I'm trying to hold my breath
Let it stay this way
Can't let this moment end
You set off a dream in me
Getting louder now
Can you hear it echoing?
Take my hand
Will you share this with me?
'Cause darling, without you
All the shine of a thousand spotlights
All the stars we steal from the night sky
Will never be enough
Never be enough
Towers of gold are still too little
These hands could hold the world but it'll
Never be enough
Never be enough
Never enough, by Loren Allred, from The Greatest Showman Official Soundtrack, released in 2017
My child. I see we have been introduced at last.
The voice was feminine, soothing and warm, reassuring in a way that few people's was to Roe. Her inability to trust easily was both one of her greatest weaknesses and her greatest strengths, because while it meant it was harder for her to be taken advantage of, or have something increasingly private leaked- like Tony had far too many times- it also meant it was difficult to let someone close.
And if she let someone close that ended up betraying in her in the end- as Rogers and Barnes had- then it only affected her capability to trust even more.
Which meant that no matter how soothing the voice was, she didn't trust it. She was in what looked like her room except it wasn't- the test which she remembered with crystal clarity had taken place in the laboratory- and there was no other entity visible.
Considering all the facts and the fact that she had most likely passed out- for the second time in the space of a few days no less- she would guess that she was either dreaming, passed out, or something else manipulative was happening.
You are right to be sceptical, as it has served you well thus far. But I am no threat- not to you. Let me introduce myself: I am the Time Stone, introduced to you as the Eye of Agamotto.
The stone was sentient? Or was this just something applied to her because of how it was intertwined in her DNA? The stones were supposed to be all-consuming to anyone who held one, but considering she had all six of them within her entire being, it was questionable how she had not died upon having just one implanted, let alone all six.
You are our chosen, young one. You carry a destiny harder then anything that came before. We speak to you, with you, because we chose you from the very moment of your birth. You carry us within you, and within you, we are sheltered. Because we chose you, willingly, and you have had years to acclimatise to us, our power does not consume you.
If she had been chosen by the stones- assuming that she even had been, which she was struggling to believe- then why would they have allowed her to fall into HYDRA's hands? Why had she been around since 1941? Had she suffered all of that just because she was needed in the future? Was that the entire point of her becoming a prominent member of the Avengers? Was that why HYDRA's brainwashing had never worked?
My brother, Mind, protected you from any mental onslaughts like that of the brutal torture inflicted. Regardless of our intervention, you would have been in HYDRA: that was not our doing. Reality, myself, and Space did not alter your timeline or existence in any way or form. Every action was your own, and while I apologise if you were searching for that as a defence, we did not interfere in your decisions. The Avengers finding you- the True Avengers- was not arranged by us, although had it not occurred, we would have interfered as much as we could to get you out of HYDRA.
She had not, in fact, been trying to use that as a defence, and she could sense- it was odd, empathic emotions from a stone, one that had been theorised to be around since the start of the universe- that the stone knew that too. Her room suddenly darkened until she was standing in what seemed like space, surrounded by stars and planets as though she was in a planetarium. There were green strands, as thin as a thread, scattered around her, some tied together in different places in the string, some completely separate.
These are your timelines. Some are short, some are long. Some are arduous, and few are peaceful. You wear many names, many titles, but in all of them, you break from HYDRA, whether you live by yourself for years upon years before being found, or you destroy HYDRA from the inside out. But there are constants, correlations. Every strand in which you were found in HYDRA and rescued by the Avengers; you end up with the Child of Spiders. Every strand in which you are trained by the Winter Soldier, he stands by The Man Out of Time. Time is my domain, yet even I have areas that I cannot reach.
She had no reason to believe the stone, especially with no evidence. And while she found it moderately amusing that Peter was referred to as the Child of Spider's, she was also fiercely protective of her boyfriend- that was the right term, yes? And wherever she was trained by Barnes, he'd end up siding with Steve? That didn't make sense- because that implied that when he didn't train her, he sided with Tony.
Or, at the very least remained neutral. But that didn't make sense, because he'd have nothing tying himself to Tony's side or even in neutrality. Still, there was something nice- again, assuming she did believe the presumed stone- knowing that she and Peter were sort of soulmates.
