WARNING: SPOILERS FOR INFINITY WAR!
AN: I don't know. It's been in my head for a while now and I just need to get it out. It's short, but I hope you like it.
Bonus Chapter: Infinity War - The Aftermath
If there's one word to describe the atmosphere of the studio, it'd be…
Dead…
And maybe eerily silent as well…and stressed…and panic…maybe mourning…
BUT! That's not the point. The point is that it happened. The unthinkable happened.
The villain won.
Starla looks around at the (once again human) survivors of the MCU. She slumps back against her seat, and her eyes glazed over as thoughts rush around in her mind, 'How is it possible?! It's Marvel! The good guys always win!'
Meanwhile, the others in the room aren't faring any better. Steve and Natasha are huddled together. Both are silent and in mourning for their friends that were lost.
Sam…
T'Challa…
Wanda…
Vision…
They're all gone. Just like that.
Tony, on the other hand, is pacing, muttering and lost in his own thoughts. Tear tracks can still be seen streaking down his face. However, no one wanted to disturb him. They all know who he lost.
Thor is huddled in a corner all on his own, staring silently ahead and thinking of his lost people and Loki. 'It's not fair!' he silently screams in his head. He'd lost his mother, his father, his best friends, his homeworld, and now this. What more can he possibly take? Tears are now falling, and Thor huddles in on himself to hide them. But the others knew they were there.
All the while, Bruce hovers nearby, ready for any of his friends to come and seek him for comfort, but no one does. He too has his own worries about his family and friends and…her. It's been years since he'd thought about her, but with Thanos's attack, he's now worried about whether or not his old flame survived.
Then there's Pietro, who is the most devastated of them all. His wails have now gone down to quiet sobs for his sister and the android he came to know as a friend, even though the big brother part of him doesn't want his baby sister to be with the said android.
And Clint has been off to the side in his own world. The fate of his family is still unknown to the others in the room, but the archer doesn't seem that inclined to say anything.
All is silent.
All is just…still.
Starla then looks to the side at her sister's empty chair, and a tear slips down her cheek. And behind the scenes, Tiffany is crying into the arms of a few of the workers that remained. Stephanie and Timothy are nowhere to be found.
The final straw that broke the metaphorical camel's back is Pietro's sniffle, causing Starla to tighten her fists and screech, jumping to her feet and throwing both her and her sister's chairs to the wall.
"What the actual…!" she pauses mid-rant and runs to behind the cameras, checking to make sure that the 'beep' guy is still around. He is and gives her a nervous thumb's up.
Nodding, Starla continues, "What the actual F**K is wrong with you guys!?" This shocks the others into staring at the girl in bewilderment. "Look at yourselves!" she gestures to the slouching heroes, "This…this…just…UGH!" She buries her hands in her long hair.
"Well, what do you want us to do? Huh?!" Tony exclaims back, throwing his arms up in the air as if he'd just quit, "We don't have half our allies! We don't know where Thanos is! And I'm stuck in the middle of a dead, deserted planet galaxies away! WE! LOST!"
"No! You just gave-up!" Starla retorts pointing at the billionaire, "You threw in the towel just because the villain won. Well here's a news flash honey! In the real world, no one wins all the time!" Everyone watches Starla as she catches her breath.
"Heroes don't always win. And we don't always get what we want right away. Sure, things aren't looking so hot right now, and the villain may have just succeeded, but that doesn't mean that we have to give up!"
"We're not giving up…" Natasha starts, but Starla raises her hand to stop the spy.
"But you and everyone else are just moping around, acting as if all is lost." Starla then turns to the rest of the characters. "Like I said, the heroes don't always win, but that doesn't mean that when the going gets tough, you run into a dark corner and mope! That's DC! And you are Marvel! You are all Earth's Mightiest Heroes!"
Starla then points to Natasha, "Nat. You're a freaking super spy with who knows how many fighting skills under your belt. You're one of the most kick-ass women ever and you survived the Red Room, Black Widow program, and all sorts of other s**t that would make any other normal person insane."
