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New Avengers Tower. Winter. After what happened at the water treatment plant in New York, the atmosphere at the team's headquarters was the worst possible.
The absolute silence in the tower was only broken by one sound: Ava Starr's incessant crying and sobbing, resounding from inside her quantum chamber. The stillness in the tower was such that her colleagues could hear her crying. But everyone understood her suffering: Ava had opened up to having someone in her life, and now she had lost another person she loved.
Bucky, Yelena, Bob, Alexei, even Valentina and Mel, were sitting on the couches in the common room between the kitchen and the bedrooms, and they barely had the courage to look at each other, listening to the suffering of their colleague. Yelena and Alexei had their eyes full of tears, Bucky felt guilty. Bill Foster was in the tower, but Ava had asked to be alone.
It was two weeks with a very heavy mood. Ava insisted on going on missions, perhaps to occupy her mind. However, all her colleagues saw was extreme violence and abuse of alcohol. Ghost no longer held back her strength: she was beating up common criminals to the point of leaving a simple shoplifter in a coma, with both knees broken.
When they located Shades, she had to be restrained by Yelena and Bucky. She beat the villain so badly that his trademark glasses were nothing more than pieces of dark lens stuck in his face. Ava showed no signs that she would get over easily, so Bill Foster appealed to Valentina to have Ava put on leave for a while. Something that she obviously did not fulfill. Ava would not rest until she caught all those responsible. Davos, Diamondback, Hammer... Everyone was going to get what they deserved, and she made it clear to her colleagues that no one was going to interfere or stand in her way.
One morning, Yelena and Bob were having tea in the kitchen. Bob hadn't been able to sleep, so he had sent a text message to Yelena to keep him company. While the two were enjoying the moment, an Ava Starr with dark circles under her eyes and blood splatters in her hair and on her costume exited the elevator, in the hallway in front of the kitchen. She addressed her colleagues, talking non-stop, without worrying about the volume of her words.
"Yelena, he wasn't there! He wasn't there!" said Ava excitedly, holding Yelena by the arms, almost shaking her colleague.
"What are you talking about, Ava?" said Yelena, confused, smelling alcohol on Ava’s breath.
"John's body! The construction workers finally cleaned up the accident site and his body was not there!" said Ava, with a smile that seemed to contrast with those tired eyes.
"Ava... I know it's not easy..." Yelena was saying, when Ava simply let go and interrupted her.
"The only bodies there were of some henchmen we had knocked out. His body was NOT THERE!" said Ava, now looking at Bob, as if expecting a bit of hope from at least one of her teammates.
Bob looked at her and gave a smile, which seemed more like a smile of pity than encouragement.
"You don't believe he could be alive," Ava said, getting angry.
“That's not it, Ava.... It's been almost three weeks..." Yelena said, as she tried to get closer to her colleague, until Ava interrupted her in a fit of fury.
"If you don't believe me, then bugger off! I don't need you dickheads," Ava said, as she threw a chair against the wall, breaking it into several pieces in a loud crash.
"Ava, please..." Bob wanted to say something better, but he didn't even have time. Ava got her phone in hands and walked through the wall without giving them a chance.
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Matt Murdock and Jessica Jones, who worked together more often after Fisk’s vigilante hunt had ended, were investigating rumors of a body sighting on the beach a few weeks ago. According to information Jessica had received from a client, a tall, blond, bearded man had disappeared, without his body being found after an incident. Now, she heard from Malcolm, her friend and informant on the streets, about a body on the beach that seemed to match the profile described. The only clue Jessica had was a statement from a person who was running on the beach, stating that he saw someone putting the body into the back of a church van.
"I think they were nuns. Those black and white suits, dragging a man into a van with something written on it, it was only possible to see a cross on the side of the van," the witness had said.
"We'll have to go one by one visiting the convents and churches in the area," Matt had said.
Jessica had rolled her eyes in protest, but wound up agreeing that was all they could do at that moment. And then they did. They visited all the places that seemed most obvious, until they had reached St. Michael congregation, a small parish that was known for having nuns doing social work for orphaned children, homeless people, and former drug users.
