What If… Part Three
"Why are you doing all of this?" Nora asked.
"Because the world's at stake." Aya said.
"Not that, this taking control. You used to pride yourself on the fact that you didn't interfere, that you didn't play god in mortal matters but here you are taking control." Nora said.
"Maybe I got tired of watching pathetic hosts never learning their lessons. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again expecting a different result. You all aren't going to change so it was time I changed tactics." Aya said switching the computer to lock into the feed of Loki's cell.
"There's not many people who can sneak up on me." Loki said.
"But you figured I'd come." Natasha said.
"After." Loki said and Natasha gave him a questioning glance. "After whatever tortures Fury can concoct, you would appear as a friend, as a balm. And I would cooperate."
"I want to know what you've done to Agent Barton." Natasha asked.
"I would say I've expanded his mind." Loki said.
"What did Elian do exactly?" Nora asked.
"Altered his perceptions. He brought back the assassin for hire Barton used to be before Shield hired him. The side of him that's less snarky and more compliant, more easily manipulated." Aya answered.
"Is there a way to bring him back?" Nora asked.
"That's not your problem." Aya said.
"And once you've won, once you're king of the mountain, what happens to his mind?" Natasha asked.
"Is this love, Agent Romanoff?" Loki asked.
"Love is for children. I owe him a debt." Natasha said plainly.
"Tell me." Loki said appearing curious as to what she was referring to.
"Before I worked for S.H.I.E.L. D... I... Well, I made a name for myself. I have a very specific skill set. I didn't care who I used it for, or on. I got on S.H.I.E.L.D.'s radar in a bad way. Agent Barton was sent to kill me. He made a different call." Natasha explained.
"And what will you do if I vow to spare him?" Loki asked.
"Not let you out." Natasha answered.
"No, but I like this. Your world in the balance, and you bargain for one man." Loki said.
"Regimes fall every day. I tend not to weep over that. I'm Russian. Or I was." Natasha said.
"And what are you now?" Loki taunted.
"It's really not that complicated. I got red in my ledger, I'd like to wipe it out." Natasha said.
"Can you? Can you wipe out that much red? DRAKOV'S daughter? SÃO PAULO? The HOSPITAL FIRE? Barton told me everything. Your ledger is dripping, it's gushing red, and you think saving a man no more virtuous than yourself will change anything? This is the basest sentimentality. This is a child at prayer... PATHETIC!" Loki shouted. "You lie and kill in the service of liars and killers. You pretend to be separate, to have your own code, something that makes up for the horrors. But they are a part of you, and they will never go away! I won't touch Barton. Not until I make him kill you! Slowly. Intimately. In every way he knows you fear! And when he'll wake just long enough to see his good work, and when he screams, I'll split his skull! This is my bargain, you mewling quim!"
"You're a monster." Natasha cried.
"Oh, no. You brought the monsters." Loki said.
"So, Banner and Nora. That's your play." Natasha said showing that it was all an act.
"What?" Loki said surprised at the quick turn of events.
"Loki means to unleash the Hulk. Keep Banner in the lab and get Nora there too. I'm on my way. Send Thor as well. Thank you for your cooperation." Natasha said.
"Are you a threat?" Nora asked Aya.
"If after all these years you don;t know the answer to that then you don't know me at all." Aya said.
"I know that when it comes to them you're unpredictable." Nora answered.
"Shut up and let me think." Aya said teleporting to the lab.
"What do you have?" Aya asked as she appeared making Tony and Bruce jump in surprise.
"What are you doing, Mr. Stark?" Fury said as he stormed in making aya groan at being interrupted.
"Uh- kind of been wondering the same thing about you." Tony said typing something into his phone.
"You're supposed to be locating the Tesseract." Fury said.
"We are, the model's locked and we're sweeping for the signature now. When we get a hit, we'll have the location within half a mile." Bruce said making Aya nod.
"And you'll get your cube back, no muss, no fuss. What is Phase Two?" Tony asked making Aya groan and rub her temples.
