Blood warning
Aubrey's wings flapped, keeping her steady as the hover-vehicles raced below them. Troops were already assembled by the border as the rest of them arrived.
"I've got two heat signatures coming from the treeline by the border." War Machine commented as the blue-tinged forcefield came closer. Sure enough, a large hulk-like alien stepped from the trees with the same woman from the hologram earlier, half of her face painted blue. Jabari chanted as T'Challa met their leader and they exchanged words. Flicking off her jets and gliding to the ground, she landed beside Bucky. Cap, T'Challa, and Black Widow headed to the edge to meet the aliens as the rest of the army waited in tense silence. Falcon's jets hummed as he landed beside her and the mechanical wings folded up.
"What do you think are the chances we shake hands and just tell them good day?" Sam muttered, crossing his arms.
"Scared?" Bucky grinned maniacally.
"No, just worried that your reflexes aren't as good as they used to be, old man" he shot back.
Sighing and stepping between them, Aubrey spoke"Okay boys, that's enough. Don't make me separate you two."
"Only Brie is allowed to call me an old man" Bucky growled under his breath as she shot him a look.
"We'll see about that" Were Sams last words as T'Challa's voice rang across the valley
"You are in Wakanda now, Thanos will have nothing but dust and blood."
"We...have blood to spare." The blue-faced alien raised her hand and made an animal-like noise as the triangular pods groaned and creaked. The three quickly made their way back to the group, Bucky murmuring to Cap
"They surrender?" They all knew the answer but hoped it wasn't true.
Puffing out a slight breath of defeat, Cap's voice was low "not exactly".
At that moment, the trees outside of the border started to shake violently, dust continuing to rise from the ground as it was disturbed. Aubrey inclined her head to Bucky for a moment, murmuring low enough for only him to hear with a soft smile.
"See you in a minute"
He gave her a nervous grin as her jets hummed and Aubrey took to the sky, heading towards the edge of the forcefield. The alien woman gave another command as the Wakandan war cry sounded in the background. The earth began to tremble as thousands upon thousands of mutant creatures poured from the forests beyond. The creatures had four arms and two legs, a bleak face with a black sweaty sheen that seemed to encase their whole body. Mindlessly they ran straight into the electrical dome that encased Wakanda, immediately electrocuting themselves. They faintly reminded Aubrey of a game she had seen online called Temple Run. Their numbers were so large that a lucky few made it through, barreling towards the heroes assembled. Bow forming and notching it with arrows, she started to pick some of them off. Individual mini-bombs flew off of Falcon's jetpack and went through several of them.
"You see the teeth on those things?" Sam called through the commlinks.
"Alright, back up you two or you're gonna get your wings singed" War Machine responded. Retracing her way back to the army, she circled above, unsure how they wanted to approach this. A line of bombs dropped by Rhodey exploded along the border, taking care of some of the mutants but not enough. The forcefield wouldn't be able to hold them back forever and they had better think of something soon.
Banner's voice sounded in her ears just as she was about to speak "Cap, if these things circle the perimeter and get behind us, there's nothing between them and Vision."
"Then we better keep them in front of us" came his grim reply.
"How do we do that?" from her viewpoint, she saw Okoye look towards her king.
T'Challa stayed silent for a moment before responding quietly
"We open the border." a moment later she vaguely heard the command given to power down a section of the forcefield. The Jabari leader mumbled something to Okoye and she responded but Aubrey had stopped listening, her training kicking in. Ayo had equipped her with Wakandan tech to use alongside the bow. Shouting another command, the Wakandan army straightened and prepared for battle.
"Wakanda Forever!" T'Challa shouted, giving the signal. One moment they stood still, and the next, the world descended into chaos. Surging forward, everyone was met with groups of mutants to defeat. Swooping through the air with a Vibranuim spear in hand, Aubrey began working through the creatures, using flight to her advantage. Flipping and twisting through the air, she speared several before whipping out the bow and using explosive arrows on the gap they came in through. Inhumane screams echoed through the air as the beasts were torn apart in the blast. Veering downward, Aubrey landed, pulling out the spear again and using it to get to Banner, who was trapped under a growing pile of them. But her sight was suddenly blinded by a flash of white light, streaming onto the ground, seeming to be every color at once, yet have no color at all. The force of it sent the mutants and Aubrey sprawling backward but her wings caught a breeze and shifted her into the air as a glowing axe emerged from the light, taking out the enemies around her.
