Rogue: Annihilation (An Avengers Sequel)

24. The 'Superhero' Thing

New York, 2012

New York was in the middle of a war against a group of aliens working for Loki. At the time, the Avengers had assumed that Loki was the mastermind behind the entire operation, but now we knew that Thanos was the one who had orchestrated the attack.

When we exited the Quantum Realm, the 2012 Avengers, complete with colorful costumes and deadly weapons, stood in a circle ready to take on the Chitauri.

"You guys look so... young," I commented, staring with interest at their past selves. My eyes found Nat, and I couldn't tear them away. Her short, slightly curled red hair and skin-tight outfit transported me back in time. I remembered this so well; how worried I was when she joined the team and tried to save the city, and her disappointment at my initial refusal. It had taken Fury until after the battle to convince me to become an Avenger.

I had to force myself to remember that this was the past; an investigation that we couldn't compromise. We had a job to do that didn't include revealing ourselves.

"All right, we all have our assignments," Steve reminded us, taking charge as usual. "Two Stones uptown, one Stone down."

We all watched as the aliens destroyed the city, staring like it was the first time we'd seen it even though we were pretty sure how the situation would end.

2012 Hulk ran past us, smashing everything in his path, including one of the aliens. He almost looked excited that he got free license to tear things apart. One of the other aliens ran away, desperate not to be caught in his line of fire.

Banner looked at his past self, a violent, erratic world away from the person he was now, and grimaced, covering his face with his hand.

Steve looked at Banner. "Maybe smash a few things along the way."

Banner made a face. "I think it's gratuitous, but whatever," he said, while ripping his shirt off so he'd be mistaken for his 2012 counterpart.

He gave a pathetic growl, punching a small dent into a nearby car. Then he picked up a motorbike with great care and threw it against the wall, an uncomfortable frown on his face as it made contact, creating a small crashing sound.

"You two should go," I said to Tony and Scott, who needed to be in Stark/Avengers Tower to get the Tesseract, while Steve and I took care of the scepter.

"Right," Tony nodded, pressing a tiny concealed button that caused his Iron Man suit to form around his body. At the same time, Scott pressed a button on his suit that made him shrink – it was like watching someone become invisible before your eyes. He climbed onto Tony's shoulder.

"Be careful, okay?" Tony warned me. If all went according to plan, we wouldn't see each other again until after I faced Kilgrave. "I kinda need my wife around, y'know?"

I smiled, playfully rolling my eyes. "Don't go all soft on me, I'll be fine. We'll both be fine." I promised him. "I love you."

Even though I couldn't see his expression, I could picture the exact face he was making at me. Then he took off into the sky with Scott clinging to him for dear life.

When they were gone, Steve and I began to walk in the direction of the Tower, being careful to stay inconspicuous.

"Have you thought about what you'll do when this is all over?" I asked him, taking in his comical costume, a replica of the one that he'd been wearing in 2012. "You know, whether you and Nat will start things up again? Or whether you'll go somewhere... else?"

He raised an eyebrow, slowing his pace slightly. "You really believe this will work, don't you?" he asked. "That we'll get Natasha and everyone else back?"