Chapter 33: Whenever You're Ready

"You're…'open to suggestions'?" I laughed nervously, "Wow. You must be serious!"

"Pretty serious, yeah," Thera looked down, "The last time I used words like 'beyond repair', 'emergency', and 'last ditch', Vi took one look at the casualty and threw up on the spot."

"Oh."

"Yeah. It was months before she could even look at a steak without turning green, and Vi loves steak. 'Claims she's 'keeping down the bovine insurrection'."

"So it's bad, then."

"Yeah. Sorry."

A thick, oppressive silence descended over the container yard. As Thera toyed with the little radio, I watched clouds of dust drift over the gravel, and wondered idly if the faint prickling in my scalp was an itch or the telltale signs of my brain frying itself in its own juices. What was I meant to feel? Anger? Fear? I could feel them bubbling away, deep inside, but for the most part I just felt…numb. In a way it was like the Blip; too much for me to grasp in one go, but at the same time I knew that the numbness was nothing more than a veneer. Sooner or later, those feelings were going to surface.

"Okay…" I said. I didn't want to hear the answer, but I had to ask the question, "How much time do I have left?"

"It's hard to say," Thera said, evasively, "The degradation of the Eeebie is…well, it's probabilistic. Depending on the frequency of neural breakdown events and thaumic loading-"

"Take your best guess!"

"Days. Maybe," he said, and a thrill of fear lanced through me, "If the Eeebie holds."

"That's it?"

"You asked me to take my best guess!" Thera protested, "I might be wrong; it might never fail! I mean, there's no signs of thaumic rejection, which is good, and-"

"Don't sugar coat it for me. Don't!" I flared suddenly, "I got enough of that shit when my Dad died! Everyone was telling me 'everything going to be okay' and that 'he was going to be fine', but guess what? He wasn't!"

"I'm not trying to sugar coat it for you! I really don't know!" he replied, "I've never done this before! Nobody has!"

"But when Caleb tore… Bulgakov to pieces, you had him back on his feet in, what, minutes? You treated Clint in a couple of hours!" I snapped, "Why am I the only one who ends up with one of your Wisps jammed in my head and days to live? Did you forget how to be a wizard when you were in that coma?"

Thera flinched at that, "Bulgakov's wounds included lacerations, blood loss, and shock. Clint had some fairly minor internal injuries. I can mend cuts and heal broken bones, but brains? They're kind of in a league of their own."

"So you're saying you're not up to it?" I retorted. In that instant I sounded just like my Mom, and a wave of shame and regret came crashing through the anger, "Oh, Christ - Thera, that's not what I meant. I-"

"So what did you mean, then?" Thera cocked an eyebrow, "Go on. No rush."

"I…um…I…" Words failed me. I looked away, unable to meet his gaze.

"I mean, you could be right," he went on, "Honestly, the fact that you're walking and talking is nothing short of a bloody miracle, and right now poor Inky's being thrashed to within an inch of her life trying to keep you that way. Every second she's having to spin a million tiny plates just to fool your body into thinking you're still in charge, and you know what? I've no idea if I'm doing anything more than delaying the inevitable. So maybe you're right, maybe I'm not up to it…but I'm trying. Believe me, I am trying."

"I know! I know you are, and I'm sorry. You didn't deserve that," the words came tumbling out one after the other, "I'm…being a jackass. A complete and total jackass."

"Laura, it's okay," Thera said quietly, "I mean, don't get me wrong; you are being an arse. But…after everything that's happened today, your reaction's pretty understandable."

"Well…"

"And besides, don't you think it'd be kind of hypocritical of me to complain about it?"

"I'm not answering that," I smiled, despite myself.

"Smart move."

"But that doesn't make it 'okay'. You didn't deserve that," I sat back with a sigh, "I guess…it just doesn't feel fair."

"It's not fair. Not at all," Thera said, sincerely, "You did something really brave and selfless, and now you're being punished for it. Where's the justice in that?"

"No, I don't mean it like that. I mean…um…" I tried to find the words, "If I tell you something, will you promise not to laugh? Not even a little?"

"I feel like you're setting me up to fail here, but…" Thera held up his left hand in a three-fingered salute, "I promise."

I took a deep breath, "I've always been in awe of people like…well, the Avengers. Not because of their flashy tech or their magic or anything like that, but because they were brave enough to step up and try to make a difference in the world. I lived my life vicariously through Clint and Nat, and whenever I listened to their stories part of me used to dream that one day they'd ask me for help, and I could be more than…well, me."

"Mmm," Thera nodded.

"You're laughing at me, aren't you," I said suspiciously, "On the inside."

"Not at all!" he held up both hands in protest, "Please, go on."

"Well, then the Blip happened, and then you happened, and then… it happened! Clint asked me!" I said, and Thera smiled, "Of course, I know now that you and Vi had it all planned out like that, but at the time I got caught up in this world of cool gadgets and skulduggery and for the first time I felt like I was someone! Hell, Dr. Strange came to my house wanting to talk to me! Then there was that whole 'Patient Zero' thing of yours, and I made headlines after talking at the school and…" I paused for a moment, "For the first time in my life, I was surrounded by all these amazing people with amazing abilities, and…I belonged! I was a part of something on my own merits, not just because I'm, y'know, Hawkeye's wife. Now, I guess I'm not so sure."

Thera's eyebrows knitted together, "Why not?"

"Because…" I grit my teeth and bit out, "Because people who 'belong' don't end up with Wisps in their heads! They throw themselves at ridiculous odds and emerge smelling of roses! Clint couldn't get himself killed even when he tried, and he tried for years! Then I come along, try to do one small thing, and this happens? I'm not the same as you guys, and it's ridiculous of me to think I ever was."

Thera stared at me for a long time, and then nodded, "I see."

"Yeah. Stupid, right?"

"Oh, definitely - but not for the reasons you think," he said, "Um, can I tell you a story about someone? It might help."

"This isn't going to be some ridiculous motivational parable or something, is it?"

"Not… exactly," Thera grimaced, "But it might give you a different perspective."

"...I'm listening."

"Okay, so down my way there was this guy called Ioannis Karalis. Commander Karalis, if you like. He was kind of like a…legally distinct Captain America. Not enhanced, but built like a brick shithouse, with deep blue eyes and a jawline like an icebreaker ship. You get the picture, right?"

"I do," I said, and grinned wryly, "And I'm liking it."

"'Figured you would," he rolled his eyes, "Anyway, Karalis was elite; a living legend, practically. Joined the services as soon as he could, aced the special forces selection programme, and then had a career spanning almost two decades. During that time, he managed to amass just about every medal, commendation, and award you can possibly think of, and there's probably a load more waiting in the wings to be declassified."

"Wow," I said, "And here I thought you weren't a fan of anyone."

"A fan?" Thera snorted, "The guy was a consummate bellend. Don't even think about getting Vi started on him."

"Okay. I think I get it," I said, and then a flag went up in my mind, "Wait - you said 'was'."

