Chapter 22

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Having no idea what happened in Sokovia the Arctic team are arriving back at the playground where they find Phil, Maria, Fury, Trip waiting.

"Any word from the others?" Melinda asks as they approach the waiting group. As the arctic team were expecting to be the first back she is not feeling concerned.

"Not yet," Fury answers, as he glances around at the group, clearly looking for signs of danger.

"Stark arrived with the Sceptre not long ago. He, Hank, Bruce and Mack are with it in the lab," Maria explains.

"Hopefully it's not long before the others get back," Phil comments, and basically the second he does Thor drops through the open entrance carrying an unconscious, clearly hurt, Natasha.

"What happened?" Carol asks, sounding horrified.

"I don't know. We found her unconscious. There is a deep wound on her side. I cannot tell the weapon used," Thor explains.

"Get her to medical, now!" Bobbi yells and as she does she, Simmons, Trip and Thor hurry into the base.

"No, not again," Daisy says horrified as Melinda and Carol follow behind the medical team, and as she speaks Wanda puts her arm around her best friend.

A little while later the Playground team, and the Arctic team, with the exceptions of Simmons, Bobbi and Natasha, are all in the common area waiting for news. For Melinda and Daisy they have so many memories of fond times spent in the very room they currently in, but with everything going on they can't help but think of the bad.

"So, are you closer to the future version of yourself, or the version I knew yesterday?" Pietro asks his sister, who has been explaining to him what is going on.

"I am both," Wanda answers, as she glances over to where Daisy is sitting between Melinda and Bobbi, feeling worried for her best friend.

Due to the room being basically silent, apart from the hushed conversation which have been going on between the Maximoff siblings, everyone hears as footsteps come towards the room. As everyone is looking towards the lab/medical area, they quickly realise that it is not Simmons, Bobbi and the medical team.

"Has there been any news? How's Nat?" Clint asks worried, the first one to run into the room.

"She's still in surgery," Melinda answers, struggling to find her voice.

"It could be a while," Maria reveals as that's what they were told.

Not trusting his voice Clint just nods and sits down next to Phil, as the rest of the Sokovia team make their way into the room and sit down wherever they can.

A couple of hours after the rest of the Sokovia team arrived back, a time which felt for hours for everyone who cares about Natasha, Bobbi and Simmons finally walk into the common area where everyone is, Trip having stayed in the medical area with Natasha.

"How is she?" Carol asks, sounding desperate, as everyone stands up and she, Melinda, Wanda and Daisy hurry towards the doctors. Honestly she isn't surprised that she can get a read of Bobbi, but the fact that Simmons face isn't giving away what is going on is a little more surprising.

"Natasha… Nat, sustained significant injuries," Simmons reveals, her voice shaking, and so Bobbi puts her hand on Simmon's shoulder.

"It looks like she was hit with an energy weapon, similar to weapons made from tesseract technology, and a lot like those we encountered in the future," Bobbi explains, giving the two descriptions so that everyone can understand.

"Bobbi," Melinda says simply, and as she does those who know her well, who aren't from the future, are shocked to hear a level of begging to Melinda's voice.

"Nat's alive," Bobbi reveals, to everyone's relief. "But she's not out of the woods," Bobbi says, causing the good mood to quickly evaporate.

"What does that mean?" Sharon asks, knowing that it is likely that she should fear the answer.

"If it wasn't for Nat's healing abilities, she likely wouldn't be alive," Bobbi explains.

"Healing abilities?" Tony asks confused, but no one answers him.

"We did what we could to repair the injuries, but there was a lot of damage," Bobbi explains. "With the combination of Nat's healing abilities and the injuries we just can't predict if she is going to be okay," Bobbi admits, and as she does everyone can hear the pain in her voice, which causes Hunter to feel shocked as he knows how unlike her it is for Bobbi to display what she is feeling.

"The next twenty-four hours are key. We will do everything we can," Simmons says, finding her voice.

"Can we see her?" Carol asks, as she tries to digest everything Bobbi and Simmons just told them.

"Yes, but not too many people," Simmons explains, and once she finishes explaining Daisy hugs Carol and Melinda, as Bobbi disappears back into the corridor and goes the opposite way to the direction the medical area is, something which Hunter notices.

