Early update because I am TOO COOL! (does weird dance on the side) Technically I said that this chapter or the next would be the last of the series, but seeing as this chapter just got longer and longer, I think it'll definitely be the chapter after the next.
So, a lot is happening in this chapter that is about all I can warn you about lol on top of it being one of my longest chapters I have written in this entire series, to date (well not really, but it definitely feels like it lol). Once my fingers started going, I couldn't stop it, surprisingly.
But I hope you all enjoy it. Lots of action, a surprising visit by two other characters along with a pop in from Bucky (-inwardly squeaking because Bucky is bae-)
Enjoy! And Happy Thanksgiving!
BOLD: Memories
Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel or its characters!
She was done being the damsel in distress.
She was done letting fear control her life.
She was done allowing HYDRA any opening in controlling what they had made her to be.
No one would hurt her family or friends again. No one.
She was done sitting on the sidelines like some wounded puppy.
She was done watching her family fight to protect her, someone who was quite capable of protecting herself.
And most of all, she was done being scared of something that she could easily use to protect what was hers.
They made her into a monster but she could become a monster that HYDRA would fear.
She would use what they turned her into, against them.
Make them regret ever stepping foot into the Tower, ever attempting to hurt her family, ever kidnapping her in the first place.
She would truly show them how much of a nightmare she could truly be.
Consequences be damned.
If she woke up in the spirit dimension once this was all over, she'd be alright with that as long as her family was safe from those attacking them now.
But first things first, HYDRA needed to die. They needed to be dealt with now. Hell with 'Cut off one head and two more shall take its place'. She was inwardly praying that they would grow two more heads just so she could proudly kill them too.
Running around the corner into the living room, her pulse was already thundering in her ears to the point that she could barely hear the shouting of the fight happening in front of her. Ducking out of the way, she instantly saw the blow that was coming in her direction as one of the HYDRA agents swung a metal pipe at her head.
"SKY! GET OUT OF HERE!" Steve shouted from his hand to hand combat with about 4 other HYDRA agents.
"Like hell! I'm not leaving your ass here!" She snapped back, swiping her leg out, efficiently taking out the legs of the man that tried to hit her.
"I SAID GET OUT OF HERE! FIND THE OTHERS!" He continued to order her as she kicked the down man in the face, immediately knocking him unconscious before gasping in surprise as another agent appeared behind her, wrapping his arms tightly around her form.
"No way!" She grunted, thrashing a bit before throwing her head back, making contact with the man's nose. He squeaked in pain, quickly letting go of his hold on her to attend to his now broken nose while she spun, kicking him dangerously in the side of the head.
"SKY! DO AS I SAY!" Steve grunted as one of the men punched him in the stomach before kicking him in the face, sending the Captain stumbling back into the already broken wall.
"What part of 'no' don't you understand?!" She snapped over the sound of broken glass as another pair of HYDRA agents repelled in from the broken balcony windows.
Great.
"SKY! PLEASE GO! RUN!" Steve ducked out of the way of another blow, tossing his shield perfectly across the room, knocking the two new arrivals out of the window and to their deaths below.
"For the love of god, I'm not leaving you! Never!" She snapped, her eyes finding the form of one of the agents she had knocked down just moments ago, reaching for his gun on his hip. He wasted no time in pulling it up and aiming at the unsuspecting Captain just a few feet away.
"No way in hell." She growled, tapping into her telepathy as her hand shot out just as the gun went off.
Steve spun in horror at the sound of the gun, his eyes immediately seeking out her own in desperation while the down agent stared confused at the bullet that was now floating in thin air just inches from Steve's chest.
Seeing that she was unharmed, he glanced down and finally noticed the bullet that had been directed at him.
"You people just don't learn." She hissed, her wrist snapping as she sent the bullet careening back towards the agent that shot it, spearing him through the forehead.
It was easy to dispose of these people.
That's what she had thought the moment the man's dead form dropped to the ground lifeless only to be tossed for a loop when another set of arms wrapped tightly around her form before the presence of something cold and metal was pressed to her temple.
"Drop the shield." The man behind her threatened Cap who stared threateningly at the man holding her hostage.
"Drop it! OR I'll shoot her!" The man shouted desperately this time, his grip on her tightening further.