"You were going to let him build Hydra weapons!" Nora yelled.
"Means to an end." Aya growled.
Steve walked in and slammed a large HYDRA gun on the table. "Phase Two is SHIELD used the Cube to make weapons." Steve answered. "Sorry, computer was moving a little slow for me."
"Rogers, we gathered everything to the Tesseract. This does not mean that we're-" Fury started.
"I'm sorry, Nick." Tony said interrupting his rant before turning the computer screen towards him. "What were you lying about?"
"I was wrong, Director. The world hasn't changed a bit." Steve said.
"I can't believe you. What happened to mortals should not meddle with things they don't understand?" Nora asked.
"Be quiet." Aya mumbled rubbing her temples.
"Did you know about this?" Bruce asked.
"You wanna think about removing yourself from this environment, doctor?" Natasha
asked making Bruce laugh.
"I was in Calcutta, I was pretty well removed." Bruce retorted.
"Loki's manipulating you." Natasha said.
"And you've been doing what exactly?" Bruce retorted.
"You didn't come here because I bat eyelashes at you." Natasha asked.
"Yes, and I'm not leaving because suddenly you get a little twitchy." Bruce said. "I'd like to know why SHIELD is using the Tesseract to build weapons of mass destruction.
"Because of them." Fury said looking towards Aya and Thor.
"Me?" Thor and Aya said at the same time.
"For the past seventy years you have been walking around terrorizing anyone that comes into contact with you. Some of those people are very powerful and started asking what would happen if one day you would just lose it and turn against the world you're supposedly helping to protect." Fury said.
"Took them long enough to do something about it." Nora said.
"You do realize that as long as I'm inside you any threat to me is also a threat to you." Aya said.
"Well I guess I'll see you in hell." Nora retorted.
"And then last year earth had a visitor from another planet who had a grudge match that leveled a small town. We learned that not only are we not alone, but we are hopelessly- hilariously, out-gunned." Fury said.
"My people want nothing but peace your planet." Thor said.
"But you're not the only people out there, are you? And, you're not the only threat. The world's filling up with people who can't be matched, they can't be controlled." Fury said.
"Like you controlled the cube!" Steve shouted.
"Your work with the Tesseract is what drew Loki to it, and his allies. It is the signal to all the realms that the earth is ready for a higher form of war." Thor said.
"A higher form?!" Steve asked.
"Think Hydra weapons that don't need a Tessaract to power them. Being able to destroy entire planets with one blast. Wiping out half the universe with a single snap of their fingers." Aya explained.
"You forced our hand! We had to come up with some-" Fury started.
"Nuclear deterrent! 'Cause that always calms everything right down. Everyone becomes hostile and begin cutting each other off." Tony exclaimed.
"Remind me again how you made your fortune, Stark?" Fury retorted.
"I'm sure if he still made weapons, Stark would be neck deep-" Steve started as the scepter started glowing without anyone noticing.
"Whoa, kamikaze watch it." Nora said appearing.
"Nora butt out!" Aya said making her disappear again.
"Wait-Wait! Hold on! How is this now about me?" Tony asked.
"I'm sorry, isn't everything?" Steve retorted.
"I thought humans were more evolved this." Thor said.
"Excuse me, did we come to your planet and blow stuff up?" Fury spat out.
"Aya let me out!" Nora shouted.
"You're not going anywhere. I'm in control." Aya whispered as chaos erupted all around her.
"This is what you call control? Everything around you is falling apart." Nora said.
"You don't know what you're talking about." Aya said.
"Don't I? Look around." Nora said.
"That's enough." Aya said wincing in pain.
"No it's not, you can't have it both ways. You interfered and made a mess but you're just standing around doing nothing now. Get in there and stop them before…" Nora said.
"I said SHUT UP!" Aya screamed making the room shake and everyone quiet down.
"You need to step away." Fury said.
"I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be." Aya said thinking he was talking about her.
