The ground shook as Spencer dropped from the air and onto the battlefield between Thor and Steve; Thor's new hammer allowing for a short breather between the duo. Spencer, with tears in her eyes, wraps her arms around Thor tightly, and Thor embraces her with equal vigor.
"I thought you were dead," Spencer croaked out, her voice was full of emotion.
Thor tightened his grip on her before releasing her, "As did I, but I lived," Thor humbly tells her with a strange look in his eyes.
Spencer caught onto that look, the dread spreading throughout her body, "And Loki? Where is he?" The words felt hard to get out of her mouth as she spoke them.
Thor's expression breaks slightly, his mismatched eyes looking at her with such grief and remorse, that it breaks Spencer's heart. Her chin wobbles as tears gather in her eyes, falling down her face, and she almost doesn't want to believe it, "No," She says, her voice cracking.
Thor reaches for her, but Spencer backs away, "It's not true," Spencer insists, but Thor's expression breaks even more.
"Spencer," His eyes got watery, "He's gone."
It's as if someone pulled the rug from underneath Spencer's feet, her heart shattering as she kneeled over with a wail of agony. The sky darkened at an incredible rate, and the ground shook with unbelievable force. Thor reached for her, to steady her as she wailed into his shoulder, "He can't be!" Spencer cried.
"I am so sorry," Thor's voice trembles as he exhales.
It was incredible how Loki, the God of Mischief, had wormed his way into her heart, a man who killed her father, killed innocents, and attempted many times to kill Thor, but despite all of that, Loki had saved her, had become her friend, had protected her from Hela, and had taken care of her on Sakaar.
Memories with Loki flashed through her eyes as she sobbed against Thor. Loki scoffing at her, Loki looking appalled at her attempts of singing, Spencer trying to spar with him only for Loki to kick her ass, and Loki smiling-that one hurt.
"Do you like it?" Spencer bit her lip and nervously shifted her weight onto her other leg.
It had taken a few days to get the painting of Frigga to Spencer's liking; normally, it would've taken Spencer perhaps a day to finish a painting, but she spent days perfecting everything from the image that Loki had given her-his favorite memory of his mother. Spencer had finally strung up the courage to reveal the painting to Loki, and now, Loki was staring at the painting with a blank look on his face.
"Loki?" Spencer murmured tentatively, feeling the anxiety going to her heart, "Did I get something wrong? Is something not right?" Spencer shot off, feeling worried now.
Loki's eyes were distant before he finally shook his head, and to Spencer's complete dismay, Loki began to smile.
Not a smirk, not a grin, not even a sarcastic smile, no, this was the first time she was witnessing Loki smile genuinely, and it took Spencer's breath away. His eyes lit up as he stepped closer to the painting of his mother with a look of sadness and affectation. "Thank you," Loki murmured, his eyes not looking away from the painting, and that damn smile still on his face.
How many people could say that they made Loki smile like that?
"Princezná," Pietro's was staring at her, his beautiful eyes full of worry. It was raining now, and the skies were violently pouring harsh rain down onto the battlefield, whilst cracking with thunderous lightning that struck the ground. Surrounding her was Steve and Thor, and protecting them, were her sentinels. It was as if they sensed her distress and came to shield their creator, "There's my girl," Pietro murmured, thumbs gliding underneath her puffy eyes.
How long had she been out of it?
"What happened?" Spencer's voice was raw from crying.
"You fainted," Steve kneeled beside them, and gently grasped her shoulder, "Almost would've hit your head on the ground if Thor hadn't been there to catch you."
Spencer felt ashamed now; this wasn't the time or place to be having a mental breakdown. The rawness of Loki's death still weighed on her heart heavily, and a part of her wonder if the others would judge her for reacting so badly over Loki's death, considering a lot of them had bad history with the God of Mischief.
"I'm sorry," Steve spoke honestly, almost as if reading her mind, "About Loki," He clarified seeing her confusion, "Regardless of how I feel about him, I can never thank him for saving your life," He squeezes her shoulder, "And we'll avenge him."
Spencer nods with a few stray tears running down her face, "I'll kill them all," She whispered, the fire in her eyes brightening.
