Lydia's hands couldn't move fast enough. Aliens surrounded her, and there was only so much her powers could do. This was all new, and there was no preparation for it, but Lydia wasn't giving up anytime soon.
Natasha had been lost in the masses moments after the first wave of creatures attacked. It concerned the younger girl, but her focus remained on the aliens around her, preventing them from getting to Vision. The comm in her ear was easy to ignore. It was only a distraction in her eyes.
Using her abilities, Lydia created a barrier and launched it forward, taking down four extraterrestrials. But for every one knocked down, two more seemed to take its place. It was a never-ending battle.
By chance, she caught sight of a metal object soaring at Rhodey, who didn't have enough time to stop it. The moment it made contact with his body, he went flying backward. Lydia simply reacted, encasing him in a purple glow. "Rhodey!" The impact was minimal. The force field kept him safe. Using the already-created shield, she forced back several creatures rushing at him.
"Thanks, kid," Rhodey was back on his feet in seconds.
Lydia never had the chance to respond. The aliens were still everywhere.
Suddenly, her feet were swept out from under her. With a bang, her body hit the ground. Around her, many were in the same position. Both Steve and Bruce found themselves overwhelmed by the number of creatures. Along with T'Challa and other warriors.
There were thousands of them. Lydia knew they were outnumbered. This fight felt unwinnable. But it wasn't about winning, just time. They were buying time to destroy the stone.
A cry escaped her as an alien clutched onto her ankle. It surprised her but didn't hurt. Using her other foot, she kicked the creature in the face. The impact caused it to let go and stumble back. Lydia rolled to the side and launched herself back onto her feet.
That was when a beacon of light hit the ground across the field. It was incredibly bright. Lydia raised her hand, keeping herself protected as she stared. From inside the light, an ax flew out, taking down all of the aliens in the vicinity. Three figures emerged from the light as it faded. The weapon flew back into a man's hand.
It was Thor.
"Bring me, Thanos!" Thor's voice was loud and deep. Just like she remembered. He rushed at the open barrier, charging at the incoming extraterrestrials. Following behind him appeared to be a raccoon and a tree. The now short-haired god leaped into the air and summoned clouds of lighting that then irradicated hundreds of creatures at once.
Lydia's eyes widened. Thor was here, but how? Quickly, her attention was brought back as the creatures shrieked around her. The fight was still occurring. She needed to focus. Lydia propelled the barrier forward and successfully took down more creatures, repeating this two more times.
But it wasn't long before the ground beneath started to shake. It felt like an earthquake but wasn't. It was something outside the barrier coming toward them. Whatever it was went easily under the barrier before breaking free from under the dirt. To Lydia's horror, it was enormous rolling blades. They were easily a few hundred feet tall.
And they were heading straight for them.
"Fall back," T'Challa yelled in the earpiece. "Fall back now!" The giant row soon split off into several blades. It was terrifying. She had no idea what to do.
Around a hundred feet to the left, she noticed the red glow of Wanda's powers as she lifted an entire row of blades before launching them to the side. Knowing Wanda was on the ground worried her. She had been instructed to stay behind. It also meant Vision was alone.
Then she heard a distant shout. James. Lydia turned to where she heard him yell, finding him taking on multiple aliens at once. But that wasn't what caused him to call out. It was the blade heading straight at him. He couldn't get away from the creatures. There were too many, and he knew it too.
As always, her body moved for her. Lydia was headed toward him, legs moving quickly. The blades were only feet away when she slid to a stop before him. Using a significant amount of energy, the white-haired girl created an enormous force field around them. She grunted as it made contact but drove the shield upward. It was seconds later that the blade made contact with the dome, a firey explosion occurring.
Lydia dropped her hands to her side and took a step back. She had never done anything like that before. It took a lot of energy—nearly everything she had. "Holy shit," James stared at her, eyes slightly wide. "I didn't know you could do that. Thank you."
She smiled, shrugging. "I didn't know I could do that either."
"Guys, we have a vision situation," Sam spoke through the earpiece. Their main goal was to keep them away from the stone. If Vision was in trouble, they needed to help him.
"Somebody get to Vision!" Steve sounded out of breath.
Multiple people responded, but Lydia was not one of them. The aliens had taken advantage of their distracted state and attacked full force. James shot at anything approaching them. Meanwhile, Lydia was struggling to recover from the amount of energy used to stop the blades.
There were several discarded weapons from fallen soldiers, and she picked up the closest one. It was a long wooden staff. It would work for now. Lydia needed to conserve her energy.
Luckily, she knew combat.
Bringing the staff above her head, she slammed it down on top of an approaching creature. That process continued. The stick felt weightless, and it was easy to use. However, it only worked on one creature at a time.
