A/N: Hey guys! Here's the time jump I warned you about last week. She's in Vienna and things are about to get interesting... I also forgot to mention that the voice of ARSENAL is Kate Beckinsale, and the voice of LUCY is Gemma Arterton.
Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel, Disney, ABC or the Avengers.
Within a week of reaching Vienna, I was already neck deep in committees, PR, and developing a budget for the public, so they understood that we weren't making a lot of money from the work we did. The public, according to my office polls, were responding positively after Ross's arrest and subsequent trial. Our clean up efforts for Sokovia were responding well with the other world leaders in the UN. As I went over the budget proposals from the UN, and my father's own donations for the coming year, a flash of light made me look up from my desk. Jumping back as I saw the flash get bigger, it reminded me of the portal that sent Callie and me through the multiverse.
As it reached it's peak, I grabbed my gun from my under the desk holster, and backed up to duck behind a couch, using the edge as cover. I wasn't taking any chances that I knew whoever was coming through.
A girl jumped through, with a boy, whose arms were holding her up. She looked injured, but I was more worried about protecting the babies growing inside me.
"Where is she? She's supposed to be here," The girl panted, looking around.
"Maybe, she stepped out for a minute." The boy said, straightening up and passing her a device.
"LUCY, check the records again. She's not here."
"Miss, Sera Stark was meant to be here tonight. She did not leave her Vienna apartment."
"So, she is here," The boy said, sounding relieved. The girl, grabbed her side in pain, and I moved slowly to get a better look at them. In doing so, I touched the side table beside the couch, moving the lamp. Their eyes landed on me as I quickly lifted my gun to position.
"Mom," The girl smiled, as I pointed my gun at her.
"Who the hell are you? If you are here to hurt me, I'm pregnant, and the mother of this baby will kill you and me if it is harmed." I demanded, as the boy threw his arms out and jumped in front of her.
"Sera Rogers-Barnes. Please stand down; we are not here to harm you. We need to talk," The boy said.
"Who are you?"
"I'm Elijah Rogers-Barnes, and this is my sister, Calliope Rogers-Barnes." He said, as he slowly approached me.
"Bullshit. That's impossible." I said
"You live with impossible. This should be second nature to you now."
"My children are at our base, safe, with my husbands."
"They are, but we are also here Mom."
"Stop calling me that," I shouted. Moving towards my desk, I reached for my Avengers signal, as the girl said, "Please don't. We can explain."
"Over 6 weeks ago, you took us to see Jemma and Bruce, to determine why we were growing so fast. You and our fathers deemed that night that you wouldn't give us the anti-serum. Grandpa came to Winchester, England to say goodbye to Aunt Peggy. She died three weeks later, surrounded by you, our fathers, her niece, Auntie Sharon and the remaining Howling Commandoes."
"…How?"
"We are InHuman." She smiled.
"The serums were passed down to us through birth, and when we went through the Mist, it fused with our InHuman genes, making us even stronger. I am bulletproof. And when Calliope went through, she figured out she could make portals. Time portals, and portals through space."
"You… time travelled?"
"Well, I'm not like Dr. Strange, but I have gone back in time to help prevent a few things from unfolding a certain way. Grandpa was actually the one who sent us."
"Dr. Stephen Strange? The neuro surgeon?"
"He's actually a Sorcerer now, harnessing the mystical arts to protect earth from magical threats."
"What? You know what, it's not the craziest thing I've heard today. Why are…. you both here?"
"Cause Thanos is coming. And a lot sooner than we all imagined." Elijah said, showing me a hologram with footage rolling. Death and destruction, and nothing we could do to stop it. I put the gun down on the desk, and watched horrified, as both Steve and Bucky were taken out, trying to protect me.
"No," I whispered, as I looked on to see our base being attacked, and my father flying a Quinjet out of there with the survivors.
"We need to stop him," Callie said, "And we need your help."
"Why me?"
"Because, in our future, you were building a case with the UN for a global defense system. 'A shield around the earth', much like Grandpa wanted back when we were just born."
"Ultron was a failed attempt-"
"No, it was the right idea, but wrong AI." Elijah said, pointing at my Avenger's signal.
"ARSENAL?" I whispered, gently touching the pin.
"She was just about ready when Thanos broke through her outer defense system," Callie's voice said softly.
"When is this?" I asked, noticing how much older the kids looked to my 'six year olds' at home.