Matt and Jessica introduced themselves, asked questions about the man on the beach, and the nun confirmed he was in their care. The heroes then asked if it was possible to see him, and they are taken to the second floor of the building behind the church. Many children were eating in the cafeteria, some adults were rolled by on surgical roller boards, and several volunteer nurses busied themselves. The place was a portrait of how harsh winter can be for many people, especially those abandoned to their fate by society.
"Here it is, Mr. Murdock," said the nun, opening the door of one of the rooms.
Inside was a man who matched the description: blond, tall, with a beard. In addition, he had wounds all over his body, his face full of scars and cuts.
Jessica Jones asked why the nuns hadn't called the authorities.
"Miss Jones, we're so used to being ignored by the authorities. Do you have any idea how many times we are ignored for taking in addicts and the homeless?," replied the nun.
Jessica is forced to agree. Even more so knowing that now Fisk was the mayor. Matt approached the bed and asked the circumstances of the man's appearance.
"Sister Rosalinda and I were doing our daily exercise, very early. When we were on the beach, towards the lighthouse, this gentleman was there, passed out. Practically naked, only wearing a pair of torn pants and his left boot. He was bleeding and so swollen, we almost didn't know what he looked like. It took days for us to be able to see what he looked like, but we still didn't find anything missing person notices that matched his description," the nun said.
Jessica looked at the man and suddenly felt that this face was familiar, even if she couldn't remember where she knew him. Matt went to a piece of furniture and touched the remains of torn clothes that were inside a basket, on a low closet. He asked if it was the man's and got a positive answer from the nun. He touched the fabric of what appeared to be the remains of a pair of pants.
"Military fabric. But there are some details, some details like... leather. It even looks like a uniform," he says, trying to get some idea about who that man could be.
Jessica is thoughtful. "Military..." she says, and then realized the man’s identity.
"Matt. I know who he is," she said, as her colleague turned to her while she who did a quick search on her phone to confirm her theory.
"John Walker. Former Captain America. Nowadays he acts as one of the Avengers, under the codename US Agent," she said.
Matt then approached the stretcher, and touched the man's face.
"But nothing came out in the media about him. Disappearance, mission with a tragic ending, nothing," Matt said, incredulous.
"Knowing that bitch who is their boss, I'm sure it's on purpose. Possibly the disappearance of one of her heroes would not do her image any good," said Jessica.
Matt and Jessica then asked the nun to call the Avengers tower. The nun left the room to do what the heroes asked. Jessica told Matt that it was all very strange. Matt agreed, but all they could do now, was wait until the arrival of John Walker's colleagues.
"I knew I recognized him from somewhere. Don't get me wrong, I don't like this scout type very much... But this guy is hot," commented Jessica, while Matt frowned.
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Mel and Val hurried off with Bucky to the church. The information they had received was too good to be true, and they didn't want to be disappointed. They avoided talking to Ava (or the gossiper Alexei) as not to get their hopes up.
When they got there, they were amazed. John was alive! Very bruised, but stable. Bucky calculated that the cold temperature of the water and the super soldier's serum were crucial for John to withstanding all those injuries. He was unconscious, but he showed a recovery worthy of a super soldier, with the cuts closing little by little and the leg, which Bucky remembered hearing it snap, was practically healed. Valentina thanked the nuns for taking care of John, and offered a sum of money to help with their social project, only asking for a favor in return: that they not tell anyone about John and what happened in general. Jessica Jones turned to Matt and whispered "Bitch" and Matt smiled, nodding.
"Miss Jones, Mister Murdock. Thank you very much for your help. I don't know how to thank you for what you did. If you want, we can agree on a financial amount, if it is in your interest," said Valentina, who was immediately interrupted by Jessica.
"Sorry, powerful lady. But in fact, I was hired by someone else to find the handsome boy scout," said Jessica, with Val raising her eyebrows, especially for the last part of Jones' speech.
