Chapter Text
In a giant room with blank white walls and a blank white floor a familiar genius tinkered on a work bench.
“Can you hand me that socket wrench?” Evie asked the figure next to her as she leaned over the bench examining the machinery in front of her. A tanned hand passed it to her wordlessly. “Thank you.” She tightened the bolts and leaned back her eyebrows raising.
“What is it?” An accented voice questioned her as they too leaned forwards.
“I… have no idea.” She shook her head grabbed the object flinging it at a far wall. Instead of breaking upon impact the wall seemingly absorbed the thing. Evie sighed and leaned her head against her hands. “Like my fucking life.” She groaned before she heard her companion chuckle.
“Your life seems like it has been fine so far, except some mishaps.” Evie hoisted herself to sit on the bench.
“Why am I here, Yinsen?” She asked looking at him. “Why are you here? Am I dead?” Yinsen took a moment to answer her question.
“That depends on how you look at things, I believe.” He answered her.
“I’ve been here for… God knows how long and… All you’ve done besides help me tinker random crap is offer riddles.” She quipped.
“Three weeks.” He supplied. She gaped.
“T-th-three weeks?! I’ve been here for three weeks?!” She grabbed her head and hopped down to begin to pace. “Oh, God. Oh, God.”
She had left everyone alone for three weeks. She couldn’t believe it, she never did that to anyone. Wait…
“What happened to me?!” She demanded staring at him with wide eyes.
“You know, remember.” Yinsen told her striding forwards and holding her shoulders. Evie thought and gasped as her memories flooded back to her. She stumbled back as a few tears escaped.
“Th-that BASTARD! How could he?! After he harped on me for secrets?!” She screeched letting her anger bleed through. “And then, he nearly took my head off!” Yinsen waited for her to calm down.
“Evie.” He told her sharply drawing her attention to her.
“I’m losing my mind. My parents… they died in the cruelest way possible, and I funded the search for their killer. What kind of a daughter am I?!” She plopped down to the floor hugging her knees to her chest. Yinsen copied her movements in remnants of their long nights in Afghanistan where they grew closer.
“Thank you, Stark.” Yinsen said as they sank to the ground after their captors had finished threating them.
“Evie.” She corrected softly.
“What?” She smiled.
“People I love, call me Evie.”
“You are not, you are a daughter who lost time with her parents.”
“Did I waste my life?” She asked quietly.
“Do you think so?”
“Sometimes, but then I think I haven’t had the chance to fully find out.”
“Do you want to?” Evie looked up. “I mean, what do you want to do? Do you want to go back?”
Evie closed her eyes. She let herself feel everything she had felt in the last four years since she had met the other Avengers. Joy, anger, grief, pain. And although the worse seemed to possibly outweigh the good she had a lot of good times outside the Avengers. Her friends, old and new. Her bots. Maybe even a second chance at something she hadn’t felt in such a long time.
“I- I want to live.” She told him. “I want to live and make a difference for other heroes, and in peoples lives. Be with my friends and family. I want to fall in love and have kids.” He raised an eyebrow and she chuckled softly. “Which you already knew. You just needed to hear me say it.” He shrugged.
“We may never know.” She grinned.
“Almost ten years, your still kind of weird.” They stood up and she hugged him. “Thanks, Yinsen.”
“You are welcome, Evie.” She opened her eyes.
“So, uh, how do I get out of here?” Yinsen pulled back and inclined his head behind her. Evie turned to see door that had not been there before. She took a deep breath and strode up to it putting her hand on the handle.
“Evie,” she turned her head, “for what it is worth, your parents are proud of you.” She nodded and turned the handle opening the door to be blinded by white light as she stepped out.
Beep
Beep
Beep
“This just in, Stark Industries has just announced they will hold a press conference on recent events tomorrow at three o’clock.”
“Is Moira prepared?” Vision asked Rhodey as they watched the announcement. Rhodey nodded.
“She is, we aren’t going to be dropping a million bombs once, so it won't be overwhelming. She showed her statement to Pepper, it was approved.”
“That is good.” The two exchanged a glance. In a way, confirming that Evie was in a coma was the first step in bringing the Exavengers to justice.
“Yeah, it is.”
“…R…Rhodey?” Came a small hoarse voice. Both heads snapped to the other bed in the room just in time to see a pair of green eyes blinking open.
“Evie!”