Steve huffed out a laugh and Pietro kissed her forehead, "Show them, my Princezná, show them what happens when you piss off Spencer Coulson," Pietro gazes at her intently with an almost feral grin, "Show them what Chaos can do."
So, Spencer stands, with her men at her side. The raining has ceased, and the ground stops rumbling, but the deadly hail continues to pour down onto the enemy, and the cracks of lightning kissing the ground continues. Tornadoes begin to form deep into the enemy line, and a fire begins to rage through the forest, creeping up towards their ships.
Spencer's eyes are glowing.
Purple for Earth, gold for Asgard, and red for Sakaar swirled in her eyes as she locked eyes with Thor, "Who killed Loki?"
Thor doesn't flinch from her heavy gaze, and doesn't hesitate to answer, "Thanos."
Suddenly, the ground gives a strange rumble-a rumble that wasn't natural. Spencer frowns as the rumbling sounds almost mechanical, and all attention of the group goes towards movement from the blazing forest from the ships, heading straight towards the force-field. hen the disturbance reaches the edge of the trees, it turns into vast moving mounds of earth that easily bypass the force field and emerge, it was sets of massive, motorized spiked wheels, intended for nothing more than shredding everything in their paths.
"Those are definitely not mine," Spencer growls, "Sentinels!" Spencer's voice signals her creations, "Front line, now! Protect us!"
The footsteps of her creations move fluidly and swiftly towards the giant wheels shredding through the battlefield. "Fall back, fall back now!" T'Challa is shouting to the remaining of his forces.
"I am Groot," Croaks the gangly tree, appearing out of nowhere.
Pietro, Steve, and Spencer stare at the young tree, unsure what to make of the alien, "I am Steve Rogers," Steve introduces politely.
"Ah, yes," Thor chuckles, patting Groot on the back, "This is my friend, Tree."
"But he said his name was Groot," Spencer was confused.
"I am Groot," Groot nods at her.
"Yes, their language is very complicated to understand," Thor hums lightly before saying, "But he looks very intrigued by you, Spencer!" Thor adds as Groot reaches out to grasp Spencer's hand, and looks at her with piqued interest.
"I am Groot?" He cutely asks her, his head tilted to the side.
"Translation?" Spencer asks, wide-eyed.
"Oh, he says he feels your connection from the planet," Thor explains, "He's attracted to you because of you, drawn to your pure heart."
"Shuri, update!" T'Challa's voice breaks their focus.
The group splits up, Pietro kissing her forehead briefly, before zooming off to help Bruce and Sam, and Steve and Thor turn their attention onto the oncoming hordes heading their way since Spencer's sentinels were busy dealing with the wheels of death.
"I'm almost finished, brother!" Shuri's voice sounds intense, "We had intruders trying to breach the barrier that Shockwave put up, but Wanda took care of them!"
"That explains why Wanda is on the field now," Spencer murmurs, glancing at Groot, who was staring at her dreamily.
"I am Groot?"
"I have no idea what that could even mean, buddy," Spencer sighs, patting the top of his tree head, "But if you want to follow me, you can." Spencer's eyes landed onto Wanda, and just as Spencer got her sights onto Wanda, she was clobbered by that smug-looking bitch alien.
"Time for some payback," Spencer growls, the need for that bitch's blood searing through her mind.
Spencer sprints forward, the vibranium swords in her hands transforming into slivers of liquid, and traveled from her hands over to her back, before transforming into wings. She propelled off the ground and right beside Okoye and Nat, who were circling the alien woman, and Wanda seemed momentarily knocked out.
"Excuse me," Spencer murmured stepping in front of the alien woman, "But you and me have unfinished business," Spencer used some leftover vibranium to form short, curved daggers into her hands.
The alien woman grins savagely at her, "Yes, we do, human."
"Do you mind?" Spencer glances at Okoye and Nat.
"Oh, no, she's all yours, little spider," Nat shakes her head, going over to Wanda.
"It would be rude to interfere," Okoye gives a smirk, looking like she was going to enjoy this show.
