Mastering Illusions

24

I see the rioting before we are even beamed down.

The Q-ship hovers over Stuttgard, Germany, a city in District 7. The seven champions and two Children of Thanos stand waiting, all of us suited up in our armor. Thor wears his grey breastplate and red cloak from his own Contest, a winged helmet in one hand and a hammer in the other. He stands solemnly, waiting, part of his long blonde hair drawn back to keep it out of his face.

Steve is dressed in his bright blue suit with red and white striping, a silver star planted over his chest and the blue helmet covering his head and the upper part of his face. But instead of the striped shield from his Contest, he has two dark shields, strapped to his forearms, the edges sharpened to make them formidable weapons. That is, if you prefer a shield. Which I do not.

Wanda Maximoff is dressed much more casually than Captain America or my brother, in a black dress that doesn't even come down to her knees and a red leather jacket with three quarter sleeves. Her long reddish brown hair hangs loose about her face, her eyes lined with black makeup. Two necklaces are fastened around her neck, a multitude of rings grace her fingers, and two black leather gauntlets cloak her wrists. Torn black stockings come up to her knees, and she completes her look with heeled half-cut boots.

Shuri Udaku wears a traditional Wakandan getup, a navy blue armored tunic and vibranium gauntlets over her wrists. White dots pepper her face and a white stripe splits her lower lip, her dark hair coiled on top of her head and its hanging braid brushing against her back.

Hope van Dyne is dressed in her Wasp uniform, a tribute to her dead mother. Janet van Dyne was killed in the Infinity War, guarding the Tesseract from Thanos, and she, too, was known as the Wasp. The uniform is navy and grey, with red and light grey accents. Her dark hair is drawn back into a high ponytail, her mask currently off.

Veers is wearing her Starforce uniform, except the colors have been adjusted to be dark green and gold, my colors. I assume this is for two reasons: one, because Starforce probably doesn't want her wearing their uniform after they basically disowned her, and two, because we are supposed to be a team and teams look better wearing the same colors. Her wavy hair is loose about her shoulders and her expression is grim and determined. This is, after all, our last chance.

And I am dressed in my Asgardian armor from my interview, complete with my helmet and scepter, which has been elongated into a golden staff with a blue gem situated below the blade. The golden armor is polished and formidable, a reminder of Asgard's previous eminence.

Gamora and Nebula, not being champions, don't need to sport a particular look the way the rest of us do. We're supposed to be recognizable as those who preserve the Balance, but Gamora and Nebula are not household names, they aren't famous. So they don't need to stand out the way we do. Gamora still does, though, in a black form-fitting shirt and leggings, a low slung belt holding her sword, Godslayer. Over her shirt is a slim, sleeveless vest, and an ebony collar circles her throat. Black gauntlets cover her wrists, and silver pieces create a simple design on the lapels of her vest. She looks intimidating and beautiful, but I know better than to say anything about it to her.

Nebula, on the other hand, wears a simple dark purple bodysuit, a leather belt wrapped around her waist. She wears a long gauntlet over one wrist and a short one over the other, with two electroshock batons and an electric blaster as a backup weapon.

As we stare down at Stuttgard, waiting to be sent down, I close my eyes momentarily, blocking out the sight of the rioting. You need to focus, I tell myself. You need to focus, for you won't get another chance. There are no do-overs. You have one chance to fix the Balance, one last chance to show your true loyalty.