After breaking apart from their surrogate daughter Melinda and Carol head to the medical area where, with Clint, they sit with Natasha.

Having acted on instinct Bobbi isn't overly surprised that her subconscious has taken her to the gym, but as she stands in the middle of the room she realises what she really wants to do is fight, but she has no one to fight at the moment.

"I know you don't like to talk," A voice says and Bobbi turns to see Hunter. "but, do you want to talk?" Hunter asks.

"I am so sick of needing to save the life of someone I love every week," Bobbi admit. "In the future it has been like this for years, I thought it would be different here," Bobbi admits.

"It will be," Hunter says, not sure how he can keep that promise, but he feels the need to try.

"So many people I love have died while I tried to save them…. I can't do that again," Bobbi admits, tears coming to her eyes.

As he knows words aren't his strong suit Hunter just walks the few steps that separate him and Bobbi and hug her, having no idea what else to do.

A couple of hours later Clint, who couldn't stand sitting next to his best friends bed feeling useless anymore, walks out into the corridor and he isn't overly surprised to find Fury waiting just outside the door.

"How's she doing?" Fury asks, and Clint knows both him and Natasha well enough to know that he is truly concerned.

"The same," Clint answers. "I couldn't sit there being useless anymore," Clint admits, honestly he feels the need to do something, to fight someone, but he just isn't sure who.

"May and Danvers?" Fury asks curious, not sure how to feel as three of the very few people he cares about are in incredible pain.

"Not even close to okay," Clint admits. "They've been silent ever since they walked in, just sitting either side of her, holding her hands," Clint reveals, feeling that even from what he has seen in the past two weeks that the three of them are incredibly close. "Where's everyone else?" Clint asks, as he was expecting to be questioned by not just Fury.

"I don't know," Fury admits. "Maximoff is showing her brother around, not sure where everyone else is," Fury admits, without looking away from where Melinda, Carol and Natasha are.

"You know you can go in there. I'm sure Mels and Carol won't mind," Clint comments.

"I'm good here," Fury answers, and once he does Clint walks away.

In the medical area/lab, just like Clint said they were Melinda and Carol are sitting either side of Natasha's bed, each of them holding her hands.

"Do you remember when we started working together?" Carol asks, without even looking away from Natasha, not really expecting an answer. "Everything was in chaos. I knew Nat from the time after the decimation, but I had never met you," Carol answers, being able to remember the moment she and Melinda first met. "But then we started to work together and it was like…."

"We always had been," Melinda finishes, also without looking away.

"I can't imagine my life without you two by my side, without the three of us being a team," Carol admits, feeling like she should have admitted that a long time ago.

"I can't either," Melinda admits, knowing that is a huge deal.

"We should have said so a long time ago," Carol admits, looking up at Melinda. "We should have told her," Carol tells Melinda.

"We will," Melinda says, needing to believe that. "Nat survived everything that's been thrown at her, she'll survive this," Melinda says, realising that she isn't being optimistic, but rather she is believing in someone she loves.

"She has too," Carol admits, as she gently squeezes Natasha's hand.

After leaving Fury alone Clint, wanting to find other people heads up to the office where he finds Maria, Phil, Pietro, Piper, Davis, Hunter, Rhodey, Tony, Thor, Steve, Fitz, Izzy, Hank Hand, Trip, Bruce and Mack all sitting around the office handing around several bottles of alcohol.

"Got room for one more?" Clint asks curious.

"Always," Hunter says as he hands Clint the bottle he currently has.

"How's she doing?" Maria asks worried.

"The same," Clint answers as he sits down in the only empty seat. "I couldn't sit there anymore," He reveals.

'I don't blame you," Phil answers.

"Is this really how it's going to be? We just watch as one by one we're all picked off?" Izzy asks, a level of anger to her voice, and as she speaks Hand reaches over and puts a comforting hand on Izzy's leg.

"From the sounds of it that's how it is in the future," Tony comments.

"Well I don't accept that," Steve says. "We're meant to change things, and we will,"

"Tell that to Nat," Clint says, bitterly as he takes a scull of the drink.

"I will," Steve says. "Because she will be okay. We all will. We will make the future better," Steve says, trying to be optimistic.

"How can you be so sure dude?" Piper asks.

"I have faith," Steve reveals, and once he does the room drifts into silence, not sure what to think about Steve's word or what they hope to do in the future.