"I did," Thera smiled humourlessly, "You see, about a year ago one of my mates was working a late shift and got a fast bleep to A&E. Of course she dropped everything, ran straight there…and found Karalis fitting on a stretcher. Two minutes later he was dead. Do you know how that happened?"

"How could I possibly know that?"

"Guess."

"Well…" I cast around for a possible reason, "An op went bad?"

"Nope."

"Revenge attack?"

"Nothing so grand."

"Then what?"

"That night, Karalis went out drinking," Thera said, "And in a fit of alcohol-induced bravado, possibly inspired by a, uh, bevy of similarly inebriated admirers, he challenged one of his mates to sock him right in the abs. He lost his balance, tripped backwards over a stool, and cracked his head on the side of a pool table. Textbook case of 'death by misadventure'."

"I don't get it," I said, "Why're you telling me this?"

"Because if anyone belonged, it was him!" Thera spread his hands, "I mean, if you wrote a book about even half his exploits people'd accuse you of taking the piss, but in the end he got taken out in a simple, stupid accident. If something like that can happen to someone like him, then it can happen to any one of us! You didn't get hurt because you didn't 'belong', Laura; you got hurt because you were brave enough to step up and make a difference! Isn't that exactly what you said you admired?"

"Yes, but-"

"But nothing!" Thera's eyes flashed dangerously, "Tell me, Laura, how does being injured make you any less worthy than Keralis, Clint, or even Agent Romanov? Help me out here, mate, because I'm not seeing it!"

I looked at Thera for a long moment, my mouth opening and closing uselessly as I tried to come up with a decent response. Finally, I smiled weakly and said, "You know, you have a really weird way of motivating people."

"I'm telling the truth! At least…the truth as I see it," Thera subsided a little, "Feel free to draw your own conclusions."

"Nah, I'm good with being compared to Knockoff Captain America," I said, and sank back against the container door with a long, drawn-out sigh, "But…what am I going to tell Clint, Thera? That I've just come back and now I've got to leave? I'll break his heart all over again!"

"We'll think of something," Thera said, "And-"

"-and what about my kids?" Suddenly my eyes were brimming with tears, "What in the world am I going to say to them?"

"One step at a time, Laura," he said, gently, "Your kids are out having fun right now, yeah?"

"Yeah, on your dime."

"So why not leave them to it? It'd be better if you wait until you're face-to-face with them, anyway."

"And what if I'm dead before then?"

"That's not happening. I guarantee it," Thera said, "If nothing else, there's no sodding way I'm explaining to my Mother Superior why I tripped at the last hurdle. There's a solution here, Laura, I'm sure of it. I…just need a bit more time to work out what it is."

"I hope you're right," I said, "Okay; one step at a time. I need to call Clint. He deserves to know."

"He does," Thera nodded, "And…y'know, maybe there's some fancy Avenger tech that can put your brain back together!"

"You don't really believe that, do you?"

"What can I say? I'm an optimist," he said, with a faint smile, "I mean, they did put his skin back on, didn't they? Where there's life, there's hope!"

"Sure," I gave him a dubious look, but pulled out Hughes' phone regardless. Suddenly, my heart was pounding in my chest, and my fingers were numb and shaking as they hovered over the screen, "What…what should I say, Thera? You've done this kind of thing before, right?"

"Once or twice," Thera said, "My mentor told me to tell the truth. Don't sugarcoat it, and don't give him false hope. You'll just be hurting him in the long run."

I nodded as I swiped across to the keypad, and then looked blankly at the screen. Clint's number, Clint's number…what was it, again? I thought I knew it off by heart, but for some reason all I could remember were snatches and fragments. How did it begin again? Five-seven-three? Six-three-six? Both felt familiar, but-

"It's fine if you need more time, Laura," Thera said, apparently mistaking my confusion for hesitance, "This sort of thing shouldn't be rushed. Whenever you're ready, okay?"

"It's not that," I began, "It's-"

The radio in Thera's hand crackled suddenly, and then a loud, obnoxious tone suddenly split the air. With a loud curse, he tossed it reflexively into the thoroughfare, and as it bounced to a halt amongst the gravel a woman's voice emanated from the speaker. Her voice was stern, strident, and from the sounds of it she was clearly in no mood to brook any kind of disagreement or funny business.

"Whenever you're ready? Ready for what?" she snapped, "Just so you know, whoever you are, we've captured all of your little buddies and Ronin is on her way right now to talk with them! Do yourself a favour and walk away before she comes after you as well!"

"That's…that's…" I struggled, and then a name floated to the surface, "Wait, that's Liv!"
"Liv?"

"Liv! From, um, Nate's school! I hit her in the face, remember?" I scrambled from the radio, glad of the sudden distraction, "Liv? It's me! It's Laura!"

There was a tense, suspicious pause on the other end of the radio, and then Liv said, "Laura? Well, this day just keeps getting stranger and stranger."

"Believe, Liv, you don't know the half of it."

"I think you might be right," she said dryly, "The school PTA group's being flooded with clips of you and your husband. You really made a splash in St. Louis."

"Oh, Christ," I said, "Look, I can explain-"

"No need," she said, "Although I suspect there'll be some pointed questions about bringing one of the world's most prolific serial killers on a school run."

"Believe me, I had no idea that…that she was Ronin!" I said, and Thera gave me a curious look, "How could I have known? I got Snapped!"

"I know. And personally, I think 'I was dead at the time' is a pretty strong defence. I didn't want it to come as a surprise."

"Thanks, Liv," I said gratefully.

"Well, don't thank me just yet," she said, and her tone sharpened a little, "Your family's other little secret could cause us all a load of trouble, and I've no idea what to do about it."

"You mean Clint?" I said, "I'm sorry. We didn't mean to cause any trouble; we just wanted to be left alone."

"Nobody's blaming you, Laura, but I'd be lying if I said some weren't worried about having an Avenger's children at their school," she said, "For now, I think Val's convinced them to keep their mouths shut."

"How?"

"By pointing out that yapping too much might draw the very attention we're hoping to avoid. Nobody wants to be the one who brought H.Y.D.R.A. to Annie Baxter," Liv said, "Missouri's a big place; if we all keep quiet and lay low for a while, then hopefully this'll all blow over."

"I hope so too."

"Anyway, that's a matter for another day," Liv said, "So tell me…how did you get this radio? Where are you?"

"Well, I'm…" I looked around, "I'm not really sure. Some container yard near Marshfield, I think."

"Marshfield? That's a long way from St. Louis. How did you get there?"

"We were kidnapped."

"You were what?" she said, "Wait, you said 'we'. Who's with you? Your husband? Are your children okay?"

"The kids are fine," I said quickly, "I'm with…well, you remember, um…?"

"Vi?" Thera suggested.

"Vi! Yes. You remember her?"

"I'm not likely to forget."

"No, I guess not," I said, "Well, I'm with her fiance. He's called Thera."

Thera leaned towards the radio, and said, "Nice to meet you."

"Thera? You're Thera? Poppy's been asking after you. What would you like me to tell her?"

"How's she doing?" Thera said quickly.

"Scared, but she'll live. Val's with her now, along with this woman called Erin. Not sure I trust that one," she added, "Seems a bit too eager to please for my liking."