"Vision needs backup," Bruce shouted in the comms. Lydia knew she needed to get to Vision, but it was difficult. There wasn't a chance to get away.
"Lydia," James fired at something behind her. "Go!" There was a hesitation in leaving him without any help. "Go! I'm right behind you."
She had to trust him. Vision needed help. He was the priority. Turning on her heel, she took off in a heavy sprint toward the woods around the building Vision had been it. Above, Wanda flew toward an area in the forest. She adjusted her path slightly and followed after the girl. Wanda must have been able to see something she couldn't.
Suddenly, an alien jumped from a tree. Lydia stumbled over her feet and rolled on the ground. Before the creature could do anything, two bullets went through its body. James lowered his gun and began running towards her. Lydia didn't wait for him to get there and pushed herself back up.
There wasn't any time. She had to keep going.
The trees got closer and closer with every step. The only thing that mattered was getting to Vision. It didn't matter that Lydia was terrified or had no idea what she was doing. It didn't matter that her energy was fading.
Entering the woods, she noticed Natasha doing the same nearby. They noticed each other simultaneously—identical expressions of relief on their faces. "Lydia," she cried, running closer. "Oh gosh, my love. Are you okay?"
Lydia smiled as Natasha placed a hand on her cheek. Grateful that she was alive. It allowed her to brief moment to relax. "Yeah. Are you?"
"Yeah, yeah. I'm fine." Natasha smiled back at her. It was a genuine smile. When they were separated, it was scary, but they had to keep fighting. "I'm happy you're okay."
"You too." Natasha nodded and dropped her hand reluctantly. Lydia wanted to remain in her embrace, but Vision still needed help.
"Everybody on my position. We have incoming."
Suddenly, something shifted. Something felt wrong. It was as if the entire world had gone quiet. The air felt thicker, almost heavy. All of the aliens were retreating back outside the dome.
Something was coming.
Natasha and Sam moved closer to The King and Bruce. That was when a blue energy portal began to form. Lydia was further back than the others. In the middle of the portal, someone walked out—a tall, purple person. Lydia felt an overwhelming sense of fear, knowing in her gut who it was before being told.
It was Thanos.
"That's him, Cap." Bruce's words confirmed her thoughts. Thanos was here.
"Eyes up, everyone. Stay sharp." Steve walked past Lydia without taking his eyes off the man.
Bruce was the first to charge Thanos but didn't last long. A blue glow surrounded his body as he went straight through Thanos and into the stone. The suit becoming embedded inside the rock.
Steve was next, but he was easily thrown aside. He was followed by T'Challa, who Thanos grabbed by the neck and slammed into the ground. Sam tried to come from above and shoot at him, but like the others, he failed.
Lydia could only watch. Watch as some of the strongest people on Earth were easily overpowered by Thanos. What made it worse was that he looked as if he was barely trying. Like this was nothing to him.
Rhodey and Bucky were the next to charge Thanos, but they didn't last long either. He was able to throw them both aside with only a flick of his wrist. Behind Lydia, a red glow was seen. She glanced over her shoulder, eyes finding a devastating scene.
Wanda was using her powers to destroy the stone in Vision's head. She was going to kill the person she loved.
And that was when Lydia knew it was over.
That was the moment she made her final choice. Lydia breathed slowly, digging her heels into the dirt. There was not much between Thanos and Vision, just her and Wanda. But Wanda was trying to destroy the stone, leaving Lydia on her own.
And the girl was determined to hold him off as long as possible. Not just for Vision. Or the world.
There was nothing she wouldn't do for Wanda.
Natasha and Okoye ran together at him, but Thanos threw Okoye into the woods. However, with Natasha, he trapped her body against the floor with roots. The tree Lydia had seen earlier threw its fists into the ground and used their own roots to try and stop him. But Thanos broke away with ease and launched him aside.
Steve slid under a broken branch and slammed his fist into Thanos's face. Lydia felt a sense of hope watching him. As Thanos raised his hand, Steve caught it. But that hope vanished as he bashed his fist into Steve's face and sent him to the ground. He didn't get back up.
Lydia looked at Wanda one last time, and they locked eyes. Wanda had tears rolling down her cheeks, and she sobbed as she realized Lydia wasn't backing down. Lydia smiled sadly at her, knowing this choice might be her last. But it was the right choice. Thanos had five stones in his gauntlet. Lydia was just one person.
One person with the ability to protect and shield Wanda.
It was her choice. Her decision.
And with that, a purple glow surrounded her hands. "Lydia," Natasha cried into the earpiece. "Lydia, stand down now. Stand down. Please!" She pulled out the earpiece and dropped it on the ground.
Thanos took a step. Lydia created a shield between them, buying as much time as possible. He pushed against it, trying to use one of the stones to fight back. To break through. The energy in her was diminishing, but she persevered.