As the glowing light faded, three beings emerged. Thor, who she'd never met but had heard of, a raccoon with a uniform on, and finally...what looked like a tree with legs. Launching into the sky and glowing with an electrical charge, Thor yelled
"Bring me, Thanos!" Lightning struck down around them, raining upon the mutants and striking them dead. There was no time to stand in awe though as more kept coming, shaking off the shock, Aubrey dove back into battle. Somehow she found herself above Bucky, helping from the sky. Beside him fought the raccoon, who she found, could speak. Switching from electrical to explosive arrows, she sent masses of creatures flying, most of them disembodied. A faint pain pulsed on her cheek but adrenaline made it feel numb. Soon, she became aware of the earth beginning to violently shake, the dirt by the barrier popping up as a huge machine emerged, with wheels like chainsaws. Rolling forward, it detached and each wheel headed in a different direction. Hissing under her breath, she made sure Bucky and Rocket could handle themselves before setting her sights on one of the wheels. Drawing her bow and sending arrows into the crooks of the machine, they exploded in a series of fire and electricity, causing the wheel to slow and fall onto its side, taking a group of mutants with it.
"Guys, we got a Vision situation here" Falcon's voice came over the comms as she noticed the red glare of Wanda's powers lighting in her peripheral vision.
"I'm on my way" she responded as Banner said the same. Changing direction towards the forests that surrounded the Wakandan Palace, she headed towards Vision. Watching in horror as Banner and the large hulk-like alien flew through the air,
"Vision needs backup!" Banner yelled
"I'm here, I'm here" Aubrey stuttered, diving towards Vision, who was being impaled by a hooded alien. Barreling into the alien's side, she pushed him into a tree. Fingering a knife out of her pocket and launching it into his side, she backed up, heaving a breath as blue blood spurted from his side. Picking up the gold-lined scythe and moving it to her dominant hand, Aubrey stepped forward again as he pushed off of the tree and lunged for her throat. Dodging, she was surprised to find he'd pulled the knife and was now trying to slash her throat. He was bigger and stronger but she was leaner and faster, able to slide out of his way just in time.
"Get out of here Vision!" Cap sounded behind her as she felt the air above her head whoosh. Cap soared over her, his pointed shield slammed into the alien's head, sending both of them backward. But both jumped up just as quickly, exchanging shots until Cap was knocked to the ground. Using her wings to get a burst of speed, Aubrey rushed forward, wincing as she felt the spear push into flesh and organs, impaling the alien. The life immediately left his body and the weight made her stagger back, pushing the body onto the dirt. Heaving a breath and holding a hand out to help Cap to his feet, they turned to find Vision crumpled on the ground.
"We told you to go" pushing her shoulder under his arm, Aubrey helped get him to his feet.
"We don't trade lives" Vision repeated his statement from the day before as she noticed that he seemed to be blinking in and out of sight. Cap helped her get Vision to a comfortable position as he winced, murmuring to Wanda as she rushed up
"He's here"
Cap had wandered to the edge of the treeline, Aubrey coming up beside him, face dried with blood that was both her own and others. Every muscle in her body ached, screaming for rest but she pushed the pain away and grit her teeth.
"Everyone on my position, we have incoming."
A sudden burst of chilly wind wove its way through the trees, causing everything to tremble.
"What the hell?" Black Widow stood several feet away with Falcon, T'Challa, and Okoye. Behind them came the noise of thunder with a burst of gray clouds and blue lightning. From the storm came a purple figure, clothed in gold and blue armor. He stood tall, several feet taller than Aubrey, and Banner's voice came over the comms
"That's him"
"Eye's up, stay sharp" Cap commanded as Banner launched at Thanos with the iron-man-like suit.
But Banner's body tinged blue and he went through the Titan, wedging into the rocks behind. Without thinking, Aubrey's jets gunned and she burst into flight, veering sharply, intending to catch Thanos from behind with her talons. Her body tingled as the golden gauntlet he wore glowed with the use of a stone. She was launched back, slamming against the stone before being thrown into a tree. Her back lodged inside. Each one of them tried to take a shot but every time, they were thrown down.
Sucking in a breath, Aubrey rolled her shoulders, finding she could still move them. Mentally, she commanded the Nano's and the wings deformed, instead, the Nanos wound around the tree. They pulsed with power, causing the wood to creak and groan, moving enough to get wiggle out of the position. But Thanos had turned and was watching with interest, her friends were scattered around him on the ground.
"Some just don't know when to stop, do they?" His voice rumbled as the gauntlet glowed again. She took a step forward, intending to taunt him but instead stopped dead in her tracks, pain radiating through her body. It was like fire had been forced through her veins, zipping up and down her entire body. An inhumane shrill made its way from her mouth as Aubrey felt her legs give out and she crumpled, limbs convulsing as she tried to pinpoint where the agony stemmed from, just wanting it to just stop. Aubrey's lungs seized and a dark substance began to leak from her nose. Wheezing and curling into the fetal position, her eyes closed as a dark thought emerged.