"She was…trouble before," I said, "Vi came down on her like a tonne of bricks, so she's probably going to be on her best behaviour for a while."

"I'll keep an eye on her just the same," Liv promised, "We can hold down the fort, but I'm sure we'll breathe a little easier when Ronin arrives. She said she'd be a couple of hours a couple of hours ago, so…"

"Not like her to be late," Thera said, and gave me a significant look, "I'm sure it's fine, though. 'Probably needed to nick a new set of wheels."

"I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that. What would you like me to tell Poppy?"

"Can you put her on? I'd rather talk to her myself."

"I'm…well…," there was a brief pause from the other end, "Okay. I'll head over."

"Thank you."

"So…" I said, as the faint thud of boots on dirt came through the radio, "What actually happened over there? Did Ronin get in contact with you?"

"Not directly," Liv said, "I don't know the full story, but apparently Patricia Henderson got a call from you. When she picked up it was…Ronin, begging for help-"

"Patricia? You mean Patti?" I frowned, "But I told her to phone you!"

"She didn't have my number, and neither did Patricia," Liv said, "But she called Paul, and Paul called Val, and Val called me. By the time I'd picked up, Paul was already spreading the word about a child abduction at the Blip Centre, and when Val told us where it was…well, we got here as quickly as we could."

"So is Patti there?"

"No, she had to stay home. Apparently her husband was called in at short notice."

"Really?" I frowned, "That's…interesting. So how many came?"

"Twenty? Maybe twenty-five? All armed, thanks to Paul."

"What? Really?" I smiled disbelievingly, "We…are talking about the same Paul, right?"

"Your family isn't the only one with secrets, Laura," she said, "'Seems like my little sycophant became a bit of a prepper after the Snap. He's got a gun room that's like a cross between that basement in Tremors and The Matrix. Pistols, rifles, some kind of elephant gun-"

"-yeah, we heard about that one."

"Between you and me, I think he's been waiting for a moment like this. Ever since we got here he's been acting like he's a goddamn Navy Seal! I've never heard such rubbish!"

"Well, I'm glad someone's having fun," I said wryly, "But tell him to tone it down around Ronin - and whatever you do, make sure he doesn't get it into his head to try something like make a citizen's arrest. He'll be lucky if she just breaks his wrist."

"I'll speak with him," Liv promised, as Thera nodded in agreement, "Okay, I'm coming up to the children's accommodation. I'll hand you over in a second."

"Right. Speak later," I said, and handed the radio to Thera, "If you need me, I'll be waiting…" I waved indistinctly down the path between the containers, "...over there, somewhere. Pretending I can't hear you."

"Thanks, Laura," he smiled gratefully, "I won't be long."

"It's okay. Take your time," I said, and squared my shoulders, "I guess I've got a call to make."

I headed off down the wide gravel path, walking carefully across the shifting stones. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Thera take a long, deep breath, and then slowly raise the radio to his ear.

"Hi poppet," he said, in a hoarse, almost inaudible whisper, "How're you doing?"

I hesitated, straining my hearing as hard as I could to catch her reply, and then shook my head and continued on. The guy deserved at least some privacy, after all, and I had bigger fish to fry.

"You mean like calling Clint?" said the little voice, "Why? We both know you don't have the faintest idea what you're going to say."

"Be quiet!" I muttered, "I'll think of something."

"You're going to destroy him, Laura. All over again. It'll be just like when you were Snapped," the voice went on, "And why? Because you saw an opportunity to play the hero, and you went for it with scant regard for the consequences.""

"Shut up!" I snarled, and felt tears spring to my eyes, "That's not what happened, and you know it!"

"Could've backed down. Should've backed down. Now, you're going to have to explain to your kids why some poor little Blip orphan was more important to you than seeing them grow up."

"Why're you doing this to me?" I said, through gritted teeth, "Why now?"

"You heard Thera, didn't you? He told you to speak the truth."

"And since when did you start listening to Thera?"

"Since his Wisp turfed you out of your own brain," the voice said, with a ghostly chuckle, "You know, it's getting pretty crowded in here. One more and we'll have enough for a game of bridge."

I stopped, and clenched my hands together while I fought to get my already fractious temper under control, "You know what? I'm not doing this."

"Not doing what?"

"I'm not torturing myself anymore. If I've really only got days to live, I'm not going to spend them arguing with an echo of my Mom! You're not even real!"

"And what makes you think you are?"

"Excuse me?"

"Don't you think it's strange that Thera never actually told you how much of your brain was damaged, or which parts. How do you know that you're not just Inky's best guess at 'Laura Barton'? Something that walks, talks, and thinks like her, while the real one's trapped in a coma. You know, a puppet."

"Because that's absolutely insane?"

"Is it?"

"Yes!" I cried, "Why would he do such a thing?"

"Because it's easier than dragging around a comatose woman? Raises a lot less questions, too."

"Fine. Then why not have Inky take over completely?"

"Like he said, he needs 'you', not some creepy simulacrum! He and Vi've poured far too much time and time into you to let you die before you can get them what they need."

"Which is what?"

"The Missouri List, of course! Thera's said as much," said the voice, "Any moment now he's going to come over here and give you some long-winded speech about how the show has to go on or some shit like that. The only reason he's keeping you going is so you can sweet-talk Dr. Refinery Man into handing it over, and then he'll cut the power. Mark my words."

"Your words are marked," I hissed, "Now get out!"

There was another ghostly chuckle, and then nothing. Once again, I pulled out Hughes' phone and stared at the keypad while my mind hunted fruitlessly for Clint's number. It danced tantalisingly at the edge of memory, mocking me with scraps of half-remembered digits, and I could feel the fury and frustration growing until I wanted nothing more than to smash the phone against the ground. For just a moment I stood there, quivering with emotion, and then clawed back enough self-control to stuff the phone back in my pocket.

"Goddammit!" I slumped against the nearest container, and slid down the corrugated steel until my head was buried between my knees. How had it come to this? Everything was starting to make sense, or at least as much sense as any of it was going to make, and I was finally starting to hope that we'd all somehow get out of this alive! That hope had been cruelly dashed, and the worst part was that I didn't know why. If Clint was right, and Nat really was behind everything that had happened, then how could she have let this happen?

"Are you listening, Nat? Did you know about this?" I muttered angrily, "Is this how you meant this to end? You were always so damn meticulous in your planning, so I can't see how I could've accidentally ended up with a magic ball in my skull if you were actually watching over me! Am I just collateral? Was I just another piece to be sacrificed if it means you 'win'? I thought you were my friend, Nat; hell, I thought you were my best friend, so you owe it to me to come back down from whatever damn cloud you're sitting on and tell me why!"

Unsurprisingly, there was no answer. In the silence that followed, my anger slowly ebbed, but in its wake came a sense of deep, yawning emptiness. At that moment all I wanted was to be back home, surrounded by my family. I wanted to cradle little Nate in my arms, listen to one of Lila's harebrained schemes, and have a chat with Coop over a nice cup of coffee. Later, Clint and I could spend another fine Missouri evening relaxing out on the porch, or I could curl up peacefully with a book in the living room, knowing that all was well with my little world.