Skylar on the other hand, didn't feel fazed by the man's threat as she knew if HYDRA really wanted her, they would want her alive. How else would they get what they wanted if she wasn't breathing? Steve slowly dropped his arm, his eyes seeking out her now violet ones, silently asking her what she had planned, if anything. Skylar on the other hand let off a small smile, a way of telling him to trust her as she had something up her sleeve.
Giving in and admitting defeat, Steve hesitantly dropped his shield with a loud clatter before the remaining agents were on him like flies to a dune heap. They wrestled and tussled a bit before he was finally restrained as best as they could.
"Good choice." The man holding her praised as he lifted a hand to his earpiece, about to report to his superior waiting for any news on her capture.
This was her chance.
Shutting her eyes, softly taking in a lung of air before allowing her consciousness to dive into his earpiece. It buzzed a bit at her appearance within before she was able to listen in on the conversation he was having with whoever was in charge.
"Asset in custody."
"Perfect. And the Captain?"
"Restrained."
"Kill him and meet at the rendezvous point with the asset."
"Yes sir."
That voice. She knew that voice anywhere.
Collins. They had broken him out from the Towers cell.
"You know what to do. Meet at the rendezvous point in 10 minutes." The man holding her commanded the group holding Steve as Skylar slowly drifted back into her body. Shaking the headache from her mind, she opened her fuzzy eyes, meeting the concerned ones of Steve who was obediently standing there.
Once the man holding her began to yank her away, that's when everything seemed to freeze as Collins words from moments ago finally sunk in.
They were commanded to kill him. To kill Steve.
Tears began to flood her eyes at the possibility of never seeing this man again. Her heart hammered in her chest as the blood under her skin began to boil as if lava was flowing through her veins.
Watching him struggle against his restraints as she was dragged away, set fire to the blaze already set inside her.
No.
She wasn't going to stand here and let them kill him.
No way in hell.
The last straw to the small amount of sanity still left inside her, was the sight of one of the men pulling out a pistol and holding it to Steve's chest without the man even noticing.
That's when something snapped inside her. A pulse, one she hadn't felt in a long time, shot off her form, shooting the man that had been holding her threw the nearest wall and out into the world. Knowing Steve could handle something like that, she allowed the pulse to travel through the room completely, taking every living thing present, with it.
What she hadn't expected was how strong it had initially been. Steve fought against the power of it, losing as he was tossed clean out the window with the rest of them. Skylar gasped at the sight, her heart sinking as her hands shot out, barely able to catch him in mid-air.
She had never been so thankful for what HYDRA made her to be, then in that moment.
Pulling him back into the building and directly to her, she threw herself against him as they crumbled to the ground together.
"I'll never leave you alone. Ever." She whispered through tears as she clung desperately to his form.
"Me either. I love you doll." He whispered back, his hold on her tightening as if his life depended on it.
"The others!" She gasped as she realized she had also saw them fighting off their own pairs.
"We need to go help them. They broke Collins out!" She yanked away from his hold, grabbing his hand and dragging toward the nearest team member.
The pair successfully helped Barton, Nat, Sam and Wanda, though Vison, Thor and Hulk were better off on their own as they arrived to find all HYDRA agents already disposed of.
"Where's Stark?" Nat asked as they looked around to the bruised and bloodied group currently gathered.
Skylar's eyes whipped around the room before widening when she realized she hadn't made it to her cousin yet.
"Oh god…." She whispered in a panic, her eyes shooting over to Vision.
"Vi, take me to the pent house!" She ran over, desperately begging him as Steve stepped up confused.
"Woah. Wait a minute. You're not leaving. We can go up together." He quickly shot down her desperate plea as she shook her head.
"No, I need to get up there now. Trust me. Meet me up there, please." She begged as Steve saw the desperate way she was looking at him, he knew she knew more than she was letting off.
Swallowing heavily, fighting against the defeat growing inside him, he was interrupted by a heavy hand on his shoulder.
"I will fly the Captain up there immediately Lady Sky." Thor's booming voice broke through the awkward silence as Skylar smiled gratefully at the demi-god.
"Thank you Thor." She softly thanked, nodding to Steve who had no choice but to nod back before she turned back to Vision.
"Pent house and hurry." She pushed the AI who simply nodded, allowing his arm to wrap around her small waist before the two disappeared from sight.
"We'll meet you up there." Nat announced past her slight limp as Steve nodded, allowing the demi-god to take hold of his arm as he swung his hammer around.
