a/n: Apologies for the delay on this update, but life has been crazy (I mean, the world may or may not be ending, so there's that). I wish this one were longer and honestly didn't accomplish all that I hoped to here, but I felt terrible about making y'all keep waiting. So here we are and I hope you enjoy, regardless.

Also, this chapter uses an excessive amount of italics – I regret nothing.

Chapter 15: The cost of your mercy

Upon entering the building, Strange, Loki, Spiderman, Deadpool, Thor, Wanda, and Vision were rushed by the others who were all clamoring for information. May pushed past all of them. As she rushed forward, she uttered a single syllable: "Pe—" But her nephew's name died on her lips as she saw that he was still wearing his mask and was surrounded by unfamiliar faces. "Spiderman," she said instead, releasing a heavy exhale. "You're okay?"

"I'm good," Peter replied, with a thumbs-up.

"Valkyrie and the Guardians brought Quill in a bit ago," Hill offered. "He's getting medical attention now."

"But he will be all right?" Thor asked Hill, concern etched across his face.

"Looks like it," Fury answered for the Commander. "Now, you wanna tell us what kind of clusterfuck just took place out there?"

"Director Fury," Pepper groaned, pushing her bangs up out of her face and puffing her cheeks out in frustration. She opened her mouth to speak, but then froze. Literally, completely, froze. Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped as her gaze fell on the figure who was, somehow, quite impossibly, present.

"Vision?!" Pepper, Clint, and Bruce all asked/exclaimed in unison.

Vision side-stepped from where he had been somewhat hidden, or at least less obvious, behind Wanda. His physical form shifted as he became encased in red and gold, looking more like the Android the original Avengers had known and loved. Raising his hand, Vision gave a small, nervous-looking wave.

Clint let out a whoop and started laughing before he darted forward and pulled his old teammate into a bone-crushing hug. Bruce approached slower, still looking a bit dumbstruck, but when Vision turned to him, Bruce's shock faded and a wide smile spread across his face. They, too, hugged. Thor stood behind Vision with his hands on his hips, a booming laugh rolling out and apparently unable to stop.

Everyone else stepped up in turn to greet Vision – either as a reunion or an introduction. Even Fury and Hill looked like they were at a loss for words and just stared, slack-jawed and wide-eyed, at the reanimated Avenger. After getting over the initial surprise of seeing him at all, everyone quickly fell into a state of sheer joy at having him back. For the most part, he looked the same. Except for one key difference.

In the center of his forehead, where the Mind Stone used to put off a golden glow, there was just a small indent where the Stone had rested and, instead, a bright blue-white light was shining. Pepper recognized it immediately, after having seen it from someone else's chest so often (even if it had been years since she saw it last).

T'Challa sidled up next to Pepper and they gave each other knowing looks. Folding her arms over her chest, Pepper gritted her teeth as she growled, "Morgan."

Similarly, although sounding more relaxed (which was actually more terrifying), T'Challa looked over his shoulder. "Sister?"

Shuri had already started slowly walking backwards, away from the scene. She froze mid-step when she heard her name. The Princess let out a nervous little chuckle and jammed her thumb behind her in a random direction. "Sorry, Brother, I have a thing to do. . ."

"Shuri. Come here." T'Challa's voice was harsher now, leaving no room for argument. He was facing forward again, his face neutral. "Do not make me ask a third time."

Shuri dropped her head to look at the ground as she stalked over to her brother like a puppy with its tail between its legs.

Meanwhile, Pepper's arms were still folded in front of her and she was tapping at her arm with one of her fingers. "Morgan H. Stark!" She shouted, making everyone in the lobby stop and fall silent.

There was a bit of shuffling around and then Morgan was being shoved out from where she had strategically placed herself amongst the Bartons. She glared back at Lila and Cooper. "Traitors," she hissed to them. Then, she clenched her teeth, jutted her chin out in defiant pride, and marched over to her mom.

"What did you do?" Pepper demanded the moment she deemed Morgan to be close enough.

"Um." Morgan bit her lip. "Could you be more specific? Because, I mean, I do a lot of things. . ."

Ignoring an amused snort from somewhere in the group (likely Loki), Pepper sighed exasperatedly, frowning and pinching the bridge of her nose. She squeezed her eyes shut and took a few steadying breaths.

