, the Kree, the Remorath—"

"That's the one," Hale confirmed. "They promised us protection against Thanos."

"Oh, I see… Let's, as a Nazi death cult, represent the human race on a shifty alien platform, and make a deal with the most ruthless, deceitful civilizations in the universe, because why the hell not? You idiots… They're not planning to help us, they're here to take over whatever ruin Thanos leaves behind!"

Perhaps her dad had seen this coming, too. He knew they were going to screw things up, and had sent Ana back to fix it, because he had no one else to rely on. His ability to predict the future never ceased to amaze her.

"Of course we didn't trust them," Hale defended herself. "We've been stalling them with idle promises. We have a weapon we can use against Thanos."

"You do realize a nuclear missile won't do the trick this time, right? The Confederacy is no match for Thanos, but it's still a force to be reckoned with."

"No. This is nothing like a nuclear missile. This is the Destroyer of Worlds."

"A bit overdramatic, but sounds like exactly what we need right now. Show me."

Hale started walking again, and this time, took her to a laboratory. It looked like someone had been working on a metal chamber.

"Is this the weapon?"

"It's a Particle Infusion Chamber." Hale grabbed a stack of papers on a desk and handed them to Ana. "Dr. Whitehall's design."

"So, the Destroyer of Worlds is not a weapon, but an enhanced person… I gotta admit; Whitehall was a smart guy," Ana commented, looking at the schematics. "The design is… extremely flexible. The subject can be infused with almost anything. Any of the Infinity Stones, vibranium, you name it…"

"We have something even better." There was a large cubic item standing next to the Infusion Chamber, a gray cover draped over it. Hale unveiled it for Ana to see.

"Gravitonium," she gasped, recoiling in fear. "All this time, it was with you…"

"Originally, we were planning to have our scientists work on it, but there was a change of plans when we found out you Starks were after it. It was brought here immediately after the raiding of the Fridge."

"But it's been here since then, meaning HYDRA was reluctant to use it for some reason. What's the catch? Can't find any volunteers?"

"Come, there's one more thing I want you to see."

Her vision was coming true. For years, there had been no sign of the gravitonium, but today, here it was. That couldn't be a coincidence. No, they had to use it. They had to use it for anything other than time-travel, before they reached the point of no return. It was the only way to change the future. If that meant creating a Destroyer of Worlds, so be it.

Ana followed Hale to another room on this same floor. Here, there was an unconscious teenage girl lying in a medical bed, hooked up to monitors and an IV.

"This place was a HYDRA academy," Hale reminisced. "And I was a student. One of the two female students who made it to the commencement, in fact. I admired Daniel Whitehall back then. I thought I could work with him on the Project Destroyer of Worlds. Instead, he decided to use me as a broodmare… HYDRA genetically engineered the Destroyer of Worlds, and I was expected to give birth to her. I was artificially inseminated."

"This is your daughter?" Ana asked, surprised.

She stroked the girl's hair and placed a kiss on her forehead. "Her name is Ruby."

"Is this the part where I'm supposed to feel bad for you? Because I don't. You chose to use your daughter as a guinea pig. If it didn't work out, that's on you."

"I never wanted her to enter that chamber. She wasn't ready. I thought Daisy Johnson would be a better choice. Ruby got jealous when she found out. All her life, she had trained so hard to become the Destroyer of Worlds, I can't blame her. She went behind my back, completed the chamber, and infused herself with the gravitonium. She absorbed 8% of it before it became too much. We turned the device off, got her out of there… She could fly. And crush people's heads. Daisy was there, too. She tried to help her learn to control her powers. It didn't work. Fitz-Simmons had to sedate her in the end. I don't know if it will ever be safe to wake her up. Those two say the process was irreversible. I was hoping you'd differ."

"What do you think went wrong?"

"I don't have to think. We know. In the past, gravitonium absorbed two people: Franklin Hall and Ian Quinn. Think about it. Coulson said you were there when Dr. Hall died."

