Across the Universe

Agents scattered across Central Park in every direction. The perimeter had been kept throughout and after the attack. While there were no civilian casualties during the incident there had been quite a bit of substantial architectural damage in the buildings surrounding the area. It was nothing that couldn’t be repaired. There were no collapses, no gas leaks and electricity had been restored everywhere but the park itself. Media reports claimed there had been an explosion in a gas line about a half mile in. They had sent teams in to try and close the leak and evacuated the premises but had been too late.

It was a good story, even Scarlett could admit that. She doubted anyone would question it for even a second. Wasn’t it the same story they’d told when Scarlett and Steve had gone to investigate the phenomenon in Pennsylvania? Scarlett couldn’t keep track of everyone else’s lies anymore. Hell, she could barely keep track of her own. She wondered how many conspiracy theorists out there would have caught sight of Iron Man in the area. Had anyone seen any of the familiar and popularized heroes? Even if anyone had, no one would believe them.

Before Scarlett and the others would be free to clear the park the teams dispatched by Maria Hill would arrive. It was a cleanup crew, Scarlett recognized them well enough. Mickey greeted vans that pulled up to 5^th Avenue and led them toward the crater in the park. Along the way several agents stopped to set up a more proper perimeter. Minus the giant hole left behind by the demon there would be no sign of what happened.

No one would know about the little girl who gave everything to stop it.

Then again, it was the little girl who had given the creature the chance to come after them in the first place. Still, the media, the world, wouldn’t know anything about that. Caitlyn would simply be a missing person for eternity. The only people who knew the truth would be those who worked for S.H.I.E.L.D.

Scarlett sat on a park bench, dedicated in honor of some deceased person or something. She hadn’t looked, she hadn’t cared. It wouldn’t matter. Bruce was speaking to Mitchell in the distance and they both seemed overly enthusiastic about something or other. Scarlett couldn’t imagine being enthusiastic about anything right now. Half the team had been sent on their way. Some had gone to get medical treatment. Others had disappeared and Scarlett hadn’t asked where to. She didn’t care.

Mickey was still working despite it all but even from this distance, Scarlett could see she’d been affected. They all had in a way. Something heavy hung in the air and it wasn’t caused by any portal.

They’d failed. It was more than just failure, it was complete, utter failure.

As far as Scarlett was concerned they hadn’t helped Caitlyn, not even a little. What would it take to get rid of this feeling? Wasn’t being a ‘good guy’ supposed to feel less terrible than this? It’d been nothing but a downer so far.

Mickey stopped near the crater and crouched over in the distance. Scarlett wondered what they would do about the mess left behind. Would they refill the crater? Cover it up with fresh sod? Plant new trees? Cultivate new flowers? Maybe place some nameless memorial to a little girl no one knew and no one loved? Scarlett had to stop watching the carnage unfold in front of her. This was the worst part by far, Scarlett thought. Watching someone’s story get covered up, watching it disappear like nothing happened at all. Something had happened. It was significant. It shouldn’t have been forgotten.

Clearing her throat Scarlett got off of the bench and rolled her shoulders to try and stretch out the tension built up in them. She was a complete mess, at least physically. Likely she would have to call the doctor to get him to stitch her wound back up and make sure she hadn’t torn any muscles in the fight. She had pushed her arm to its physical limit and then some. Oops. Good thing she wasn’t left handed.

A crack of blue light in front of her made her jump backwards. The glow expanded and Mitchell leapt through it and landed in front of her gracefully.

“Guess what.”

“You’re all better.” Scarlett couldn’t help but laugh though her heart was racing in her throat. The joke was a little lost on her, but it was nice of Mitchell to try. “Portal problems gone?”

“For the most part. I can leave when I’m ready to.”

“Just like that, huh?”

“Yes, just like that. I was speaking with Dr. Banner and he said that since the anomaly no longer exists there won’t be any further radioactive interference. We tested it out and even the exposure inside of the barrier wasn’t enough to mute my power anymore. He said I might feel a little sick and out of it for awhile but… I feel pretty good.” Mitchell pushed her hands into the pockets of her brown coat and offered a smile. “I’m guessing that you will all probably feel much worse than I will in the long run.”

“Yeah, radiation and all that. But if the levels had really been off the charts then I doubt Bruce would have let us ever run through it in the first place. I’m confident it won’t cause us too many issues in the long run.”

“He seems like a pretty decent guy.” Mitchell nodded.

“He is. You’d be surprised how many people working for S.H.I.E.L.D. are pretty decent.”

Silence fell between them, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. Neither one of them really knew what to say to the other. They’d worked together pretty well and Scarlett had to admit it would be weird that the woman wouldn’t be hanging around much longer. She’d sorta grown comfortable having her around. In a way they’d understood each other. Maybe they’d both felt out of place around everyone else.

“So, I guess you’ll be on your way soon then.” Scarlett broke the silence. She wasn’t sure how much longer she could stick around in Central Park.

