10 – The Black Order – February 8th, 2018
"What the hell is that?" Sam asked as the quinjet crossed into Scotland. Aspen moved to the front of the jet to get a better look, Natasha crowding next to her. It was difficult to describe—a circular machine that hovered in the sky, hollow and spinning. The insides glowed orange as it spun. A space craft? It was unlike anything Aspen had ever seen.
"I don't think that's from Earth," she said softly as Steve angled the jet down. "Keep going. And hurry."
They set the jet down and hurried out to the street, Aspen leading the way. "She's this way." She took a moment to clear her mind before summoning her powers. She was ready for whatever had come, but doubt still plagued her mind. She hadn't fought in a long while. What if she didn't remember how to use her powers properly anymore? She didn't have time for this hesitation. She'd be ready. She had to be.
"They're in the station," she said, motioning to the express train tracks that ran in front of them. A train stirred up the air around them, passing through the station. "Two are unfamiliar to me. The others are Wanda and Vision. I can sense the mind stone."
"All right. Sam, you come in from up high. Pen and Nat, you take left and right. I'll meet them head on," Steve directed.
They branched off, night dogging their footsteps. Aspen could hear fighting up ahead. She peered around one of the brick walls of the station and saw Vision on the ground. He looked to be in pain. Wanda stepped in front of him, hands glowing red as she prepared herself to defend him.
Aspen studied the two attackers. They reminded her of the chitauri with alien like features and skin. One was female with pale skin and blue hair. The top of her face was dark and horns protruded. Aspen couldn't tell if it was a helmet or part of her head. She wore armor and wielded a spear. The other looked like a generic alien to Aspen with grey skin. He was similarly armed and armored. The female paused, tensing as a train sped by behind them. She turned and threw her spear with inhuman speed as the train passed, and Aspen turned to see Steve turning to the side to catch the spear. He walked into the light, and Wanda and Vision slumped in relief. The aliens turned to face Steve, and Aspen prepared herself.
Sam shot out of the sky, kicking the female alien into a closed coffee shop before turning to fire on the other alien. Aspen and Natasha stepped forward from either end of the platform, and Steve threw Natasha the spear he'd caught. She whirled on the male alien, ducking under his blow and stabbing him. She finished with a kick that sent him flying backwards, her short, blonde hair a blur of light in the dark space.
The female alien held out her hand, and the spear Steve had thrown to Natasha flew back into her hands. She moved to attack Natasha, and Aspen struck out, sending a blast of power. It hit the alien woman's back, sending her sprawling. She was back on her feet a moment later, and Aspen ran to meet her, dodging the spear and kicking out. The alien grabbed her leg with inhuman speed, but Aspen rolled into it, kicking out with her other foot. The alien went skittering backwards, and Aspen caught herself, crouching on hands and toes. Steve grabbed the weapon the male alien had dropped, fending off the female as she tried to resume her attack. Natasha joined him in the fight, pulling out her electrical batons. It was like a dance watching Nat and Steve fight, striking blows in turn. Sam swooped in and kicked the alien hard. Her weapon went skittering across the ground, and she quickly crawled over to her fallen comrade, and Sam drew his guns to ensure they stayed down. They peered up at Sam, Nat, and Steve, eyes unreadable.
Easy. Too easy. Aspen knew there was more to it than this. She walked over to Wanda, grabbing her hands. "Are you okay?" she asked.
Wanda nodded quickly before looking down at Vision. "Vis…"
Vision was clearly hurt, his interface flickering. He clutched his side where he'd been damaged. Aspen's eyes were drawn to the mind stone, glinting yellow like a beacon. That was what they'd come for. Just like someone had come for the Tesseract. Someone was hunting down the infinity stones.
Aspen turned back in surprise as a beam of bright light came down from the circular spaceship. The two aliens were carried up, the weapon Steve had taken ripping out of his grip to follow after them.
"Can you stand?" Sam asked Vision, tucking his guns away and walking over. He offered a hand, helping him to his feet as Vision's face distorted again.
"Thank you, Captain," Vision said, his voice distorted as Wanda and Sam supported him.
Steve gave him a nod, giving Wanda a concerned look. "Let's get you on the jet," he said.
"Who were they?" Aspen asked, falling into step with Wanda.
"I don't know. They were after the stone." As Aspen had suspected.
"I think they have the Tesseract, too," Aspen said softly. "I had a vision." She didn't have the energy to explain further, but Wanda didn't press, simply took Aspen's hand in her free one and gave it a squeeze.
"Thank you for coming."
"Of course. I'm sorry we couldn't get here sooner." Aspen sent Vision a worried look. "Is he going to be okay?" She scanned him quickly, looking for his vital signs. Wanda had patched him together, leaving residual energy, but Vision had taken a hit. She wasn't sure he would be able to recover from this, and she knew Wanda was terrified for him.