She was not backing down. Not today.
Lydia had always wanted to be a fighter. She wanted to be an Avenger. Looking back, she realized it meant nothing. In this moment, all she wanted was to be somewhere else. To be back at the compound before the Accords. Back when everyone was alive and safe.
Thanos was fighting back, pushing against the shield. Seeing him take a step, Lydia pushed harder. This wasn't about her. This was about Vision. She pushed herself to the breaking point, a scream tearing through her body. All of her energy going into the shield. To keep them separated.
Natasha fought against the roots pinning her to the ground, but she wasn't able to get through. Not with half her attention on the young girl. Natasha was terrified for Lydia. The girl going against Thanos on her own.
She had always known Lydia was strong. That she could protect herself, but that didn't mean Natasha wanted her to.
That was when she saw it. The purple that took over Lydia's eyes. The vibrancy of the shield as she held her ground.
Lydia could feel something shifting inside of her. Something changing in her. Before too much thought went into it, her body was flying through the air from the combustion of Vision's body.
The impact took her by surprise. Lydia's eyes were hazy from the impact. The air knocked from her lungs. Her entire body was shaking from the energy used to try and stop Thanos. Lydia gasped for air, coughing violently.
The explosion was something she hadn't been prepared for.
But it meant one thing. Vision was gone.
Vision was now gone, but so was the stone. Letting out a few more pained coughs, she flipped into her stomach to push off the ground. "No," the shriek belonged to Wanda.
Lydia's head whipped up, panic overtaking her body. Quickly, she stumbled to her feet. Desperate to get to Wanda. Placing a hand on a tree, she limped back into the clearing. Body was completely drained of all its strength. If Thanos wasn't done fighting, she would be in trouble. Lydia was exhausted.
That was when she saw it. A horrid sight. Thanos held a now-alive Vision in the air. His large hand grabbed the stone, and with minimal struggle, he ripped it from his head. Vision's body lost all color, and Thanos threw him aside without any regard for his life.
Lydia could only watch as Thanos put the final stone on the gauntlet. He shouted as the energy from the stones entered his body. But just as quickly, his body was hit by lighting. It was from Thor, who then buried an ax in his chest.
Lydia fell into the tree, breathing deeply. Vision was gone, but Thor had managed to stop Thanos. He shoved the weapon deeper into his chest. Lydia thought that was the end of everything.
It wasn't.
Thanos looked Thor in the eyes as he snapped his fingers, creating a small flash of light. Lydia squinted, not sure what Thanos had done. Thanos created the portal and fell into it, causing him to vanish, leaving behind the ax that was once buried in his chest. "Where did he go," Steve stumbled closer. He didn't understand either. "Thor?"
Nobody understood what was happening. "Steve?" It was James. Lydia glanced at the man, gasping as his body began turning into dust. He took a step toward Steve but fell into a pile of ashes.
"Oh my god," Lydia whispered in terror. It didn't make sense. James had disappeared into nothing. Lydia did not understand what was going on. She didn't understand. She was scared.
She wanted to go home.
"Natasha," it was a whisper. "Mom!" This time her voice was louder. Lydia was terrified of what was going on. Of something happening to Natasha.. What if she became dust? Her feet carried her quickly despite the lack of energy. Determined to find Natasha despite the pain and tiredness she felt. She had to know nothing happened to her. "Mama-"
"Lydia!" It was Natasha. She had managed to free herself from the roots. They spotted each other. "Oh my god." Dust floated past her face. It wasn't just James. More people were fading into nothing.
"What's going on?" Okoye screamed in the distance. "Mom?" She was trying to get to her.
"Sam, where are you," Rhodey called in the distance. Sam. James. Vision. Tony. Who else had Lydia lost today?
"Mom," Lydia cried. They were so close, but the happiness that she felt was quickly yanked from her. Lifting her hand to reach for Natasha, she found her fingers fading to dust. The same type of dust that James turned into moments prior.
"No," Natasha screamed at the sight, horror filling her eyes. They were only feet away from each other, but it didn't matter. Lydia was fading away. She was turning to dust right before her eyes. "Lydia!"
Natasha took the final step and placed her hand on the side of the girl's face. Natasha could feel her wet skin, damp with tears. "Mom?" Neither were sure what was happening. But it wasn't good.
They stared at each other, eyes locked. Both were crying. Both didn't understand what was going on. How had it come to this?
Then she was gone. The white-haired girl was gone, reduced to a pile of ashes now scattered on the ground. "No," Natasha wailed, dropping to her knees. "No, no! Lydia, come back. Come back!" But Lydia was gone, and Natasha was left on the ground with tears streaming down her cheeks and a handful of dust. "Not my baby. Please. Please, not my baby. Lydia!"
Like so many others, Lydia was gone.