“I’m going to stick around for a little while longer. I hear there’s some pretty good food around here. But then, yeah, I’m going to head out. I think I’ve had my fill of this world for a little while.”

“Well, I guess it was nice seeing you. What are the odds you’ll get tossed back here again?” Scarlett wasn’t sure quite how to say goodbye. It wasn’t like they’d had much time to bond or anything. Somehow it still felt sad for them both. Mitchell had been a good partner in crime. If she’d shown up five years earlier they could have gotten into some real trouble together and it would have been much more fun.

“Pretty slim to nothing, at least accidentally.” Mitchell laughed but then cleared her throat. “I wanted to say something before I went.”

“Go for it.”

“You were right.”

“Oh, I like hearing that.” Scarlett chuckled and glanced over her shoulder in search of Tony. He should have heard that, maybe it’d stick into his head a little bit. Scarlett was frequently right, at least recently. “I was a little wrong though.”

“We would’ve gotten this done by ourselves if we had bailed on your… S.H.I.E.L.D.”

“I know.”

“But we would have had to deal with another enemy. The enemy of my enemy is my friend, right? Some ancient proverb, I hear.” Mitchell smiled knowingly. It felt odd to be out of the woods. They both felt as though the whole thing hadn’t really ended; that they were still trapped in some demonic dream world in search of Caitlyn. But Caitlyn would never be found. She had been lost in the fray.

The fight had ended so abruptly they felt there was still more to do away with. There wasn’t. Neither woman was good at being out of control.

“Yeah, it was much simpler to work with S.H.I.E.L.D. than it was to work against them. We could have done it but it would’ve taken much longer and… besides we had the same goal in mind.” Scarlett nodded and Mitchell did the same. Neither woman said it but they knew that the goal had become a little different and conflicted by the end. It became more about saving Caitlyn’s life rather than trying to get away from their world, at least for Mitchell. She wouldn’t admit it out loud but it had been hard to watch it all come to an end. When Steve had forcibly removed Scarlett from the scene, Mitchell had been half tempted to intervene and do it herself.

Caitlyn had made her own choice and Mitchell had to respect it. No matter how wrong the results had felt.

“There’s nothing holding me here anymore.”

“I could invite you to dinner or something. You didn’t really get to see much of the good things about our world.” Scarlett nodded to the area around her. Central Park really was beautiful when they weren’t fighting evil demon creatures in it. The thunderstorm had finally calmed down but had left the sky dark and overcast. Chilled air roared past them and the temperature had corrected itself. Nature had done everything in its power to reverse the damage done by the creature that traveled between worlds.

It felt like it was even cold enough to snow.

New York’s first snow of the season would fall that night.

“I should get going. When I come back I’ll take you up on that offer.” Mitchell smiled. “I think it would be nice at some point to spend some time here without all the chaos.”

“Yeah, when you don’t have to break me out of a prison cell.”

“That was fun though.”

“A little nauseating, but sure, fun.” Scarlett shook her head with a smile.

“It was nice working with you.”

“I won’t keep you any longer. Have a safe trip wherever you end up.” They exchanged nods and silent goodbyes. Turning away, Scarlett started toward 5^th Avenue where she knew a car would be waiting to take her back to S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters. The jet had long since gone without them and Scarlett was grateful.

Scarlett felt a little rude bailing and turning away. It wasn’t that, it was that she didn’t want to watch anyone else disappear.

“Scarlett?”

“Yeah.” She turned again to face the half fox demon.

“I know you played me when we first met.”

“Did I?”

“I let you.” Mitchell half smiled. “Thank you for helping me. You didn’t have to do that. They would have caught me and taken me in. You played them as much as you played me.”

“No, no. Thank you for not making it more painful.” Scarlett sighed softly. “You were helpful. Without you back in that fight I wouldn’t have found time to get to Caitlyn. We wouldn’t have fixed the trap… you were detrimental to the cause. I knew you would be more help outside of a cell than pursued by S.H.I.E.L.D.”

“I was only helpful because you forced me to be a part of a team.” Mitchell cocked a curious eyebrow. Scarlett was unsure if that was an insult or a compliment but always chose compliment when it was between the two. “I won’t forget what you did for me.”

“And I won’t forget that somewhere there was a world where fox demons were a thing at some point. Even if you are the last one.” Scarlett couldn’t help but crack a joke. She was uncomfortable with goodbyes and had never really bothered with them on most occasions. She’d been hoping to avoid it.

“I’ll see you soon.”

“Promise?”

“I promise.” Tempted to exchange hugs, neither woman did. Instead they nodded in understanding. Then, just like that, Mitchell was gone. Her blue glow had enveloped her and then disappeared until there was no sign of her remaining. Scarlett had chosen to watch her go. It was the least she could do. At least they hadn’t actually said goodbye.