Death would be better than this
But she realized the words and used them as fuel to fight the pain. Sucking in shallow breaths, she slowly figured out where the torture was stemming from.
Her spine...Right where the Nano Commander's lived...the burning was coming from the Nano's that kept her alive, filtering her blood and cleansing it from the metal in her bones. Vaguely, she felt vibrations but couldn't make herself care enough to move as a body slammed into the dirt beside her. A cold hand touched onto her shoulder, making Aubrey realize that the suit had deactivated.
"Brie, Brie, where are you hurt-" Bucky murmured, his eyes raking over her body for injuries. "-talk to me" his voice lowered with every word.
Barely able to get a sentence out, Aubrey focused on every word, gasping in pain between each one.
"Nano's….burning...like fire….Can't fix….he used….a stone" stopping, Aubrey convulsed, feeling as though her body was no longer her own. Summoning the last of her strength, she pushed the Nano's out of her body, commanding them into the wings….hoping….praying it would work. Bucky was crouched beside her, anger flashing over his face as he realized there was nothing that could be done to help. The pain eased slightly, enough for her to suck in a full breath and uncurl from the fetal position. A rumble shook the ground, the brush around her pulsing back as a violent wind rushed around them and yellow light flashed. From her spot, she watched as the stone in Vision's head imploded, his body with it. Everything seemed to still as Thanos came to a stop in front of Wanda and Vision's body, panting heavily. The pain dulled as she watched the grief wrack her friend. Bucky gently wound his arm around Aubrey, helping her lean against a tree before crouching in wait. Tears made trails down her dirtied face, turning red with blood as Thanos crept towards Wanda, pausing a moment to murmur something before continuing to where Vision had kneeled moments before. The gauntlet glowed green as symbols flashed and she watched in horror as the particles knitted back together...bringing Vision back to life.
"Bucky-" she hissed through the fog of agony that seemed to roll over her body in never-ending waves. "Bucky". Her mind couldn't think of anything else to say. His shoulder gently touched hers and that was when she noticed the angle his leg was at. Dark red blood seeped through his uniform but he shook his head, leaning over to whisper in her ear.
"Don't worry about me Brie, just try to sit still. Thor is coming"
Wanda was thrown backward as Thanos took Vision by the throat, a triumphant look flashing across his purple face. Pushing into Visions synthesized forehead, it collapsed and the stone was pulled out. Vision's body went limp as the color drained from it and he was tossed carelessly aside. The glowing yellow stone snapped into the gauntlet, colored veins immediately channeling the energy into Thanos's body. But a flash of lightning confirmed Bucky's words as the axe catapulted the Titan back and lodged into his chest, Thor following a moment later. He pushed the weapon deeper and relief made its way through her, it was almost over. Leaning her head back against the trunk, Aubrey opened her mouth to say something but the word flashed white, her ears ringing as Caps voice sounded
"Where'd he go?-"
As her vision cleared, Aubrey realized that Thanos was gone, leaving Thor and Cap in the clearing. "-Thor, where'd he go?"
"Brie…Brie" Bucky's voice brought her back as her gaze turned to him. Bucky peered down at his hand, which was crumbling to dust before her eyes. It traveled up his body and his icy eyes turned warm when he met her gaze, murmuring
"The mission is to live, you'll be okay...lov-" but before he could finish, Bucky disappeared, leaving her with grief that rolled over her body in waves. It hurt worse than the burning, feeling as though her heart had been drained of warmth. She was alone
She couldn't remember what happened next...but somehow Aubrey was able to make it to her feet. It seemed as though the farther the stone got, the more her body became hers again. But the pain was still there, wracking through her battered body and tearing at the edges of her mind. Tears carelessly slipped down Aubrey's cheeks as she stumbled into the clearing, using a tree to keep herself up. Everything in her cried for rest and she longed to blackout….to leave this world where her best friend no longer existed. Vision's lifeless body lay in the dirt, Cap kneeled beside him with Natasha, Rhodey, Banner, and Thor nearby. At the sight of her, Natasha strode forward, eyes calculating and cold with grief as she wound an arm around Aubrey's torso.
Cap met her broken gaze and understanding flashed in his eyes. A short nod was all she could manage, knowing that saying it would cause a cascade of tears.
"What is this? What the hell is happening" Rhodey snapped.
No one wanted to answer him, but it was evident enough because his head dropped.
Bucky was gone.
They had lost
A/N* Chapters for the next two weeks may be limited (if I get any done). I have a college class starting, along with a summer camp I'm helping out with. The week after this one I will be out of town so updates will be a little chaotic for a few weeks. However, I will do my best to get them done for you guys! Thank you for reading and for the support. The journey so far has been amazing. I have so many plans for The Eagle and what comes next. I'm honestly so shocked that I have any readers, thank you. P.S this isn't the end! More is still to come :)