I smiled at the image, but then a sob lodged in my throat. I'd had days like that, beautiful, perfect days, but had I really appreciated them at the time? How much had I taken them for granted? There'd been times when it'd seemed…easier to let Nate play by himself, and how often had I been 'too busy' to listen to Coop's thoughts or give Lila's creativity the attention it so richly deserved? Too often, it felt like, and to make it worse I couldn't even remember what'd been so important at the time. I hoped it'd been worth it.

"Is that it?" I wept, and my shoulders shook with the force of my tears, "Are you trying to teach me something? Because if you are then believe me, I'm listening! I promise you, if I get through this then I'll never take my life or my family for granted ever again. I…I can't leave Clint and the kids. Not now. Not after everything they've been through. Can you imagine him having to raise them all by himself?" I cracked a wry, tearful smile, "Please, I need a sign that everything's going to be alright. Please."

Suddenly, I heard Thera call my name, and when I peered surreptitiously under my arm I saw him heading rapidly in my direction. With an inward sigh, I scrambled to my feet as fast as I could and wiped off the worst of the tears. To be honest, putting on a brave face at this stage probably wouldn't fool a five year old, but his idiosyncratic bedside manner was one of the last things I needed right now.

"How's Poppy?" I asked briskly, as he came crunching to a halt. Best to take control of the conversation as quickly as possible.

"She's fine," he said curtly, "At least, as 'fine' as one can expect her to be after being snatched off the street by a bunch of armed bastards and threatened with a long, slow death," he exhaled slowly, and I could see the tightness settle in around his eyes, "Goddess, she's only thirteen!"

"Is she going to be okay?"

"With time, probably some therapy, and loads of TLC," he said, "Right now…well, I guess we'll have to settle for two out of three."

"Oh," I said, a little surprised by the matter-of-fact delivery, "That's…um…-"

"-it is what it is," he said, and went on, "Have you phoned Clint?"

"No. I was going to, but, um…"

"Yeah, I know," Thera gave me a searching look, and I could see him mentally tallying up the signs of my recent outburst, "Look, Laura, I know this is all very difficult for you-"

And there it was, "Thera, don't-"

"But moping time is over," he said sternly, "You've had your opportunity to rant and rave at the brutal injustice of an uncaring universe, but now I need you to pull yourself together and get your head back in the game. You want to go to pieces after this is over? That's fine, but it's not over. Pexley's still out there somewhere, Keame's probably in imminent danger, and we don't have the Missouri List. There are kids, like Poppy, across the state who're depending upon us getting that list so we can reunite them with their parents, and I am not going to fail them like I did Poppy. Do I make myself clear?"

I blinked in surprise, "Um…yes?"

"'Um…yes'?" Thera raised his eyebrows, "Would you perhaps like to try that one again?"

I straightened as best I could, "I mean…yes! Very clear!"

"Great," he smiled, or at least his lips quirked, "Now phone Vi."

"What? Why?"

"Are you ready to talk to Clint? Worked out what you want to say?" he asked, and I reluctantly shook my head, "So let's stop ruminating over that and find out what's keeping Vi, shall we? She's got your phone, as I recall."

"Assuming she hasn't lost it. Or broken it," I said, and pulled out Hughes' phone. Clint's number was as elusive as ever, but my finger was moving the instant I called up the keypad, dancing across the digits with the speed of muscle memory, "You want to talk to her?"

"Put it on speaker, if you could," he said, and we both listened tensely as the dial tone droned on, and on…and on. Eventually, there was a little 'beep' and Vi's voice came echoing through the speaker.

"Who is this?" she said, sharply, "I swear, if you're that guy who wants to talk to Laura about a new 'phone plan', then-"

"Hey, Vi," Thera grinned, and I saw the tension vanish from his eyes, "Keeping busy, I see."

"Sparky!" Vi exclaimed delightedly, and I found myself smiling at her sudden warmth, "Goddess, you took your own sweet time! I was starting to get worried!"

His eyebrow went up, "Really?"

"Nah," she laughed lightly, "C'mon, Sparky, if I couldn't stop you, what hope did those rent-a-cretins have?"

"Point."

"But…seriously, are you actually okay?" she said, and I could hear a note of worry beneath the levity, "Did they torture you?"

"A little. Miller gave it his best," Thera said, with a shrug, "But hey, you know all that stuff you dug up about Simon? Turns out it's true."

"You mean…really? Wow. Just…wow."

"Yup. In fairness, he's set up what might be the nicest torture chamber I've ever seen. It's not just a chair and some polythene sheeting, Vi; we're talking wall-to-wall shag pile carpeting, a multimedia auditorium, fully stocked liquor bar, and…get this, genuine leather straps!"

"Oh, really? I'm sorry I missed out," Vi said, archly, "Did they torture anything I should be concerned about?"

"Wait, what kind of question is that? You should be concerned about everything!"

"Some things concern me more than others, sweetie. So…"
"No, they didn't get around to anything like that," Thera rolled his eyes, "I mean, I did suggest it to Miller, but he didn't take me up on the offer."

"Well, you know what they say; third time's the charm!" she said, "And Laura? She's there, right?"

"Yeah, I'm here," I said.

"Thank the Goddess…" I heard Vi murmur, and then, "Are you okay? Did they…"

"Torture me?" I said, "Only by forcing me to taste-test fifty year old single malts. At gunpoint."

"Sounds terrible. Sign me up."

"She cut a deal with one of the bodyguards while the torturer's back was turned," Thera cut in, "The instant Poppy was free, they turned tail and ran."

"Told you she was dangerous, didn't I?" Vi laughed, "Nice work, Laura! I'm guessing that Pexley didn't hit you as hard as I'd feared, then!"

There was a long, drawn-out pause. Both Thera and I stared at the phone, and when I caught his gaze he mouthed the words 'Can I tell her?'. I nodded.

"...guys?" Vi said, hesitantly, "Are you still there?"

"Yeah, sorry," Thera said, "Actually…Pexley got her pretty good, Vi. She's hurt."

"She is? How badly?"

"Bad. SIS."

"Goddess!"

"Yeah, it's not great. I've got Inky and an Eeebie holding down the fort for now, but…it's not going to last."

"How long?"

"Days. If that."

"My goodness….Laura, I'm so sorry," Vi said, and I could hear the sudden catch in her voice, "I should've stepped in earlier. I should've-"

"It's not your fault," I said firmly, "If you did, Pexley might've had Poppy killed."

"But-"

"No, Vi! Thera told me that you stopped him from finishing me off. You saved my life, and that's more than enough!" I said, "Now…what about you?"

"What about me? I'm fine!"

"Really? Liv said they're still waiting for 'Ronin' to show her face, so where are you?"

"I'm…nearby," Vi said, "I'm not ready to go in yet."

"Why not?"

"Because those arseholes are part of the group that kidnapped my Poppy, tortured my Sparky and hurt my friend!" she said, and I could hear the warning thrum in her voice, "Laura, I'm literally a hair's-breadth from marching in there and carving them into itty bitty pieces. One smart-arse comment from any one of them, and it'll be a bloodbath."