"Hurry." Clint added seriously from beside the Hulk who continued to growl as the four watched the two men disappear out the window.
"Need a lift?" Sam asked as his wings retracted from the pack on his back.
Vision and Sky penetrated the pent house floor seconds after they disappeared to find the entire floor a complete disaster.
"No." She whispered in horror as she pulled herself from Vision's side, slowly taking a step closer to the mess.
Nothing was not broken. Everything was destroyed.
"I see you finally decided to show up." A voice carried through the eerily quiet room as Skylar's tear filled violet eyes sought out the owner of said voice only to see Collins seemingly making himself at home behind his cousin's bar.
"Where is he? Where is Tony!?" She demanded loudly, a few things being thrown across the room at the energy level currently spiking from her frame.
"Hey. Calm down. You know you can't get anything done when you're mad." Collins mocked as he sipped a dark liquid from a broken glass.
She was furious. How dare this man, mock her cousin's life right in front of her?
Taking a threatening step forward, Collins stood quickly and tutted at her.
"Not another step there. Kill me and you'll never find your cousin." He threatened back, only then did Skylar realize the weird contraption around his head.
What the hell was that thing?
"Ms. Stark." Vision whispered from beside her as her eyes sought out the AI's.
"I'm getting an unnatural reading from this room." He explained as his eyes continued to whip around the pent house.
Unnatural? She couldn't help but think, what about this room was unnatural?
"So, I heard from a little birdy that you have a message for us from the other side?" Collins trailed around the bar top just as Steve and Thor came charging in from the broken balcony window.
"Wait!" Her arms shot out, stopping the two behemoth men from running any further. Both men looked down at the tiny woman in confusion before noticing the look of absolute horror playing through her violet orbs.
"Who told you?" She whispered hesitantly as the man chuckled and shrugged.
"I have my ways, now, why don't you tell the room what the message was from the 'great beyond'?" Collins leaned against the ledge of the counter, a little proud with himself as he gained more attention from the still arriving group.
"What's he going on about now Sky?" Sam asked as he pulled his wings back in before stepping back from Clint who was not all too happy about having to catch a ride with the man.
Sky's heart thundered loudly in her chest, dropping into her stomach as she took in a panicked breath.
"Come on. The room deserves to know." Collins egged on, knowing how the room would react to the woman hiding such secrets from them.
"What's he talking about doll?" Steve whispered worried from beside her as she hung her head, looking down to her tattered clothes.
"Dr. Zola." She whispered hesitantly, catching everyone's attention at the crazy scientist's name.
"He sent me back with a message." She added, her voice growing shaky.
"What kind of message?" Nat asked seriously, her eyes panning back and forth from her scared friend to the proud HYDRA agent standing across the room.
"They are coming, whether we are ready or not. We have not seen the last of them." She repeated the message her uncle of all people have passed on to her.
"Who is coming?" Clint's grip on his bow tightened at the woman's words.
"HYDRA. All those you have killed and Dr. Zola." She hung her head again as pain shot through her mind at the realization that she had kept this a secret for so long from everyone present.
"What?! Wait. Wait. Wait. Who?" Sam couldn't believe his ears as Nat and Clint's eyes shot over to each other in concern.
"They're dead doll, how could they possibly come back to life?" Steve placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, feeling her body begin to shiver from under his touch.
"How do you think they will?" Collins called over as Steve shot him a 'shut the hell up' look, which did little to nothing.
"You all still think so little of what HYDRA has created." He nudged his head in Skylar's direction as Steve and Thor both took a protective step in front of her which only sent Collins chuckling amused.
"Even the likes of you won't be able to protect her with what is coming. It's too late." He continued to laugh as he pulled the strange device over his face.
"They're already on their way." He smirked from behind the large mechanical goggles as the building shook heavily.
As soon as the building shook, Skylar let out a scream of pain, crumbling to the ground on her knees as she held her head. The pain currently running through her mind was unimaginable. She had never felt pain like this before and honestly, she never wanted to again.
"Sky! Doll!" Voices shouted from around her as she held her head tightly between her hands, feeling the familiar pulse of power begin to grow up her chest and into her head, where it let through another wave of pain. She screamed again just as a hand touched her before the occupants of the room were shot in every direction thanks to the now violet aura that quickly shot out of Skylar.