"Why shouldn't they guy let off a steam?" Tony said.
"You know damn well why! Back off!" Steve ordered.
"Oh, I'm starting to want you to make me." Tony rebuffed.
"Yeah, big man in a suit of armor. Take that off, what are you?" Steve asked.
"Genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist." Tony answered plainly.
"And father." Nora added sadly.
"I know guys with none of that worth of you. I've seen the footage. The only thing you really fight for is yourself. You're not the guy to make the sacrifice play, to lay down on a wire and let the other guy crawl over you." Steve said.
"I think I would just cut the wire." Tony said.
"Always a way out. You know, you may not be a threat, but you better stop pretending to be a hero." Steve said.
"And you are?" Aya said.
"What is your problem with Steve?" Nora asked.
"I hate his superiority complex." Aya answered plainly.
"A hero, like you? You're a laboratory experiment, Rogers. Everything special about you came out of a bottle." Tony said.
"Put on the suit, let's go a few rounds." Steve taunted.
"You people are so petty, and tiny." Thor said.
"And what are you with the hammer?" Aya reminded him.
"Yeah, this is a team." Bruce said sarcastically.
"Agent Romanoff, would you escort. Banner back to his-" Fury started.
"WHERE? YOU RENTED MY ROOM!" Bruce yelled.
"The cell was just-" Fury started before he was interrupted again.
"IN CASE YOU NEEDED TO KILL ME. BUT CAN'T, I KNOW, I TRIED!" bruce screamed making everyone including Nora shut up. "I got low. I didn't see an end so I put a bullet in my mouth and the other guy spit it out. So I moved on, I focused on helping other people. I was good until you dragged me back into this freak show and put everyone here at risk. You wanna know my secret, Agent Romanoff? You wanna know how I stay calm?"
"Fury and Natasha reached for their guns while Aya focused her energy getting ready to blast Bruce if he turned green.
"Doctor Banner, put down the scepter." Steve asked calmly.
Bruce looked down, surprised, to see the spear in his hand. The monitor started making a noise, signaling the Tesseract has been located. Bruce put the scepter back on the table and walked over to the screen on the other side of the room.
"Got it!" Fury said.
"Sorry, kids. You don't get to see my party trick after all." Bruce said.
"Located the Tesseract?" Thor asked.
"Look, all of us-" Steve started.
"I can get there faster." Tony said.
"This is no matter for mortals." Aya said.
"The Tesseract belongs on Asgard, no human is a match for it." Thor said.
"You're not going alone!" Steve shouted as he tried to grab Tony to stop him. Tony smacked his hand away.
"You gonna stop me?" Tony said goading Steve.
"Put on the suit, let's find out!" Steve said falling for it.
"I'm not afraid to hit an old man." Tony said.
"Put on the suit." Steve said through his teeth.
"Oh-my-god." Bruce said as an explosion rocked the ship making everyone fall in different directions. Aya fell alongside Fury and Thor behind one of the lab tables.
"The ship's falling." Aya noted.
"Engines are failing." Hill said over the coms.
"Stark, you copy that?" Fury said.
"I'm on it." Tony answered.
"Loki!" Thor said.
"Go." Aya and Fury said. Thor ran off to his brother's cell.
"We should go to the bridge." Fury said.
"Go." Aya said looking towards the table where the Scepter was before looking around the room to look for it.
"What about you?" Fury said but Aya had already teleported away.
Aya teleported down to the room below and saw nothing but heard a loud growl.
"You hear that?" Nora said.
"I don't have time for this." Aya said.
'The ship is falling and it's currently over the ocean. The hulk going on the rampage is going to make the hellicarrier the second Titanic." Nora said.
"You're father's already on it. Now shut up and let me focus." Aya said looking at all the outcomes to their current predicament. All of them led the scepter to the same place.
"Loki." Aya said before teleporting to the cell.
The first thing she saw was Thor diving in head first towards an illusion of Loki.
