Emily gently caresses her daughter's hair, planting the smallest kiss on her forehead. She moves on to her son. He's dead asleep, looking more peaceful than ever. She laughs softly to herself. Steve? That's the best he could think of. She adjusts his bedsheets and he curls up into them.

She closes the door softly behind her, going down the steps of the staircase.

Wanda, Clint, Bucky, Strange, and Rick are waiting for her by the time she makes it down. Emily glances at them curiously, "Hi? What's going on? I only invited Clint but you're all welcome I guess."

Strange speaks first, his voice deadly serious. "It took me a while to figure out what you did."

Emily squints at him, moving over to the kitchen, "Who wants tea?  I have lavender, jasmine, passion-"

"You created a new timeline. One where Tony didn't die from the Snap."

Emily keeps her back turned to them, "And? Everything's fine."

This time, it's Wanda who speaks, "Except it's not. Whatever you did,  it's killing you. I can feel your life force draining away."

Emily takes a kettle, filling it with water, refusing to address the subject, "I think we may have chamomile. "

"Kid, this is serious."

She finally turns around at the sound of Bucky's voice. "I'm not a kid anymore."

"Banner, what did you do?" Strange presses. "What kind of deal did you make? A life for a life?"

Emily sighs, "Not exactly. My power was developing at an exponential rate. I was absorbing so much gamma and I would... 'detonate'. That's what happens when power grows beyond mortal means."

"So you sped that time up in exchange for Stark?"

"More like I gained an infinite more amount of power and stuffed it into this body. A cosmic entity can't survive in the mortal realm. Technically, I'm apart of the universe now." She laughs bitterly, hot tears rolling down her face. "A long way from an assassin, right?"

Wanda wraps her arms around her, embracing Emily in a warm hug. "You idiot."

"I couldn't let anyone else die. Not after Nat. I couldn't lose anyone else." She breaks away from the hug, turning to Clint. "Barton... you know why you're here."

He shakes his head slowly,  "You can't ask me to do that."

"I'm sorry. But I am and I'm asking all of you to keep my secret. You need to help everyone move on. Everything's already arranged but-"

"So that's it? We don't get a say?" Rick asks in protest. Something eternally unsaid passes between them. She cups his cheek gently, placing a small kiss on it. Rick slumps in her arms and she lays him down on the couch. "I'm sorry but I don't want to force him to lie to our children. I can't extend you all the same mercy. My death will be accidental. There won't be anything to avenge.

Clint laughs bitterly, "So I'm what? Your suicide assistant? I'm not doing it. How do you expect me to-"

"You promised. I'm not like you all now. I have more power than all of you combined. If I were to stay here even for a week longer, it'd be just like when I was pregnant but a thousand times worse. Entire cities could be wiped out not just a bar full of criminals. Clint," she pauses for a beat, looking into his eyes. "You stopped me then. Stop me now."

Clint doesn't reply, tearing his eyes away.

Emily releases a wave of blinding light, transporting them all to a clearing in the woods. Moonlight is flooding down at that one spot, illuminating the eery area. She hands Clint his bow and an iridescent green arrow with a soft smile on her face, "It's okay."

Clint throws them on the ground, "She's already dead because of me. I can't kill you too." 

Bucky picks up the discarded weapon. Looking at this girl. His sister in everything but blood. His only family for the longest time. He always did his best to protect her. "This is the only way?"

"It is." She bites her lip, stopping herself from saying anything more. She can't let him feel guilty. He has to do this but.......she doesn't want to die.

Of course, it ends this way. There were so many times she wanted it to happen and now that she has everything to lose- she's not dying. She has to remember that. Even if leaving everyone will feel like dying. She'll still watch them. She'll still love them.

Her family. Her friends. Everyone who loves her.

Her dad. They barely got any time together. He'll never see her again and she'll be watching him grieve for his only daughter.

Bucky nocks the arrow, aiming at her chest. It'll be quick. All she'll feel is the pang that is felt before heartbreak. "Are you sure about this?"

Emily nods, trying not to make it any worse for him. "Don't you dare blame yourself. And be a good example for Jaime Rebecca. I didn't name her after you so she could turn out to be a punk."

Clint holds Wanda into his chest, giving a small nod of respect to Emily. Even Strange looks away. !4 billion futures and he never saw this coming. He certainly didn't think it would hurt this much.

Death takes the twenty-three-year-old's hand. Emily glances at her. It's not Natasha, she knows that. But seeing her face brings the smallest smile out.

Jaime Rebecca and Harley. Her kids. They'll be okay. She knows they will. Half the universe will have their backs.

She thinks back to their sleeping faces. They looked so peaceful. Will she look that peaceful when it's over?

She smiles at Bucky, a waterfall of tears down her face. He does his best to hide his own tears, failing terribly.

Isn't this funny? This is it. All the times I would've died and didn't. All for this. It's been good. I've had my adventures. But not alone? Wasn't there... someone else? No- I wasn't alone. There was someone else. A boy. How could I forget? I loved him. I loved him so much. He was perfect in every sense. Her engineer. Harl-

Emily's body falls to the ground with a deafening thud.

At the beginning of the universe, there was nothing.
Only an abyss.

Then an explosion.
A furious light that hurtled out.

A light filled with so much love for life that it created life.

Worlds that are alike and impossibly different.

The light of a mother, daughter, and hero.

The Universe requires balance. When there is one there must be another.

The newest member of the Universe's exclusive club erased a reality where a life ended.

A deletion must have a creation.

As one story ends another must open.

A new universe, like the one you know but so unbelievably different.

On a different earth. 

At a different time.

⁰E A R T H  {1 2 0 7}

His heart was pounding against his chest.

A man, scrawny and tall, races through the abandoned factory. His face is red as he frantically looks around for a hiding place.

The sound of heels hitting the concrete ground resounds through the building, sending shivers down the man's spines. He scrambles behind a large empty vat. He clings to it, trying to quiet his breathing. His throat burns with every breath he takes.

The sound of heels echoes throughout the space as it gets closer. A voice just as loud and cold calls out, "Oh come on! Just come out. We'll talk."

The man presses himself against the tank, praying silently in his head.

"Fine. Your choice."

The sound of clacking heels moves down the hall. He leans against the container, letting out a sigh of relief. He glances around the vat, finding a clear path. He pokes his head out, looking both ways before fully stepping out.

The ground underneath him begins to shake. He tries his best to balance himself, staggering to the ground. Pieces of the ceiling break off, hitting him on the head. He scrambles away to beneath the stairs, looking up in time to see a rafter falling down on top of him.

Outside the recently collapsed structure stands a tan teenage girl, dressed in stylish boots that would make a unique clacking sound against the floor and a boy standing next to her in a suit. He adjusts his cuff links, "Was it really necessary to bring down the whole place?"

"I gave him a choice. He chose death," she remarks, spinning on her heel."Come on, Vasquez, I've got a party to get ready for."   

"Yes, ma'am." He dutifully opens the door of a sleek black car with a gold trim. The girl slides into the car, looking out the window as the door shuts.

Danna Paola

As

The Technician

♛

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