She then turns to Clint, "Clint. You have the eyes and aim of a HAWK! You too are a freakin' super SHIELD spy! You never let anything stop you from being an Avenger! Even when others doubted your capabilities and qualifications." Clint looks up at that but isn't sure to take the comment as a compliment or not.
"Bruce," she starts, getting the older man's attention, "You're a genius with seven PhDs and whatnot. You also are the strongest Avenger there ever is."
"But Hulk won't come out and…" the poor man stammers but is immediately cut-off by Starla.
"So what!? Use that big head of yours! Figure something out! And what happened to 'I'm always angry'?!"
Bruce pauses at that and gives it a thought.
This gives Starla time to turn to the still-depressed Thor, "Thor…you're the F**king god of motherf**king thunder! You could rival the Hulk in strength! Sure you lost a lot of stuff but has that ever stopped you from doing what needs to be done before?" The god was about to answer but is stopped by the fierce look in the young thief's eye, "You've always pulled through before. And you'll do it again. What would Loki think if he sees you now?"
Not giving the god of thunder a chance to say anything back, she turns to Pietro, "And you! You're the fastest character the MCU has ever had. Your speed could rival Thor's! Sure you're not technically part of the MCU canon anymore…but that's beside the point!" she walks up and places a solid hand on the man's shoulder, "You can help us! And besides…do you think your sister would want you to be like this? Look at where she went after you died. You can do the same too."
Starla stands and turns to face the now less distraught 'leaders' of the Avengers, "Do I even need to say anything? One is a super genius that's built some of the most high-tech, badass weapons in the world and the other is an enhanced super soldier, who's also a natural born leader."
She now turns to fully face the group of heroes in front of her, "And let's not forget the Wakandans and their soldiers and tech, or even the f**king wizards from Doctor Strange." The guys give her a look, but she continues, "There's still hope. Hope for those that've disappeared, hope for those that've died, hope for the team, hope for everyone. As long as you guys don't give up, there's nothing you can't do."
Silence fills the room as everyone mulls over everything the young thief has said.
"Can't believe I'm saying this," Tony mutters, breaking the silence, "But I think the psychotic she-devil that kidnapped all of us is right."
Steve stands taller next to his friend, "Yea…we can't give up."
Slowly, the remaining characters stand tall as well, each gearing up for the fight to come. Natasha moves to stand by Steve, and both she and Tony pat him on the back, while he rests both arms on their shoulders. Thor and Bruce smile at each other in determination, while Clint moves to stand by Pietro, firmly squeezing his shoulder with one hand.
"Now that's what I'm talking about!" Starla exclaims and lets out a loud cheer while jumping with one fist in the air. Everyone chuckles at the young teen's antics.
Cap, seeing it as his cue, moves to stand taller before his friends and teammates, "We're NOT gonna give-up! We are going to find Thanos and we are going to take him down! In the name of all our friends and loved ones lost, we're going to find the son of a b**ch and make him pay for messing with us."
"CAP! LANGUAGE!" Nearly everyone in the room exclaims before all bursting into laughter. All the members of the MCU gather around and share a great big group hug, finding comfort and love with each other.
Starla watches with a big smile on her face, 'You should see them sis. They'll bring you back. You and everyone else.'
Smirking, Starla lets out a loud whistle to get the others attention, "Alright guys! Listen UP!" Gathering around, the characters watch the young thief, "You wanna fight Thanos and his minions…you're gonna need some updated s**t!"
Snapping her fingers (AN: HEHE!), the walls beside her turn over, and before the Avengers' eyes is every piece of high-tech weaponry and armor known to man. Natasha, with her signature Widow's smirk plastered on her face, grabs the nearest handgun. It's perfectly weighted and balanced and filled with adamantium and vibranium bullets. Clint, of course, reaches for the high tech bow and quiver full of tricked out arrows.
"Nice," both spies say to each other.
Pietro, meanwhile, finds a nice pair of light, yet firm running shoes and eyes a lightweight and durable body armor. A grin forms across his face.