"So, gravitonium is lethal for humans? That's the problem?"

"No. I said 'absorbed,' not 'killed.' Ruby wasn't dying. She was hearing voices in her head. The voices of those two men. Their consciousnesses are alive in the gravitonium."

"And you want it to happen to Daisy instead?" Ana asked angrily. "Let me make something clear: Just because they stabbed me in the back doesn't mean I'll do the same to them. Especially not for you."

"Daisy thinks she can silence the voices. She's a soldier. She has the discipline."

Bad idea, was the first thing she thought. But if Daisy was up for it, it might be worth a shot. She was strong, focused, self-disciplined. She had experience with enhancements. "Let me talk to her first."

"What about Ruby? Is it too late for her?"

"There might be a way or two," Ana said, thinking of Wanda. She could fix Ruby's mind. If all else failed, the Time Stone could work. "But I'll keep the details to myself for now. I need insurance, given how much Stark blood you have on your tentacles."

"Coulson is a problem, though. He's very protective of Daisy. We have to convince him."

"I'll see what I can do. Let's go back to the cafeteria."

Ana was more hopeful now. If this went right, it would be the perfect anti-Thanos weapon they needed. But she and Daisy had to talk first and do a risk assessment.

They didn't have to return to the cafeteria, though. They saw that the door to the lab with the Infusion Chamber was wide open, and the team had gathered there.

"Just wanted to make sure Hale didn't talk you into entering that chamber," Coulson explained.

"Why waste the gravitonium on me, while we have her?" Ana asked, looking at Daisy.

Coulson shook his head. "No."

"Come on, Coulson! Are you going to stand idly by while Thanos prepares to kill half of the universe? What happened to being humanity's shield?"

"I think we deserve a break after the whole Framework ordeal."

"Yeah, I imagine the Framework must have done quite a number on you," Ana sneered. "If we survive this, I'll even let you use BARF for therapy. I used it on myself, 100% recommend it. After what you and Howard Stark did—"

"We had to make a hard call."

"You had no right!"

"It was what he wanted," Daisy said in a small voice.

"I don't care whose idea it was. Thanos is coming, and there's no time to create the Nexus." She placed a hand on the chamber. "This is the only other way."

"You can't force Daisy to enter that chamber," Coulson said.

"You're right. I can't. Even if I could, I wouldn't. I'm not like you guys. But know this: If Thanos wins, all that blood will be on your hands. Because you chose to eliminate the only heads-up humanity got in time, and now, you're too scared to use what you have!"

"Can we have a word in private?" Daisy asked hastily. Ana nodded, and they went to an empty room. Daisy slammed the door shut. "I do want to enter that chamber."

"I know. Hale told me. But she seems too emotional right now, so you give me some insight. What really happened?"

"Ruby was just a kid. She was unstable. I'm not. I know what I'm signing up for."

"What about Coulson?"

"He doesn't call the shots anymore. He wants me to lead."

"Why?"

"He's dying."

"What?"

"To kill AIDA, he made a deal with the Rider. It took away the Kree medicine that kept him alive."

"Oh. I'm… sorry." Ana meant it. She would never forgive them for what they had done to her, but she wasn't that heartless. She knew what it meant for Daisy, to lose Coulson.

"We actually have a cure. He's just too stubborn to take it. I don't know what to do, Ana."

"Well, if I were you, I wouldn't give him a choice, but that's me."

"Let me talk to Coulson again, okay?"

"Yeah, but hurry up. We don't have much time. My dad's planning to go against Thanos with a clueless hormonal teenager and wizard we barely know. We must give you your powers, then go to his help."

"Got it," she said, and stormed out. Ana decided to see who else she could convince in the meantime.

She was heading for the stairs when she saw Fitz. The wedding ring on his finger hadn't escaped her notice. "Congratulations, I suppose?

"Thanks… For the record, I'm on your side. Mack and I were the only ones who didn't want to go along with Howard Stark's plan."