"She is certainly her father's daughter," Vision offered softly. Pepper's eyes snapped open and she locked eyes with the android, the anger in her expression softening a bit. Vision extricated himself from the Avengers who had been hanging on and around him, crossing the lobby to stop in front of Pepper. "Your assumptions are correct, Pepper. Morgan," he started before glancing to T'Challa. "And Princess Shuri," he added, "brought me back."

Before anyone could respond, Vision continued. "And I am eternally grateful to both of them."

"As am I," Wanda piped up, taking a couple steps forward.

Then, Vision wordlessly wrapped his arms around Pepper and pulled her into a hug. Instantly, Pepper deflated. Her body went lax in Vision's hold, her shoulders slumping. Tears pooled in her eyes as she wrapped her arms around him and returned the embrace.

When they pulled apart, Pepper looked up into Vision's face. "I'm glad you're back," she told him firmly. Then, she turned to her daughter. "And I am so amazed by you." She gave a small smile before letting her face turn stony again. "But how could you take such a risk?"

Morgan frowned. "He was already dead, Mom. What risk was there?"

It was T'Challa who answered, briefly looking to Morgan but mostly turning his own heated gaze on Shuri. "You could have been hurt. Or you could have caused damage to Vision's form. Then, no one would have been able to bring him back."

"But that didn't happen," Shuri argued. "We were careful, Brother. And look!" She waved her hands wildly at Vision, in a 'duh' manner. "Vision is here. We succeeded."

"But you had no way to be sure," T'Challa retorted. He shook his head. "If something had gone wrong, you might have made it so we could never bring him back when someone else tried."

Morgan threw her head back and groaned loudly. "That was the problem!" She exclaimed to the ceiling. Then, she looked back at T'Challa and her mother with an intensity that a child should not have been able to manage. She narrowed her eyes and made a wide, sweeping gesture with both arms around the lobby. "Nobody was trying!"

Morgan barked out a bitter laugh. "Everyone had stopped trying. But I couldn't just give up. I had to try something." She turned to Wanda and let the annoyance wash away. "I did it for Auntie Wanda, and for everybody."

Suddenly, Morgan ran forward, placing herself in front of Fury. "We need Vision. And we need Wanda at her best, which she couldn't be without him. You get that, right?"

Fury arched a brow. "Uhhhhh." He glanced over his shoulder to Pepper, who looked equally confused.

"Director Fury, you have to let Vision stay," Morgan pleaded. She clasped her hands together in front of her and held them under her chin, sticking out her bottom lip and turning on full puppy-dog eyes. "Please?"

Fury gave himself a small shake, as if awaking from a trance, and sighed. "No one is trying to get rid of The Vision," Fury assured the little girl. "I'm all for him stayin'. The more power we've got for whatever comes our way, the better."

Morgan nodded once and then went back over to her mom. "And, you're not mad, right?"

"I still don't like how you did it, Mo," Pepper admitted. Then she ruffled the hair on the top of her daughter's head. "But I can appreciate why. And I really am proud of you."

The pair hugged and T'Challa gave Shuri a look that said she was off the hook for now, but that she could expect security to be much higher when they returned to Wakanda – no more stealing supplies and sneaking bodies out of the country.

"This is just like a Hallmark special!" Deadpool announced, fanning his face with one hand and with the other he wiped a fake tear from his masked face.

"Oh, hell to the naw!" Sam pushed his way forward, so he was right in front of the merc. "No, no, nope, nuh-uh, a million times no." He shook his head with such force, it should have given him a headache. "You are not staying," Sam told Deadpool as he pointed to the door and stared expectantly.

"He just wants to help, Sam," Spiderman said.

Sam dropped his arms to his side and gave Spiderman an unamused look. "He gets paid to kill people."

Deadpool raised his hand. "Um, I prefer the term 'un-alive' actually."

"Would you just leave?" Sam begged, dragging out the last word.

Spiderman hesitantly placed himself between Deadpool and Sam. "Um, I'll be honest, I'm not a fan of the whole un-aliving thing, either. But so far, Deadpool hasn't been a threat. And, didn't Director Fury literally just say that we need all the help we can get?"

Sam stared at the younger man who was somehow managing puppy-dog eyes even through his mask. Before he could say anything else, Deadpool had narrowed his eyes and pointed an accusatory finger at Sam. "Is it because I'm Canadian?"

