Forgotten Ghost | Natasha Romanoff

Alternative Ending: 2.1

Don't think I need to explain where this continues :) The Snap but from Natasha's pov.

Natasha felt helpless, lying on her back on the ground, trapped in the small cage Thanos had created from the Earth itself. Pillars of hardened mud pinned her down, stopping her from moving. She couldn't turn her head enough to look around, had no idea what happened to Katya, who had been behind her.

Bucky though, she could see him. He lay passed out a couple feet away from her, rifle next to him. She suspected her wife wouldn't be in a much better state and that freaked her out. The ease in which Thanos trapped her teammates couldn't mean much good for Katya. 

The high bushes and the trees prevented Natasha from seeing Thanos though, and she had no idea what was going on or if someone was left standing. Maybe they had already lost. It wouldn't surprise her. 

Until a bright flash of light shot from the sky. Again, she had no idea what it was, but it could only be Thor. She just knew, the signature lightning a part of him.

It landed somewhere behind her, and she focused her ears in that direction. She heard voices but couldn't hear what they said, who they belonged to, until a very loud and clear word echoed through the forest.

''No!'' 

Thor and Katya. They had screamed at the same time, although his voice overshadowed hers. Natasha wished she felt better upon hearing her voice, but the panic in it made that impossible. She had never heard Katya yell this way, so it must be bad.

Another bright light shot through the forest. Not like the one before, not from the sky, this was like an explosion from one central point. It only lasted a second, but the power was indescribable. It was more than energy; it was pure force and strength.

Natasha knew what that meant. Only the Stones could do that. 

Her cage collapsed when the wave of light washed over her. All the earth fell on her chest and she had to shield her face from it. 

''What'd you do. What'd you do?!'' She heard Thor yell as she shared a look with Barnes, who had woken up from the blast. He didn't need any explanation to what happened, saw it in her eyes. 

Natasha's heart went erratic in her chest, the panic settling in. Her eyes followed Barnes as he scrambled to his feet quickly, grabbing his rifle and walking to the sound. She watched him go, brushing the dirt from her body and sitting up slowly. She wanted to run over, to know what was going on, but the world spun so she had to take a moment to breathe, a moment where the most indescribable thing happened.

Right in front of her eyes, Bucky started to turn to dust. 

''Steve?'' He tried to alert the soldier who must be somewhere in front of him, staring at his metal hand in distress. 

Natasha couldn't believe her eyes when small flakes stared to fall off at his fingertips, disintegrating slowly. It moved up to his arm and his shoulder until it also began at his feet. In mid-step, Bucky had completely disintegrated, turned into nothing more than a pile of ash.

It didn't take long for Natasha to realize what happened, but it took a while longer to brush off the shock. Thanos was literal when he said he wanted to make half the Universe disappear. They literally turned to dust. Her hands shook, heart speeding up more if that was possible. 

''Nat?''

Katya's frantic voice reached her ears. It was the thing pulling her out of her trance. ''Natasha!'' it came again, much more anxious than the first time.