A/N Thank for your support, guys. Happy holidays to you all.
Steve wished that he could take the time to savour the historical significance of this particular meeting of people - the result of his wife's hard work over the last few years - but the very reason that this conference was necessary meant that any appreciation of the history-making was kept at token level. The single greatest threat that the world had ever faced loomed very much on the near-horizon and decisions had to be made.
Only a few hours ago, he had been enjoying a relaxing evening with his friends. It had been a warm night and they'd set up dinner outside to make the most of the pre-summer heat. Harry and Draco had joined them after their day at work, eagerly accepting the foods that had been grilled on the barbecue and a chilled beer each. The evening had just been about to end so that the babies could be put to bed when a trio came unexpectedly through a portal. First was Rhodey, in full War Machine gear, then came Bruce. Steve's astonishment at seeing his friend for the first time in three years was immediately forgotten when he saw the state of Hermione as she stepped out of the portal, closing it quickly behind her. She was coated from head to toe in dust and grime but there were darker patches that Steve instinctively knew were blood.
The tranquil atmosphere instantly descended into chaos as people called across each other and most of the kids descended into tears. Hermione held her hand up and shot bright yellow sparks into the night's sky. "Stop!" she commanded loudly. "There isn't time. Did Wanda check-in this afternoon?"
"Yes," Natasha confirmed.
"Is she still with Vision?" Hermione asked quickly and Nat nodded. "Did she say where they were?"
"Edinburgh," Natasha revealed. "But I don't know where exactly."
Hermione turned her eyes to Harry. "I need you to send a patronus to them - it's Code Black." There was a collective gasp from the assembled adults because they all knew what they meant. "They need to let us know where they are."
Harry nodded, patting little James reassuringly on the head as he clutched his father's leg, and took out his wand to deliver the important message.
Hermione explained about the battle for the Time Stone in curt sentences and the dread in Steve's heart grew with every word she said. Their greatest fear had come true.
"Rhodey and I are going to portal to Edinburgh in two minutes so that we're in position if more of the Black Order show themselves," Hermione said when the key details had been shared. "I'll take anyone that wants to come but it goes without saying that it could be incredibly dangerous."
Steve, Natasha and Sam volunteered without question and Harry followed suit next. To Steve's slight surprise, Draco also stepped forwards after kissing his wife and his son. There was no question of Astoria joining them when her health was so fragile but Ginny had wanted to join the fight. Harry requested that she stay to help Astoria care for the children, and it was only Harry's gentle reminder that she hadn't used magic offensively for a number of years that eventually convinced Ginny to stay behind. Bruce would also be staying at Salter after revealing that Hulk was refusing to come out after his encounter with Thanos.
Although Lucy didn't understand what was going on, she was unsettled by all the movements and panicked discussions. "It'll be OK, Lucy," Steve murmured to his daughter reassuringly as he tried to hand her to Ginny, but she determinedly clung to his neck. "Daddy's got to go, but I'll be back," he promised, hoping that he could stick to his word. "Ginny's going to put you to bed."
"No," Lucy whined, the noise tearing at his heart. "Daddy!" She started crying again as he carefully prised her fingers off his clothes. Hermione appeared at his side. She must've stepped away from the group for a few seconds because she had washed most of the grime away and had changed into her Sorceress suit, but some of her wounds were still visible, the red greatly contrasting with her pale skin. Hermione took Lucy from Steve and wordlessly passed him his own suit before calming their daughter with low whispers and soothing touches.
In truth, it was more like five minutes before the group was ready.
Hermione levelled Draco with a serious gaze. "You're sure? The Statute is at jeopardy if we go through that portal."
Draco's grip on his wand tightened. "That doesn't seem so important right now."
Hermione nodded and then stepped towards him. "I'll disillusion you and Harry anyway - give us an extra element of surprise."
With a varied and decent-sized team of seven (which would grow to nine when they linked up with Vision and Wanda) it gave them some options even though they were entering into the unknown. Hermione opened a portal into the gardens by Princes Street and Natasha, Sam, Harry and Rhodey stepped through. Rhodey and Sam had been instructed to find good vantage points over the city, while Nat and Harry scoped out the streets. Even in the moments when the portal had been open, Steve had sensed that all seemed calm in the Scottish city.