Spencer and the alien woman get into a stance, facing off each other, "Did you love that woman?" Her deep voice taunted the younger woman.
Spencer's eyes tightened, "Her name as Sif, you bitch." She snarled, quick as lightning, both women pivoted towards each other, the clang of their weapons ringing through the air, "And yes, I loved her!"
Blows were traded between the two, movements were quick and agile, weapons slashing-some hitting their marks, some missing. They two women locks weapons, before Spencer's backhanded. The young woman laughs, feeling the blood trickle from her mouth, "Tell me your name, so I can call you something other than bitch," Spencer snarls lunging forward, dragging her blades upwards onto the alien woman, but the moves are blocked easily.
"Promixa Midnight," The alien woman snarls with a proud smirk.
Spencer rapidly jabs Promixa, and sends her stumbling back a few steps. Spencer straightens her stance with a lazy grin, "How do you want your death, Promixa Midnight?" Spencer purrs, circling the alien.
Promixa barks out a laugh, "You think I would fall at the hands of you, a human?"
"Don't forget that Thanos was going to keep me alive," Spencer muses, as Promixa goes ridge, "Oh? Did I strike a nerve?" She gives Promixa a Cheshire Cat grin.
"Thanos would never keep such an inferior race in his army!" Promixa spat at her.
Spencer paused her stalking, and looked at Promixa with a look that made the alien woman pause momentarily. The temperature dropped suddenly, and Spencer cocked her head, eyes still glowing, and the daggers still in her hands. "Is that so?" Spencer murmurs quietly.
Promixa's eyes furrowed, and when she goes to open her mouth, the realization dawns on the alien woman. Her eyes widened in horror as a cruel smirk grows on Spencer's face, "What was that?" Spencer taunted coming closer.
Promixa claws at her throat, soundless noises coming from her open mouth, as the alien woman struggles to breathe. Promixa falls onto her knees, her eyes widening and turning red from the lack of oxygen, and Spencer squats down to Promixa's level, "Cat got your tongue?"
Spencer was never cruel; at least, she tried not to be.
Her training as an assassin taught her to take life quickly and effectively, but Nat and Clint always told her, that there were always those certain targets that just had to suffer. Spencer was a lot of things, but not cruel.
Watching Promixa claw at her throat, pathetically choking on the lack of air, made Spencer's stomach churn uneasily, but the last memory that Spencer had of Sif flashed through the young woman's eyes, and Spencer's heart calmed.
Spencer extended her arm out, the wings on her back gliding up her arm, and transforming into a large scythe, "This is for Sif and Heimdall," Spencer murmured quietly, and with a quick movement of her arms, Promixa's head fell with a thud beside her own body.
Spencer backed away with a cold expression as Promixa's body fell forward, blue blood pouring out of her headless body.
"Remind me to never piss you off," Okoye came up from behind Spencer, and placed a hand on her shoulder, "She deserved it." Okoye gave her a stern look, "She probably deserved worse."
"I would have given her worse," Wanda is bleeding slightly from her forehead, but gives Spencer a grin, "But I'll gladly accept that beheading."
"Vision has the stone!" Shuri's voice shouts through the comms; starling the four women, "I got the Mind Stone out of Vision, but he was ambushed taking it to Wanda!"
"Fuck!" Spencer's eyes widen, whirling around to look for the red android man.
"Does anyone have eyes on Vision!?" Steve shouted into the comms.
"I got him!" Bruce yells, and a few seconds later is seen making a beeline towards the part of the forest that aren't burning. Wanda is quick to follow, leaving Okoye, Nat, and Spencer behind in the dust.
"You should go," Nat tells Spencer, "Wanda might need help destroying that stone, and since you have new powers, it may help her destroy it."
Spencer nods, melting the scythe in her hand, and into wings again. Spencer pivots forward to quickly follow Wanda through the chaos of the battle. Spencer flies by a furious Thor, who is taking down the alien ships, which are retreating now. Spencer lands soundlessly beside Wand and Vision, it seems Vision was injured even more now, and is clutching his side with one arm, and the stone in his other free hand.