"No!" Aya shouted but it was too late. Thor was in the cell and Loki quickly shut the door, locking him in.
"Are you ever not going to fall for that?" Loki taunted.
"Let him out." Aya growled.
"Ah, I always wondered why Odin allowed a mortal child to set foot on Asgard. I see know it wasn't Nora he granted citizenship to but the thing inside of her." Loki said. "The Time Stone."
"The Allfather never does anything without a reason." Aya said slowly circling him.
Thor hit the cage with his hammer, the cage cracks but it begins to shake off the bolts and shudders making Loki chuckle.
"The humans think us immortal. Shall we test that?" Loki said buy aya blasted him pushing him against the wall-making fall to the ground. Aya shot at him again but he made the scepter appear and deflected the blast.
Aya moves closer forming a giant orb of pure energy. "Give me the scepter and I may spare you." Aya said walking closer leaving her wide open for Loki to trip her. He moved to stab her with the scepter but Aya quickly put up a force field and when the scepter touched it got stuck.
"Move away please." Phil said walking in with a Phase two weapon aimed at Loki. Loki pulled the scepter back and slowly moved back with a smirk on his face. Aya quickly got up.
"Do you like this? We started on the prototype after you sent the Destroyer. Even I don't know what it does. Do you wanna find out?" Phil taunted.
Coulson prepared to fire the weapon when Loki disappears, reappearing behind him but Aya quickly put up another force field around Phil. Loki expecting that quickly spun around and fired a beam from the scepter right at Aya leaving her unaffected.
"Missed me." Aya said.
"Who said I was aiming for you?" Loki said looking behind her. Aya turned around when she heard a groan.
"Uh." Nora groaned sitting up against the wall.
"Nora?" Aya said confused, distracting her long enough to make her drop the Shield and letting him stab Phil right through his chest. Phil screamed in pain before falling.
"NO!" Thor shouted.
"Shit!" Nora said realizing what had happened.
Loki quickly returned to the panel, opening the chute and pressing the button, which sent the cell, and Thor inside of it crashing down to the Earth.
"Good to see you again Nora. Now if you excuse me I have a world to conquer." Loki said disappearing.
"Aya." Nora said.
"Split." Aya said teleporting after Loki.
Nora quickly ran towards Phil and put pressure on the wound making him groan.
"Which Nora am I talking to?" Phil coughed out.
"The one you talked off a ledge in Boston." Nora said pressing on the wound tightly. "Hold still, I haven't done this in sixty two years and I'm out of practice." She held on tightly to him before teleporting him to the infirmary.
The appeared in the middle of the room making everyone shout in surprised.
"Are you all going to stand there and stare or are you going to help?" Nora said.
"We need to move him." One of the doctors said.
"We're going to need six units of O neg and a portable bypass machine." Nora said.
"You don't have…" The doctor started.
"Shut up and let the woman work." Phil groaned.
"The blade went straight through and tore through his aorta. They need to get in there and repair that tear but this facility isn't equipped for that surgery." Nora said.
"Were under attack, we can't spare a jet for med evac." The doctor said.
"We don't need a jet. I'll teleport him." Nora said. They all stood there doing nothing. "Move!" Nora shouted snapping them out of their daze.
"We need the bypass machine, all the O neg we've got. We need to move him onto a gurney, let's go!" he said.
Once Phil was stable Nora put his hands on him and quickly teleported him to the closest Shield base better equipped to handle the surgery. She came back to medical just as Clint was being brought in, unconscious on a gurney. Natasha came in after him.
"Hey Nat." Nora said walking past her.
"Nora?" She asked in question before looking at all the blood she was covered in.
"Coulson's." Nora answered walking past her before teleporting to her quarters. Nora stripped out of her clothes and walking into the shower. Scrubbing her skin raw to get the blood out.
"It's twenty five thousand or millions." Peggy said.
Nora shut her eyes.
"This isn't fair!" A seven year old Tony cried as he watched his Aunt Nora's grave lower into the ground.
