Infinity

Chapter 153

August 2023

Nat's POV

It's been several months since I found the list Marlie left for me, and I was starting to lose hope again. I've had the supplies for a couple of months now and with everyday passing the likelihood of her plan working was growing more and more slim. The only comfort I had was the fact that there was still one last document in her file.

I was currently in the kitchen finishing making a peanut butter sandwich while on a conference call with Nebula, Rocket, Carol, Okoye, and Rhodey. We were communicating with the same communication technology that Marlie had provided in one of her early documents.

"Yeah, we boarded that highly suspect warship Danvers pinged" Rocket said sounding annoyed.

"It was an infectious garbage scowl." Nebula added sounding equally annoyed.

"So, thanks for the hot tip." Rocket continued looking towards the image of Carol.

"Well, you were closer." Carol said plainly.

"And now we smell like garbage." Rocket retorted.

I decided to get everyone back on task. So, I turned to Okoye. "You get a reading on those tremors?"

"It was mild subduction under the African plate." She responded not sounding concerned.

"Do we have a visual? How are we handling it?" I asked as I walked over to the table and lean forward against it.

"Nat, it's an earthquake under the ocean. We handle it by not handling it." She said pointedly.

I know she's right but lately I've been fixated on doing everything to make sure everyone in the world is safe. Even in areas where it may not be needed.

I gave her a slight nod and turned to Carol. "Carol, are we seeing you here next month?"

"Not likely." She responded.

"What, you gonna get another haircut?" Rocket retorted sarcastically, referring to Carol's recently changed short hair.

"Listen fur-face, I'm covering a lot of territory. The things that are happening on earth, are happening everywhere, on thousands of planets." Carol stated sounding irritated.

"All right, all right, that's a good point. That's a good point." Rocket mumbled.

Carol then turned back towards me. "So, you might not see me for a long time."

I nodded. "Alright. Uh, well. This channel is always active. So, if anything goes sideways... anyone's making trouble where they shouldn't... comes through me. Alright."

Everyone acknowledges me and signs off. Carol turned towards Rhodey and said something to him before her feed vanished leaving only Rhodey. I sat down at the table and looked up at him in surprise. I wasn't expecting him to still be on call. He must have something to share.

"Where are you?" I asked him, knowing that he must have something on Clint he only wanted to share with me.

"Mexico. The Federales found a room full of bodies. Looks like a bunch of cartel guys. Never even had the chance to get their guns off."

I know who it was, but I couldn't help but say otherwise, hoping it wasn't. "It's probably a rival gang."

"Except it isn't. It's definitely Barton. What he's done here, what he's been doing for the last few years... I mean, the scene that he left... I gotta tell you, there's a part of me that doesn't even want to find him." Rhodey said sounding defeated.

Hearing Rhodey's report on what my friend was doing. What he had become. It broke something in me. I've wanted nothing more than to help him, but I can't. The only thing that could possibly help him was to bring his family back. The pain he was in drove him to kill mercilessly. The grief that I always felt when thinking about Clint bubbled to the surface. I could feel my throat beginning to close and my eyes sting. It took everything in me to gain a small bit of control to respond to him.