14 Chapter Fourteen

The incident of New York 2012 was something Riss didn't get to experience in real life. It was before her mom had died. Actually, it was what killed her mom. It wasn't always just Fury, Maria and Coulson. There had been four originally. But when the God of Mischief decided to pay a visit, they were left with two.

Candace Rogers. The second person Steve had failed to save, next to Sergeant James Buchanan Barnes.

She was quickly snapped back into reality by her dad's voice. She hadn't thought about this, Steve hadn't either. The complications that this date would actually lead to could easily influence the both of them.

"All right. We all have our assignments. Two stones uptown, one stone down. Stay low. Keep an eye on the clock."

A loud thud got all of their attention, followed by a groaning sound. We all turned to see 2012 Hulk smash a guy into the ground with a car.

"Maybe smash a few things along the way." Steve adds.

"I think it's gratuitous, but whatever." Bryce replies, ripping his shirt off. He walked out, roaring softly. He made a fist, hitting the top of a taxi. Carissa raises her eyebrows when he picks up a motorcycle to throw it. Then, they spilt up.

"Stick with Tony." Were the orders she had received from Steve. So, she stuck with Tony.

"Try to keep up, Princess Peach." Tony whispers. He flew up the 2012 Avengers Tower. She decided to web her way up there. Wasn't exactly easy, but she managed. She wasn't sticky like Peter, which was good because that's gross.

"Better hustle, Cap. Things look like they're just about wrapped up here." Tony says into the earpiece.

"Got it." Steve replies. "I'm approaching the elevator now."

Tony slowly flies into the room. Riss quietly places her feet down on the floor, sneaking behind him.

2012 Loki's voice echoed through to them. Carissa stopped breathing momentarily. "If it's all the same to you...I'll have that drink now."

2012 Tony replied. "All right, get him on his feet. We can all stand around posing up a storm later."

"Man, you were an asshole." Riss whispers.

2012 Tony continued. "By the way, feel free to clean up."

Tony scoffs. "Mr. Rogers, I almost forgot that that suit did nothing for your ass."

"No one asked you to look, Tony." Steve replies through the earpiece.

"No need to ask. He's way ahead of you, apparently." Riss tells her dad.

"It's ridiculous." Tony continues.

"I think you look great, Cap." Scott adds. "As far as I'm concerned, that's America's ass."

"Suck up." Riss replies. "I told you, dad."

"Who gets the, uh, magic wand?" 2012 Natasha asked.

"S. T. R. I. K. E. team's coming to secure it." The 2012 version of Steve replied. It was weird. She didn't remember her dad being so...uptight. She knew he was, but she didn't see much of him growing up. Now that she thought about it, she wasn't sure of her parents' marital state. I mean her mom had her dad's last name but she couldn't remember them being the picture-perfect happy family.

The beeping of the elevator was telling them we needed to fucking move and we needed to do it ASAP. Tony pulls at Riss, sucking her out of the rabbit hole she had just entered. She made a mental note to ask her dad later.

She follows Tony, who hides behind the post that had previously been behind them. She couldn't believe the genius actually hid them behind a pillar in the room.

"Rumlow." Riss whispers. She was growing overwhelmed. Between her own anxiety and Tony's, she began to hyperventilate slightly.

Tony snapped in her face. "Hey. Hey, I need you to focus on the mission, Peach, okay?"

She nods. Her mouth felt dry. Sitwell walked up to Tash. This was really fucking weird. She didn't like the wave of emotion rushing toward her. It was that sickening feeling you get while watching a horror movie. Riss was watching a horror movie. She knew how it ended, but she still jumped. 

"We can take that off your hands." He said to 2012 Nat.

"By all means." She responded. "Careful with that thing." She warned.

"God, we were stupid." Riss whispers to Tony.

"Who are these guys?" Scott asks.

"They are S. H. I. E. L. D." Tony replies. "Well, actually Hydra, but we didn't know that yet."

"Not until years later." Riss adds. "Rumlow tried to kill me and my dad. Broke my arm."

"Seriously? You didn't figure it out until years later? I mean, they look like bad guys." Scott says.

"Sometimes so does Rhodey but you don't see us kicking him out." Riss replies.

