You can't let your anger get the best of you. If you do, he wins. This was once a simple game he played but since you all began to fight back, it had become a game of chess. Two beings with absolute power using you all as pieces in the board.

You can't fight against each other. You need each other.

You need your family.

Please.

Godspeed, my father.

Monster:
Lost Memories
-------------

You leaned against the wall while Laura hung by the door. Everyone was now back inside the command room as the rain from outside hit the building. Nadia was tending to Felicia while Robbie flipped his keys in his hand. In the middle of the room, Doreen, Viv, and Riri stood there.

Y/N: I want to know everything. If you hide something or leave something out, I'll consider it an act of treason against the Avengers.

You remembered them. You remembered that you were all once heroes. It was slowly coming back to you bit by bit. However, there were still massive blocks in your mind. Shadowed figures and events unseen. It was starting to annoy the hell out of you.

Robbie: Anyone care to start?

The girls looked over to Nadia.

Y/N: She gets an out. One of you three better start talking.

The girls looked at each other before Riri stepped forward.

Riri: I guess I should start.

The Red Room had the floor.

Riri: When I first remembered, it was a year ago. Around the same time as the others. Our leader.....

Y/N: Name them.

Riri looked at you with worried eyes. You had a low growl to your voice and you refused to even look at them.

Riri: Our leader...is Widow. She took us in one by one as we started to remember. At least, anyone who wasn't scooped up by the Pact. Only two of us know all the members. Me, and Tyrone. The others only know of one or two others.

Robbie: C'mon. Give us a list.

Riri hesitated.

Riri: Me, Tyrone, Kate, Kamala, Miles, Sam, Gwendolyn, and Danny.

They all knew?

Riri: The Red Room was founded by Widow and Reed Richards. They thought it was wrong for the Pact to hide the truth. The reason no one told you about this a year ago was because if you told someone before they had their memories back, they could collapse on themselves. That's what happened to Thor and Steve.

Thor Odinson and Steve Rogers. Both former Avengers. You remembered them but you didn't see them. They, collapsed on the themselves?

Riri: We couldn't chance it. We didn't want to loose our most powerful ally. When I found out Laura and Robbie also remembered, Widow told me to spy on you all. To make sure that the Pact didn't get to you first.

Laura: Why didn't you just tell us this before?

Riri: We didn't know if the Pact got to you. We had to make sure.

Y/N: What was there to be sure about?! Clearly we didn't know about the Pact or the Red Room!

Riri: I know! But if something happened, we would lose all three of you. We need everyone in the Program to be alive, regardless of alliance.

Nadia: She's right.

You all looked over to her as she pulled Felicia's shirt back down. She stood up and turned to you all.

Nadia: The loops always end when we all die. Not the older heroes. Us.

Laura: You did mention the loops before. What's up with that?

Nadia walked over to the table in the middle and pulled out a flash drive. She plugged it into the slot and a hologram suddenly appeared. It was a bit glitchy, but it showed a thin line.

Nadia: This is the flow of time.

It then shifted to show a circle.

Nadia: This is our time. Every loop plays out differently. The first one, we all remembered and we tried to fight back. We lost within the first hour. The fourth, we got Black Bolt's power for Y/N. We lasted two hours. The 12th loop, Felicia got the Phoenix from Jean Grey of the X-Men. She ended up being the one to kill us. Every loop ends with us all dying.

Robbie: Why?

Nadia: I don't know. Even though I remember every loop, I can't ever recall who or what put us here. Or why.

Y/N: Wait, you can remember the loops? Why can't the rest of us?

Nadia: Like I said, I don't know. Something outside the loop is making it possible for me to remember. I don't know what.

She sighed as she looked at you.

Nadia: I wish I knew more about it. I want to help. I'm also sorry I couldn't tell you all sooner. I tried in the second loop, but everyone ended up going mad and collapsed in on themselves. It was just me, and I needed to close the loop.

The loop ends, when you all die.

Laura: Honestly, I don't blame you. You also don't seemed to be alliened with these assholes so you're good in my book.

Robbie: Agreed.

You placed a hand on Nadia's shoulder.

Y/N: You wanna join us?

Nadia slowly nodded.

Nadia: I'll tell you everything I can once you get your answers. Just, please don't start a fight. We can't fight each other when there's something bigger at work.

You hesitated. You were beyond pissed. Your friends, your family betrayed you.