She knew what was happening even though she had never experienced it yet, she knew what was coming.
They were coming.
That same violet aura shot from Skylar's crumbled form and through the roof of the ceiling, into the New York sky, it was like the attack on New York all over again.
"What the hell is happening?!" Sam shouted from his pinned spot against the wall, fighting against the hold on him.
"They're using Sky as the bridge between dimensions! They're opening the dimension into our world!" Wanda shouted from her spot as the Hulk roared against the effortless hold Sky had on him.
"Sky! Stop! Don't do this!" Steve shouted over the whip of wind that was now swirling through the room and up through the large hole in the pent house ceiling.
But Sky could no longer hear him as her consciousness was stolen from her body and thrown into the next dimension.
Sky's mind twisted and tumbled before she heard a familiar voice calling out to her.
"Sky! Wake up! Come on!" The voice shouted, as if repeating the same words Steve had been yelling at her just a few hours prior.
Slowly peeling her eyes open, she was met with a face she had not been expecting to see when she woke.
"Tony?" She whispered through a raspy voice as his pained eyes softened only a bit.
"What happened?" She whispered as Tony slowly began to help her up from where she had been laying on the ground.
"Wait, Tony?" She realized that she had been previously looking for him and grabbed his face suddenly, sending the man yelping in pain as his face was practically swollen in various places.
"Ow. Ow. Ow. OW!" He yelled, pulling his cousins hands from his face to groan in pain.
"That means….." Horror filled her stomach as her eyes shot around to her surroundings to find that, sure enough, they were in the other dimension.
"No." Tears filled her eyes to the brim as she ran over to the nearest window, glancing out at the gray scenery, her eyes immediately noticing the pillar of bright violet light in the center of town where the Avengers Tower was. Heart beating quickly, she noticed movement in the streets as her eyes quickly picked out the various dark figures all heading in the direction of the pillar.
"No, no, no…." She cried out, banging on the window viciously till it shattered under her force.
"Sky! Stop! Stop!" Tony shouted behind her, grabbing her around her waist and yanking her forcefully from the now broken window.
"Let me go! Let go!" She thrashed in his arms, getting in a good swing of her leg as Tony dropped her anything but gently onto the ground.
Crumbling onto the ground, her cut covered hands clenched into fists as she buried her face into the dirty floor, silently sobbing out. Hearing her crying, Tony crawled over to his cousin and gently took her into his arms, holding her to his chest as he quieted hushed her.
Seeing as Skylar hadn't answered to any of their calls, Steve could only assume, with the amount of power coming off of her form, that she was no longer conscious, that the portal opening high above the sky of New York was being held open with her unconscious mind. Tears silently spilled from his eyes as they hardened and turned to the proud man standing at the balcony window, watching the flashing lights from the portal high above.
"You'll be dealt with soon enough." He continued to point out as a sly grin crossed his features.
"What did you do to Lady Skylar?!" Thor thrashed in his spot against the window as Collins passed him an uncaring glance.
"What she was created to do." Was all he said before turning back to the sight in front of them.
"Soon enough, you will all experience the true power of HYDRA, past and present." Collins smirked as electricity began to spark down from the opening in the sky, sending the audience in the streets below, screaming as each bolt shot at various buildings surrounding Avenger Tower.
"We need to do something aside from just laying here!" Sam called over to the others as Nat began to fiddle with the widow bites on her wrist.
"So this is the other dimension." Tony spoke up in mock sarcasm a few moments after Skylar pried her sobbing form from his arms. Both Starks were now perched in the broken window, watching helplessly as various dark figures began to slowly be sucked up into the sky.
"The one and only." Sky whispered defeated, tears still silently falling from her eyes.
"I expected it to be a bit more…I don't know." He muttered more to himself, shrugging, unsure how to explain himself.
"Dead?" She answered for him through a pitch in her voice as she wiped her tears, watching as the dirt on her face smeared through the wetness.
"Well, considering it's New York City, this is pretty dead." Tony attempted to lighten the mood though when he glanced over to his cousin, her face of dread had not changed one bit.
"Sky, come on, you can't blame yourself for this." Tony spoke exasperated as Sky sniffled, hiccupping suddenly.
"What is there not to blame? This is happening because of me, because I am the bridge to this dimension. If I wasn't alive….." She began to say before pain erupted across her face, her head spinning at the force of a slap she hadn't seen coming.