"As for you Thor," Starla turns to another wall, which flips over to reveal his new ax, cleaned and ready for action, as well as a brand new suit of Asgardian armor, similar to the one he wore years ago. The god of thunder giddily grabs onto his new weapon and places the shiny, silver helmet on his head. There's no way he's missing this time.
Tony, meanwhile, is looking at a brand-new Iron Man suit, similar to the one he wore during Infinity War. Starla turns and grabs both Bruce and Tony and pulls them to another wall that turns into a window into another room housing two giant HulkBuster suits.
"No f**king way," Tony mutters and stares in awe at the suits along with Bruce, whose glasses slip from his face.
Starla smirks, "Our engineers added a few things here and there. And the vibranium also lends itself to some interesting bonus features," she then turns to Bruce, "the other suits for you in case of some…eh…performance issues."
Bruce grimaces at the joke, but it was Tony, still staring/drooling over the suits that spoke up, "I've seriously underestimated the benefits of getting kidnapped by two psychotic, fan-crazed, omnipotent sisters."
Laughing, Starla then grasps Tony's shoulders and gives him something. The tech genius looks at the object in mild surprise but then looks up at Starla with a nervous look.
"Go. Give it to him," she says with a firm nudge and a comforting smile.
Steve has been admiring the wide arrangement of weapons before him and his newly improved suit, when Tony taps him on the shoulder.
"Steve…"
The man turns around and faces the nervous billionaire. It took him a while, but he then looks down at what the man is presenting him…
…his shield…
…the one he'd given up after their fight…
…the one he surrendered to give-up his mantle…
…the one he'd never thought he'd see again…
"Tony…" Steve mutters as he stares at the round piece of vibranium. The others in the room fall silent, opting to stand back and watch as the two co-leaders of the Avengers stand face to face, one with a look of awe and the other nervousness.
Tony's hands slightly fidget, still holding onto the shield like his life depends on it, "Look…I…I know that we…I…we never…"
He is, however, abruptly stopped by Steve pushing the shield aside and hugging the billionaire tightly. Shock and silence engulf the room, as everyone gapes at what they are seeing. The only one not in too much shock is Starla, who smirks knowingly.
Tony eventually drops the shield and returns the gesture, earning an 'aw' from some of the characters in the room. Steve finally lets go and steps back, smiling brightly as he takes the shield from Tony, who'd picked it up to give to him.
"Okay! I really hate to break up this touching moment, but…" Starla exclaims, tapping her wrist where a watch would be and getting everyone's attention, "…we're all kinda in the middle of an Infinity War here, and there's a giant purple crayon out there that's in need of a good beating."
Chuckling, Steve nods, and Tony makes a move towards his new suit.
Armor and padding are slipped on…
Zippers are pulled up and straps are tightened…
Clint preps his bow…'this is for our families'
Natasha whips out her batons…'this is for our friends'
Bruce stretches and jumps into the brand-new HulkBuster suit, flexing his arms and forming a fist…'this is for those we love'
Thor meditates and summons his powers to his new ax…'this is for Loki and for all of Asgard'
Pietro laces up his new sneakers and takes a deep, calming breath…'this is for you, Wanda'.
Steve puts on his helmet and clips on his shield…'this is for our country'
Tony steps into his new suit and powers it up…'this is for our world'
And Starla looks on in awe. With a fearsome smirk, she zips up her own armor, grasps her weaponized hooked cane, and, to everyone's shock, slips on a Sling Ring.
"Let's call in some friends…" she declares.
With a whirl of her fingers, several portals appear. From one, Nebula and Kraglin hop through and stand tall and proud, ready to face the Mad Titan. Through another, Wong and an army of wizards step in and all stand before them armed and ready. In another, Shuri and Okoye march forward, followed by M'Baku and their armies of the Dora Milaje, the Jabari, and so much more. And from the last portal, some former agents of SHIELD, led by Coulson, along with the Defenders run through to join the mass.
The room is now packed to the brim with bustling people and aliens alike, all are ready to take on the titan.