"Are you okay?" Wanda demands, trying to help him sit up properly against a log.
Vision gasps, his hand trembling as he holds out the Mind Stone. It's gleaming brightly now, and pulsing. Spencer's spine tingles as an ominous feeling begins to fester in her lower belly. "What's wrong?" Wanda demands, seeing Spencer's pale face.
"He's here," Vision whispers.
Spencer feels sick to her stomach suddenly, as the wind begins to pick it up without her command, no, this feels strange...eerie.
Steve, isn't far away, looks grim as the realization dawns on him, too. "Everyone on my position, we have incoming," It wasn't long before they were joined by Nat, Sam, Okoye, and T'Challa. Spencer can feel the Mind Stone in her mind, felt its power calling to her. Her spine feels stiff as hell, as she tries to push the Mind Stone out of her head. Warning bells are ringing off in her mind, as the inevitable looms nearby.
"What the hell?" Nat remarks lowly, watching the way the wind howls.
Spencer feels Pietro's hand pull her into his chest; almost silently telling her that he was there to protect her, to steady her, to give her strength. A second later, a few hundred feet away, blue-black clouds of the Space Stone appears just before Thanos steps forward, and Spencer feels the weight of the world push down on her shoulders.
Fear, anxiety, and rage are coiling in her stomach at the sight of seeing Thanos again-the man responsible for killing so many of her cherished friends, the man who threatens everything Spencer holds dear to her heart. "Steve," Spencer's voice wavers in fear, causing Pietro to stiffen with the realization of whom the man standing in front of them was, "That's him."
Steve's tired expression turns grim, but a second later, steels his emotion and resolve before giving the command, "Eyes up, stay sharp."
Steve looks briefly at Wanda and Spencer, "Destroy that stone."
Bruce reaches Thanos first, lunging forward fist-first - but Thanos uses the Space Stone on him, renders him immaterial until the Hulkbuster is half-buried in the stone of the cliff behind him, and freezes Bruce in place. Spencer is immobilized with fear, all her talk about making Thanos suffer gone with the wind, as he bulldozes through her friends without breaking a single stride. Steve s sent flying by purple energy before he even gets to strike a single blow, Spencer feels sick to her stomach now.
T'Challa, armor fully charged kinetically, leaps high and with claws extended, but is easily grabbed by the throat and punched to the ground, his armor discharging violently. Falcon stoops, strafing with both Steyr pistols, but is felled when his wings become rubbery and unable to sustain flight. Sam hits the ground rolling in front of Thanos, and Thanos doesn't even flinch as the deviant continues his unbothered stride towards Vision, Wanda, Spencer, and Pietro.
"It's time," Vision's voice is grim.
He holds the stone in his palm, holds it out for Wanda to destroy forever. Wanda looks at Spencer with wide, fearful eyes, and Spencer, despite her growing fear at watching Thanos defeat her friends with ease, gives a nod.
"I'll try," Spencer whispers, unsure if her powers could help Wanda, but she would try like hell. Wanda extends a trembling hand and starts beaming her energy at the Mind Stone; Vision dropping his hand with a pained gasp as he slumps against the log he had been leaning on previously.
"You can do it," Pietro whispers, kissing her cheeks with a sad smile, "I love you, Spencer."
Spencer's knee's buckle as she extends a hand towards the Mind Stone, and directs all of her energy onto the stone; the moment her energy comes into contact with the stone, a violent shiver racks through her body, the Mind Stone screaming in her head. The presence of the other stones weighing heavily on Spencer's body, she could sense their power, almost as if Spencer had her back turned towards a dangerous animal, and her body was ringing the alarm bells in her head.
War Machine joins the fight, firing his guns at Thanos until he uses the gauntlet to crush his armor around him and toss him aside. Bucky runs in firing, and is punched away by the Power Stone.
Okoye activates the Vibranium powered elements on her spear and flings it; the Power Stone stops it inches from Thanos, and throws her and it aside while wrapping the Black Widow in inescapable bands of earth.
Groot stabs his hands into the ground to wrap Thanos in cables of roots, which he breaks easily.