"Huh?" Sam asked, rearing back and donning a look of surprise at the conversation's turn. "No!" he replied, sounding equal parts affronted and confused.

"Wilson!" Fury snarled.

"What?" Sam groaned, at the same time Deadpool sang out a, "Yes, Dear?"

Apparently forgetting that they'd been arguing only seconds before, Deadpool clapped his hands together and bounced on his tip-toes, turning to Sam with newfound excitement. "Oh. Em. Gee! Your last name is Wilson, too?" He gasped loudly. "D'ya think we're related?!"

"Doubtful," Sam answered. Then, under his breath, he mumbled, "At least, I fucking hope we're not," Sam mumbled.

There was a slight kerfuffle as Cassie shoved her way to the front of the crowd. "Um, hey, guys? Can I say something?"

Scott looked to his daughter, immediately worried when he saw the concerned look on her face. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"Uh. Well." Cassie's brows wrinkled and she sighed heavily. "Has anybody seen Ava?"

*!MCU!*!MCU!*!MCU!*

"Trust me," Carol insisted.

Wong raised a brow, glancing from the Captain to the cell they were standing outside of and back. Carol chuckled and patted Wong's shoulder in what she hoped was a reassuring manner. "I'll be fine," she repeated for probably the fifteenth time, emphasizing the word. With a shrug, Carol added, "Besides, FRIDAY will be there if I need anything."

Finally, Wong nodded, acquiescing. He put his hand on Carol's shoulder and offered a comforting squeeze before side-stepping her and walking away.

Carol watched the Sorcerer leave. Then she turned back to the cell door. Steeling herself, she opened the door and stepped inside.

Yon-Rogg was sitting on the bed in the room, his back propped up against the wall. Carol barely spared him a glance as she crossed to the arm-chair in the corner, dragged it to the center of the room in front of her prisoner, and sat down in it. She leaned back, folding her hands together in her lap, and let out a huff.

"This is far homier than I was expecting," Yon told her, immediately shattering the quiet. He glanced around the room, which was arranged much like a moderately-sized single-person hotel room. Then, with a frown, Yon lifted his wrist – or, he tried to, anyway, as much as was allowed with it being handcuffed to the bed. "This, though?" He nodded toward the cuff. "Well, this is not exactly proper etiquette for how to treat a guest."

Carol snorted. "A guest?" She leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees and leveling a glare at Yon. "That is so not what you are."

Yon-Rogg sighed, sounding put-out. Rolling his eyes, he relaxed as best he could in his current position.

"Why are you here?" Carol asked before silence could really settle between them. "And, please, save us both some time and don't bullshit me."

Yon regarded her with a scrutinizing look before deflating and slumping against the wall slightly. "I seek asylum," he stated plainly.

"Asylum?" Carol repeated, unable to hide the incredulity in her tone.

"Yes. The universe is a bit of a mess, in case you hadn't noticed. And there are few places for someone like me."

Curiosity piqued, Carol quirked a brow. "Someone like you? What's that supposed to mean?"

Yon narrowed his golden eyes, leaning forward ever so slightly. "A disgrace," he hissed. Pushing back against the wall, the Kree shook his head. "I am nothing more than a dishonored former soldier, a defector and failure." With a mirthless laugh, Yon jutted his chin toward Carol. "I have you to thank for that."

"Me?"

"Yes, you," Yon all but growled. "After what you did to me—"

"What I did—" Carol interrupted loudly. She stopped herself, gritting her teeth to keep her anger from bubbling too close to the surface. "What I did," she tried again, with thinly veiled ire, "was spare you. I let you live."

"Oh, yes." Yon scoffed and rolled his eyes. "You kept me alive and sent me back to Hala as an exemplar of what not to do." Yon's voice oozed with contempt. "A truly marvelous display of your power, Vers."

"You still haven't learned anything." She leaned back in the chair, folding her arms over her chest and scowling at her former comrade.

"Oh, forgive me," Yon replied, placing his free hand on his chest as he feigned an exaggerated amount of concern. "You had the power to kill me, but you chose not to. What more was I to learn from that display?"

Carol let out a breath and rubbed her temples. "It was never about power, Yon-Rogg. It was about mercy."

The woman was cut off by the Kree's bitter laugh.

