Wraith [MARVEL x Invincible Crossover]

Chapter Eighteen

The numbers kept decreasing, and it wasn't slowing down. Steve's eyes have been fixed on the screen hoping that it would stop but it felt like the numbers just kept going down faster the longer he stared. Upon arriving in the Avengers compound, he and Natasha tried contacting Fury, but when they got to his location, the only thing they saw was an old pager that was showing a symbol of blue, red, and a golden star at the center, since then they have been trying to figure out what it was meant for while seeing the results of their failure.

"This is a nightmare," he whispered.

"I had better nightmares," Natasha whispered.

Coming from the medical bay, Bruce approached them, his presence had Steve turn away from the monitor after a long time of staring at it. As he approached Bruce his hands were shaking.

"She's stable, but still unconscious," Bruce told him.

"Can I see her?" Steve asked.

Bruce nodded.

Steve walked past him and went to the medical bay, entering the room, he heard the sound of a heart monitor beeping, and lying on the bed with multiple tubes attached to her, he saw Rebecca sleeping completely still. Steve came to her side and let out a breath he didn't even know he was holding. She was completely still that the only sign that told him she was alive was the heart monitor; her head was wrapped with bandages, her neck had a brace, her face completely beaten up, her arm was in a cast, and under the blanket, he knew that her whole body was covered in bandages, and her wounds – counting the one she had from the surgery – were stitched up. The longer he stared at Rebecca, the more painful the realization of failure was.

Steve let out a breath. He closed his eyes as he remembered the seconds that followed after the Snap. Bucky disappeared before their eyes; he carried Rebecca in his arms as they went to the lab, the remaining scientists and doctors present there did their best to help her. He knew that they were scared and confused with what was going on – they just saw their colleagues and friends disappear right before their eyes. While Rebecca was in the hands of the Doctors, Steve went back out to look for the others – Shuri, King T'Challa, Sam, Wanda. As they all gathered in the lab, he realized that those there were the only ones left.

They had to leave and monitor the Snap's effect globally. He felt guilty leaving Wakanda without a King or its Princess, and in the hands of the Queen Mother and Okoye, but the two women – though grieving – told them that they can manage on their own. They placed Rebecca in a pod that would keep her stable for their journey. In the Quinjet, everything felt numb, Steve would constantly look at Rebecca's way to see if she would disappear like Bucky and the others, he was glad when he saw that she remained in the pod throughout the journey home, and when Bruce handled her transfer to the medical bay.

The sound of Rhodes calling for him pulled Steve from his reverie. Taking one last look at Rebecca, Steve left the room and followed Rhodes to where they placed the pager.

"Whatever signal it was sending finally crapped out," said Banner.

"I thought we bypassed the battery?" Steve asked.

"We did, it's plugged in but it just stopped," Rhodes explained.

"Reboot it, send the signal again."

"We don't even know what this is," Banner said.

"Fury did... you just do it please. Tell me the second you get a signal; I want to know who's on the other end of that thing." Natasha turned to return to the monitors to see if their scan could identify who were still left, but as she turned, she saw a woman standing there, blonde and wearing a blue and red suit with a golden start at the center, just like in the pager.