Blinking in surprise, she held a hand to her cheek in shock, her head slowly turning to see none other than her cousin staring at her angrily.
"Don't you DARE say that!" He snapped as she swallowed heavily, tears filling her eyes to the brim.
"Don't you dare say something like that." He softly added, his eyes softening a bit.
Tony sighed, running a frustrated hand through his hair before he stepped up, almost hesitantly to stand in front of her. He placed his hands on her shoulders causing her to meet his eyes finally, feeling the way his hands shook a little as he touched her.
"Sky, you know, none of this would have changed had you not been here. HYDRA would have still crawled around in the dirt and sought someone else out to use." Tony carefully started as Skylar continued to stare at him, her eyes never moving from his.
"Can you imagine what would have happened had HYDRA found someone that wasn't as goodhearted or as kind as you?" Tony's eyes watered a bit though he fought to reel in his emotions.
"I can only imagine the terrible things that person would have done with the things you have been given." Tony whispered this time, his mind catching up with what was truly happening.
"Believe me Sky, I know you hate the shit they gave you and the things they did to you, which I will never comprehend in my wildest dreams, but think about it, things like these happen for a reason, even if we don't know that reason. Death would have never stopped something like this from happening. But remember, someday, everything will make perfect sense to you, but for now, laugh at the confusion, smile through the tears and keep reminding yourself….." " Tony's heart swelled as those familiar words passed his lips sending Skylar's eyes widening when she immediately recognized where Tony had pulled that quote from.
"that everything happens for a reason." Skylar whispered lowly.
"Mom." She whispered as a tear fell down her cheek.
"Sweetheart, come here." Her mom's soft voice whispered from her usual perch on the ledge of her bed.
Skylar's small feet shuffled towards the bed, climbing up as best as her small self could before her mother pulled her crying form into her side.
"I know how hard it is honey, to be going through something like this at such a young age." Her mother whispered, both attempting to fight the tears that were threatening to burst at the seams.
"But remember sweetie, things happen for a reason, even if we don't know what it is. Someday, everything will make perfect sense, but for now, laugh at the confusion, smile through the tears and keep reminding yourself….." Her mother began to explain to her before her small voice interrupted.
"that everything happens for a reason."
She knew the quotes her cousin decided to drop on her, made little to no sense considering the situation they were in, but, that didn't matter to her, her mother was her everything growing up. Her back bone, her bridge over the roughest waters, her light in the darkness.
Hearing just that come from her cousin, set something aflame in her chest that she had to take a step back just to take in a deep breath of air.
"Sky…." Tony stepped up concerned by the pale complexion that took over his cousins face. Skylar on the other hand, shot a hand up to stop him from coming any closer and shook her head as she leaned over, her hands perched on her knees.
"I'm alright, give me a minute." She whispered as she stared at the dirty ground beneath her, her breath shallowing just a bit at the memory that had crossed her path.
It had been some time since her mother had come to mind, but she couldn't have chosen a better time to invade her mind.
"Your mom always had the best things to say when you were in a hole, even the deepest hole." Tony commented, turning back to the scene playing out in front of him.
"No matter what the situation, she always had some insight, always a way to look through it and into the brighter side of things." Tony added, a small smile unconsciously coming to his features.
"You were her least favorite nephew, always getting into trouble." Skylar commented as imagined her mother always yelling at Tony whenever they had gone over to visit his family.
"I was her only nephew, and she loved me, for your information." Tony shot back playfully as she slowly pulled herself to stand, smiling albeit forcefully at him.
It suddenly grew quiet between the two as the tension continued to roll with every flicker of light coming off of the Avenger Tower.
"What are we going to do?" Skylar finally whispered, her mother's voice nagging her in the back of her mind.
"Here we are, the last living Starks and we have no plan." Tony teased causing her to snort as she wiped at her face once more.
"All these abilities and yet, I'm still helpless." She looked down to her dirty hands in aggravation.
"Helpless? Never were, you just need that extra push to get you going." A voice, one they hadn't expected to hear, rang through the room from behind them.
Both Starks spun on their heels, ice cold shock shooting through their frames at the two figures standing just feet behind them.
Their jaws dropped, their eyes unable to catch on to who they were seeing standing directly in front of them, as if they hadn't aged a day past 30.