He, Hermione and Draco moved to the outskirts of the grounds where the quinjet had been stored for so many months. The magical influence was weakest here and electronic messages got through quicker there than anywhere else. They were waiting for either a signal from Wanda and Vision to reveal their location or a request from the others for help. Hermione got in touch with the British authorities, alerting them to the possible threat, and then linked her earpiece up with Rhodey's communicator. The strength of the connection was weak due to the magical influences but they could just about hear each other. Rhodey confirmed what Steve had sensed - all was quiet in Edinburgh, there was no sign of a ship but it was a cloudy night and any ship was bound to be cloaked. According to Hermione, the New York attack had been almost arrogant in its obviousness - perhaps any remaining members of the Black Order would be more cautious now.
The lack of response from Wanda and Vision didn't bode well. Harry was asked, through Rhodey, to send another patronus in case the other one hadn't made it.
Less than a minute later, Wanda's call was picked up by the jet. "It's really Code Black?" she asked instantly. "How do you know?"
"Where are you?" Hermione said instead. "We'll come and get you."
Wanda gave the name of a hotel and Steve typed the location into the jet's computer to give Hermione as much information as possible before she created a portal.
"Be alert," Hermione advised Wanda and then passed on the address to Rhodey. After a few seconds of concentration, the portal was created and Steve, Draco and Hermione stepped through. Wanda looked anxious and Vision had his arm protectively around her shoulders. Draco moved to the window to cast a shield and Steve tuned his comms device to the rest of the team now that they were away from most of the magical influence. All four of them confirmed that they were making their way to the hotel.
"You think they'll come looking for the Stone?" Vision asked Hermione.
She nodded tightly. "The Time Stone has been taken off Earth - Tony's trying to stop it from falling into Thanos's hands. They knew Strange had it. Either they possess technology that detects the Stones in some way or they have spies that knew who was responsible for them." Her eyes lingered on the faint light that glowed in his forehead. "It's not safe for you to be here and the residents of the city are at risk too." She waved her hands and Wanda and Vision's possessions flew back through the portal to Salter. "Let's go."
Even though they were all on high alert, the grenade-like weapon bursting through the window took them all by surprise. It passed through Draco's shield as though it wasn't there, bounced on the floor and then seemed to adjust its direction to roll a couple of feet towards Hermione. She quickly cancelled the Salter-portal, created a new one to some barren dimension and kicked the device through. She was only just in time as a small part of the explosion spat through the closing portal, scorching the carpet.
"We're under attack," Steve told the others as two more grenades smashed through the windows. "Harry, Draco - get the civilians out of the hotel," he ordered, relying on their disapparation and portkey abilities to protect everyone. He could sense that Draco was unhappy to leave but he heard him disapparate a moment later. The grenades had made a beeline for Hermione again, which couldn't be a coincidence, but Wanda manipulated them back out of the window. Steve grabbed the mattress from the bed and held it protectively in front of them all as the force of the detonations blew shards of glass everywhere. A further explosion simultaneously sent a massive shockwave through the room and a blinding light that affected Steve's vision even though he'd screwed his eyes shut tight. The explosion was so loud that his ears were ringing, leaving him unable to communicate with his team. Hazily, he saw that a gaping hole had opened up in the floor and the others had fallen through it to the room below.
Steve stumbled to his feet and only just managed to grab the three-pronged spear before it stabbed through his neck. The person on the other end of the weapon was tall, slender and definitely alien - Proxima Midnight. She was also very strong because it was taking all of his strength to stop her driving the deadly points home. He pushed the spear downwards but it blasted energy at him that propelled him across the room and straight through the far wall. Midnight advanced on him, spear raised, but a rapid burst of red shots had her quickly twirling the weapon to deflect the attack. Sam burst through the destroyed windows, carrying Nat, who kicked the invader with enough force to send her crashing straight through the door.
"Keep her busy," Steve instructed the new arrivals and then jumped through the hole in the floor. There was no one there. He would have optimistically hoped that this meant the three of them had managed to safely escape but there was a clear path of destruction for him to follow, marked in various places with drops of blood. Steve rushed through one wrecked wall, then another, into a dimly lit corridor. At the far end of it, Wanda was crouched over a clearly wounded Vision and Hermione stood before them both, battling with another member of the Black Order - a telltale glaive his weapon of choice.