"You're small, but you're talking loud." Tony told Scott.

"That's what he says when you say something he doesn't like." Carissa whispers to Scott.

"Shut it, Peach." Tony says.

"I like the new nickname." She tells him. He frowns slightly at her, remembering how the nickname came to be. He didn't know why all of a sudden that was all he wanted to call her, but it was. 

2012 version of Steve started talking. "On my way down to coordinate search and rescue. Is Candace here yet?"

Riss flinches at the mention of her name. She knew this would be an issue.

"Mom." She whispers. Tears gather in the girl's eyes. Tony sighs. He hated seeing her cry.

"Carissa, no look at me." Tony says. "Focus, Princess."

"I mean, honestly, how do you keep your food down?" 2012 Loki asked when he'd switched back from mimicking Steve, earning him a muzzle from 2012 Thor.

Carissa closes her eyes at the sound of his voice. She couldn't take it.

"All right, you're up little buddy. There's our stone." Tony says.

"All right." Scott replies. "Flick me."

Tony flicks him, landing him in the case, climbing up Rumlow. Tony taps on Carissa's shoulder before making his way to the window. She follows close behind, watching as he jumps out of the window. She takes on last glance at her dad and Loki. Part of her wanted to warn him, but she knew it didn't matter now.

"Fantastic." She mumbles to herself before jumping out behind him.

She swings around the building using her webs, following Tony.

"All right, Cap, I got our scepter in the elevator just passing the 80th floor." Tony says into the earpiece.

"80th?" She asks. "Holy shit."

"On it." Steve replies. "Head to the lobby. And give Riss a chance to keep up with you."

"All right, I'll see you there. And no promises." Tony replies.

"Dick." Riss mumbles. She suppressed the tears and the heartache. They had a job to get done. Tony was glad she wasn't crying anymore, but he knew she was hurting. He didn't need any special abilities to know that.

They get to the lobby, Tony heading straight back to a closet. He goes in and comes right back out, handing Riss a security suit and they suit up.

"Blend in." He says.

"I spent my whole life trailing with Natasha. I can blend in, Tony. Can you?" She asks, slipping the mask over her face. They stood at the front counter as the 2012 Avengers walked behind them.

"Thumbelina, do you copy? I've got eyes on the prize." Tony says to Scott. "It is go time."

"Bombs away." He replies. "Is that Axe Body Spray?" He asks a few seconds later.

"Yeah, I had a can in the desk for emergencies. Relax." Tony replies. "Can we focus, please?"

"I'm going inside you...now." Scott announces.

"Really?" Riss asks. "Tony, this fucking mask is pulling my hair."

"I need your hair put away, last thing I need is Rumlow seeing it and getting a hard-on." He tells her before addressing Scott. "Move it, Stuart Little. Things are getting dicey out here. Let's go."

"Promise me you won't die?" Scott asks.

"We're only giving me a mild cardiac dysrhythmia." Tony replies.

"That doesn't sound mild." Scott argues.

"I agree, it doesn't." Carissa says. "But, move your ass, Scott."

"Do it, Lang!" Tony demands. "Window's closing. Pull my pin."

"Scott..." Riss tries.

"Here goes." He says. 2012 Tony gasps, grabbing at his chest. He goes down, hitting the floor abruptly.

Peirce yells for a medic and my Tony repeats. Carissa can't help but smirk.

"Medic! Give these guys some help." It was almost comical to hear her present Tony calling a medic for his past self.

Scott takes the opportunity to slide the case towards the two and Tony grabs it. They walk away but not without gaining the attention of 2012 Loki. Riss notices, but didn't much care. She refused to worry about him now. He was chained up, what was he gonna do? Turn into a snake?

"Good job. Meet me in the alley. I'm gonna grab a quick slice." Tony says, walking up to the door. Carissa trails closely behind him.

The door busts open, sending both of them flying as well as the case. The case opens, sending the Tesseract flying.

2012 Loki grabs it, disappearing. Riss peels herself off the floor. Her hair's fallen out of the mask and her ribs ached. Fucking ribs. 

"Shit. Tony. Tony! Get up." Carissa panics, pulling at Tony. He sits up, ripping the mask off. She does the same.