"Mercy?" He spat the word out like it was a curse. "I returned to Hala wounded and empty-handed. I was disgraced and shunned. Do you know what opportunities there are for a dishonorably discharged Kree warrior?" He snorted derisively before answering his own question, "There was no place for me. I had nothing. I was nothing." He shook his head before making a vague gesture toward himself. "Do you see now, Vers?" His gold eyes darkened as he tilted his head down, his voice dropping. "Do you see the cost of your mercy?"

Carol watched the man for a moment, letting his words sink in. She didn't have sympathy for him, not really. This was the man who used her, lied to her, stole her memories and her life and future.

And yet. . . This man had also saved her life, taken her in and under his wing on what was to her an alien planet. He had given part of himself to her – changing her forever and with ulterior motives, true; but the overarching result still remained. And before all the lies had been revealed, Yon-Rogg had trained Carol. He'd been the person she'd confided in. The person who she had once considered her friend, maybe even her best (or only) friend.

Carol closed her eyes and let out a long-suffering sigh. She wanted to see the good in others, tried to believe there was good to be seen. Maybe even Yon-Rogg deserved a second chance. Or, at the very least, the benefit of the doubt.

"You said you wanted asylum?" Carol asked softly.

The hardness in the Kree's eyes faded instantly. He looked at Carol with something akin to disbelief. After a moment, he seemed to come to his senses and shook his head, clearing away the stunned look. He bit his lip before giving a curt nod.

Carol nodded, chewing on the inside of her cheek as she leaned back against the armchair with a heavy exhale. "Why should we grant you refuge?" Quickly, she added, "Other than the guilt trip you just tried to lay on me, I mean." She levied a serious look at the man. "Do you have anything to offer us?"

At that, Yon smirked, looking more like his devilish, cocky self. "You and your friends have made a great many enemies, Vers." Yon-Rogg tsk-ed quietly. Leaning forward slightly, he narrowed his eyes as he almost whispered, "There are greater threats than the Mad Titan."

Carol snorted derisively. "We're the ones who fought that glorified eggplant." She pointed a finger at Yon. "I promise you, it was a battle hard-fought. With a heavy price."

"Of that I have no doubts," Yon assured her. "But certainly you aren't arrogant enough to believe that Thanos would be the end."

Carol folded her arms over her chest and stared at her former friend. After a moment of silence, she rolled her eyes. "Go on," she prodded, waving a hand in the air for emphasis.

"You and your Avengers have painted targets on your backs."

Carol frowned. "You're saying someone's gonna come after us for vengeance?"

Yon-Rogg merely nodded. Carol watched him for a moment before sighing and standing up, brushing dust and soot from the forest off of her shoulder. "Hate to break it to ya," she started. "But we were kind of already prepared for that."

"You might have guessed something would happen," Yon conceded. "But you don't know the specifics – who, what, when. . ." He let his voice trail off as he leaned his head back against the wall, closing his eyes and looking way too relaxed and pleased with himself.

With a scoff, Carol cocked her hip out and placed one hand on it. "And I suppose you know this information?"

"I've some ideas." Yon-Rogg shrugged, sounding bored. Opening his eyes and focusing that golden gaze back on the Captain, Yon offered a toothy grin. "There are many across the Multiverse who would love to get their hands on the Avengers."

Carol perked up at the words. She straightened up in the chair and arched a brow, waiting for the Kree to continue.

Yon-Rogg lifted his free hand and held it up in front of his eyes, picking at a splinter in the pad of a finger. "I mentioned that I was dishonored and there was no place for me."

"You mentioned it, yeah," Carol replied dryly.

"That led me to many unpleasant places, in the company of unsavory individuals." Yon dropped his hand to his lap, looking down with a frown at the leg that got injured in the pod. With a groan, he pointed toward his leg. "Can you have someone take a look at that?"

"Maybe," the blonde shrugged. Carol ran a hand through her hair. "First, you need to give me something I can work with, something real. Tangible."

Yon tilted his head back and chuckled. "Such as?" he drawled.

"Names, maybe?" Carol suggested, throwing her hands up.

Carol could see Yon thinking. She knew him well enough to know what it looked like, for him to be weighing the options, trying to figure out what to say or just how much to divulge. The silence stretched between them and Yon was possibly trying to intimidate Carol, hoping that she would blink first. But he seemed to forget that she was a soldier, too – on Earth as well as Hala, so she was doubly fortified.

