We're in the Endgame Now | Endgame [2]

Chapter 14

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    Present Day. October 2023

  Careful not to disturb, Irina walked inside the dark building, one lone light on; it gave it a haunted look. If it wasn't for the small group of people that were sat in a circle, she would've thought this place was abandoned, like half the city of New York.

At the entrance, she read a poster: 'WHERE DO WE GO, NOW THAT THEY'RE GONE?'

She kept her head down, short hair (that now came to her shoulder blades) pulled back and hidden in the hood of her(Yelena's) jacket, contacts in her eyes to keep hidden from the world.

  "—things got quiet . . . then he cried as they were serving the salads," a man in a black jacket with black-framed glasses and salt and peppered hair said, on Steve's left.

"What about you?" a bald, slightly older gentleman with a red and white goatee asked, across from him.

"I cried just before dessert." The room turned silent. "But I'm seeing him again tomorrow, so . . ."

Steve nodded. "That's great. You did the hardest part. You took the jump. You didn't know where you were gonna come down. And that's it. That's those little brave baby steps we gotta take to try and be whole again, try and find purpose." He licked his lips, "I went in the ice in '45, right after I met the love of my life. Woke up 70 years later. You gotta move on."

Irene inclined her head in the shadows. Even after five years without Yelena, she couldn't be with anyone, nor did she want to be —all of her belonged to that sarcastic, lovable Russian woman that she will never see again. Thanos made sure of that.

"The world is in our hands. It's left to us, guys." Irina crept further into the darkness, against the wall that came around the tables, to where it was darker and she'd remain unseen. "And we gotta do something with it. Otherwise . . . Thanos should've killed all of us."

She quietly hopped up onto the table between chairs, listening to the rest of Steve's sessions with his group.

  In truth, she knew some of those people.

  One by one, Steve's patients left within the hour. As soon as the door closed with a loud thud! that echoed, Steve inclined his head.

  "I know you're here, Irene."

  She slid off the table. "How did you know it was me?"

  Cap gestured to the metal entrance-door. "Saw you sneak inside. You know, it's almost scary how quiet you've gotten."

Irina chuckled softly. "What, afraid of little 'ole me?"

"You have a solid hit and bony knuckles to back it up." Steve collected his belongings. "I know better than to underestimate you." He slid his bulky arms through the sleeves of his jacket, then took out his car keys. "Wanna go to the Compound with me?"

"Might as well, since I taxied here."

Steve tossed the woman the keys. "I'll be right out." Irene held his gaze as she effortlessly clamped a hand around the car keys. She spun on her heels with a little smirk, and closed in on the metal door. "And don't drive off," Steve raised his voice.