"That wasn't supposed to happen was it?" Scott asks.

"Oh, we blew it." Tony replies.

"Fuck." The girl mumbles.

Riss gets Tony up and they make their way out to the alley. He opens a car door, telling her to sit.

"Can I ask you something?" She asks him. Now wasn't the time, but she had to know. She had a few questions piling up and she deeply feared forgetting them.

He turns to her. "What?"

"Why Princess Peach?" She asks.

He sighs. "Peter forced me to play Mario Kart with him once. He picked Princess Peach. When I asked him why he told me because she looked like you. I didn't remember that until Morgan made me sit and play it with her."

Riss nods and sniffles before replying. "I was afraid you'd say something like that." The girl chokes out. "Peter changed my contact name to Peach." She admits to Tony. "I told him he looked a lot like Mario."

Tony smiles. "He told me about that." He places a hand on her shoulder. "We're gonna a get him back. Both of them."

Riss nods. Steve scrambles out before she can reply. They were in trouble. Riss braced herself.

Tony looks over to him. "Cap." He calls. "Sorry, buddy, we got a problem."

"Yeah, we do." Scott adds.

Tony explains, which doesn't bring up the best reaction out of Steve.

"Well, what are we gonna do now?" He asks.

"You know what? Give me a break, Steve. I just got hit in the head with the Hulk." Tony says.

"We." Riss corrects.

"You said that we had one shot." Scott says.

"We did." She replies.

"This was our shot." Scott continues.

"We know, Scott." She replies.

"We shot it. It's shot. Six stones or nothing." He continues.

"I'm gonna web your fucking mouth shut." Carissa threatened.

"You're repeating yourself; you know that?" Tony asks. "You're repeating yourself."

"You're repeating yourself. You're repeating yourself." Scott replies.

"Dude. Come on." Tony says.

"No. You never wanted a time heist. You weren't on board with a time heist." Scott says.

"He has the most to fucking lose." She defends.

"I dropped the ball." Tony says.

"You ruined the time heist." Scott says.

"Actually, 2012 Hulk ruined the damn time heist." She argues. "If you would've pulled the pin faster it wouldn't have happened."

"Is that what I did?" Tony asks.

"Yeah." Scott says.

"Dad." Riss attempts to get him to intervene.

"Are there any other options with the Tesseract?" Steve asks.

"No, no, no, there's no other options." Scott answers.

"Yes, there are." Riss argues. "Pym Particles were made in a lab, dad. A S.H.E.I.L.D. lab."

"She's onto something." Tony agrees. "Military installation. Garden State."

"When we're they both there?" Steve asks.

"They were there at a time, I have a vaguely exact idea." Tony answers.

"How vague?" Steve asks.

"What are you talking about?" Scott asks. "Where are we going?"

"Shut up, Lang." Carissa begged.

"I know for a fact they were there." Tony says.

"Who's they? What are we doing?" Scott asks.

"And I know how I know." Tony finishes.

"Guys, what is it?" Scott asks.

"Looks like we're improvising." Steve says.

"Great." Tony agrees.

"What are we improvising?" Scott asks.

Steve hands Scott the Magic Wand Natasha had earlier, telling him to take it back to the compound.

"Peach, go home." Tony told her.

"Dad..." Riss tried.

"Now." Steve told the girl. "Scott, it's time."

Scott nodded. Apparently, there was some secret code against her. She sifted through Scott's head to find the moment they made that plan. 

"And when we tell you to take her home, don't question it. She needs someone else to pull her out." It had been Tony, not Steve, to give the order. She frowns to herself.

Steve and Tony synced up, heading to New Jersey. Scott turned to the girl. "Ready?" He asked.

She shakes her head. "Don't have an option. Do you know why you were given the order?"

Scott shakes his head at her. "We have to go." He replies. 

She told him anyway. "My mom dies today. If the mission took too long, it was your job to take me home. In case..."

In case I got a hero complex.

They hit the button, sending us home. She instantly regrets it.

She had a chance, but she gave it up. She could've seen her, saved her.

But changing the past doesn't change the future. Carissa sank to her knees on the platform as her sobs engulfed her.

word count: 2328