"Isn't that kind of Ronin's MO, though?"

"Sod Ronin's MO!" She snapped, "Ronin was a grief-driven vigilante basketcase who murdered criminals en masse in the hopes that one of them would get lucky! I've been down that path before, Laura; I know how it ends!"

"Yeah, I know…" I said, "Listen, Vi; Poppy was asking for you."

There was a pause, and then a quiet, "She was?"

"Yes! She needs you!"

"She needs 'Vi', not 'Ronin'!" Vi said, "How am I meant to face her looking like this? How's she going to react?"

"She needs to feel safe!" I countered, "And that means she needs to know that if she's in trouble, the woman who took her under her wing will come charging in like some kind of goddamn avenging angel! I promise you, she won't care that 'Vi' is actually 'Ronin'; she'll think you're the greatest person on the planet!"

There was a pause from the other end of the line, and when Vi spoke she almost sounded hopeful, "You…you really think so?"

"I know so. Whenever Clint came home from an op, our kids used to look at him like he could walk on water! Do you have any idea how jealous I used to get? Make a bit of a show, maybe spend some time watching over them, and you'll be the coolest Auntie in the whole of Missouri. Promise."

"You'd better be right about this…"

"I am!" I said, "So stop coming up with excuses and get in there!"

"Okay, I'm going!" she said, and there was a sound of creaking bark as she clambered to her feet, "Oh, and Laura? Tell Clint that I want a rematch. No way am I accepting 'rain stopped play' as an outcome."

"Only if you promise not to kill each other."

"I'm not going to kill him, sweetie!" Vi said, with a dramatic sigh, "After all, how will he know he's beaten if he's dead?"

I rolled my eyes, "Anyway, speaking of Clint…can you send me his number? I, um, I can't remember it."

"You what?" Thera exclaimed, and I found myself suddenly frying in his steady gaze, "You could've said something!"

"Leave her be, Sparky," Vi gently chided him, "She got sparked out by a man with a fist like a traction engine, remember? So…Laura?"

"Yes?" I said.

"How exactly do I send you his number?"

It took a bit of doing, but after a few false starts I managed to explain some of the more basic smartphone functions to the empowered supersoldier. A little while later, and after some highly inventive cursing from the other end of the line, Hughes' phone finally chimed happily and Clint's number popped up on the screen. I had been irritatingly close.

"Got it?" Vi said, "Please tell me you got it. I'm not sure I can handle another lesson in long presses."

"I got it," I said, "And I still don't get how you can be this bad with technology. You guys grew up with this stuff, didn't you?"

"Yeah, yeah," Vi said dismissively, "Listen, before I go…"

"What?"

"I want you to know that no matter what happens, we'll be here for you every step of the way. You're not alone."

"Thanks, Vi," I said, and felt a slight prickling in my eyes, "That means a lot."

"And believe me, you're in good hands. Sparky's had patients and their families go to pretty extreme lengths to get on his list, and it's not because of his award-winning sense of humour."

Thera gave the radio a Look, "You're going there, are you?"

"'Smelly the Elephant?'"

"That was twenty years ago! Twenty!"

"And it still makes you snigger inside, doesn't it? C'mon, admit it!"

Thera's face went carefully blank, "I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about."

"Oh, you're so cute when you're off balance!" she said playfully, and then her voice turned serious, "Listen to me, Sparky; I love you, and I believe in you. You'll find a solution, and if you can't find one, you'll make one. You always do."

"I love you too, Ell," Thera said warmly, "Don't do anything I wouldn't do!"

"That's literally my job, sweetie," Vi said, with a chilling little laugh, "But maybe I'll consider it. Toodles!"

There was a faint 'beep' from the phone, and then the screen went dark. Thera and I stared at each other in silence.

"Go on, then," I said eventually, "Say it."

"What?" Thera said, "I wasn't going to say anything!"

"You weren't going to comment on me forgetting Clint's number?" I said dubiously, "Really?"

"Really! I forget things all the time," he said, "And when was the last time you actually had to dial his number? I thought all you had to do was press a picture of his face or something."

"That's true," I said, and relaxed slightly, "I just drew a complete blank. It was weird."

"It happens," he said, and then gave me an inquisitive look, "Are you…are you worried it's related to your injuries?"

I shrugged, helplessly, "Maybe a little? Do you think it is?"

Thera was silent for a moment, "Having difficulty finding words, names, numbers…yeah, it'd make sense- but it's also been a really long day. We've been kicked around, we're tired, and we're stressed! What do you do when you're tired and stressed? You forget things!"

"I suppose that's true," I said, "But if you thought it was, you'd tell me, wouldn't you?"

"Well… if you want to be sure, there's a battery of tests that we can do," Thera said, "But let's worry about that after we've sorted out the whole 'Eeebie shattering' thing, yeah? Right now, we need to-"

"-yeah, I know," I said, and started toying nervously with the phone, "I guess it's time, right?"

"Are you ready?"

"Does it matter?" I said, "I still haven't worked out what I'm going to say, if that's what you mean. But…I'm not sure if there's anything I can say, is there?"

"If there is, I'm sure you'll find it."

"Oh, thanks," I said sarcastically, "Look, I know that the whole 'therapist' thing was a load of…of…-"

"Bollocks?"

"Yeah, that'll do - but don't you have any suggestions?" I asked, plaintively, "Please, if you've got anything that you think might help…."

Thera thought for a moment, and then said, "I'm not trying to fob you off, Laura. I meant what I said. Vi told me all about the speech of yours at the school gates, and then I saw you play an entire crowd like a goddamn violin! I mean, sure, I softened them up for you first-"

"-that's not how I remember it."

"That's how it's going in the report," he said, with a wry grin, "But the truth is that you're got real talent there, Laura, and I say that as…well…as someone who doesn't."

"That's not true! You got Clint and me talking again; that's got to count for something, right?"

"Laura, a sack of quick-drying cement with a smiley face drawn on it probably would've gotten you two talking again. I just gave you a place to sit."

"I still think you're selling yourself short."

"And I think you still don't quite believe in yourself," he said, "Look, I can't think of anything you can say to Clint, but I'm certain that whatever you do say will be…fine."

"'Fine'?" I said, "That's it?"

"Well, it's not like you're ringing him to tell him you won the lottery. 'Fine' is about as much as you can hope for."

"Yeah, I suppose you're right," I said, and smiled bravely, "So…I guess this is it, then."

"Well, that depends," he said, "Are you-"

"I'm never going to be ready, Thera! Not for this!" I said sharply, "But…I don't have a choice, do I?"

"Not this time, I'm afraid," he said, "I'll… give you some space, okay? If you need me, just shout."

"Right," I said, and my voice thrummed with tension, "Wish me luck."

The mystic nodded once, gave me a reassuring smile, and then turned and walked away without so much as a backward glance. I looked down at the phone, looked at Clint's number, and for a moment my finger wavered uncertainly over the call button. As I stared, the gentle green glow seemed to fill my world, and once again I could hear my heart pounding in my chest, and my blood sang through my ears.