Spencer watches all of this over her shoulder, her heart was breaking, and her body beginning to strain under the exertion that Spencer was putting it through. Pietro rushes forward, and Spencer wants to cry out his name in fear, to stop him, but finds the sounds refusing to leave her mouth.
Pietro collides with Thanos, but Thanos isn't looking at Pietro, no, that purple nutsack was staring right at Spencer; watching her heart-broken expression as Thanos captures Pietro with a single hand, and Thanos pushes Pietro down into the ground, and the ground swallows Pietro up to his waist, immobilizing him.
Spencer couldn't exert any more of her energies to help her friends, and it was killing her to watch her friends so easily defeated, but how could they compare to Thanos, with those stones in his grasp? The deviant was a God now, unstoppable as far as they knew.
Steve slides under one blow and comes up swinging his deployed arm-shields, punching Thanos in the gut and chin. He grabs the gauntlet, keeping Thanos' fingers un-clenched. Thanos looks very briefly impressed at Steve's efforts, before Thanos slams a fist into Steve's head and rendering him insensible.
Steve! Spencer's mind screams in agony.
Thanos looms closer, Wanda and Spencer look at each other in complete fear, tears in both of their eyes, and before Thanos could get close, Spencer's sentinels appear from the sky, landing in a circle around Thanos. Spencer's heart jumps in her chest at the appearance of her creations, and she dares to hope that they could buy them time.
Thanos finally stops his stride, looking at the sentinels with interest, eyes flickering towards Spencer, before her sentinels all lunged forward, spears in hand, and attacking Thanos, but with a simple wave of his hand, her sentinels are turned to dust.
Spencer's eyes widen in horror and anguish; feeling their lives crumble inside her heart, and in its place, was rage. Wanda swings her left hand around to fend him off with a stream of scarlet energy, and pushes him back despite his blue-purple energy shield, but then he starts to make slow headway towards them. Spencer can feel the Mind Stone beginning to finally crack under the pressure of her and Wanda's energies, and Spencer uses both hands to push more and more energy into the Stone.
The Mind Stone pulses once before shattering completely right before their eyes, right as Thanos gains on them. A pulse of pure yellow energy explodes from the Stone, shuddering the trees for many meters around the group. Wanda and Spencer are knocked over by the after shockwave of the Stone being destroyed, Spencer feeling the tears in her eyes as her body shudders violently with fatigue.
The sound of Thanos's heavy footsteps echo through the forest now; everything is eerily silent, but Spencer doesn't have the strength to lift her head up to look at Thanos, to see his stupid expression. Spencer jerks slightly at the feel of a massive hand stroking her hair-Spencer is dumbfounded as Thanos pets her as if in comfort?
"Today, I lost more than you can know. But now is no time to mourn. Now... is no time at all," Thanos walks past Wanda and Spencer and towards where the Mind Stone was destroyed. Spencer shakes off the fatigue to look over her shoulder to watch Thanos stare into the space where the Mind Stone once was.
Vision is struggling to get on his feet, but Thanos pays the injured android no mind at all, and he reaches forward, clenching the gauntlet, emerald filigree surrounding his wrist, making a gesture very similar to that Doctor Strange made when activating the Eye of Agamotto. In response, a bead of yellow light starts gathering in on itself as time is reversed and growing in size, solidifying into an intact Mind Stone.
"No!" Spencer screams, somehow throwing herself at Thanos, but Thanos is quick to swat the young woman away as if Spencer were nothing more than an annoying fly. Spencer lets out a pained cry as she throws her hand at Thanos, summoning the last of her tired energy to call for help.
A second later, right before Thanos could reach for the Mind Stone, that is hovering in the air, the trees begin to creak and groan, and vines spout up from the ground to latch onto Thanos, and right as Thanos was about to be flung by the vines, Spencer is lifted into the air, she struggles in vain, before slammed into the ground several, violent times.
Her name ripping from Pietro's throat.
Her body shakes violently, her brain rattles in her skull, as Thanos bashes her into the ground, and throws her to the side like trash. "Spencer!" Wanda cries in horror.