"If that's the case, why didn't you say anything back in that lab?"

"Trust me, my support wouldn't exactly help you right now."

"Why not?"

"I should probably tell you about the Framework… Come."

They returned to the cafeteria, which was now empty. Fitz poured two cups of tea, then started to explain, "You already know about Radcliffe's Framework. AIDA took it and turned into some kind of virtual prison for us, using the Darkhold."

"Yeah, I read the reports."

"It was an alternate reality where HYDRA reigned, and she was their leader. Madame HYDRA, they called her. I just called her Ophelia. I was her right-hand man. And her lover. The Doctor. I didn't even remember Jemma when I was in there. My heart belonged to Ophelia only."

"And here I thought JARVIS and I were the weirdest couple ever…"

"Well, in the Framework, you were the second most powerful couple after us."

This intrigued her. Had they existed in the Framework, too? She took a sip from her tea, and leaned forward. "Do tell."

"To secure HYDRA's position, we had to get rid of all threats, including the potential Avengers. When the time came for Tony, you made a deal with Ophelia. You promised her your loyalty, and to prove it, offered to kill an enemy for her. So, she sent you to Maveth, to kill Hive. She wasn't expecting you to come back, but you did, and after that, you became HYDRA's number one weapons contractor."

"I was the Merchant of Death."

He shook his head. "No. Not the Merchant of Death. Just Death."

"How come?"

"There was this symbol I found after the Monolith swallowed Jemma. Maveth, the Hebrew word for death. The name of the planet. When Ophelia said she'd send you to Maveth with no backup, you secretly built a body for JARVIS and took him with you."

"And we killed Hive?"

"Come on, Ana. You're underestimating yourself. You did more than that. You brought him to Earth alive. Then you removed him from the host body, and destroyed it, on live broadcast for everyone to witness. To prove that even the most feared aliens weren't superior to humans. After that, you started to wear the Maveth symbol as a badge of honor. Human supremacists started worshipping you. They called you Death. Killing you would've only made you a martyr, and the only way to control you was to keep Tony alive. So, we sent him and Pepper to a nice, big mansion on a remote island. As long as they were safe, you and JARVIS were going to work for us. Your loyalty to HYDRA was an act, of course, but your hatred for aliens, your passion for Terran supremacy… That part was real."

"But it was just a computer program. A story AIDA made up. None of it was real. Even you guys were just a bunch of codes until you were physically plugged into the system!"

"No? Can you look me in the eye, and tell me it doesn't sound like you at all?"

"No," she said. "I'm not a fascist who—"

"Fascism requires fear and hatred. You have plenty of both in you," he stated.

Ana didn't argue with him. He was right.

He went on, "It was a story, yes, but it was a story based on what we could have been. Each and every single one of us. The Darkhold made sure of that."

"Why are you telling me this?" She could see that he had an ulterior motive.

"Because now you know who you have to be if you want to stop Thanos."

"Which brings me to my other question: Who am I talking to now? Fitz, or the Doctor?"

"Does it matter?" he asked in a sinister tone that could never be heard from the Fitz she knew, and she became sure that he was having a multiple personality disorder.

"So, here we are, then… Death, and the Doctor."

He thoughtfully studied his hands. "I guess it all comes down to one question: Which one of us is going to do what needs to be done?"

"That was a… dramatic story, Fitz. Really. And convincing. Except, you should've left JARVIS out of it. You see, JARVIS would've obliterated AIDA. She would've never taken such a risk by recreating him in the Framework."

"Destroying AIDA would've destroyed the Framework. JARVIS knew it. He also knew he was dead in this world. AIDA never lied to him. He was happy. He was with you."

"Another lie. The real JARVIS would've escaped the Framework and come to me. He wouldn't have let me suffer, especially just to be with a fake version of me."

"Come here to be killed again, this time by the Ghost Rider? He was a creation of the Darkhold, Reyes wouldn't have let him live. I told you, AIDA didn't lie to him. JARVIS knew there was no happy ending for him in this world."