"Whatever I say will be fine," I murmured to myself, "It will be fine. It will be fin- oh, fuck it!"

I stabbed down hard on the screen before I could change my mind, and as the phone beeped to life I lifted it to my ear with a trembling hand. The dial tone rang once, twice, and then-

"Hello?" Clint said, and I felt a sudden flood of relief and sadness all at once, "Who's this?"

"It's me, hon," I whispered, "It's me."

"Laura? Laura! Thank Christ! Stay put; I'm about ten minutes away, okay? I'm comin' to get you!"

"You - wait, how'd you know where we are?"

"'Cause I ain't born yesterday, that's how," he said, with just a hint of self-satisfaction, "C'mon, hon; I know how to tail people, an' 'Course, I was already pretty sure I knew where they were takin' you. You're in a container yard, right?"

"Yeah, I am," I smiled, and then I felt the tears welling up again, "Oh, Clint; it was horrible. Keame's son…he-"

"I know, hon, I know," he said gently, "Or at least, I heard the rumours. We're gonna burn that place to the ground, okay?"

"No, don't!" I said quickly, "We managed to capture his torturer. If we can find out who his other victims were, then maybe we can get some justice for their families."

"Yeah, I hear you," he said, "Okay, we'll find out what he knows, and then we're gonna burn that place to the ground. You called the police yet?"

"No. Miller said that Keame had powerful friends. If they knew about this…"

"Sure," he said, "Well, I guess it's about time Fury made himself useful then! There ain't nobody powerful enough to escape him. Tell your torturer buddy to sit tight; we'll get him some company real soon."

"It's like you're reading my mind, babe," I said, and wiped away the tears, "Are you okay?"

"Kinda feel like I should be askin' you that," Clint said, and then his voice dropped to a growl, "Did he hurt you?"

"They stuck a gun in my face, but…Thera got the worst of it."

"Is he okay?"

"I…" I looked down the gravel street. Thera was sitting with his back against a wall, apparently engrossed in bouncing an imaginary ball off the container opposite, "He's still….Thera, I guess."

"That bad, eh?"

I giggled, and lowered my voice conspiratorially, "Between you and me, I think he kinda liked it."

"Well, I ain't judgin'," Clint laughed, and then there was a hiss of pain, "Ooh, shouldn't have done that…"

"Are you okay?"

"I'm achin' all over," he said, "That showdown with Ronin was more of a workout than I thought it'd be."

"She wasn't pulling any punches, was she?"

"No kiddin'! It's like someone crossed a tornado with a honey badger and gave it a sword. Was she actually tryin' to kill me?"

"She says 'no', if you believe that."

"Well, if she's around, tell her I want a rematch. Next time, the police ain't gonna be there to save her hide."

"What is it with you two and wanting to beat the crap out of each other?" I said, frustratedly, "Can't you just get along?"

"Sure we can, but now that Nat's gone I need someone who's gonna stop me from gettin' rusty."

"Yeah…" I said slowly, "I'm not sure she sees it like that."

"Also, she's stealin' my thunder!" he said, "You know what I've been listenin' to all the way back here? Non-stop discussions about Ronin! They've had people linin' up around the block to give their opinions about whether she's a well-intentioned vigilante, like some kind of modern day Robin Hood, or a psychopath who needs to be locked up for all our sakes!"

"...and?" I said, suddenly interested, "Which is it?"

"Well, she wasn't wrong about people bein' on her side," he said, "You got any idea how many people think it's amazin' that she's been 'taking the fight to the crime lords'? A lot! Some people're even sayin' she should be gettin' the Medal of Honour!"

"What did you expect? It's talk radio."

"Yeah, then you've got another bunch who think it's great that a woman's finally standin' up and stickin' it to all those pimps and sex traffickers! I mean, c'mon! Ronin is a monster, Laura, and now-"

"Oooh, I get it. You're just annoyed 'cause she's getting all the credit."

"#IstandwithRonin? #Ronindidnothingwrong? The world's gone mad!"

"Yeah, I know," I said, and took a deep breath. It was time, "Clint, I have to tell you something."
"Oh yeah?" he said, and I could tell he was suddenly all ears, "What's wrong, hon? Everythin' okay?"

"No. No, it's not, and I need you to listen to me really carefully, okay?"

"Okay, I'm listenin'."

Clint remained quiet while I filled him in on what Thera had said. As I spoke I could feel the tears running down my face, and my voice cracked and trembled as I told him about the Eeebie, the W.I.S.P., and my suddenly, brutally curtailed lifespan. There was a single, sudden gasp, and then silence.

"...and that's it. I'm…dying, Clint," I said sadly, "Thera's trying to be optimistic, but…I think that's more for my benefit. I'm not sure he really expects me to survive."

More silence.

"Clint?" I said, "Are you there?"

"I'm…I'm here, hon," he said. His voice sounded husky and raw, "I'm still here. I'm just…trying to take it all in."

"I know. I'm so sorry, babe-" I choked up suddenly, "I should've been more careful-"

"Let's worry about that when you're better, okay?" he said firmly, "An' you're goin' to get better. We're going to get through this."

"How? Thera said-"

"Thera ain't the only medic around, babe. Helen Cho might be able to help, an' of course there's Strange. What's he got to say about this?"

"Strange?" I said, and then my eyes widened, "Oh my god. Strange!"

"You ain't talked to Strange?" Clint sounded surprised, "Doesn't Thera have his number?"

"Thera doesn't even have a phone, Clint, and I just spent the better part of ten minutes teaching Vi how to copy and paste your number so I could ring you!"

"You forgot my number?"

"Never mind that right now!" I said, and then a memory leapt to mind, "You remember when Fury called you?"

"You mean to tell me about Ronin?"
"No - sorry. I mean before that. He said that he'd been contacted by Strange, right? Maybe he can phone him!"

"Yeah, you're right…look, I'm going to get off the phone and start makin' some calls," Clint said, "We're gonna fix this, okay?"

"Okay," I said, "I love you, hon."

"I love you too. See you soon."

The instant I hung up I was on the move, skidding across the shifting surface. Clint was right; Strange had to be the answer! Who could be better placed to understand what Thera had done and help fix me than a consultant neurosurgeon who was also a wizard? It was perfect; almost too perfect, in fact, but right now I wasn't about to look a gift horse like that in the mouth.

"Thank you, Nat! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" I whispered, and then I raised my voice, "Thera! Thera! What about Strange?"

Thera, who up until that point had been deeply interested in his imaginary bouncy ball, looked up at the sound of my voice and scrambled quickly to his feet, "What's strange?"

"No, Dr. Strange! Why don't we talk to him? He could help me, right?"
"Strange? Oh! Oh, Goddess!" Thera put his hand to his mouth in shock, "Laura, I'm so sorry! He never even crossed my mind-"

"-it's okay!" I said quickly, "Can he help?"

"Um, possibly!" Thera said, and I could hear the sudden excitement in his voice, "I mean, he is a wizard brainiologist-"

"-don't you mean 'consultant neurosurgeon'?"

