Thank you to everybody who read or reviewed the last conversation. You are all absolutely fabulous. So, this is the first chapter completely written after watching Eternals. (That I post a week out from Multiverse of Madness because I banked a lot of chapters.) Continuity-wise, that movie is definitely its own thing, but it did give me ideas for where we're going next. Some big moments are coming soon. Buckle in.

We are back in the gamma timeline and will be here for a little while.

Conversation 51: Introspective Text Messaging on an Unassuming Tuesday Afternoon

Afternoon March 26, 2018

Agent America: I just wanted to check on you before we leave. Have you made contact with Rambo yet?

Acting Deputy Director Agent: Not yet. I know where she is, and it is not in DC. Since Falcon is visiting his sister in the area, he will check for me since I can't leave.

Agent America: I understand. I know if you could leave, you would be here.

Acting Deputy Director Agent: I would prefer to be with you, especially if you are flying an untested aircraft to an unknown planet.

Agent America: I trust the Princess and the crew. Most of them anyway.

Acting Deputy Director Agent: Who's going with you besides Leopold and Fitzsimmons Junior?

Agent America: Davis, Khan, and Chen. I wanted Piper, but she is busy elsewhere. Like you. Unfortunately, the president actually listens to you occasionally. You're where you need to be.

Acting Deputy Director Agent: Not very well. I'm hoping the phone call with the King this afternoon goes better.

Agent America: It probably won't.

Acting Deputy Director Agent: I assume that will be the case. I've accepted that the real problem is he doesn't know how to deal with this, so he is just pretending it's not happening. This is completely out of scope for him.

Agent America: It usually makes it easier for us.

Acting Deputy Director Agent: Usually. I'm not sure this time. The least he can do is acknowledge that Sword actually exists and connect me with the director via standard channels.

Agent America: I'm sure Falcon will make contact before Thursday.

Acting Deputy Director Agent: I hope so. This would be so much easier if Fury just showed up.

Agent America: It would be. Unfortunately, I don't have a direct channel to the man anymore.

Acting Deputy Director Agent: You're also going to be in deep space in about two hours. Hopefully.

Agent America: Deke promises we will still be able to pick up at least text-based messages once we get farther out. However, if I'm not able to attend Thursday's call, be easy on my counterpart.

Acting Deputy Director Agent: It's obvious you ran away from me.

Agent America: She ran away from you. She's not me. To her, you've been gone for a very long time. Being confronted with another version of you is hard for her to process. You know I'm horrible at processing my emotions.

Acting Deputy Director Agent: You prefer to punch them. Not that there's anything wrong with that. I find it cute.

Agent America: You find everything I do cute. It's annoying.

Acting Deputy Director Agent: Usually, I find the things you do badass.

Agent America: You know who I am. But she's a version of me that didn't just lose you. She lost Daisy, Yo-Yo, Mack, Fitz, and even Bobbi. Not all of them will come back if this plan actually works.

Acting Deputy Director Agent: I promise to not take it personally when she runs away from me.

Agent America: Thank you.

Acting Deputy Director Agent: Are you going to be able to go this entire mission without strangling Fitzsimmons Junior? I know you don't want him there.

Agent America: I would prefer if he was in San Francisco or any mission without me. But we can't put the location of this stone in writing. It's our one advantage right now.

Agent America: Although if they start arguing again, I am Icing both of them.

Acting Deputy Director Agent: That seems fair. You do owe Leo for knocking you out that time.

Agent America: Exactly.

Acting Deputy Director Agent: Is Fitzsimmons Junior going to try to contact his guardian friends again?

Agent America: After we make the first jump. Apparently, he'll get a better signal away from Earth. Our technology is too primitive.

Acting Deputy Director Agent: He didn't say that in front of Stark?

Agent America: No, because he's on the Wakanda floor fawning over his boyfriend.

Acting Deputy Director Agent: I can feel you rolling your eyes in text message form. Hey, you marry that guy in another timeline. I'm sure you did your own fawning.

Agent America: Only because you weren't there. Also, I don't think I would ever fawn over anyone like that.

Acting Deputy Director Agent: I'm not mad. If something were to happen to Tony and me, I would be okay if you ended up together.

Agent America: I'm not planning to outlive you again.

Acting Deputy Director Agent: Duly noted. I will make sure we go at the same time.

Acting Deputy Director Agent: Do you wonder what their wedding was like? I wonder if they're using the red and blue color scheme that Tony and Steve will use. Ana said they did not send any wedding pictures. I kinda want to see them.

Agent America: You're really curious about this?

Acting Deputy Director Agent: I want to make sure our wedding in Tahiti was better. I thought you would too. You're the competitive one of the two of us.

Agent America: It was everything I wanted, even if it was just us. I don't want Steve; I just want you. I love you. I would do anything for you.

Acting Deputy Director Agent: You know the same goes for me. Have a safe trip, and don't die out there.