"Oh. Ok then. As you wish. Now let's find a way to get our boy back home. Oh, and please. Don't go out talking to the media about it, Mr. and Mrs. Vigilante," Valentina said, in a humorous but incredibly threatening tone.
Matt swallowed hard. Did the CIA director know he was Daredevil? Well, she certainly had the power for that . Instead of showing concern, Matt smiled. Jessica literally didn't give a damn, because everyone knew who she was after she killed Kilgrave and had the video of her doing it on national television.
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The discreet ambulance that Val had called had finally arrived at the tower with John. Matt and Jessica accompanied him up, with a team of three OXE doctors, who placed the stretcher in the elevator and went up to the highest floor of the Tower, which was where the heroes had their headquarters and the medical wing. John was placed under observation, with doctors hooking him up to machines that would monitor his condition. Matt and Jessica stood in front of the glass that was used to look at patients from the outside. Matt could hear Walker's heart even from a distance and the glass between them.
"The heartbeat is at a good pace. He will certainly recover from this," he said.
"One less pretty face in heaven," joked Jessica.
At that, the elevator dingedd and Ghost emerged with a bottle of Jack Daniels in her left hand. Jessica looked at Ava's hand before she even noticed Ava's bloody costume, tired countenance, and wide eyes. Someone should have told her that they had found John. Bill Foster washolding her by the right arm, as she seemed drunk. Ava wasn't a natural drinker, but these were very complicated days for someone who had broken down all her barriers and defenses to let love into her life, only to have it suddenly taken away from her like that.
As soon as she saw John through the glass, Ava staggered in. She went to the head of the bed, placed the bottle of whiskey on the device that monitored John's heart and brain activity. With her eyes full of tears, Ava took her glove off her right hand in a hurry, touched John's left cheek, and then gave a light kiss to his lips, still slightly swollen from everything that happened to him.
"Thank you... Thank you," she said, looking in Jessica's direction. Jessica nodded. Ava continued to caress John's face for a few minutes, interspersing small kisses on her partner's cheek. John was stable and according to doctors, it was a matter of a few days before he regained consciousness, as his brain activity had been growing at an advanced rate, which was unusual for normal people, but not for a super soldier.
"Don't ever do that to me again, Johnathan," Ava said, smiling, as she straightened John's hair.
Bill Foster held his daughter by the shoulders and hugged her, seeing her happiness. Meanwhile, outside the room, Mel walked up to Jessica Jones and asked how much they owed her for the service.
"This is going to be on the house," Jessica said, putting her hands in the pockets of her leather jacket. Mel was surprised, but decided not to question it. Matt Murdock and Jessica entered the medical ward, and exchanged a few words of support with Ava, who thanked them once again for their services. Even though she was visibly intoxicated, Ava brought her face closer to John and whispered words of affection to her boyfriend.
"I love you, John. I thought I'd never care about anyone in my life, but you were breaking down all my defenses, one by one... It wouldn't be fair to leave me after all the work you've done, you selfish prick," she whispered, smiling through tears.
Jessica and Matt decided to leave Ava and Bill to take care of John, but before they left, Jessica reached for the bottle of Whiskey.
"Really?" said Matt, incredulous at his colleague's attitude.
"What's wrong? Oh, come on, she's not even going to drink anymore now!" said Jessica. "Besides, I didn't even charge for the service," she continued.
Matt laughs and stretches his arm towards Jessica, who crosses her arm inside his, to guide him.
"I still don't understand why you always do that, if you're literally a ninja. You don't need help," says Jessica, as she walks with Matt to the elevator.
"I know. But it helps to keep up appearances. Besides, maybe I like to hang out with beautiful women," he said, laughing.
"One more of those jokes and I'm going to break your arm," Jessica said, knowing that Matt loved to tease her.
As the two left, Ava remained by John's side. Bill Foster sat in an armchair at the foot of the bed, right after he had arranged a chair for his daughter to remain seated next to her boyfriend.
Alexei, Yelena, and Bob go up to the floor of the medical ward to check on their partner. A feeling of relief hungover the once silent and long-suffering Tower of the New Avengers.