"-whatever he is, he's going to be so damn smug about this," Thera bit his lip, "I can already see his face, with that superior little smirk and…oooh, he's going to say something pretentious like 'The hour grows late, and Thera Doe comes to Kamar-Taj seeking my counsel'-"

"-wrong wizard, Thera."

"There's another one? Good; we'll check in on him after we've seen Strange," Thera said,, "But…we kind of need to reach him first."

"Don't you know how?"

"He's more of a 'don't call me, I'll call you' kind of guy. I'm starting to think that we might've gotten off on the wrong foot."

"It's okay; Clint's already looking into that as well," I said, "Strange contacted Fury, so it should be easy enough to-"

There was no warning. Between one moment and the next a thunderclap exploded behind my eyes, and then there was nothing but the most exquisite, excruciating pain, stabbing at my mind with a million tiny white-hot needles. Through the waves of agony I was dimly aware of Thera's cry of alarm, the sensation of falling-

-and then the pain was gone, almost as if it had never been. As reality slowly swam back to the surface, I found myself lying on the hard gravel in the recovery position. Everything ached, as if I'd run a record-breaking marathon, and I suddenly felt utterly, unaccountably exhausted.

Thera was squatting next to me, looking carefully into my eyes, and as I groaned and began to stir he let out a sigh of relief and sat back on his heels.

"What the fuck was that?" I moaned, as I laboriously pushed myself up on my elbows. Against all logic, even my hair hurt, "Thera-"

"That…was a neural breakdown event," Thera said, "Unfortunately, it arrived right on time."

"You didn't tell me that was going to happen!" I said, "I feel like someone's just worked me over with a tyre iron."

"I'm not surprised. You've basically just had a short-lived seizure."

"Can you do anything about it?"

"Not really, no," he said, sympathetically, "But now you're conscious again, I can do something about the side effects - with your consent, of course."

"Are you kidding?" I said incredulously, "Yes! I can feel all my teeth!"

"Sorry; I have to ask," he said, and tapped once on the back of his hand, "Still, I might have anticipated you saying that, so…"

I inhaled suddenly as a sensation of intense cold surged through my body, almost as if I'd been plunged into an ice bath. The mental fog and exhaustion evaporated on the spot, and as the chill raced onward I could feel the aches and pains simply vanish as my muscles were reinvigorated and startled back to life. Suddenly, I felt alert, limber, and ready to go.

"Whoa!" I shuddered, "That was…different!"

"Just a quick pick-me-up," Thera stood up, and extended a hand to help me to my feet, "I'll set it up to go off automatically next time."

"I was hoping you'd say there wouldn't be a next time," I said, and looked at him anxiously, "It's going to get worse, isn't it."

"...yeah," he said, "Each breakdown event damages the Eeebie a little bit more, and the more damaged the Eeebie, the more frequent the breakdown events. It's a vicious circle."

"And there's nothing you can do?"

"I'm working on it," he said, "It's just hard to make headway against everything else that's going on."

"Yeah, I get it," I said, and tried my best to force the fear back down inside, "Vi said you always find a way, so I guess I'll just have to let you do your job, right?"
"It'd make a nice change," he said wryly, "So, did Clint say where he was?"

"He knows where we are; tracked us all the way here, apparently," I said, and felt a surge of pride, "...and he's coming to get us. Ten minutes."

"Good," if Thera was surprised, he didn't show it, "Saves me the trouble of sending up a flare."

"C'mon, let's go outside and wait for him!" I tried, and totally failed, to conceal my mounting excitement, "I mean, um,…turning in here…"

Thera rolled his eyes, but smiled anyway, "Yeah, sure. These containers were starting to bore me anyway. Let's go get some, um, fresher air."

We walked quickly down the gravel road, passing row after row of containers all marked up with the Keame Refineries logo. They stood silently in the late afternoon sun, and despite the warmth the atmosphere felt gloomy, even chilly. I knew why; these containers were here for one purpose only, which was to conceal the horrors that had taken place in Simon's Playground. Even so, how many were there? Hundreds? Thousands? Just how many had the maniac brought?

"Big place, isn't it?" Thera said, clearly thinking along the same lines, "Seems a bit OTT, if you ask me."

"Don't you think someone would've noticed it by now?" I said, "I mean…wouldn't there be a point when someone'd wonder why a refinery had a bunch of containers it never used sitting out in the middle of nowhere?"

"If we're really out in the middle of nowhere, why would anyone notice it?" Thera said, "And after the Snap? World in chaos, everyone grieving their lost loved ones…who's going to care about a bunch of metal boxes sitting in a field somewhere?"

"That's true," I conceded, "And I suppose that Clint did know where we were. Someone must've suspected something."

"I'd imagine that a whole bunch of people suspected something, but who's mad enough to go looking for it?" Thera said, "Would you want to risk ending up on Miller's list?"

"No, I guess not."

The gravel road ended at a small gatehouse with a simple security gate, set into a chain-link fence that seemed to run around the perimeter of the container yard. Beyond the gate, the road continued as a simple dirt track down into a valley where it joined the main road. It felt isolated, even for Missouri; aside from the occasional glint of sunlight off a passing car, and the gentle breeze sighing through the fence, there was nothing.

"You're right," I said eventually, and my voice seemed to be swallowed up by the emptiness, "Nobody'd see this."

"Well, you and Clint came down here to hide, right? It's clearly a good place for it," Thera said, and then frowned as he looked down into the valley, "Hold on, is that-"

I followed his gaze and felt my heart leap. A large black car was coming racing down the highway, and as we watched it swerved off the road with a screech of tyres and came hurtling up the hill towards us.

"Going pretty quickly," Thera remarked, "Blinky? Clyde? Defensive positions, please."

"You can't be serious!" I said, as the two Wisps burst into existence with a flare of light and a pair of deep, powerful thuds, "That's him! That's got to be him!"
"Because you own the only black car in Missouri, right?" Thera said, "I mean, it probably is Clint, but what if Pexley's sending men to find out why Miller's gone quiet? Better safe than sorry, right?"

I didn't have a good response to that, so instead I waited impatiently as the car came charging up the hill. It slowed as it approached, and then finally came to a dead stop a short distance away. I saw Thera tense, and both Blinky and Clyde thrummed warningly as the driver's side door clicked open, and then-

"I'm comin' out!" Clint's voice rang across the track, "Tell your Wisps to stand down, okay!"
"Sorry, Blinky," Thera said softly, "Next time, okay- wait, Laura!"

Before I really knew what I was doing, I was running towards the car as fast as I could. Through the windshield I saw Clint hurrying to unbuckle himself, and as he scrambled to get out of the car I almost tackled him to the ground. We held each other for what felt like an eternity, laughing and crying all at once, and in that single, perfect moment the world was for us and us alone. Thera could wait. Keame could wait. Nothing else mattered except us.

"You okay, hon?" Clint murmured, "You look like hell."

"You're no prize yourself!" I murmured back, "But I'm okay now."

"Yeah, me too," he said, and then I felt his fingers dancing and prodding gently across the back of my scalp, "So where's this Wisp, then? Is it like a plug-in? Shouldn't you be glowin'?"