"Close your jaw son. It's rude to gawk." Howard's voice spoke as Tony's bottom lip stuttered, unable to find words to speak as his father approached his side, taking a good look outside.
"This isn't real." Skylar shook her head, still finding it impossible to pull her eyes from the woman slowly approaching her.
"As real as life itself." Her mother's voice rang through the room as she smiled at her daughter.
"But, this is the dimension of the dead….where the evil…." Skylar couldn't make any sense of it, seeing as she knew the type of beings that resided here, there was no possible way someone like her mother or her uncle would be placed here.
"Relax Skylar, we both know what this place holds and you are right, we do not belong here." Howard glanced over at his sister-in-law briefly before looking to his niece.
"Then what are you doing here?" Skylar whispered, still in shock.
"To help." Her mother answered as Skylar's eyes panned to meet hers.
"How? We're in the other dimension and every evil thing here is currently making its way to earth!" Skylar spat out frustrated, her hand viciously pointing out the window to the beam of light in the distance.
"I don't know about you two, but the odds aren't really in our favor this time around." Tony added as Howard glared at him in disapproval.
"Given up so easily?" Howard asked with an arched brow.
"Um, wouldn't you?" Tony gestured wildly to the show going on before them.
"No." Howard didn't even bother looking at the scene as he looked his son dead in the eye.
"Starks don't give up, especially with our minds." Howard proudly added sending Tony figuratively deflating before looking to his cousin, completely annoyed at his ghost of a father.
"What your uncle is trying to say is, why are you both so quick to give up on your friends and family waiting back on earth? When have you ever given up on them before?" Her mother looked at her now, with soft eyes, eyes she remembered vividly.
"Mom, it's not like we're not trying, we just don't have a way of helping. I don't know how to control this." Skylar pressed before she felt her mother's warm hand press to her chest.
"You have everything you need, in here. All the control you need, is here." Her mother offered as Tony sighed.
"Not like we're not happy to see the two of you, we really are, but for once, could we possibly stop speaking in riddles and get on with it. I don't think Earth has the time for us to sit here and pass on words of wisdom." Tony whined impatiently while her mother completely ignored his rant.
"I know everything you have gone through in life hasn't always been the best dear, but you have always handled it with an open heart, one thing that makes you who you are. Even after everything that happened this year alone, it has put so much pressure and stress on you that you can't find it in you not to blame yourself. But that's where you're wrong honey. If not you, someone else would have suffered in your stead, someone would be suffering now, alone, but not you, you have so much support, support that is like an unmoving wall." Her mother grabbed her shoulders, looking her dead in the eye.
"You are a bright, selfless, kind, openhearted and open minded woman, Skylar, one that has gone through so much turmoil in life yet continues to hold her head high. Not many people could go through what you have and come out stronger than you once were." Her mother whispered with a small smile.
"You have so much darkness, regret and guilt building up inside of you Sky that you have completely forgotten what you really stand for."
"But you cannot continue to stand here and mope in the darkness while your friends and the man you love is fighting a losing battle. Could you stomach seeing them pass, fighting for you while you sit here and mope?" Her mother stressed further as Skylar shut her eyes, tears silently falling down her cheeks as she shook her head.
"None of this is your fault and if you are going to continue to blame yourself no matter what anyone says, then I have one more thing to say to you." Her mother stood, staring down at her seriously.
"Don't take on the blame alone. It is HYDRA's fault everything has happened. Don't let them get away with it." Howard joined her mother's side, nodding in agreement with what she had said.
"Put those minds to good use you two and give HYDRA hell." Howard added with a grin.
"God gave you this life because he knew that you were strong enough to live it. You were given these abilities for a reason, Skylar, use them, and don't give up just yet. " Her mother whispered once more, leaning down to press a kiss to her daughters forehead as the light in Skylar's eyes changed.
The two pulled away slowly from them as Skylar took a hesitant step towards her mother's disappearing figure.
"Will I see you again mom?" She asked hesitantly, her mother's words working quickly through her mind, eating at her guilt.
"We're never far away honey, just a bit difficult to get to." Her mother dodged around the question, knowing she would not like the answer she received.
"Tony, watch over Skylar would ya? I know she won't admit it, but she looks up to you like an older brother." Her mother added as Skylar gasped in embarrassment.
"Do not!" She shouted in defense while Tony looked down at her proudly.