The background around her changed again, until snapshots from her life appeared around her, like a giant sphere. Some which she could only vaguely remember, some which were foggy, and some that she had never told anyone. They were all here: and Roe was faced with undeniable evidence that this was the Time Stone. Only someone who knew time could show these memories as clear as they were, because some of them even she found were fuzzy in her head.
Had they been lifted from her mind in some kind of mind-reading trick- ignoring the fact that she had those mental shields after an encounter with Wanda- they would have been faded at the edges, some things missing. But she found herself remembering items that had been forgotten about in the memories, background noises that had previously gone unnoticed.
She had never told anyone that she had been considering the name "Jamie" for a while, as her first name. In honour of Bucky, Season, the man who had raised her, albeit under cruel circumstances. And after she had decided against it as her first name, she had been entertaining the thought of it as her middle name.
And while she was glad she had never gone with those ideas, instead settling on Sparrow and what the bird represents- free, flight, joy, a new beginning- it had been something she was never going to confess, because it just reminded her of how much things had changed.
But right in front of her, there was a list, written in her own illusive code, out of the view of any of JARVIS' or FRIDAY's camera, and written, plain as day, was "Jamie", just above Summer- which had been ruled out fairly quickly because she didn't look like a summer, and she didn't like the idea of "always being bright and sunny" because that wasn't her personality at all- and below Rose, a stubborn and hardy flower that always came back for more, deadly and pretty at the same time.
Though, she didn't exactly think herself as pretty- she was going for the more "graceful" side of a Rose then "pretty." A rose came in many colours and shades, petal sizes and the like, which was reflective of her in a way- there were many sides to her, some of which she kept hidden.
Nobody could say she couldn't be poetic.
But I carry with me a warning. For he who wishes to subjugate us is coming, who wishes to eradicate the universe. The One Who Wears Iron saw him coming many years ago, thanks to the blessing of Space. It is he who is trusted with you. The battle for the universe is fastly approaching, and you will be the leader.
The One Who Wears Iron was obviously Tony because he was literally called Iron Man for a reason. But she was far more curious about the battle for the universe, and he who wished to subjugate the stones. She knew the meaning of the word subjugate, and it was not a good thing. The so-called battle for the universe was ominous in both tone and realisation because it was something so much bigger than their current problem of the Rogues.
"Wait, when is he coming? How much time do we have? I need more information- something in terms of time frame would help!"
There were so many things that needed to be done, could be done, so many people she could gather, so many people that could help defend the Earth from the threat that they had no way of knowing about. Favours she could call in, people they needed to train, contingencies for the contingencies.
There is no time estimate as the path he takes is not linear, depending on different circumstances coming to pass. But it is within a few years, and that is all I can tell narrow down. Find my siblings, guard them jealously, Be prepared for war, because war is coming.
"Wait!"
She called out, voice catching in her throat as an intense feeling of dizziness wrapped itself around her, suffocating her almost. There was no waiting where Time was involved though, and she found herself coming too, stomach heaving and the muted sounds that sounded like a hushed conversation taking place around her.
The time is coming soon Sparrow, and you carry a burden heavier then you know.
"I think she's waking up."
"You think? Tony, this was a bad idea. Why did I agree to this?"
"Medically, she's fine Rhodes. I checked and compared all of her previous medical reports to how she is now, although it's difficult with this green cocoon that's constructed around her."
"But she's going to be alright, yes?"
There was the sound of fabric being ruffled, and a shaky exhale of breath, as Roe fought to open her eyes, her back resting against something slightly cold.
"She's going to be fine."
What sounded like Strange reassured Peter, and Roe opened her eyes blearily, facing the sterile white roof of the lab she had been in previously. She lurched up quickly, straight into Tony's hands which caught her shoulders, holding her straight as she trembled despite everything. It was the first time she had properly shown some degree of fear, and it rattled everybody in the room. Tony's eyes widened as he carefully applied a small amount of pressure to her shoulders, right where the bone met socket, trying to soothe her the best he could.
"Woah woah Roe. Calm down; you're fine."