Y/N: I'll try.

You then turned back to Doreen and Viv.

Y/N: Your turn. The Pact.

Doreen: We're not with them anymore. We used to be, but I couldn't take the lying anymore.

Viv: We were under strict instructions to never reveal any information to others outside of the Pact. Our knowledge of who is allined with the Pact is limited.

Robbie: Doesn't matter. Tell us who you do know.

Viv: Very well. Besides me and Doreen, the members of the Pact include; Cindy Moon, Venom, Marc Spencer, Quentin Beck, Eli Bradley, Tandy Bowman, and Kitty Prym. Others were never revealed to us.

Moony and Venom were a part of this?

Y/N: My uncles?!

Nadia looked at you as you grew even more furious. She quickly grabbed your hand and gently squeezed it. You looked at her and slowly calmed down.

Robbie: If they're involved, when what about the rest of his family? Molly, his mom, his dad?

Viv: I do not have the data to answer that.

Doreen: I do.

You all turned to her as she held her tail. She slowly looked up at you with sadness in her eyes. That told you everything you needed to know.

Y/N: No...

Doreen: I'm sorry. Molly doesn't really understand it either but...

Your grip on Nadia's hand tightened a bit as you gritted your teeth. Even your own family.

Riri: Wait, Victor and Elise? They're a part of the Pact?

Laura: You seem surpsied.

Riri: I am. They're also with the Red Room!

What?

Doreen: Wait, you're saying that they're playing both sides?

Robbie and you looked at each other. Nadia tried to remember if something like this has happened, but she couldn't recall anything. Every loop had them trying to protect you. Keep you safe from everyone else.

Laura: Double agents?

Robbie: But for who? Are they actually with the Red Room or the Pact?

Y/N: Who cares? I'll find that out on my own. As for you three...

Doreen: We left because we didn't want to lie to you anymore! Marc had us acting against everyone. What I did in my dorm was his plan to make you and Felicia drift apart. The same for the other girls.

Y/N: You mean you were playing me?

Doreen: I....yes. I was. And I'll own up to it. But I really didn't want to. You have to understand that I only wanted to make sure you stayed safe. Whatever caused this, o-or whatever happened the first time, was because of something you did. And now, only you can fix it.

Riri: Yeah. Widow told us the same thing. We don't know what happened but the key to that was also with you three.

You three? You looked at Laura and Robbie who were both just as confused as you. Riri pulled out her device and plugged it into the table.

Riri: We all wanted answers. Well, here they are. The two signals.

The hologram switched again to show a message.

"We Lost"

Riri: This was the last message I had sent to it during whatever happened.

Robbie: We lost? Lost what? A fight?

Laura: A war.

Everyone looked at her as she thought to herself.

Laura: We were, in a war.

A war? That sounds....right. You had lost a war. Suddenly, you were hit with a wave of guilt and shame for something you couldn't even remember. You slowly reached your hand up to your chest.

???: I see. Then you shall die.

You moved faster than you had ever moved in your life. You were too slow. The gauntlet activated and the Stones power was finally revealed. For the second time in your life, you saw their power. The power to both create, and destory. Thanos smirked as the glove released a powerful surge of energy.

Then everything went black.

Y/N: I....failed. Everyone...died.

Everyone looked at you as tears began to roll down your face.

Y/N: Hey. I'm gonna do something. Do you trust me?

Robbie and Laura looked at each other before they nodded.

Laura: Of course.

Robbie: With every fiber of my being.

You smiled. You looked down at your hand before you closed your eyes.

Y/N: Ok. Let's do this.

Slowly, you lifted your hand into the sky, and snapped your fingers.

You created a new world. A better one. You stumbled back, letting go of Nadia's hand as Robbie and Laura slowly remembered what happened.

Laura: Oh my god....

Robbie: Everyone, died.

You hit your back against the wall and slowly slid down. Your eyes were wide as tears contiued to fall.

Y/N: I....I....I failed.

You remembered everything now. From your life on the streets to the Infinity War. The Wrecking Crew, Carnage, Taskmaster, AIM, Hydra, Thanos. Every single thing.

Riri: Then maybe you can tell me what this message is about.

She tapped the device, and the message changed.

<Come Home, Daddy>

Your eyes grew even wider when you read it.

Y/N: E-Elise. My, my daughter.
----------
???: They've been gone for some time now.

Widow: They have.

???: Do you think they found it?