"Tony behave." Howard whispered harshly.
"Aya this isn't right." Nora begged.
"It's the way it has to be. Your father ends up without any family in 1992 that includes any aunts." Aya said.
"He's a kid." Nora said.
"Call it preparation for the future." Aya said.
"Let me out Aya." Nora begged.
"No." Aya said.
"Please." Nora begged.
"You had your time, now it's mine." Aya said pushing Nora back to the darkest depths of her mind.
"No, no no!" Nora screamed as be punched the wall of the shower cracking it. By then the water had gotten cold and the blood was gone. She quickly turned it off and grabbed a towel. She got dressed and teleported to her office. She inputted the code and opened the safe. After throwing out all the old files and putting the gin in the drawer she pulled out the false bottom and reached in to pull out what she needed.
Nora closed her eyes and focused on Aya. She felt the surge of temporal energy that followed her and teleported to her.
In the Control Room-
Steve, Tony, and Fury are gathered at a table. Hill stood to the side as Aya walked in.
"He got away. There was a jet waiting for him." Aya said.
"Where's Coulson?" Hill asked.
"Last time I saw him, Nora was helping stabilize him." Aya said.
"Nora?" Tony asked.
"Loki used the scepter to separate us." Aya said. "I went after him, she stayed with Coulson."
"Romanoff?" Fury asked as she walked in.
"Hostile's are being transferred to containment and waiting to be interrogated." Natasha said.
I'll save us all some time and…" Aya started before suddenly she stopped talking and flew into a chair.
"That's enough." Nora said walking in.
"How did you…" Aya started.
"I've been stuck inside the back of your head for over thirty years Aya. I picked up a few tricks." Nora said.
"Nora?" Tony said.
"Hi Dad." Nora said. Tony stood up and hugged his daughter.
"You are so grounded." Tony muttered.
"I'm eighty four you can't do that anymore." Nora retorted making him chuckle as they broke apart.
"Hey beautiful." Steve said.
"Hey handsome." Nora said hugging Steve. "I missed you."
"I'm so so sorry." Steve said tearing up.
"It's okay Bucky left all the stupid with you." Nora joked making Steve let out a sad chuckle as kissed the top of her head holding her tight.
"That isn't what you thought when you found out he was alive." Aya said struggling to get up.
"I had sixty five years to get over it." Nora answered.
"Now that the reunion's over, can we get back to work?" Aya said.
"He's in New York." Nora answered. "You guys should get going."
"Yes we should." Aya said.
"We're not going anywhere." Nora told her.
"What?" Steve said hoping he hadn't heard right.
"Nora this is an all hands on deck situation." Fury said.
"He's right kiddo as much as I don't want you involved in this we need all the help we can get and you're the biggest muscle we've got." Tony said.
"Sorry guys but the answer's no." Nora said.
"I don't have time to deal with you tantrums brat." Aya said and Nora lifted her hand up and blasted her back down into her seat.
"We're long overdue for a chat don't you think?" Nora said.
"You really think you can stop me!" Aya shouted making her eyes glow as she stood up and a whirlwind blew through the control room.
Nora didn't move as Aya glared at her. She reached into her pocket before teleporting next to Aya and snapping a gold bracelet into her arm making the wind die down and her eyes stop glowing.
"What the…" Aya started before looking down at her wrist.
"Like I said before, I've been inside your head long enough to pick up a few tricks. I learned a lot about you. Including that enchanted metal made in the heart of a dwarf star at the center of the universe is one of the few things that can contain you." Nora said with a smirk.
"Take it off." Aya growled.
"So that you can take over again? Do as you want for the next century or the rest of time? I let that happen once, I won't do it again." Nora said.
"Take. It. off." Aya ordered.
"No." Nora said.
"Where did you even get it?" Tony asked.
"Took it off a dead Nazi." Nora said casually.
"Nora get it off of me. Aya said trying to get the bracelet off.