"In three years time." Callie explained, making me grab my chest. I don't have a lot of time, to do anything they said that I would do. But they looked too old for that timeline.
"So, you must be, what? Like 16?"
"Due to the growing threat, you refused to let us be injected with the anti-serums, and allowed us to start training with SHIELD and the Avengers. But we grew faster by being in proximity to the stores of Terrigen crystals." Elijah said, as I sat down.
"Uncle Bruce estimated that we grew three years every three months, for one year, due to our InHuman genes interfering with the serums. And then our aging almost halted after we turned 18. If we came back at the right time, within the next year, we will be 13 years old," Callie said.
"Due to our advanced state, you and our fathers allowed use to go through the Mist at the biological age of 15."
"We are currently 19 years old."
"Why are you telling me all of this? This could mess up the timeline, and have catastrophic repercussions on the future."
"Nothing is as bad as watching both of your fathers die to protect you. You know that better than anyone Mom," Callie said, making me think back to the Helicarrier on that fateful day, when Coulson gave his life to try and protect me.
"But where was I?" I asked confused.
"You were…" Elijah started, looking at his sister.
"I was where?" I asked, confused at their shared looks.
"You were in DC, meeting with the President when Thanos first broke through ARSENAL's defense net. His army…"
"His first attack was on the White House. Total body count was 8073." Callie said, looking up with sad eyes. And I realized why.
"I died in the first wave." I said solemnly.
"You, and our baby brother," She said, making me choke on a sob.
"I get pregnant again?" I said, lightly touching the baby bump, as I was still carrying my nieces or nephews.
"He was only 4 months old." She said, as a single tear rolled down her cheek. But before I could ask her anything else about my death, she collapsed into her brother's arms.
"She's lost too much blood," He said, cursing under his breath, and asking, "Do you have a medical kit?"
"Bring her to the kitchen," I said, putting the gun behind my back in my waistband, and grabbing my pad and scanner.
"Lay her on the island," I said, moving a fruit bowl and a mess of papers to the table. He did so, being gentle as I grabbed my med kit from under the sink.
"Grab my bottle of vodka from the living room cart."
"Please tell me you aren't going to drink it," Elijah said, running from the room.
"ARSENAL, give me some good news," I said, taking out my scanner, running it over Callie's body length.
"A wound in her side, most likely from a laser gun. It has hit her ovarian artery."
"Dammit. Callie, I need you to bite down on this. I don't have time to give you enough anesthesia, or you are gonna loose a lot more than a pint of blood." I said, drawing a vile of local anesthesia and a tongue depressor for her to bite down on.
"100 proof rum?" Elijah said, as he ran back in.
"It's gonna have to work. Callie, bite down hard when I tell you too." I said, giving her a large shot of LA, as she cringed.
"ARSENAL, monitor her heart rate," I said to my AI, as I motioned for Elijah to place the heart rate monitor on her finger as I washed my hands and put on clean surgical gloves from the kit.
"Okay, Callie, deep breath honey," I said, as I grabbed the scalpel. She whimpered and I said, "Be strong, it's gonna be over soon enough."
As I cut open the wound, her muffled cries made it very hard for me to continue. Elijah held her hand as I cut away raw tissue to get at the severed artery, making it easier for me to stop the bleeding on both sides and patch them together.
"What I wouldn't give for the Cradle right now," I whispered, as Elijah looked on.
"Eli, wash your hands, I need you in here." I said, grabbing a clean dishtowel and putting it in the wound to mop up some of the blood.
"I wouldn't kno-"
"You don't need to be a rocket scientist, I just need your hands. Can you do this?" I asked, looking up at him and seeing Steve. It was still freaking me out.
"Yes," He said, giving his sister one last look before running to wash his hands.
"Okay, I need you to hold these out of the way, and be gentle."
"Yes," he said, putting his freshly gloved hands in the opening and holding back the organs I pointed out.
"Mom, it hurts," I heard Callie grunt out.
"Almost over baby girl, hold on. If you need to, pass out, it's okay. We will be here when you wake up."
It was almost immediately after I said that, that her eyes rolled back in her head, and she stopped moving.
"She's fine," I said, noticing her heart rate was echoing in my ears as I reached for the 3-0 Prolene sutures.
As I carefully threaded together her artery, I was praying and hoping that it would hold. Elijah seemed to hear what I was whispering under my breath and said, "It's going to work Mom."