Widow shrugged as she cleaned her gun.

Widow: Maybe. They're smart kids. I just hope the Pact doesn't get them.

???: Natasha...

Widow: It was a joke. Our friends from within told us that they would be safe. No Pact members are investigating the old base yet.

???: As far as they knew. I trust them, but we don't know who's acting independently anymore.

Widow: Yeah, I know. I also decided that I'm going to tell the kids everything.

???: Already? Don't you think it's too soon?

Widow: I think we should have told them sooner. I loved these kids like they were my own. We can't let ourselves make them suffer more than they already have. It isn't right.

The voice on the phone stayed silent for a moment.

???: It's your call. I'm calling it a night.

Widow: Tell Sue I said hello.

The phone call ended and Widow looked down at her pistol.

Widow: These kids deserve to know the truth.
-----------
Laura: Elise?

Everyone looked at you as you scratched your left arm.

Y/N: Elise was my daughter. She was a Godslayer.

Nadia looked at the message before it hit her. She was suddenly hit with a powerful force of memories that fug into her mind. She covered her mouth as tears started to form in her eyes.

Nadia: Elise....how could I...forget her?

Robbie and Laura looked at the message some more but they couldn't remember anyone you could be talking about. Just then, Robbie remembered something.

Robbie: The picture.

Everyone looked at him as he pulled out the photo frame you had found. He broke the glass and pulled the photo out. He looked at it for a moment before he looked confused.

Robbie: The hell?

You stood up and looked at the photo. It was all of you but you were all older. You all looked happier as you all stood beside each other. It was the Avengers. Your Avengers after you all returned to Earth with the final blessing.

And right there standing in front of you and Nadia, was Elise. She really did look like you in the eyes and hair, but looked like Nadia in every other aspect.

Y/N: What's wrong? Is it cause we look older?

Robbie: No. Who is scratched out?

Scratched out? You looked at the photo again, but it looked fine.

Y/N: What do you mean?

Robbie pointed at Elise.

Robbie: Who is that?

Wait, could he not see her? You showed the photo to Laura and she saw the same thing Robbie did. You then showed it to Nadia.

Nadia: Elise.

She grabbed the photo and stared at it as she cried tears of joy. You looked back at the others who were all lost.

Y/N: Elise was our daughter. You guys don't remember her?

Everyone shook their heads. Why did you and Nadia remember her but no one else?

Suddenly, Felicia made a noise that caught everyone's attention. You all looked over at her to see her sitting up while grabbing her head.

Felicia?: Talk about a rough hangover. Heh. Hey, guys.

Doreen: Felicia?

Felicia?: She's still asleep. Looks like you're stuck with me.

Y/N:...Cat?

Cat: Hey, Lover~

Your smile returned as she stood up and walked over to you. You embraced her and lifted her off her feet. Cat laughed while everyone else smiled at the sight. Nadia looked up from the photo with wide eyes.

Nadia: Cat?

You set Cat down and she kneeled down next to Nadia.

Cat: Hey there, Wasp. Long time no see.

Nadia smiled as she hugged her wife for the first time in what seemed like forever. Cat looked over at the others and winked at Robbie.

Cat: Hey, Ghost Rider.

She then waved at Laura.

Cat: My future wife.

Laura blushed at the statement before Cat looked at the other three. Her smile faded a bit as she looked at Viv and Doreen. She stood up and dusted herself off before she turned to you.

Cat: I want to talk to you four in private.

You looked over at your team and shrugged. You left Riri, Doreen, and Viv in command room while the rest of you talked in the corridor.

Cat: I know you're all mad right now. Honestly, I don't blame you. I'm still a bit pissed about what Doreen did to the poor girl.

Robbie: You mean manipulate her feelings and betray her trust?

Cat: Yeah, that. But at the same time, they are our friends. Our family.

Laura: That lied to us.

Cat: Because they had to. Look, the way I see it, we have a prime opportunity here.

Y/N: What? What are you talking about?

Cat: It's simple. You have this odd version of the Strikers going on. I say we recruit them, keep them close, and slowly get the others.

Maybe the Phoenix energy messed with her head too much.

Robbie: That's insane, Cat.

Cat: Is it? They left the Pact because they didn't trust them. Anyone else in the Pact could feel the same. And if the Red Room really is for everyone knowing, then they should be willing to join us. We build up a team, and we fight back against the people playing us.