"Hey! That tickles!" I laughed, and disentangled myself quickly from his embrace, "And stop poking me! I'm not your science project!"

"Oh, man, it's just too bad Stark ain't alive to see this! He'd love this kind of shit, and-" he paused, and looked a little downcast, "-he'd know what to do, too."

"Hey, hey, we know what to do," I said, as reassuringly as I could, "I'll be fine, as long as you're here."

"Well, I ain't goin' anywhere. Not again," he said firmly, "You can be sure of that."

Thera coughed, discreetly, and we turned as one to see him standing a short distance away carefully averting his eyes.

"I'm sorry to interrupt," he said, apologetically, "But we need to move."

Clint glanced briefly at me, nodded once, and then wordlessly walked over to Thera. The mystic looked at him warily, apparently unsure what to make of this development, and then his eyes went wide as my husband caught him in a sudden, rough embrace.

"Thanks, buddy," Clint said, hoarsely, "Just…thanks. If you hadn't been there…"

"Whoa! Okay! Personal space!" Thera complained, and patted him awkwardly on the back, "How about we save the emotional display for the victory parade, yeah?"

"Yeah, I know. I just wanted you to know that this ain't your fault."

"Maybe not," said Thera, and with some effort he wriggled free from Clint's grip and jumped back, "But this is my responsibility, and there's a lot to do."

"You're right," Clint straightened and turned to face me, "C'mon, hon. We'd better get goin'. I got my old buddy Mason scarin' up a Quinjet, so we gotta get over to Springfield-Branson in a hurry if we wanna-"

"Springfield-Branson?" I said, "Clint, I'm not going to the airport! We've got to go stop Pexley from killing Keame!"

"Why? Let 'em kill each other!" he said angrily, "It's 'cause of them that you're hurt!"

"And if Keame dies, the Missouri List dies with him!" I said, "Think about it, Clint! All those people, all those kids…who's going to reunite them if we lose that data? Alvin, Poppy-"

"We'll find a way, hon!" he said, "But there ain't no way of bringin' you back from the dead! Not a second time!"

"There isn't another way!" I said, "And every day that those kids are stuck in those Blip Centres is a day that something terrible could happen to them!"

"You don't know that!"

"Actually, she's right," Thera said quietly, "Chances are, terrible things are happening as we speak."

"We have to put a stop to it, Clint. Please," I said, "And besides, where would we go?"

"South Korea, to see Cho," he said, "Then Strange."
"Do you even know where Kamar-Taj is?"

"We'll find it," he said, in tones of gruff determination, "We have to!"
"But why would we do that when Strange can create portals?" I said, "I'm sure he can find us much faster than we can find him!"
"If he even wants to find us! You know what he's like; if he ain't interested, then-"

"-turning up at his front door isn't going to change his mind!" I stepped forward and squeezed his hand, "I know you want to fix this, Clint, but…this isn't fixing it."

"Well, I've got to do something!" he said, and turned to Thera, "C'mon, buddy, you know I'm right."

Thera looked between us for a long, tense second, and then closed his eyes and sighed, "I'm sorry, Laura, but he's not…wrong. You've just had a neural breakdown event, and the Eeebie is probably already building towards another one-"

"You had a what?" Clint turned back to me, "Laura-"

"I'm fine!" I glared at Thera, "I'm fine, right?"

"For now, but you need medical attention," Thera said frankly, "Highly specialised medical attention. I'm doing my best, but there're limits!"

"You said I had 'days'!"

"I guessed you had days!" he said, "And even if Strange turned up this instant and whipped us all away to Kamar-Taj, do you really think he's going to say something like 'Oh, that old chestnut? Let's pop the kettle on and I'll fix that right up!'? Devising a solution could take days, and you're on borrowed time as it is!"

"I…I know that," I faltered slightly, "But if we lose that list then everything that's happened here is meaningless! If I die, it'll be for nothing!"

"That's true." He said, "But you're currently my patient. I've got a duty of care towards you."

"And what about Poppy, huh? Or Alvin? Don't you have a duty to care for them as well?" I challenged him, "What was it you said? They were depending on us? That you weren't going to fail them again? How is leaving them to rot in a Blip Centre not failing them?"

"It is, but-"

"But you're saying I have to drop everything right now and seek treatment?"

"Laura, I'm not telling you what to do!" He said loudly, "In the end, I can't force you to do anything! All I can do is make recommendations, and I've got to make those recommendations with what I believe to be your best interests at heart!"

"So screw everyone else, right?"

Thera's gaze was steady, "Not everyone gets to win, Laura. Not always."

"Really?" I said, and looked at him coldly, "You know, Thera, I really didn't expect that. Not from you."

"You expected me to tell you to go to your death?" he said, "You thought I'd ask you to throw yourself under the bus so I could get what I want?"

"I thought you were the sort of person who did what was right, no matter what! 'Let justice be done, though the heavens may fall'?"

"Wong said that, not me," he retorted, "And I am doing what's right! You need help!"

"And do you really believe that charging around aimlessly in a Quinjet is going to help?" I said, and Thera's expression suddenly became very intent, "Oh, right; I get it. You're saying what you have to say, aren't you, but that isn't what you want to say!"

"My priority is your health, Laura," he said, "And if I thought we had a specific destination in mind, I'd be strongly advising that you get on that Quinjet."

"But since we don't…" I looked at him carefully, "Tell me; what would you do if I didn't follow your recommendation? You know, if I decided to go to Keame's refinery anyway?"

"I'd do everything I could to keep you alive, until I couldn't."

"I understand. Thank you, Thera," I said sincerely, and then I turned to Clint, "I'm sorry, babe, but I can't go with you to Springfield. I'm going after Keame."

"Please, hon. Don't do this," he said, and with a wrench I saw the tears in his eyes, "I know this ain't how you wanted it to end, but-"

"So what would you do, then?" I said, "What would you do if you were in my place?"

"C'mon, that's different-"

"What would you do, Clint?"

"I'd…" he took a deep breath, "I'd get that list. No matter what it took."

"I know you would," I smiled, "You know, Vi once asked me how I'd spend my last days, if I knew I was on borrowed time. I think…I'd like to spend them doing something that might mean others get a shot at a long, happy life."

Clint stared at me for a long time, "I ain't gonna change your mind, am I?"

I shook my head, "If there was ever a reason for me being brought back, this is it. I've had a happy life, Clint, but if getting that list means that I have to leave …then I'm ready."

He fell silent, once again, and then smiled weakly, "Okay, you win. To be honest, I wasn't really feelin' up to flying to South Korea."

"So you'll come with me to Keame?" I said, "Really?"

"What, you thought you were goin' anywhere without me? From now on, I'm stickin' to you like glue!" He said, "But if we're goin', we're goin' on one condition."

"What's that?"
"Once this is done, we're going straight to Strange, okay? No messin' around."

"Understood," I said, "Assuming, of course, that we can get his attention."

"Oh, I shouldn't worry about that," Clint looked over at Thera, and a wicked grin formed on his face, "Something tells me we have everythin' we need for that right here."