"I hope you're right," I said, as I gently released the makeshift clamps. The sutures seemed to be holding, so I released my held breath and waited. I watched and waited, and Elijah seemed to be doing the same, as I waited for a leak, or a dribble.
After a few minutes, I sighed, knowing it wasn't going to change. I sighed and grabbed another suture kit, asking Elijah to gather the cloths that were inside his sister's wound, to ensure that I had mopped up all the blood.
"Nothing else seems to be injured. I'm gonna get ARSENAL to order us a broad spectrum antibiotic saline and have it sent up here."
"No, let me go get it."
"You have no credentials yet mister. I have mine through SHIELD, and the world trusts SHIELD."
"Local hospitals recognize the SHIELD symbol. It won't matter, and I can get there faster than it can arrive here."
"Take this," I sighed, handing him one of my tablets.
"They will want to see my face for you to actually get clearance. You speak German?" I inquired.
"Are you kidding? I'm your son," He smirked and took off, out of my apartment. Sighing, I took the next suture kit and began to cut away the burnt skin on Callie's stomach.
"My baby girl," I cried, wiping my face with my shoulder. Her even breathing was calming to my nerves as I thought about how grown up she looked.
"Do you have someone you love? Are you happy?" I whispered as I tied off the sutures, and started cleaning up the blood on her skin. Applying the bandage to cover the wound, I asked ARSENAL, "What are her chances?"
"From the work you completed, I estimate a 83.7% chance of no complications." She replied through my tablet.
"If given the antibiotics, how long should it be before she's back in her feet?" I asked, moving a stray curl out of her face, and removing the tongue depressor from her mouth.
"Factoring in the serum, and the rate the incision site is already healing, I estimate she will be back on her feet by tomorrow."
"Right, the serum. I'm used to patching up Clint and Natasha in the field," I sighed, carefully brushing her cheek.
As I got up to wash my hands again, I heard a faint sigh.
"Ma'am, she is coming to."
"Thank you ARSENAL. Please alert my husbands that I cannot call them tonight. Don't let them try."
"Shall I inform them you just finished operating on a young girl that claims to be your daughter from the future?"
"No. I shouldn't have made you as sarcastic as JARVIS. Tell them that I'm up to my eyeballs in paperwork and to kiss the kids goodnight for me."
"Yes, Ma'am," She replied as Callie's eyes opened slowly.
"Don't move," I whispered, gently checking her pulse myself, and asking, "How do you feel?"
"I'm not sure." She moaned.
"Well, at least you are alive," I joked, lifting up the bandage to see how the wound was healing.
"Thank you," She whispered.
"Well, it's not everyday that your daughter needs you to perform surgery on her." I teased. She groaned slightly as she shifted.
"You are resting till tomorrow. So, get comfy until your brother comes with your antibiotics."
"Super-soldier serum, Mom. I can't get infections," She smiled.
"But I'm not taking any chances on my daughter." I sassed, giving her a glass of water with a straw.
"Would you sing to me?" She asked, tears in her eyes, "The last time I heard your voice, it was after I told you…"
"You said something you regret," I paused, watching her lip quiver.
"You had to leave for DC, and you weren't listening to me. I was feeling a little bit jealous of our baby brother, how you had time for him and not me. I knew it wasn't rational, I knew he needed you more, but I was missing you. And when you said that you didn't have time, I took it really personally."
"Let me guess, you told me you hated me." I smiled painfully.
"How did you know?" She asked, as I watched her cry.
"I said the same thing to your grandmother. Several times. I didn't mean it, and I would always apologize for it later. If that does end up happening, I will respond differently."
Her soft sobs caused me to rest my arm against the countertop, brushing away another piece of hair that had fallen in her face. Taking her hand gently, I started to hum softly.
Her sobs quieted as I sang, and she gripped my hand tighter. A door opening made my head perk up.
"Eli?" Callie called out.
"I'm here," he said, running into the room.
"Okay, I need you to take her to your room. She should be lying down for the next few hours. Lift her gently." I said, taking the IV of antibiotics from him and grabbing my IV kit. I followed him down the hallway to the Twin's room for when they were visiting. I was happy that the three of us decided that the kids should have full twin beds now, so Callie wasn't going to be uncomfortable.
"How long until she's healed?" He asked, concerned.
"About 24-36 hours. Long enough for you both to rest, and then tell me everything I need to do sooner."
