Chapter 12

76 3 0
                                    

As everyone is thrown backwards I push out a shield catching both Scott and Clint before serious damage can be done

Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.

As everyone is thrown backwards I push out a shield catching both Scott and Clint before serious damage can be done. I fall back and hit my body against a solid stone. I flinch, knowing that is going to hurt later. "Scott!" I shout clambering up and rushing over to him. Scott was closest to the blast when it went off, I am still unsure of what happened. He is clutching his side, his face the picture of pain. "Noel." He says through gritted teeth as I help him sit up "Are you ok?" I ask and he nods sucking in a deep breath. "Yeah, that shield caught my fall." He tells me and I relax slightly knowing I managed to help him.

Just then I hear Rhodey in my comm piece "Mayday, mayday" He says "Does anybody copy? We're on the lower level. It's flooding!" I share a look of shock with Scott, our eyes wide. "We are drowning! Does anybody copy? Mayday." I scramble up again, helping Scott to his feet. "You go and help Rhodey." I order the man in front of me "I'll go find Clint and the others." Scott nods and we part ways.

I climb over the rubble of the building we once called home, for a while at least. Everything is destroyed, and nothing is left of the lives we all once lived. Sadly symbolic of what the Avengers have become. "Clint!" I call out hoping to find someone "Tony! Steve! Thor!" But no one replies. I curse under my breath and continue looking.

As I climb out of an alcove I bump into some of the people I am looking for. "You ok?" Tony asks grabbing my wrist to help me up. I nod my head flicking my hair behind my back and scratching my arm "This is gonna be a bitch to rebuild." I muse kicking a stone with my shoe, Tony scoffs "Tell me about it." Steve then clears his throat catching our attention "Uh, guys." He says and we look at where the blonde is staring to find Thanos sitting and playing with a rock in his hand. "What has he been doing?" Tony asks as we all watch the alien we thought we had already killed "Absolutely nothing." Thor replies none of us assumes to take our eyes off him.

"Where are the stones?" I ask knowing that should be at the top of our priority list "somewhere under all this." Tony answers gesturing to the destruction around us "All I know is he doesn't have 'em" Steve stares straight ahead, menacingly "So, we keep it that way." He says and I swallow hard, letting the power inside me rise up. "You know it's a trap right?" Thor tells us, his voice gravely and solemn. I sigh "Yeah, I don't much care." Tony chuckles darkly beside me "We can't him get the stones this time."

Thor nods his head "Good." He says "Just as long as we're all in agreement." Lightening then crackles in the sky above us and Thor's eyes spark white before he raises his hands and both of his weapons come to him. "Let's kill him properly this time." He says before we all launch ourselves at this new Thanos.

"An Eternal." He notes sounding amused as he watches the power hover over my body "I was hoping to find one of you." He continues "Your powers have always fascinated me.' I glare at him, the power within me rising "And now you will find out what we can do." I muse. "You could not live with your own failure." Thanos says from where he is sitting, addressing all of us now "Where did that bring you? Back to me. I thought by eliminating half of life the other half would thrive. But you've shown me that's impossible."

Thor and Tony move around the back of him while Steve and I stay in his eye line. "And as long as there are those that remember what was there will always be those that are unable to accept what can be." I tilt my head, ready to reply when Tony beats me to it "Yep, we're all kinds of stubborn." Thanos just chuckles, resting his arms on his legs as though he is tired. "I'm thankful." He tells us "Because now I know what I must do. I will shred this universe down to its last atom. And then with the stones you've collected for me create a new one teeming with life that knows not what it has lost but only what it has been given."

He places his helmet on slowly and picks up his weapon. The energy inside my body makes me glow brighter as it rises to the surface, Thor's lightning dancing over his body. "A grateful universe." Thanos says and Steve counters with "born out of the blood." Thanos shrugs, staring us down intensely. "They'll never know it. Because you won't be alive to tell them." Thor yells loudly before launching himself at the giant alien, letting us know it is time to attack.

All four of us fight him but he fends us off with ease. As he throws the others away I grit my teeth and throw myself at him, blasting him with the yellow energy I possess making Thanos pull back several steps. "Ah, Noel." He says, the sound of my name sending a shiver down my spine "you would have done great in my army." He grabs my wrist with his giant hand forcing me to kneel. "I will kill her." He says addressing the three men fighting with me, I watch as they all hesitate. "I know you three care for her, let me do as I need to and she will be spared." I glance at Tony. We lock eyes and I give him a subtle nod. Tony then opens a panel on the back of his suit before saying "ok, Thor. Hit me." With no hesitation, this time Thor strikes the back of Tony's suit with lightning.

As he does that, it powers Tony's suit tenfold and he aims the beams at Thanos. As the beams hit him, I roll out of the way and Steve helps me up "Are you ok?" He asks me and I nod, squeezing his arm gently for a moment to ground me. Thanos grunts angrily and manages to deflect the beams just before Thor throws his hammer in the air and hits it with his axe, sending it flying towards Thanos. However, Thanos uses Tony as a shield and the hammer hits Tony causing him to go flying in the air. Steve then starts to fight Thanos while I rush over to Tony.

"Stark wake up." I demand, my voice hard as I shake him. No response. I suck in a breath and look behind me "Steve watch out!" I scream out, throwing my hands out in the air and creating a portal to several steps in front of me. Thanos falls through it, confused, thereby giving me enough time to throw as much power as I can muster at him. Thanos turns his attention to me, stalking forward and hitting me with the back of his hand with so much strength that I am launched several passes and onto my ass.

As I move to stand up, Mjölnir, which is resting next to me starts levitating although without the lightening that usually accompanies it. It then flies off, past Thor which gives me pause however, Steve catches it in his hand. My heart swells "Rogers, you son of a bitch." I mutter brushing myself off. Steve then engages in battle with Thanos again, now using both the hammer and his shield to fend him off and doing a pretty good job of it too.

Steve throws lightning onto Thanos by using the hammer before Thanos gets up and starts beating Steve. I hear Tony groan gently behind me and I hesitate unsure of who to go to. Steve seems to have that covered so I race over to Tony "Stark, you alive in there?" I ask lightly and he gives me a thumbs up "This is gonna hurt like a bitch tomorrow." He muses and I smile lightly "Let's get through today first, yeah?"

As I help Tony up, Thanos starts talking again "In all my years of conquest, violence, slaughter, it was never personal. But I'll tell you now what I'm about to do to your stubborn, annoying little planet I'm gonna enjoy it very very much." Beams of blue light come down from his ship still hovering in the sky. His arm appears on the ground and my heart sinks, I'm not sure how the four of us will be able to fight all of those creatures. We are superheroes but not that super.

Steve stands back up and we move to join him when a voice sounds in our comms. "Hey Cap, can you hear me?" A familiar voice says and I gasp because, of course, Bruce completed the snap. Everyone is back. "Cap, it's Sam. Can you hear me?" The voice says again, I clutch onto Tony as we both pant from exhaustion. Golden sparks appear behind Steve before Sam adds on your left."

Then everyone starts appearing out of portals made by Doctor Strange. I spot Bucky and T'Challa and my heart immediately fills with joy. After rejoining Steve, our army behind us. Captain American then shouts "Avengers, assemble." Thor and I scream in rage again and we fight.

Water Or WineWhere stories live. Discover now