"See, I knew you did." He teased as she glared at him, using her telepathy to knock him on his ass, grinning at his shout of pain.
"Take good care of each other and the others. They need you both." Howard added, smiling at the scene.
"And tell my future son-in-law, I expect a visit soon. I would like to official meet the Captain." Her mother grinned brightly at her joke, watching proudly as a bright blush crossed her daughter's features while Tony was fighting his laughter on the ground.
"Love you sweetheart."
"I'm so telling Capsicle about this when we see them."
"Shut up."
Across the world, on the complete opposite side, a quite man sat rigid as the small television in his run down and plain apartment began to broadcast something happening in New York City.
The female reporter was trying hard to get the news across as she dodged panicked city goers who were running away from the large black opening in the sky.
"Just a moment ago, this black hole type phenomenon you see behind me, began!" She shouted, gesturing wildly behind her.
"The military and our cities mayor have made an official announcement to evacuate New York City!"
"Many are assuming that the Avengers have once again aggravated the wrong crowd, which has led to this happening!" The female reporter was obviously growing more and more frustrated and angered by the happenings.
Bucky pulled himself to stand suddenly as the camera panned the infamous Avengers Tower in the distance, where the distinct blue light was emitting from.
"Skylar." His raspy voice whispered in a panic, his mechanical arm whirling and clenching at the scene unfolding before him.
"Wait! There's something coming out of it!" A man to the side of the camera shouted as the camera zoomed in as far as humanely possible. Various people stopped to face the portal as the same movement caught their attention, their eyes widening in horror as various dark shadows and masses, screaming and screeching, began to slip one by one from the dark hole.
It wasn't long before that dark mass took its attention to the city below, quickly causing more panic and destruction as the female reporter began to run for her life as one particular shadow took interest in her.
Bucky bit down on his lip, his entire form going rigid as he quickly one and one together, easily recognizing what exactly what happening.
Hydra had found Skylar.
"Um guys, about that plan, someone better whip something up quick!" Sam shouted over as the first of many demented beings shot down through the ceiling into the middle of the pent house.
Everyone's eyes took in the floating mass as it floated around the room briefly before settling just a few feet in front of them.
"Ah, the Captain." A murky voice spoke from the cloud before it slowly began to form in front of him.
"I can't be." Steve's eyes widened in horror as the form took on a familiar one.
"It is vice to vee you again."
"Dr. Zola."
"So what's the plan, little sister?" Tony was going to enjoy the newest information that his aunt had given him and smirked when he heard her snort from beside him.
"My mom was right, we can't give on them, especially when they have never given up on us." After a moment of silence, Skylar's words took on a serious note as she glanced over at her cousin who only nodded in agreement.
"But we're in the other dimension, with no tech, no weapons, no 'anything'. How do you expect to help when we're on the other side, literally?" Tony continued to point out with a frustrated huff.
Skylar on the other hand, stared searchingly at the beam of light emitting from the building and into the sky. How was she going to help indeed. She had no idea but something her mother said continued to sit on repeat in her mind.
"You have everything you need, in here. All the control you need, is here."
Her mother's voice echoed through her mind on a loop before her eyes shot open when she felt a hand on her chest. Glancing down, expecting to see someone's hand on her, she was struck surprised when she realized it was her own.
"Sky, you okay there?" Her cousin's voice pulled her from her thoughts as a new sense of determination set in her heart as she met her cousin's eyes.
"I know what to do."
She finally understood what her mother meant when she said that. The power to stop everything, to help everyone and to save earth, laid inside her.
The bridge was open through her and she knew, if she tried hard enough, she could find the power to stop it and save everyone.
"Come on!" She grabbed Tony's hand before the man could ask for an explanation, yanking him from the room and out of the building as quick as her legs could carry her.
"Wait for me." She whispered as the pair ran down the empty roads of New York, her eyes set in a hard determination with revenge boiling in her blood.
It was finally her turn to save everyone.
There it is! A bit of action and seriously like my favorite chapter by far!
Hope you all enjoyed it! Updated it early because I just couldn't wait for you all to read this chapter that I basically wrote out in 2 days haha
Thanksgiving is tomorrow and I have a family packed weekend set up, so I'm not sure if I'll be able to update on Sunday but I promise I will definitely try!
I hope you all have a beautiful and blessed Thanksgiving with all your families!
Happy Thanksgiving!
See ya!