The end of the world has become somewhat of a common topic over the last decade.
What used to only be present in science fiction and fantasy novels is now a very real and constant threat. People no longer have to go to the bookstore to read about heroes and villains, aliens and invasions, apocalypses and salvations. It's all real and happening. Never before, though, has something held the gravity that this situation does. It rests heavily on my shoulders the more we speak on it, weighting me to the floor.
The entire universe is counting on us.
"So those two aliens from Scotland, they came for the mind stone" I announce, beginning to work out some of the enigma of this entire situation. Bruce nods.
"Thanos already has two, and he sent his goons out to find the two on Earth" Bruce responds.
We all stay silent for a moment, letting the information sink in.
"So we gotta assume they're coming back, right?" Rhodey asks, looking over to us.
"They can clearly find us" Wanda points out, looking towards Vision.
"We need all hands on deck, where's Clint?" Bruce asks, referring to Hawkeye.
My heart drops slightly at the mention of him, my mind going directly to the security anklet around his leg that keeps him confined to his home.
"After the whole Accords situation, him and Scott took a deal. It was too tough on their families" Nat responds, nodding to Bruce, "They're on house arrest"
"Who's Scott?" Bruce asks.
"Ant-Man" Steve responds.
Silence rests over the room for a moment.
"There's an Ant-Man and a Spider-Man?" Bruce exclaims.
The strings of my heart tug for Bruce, who is helplessly out of the loop. His confusion is evident in the deep frown lines of his face and the way his anxiety makes him jumpy. I can only imagine how hard this must all be to take in at once.
"Look, Thanos has the biggest army in the universe and he is not going to stop until he..." Bruce pauses, looking down and swallowing slightly before looking back up and directly at Vision, "Until he gets Vision's stone"
"Well then we have to protect it" Natasha states simply, shrugging slightly at the words. It should be a simple task, but Vision must not think so.
"No, we have to destroy it" Vision interjects, making the entire room pause.
"I'm sorry, what?" Sam asks, looking over to Vision.
"I've been doing a great deal of thinking about this entity in my head, about its nature and composition," He begins, changing his gaze over to a very hesitant-looking Wanda, "I think if it were exposed to an energy very similar to its nature, similar to its signature, it's molecular integrity would fail"
"And you with it," Wanda breathes, her eyes wide and locked onto Vision, "We're not having this conversation"
Steve and I share a grave look, both of our eyes displaying clearly the sympathy for Wanda. I can't even begin to imagine forcing myself to kill Bucky, yet here Wanda is being given this responsibility.
"Eliminating the stone is the only way to ensure Thanos can't get it" Vision whispers, bringing his hand to Wanda's cheek.
"That's too high a price"
There's a heartbreaking pause where Vision runs his hand down Wanda's hair lovingly, almost in a way I recognize as a goodbye. It makes my stomach churn and my heart break for her.
"Only you can pay it"
Wanda shakes her head and pulls out of his grasp. She walks to the back of the room, her arms crossed over her stomach. I walk over after her, not saying a word but instead simply placing my arm around her shoulders. She doesn't need pretty, sugar-coated words right now. She just needs to know that someone is there.
"Thanos is going to wipe out half of the universe, one life cannot stand in the way of defeating him" Vision announces.
"But it should" Steve pipes up, sending a charged glance Vision's way, "We don't trade lives"
"Seventy years ago you laid down your life to save millions more, how is this any different?" Vision asks. Before Steve can respond, Bruce's eyes widen and he jumps into the conversation.
"Because you might have a choice," Bruce informs, walking up to the pair, "You mind is made up of a complex contract of overlays. Jarvis, Ultron, Tony, me, the stone. All of them are mixed and learning from one another"
At this, Wanda turns around and looks at Bruce. I pull my hand back, turning with her to observe the group.
"You're saying that Vision isn't just the stone?" She asks hopefully.
"I'm saying that if we take out the stone, there's still a whole lot of Vision left, perhaps the best parts" he responds.
"Can we do that?" Nat asks, looking between Steve and him.
"Not me, not here" he sighs, looking down at his hands.
"Well you better find someone and somewhere fast, Ross isn't just going to let you guys have your old rooms back" Rhodes interjects.
Steve and I aren't listening, though. We both look at each other and the moment our eyes connect, I know that we are sharing the same thought. I nod to him and he nods back.
"I'm sorry, you guys wanna let us in on your little weird mental conversation?" Sam pipes up, looking between us with confusion. Steve and I look towards the group.
"We know somewhere" I state, making the group share intrigued glances.
"Where?" Bruce asks, looking absolutely lost.
Steve and I share another look before we look back at the group.
"Wakanda"
|||
"You could try to look a little less excited about this"
I look over at Sam, an amused smile on my face. Our Quinjet is pulling up right in front of the palace where T'Challa, Okoye, and a collection of Dora Milaje wait for us.
"I can't help it, Sam," I inform, unbuckling from my seat and standing as the jet touches down to the ground, "You never know what goodbye is your last, so saying hello means the world to me"
As Sam stands from his seat, I watch understanding flicker through his gaze. I speak broadly, but he knows that I mean something much more specific. I lost my family and didn't get a proper goodbye. I lost Dean moments after we had reunited. I can't afford to lose Bucky, especially if I don't have time to say goodbye.
