Rogue (Under Rewriting)

Chapter Thirty Eight

Wakanda, 2018, moments later

"Wanda, meet me at Vision." Alex instructed as she flew towards the android.

"Way ahead of you." Wanda replied.

"Are you okay?" Alex heard Wanda ask Vision as she lands near the two. Vision flinches in pain before he can answer. "What? What is it?"

"He's here." Vision answered as he took deep breathes. The wind around them slowly started to pick up giving everyone an eerie feeling.

"Everyone, on my position. We have incoming." Steve order. He is joined by the Natasha, Sam, Okoye and T'Challa who all look around at the air.

"What the hell?" Natasha muttered.

"Cap. That's him." Bruce informs as he sees the blue-black clouds of a Space Stone relocation just before Thanos steps forward, and confirms this isn't just another member of the Black Order. Alex and Wanda stand protectively in front of Vision with their magic floating between their hands.

"Eyes up. Stay sharp." Steve spoke as he starts advancing on Thanos.

Bruce reaches Thanos first, lunging forward fist-first -- but Thanos uses the Space Stone on him, making him phase until the Hulkbuster is half-buried in the stone of the cliff behind him, and freezing Bruce in place.

Steve reaches his second but is sent flying by purple energy before he even gets to strike a single blow. Alex's stomach twisted in knot with every stone the purple giant used.

T'Challa is the next to make a move with his armor fully charged kinetically, he leaps high and with claws extended, but is easily grabbed by the throat and punched to the ground, his armor discharging violently.

Sam then swoops, strafing with both pistols, but is brought to the ground when his wings become rubbery and unable to sustain flight.

"Wanda. It's time." Vision said from behind the two girls. Alex's magic flexed as her mind became woozy.

"No." Wanda protested.

"They can't stop him, Wanda, but we can. Look at me. You have the power to destroy the stone." Vision said as he placed Wanda's hand on his cheek.

"Don't." She protest as she looked away. Alex blinked slowly as her head swam, her magic flexing once more.

"You must do it. Wanda, please. We. Are. Out of time." Vision explained.

"I can't." She whispered, lips quivering.

"You have to, Wanda." Alex spoke as she tried to regain her strength.

"Yes, you can. You can. If he gets the stone, half the universe dies. It's not fair. It shouldn't be you, but it is. It's all right. You could never hurt me. I just... feel you." Vision spoke as he slowly moved Wandas hand away from him. She extends a trembling hand and starts forcing her magic at the Mind Stone.

Alex stumbled as she dropped her magic and leaned against a fallen tree branch. War Machine joins the fight, firing his guns at Thanos until he uses the gauntlet to crush his armor around him and toss him aside.

The Winter Soldier runs in firing, and is punched away by the Power Stone. Alex sinks towards the ground, trying her best to keep herself standing. Alex struggles to keep her eyes open as Thanos makes his way closer. Her vision blurs as Wanda adds her left hand to destroy the stone.

Wanda looks over her shoulder again and sees Thanos approaching unopposed. She swings her left hand around to fend him off with a stream of her scarlet energy, and pushes him back despite his energy shield, but then he starts to make slow headway. Alex slowly regained some of her strength and rises to a slow stand.

"It's all right. It's all right. I love you." Vision softly stated as the Mind Stone starts cracking. Alex manages to gain enough strength back to throw her own beam of magic at Thanos.

Vision's face is overcome by an expression of joyful peace, and as the crystal fragments completely, a pulse of pure yellow energy explodes from him, shuddering the trees around him. Wanda, Alex's and Thanos' energy subside. Alex slowly tries to rise from her spot where she landed. She groaned as Thanos started to walk closer to Wanda.

"I understand, my child. Better than anyone." Thanos stayed as he stopped beside her.

"You could never." Wanda snarled as she looks up at him. Alex watched as Thanos reached down to presume to stroke her hair, as if in comfort.

"Today, I lost more than you can know. But now is no time to mourn. Now... is no time at all." He reaches forward, clenching the gauntlet, emerald circle surrounding his wrist. As if I'm slow motion, Alex watched as a bead of yellow light starts gathering in on itself as time is reversed and growing in size, solidifying into an intact and conscious Vision.

"No!" Wanda screamed as she saw what Thanos was doing. She lunged for Vision but was swatted away like a bug.

Thanos picks up Vision by the throat, lifting him to eye-level, and digs the fingers of his right hand into Vision's forehead, digging out the Mind Stone. He pulls it loose, and Vision goes limp and colorless; he tosses the lifeless android aside like trash.

Alex forced her body up and towards Thanos as he moved to set the stone in his gauntlet. She forced her magic towards the giant but was thrown to the side. Bringing his gauntleted hand up, he slowly moves the Mind Stone over the last empty setting, and drops it in The energy surge is much more than any previous -- his torso is wreathed with iridescent static and he bellows from the sensations.

Suddenly Alex felt like she was surging with power. Any thoughts of pain she had were tossed away as she stood up. She shielded her eyes from the bright beam of lighting forces Thanos back and into the ground. Thor's axe is thrown at Thanos who tries to use the gauntlet to stop it but fails. Alex unshielded her eye just in time to see the axe pierce Thanos chest.

"I told you. You'd die for that!" Thor says as he lands in front of Thanos, who had sank to one knee. He takes hold of the back of Thanos' head and forces Stormbreaker deeper into his chest, staring angrily into his eyes while Thanos cries out in pain.

"You should have... you..." Thanos started weakly before his voice gets stronger. "You should have gone for the head!"

Alex watched in slow motion has he raises his gauntlet to snap his fingers. Suddenly feeling more power than she had ever felt she summoned her magic and forced it at the gauntlet. She grunted as she tried to keep Thanos' fingers from joining together to form a snap. It was a battle of strength and Alex was slowly losing. With one final surge of strength, Thanos snapped his fingers.

"NO!"