The words were tender, and counting down from fifteen in her head, she got herself controlled, trying her best to temper down her emotions so that she was calm and relaxed. Or rather, as calm and relaxed as she could be considering she had just been told about a huge fight waiting to happen- and it was less "fight" and more a war.
"There's a war coming."
She stumbled out, forcing herself to calm. They looked all around, fixing their eyes on her with varying looks of concern and worry, and even Strange looked intrigued, although it was difficult to read his true emotions. The Time Stone had become covered by the sealing of the amulet again, and the dull ache in the centre of her forehead faded so it was less prominent.
"What do you mean Roe? What's happening?"
Tony's voice wasn't reassuring, it was stony, solemn, paying avid attention to every word that Roe said. She preferred it that way- she did not need useless platitudes, she needed facts and points. Tony moved his hands from her shoulders, letting the drape uselessly by his sides as she got into a sitting position, not quite wanting to move into standing.
They all filed into the room once they were given the go ahead by Strange, and Peter quickly moved to her side, crouching down, and hesitantly holding one of her hands. She appreciated the gesture, even as she launched into a heavily edited and summary of what had happened to her while she was unconscious.
"Something's coming, something big- something that wants to dominate the world using the power of the Infinity Stones- something we need to prepare for."
"Where did you learn this Roe?"
She gestured silently towards the stone that was around Strange's neck, subconsciously leaning into Peter's side. She was aware she was doing it, every fibre of her body telling her not to, but she couldn't find it within herself to care, enjoying the grounding presence that Peter had on her.
"Tell us everything."
Strange said, and Roe nodded, launching into an explanation. And from then on, everything got more serious, and they took what Roe said incredibly seriously- and she was reassured, because she didn't know what she would have done otherwise.
"What do you think is coming?"
Peter asked her once they were upstairs in her room, having finished the rest of the meeting and summary and all that jazz. She didn't know how to answer the question, because she didn't have any idea either, besides the fact that "they" were coming, and "they" were powerful. It wasn't an in-depth explanation for her, and the one parroted back had been even less in-depth.
Tony had nearly had a panic attack being reminded about space and began an in-depth look into where the Infinity Stones could be, Rhodey was devising new training regimes and whipping the army into shape, Vision was trying to contact Thor to see what he knew, leaving Peter and Roe to investigate people who could help them defend the Earth. It sounded all the more real when she phrased it like that, and it only served to highlight the trying times that were going to rapidly approach them.
"Not a what. A who. And I don't know… I didn't learn anything about who they are, and all I know about their plan is that they are going to try and conquer the world."
"And it's not just our run of the mill stuff is it?"
He said it so dryly that she smiled, chuckling ever so slightly. She shrugged, looking at the screen as images of various other people appeared, each one recommended because of different abilities. Then there were always the other organisations like the X-Men and maybe the Fantastic Four, although they had gone quiet for decades now, especially ever since the rise of the Avengers.
The Thing- she remembered the documents she'd read back when they were relevant, warning her of every individual weakness- was nothing special when faced with a Hulk, and while fire manipulation was useful- she'd be a hypocrite to say otherwise- it was less cool when you were literally surrounded by it. That made water a very pesky nuisance.
"Unfortunately, not. Seems like we never get a day's rest, Pete."
It wasn't the first time she'd referred to him as Pete, but it still sent butterflies through her stomach when she said it. Peter smiled at her with fondness as they continued combing through the files, scribbling down potentials, no's, and yes'. All of which were being combed through for various reasons.
"Seems like we don't get a rest until the world is safe."
"And when will that happen?"
She commented, and Peter rolled his eyes, scanning through the next file on screen with a young-looking girl centre-frame. There were many reasons why some were rejected: too young, some who's powers made themselves a danger to themselves if used, and some too inexperienced to train up. The list of "those who are too young." was growing larger and larger as they set basic rules in place- not under sixteen, things like that.
"Probably when we're old and grey."
"Yeah…"
She agreed melancholically, eyes focusing unnaturally on the image.
"When we're old."
Author's Note
I'ma keep this short and snappy because I've moved into my accommodation today and I'm really tired and sad.
See you all next week!
~Cait