Acting Deputy Director Agent: Or kill anybody on your team.

Agent America: I can only promise I won't strangle Fitzsimmons junior. But icing is still on the table.

Acting Deputy Director Agent: I'll take it.

XXXX

A few hours later

Purple Princess: Why did I want to be a teenager again? High school sucks, and I will have to do it all over again tomorrow, even though we're in the middle of an apocalypse.

Purple Princess: Betty did a story today about how much of a psychopath Ruby's mom is. All true, but the whole school doesn't need to know this.

Purple Princess: At least she doesn't know about the Hydra stuff, and I am not telling her.

Genius Princess: You ask that question at least once a month. I do not have a better answer than I did last time.

Genius Princess: Also, you really need to stop paying attention to Betty.

Purple Princess: Yes, but last time I wasn't stuck in class instead of watching the launch of Zepar 3. Even Ned got to watch. Or I could be in San Francisco with you at the foundation right now. There's so much going on right now. I feel like I'm being useless when I'm in class.

Genius Princess: I'm sure you're not being useless. You were probably reading over the notes from the other timeline.

Purple Princess: I had Ana disguise it as Avengers fanfiction so I could read in class safely. She even added future fic tags. Although only the lower-level stuff.

Genius Princess: Smart.

Purple Princess: Did Dr. Pym show up? Shield really screwed that up the first time around.

Genius Princess: Yes. He is still looking over my research. As predicted by Scott of the beta timeline, he is reluctant to accept our help, even if it means rescuing his wife from the quantum realm. Most likely because of the many sins of old Shield.

Purple Princess: Not just Shield. Pym also hates us Starks in general.

Genius Princess: What did your grandfather do to him? I was forced to listen to a 20-minute lecture on how working with Starks never leads to anything good.

Purple Princess: Howard possibly stole Grandma Maria from him. The diaries were ambiguous. I'll send you the passages because everything's been digitized. But hey, it worked out for the best because he wouldn't have met Janet otherwise.

Genius Princess: [six rolling eyes emojis]

Purple Princess: We know for sure that Howard was the one who ordered the Pyms to go on the mission where Janet Pym disappeared. They were business competitors for a while. That rivalry actually outlived Howard. He wasn't a fan of Obadiah.

Genius Princess: Rightfully so.

Purple Princess: I'm sorry. Starks have fucked a lot of things up. Whatever Howard did is probably making this mission 100 times harder.

Genius Princess: Regional Director McKenzie believes he can get Pym to come around.

Purple Princess: It's possible. Mack is really good at inspirational speeches. Also, as somebody who has quit Shield multiple times, he might be the best person to get through to Pym.

Genius Princess: It's not the worst strategy. He already convinced Dr. Foster to work with us.

Purple Princess: That's good, at least. I assume he wants help getting his daughter healthy.

Genius Princess: Yes. He also wants Shield to make reparations for their past sins.

Purple Princess: That seems fair.

Genius princess: What happened to Ava in the other timeline? I'm sure you read that part.

Purple Princess: She survived the decimation, but I don't have anything else.

Genius Princess: They couldn't send over everything.

Purple Princess: No, I really could. Before, I was in this body anyway. She just chose not to.

Genius Princess: Maybe she just sent what she thought we would actually use.

Purple Princess: Or, more likely, what Robin told her what to send. It would be what I would do.

Genius Princess: She's you.

Purple Princess: Yes and no.

Genius Princess:?

Purple Princess: I was Friday, but I wasn't that Friday. I'm not Friday now. I'm sure you have read the report from Wanda by now.

Genius Princess: Yes. Apparently, it's a multiple-month process. Do you want to be human? I forgot to ask you that last time. If you don't, I'm sure I can figure out some way to stop what Wanda is doing. She shouldn't have turned you into her guinea pig without talking to you first.

Purple Princess: Yes. I want to grow old with my friends. I don't want to outlive everybody I love.

Genius Princess: That could happen even if you are human. I have already lost my father.

Purple Princess: I know that. With what's to come, I know we will lose more people. The beta timeline lost Yo-Yo and Coulson. Robin keeps drawing pictures of my people dying. But losing one or two is different than watching everybody die. That's what's going to happen if I stay an LMD.

Genius Princess: Who else do you see in the pictures?

Purple Princess: Natasha. She fell off a cliff. Also, Red Skull is in the background. I don't get that part.

Genius Princess: I've seen this drawing. Robin did another version of it recently, but it's not Natasha down there anymore.

Purple Princess: How can you tell?

Genius Princess: The hair isn't red anymore. Although I'm not sure who is in the picture now. I think I made out a Shield patch.

Purple Princess: What does that mean?

Genius Princess: I don't know.

Genius Princess: I have to go. Bobbi and Hunter are fighting. Could you have warned me that Hunter and his ex-wife act like 3-year-olds when they are in the same room together? I deeply regret asking them to get Hope on our side.

Purple Princess: I knew I forgot to mention something.

To be continued…