They reached the jet, Natasha moving to close the ramp. "I thought we had a deal," she said, giving Wanda a look that Aspen had seen frequently from the former spy. It reminded her of a look Fury might have given her in the past. "Stay close, check in. Don't take any chances."
"I'm sorry," Wanda told her. "We just wanted time."
Time was something they always seemed to be short on. They were no longer Avengers, but they were still fighting. They'd never stopped fighting. Aspen realized that she had never stopped to appreciate the time she'd had because she was still stuck back in a time that no longer existed.
"Where to, Cap?" Sam asked as they readied themselves for flight. He settled into the pilot's seat.
Steve hesitated for a moment, eyes meeting Aspen's for a brief moment before he spoke. "Home." It was a word Aspen had been wanting to hear for years. It didn't mean the same thing as it had before, but it stirred in her a hope she hadn't felt in a very long while.
Home didn't mean a safe house somewhere in New Jersey. Home didn't mean Arizona with her mom, with her daughter. Home meant the building her heart longed for like a displaced homing pigeon. Home meant her team back together. Home had become complicated because it wasn't a home Mara could be in, and yet Mara was also her home. She'd become Aspen's new home, and now Aspen felt torn in two directions. She couldn't have both, but right now she needed to be away from Mara so she could save Mara. Their world was at risk, and Aspen would not stand by and do nothing. She would fight for her daughter's future.
They settled in for the flight, and Sam set a course for New York. Wanda sat close to Vision, holding his hand, their heads pressed close together. Aspen felt a little jolt realizing there was still a distance between her and Steve. They hadn't fixed that yet, and she felt her heart pull, wanting to tell him again how sorry she was.
There was never enough time, and this was a reminder that she needed to make the most of what she had before it was taken away.
"Tony's missing," Wanda said once the jet was in the air. "Another one of those ships appeared in New York. I saw it on the news."
Steve glanced over, brow furrowed. "Do we know how many of these ships appeared?" Natasha asked.
Wanda shook her head. "I don't know."
"If they were after Vision's stone, what were they after in New York?" Aspen asked. "Is there another stone there?"
"I thought they were out in space," Sam put in. "Wasn't why Thor left? To find them?"
"I don't think he had much luck," Aspen said softly. "Did the two aliens that attacked you say anything more to you?" she asked Wanda and Vision. "Did they mention who they were working for?"
But Wanda shook her head again. "They just attacked. They didn't tell us anything."
"So we know they were after Vision's stone," Steve said. "Tony engaged them in New York. They attacked Thor's ship in space." His eyes flitted to Aspen.
She quickly recounted to Wanda and Vision what she knew. "It's not much," she added. "I don't know who's behind this or if they got the Tesseract. I think they did though. And I think there's a chance Loki and Thor are both dead."
They bowed their heads. It was a terrifying thought that their new, unknown enemy could take down two demi-gods when Thor had been one of their strongest teammates and Loki had cheated death more than once before. And now Tony was missing too? Who did that leave them with? And would the government try to come after them if they showed themselves?
A ringing interrupted the silence that filled the quinjet after Aspen's words. "Whose phone?" Sam asked.
To Aspen's surprise, Steve pulled out the burner phone he always kept on him in case Tony ever needed help. He flipped it open and answered. "Tony?"
He put the phone on speaker mode and a voice responded. Not Tony's voice, but Bruce's. Aspen saw the look of surprise on her teammate's faces. They hadn't heard from Bruce since the Hulk had flown off in a quinjet after Sokovia. They'd been fearing he was dead, but here he was, Bruce again.
"No…it's Bruce." Silence hung heavy after his words.
"Bruce. What's happening?" Steve took it in stride. There would be time to ask Bruce how he'd gotten back to Earth, but now there were more important things to worry about.
"Thanos is coming," Bruce said. "He's the one who sent Loki and the chitauri in 2012. He's looking for the infinity stones, and he has at least one already. He…he killed Thor and Loki. I was sent back to Earth before I saw what happened, but Thor's not here." No one spoke. They knew this part already, but it felt more real hearing it from Bruce. "I was with them. Long story."
"What about Tony? He's missing?" Steve asked.
"He was fighting two of Thanos's guards. They took Doctor Strange. Tony went after them, and so did the Spider Kid. They never came back, but the ship left."
"Who's Doctor Strange?" Aspen asked.
"He's a wizard? A sorcerer? I'm still trying to keep up. He was in possession of the time stone. That's why they took him. Cap, we need you here. Whoever you can find."
'We're on our way, Bruce," Steve assured him. "Nat, Sam, Wanda, Vision, Aspen, and me. We're headed to headquarters. Who've we got there?"