You looked at the others to see that they were thinking it over. She had a point. You could recruit your friends and bring them over to the Strikers. That would definitely take away any power the Red Room and the Pact might have.

But there was also another problem. Probably one that only you had.

Who could you really trust?

Who was lying and who was telling the truth? As far as you were concerned, everyone in this corridor were the only ones you could believe.

Robbie: I don't like this, but it probably is the best way to go about things. Build an army of our own and, well, strike back.

Laura: Rebel against the others. The most teenager thing we could do.

Nadia: This hasn't happened in a loop before. I think it's worth a shot.

Everyone then turned to you. You were definitely on the fence here. Doreen and Viv were your wives. You loved them both. The others were your family. If this was the way to fix everything, then you should try.

But the lied to you. Manipulated you and your friends. They betrayed you and hid all this away while working around you. You should focus on finding Elise and figuring out what was going on.

Nadia: Y/N?

You snapped out of your thoughts and looked at your team. This was the moment that could change everything. The moment that could either cause an inevitable reset of the loop, or break it.

Y/N: Fine. But we're keeping them close. Everyone who isn't right here right now will be on a need to know basis. If they complain, it's on them. They hid this from us.

That was good enough for them. Cat smiled and kissed your cheek as everyone filed back in. Cat grabbed your hand and kept you with her before the others went back in.

Cat: Hey, I know you're finding it hard to trust them, but you don't need to.

You raised a brow before Cat reached up and kissed you.

Cat: You just have to trust us. We'll figure this out and we'll fix everything. Together.

You smiled softly at her. Your first love. Your first time. Your first girlfriend. The one who stayed by your side even after everything that happened.

Y/N: Yeah. Okay.

Cat then smirked.

Cat: But when we get back, we have a lot of lost time to make up for~

You blushed as she walked past you, purposely bushing her hand across your thigh, back into the room. You shook the thought from your mind and followed.

Doreen: You're letting us join?

Robbie and Laura must've told them.

Y/N: Yeah. But you're on a tight lease. One slip up, and you're out.

Doreen smiled as did Viv. Rir nodded in agreement.

Riri: Yeah. That's fair. So, what do we do now?

Cat: For now, we act as if nothing is wrong. We go to school, act like normal kids, and keep our days going like nothing happened.

Y/N: No one can know about the Strikers. We hit the Pact kids first. Recruit them and then we move onto the Red Room. We also fight any baddies along the way.

Viv: This plan is satisfactory.

Doreen smiled. This was her chance to redeem herself. She wasn't going to let it slip. She wanted to prove that she still loved you and the others. She wanted to show that she was done with the lying.

Y/N: That concludes this meeting. Everyone play your part, and don't slip up.
----------------
So, the entire week, you all played the innocent act. You did the activities and talked to everyone like you would before any of this started. You hiked, swam, and spent time with everyone.

All the while, you were playing a game. You had the names. You had the photo. You knew what happened with Thanos and the Stones. Someone started these loops and were using you as toys to play with.

Not anymore.

It was Friday, the last day, when you found yourself at the nearby lake. Everyone was either hanging around, swimming, or chatting about things that didn't matter. You sat at the end of the dock and stared at the water. You looked over your shoulder at everyone and wondered how things got to be like this.

Loyalties were thin. Allies were few. Lies were many.

Nadia said that you were the one who could fix it all. You hoped she was right. You love her as much as you love the others. That's why you wanted to give them all a chance.

You were wearing a F/C tank top with the Stark Industry logo and a pair of tan cargo shorts. You also wore F/C flip-flops.

You felt something grab your ankle but your senses didn't go off. You looked back at the water and found Felicia in the water below. You smiled as you looked at her.

Y/N: Hey, Dear.

Her eyes shifted and you chuckled a bit.

Y/N: You to, Lover.

Cat smiled before she shifted back to Felicia.

Felicia: Hey, you seem like a lot is on your mind. Still thinking about everything?

You shrugged.

Y/N: A lot to think about.

Felicia looked up at you before she pulled herself out of the water. She sat next to you and you got a full display of what she was wearing. A black bikini top with a pair of shorts that reached her mid thigh. Her hair was braided so that it would stay out of her hair.

Felicia: You're staring.

Y/N: Can you blame me?

Her eyes shifted to Cat as she moved closer.

Cat: Keep talking like that, and we may just have to sneak away~

You smiled at her suggestion. As much as you wanted to, you still had to keep up the facade. You instead quickly kissed her before anyone could see.