Spencer feels the blood dripping down her face, as she struggles to pull herself up from the ground. She wiped the blood from her eyes and watches weakly as Thanos brings his gauntlet, he slowly moves the Mind Stone over the last empty slot, and drops it in. The energy surge is much more than any previous - his torso is wreathed with iridescent static, and he bellows from the sensations.
Spencer whimpers at the defeat that hangs over her head, her mind begging for some rest now. All she could do, all any of them could do, was watch as Thanos studies the completed gauntlet. Out of, seemingly nowhere, a massive bolt of lighting strikes him, digging him into the ground and grinding him back for meters. Thor has arrived, eyes glowing with power, stooping down from the sky like a bird of prey. The God of Thunder pauses his attack, reverses his position, raises his new ax above his head and hurls it right at Thanos, but Thanos fires the whole might of the gauntlet against it, but it only creates a rainbow-like bow-shock, not slowing the ax as it slams right into Thanos' chest.
Spencer's eyes widen, a silver of hope rolling through her, as Thor lands in front of Thanos, who is down on one knee, and Thor stares at Thanos with hate, leaning in towards Thanos, Thor tells him something, but Spencer is too far from them to hear Thor's words. He takes hold of the back of Thanos' head and forces his mighty ax deeper into his chest, staring angrily into his eyes while Thanos cries out in pain.
It sends a shiver of excited hope through Spencer.
Spencer manages to prop herself against a large boulder, watching as Thanos whispers something to Thor, and she blanches as Thanos raises his gauntlet and snaps his fingers.
It was so sudden, so quick, Thor didn't have the time to react.
The gauntlet is scorched and distorted from heat, the stones are no longer glowing. Thanos looks equally surprised as Thor stares at him in horror, "What'd you do?" Thor utters to him.
Thanos looks dazed, and Thor shakes him angrily, "WHAT DID YOU DO?!" Thor roars, but Thanos seems lost in his own thoughts, and he uses the Space Stone to teleport away. Thor's ax drops to the ground with a dull thud, and Spencer feels the presence of the Stones fade away from her mind, the pressure on her shoulders vanishing.
Something feels off.
"Where'd he go?" Steve hisses as he stumbles into the clearing, holding his left side, "Thor, where'd he go?" Steve pressed Thor more urgently, as Thanos's illusions left with him, releasing those that were previously rendered immobile. Pietro was at her side, hands caressing her face with worry.
"Spencer? Are you okay? How badly are you hurt?" Pietro demands, looking over her wounds from when Thanos bashed her into the ground-was that how Loki and Thor felt when Hulk bashed them? "Princezná?"
Before Spencer could respond, it was Bucky's voice that caught her attention, "Steve?" Spencer turned to look at her rival, and watches as Bucky stumbles over, drops his gun, and collapses into ashes. Spencer's gasps and Pietro holds her tighter in fear. Steve is in complete disbelief now, staring at the space where his best friend had been.
That's when Spencer feels it.
The slight tingle creeping up her body, her mind is screaming at her, and as Spencer stares at Pietro, with tears in their eyes, he notices her body becoming ash, "NO!" Pietro's bellow echoes through the quiet forest, "My Princezná, please no!" Pietro cries, tears pouring down his eyes as Spencer's body tries to keep her alive, but her body is turning to ash slowly.
"No…" Steve's broken voice whimpers.
Spencer doesn't have the strength to turn her head, her eyes are on Pietro, "I love you," Spencer mumbles, her strength fading along with her body, "I love you so much," Spencer gives a teary smile, as her tears fall down her face.
"Don't say that, my Princezná," Pietro weeps for her, as Steve reaches them, "Don't leave me!" Pietro cries for her, "You just came back to me, please!" Pietro's cries feel like knives to her heart.
Spencer felt the touch of death creeping up her shoulders now, seconds from taking her completely, "Take care of each other," Spencer whispers weakly feeling herself fade from Pietro's grasp, "I love you both, I love-"
Spencer vision blackens, and she feels herself slip into a dreamless state, the last thing that she was able to hear was Pietro's cries of agony and horror and Steve's heart-breaking sobs.
I'm sorry.