The first uninvited guest of the Garden was Nebula. The Lumphomoid had snuck into the cottage two weeks after the Decimation, while Ana was lying awake in her bed. She had seen a shadow and gone to check it out. To her surprise, Nebula had recognized her immediately, called her "Stark's daughter." Ana had lied, and said yes. She had lured her into Thanos' room, and when Nebula was about to kill him, Ana had stabbed her in the eye, with the collapsable, double-edged dagger Thanos had given her. She knew it once belonged to Gamora. The noises had woken Thanos up, of course, and he had seen Ana's handiwork.

She didn't know why she was doing this. She remembered Tony Stark, she remembered how much she had loved him, but that love didn't mean anything to her anymore. She didn't know what had happened to it. It was just a hollow memory. She felt like a puppet whose strings were being pulled by an unknown master. Perhaps this was what madness felt like. Or, Shuri and Sigyn were right. She was an opportunist. A spineless, shameless opportunist who wanted to become the heiress to the most powerful one around. Back in simpler times, that one was Tony Stark. Now it was Thanos. It didn't bother her. She was happy to be Thanos' favorite daughter. He wasn't as evil as everyone thought he was. He was even kind enough to give Nebula a grave, for example.

"Perhaps I was too harsh on her," he said regretfully once he was done burying her. "After all, she was loyal. Not to me, but to her sister."

"She made her choice."

"And you made yours. Thank you, daughter." He smiled, and it made her proud.

He flung the shovel over his shoulder, and they started off back to the farm. They were the only ones who had attended this funeral. Shuri and Sigyn had refused to come. They despised Thanos. They despised Ana even more. Ana didn't care about what they thought either.

"Do you think Nebula might have given anyone else our location?" he asked all of a sudden.

"That's what I would do," Ana thought out loud. "Even if she didn't, the stones have a unique energy signature. A smart enough person can trace it."

"Can you cloak the stones?"

"Not here. I don't have the tools I need."

"Right… I'm going to build you a workshop on the Sanctuary. A big one. You're going to have hundreds of workers at your disposal. Any material you need, anything you wish to experiment with, will be brought to you immediately."

Ana didn't even try to hide how excited she was. "Wow… I don't even know where to start."

"Don't worry about that. There's so much I will teach you."

"I'm looking forward to it, Father."

He looked at the gauntlet and sighed thoughtfully. "Still, the trouble remains… What to do with the Infinity Stones? As long as they're with me, we'll never be left in peace."

"No," she agreed. "There will always be those who want to use them to undo what you did, or for their own selfish ambitions. Perhaps we should hide them."

"They had been hidden before, scattered around the universe. And yet, here they are now."

"I'm sorry, Father, you're right. We need a more effective solution."

"There is one. I can destroy the stones… using the stones."

She looked at him, taken aback. "Destroy our greatest weapon? Are you sure?"

"If I were alone, I wouldn't even hesitate. They served their purpose. The universe is perfectly balanced. Now they're nothing but temptation. But they're also the only thing that helps me protect you. I'm not as strong as I used to be, Ana."

"Your strength will return. I'll make sure of it. Until then, perhaps you should remain on the Sanctuary, keep being the Titan the universe remembers you to be." They were back at the farm now. She pointed at the armor he now used as a scarecrow.

"You don't like it here?"

"I do. But like you said, we're too exposed here."

"I shall think about it while making stew for dinner. Why don't you go join your sisters?"

Both Shuri and Sigyn were sitting on the porch. Ana had been feeling their condescending gazes on herself. She wasn't looking forward to socializing with them, but she nodded nevertheless. "As you wish, Father."

Ana went to them, while their father started harvesting vegetables for the stew.

"You are disgusting," Shuri spat. "Stark must be rolling in his grave."

"He doesn't have a grave," Ana simply stated.

"I don't understand," Sigyn said, shaking her head. "You and Tony were inseparable. People sometimes wondered if you two shared one mind. How could you betray him like this? This doesn't look like mind control, or brainwashing. This is you."

"Oh, get off your high horses! You're daughters of Thanos, too."

Shuri crossed her arms stubbornly. "I'd rather be dead."

"You're being ungrateful. Thanos is the most powerful being in the universe, and he gives us his love. We should acknowledge how lucky we are."

"You won't be feeling so lucky when someone finally comes for revenge. He can't hide forever. And when that day comes, I'll make sure you follow him straight to hell!"

Ana didn't share his plans to destroy the Infinity Stones with her sisters. They weren't ready to leave their old lives behind and embrace the new reality.

…

The next morning, she found Thanos tending the crops outside. He smiled when he saw Ana and put the sickle in his hand down. "Good morning, daughter."

"Good morning, Father."

"Are your sisters awake yet?"

"I don't know. They rarely leave their rooms."

"I see."

"They'll come around."

He put his hands on his hips, and turned to face the sun, which had risen only minutes ago. "Last night, I thought a lot about it. I'm going to destroy the stones."

"I trust your wisdom, Father."

"Thank you, Ana."

"When will you do it?"

"Now. I was waiting for you to wake up."

"I'm honored to witness the destruction of the Infinity Stones."