She was probably being played, but the prospect of getting JARVIS back wasn't something she could easily dismiss. "Is the Framework gone? Completely?"

"Yes… Though I might have salvaged a few things. Including parts of JARVIS. Combined with the fragments in Vision—"

"He can come back…"

Fitz nodded. "The Ghost Rider has returned to Hell, so there's no one who can stop you."

"Prove it. Show me the codes."

"While you have your suit on? I don't think so. Your boyfriend will be my hostage until I get what I want."

"What do you want?"

"Isn't it obvious by now? I want you to kill Thanos."

"I don't get why you think I need more incentive for that."

"You do need the incentive, Ana. Because you're too scared to do what needs to be done."

"Believe me, if I knew how to kill Thanos, I wouldn't have left my dad on that spaceship."

"You need two things, and they're both here."

"What things?"

"A weapon of mass destruction, which is almost ready."

"The Destroyer of Worlds."

He nodded, and continued, "The second thing you need is an army."

She understood what he was getting at. He wasn't talking about a human army. "Do you want me to take over the Confederacy? Single-handedly?"

"I do."

Yes, it could be done. Not by Hale, obviously. She didn't have what it took. But Ana did, and they both knew it.

"If you're a supervillain now, why do you concern yourself with the fate of the universe?"

"My reasons are the same as yours," he answered, fidgeting with his ring. "I want a future with my family. There's no Ophelia here. But I have Jemma. And my team. I have no intention to lose any of them."

"But you're not willing to fight for them yourself. You want me to get my hands dirty for you. You want a scapegoat, someone to take the blame for the collateral damage after it's over."

"I knew we'd come to an understanding."

"I'll do it. But know this: I'm not doing it for you. This is not the Framework. Here, I have the power to control spacetime itself, the greatest force in the universe! I refuse to become anyone's puppet, least of all yours! So, keep in mind that it's not just the two of us in this room. FRIDAY has been recording everything you just told me. If you wrong me, your little secret will be out. You'll lose your family forever."

"Now this is the Ana Stark the universe needs…"

He was smiling proudly when they were interrupted by Simmons. The Doctor became Fitz again in an instant.

"We have a problem," Jemma said gravely. "The Confederacy is here. They want the gravitonium, now."

Fitz gave Ana a short, but meaningful look before hugging his wife.

"I'll take care of them," she muttered, and stormed out of the room.

"Take care of them?" Jemma cried, running after her. "What are you going to do?"

"You'll see."

A/N: Originally, this was going to be one super long chapter, but I decided to split it into two chapters. Ana's Framework persona and her attempt to take over the Confederacy (which happens in the next chapter) were supposed to be "deleted scenes," so to say, but later I decided to add them, because they're important to why Thanos chooses to adopt her and her transformation into "Death." I know Death is Thanos' love interest in the comics, and here, it's definitely a nod to that, but it's definitely nothing more than that. There will be no incestuous feelings, so if that's a concern, don't worry. Yeah, Ana will never see Thanos as her father, but I thought I should still clarify.

I started planning out this fic even before IW came out, and the original idea was that Thanos only "adopts" Ana to spite Tony, but IW inspired me to make his reasons more complex. His logic will be distorted with grief by the time he meets Ana, and he will actually believe she can be his Gamora replacement. I know the changes I have made in the canon so far seem very insignificant, but I promise they will have a snowball effect soon! Things about the get a lot darker in the next chapter, and they won't get any better until the last 3 bonus chapters. You'll probably hate me, but please remember that I actually managed to write a happy ending!

Another note for those who watch AoS: You might have noticed Talbot wasn't on Hale's secret HYDRA base. That's because Hale never captures him in this story, fearing the Starks might notice and track him down, considering they are keeping a close eye on Talbot. Besides, Hale didn't need his help to convince Coulson to work with HYDRA against Thanos.