The cold air made Scarlett’s shoulder throb and ache, worse than it had been. It reminded her that she should probably see a doctor, like she had assured Natasha she would. For someone who had once gotten her into far more trouble than this, Natasha was sure becoming a mother hen. It was almost like the Black Widow had a guilty conscience when it came to Scarlett. She’d have to investigate that school of thought more another day.

“Miss Damien?” Steve broke her train of thought. For once she was grateful for that. Her thoughts were nothing but depressing right now. Scarlett surprised to find him standing in front of her, mildly concerned that she hadn’t acknowledged him before he’d spoken. “Are you alright? You didn’t seem all there for a minute.”

“Yep, just zoned out I guess.”

“Doesn’t seem like you to do that.”

“Oh, so now you know me so well, do you?” Scarlett scoffed.

“I know you well enough to make a guess.”

“Rogers, give it some more time before you take educated guesses.” Scarlett smiled a little bit and Steve did as well.

“It’s all over now. This anomaly should stop.”

“It is… and it will.”

“I can’t say I feel very good about how it ended.”

“You and me both, Captain Rogers.” It was easy to see the guilt written on Steve. He was an open book.

“You can call me Steve, you know.”

“And you can call me Scarlett and yet you insist on the Miss Damien thing. You know, I once had this woman call me that and it quickly became a nasty insult…”

“Alright, alright… Scarlett it is. But you’ll call me Steve.” Steve held up his hand in objection but then his smile faded. “I wanted to apologize about what happened back there.”

“What do you mean?” As far as she was concerned he hadn’t done anything worthy of an apology.

“For pulling you back. I forced you to do something you didn’t want to do. However, I promised to keep you safe and I was simply keeping that promise.” Steve straightened his back and both apologized for his actions and also stood by them.

“You’re a strange man, Steve.”

“You don’t know the half of it.”

“Strange but also good. There’s no need for you to apologize. You didn’t do anything wrong.”

“There isn’t? I didn’t? Stark said you were beyond upset.” Steve scowled.

“Didn’t I tell you to stop believing him? He loves to pull your chain.”

“I suppose but I figured if anyone would know when you were angry it would be the man on the receiving end of that wrath most recently.”

“That’s almost a good assumption.” Scarlett clicked her tongue in disapproval. “Look I was wrong. I had to get out of there. It was a stupid risk with no reward. Caitlyn wasn’t coming out of there alive. To be honest I went in there with every intention of putting one between her eyes. I couldn’t do it.”

“What?” Steve blanched.

“I knew that thing was too attached to her. I wanted to save her. I thought maybe if she could overpower him and free herself we’d stand a chance. Deep down she knew what I was there to do. I was there to save her one way or another. Either I’d free her from the monster or I’d free her entirely.” Steve was awestruck by Scarlett’s revelation. “Do you remember when we first met?”

“Yeah, when we were trapped in that collapsing building with those kids. We were a good team.”

“It was a little like that. Those kids knew I was there to protect them but they also knew there was a chance that not even I could save them. Caitlyn was that way.” Scarlett hated to think about it but knew it was true. Maybe there was something maternal within her after all that she wasn’t aware of. How many kids had she saved in the last few months? Not on purpose either! They’d clung to her and trusted her without so much as an ounce of hesitation. When Jinx had predicted that she’d be having a litter of kids at some point she’d thought the notion was ridiculous. Maybe it wasn’t so ridiculous after all. There was no chance of her saying any of that out loud to anybody.

“You think she chose to save you instead.” Steve felt a chill rush over him. Was that true? Caitlyn had definitely chosen to save all of humanity but had the girl been so insightful that she had known that if they had triggered that trap it could have killed anyone within the electronic barrier? Had she known Scarlett was risking life and limb to continue pushing her toward freedom?

“I think she knew she was in too deep from the beginning. There was no way out except for one. She didn’t ask me to shoot her. She chose to make sure the portal closed and collapsed on top of them both. Now that thing isn’t going to do anyone harm in any world.”

“That’s pretty profound.”

“I’ve been known to think too much these days.”

“It’s a good thought though.” Steve reassured her. It was oddly comforting.

“It’s better than thinking we failed her.”

“We didn’t fail. That little girl knew who she was by the end and she knew she had a family. She saw strangers nearly die in battle to save her. That’s love. She felt it by the end.” Both heroes sat silent for a moment before continuing.

“You don’t have to after school special me, Steve.” Scarlett chuckled and Steve joined her.

“Sorry. I’ve been told I do that.”

“Probably by Tony on many occasions.”

“It’s less polite when he does it.”

“There’s not a doubt in my mind about that.” Scarlett nodded toward the street. “Let’s get back to S.H.I.E.L.D.”

“After you, Scarlett.” Steve nodded. “Are you going to get that shoulder looked at?”

“You’re all obsessed with me getting taken care of. God, go find some orphans to coddle or something.” The two joked on the way to the car and the rest of the ride to S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters. At least something good had come of Caitlyn’s ordeal. Steve and Scarlett had gone from being unable to stand each other, to manipulating each other, to being halfway decent partners.