In another part of the base, the vault that once held Grant Ward, Wanda walks down the stairs, and because she knew what to expect she isn't overly surprised to find Simmons, Daisy, and Bobbi. Without a word she walks over and sits down on the floor next to them.

For a few minutes Simmons, Daisy, Bobbi and Wanda sit in silence together until the door opens and this time Hope, Sharon, and Valkyrie walk in and sit down with their family.

"We have to do something," Daisy says a few minutes after Hope, Sharon, and Valkyrie sat down.

"Daisy…" Bobbi starts to say, in a kind voice.

"What about future tech? what about everything we've learnt to save people in the future," Daisy argues, tears coming to her eyes.

"Bobbi and I used everything available in this time that we could thing off," Jemma explains as she reaches over and takes her girlfriends hand, and as she does Daisy realises something.

"Not everything," Daisy realises.

"What are you thinking?" Sharon asks curious, being able to tell that Daisy has gotten an idea.

"GH325," Daisy answers.

"Daisy…." Valkyrie starts to say, using a similar kind tone to the one that Bobbi used earlier.

"Look, I know all the side effects…." Daisy stats to say.

"Not to mention how it will interact with Nat's already Altered Physiology," Bobbi adds.

"But I'm wiling to face whatever we have to if it means making sure Nat's okay," Daisy argues, as and as she does she notices that the others look hesitant. "This is Nat!" Daisy explains. "For years Nat, May and Carol have done whatever they have to do to protect us, to save us!" Daisy argues. "If it meant saving one of us Nat would do whatever it takes, you know that! Don't we owe her the same thing?" Daisy asks, and as she does everyone looks like they are pondering Daisy's words.

"Daisy's right," Hope admits, admits, and everyone turns to look at her. "Look, the scientist in me knows that it is risky to combine alien biological materials with human ones, especially when it comes to Nat and her strange biology," Hope admits. "But that being said we know the GH serum works, we know the side effects that we have to look out for, and no how to cure them," Hope explains. "Nat has always done whatever it took to save one of us, and if it was one of us who were hurt she would do whatever she had to do, no matter what anyone else thought," Hope explains, looking between the others.

"She really would," Wanda confirms. "We have to do this for her," Wanda says.

"Let's take a vote," Bobbi says. "Who says yes to using the GH on Nat?" Bobbi asks and without hesitation Daisy, Hope and Wanda put up their hands, and slightly more hesitant Valkyrie, Simmons, Sharon, and finally Bobbi does. "Let's go get it," Bobbi says.

"I'll stay. One of us have to be here in case Nat needs something while we get the serum," Simmons explains, as they stand up.

"Should we tell everyone where we're going?" Hope asks curious.

"Coulson doesn't want to know about how he's alive, about GH, it's better that we just leave," Daisy suggests.

"Grab everything you need, we'll meet in the hanger in five," Bobbi says, before heading out of the room.

A few minutes later Daisy, Wanda, Bobbi, Valkyrie, Hope and Sharon have all grabbed everything they need, and the six of them along with Simmons are standing outside the Quinjet they are going to 'borrow'. Due to basically everyone else being up in the office they weren't questioned by anyone as they got what they needed, something which they were thankful for.

"We'll figure out our exact plan as we go," Bobbi says ot the others. "But we should really get going now," Bobbi says, as she knows that they will want to get the serum and get it back to Natasha as soon as possible.

"I'll let you know if anything changes," Simmons promises, and as she does the group of time travels hear footsteps as Fury walks up to them.

"Where are you lot going?" Fury asks, as he looks between the group, having noticed that they were up to something when he was watching Natasha, Melinda, and Carol.

"The Guest House," Sharon answers. "For Nat," she explains.

"Go," Fury says, without hesitation, as he realises what that means.

As soon as Fury speaks Wanda, Bobbi, Sharon, Hope and Valkyrie head onto the plane. As they go Daisy kisses Jemma goodbye before joining the others on the plane. A couple of minutes later the quinjet is flying into the air as Simmons and Fury watch it go, both feeling hopeful despite everything.

A while after the others left Simmons is sitting alone in the bunk that in her past she once shared with Fitz when suddenly she gets an alert from the medical area. The second she gets the alert she goes running, wanting to get to the medical area as fast as possible.