"Just Rhodey. It's just the two of us."
"We'll be there soon. Vision was attacked by two of Thanos's guards too. He's still got his stone, but he's injured."
"We need more players," Bruce said. "This is big. We need everyone we can get."
Steve frowned a moment. "I think I know where we can find more soldiers. We'll see you soon, Bruce."
He hung up and turned back to the others. "Wakanda," he said. "Maybe T'Challa can help. Bucky will."
Aspen was thinking back to New York, and suddenly one of the dreams she'd had came back to her in full detail. A giant reaching for her. Thanos. Somehow she knew these nightmares had not been mere dreams but alternate realities. If they'd lost the battle. If Thanos had come himself. This was it. This was what she'd seen the end of, and the thought made her blood run cold. She had never seen an ending where they won.
…
They arrived in New York several hours later. It was a welcome sight when the headquarters came into view, the familiar A standing out on the side of the building. Steve felt conflicted. Too much had changed since he'd last been here. He'd lost too much…and gained too much for it to ever feel the same.
The team had been subdued during their flight, and he and Aspen hadn't spoken at all. Their previous fight seemed petty, inconsequential. It was said and done, and there was no changing that now. There wasn't time to be angry or hurt. They were going to war—he was sure of that because that was where all roads seemed to end—and he didn't want to spend his last peaceful moments at war with Aspen.
As soon as Sam landed the jet, he hung back while the others disembarked. He stopped Aspen from following with a gentle tug on her arm. She turned back to him, and he kissed her, trying to pour all his forgiveness into it. Her hands came up to rest on his chest on either side of the star on his uniform.
"I forgive you," he said as soon as they pulled apart. "No matter what happens, I haven't regretted a second of being with you."
Aspen's eyes lit up, and she pulled him into a tight embrace. "Thank you. You have a right to be angry with me, but right now I can't take anger. Are we going to make it through this?" she asked in a quiet voice.
Steve didn't know how to answer that. It was an impossible question. "I honestly don't know," he told her, deciding on truth rather than platitudes. "But whatever happens, we'll do it together."
Aspen pulled back. "That's all I ask."
Rhodey was speaking to a virtual Ross when they entered the facility. "Mr. Secretary," Steve said, his tone flat. He wasn't surprised that Rhodey and Ross had been arguing over them when they'd entered. They were criminals by Ross's own label, and they were crossing all kinds of red tape to be there.
Ross turned to Steve, fury and frustration building on his face. "You got some nerve. I'll give you that," he said. He sounded resigned like it wasn't really a surprise that Steve was there.
"You could use some of that right now," Natasha said, her tone a challenge.
"The world's on fire, and you think all is forgiven?"
Steve sighed inwardly. They didn't have time for this. He wasn't about to let Ross's accords stop them from standing up to Thanos. "I'm not looking for forgiveness. And I'm way past asking for permission," he told Ross. "Earth just lost her best defender. So we're here to fight." He took a step forward. "And if you wanna stand in our way…we'll fight you, too."
Ross turned back to Rhodey. "Arrest them."
"All over it," Rhodey said in a bored tone, swiping to end the call. "That's a court-martial," he said without enthusiasm. "It's great to see you, Cap."
Steve stepped forward to shake Rhodey's hand. "You too, Rhodey." He was glad Rhodey wasn't going to stand against him. He'd paid the price already and ended up with leg braces to help him walk. That never should have happened, but there was no use regretting what they couldn't change.
Nat stepped forward to hug Rhodey too, and Aspen gave him a smile. Her arms were crossed, and she looked hesitant. He realized she wanted so badly for this to feel like home again, but something had irreparably changed that.
"Well," Rhodey said, taking a step back to observe them. Sam was supporting Vision now, the android looking ready to pass out. "You guys really look like crap. Must've been a rough couple of years."
"Yeah, well, the hotels weren't exactly five star," Sam answered him.
"Uh, I think you look great." Everyone turned as Bruce moved into the room. He looked unsure, like they wouldn't be happy to see him.
"Hi, Bruce," Natasha said.
"Nat." Silence hung.
"This is awkward," Sam whispered to Vision and Wanda.
"It's really good to see you, Bruce," Aspen said, crossing the room and pulling him into a hug. "I'm glad you're okay."
"Thanks, Pen."
Aspen drew away, and Steve stepped forward to shake Bruce's hand. "Glad to have you here," Steve told him.
"So," Rhodey said. "What now?"
Steve took a deep breath before exhaling. "We come up with a plan." He didn't know what that plan would be. He didn't know what to expect next. It worried him but, as he looked around at his team, he remembered he wasn't alone in this. Aspen slid her hand into his and, for a moment, he felt as if they could take on Thanos right that minute and win.