The back hatch to the jet lowers, letting a blast of air rush through our group as we walk out of the jet. Steve, Nat, and I walk out in the front, and a smile curls onto my lips at the sight of my dear friend.
"It seems I am always thanking you for something" Steve states, shaking hands with T'Challa.
"It's nice to see you've returned safely, the White Wolf will be happy" T'Challa remarks when he turns to me. I shake his hand and smile.
"I think both of us will be" I respond.
Behind me, I hear Bruce clear his throat and look behind me in time to see him bowing.
"What are you doing?" Rhodes asks, making me have to bite my tongue to keep from giggling at the sight.
"We don't do that here" T'Challa informs, letting Bruce stand to his feet.
He looks disapprovingly at Rhodes as we all turn and start walking towards the palace.
"So how big of an assault should we expect?" T'Challa asks.
"Uh, sir? Sir, I think you should expect quite a big assault" Bruce interjects.
Beside me, T'Challa nods. If I know the King, I know that he is always prepared for the worst. This is going to be our best chance. We can only hope that all we have is enough. We must also hope that wherever Tony and Peter are, they're helping prevent all of this as well.
"You will have my king's guard," T'Challa begins, leading us towards the palace, "the Border Tribe, the Dora Milaje, and..."
He trails off, gesturing towards a very familiar man the walks up to us.
"A semi-stable hundred-year-old man" Bucky finishes, stopping in front of us with a smile.
My heart jumps into my throat and my stomach flutters at the sight of him. I let Steve walk up first and hug him, smiling at his best friend. When they step apart, his eyes move to me. I see relief pool in them as I walk up to him.
"Good to see you're alright" He breathes, pulling me into a hug. I pull back, letting my hand slip into his human one.
"Didn't think I'd let myself get hurt that easy, did you?" I ask, smiling at him. He smirks, shaking his head at me.
"No ma'am"
I chuckle softly and step to the side of him so I can face the group, my hand still securely laced into his. Steve and Sam smirk at the sight of us, making me shake my head slightly at the two. Sam leans over to Bruce and whispers just loud enough for me to hear.
"Told you"
Remind me to shave off his eyebrows when this is all over.
"How you been, Buck?" Steve asks, looking at his best friend happily.
"Oh you know, pretty good for the end of the world" he informs, holding my hand tighter as I smile and lean into his side.
"Would you two lovebirds cut it out already? I already feel lonely enough" Sam interjects, making a laugh ripple through the group.
"You know you love me, Sammy" I call to him, receiving a friendly wink in return.
"You know it gorgeous," He responds, before gesturing his hand in Bucky's direction, "Hey if you ever get tired of terminator over here-"
"Watch it bird brain"
I chuckle at the two men and shake my head. Even now, they can't find a way to be civil. Deep down, though, I'm almost positive that the two are the best of friends. Sam, Bucky, and I agree to stay out here to prepare ourselves for the fight on its way while the rest head inside to see about having Shuri remove the mind stone from Vision as safely as possible.
Sam is talking with some Border Tribe members at the moment, leaving me time to talk with Bucky. He loads the gun in his hand, making sure it's in working order for whatever comes to us. While he does, I sweep my gaze across the glittering city. I don't know what it is, but something rests heavily against my heart. Call it a feeling or my intuition, but something about what's coming feels off. It's almost like when someone knows something awful is about to happen, but I don't want to believe that. We have to win.
We have to.
"I can't wait for this to all calm down" I inform, adjusting the emerald sleeve of my suit and looking over to Bucky. He slings the gun across his shoulders, letting it rest behind his back as he walks up to stand beside me. We both stand there for a moment, taking in the city below and the vast world beyond.
"You think we'll win?" he asks. I sigh, holding my jaw tighter and trying to ignore the growing foreboding feeling in my chest.
"We don't have another choice"
Sam finishes his conversation with the Border Tribe member and walks up to us, standing on the other side of me. The three of us stand together, a heavy, tense silence hanging in the air. The sun is high in the sky, beaming down on us painfully. A bead of sweat slips down the back of my neck in an attempt to cool my skin.
"This is bigger than anything we've fought before," Sam observes, his voice void of humor and, for the first time, instead filed with apprehension, "Are we enough?"
None of us look at each other, and in that moment I know that I'm not the only one with an awful feeling in my gut. Instead, I grab ahold of Sam's hand on one side while Bucky grabs my hand from the other. I swallow down the fear that threatens to crawl up my throat and find my courage.
"Maybe," I respond, my green eyes flicking upwards to a small, growing dot coming in from the atmosphere, "Maybe not. But if we're not, I guess that's why we're called Avengers. If we lose it all, we'll avenge it all"
And that's how it has to be. We knew it. Today was do or die, and whichever way it went, we would have to do it together. If we lost, the entire universe would hurt. Tony Stark was right all of those years ago, though, when he laid it out to Loki in New York.
If we can't protect the Earth, you can be damn well sure we'll Avenge it.