"I know. Still, I want you to witness it from a safe distance. The energy might be harmful to you."

"Probably."

"It's a shame, to have such a strong mind trapped in such a weak body."

"Do you plan to… improve me?" It would be a lie if she said the thought didn't excite her.

"Not yet. I know you were considered to have reached adulthood, but I'll wait until you're in your prime in my eyes before we start. I prefer to wait at least for another decade."

"As you wish."

He stroked her cheek. "It won't be a painful process, I give you my word. I'll never let you suffer. You'll simply go to sleep, and when you wake up, you'll never have to worry about death again."

She could handle the pain, but it was nice to know he wished to spare her. "Thank you, Father."

"Now, go."

Ana turned around and stood on the steps of the porch. Pleased, Thanos nodded. He raised his left hand, and snapped his fingers. And when he did, something came over Ana. A feeling of disgust, and the fragments of who she used to be.

What have I done?

She had killed that poor girl, Nebula… And Thor… She had killed Thor! And her dad… She knew he was dead. But why couldn't she remember how he had died? She just couldn't remember, no matter how hard she tried, though it didn't stop her from feeling truly hollow now. It was so intense that she thought Thanos would surely notice, but he didn't.

"Hello, Ana," a familiar voice said. Wanda's. It was in Ana's head. "You've done it. You've made Thanos destroy the stones. I left a piece of my consciousness in your head, so that it can guide you. It can only come alive once the stones are gone. You might be confused, but please remember that this is YOUR plan. I didn't want to give your memories back to you all at once, for it might drive you insane after everything you'll have to do to earn Thanos' trust. I need you at your best. The whole universe needs you at your best. I'll make sure ALL your memories will return to you in time, and my voice won't stay in your head forever either. For now, you can't let Thanos suspect anything. He looks hurt. Go to him, and act concerned."

"I can't…"

"You can! You already have! Time is an illusion, remember? You've seen where this path takes you."

"My dad is gone. I have nothing." The thought of ending her own life was too tempting. Now that the stones were gone, Thanos couldn't bring her back if she made sure her body was completely destroyed. Who cared about weakening Thanos for the survivors here, or warning the people in another universe? Yes, the other path led to death, too, eventually, but it was too tortuous for her liking. She wanted the quickest way out.

"I know how you feel. How do you think I felt when Pietro died? But you have a chance to avenge Tony. Avenge all of us. You, Shuri, and Sigyn are the last Avengers now."

Ana wanted to laugh despite everything. She had never thought she would be declared an Avenger, let alone by Wanda. She was no hero. She didn't care about anything beyond her own selfish feelings, but her dad had. He had cared about his legacy. So, for his sake, she couldn't let the last Stark be a villain. She had to die a hero, like him. One could still do something selfless for selfish reasons.

Before she knew it, Ana was walking towards Thanos purposefully, wearing a confident smile.

…

After the stones were gone, Thanos was even weaker. Nevertheless, he had donned his armor, summoned the Sanctuary, and they had left the Garden. Ana and the Chitauri would guard the ship until he recovered. The purple shithead hadn't suspected a thing. So, Ana ordered the Chitauri to bring Shuri and Sigyn to her quarters after her memories were fully restored.

"Leave us," she said once the two were shoved into the room. The Chitauri left, and the door was shut tightly behind them.

"What do you want now?" Shuri asked angrily.

"To tell you how we're going to bring Thanos down."

"Is this a test?"

The Asgardian's question made Ana smile. "Always the skeptic, Sigyn. But I don't blame you. After all, it was my grandfather who taught you that all warfare is based on deception."

Sigyn looked at her, taken aback. "How do you know that? I never told you…"

"He did. I've been to Hell once. That's where I met Howard Stark."

"Hell? Mephisto's realm?"

"That's the one. I didn't remember until now. It took me a while to remember everything."

"So, that's your excuse?" Shuri asked this time. "That you were brainwashed, after all? Yeah, nice try…"

"I wasn't brainwashed. Some of my memories were repressed and I was conditioned to appeal to Thanos, by Wanda. I asked for it. It was the only way to hide my intentions from Thanos."

"You're going to have to prove it," Sigyn said.

"Of course. Check your personal pocket dimension. You'll find something that wasn't there before."

Sigyn did. And she found the vial with gravitonium. "What's this?"

"The last of the gravitonium."

"And what are we going to do with it?"

Ana explained her plan to them. She didn't hold anything back. It was a suicide mission, so they had a right to know what exactly they were signing up for.

"If you have a chance to destroy Thanos, why not use it to actually kill him instead?" Shuri asked once Ana was done explaining.

"I could try. But I don't know if I can succeed. I fear him too much. I know he won't kill me if I fail, and that terrifies me."

Sigyn nodded. "I can't do it either. If I fail, he'll go after Sif. Loki will have died for nothing. It's a risk I can't take. And Shuri doesn't stand a chance against him either. Her hatred has been too obvious from the start. He'll never let his guard down around her. I think whoever is destined to kill Thanos, is not in this room. But I'm willing to give my own life for the cause."

"It's settled, then," Shuri said. "We'll be hoping for the best, prepared for the worst, and unsurprised by anything in between."