Y/N: We can sneak away later. For now, I think I'm going to try and enjoy this.

Cat smiled. Someone else stepped on the dock and sat next to you. Nadia smiled at the two of you before she looked out at the water. She was wearing a red tube top and a pair of black shorts. Her hair was also held back by a black headband that had bumblebees decorating it.

Nadia: This is nice. It's peaceful.

Y/N: Were there moments like this in the other loops?

Nadia nodded.

Nadia: A few. It's probably why I cherish them so much.

You moved closer to her and held her hand as you smiled.

Y/N: We'll find Elise. I promise. And when we break this endless cycle and make whoever pay, we'll get married again.

You then looked at Felicia and smiled.

Y/N: Things will go back to the way they were.

Felicia smiled as did Nadia. Robbie watched the three of you sit at the dock and chat. He wore a black shirt with a pair of board shorts while his hair was combed to the side.

He felt someone brush against his shoulder and turned to find Kate standing there. She wore a purple tank top with a pair of white daisy dukes.

Kate: Hey.

Robbie: Hey.

Kate: So, they remember everything?

Robbie: Yeah. I also told them everything.

Kate looked at Robbie but she wasn't surpised.

Kate: I figured you would. It's better this way.

Robbie: We're also going to recruit everyone.

Kate hummed as Robbie looked at her.

Robbie: Join us?

Kate looked up at Robbie before she kissed him.

Kate: Of course. Whatever you need me to do, I'll do it.

She then smirked as she reached up and whispered into his ear.

Kate: I do mean anything~

Robbie shivered at her voice before Kate grabbed his hand and led him away from the others. Laura rolled her eyes at the two and looked over at you and the girls. She wore a yellow shirt with a pair of shorts. Everyone else was dressed for the lake but she didn't care for it. She wasn't comfortable showing skin like Kitty or Felicia and she didn't feel like she had legs like Tandy or Doreen.

???: You should smile more.

Laura laughed to herself as she closed her eyes.

She was suddenly no where near the lake. She was in a vast space at God knows where. Stars lit up the space around her while sat sat at the edge of a table. Tea cups and treats scattered the table and a soft melody played in her ears along with the ticking of a clock.

Tic

Toc

Tic

Toc

Across the way, a young girl hummed along.

Elise: Daddy said he likes it when you smile.

Laura: Did he now? Why is that?

Elise: He said it makes you look more pretty.

Laura blushed for a moment before she drank the tea in front of her.

Elise was dressed in a blue dress of sorts with white lining. In her right shoulder was a small pin of the Avengers "A" that she was given by her uncle Robbie. Her hair was held in place by a white headband and she wore black shoes. She looked like Alice.

Laura: You really liked that story, don't you?

Elise: Yep. Mommy used to read it to me all the time.

Elise suddenly looked sad.

Elise: I miss her. Daddy to. I miss everyone.

Laura: I know, sweetie. But they'll all be here soon. You know your daddy is strong. He'll save you.

Elise smiled again as she picked up a cookie that looked like a heart.

Elise: I know. You just have to keep helping them.

Laura nodded.

Laura: And I will. Though, I wish I could tell them where you were.

Elise shook her head.

Elise: When you leave the space, your memories of our meeting vanish. But you get them back when you visit again.

Laura: I'm aware of the rules. But, it would make things so much easier.

Elise: But, what's the meaning of life? If we all had everything, would it be alright?

Laura looked at the young girl.

Tic

Toc

Tic

Toc

Laura: I guess you have a point.

Elise giggled as she looked at the large clock they were sitting on.

Elise: It's time for you to go.

Laura: Yeah. I'll see you again next time.

Elise: Hm. Keep everyone safe for me.

Laura: I'll do my best. Your daddy isn't exactly the most careful person I know.

Elise: But that makes him who he is. He's my father. And I love him.

Laura opened her eyes and found herself back at the lake. Did she just space out?

Kitty: Laura! Come play volleyball with us! Sam is talking crap again!

Sam: I can take you all down!

Laura laughed at the claim and waked over to join them. This was the beginning of the end. The beginning of the war that was to come.

And you were ready for it.

-----------

You'll be here soon, Daddy. You'll free me and together, we'll end this once and for all. I will wait until that day. No matter how long I have to do so.

Godspeed.

End of Book 1