She could wait. So, she did. Carol sat still, stoic, watching Yon in silence.

Finally, the man sighed, muffling it slightly as he scrubbed at his face with his hand. "All right," he mumbled, sounding slightly defeated. Carol remained silent, staring at the man. When he finally lowered his hand, to see her still watching him, he rolled his eyes playfully. With a grin, he tilted his head down and looked up through his lashes, almost in a chastising way. "You've gotten better at self-control, I see. Containing your emotions."

Carol couldn't help but give a smug smile. "I've been told I have a pretty bad-ass poker face."

Yon snorted and pointed at Carol. "There's the shit-talking loud-mouth I know. Always running off, half-cocked."

The corner of Carol's mouth curled slightly, her smug grin threatening to turn into something more genuine. "Well, you'd know all about being half-cocked, wouldn't you?" She threw a wink his way.

Yon tilted his head sideways. "What does that even mean?" he asked incredulously.

Scrunching her brows together, Carol frowned slightly before giving an exaggerated shrug. "I have no idea."

They stared at each other for a few beats before they both started snickering. When they could no longer stifle it, they burst into laughter. Carol held her stomach, throwing her head back and chortling loudly. Yon laughed so hard that he started coughing, which only made them both laugh harder until Carol was waving her hand in the air, having run out of breath and just silently 'laughing.' Meanwhile, Yon-Rogg's laughter petered out into wheezing giggles and he wiped at tears in his eyes.

Once they'd collected themselves and fallen silent, Yon sniffed before softly saying, "I truly have missed you, Vers."

Carol met his gaze, which was far too heartfelt for the blonde's liking. Looks like she had let her guard down, after all. It had been too easy to fall back into friendly banter, like they used to do.

But a lifetime had passed since then.

Internally, Carol cursed herself. Outwardly, though, she just cleared her throat and tucked her hair behind her ear, sitting in the chair again. "I believe you have some names for me?"

The Captain ignored the crestfallen look on the Kree's face. To his credit, he recovered quickly, inhaling deeply and nodding, donning a look of neutrality.

"Amora," he stated. "She is known as The Enchantress. I believe your Asgardian friends will be quite familiar with her." He chuckled. "Although, they might be surprised to learn she's still around. She's been living in exile. But the hatred she has for her people has been steadily growing, along with her powers. It won't be long now, that she decides to stop biding her time and take action. She'll be a formidable threat."

Carol was surprised at the amount of information. Especially if it turned out to be true. She narrowed her eyes. "You know I'll fact-check all of this."

"I've no doubt," Yon told her. "The Odinsons will confirm," he stated confidently.

With a terse nod, Carol folded her arms over her chest, watching Yon-Rogg expectantly. When he didn't speak, she sighed. "What else? I need more."

Yon rolled his eyes. But, wonder of wonders, he continued to comply. "Doom."

"That sounds ominous," Carol admitted, although slightly dubiously.

"Slightly." Yon actually looked a bit bored. "His name is Victor Von Doom. Doctor, supposedly, but of what, I don't know." There was a hint of mirth in the man's yellow eyes. "He's a sorcerer, and at times can be quite ridiculous. But he actually is quite clever, which can be dangerous."

"So, an Asgardian witch and a maniacal genius with magic," Carol summarized. "That's all you've got for me?"

"Hardly," Yon scoffed. "But I can't divulge all my secrets at once, can I?" He nodded toward his injured leg. "Quid pro quo, Vers."

"You're using information as a bargaining chip, then?"

"Might as well work with what I've got." Yon shrugged. "And you'll want to do your 'fact-checking,' I'm certain."

With a snort, Carol stood. "Fine, I'll do that. In the meantime, we'll see what we can do about your leg." Somewhat resignedly, Carol headed for the door.

Yon's voice stopped her just as she grabbed the handle. "There is another name," the Kree said quietly.

"Yeah?" Carol glanced over her shoulder. The man on the bed was staring at the floor, his face twisted in concentration. The woman turned around fully, curiosity piqued. But she waited in silence while Yon seemed to be mulling over something.

Finally, Yon-Rogg looked up at Carol. "I was planning on saving this information until the last."

Carol's brows shot up. "So, it's the good stuff, then?"