"Like I said before we're not going anywhere." Nora said.
"Loki is going to invade earth, we need to go." Aya said.
"No." Nora told Aya.
"Nora she's right." Steve said.
"Then you should all be on your way already." Nora said not taking her eyes off of Aya.
"Kid we're outmatched. It's just me, Spangles, and Romanoff. Thor's probably dead…" Tony started.
"He's a demigod, it'll take a lot more than a crash landing to kill him." Nora said. "And we have a Hulk."
"Banner's who knows where." Steve said. "Not that he could help us anyway."
"Guys, I'm going to make this very clear to all of you. I'm not going anywhere and neither is she." Nora said. "It's you two and the spy assassins or no one at all."
"This isn't any different than any of the battles we fought back in the war." Steve said.
"Not happening." Nora said.
"Why the hell not?!" Fury shouted.
"You want to tell them or should I?" Nora asked Aya.
"Whether or not we're there won't make a difference to the outcome." Aya said glaring at Nora.
"So we lose." Hill said.
"Aya?" Nora asked.
"I don't know." Aya said resigned.
"You're a time traveler." Fury deadpanned.
"I can't deal with this." Tony said storming out.
"Doll…" Steve started.
"I'm not the one that needs a pep talk right now." Nora said pointing at the door. Steve sighed before walking after Tony.
"Why?" Aya said.
"You know why." Nora said.
"You didn't think that the first time around." Aya said.
"It's all a matter of perspective." Nora said.
"And what would that be?" Aya said.
"You know what I'm talking about." Nora said.
"No explain it to me." Aya said.
"You're forgetting your place." Nora said.
"No you are!" Aya shouted.
"I'm not the one that is still holding a grudge from over fourteen billion years ago!" Nora shouted.
"You don't know what you're talking about." Aya said angrily.
"Don't I?" Nora said. "Your siblings, Elian, Baran, Azazel, Kaien, and Elia? You guys had a fight so big you caused the big bang? You decided to go to your own corners of this new universe to stay as far away from each other but somehow you always end up back together. You jump hosts to try and prove them wrong but time and time again you fail?"
"Shut up Nora." Aya said.
"You're the same self centered bitch they said you were. If someone asks you to help it's a no but the instant it's something you want the rules don't matter to you! Even Elian and Elia who despite everything you ever did never turned their backs on you would be ashamed of you right now." Nora said.
"They didn't understand and neither do you!" Aya asked.
"Don't I? You turned me into a mass murderer Aya just to prove a point. You broke me down so bad I tried to off myself. I have done what you asked every single time but none of that matters to you." Nora said.
"Because after all this time you still don't understand." Aya said.
"I just stopped you from interfering in a battle you desperately want to fight in for the simple fact that you get to prove your brothers wrong." Nora said. "You know as well as I do that this isn't our fight. Our fight is back in 2015 with Wren, Aiden and Snow. We were never supposed to be here in the first place."
"That's what this is all about, you wanting to save Wren? You can keep me chained up and locked away in any prison you want but that won't change the fact that he's dying Nora!" Aya yelled as Tony and Steve walked back in the room.
"You think I don't know that?" Nora cried. "You think it doesn't hurt? Of course it does Aya! But what really hurts is that fact that you can save him but you won't lift a finger to save him. Wren deserves better than that."
"Who's Wren?" Tony asked.
"Her housemate." Steve said.
"What? Nora doesn't have a housemate. She doesn't even need one, she doesn't pay rent." Tony said.
"Life isn't fair, get over it!" Aya yelled.
"NO!" Nora yelled blasting Aya out of her seat and getting up. "I'm not going to get over it." Nora said blasting her again. "You and your stupid siblings like to play god." She said throwing another blast. "You toy with people's lives." Nora said slamming her against the wall. "Without a single regard for the consequences. Actions only have consequences when they don't apply to you, is that it?"
"That's enough Nora." Fury said.
"Shut up Nick!" Nora and Aya shouted.
