An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Quaerite et Invenite (seek and ye shall find)
Chapter 1/8: Devastation
It’s the end of the world, but the Captain is not done.
He takes one moment, there beside Vision’s body, then he stands. He takes stock of the grieving around him. Romanoff. Rhodes. Banner. Okoye. The survivors bear no significant injuries that he can see. Nearby, the raccoon is weeping. The Captain reaches down, grasps a paw, pulls him to his feet. No one quits today.
Thor is shaking, slow. Banner and Romanoff. Okoye receives a summons on her wrist. Back to the Palace. The Captain nods. They walk. They are slow. The battlefield is wide. Empty.
They go to Shuri, her head bandaged. Wakanda has their leader. The Captain wonders how much she will hate the job. The Queen’s grief is compressed, flashes diamond-bright, but she is busy trespassing, invading, saving what’s left of the world. Romanoff and Banner sit Thor in a chair and step up, fingers tapping, minds assessing. Half the world’s population has vanished, Shuri says, but the Captain has no time. Crises bloom faster than despair. Thor’s not speaking.
Across a wide world, planes seek guidance; missiles seek targets; the people need help. Bring in FRIDAY, the Captain orders. The AI is already busy, has already averted the worst she could reach. Together, the team makes a pattern. Find problem; ease problem. The Captain speaks. Dozens, hundreds, thousands.
Hours.
Days.
The problems ease. Sleep, orders the Queen. The Captain lies where they put him, stares at the ceiling until they get him. More team. Thor’s not eating. The Captain speaks, and problems ease. His throat bleeds, but the serum. Problems ease. He stares, where they put him. They get him. He speaks.
FRIDAY speaks. Approach, space. Alert. The Queen stands firm, demands. Response. The Captain listens. The ship is damaged, injuries, problems. The Captain hears. The team hears. The Queen hears. Bad joke. Inappropriate. The Captain sighs. The team cheers. The Captain leaves the room. The team leaves the room. The team goes to the ship. The Captain goes to the room, to the place he stares at the ceiling.
Six days after the world ends, Steve Rogers begins to cry.
[Read More over at ao3]