Yon nodded. "Arguably, this is the most important bit of information."

With a frown, Carol couldn't help asking, "Why are you letting it go so early then?"

Something glistened in those inhuman eyes. "If it were anyone else, I wouldn't." Yon sighed. "I lied to you about a great many things. But, for what it's worth—if it's worth anything at all—I never lied about our friendship." He chuckled softly. "I never meant to get so. . ." he paused, searching for the words. "Attached to you," Yon finally settled on.

Carol's gaze travelled across the Kree's face, searching for any hint of duplicity. But his face and tone both oozed with a genuineness that again made Carol miss, almost ache for, what they once had. Because, as Yon seemed to agree, even if their coming together and friendship had been founded on a lie, that didn't mean that it actually was one itself.

"It's worth something," Carol finally responded, her voice soft even in the quiet of the room.

Yon looked at her and gave a firm, somewhat knowing nod. Then, he exhaled and said, "I don't know much about this one, which is part of why he's so dangerous. He can travel across time and space, as if the Multiverse is entirely open to him. He is also known for his longevity and cruelty, as well as the power to enslave and destroy others."

Carol felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up at Yon's words. She fought the urge to roll her eyes as the Kree took an extended pause (probably for dramatic effect). Finally, Carol cocked her hip out and placed a hand on it. "The name, Yon."

Yon paused as a dark shadow flickered across his face before answering: "Rama-Tut."

*!MCU!*!MCU!*!MCU!*

Everyone stared at the monitor in front of them, which had just faded back to black. Cassie, Scott, all three Van Dynes, Pepper, Bruce, and Sam had all made their way to one of the control rooms. There, Pepper asked FRIDAY to show the last known footage of Ava.

The screen had blinked to life, flickering briefly before showing camera feed of Ava in the lab that Hank used. It showed Ava trying to bolt out of the lab, when she hit into the edge of one of the tables. The girl had frozen for a moment before pulling the damaged accelerator from her pocket, along with pieces of glass from what could only be assumed to be broken vials of Pym particles. Then, there was a flash of light that whited out the entire screen. When the brightness faded, all that was left was an empty lab.

After a few moments, Bruce cleared his throat, breaking the uncomfortable silence that had fallen. "And you haven't picked up any trace of Ava since then?"

"There's been no sign of Miss Starr in or around the Compound."

Cassie gulped audibly. She was sitting in a chair, wringing her hands together in her lap and resolutely avoiding eye contact with anyone, especially her dad.

"The missing suit," Hank murmured softly, shaking his head. He gave a mirthless chuckle, then pointed a finger at Cassie. "You stole it."

"I did not steal anything," Cassie argued as her head snapped up to glare at the older man.

Scott arched an eyebrow, catching the emphasis his daughter had placed on her wording. "But you did do something with the suit?" To which, Cassie opened her mouth but quickly closed it. Pinching the bridge of his nose, Scott growled. "So, what exactly did you do with the suit, then, Cass?"

Looking much like a deer in the headlights, Cassie dropped her eyes back to the floor. She tucked her head down, mumbling rather incoherently.

Hank put a hand to his ear in an exaggerated gesture. "We didn't catch that. Come again?"

With a heavy and annoyed-sounding sigh, Cassie looked up. "I said, I borrowed the suit." She narrowed her eyes at Hank, sinking down in the chair and folding her arms over her chest. "And refurbished it," she added.

Scott raked his hands through his hair, letting out a disbelieving huff. "Wait. So, you—are you saying—does that mean—" the man stopped his stammering and stared around the room with wide eyes.

Slowly, and with a hint of wariness, Pepper spoke up : "FRIDAY, didn't you say something about an unknown vigilante who's been stopping petty crimes?"

"That's right, Ma'am," the AI responded. "There have been intermittent sightings, from various security cams and CCTV. I did detect similarities to Wasp and Ant-Man, but the individual was otherwise unknown."

There was a soft whining sound that came from Scott. "Cassandra Lang, please tell me this is not what it looks like," the former con man all but begged.

"What it looks like," Hank cut in with an air of superiority, "is that your daughter has ignored every warning and cautionary tale we've ever given her, stole one of my suits, and has been using my tech without permission to go on her own suicide missions."

When Cassie didn't immediately respond, Scott scoffed lightly. "Well?" he asked, looking at his daughter with a heartbreaking mix of hope and disappointment.