With a wide smile and a nod from both Steve and Tony, Starla raises her cane into the air and yells, "Together…we will defeat Thanos!"
"Yea!" They all cheered.
"We will take back what's ours!" Tony yells.
"Yea!"
"We will avenge our friends and family!" Natasha joins in, raising her fists.
"Yea!"
"And we will AVENGE! OUR! UNIVERSE!" Steve punctuates each word and raises his mighty shield in the air.
"YEA!"
"In the name of MARVEL!" Starla exclaims while forming another massive portal behind her, "CHARGE!"
"YEA!"
As Starla rushes through the portal into the blinding light, the others in the room rush towards it as well.
"WAIT!" Steve cries out, stopping and making everyone else behind him halt (or try to) in their tracks, causing a few run-ins and collisions, right at the edge of the glowing portal.
"What's wrong Cap?!" Clint asks exasperatedly, aching to finally be in on the action.
"We should be planning our next move and form a coordinated battle strategy! Not running in blindly like wild animals!" Steve exclaims, turning around and taking off his helmet.
"Caps got a point," Coulson concurs, and everyone else in the room mutters their agreement and nod their heads, lowering their weapons and powering down.
Suddenly, "HEY YOU PURPLE NUTSACK! You'll pay for taking MY SISTER!" can be heard through the portal, followed by an unearthly screech.
"I'm sure she's fine," Tony says.
"COME FIGHT ME YOU SON OF A B**CH!" and this is followed by a massive explosion, making even the toughest warrior wince.
"We should probably just go," Bruce says, gesturing to the portal. With no other objections, other than a facepalm from Steve, the massive group of Marvel heroes charges into the light, ready to end this war.
Literally five seconds after the big portal closes...
One of the wall panels opens on the far wall, and in steps a certain authoress with a man in a blue suit, another man in a wheelchair, and a certain merc-with-a-mouth.
"I can't believe you guys are all going to be joining the MCU," FD says with a bright smile and a skip in her steps.
"It really is exciting," Professor Xavier says with a smile, rolling along beside her.
"Hopefully, my team and I can finally star in a good movie," Mr. Fantastic says wistfully.
"Oh…I'm sure Mr. Feige won't let you down," the young woman says encouragingly.
"Ooh…I just hope the Mouse doesn't F**K with my f**king movies," Deadpool asks while waving his katanas around, "and seriously, you're still censoring me!" He then eyes the nervous 'beep' guy off camera and is about to stalk towards him.
"Oh leave him alone Deadpool!" FD says exasperatedly, "Besides, this story is rated T. Can't have you swearing the story all the way to M."
"Why not…people love it when I say f**k, b**ch, s**t, a**hole, motherf**ker…" he is now outright glaring at the shaking 'beep' guy. "C**T! S**t!" Deadpool growls angrily, still trying to outwit the speedy 'beep' guy.
"Okay…" FD turns back to the other two men, ignoring the merc, "I'm glad that the merger is pulling through. This will bring the MCU to a whole new era. DC better watch out cause…where is everybody?"
Once she finally turns around to look at her surroundings, which is just an empty studio with furniture strewn about and random pieces of paper flying around, FD scratches her head in total confusion.
The other two men look around worriedly as well, but to no avail. Everyone is gone.
Turning to the cameramen, FD asks in all her wonderful obliviousness, "What happened?!"
And this causes all the crew to collapse into a heap.
AN: Thanks everyone for reading! You know, this story has been bounc…
"Wait!" Deadpool interrupts, "Seriously? That's IT?! That's how you're going to end the chapter!? I was barely in..."
He is then not-so-gracefully shoved off-screen by a ticked off authoress, "I really can't stand this guy."
AN: As I was saying…This story has been bouncing around in my head for quite a while (ever since I first watched Infinity War actually), and it's only till now that I finally finished. This summer has been super busy for me as I'm getting ready for college, so I'm sorry for all the delays and such.
Anywho, this chapter has been a blast to write. So please favorite, follow, and leave a comment. Constructive criticism is always welcomed.
With that…I bid you all adieu…
FD