"They do when the consequences don't screw up the time line." Aya said.
"And this isn't messing with the time line?" Nora said.
"It's my family at stake here!" Aya shouted.
"And it's my husband that's dying!" Nora shouted.
"Husband?!" Tony and Steve exclaimed.
"He didn't just help me he helped you too Aya. He gave me a reason to want to go on when I didn't think I had one. He saved our lives more times than I can count. Wren's a good man he deserves better." Nora cried.
"Are you talking about me or you?" Aya said. "You care so much about him but you can't even own up to the fact that you're in love with him because you're too hung up on two men that died seventy years before you even met him!"
"And whose fault is that!" Nora yelled.
"For once in your life why don't you own up to your own mistakes?" Aya said.
"What do you think I've been doing all these years? You made me relive every single one of the worst moments of my life time and time again for some twisted lesson to prepare me for a fight that is your fault to begin with." Nora said. "I've seen what's at stake Aya. I know what the endgame is but there's no point if you're just going to throw it all away because you can't swallow your pride and want to have your ego stroked." Nora said leaving Aya speechless.
"Guys the jet's ready." Natasha said walking in.
"Let's go." Steve said storming out.
"Is Nora…" Natasha started.
"Not her fight apparently." Tony said angrily as he walked out.
"So what you'll just have me save Wren, next you'll want me to save Jess, while I'm at it why don't I go back and save dear old mom." Aya said.
"I never asked you to go back for Jess. I let my mom die Aya and I carry the guilt of that every single day but I understood why it had to happen. Wren can be saved but you don't care." Nora said.
"Of course I care, you really think I would be doing any of this if I didn't?" Aya asked.
"Then why are you interfering now?" Nora asked.
"Because you're not the only one that's going to lose Wren." Aya said.
"What?" Nora asked confused.
"He dies and I'm stuck with you and you're just like them." Aya said.
"How? I'm right here talking you out of what you've stopped me from doing so many times since I met you. You remember when I found out Steve was alive and I wanted to drop everything and go to him. I begged and begged but you didn't let me and that was one of best things that has ever happened to me. I've hated you, and I've feared you but at the end of the day if I had to go back and do it all over again I wouldn't change a single thing because I got the adventure of a lifetime Aya. I didn't have a reason to be afraid anymore because you taught me to be brave and you gave me strength. I met the epic loves of my life. I got to meet my grandparents and my mom. I found my best friend and unconditional love in the last place I ever expected to find it. You've said it yourself, life isn't fair. There's been a lot of bad but there's also been a lot of good and not just for me. Do you really want to risk all of that, the life that we've built on a fourteen billion year old grudge that you don't even really remember that well?" Nora said.
Aya glared at Nora before shutting her eyes and sighing. "The world may actually be ending because you're right. I let my pride and ego get the best of me and I interfered." Aya admitted.
"Well thirty years out of fourteen billion years…" Nora said trying to make her feel better.
"I can't believe I caved, I feel so… human." Aya said shivering.
"I didn't really make it easy for you." Nora said.
"I can't save Wren." Aya said. "I wish I could but I can't."
"I know." Nora said sadly.
"I can however give him more time." Aya said. "Ease the symptoms."
"I'm sure he'll appreciate that. I know I will." Nora said. "So where do we go from here."
"We go home… after you say goodbye." Aya said.
"Yeah, we're going to need to figure out a few things before. We spilled a lot of spoilers when we were yelling." Nora said.
"We need to keep your dad and Steve from meddling. He knows you're alive and your dad knows about me." Aya said.
"It's three years," Nora said.
"Tony couldn't shut up about being Iron Man for more than a minute during a press conference." Aya deadpanned.
"We're gonna have to get creative." Nora said.
"Are you two done with your episode of Jerry Springer because there's a nuke headed for Manhattan?" Fury said.
"They have it handled." Aya and Nora said simultaneously.
"Tell them to bring me back some schwarma." Nora said.
"Also I quit." Aya said.