Cassie frowned. "I still think 'stole' is a strong word," she mumbled.

"You could have been killed!" Scott exclaimed, placing a hand on the nearest desk to steady himself.

"But I wasn't! I'm fine," Cassie insisted.

"Too bad we can't say the same about Ava," Hank chimed in darkly.

The tension in the room was thick enough to cut with a dull pocketknife. Eyes darted around at one another and everyone shifted awkwardly, clearly trying to figure out how to navigate the situation.

Inwardly groaning, Sam took the initiative. "So, um, any idea where Ghost is now?"

Hank threw his arms out to the side. "She could be anywhere. But from the looks of the video, with the size of that flash and the fact that Ava disappeared without a trace? I'd be willing to bet she went sub-atomic." The dread in his voice was palpable.

Cassie inhaled shakily, clenching her fists at her side. It looked as though she were moments away from bursting into tears or punching something (or both). Janet decided to intervene, stepping forward with slow but sure steps. She patted her husband's forearm, giving him a reassuring smile and silently communicating to him that he can stand down. Then she continued over to Cassie. She put a hand on the girl's shoulder and smiled down at her. "If anyone can survive in the Quantum Realm," she stated, "it's Ava."

"You really think so?" Cassie whispered.

Janet nodded. "Her unique makeup gives her an advantage."

"Is there anything we can do?" Bruce asked.

Turning to the radiation expert, Janet shook her head solemnly. "Without knowing Ava's exact location, or even what realm she's really in, we can't track her, which means we can't get to her." Janet focused her eyes on the dark screen. "We can only hope that she manages to find her own way back."

*!MCU!*!MCU!*!MCU!*

Carol raced through the halls of the Compound, with Chewy hot on her heels. "FRIDAY!" she called with a minute glance up at the ceiling. "Where is everybody?"

"I'm afraid most of the Avengers are scattered throughout the Compound, Captain," FRIDAY offered, apologetically. "But Captain America, Miss Potts-Stark, and Dr. Banner are congregated in Control Room 7."

Carol nodded in acknowledgement before skidding around a corner and darting down the hall to the desired location.

When she reached the control room, Carol unceremoniously crashed into the room, without knocking and almost breaking the handle off the door with the force she used. Unfortunately, she wasn't as restrained as she intended to be, as the door creaked and hung crookedly, knocked partially off the hinges.

"Oops," Carol muttered, letting go of the handle and letting the door swing somewhat haphazardly.

Pepper's eyes widened before she slumped and let out a resigned sigh. "FRIDAY, would you create a requisition request to rehang the door in Control 7, for the maintenance crew when they come next?"

"Certainly, Ma'am."

The fact that Pepper and FRIDAY both were unfazed by the action probably spoke volumes. But then again, living with superpowered individuals did tend to have weird consequences.

"Where's the fire, Marvel?" Sam asked, looking at the woman seriously.

"I talked to Yon-Rogg," Carol panted. "He, um, he – whew. Okay, hang on. Just, uh, gimme a sec." She leaned forward, resting her palms on her knees and taking several slow, deep breaths. When she straightened back up, her breathing had evened out and her face wasn't so flushed from her sprint. Trying again, she said, "Yon-Rogg gave me the names of some persons of interest."

"Threats?" Sam queried.

Carol nodded, just as FRIDAY said, "I already logged the names and have begun searching for signs based on the names as well as the descriptions and information provided to Captain Danvers."

"Thanks, FRI." Pepper smiled up at one of the security cameras. Looking back to Carol, she tilted her head sideways. "I'm guessing you have something more pressing, though?"

"Yeah, because a couple of the names he gave are kind of general. But one sounds a bit more serious."

"Serious in what way?" Bruce asked as he straightened his glasses.

Carol looked toward him with a grim expression. "As in, it sounded pretty similar to Strange's prophecy and to what the kid has been alluding to."

Everyone exchanged worried glances. But Carol smiled. "This is good news, guys. We have something to work with now! Maybe we can gain the upper hand?" Her enthusiasm faded slightly by the end, if only because of the concerned expressions on her friend's faces.

"So what do we do now?" Hope asked, looking from Carol to Pepepr and Sam, and back.

Carol gave a smug grin. "I say it's time we made the kid start talking."