"Where is the real Stone?" Glaive snarled at Hermione. "You can't keep it hidden forever."
"Want a bet?" she countered imperiously. She launched a vicious burst of light at him but it just glanced off his armour without making the slightest impact, much like Steve's shield used to deflect her magic. Taken by surprise, Hermione wasn't quick enough to stop Glaive thrusting his weapon towards her abdomen, but Steve had already launched a large piece of debris as a projectile and it deflected the weapon's aim, causing it to pierce into her thigh. She grunted, face contorted in pain, but summoned a cord of Mystic magic around Glaive's neck and pulled it tight, strangling him.
Steve would've been there to help moments later, but something crashed bodily through the ceiling in front of him. War Machine was holding Midnight down, but her spear suddenly appeared in her hand and she blasted him away from her. Steve felt Natasha and Sam fall into place behind him and he heard two cracks that signified the arrivals of Harry and Draco at the other end of the corridor.
The fight came to a standstill: Midnight and Glaive in the middle of the corridor, with Steve and his team in front and behind them. The Black Order were outnumbered and outmatched.
"The Stone's not here," Glaive growled at Midnight, shooting a disgusted look towards Vision, Wanda and Hermione. Midnight looked momentarily surprised and then her gaze also narrowed on Hermione. Instinctively, they seemed to know that this was her doing. She gazed back unflinchingly, battle-pose ready despite the blood pouring down her leg. "She is the Stonekeeper."
"You cannot stop what Thanos has set in motion, sister," Midnight claimed. "You will surrender the Stone to us."
"I will not," Hermione vowed passionately.
"Then you and your planet will suffer the consequences of that decision and your father will teach you your final lesson," Glaive promised menacingly.
"If you find it, you can keep it," Hermione snarled then angrily unleashed her magic at them. But Midnight had already signalled the ship to beam them aboard and they disappeared upwards into the blue light before the attack could land, forcing Steve to pull Nat and Sam down to the floor to get out of the spell's path.
Steve scrambled to his feet and rushed over to Hermione, holding her so that she wouldn't fall to the ground as the adrenaline of the battle drained out of her. He felt her breathe a sigh of relief into his neck. They might have lost the Time Stone but the Mind Stone was still safe, thanks to Hermione and Tony's forward planning.
After first comprehending that Thanos ultimately sought to possess all the Infinity Stones, they had strategised ways to protect them. While the Masters refused any further protection that would see their Stone removed from their possession, Vision was more vulnerable. The safest solution that Hermione and the others could come up with was to remove the Stone from Vision's head so that it could be hidden somewhere secure. At first, Steve had feared that this accounted to Vision being terminated - the Stone appeared to act as his life-force after all. But Hermione had excitedly explained that this might not be the case. Tony believed that thanks to the different influences that he, Bruce, J.A.R.V.I.S and Ultron set down to create Vision as well as the Stone, if they took the Stone away, there should still be a lot of Vision left. Tony took his time to perfect the procedure that would take place, collaborating closely with Dr Cho for insights about Vision's body, and, on Hermione's recommendation (though actually it was Steve's), Princess Shuri of Wakanda was also brought on board to confirm that Tony's plan of action was sound.
Thankfully, all went to plan. Steve was surprised to find out how much Vision was still able to do without the Stone - the fact that he was an android with an advanced, Vibranium-infused body was easy to overlook when there was such a powerful substance in his forehead. He was still strong, capable of flight, extremely intelligent, schooled in hand-to-hand combat, self-healing and self-evolving - meaning that he could still change his outer appearance into that of a regular human. After residing in Vision for so long, traces of the Mind Stone still remained within him but he could no longer produce concentrated bursts of energy from his head or phase through solid objects. Perhaps it was these residual traces that had drawn the Black Order to Vision, believing it to be indications of the real Stone, or, as intended, no-one outside of a very small circle knew that it had been removed at all. If Thanos did have spies on Earth, they would have had no idea that the Stone had been swapped for a similar-looking, though completely powerless gemstone. It had been courageous of Vision to continue living as though nothing had changed even though he knew he would be immediately targeted if Thanos attempted to collect the Stones. And the ruse had nearly cost him his life when Glaive had used his weapon to pierce his abdomen and then to try and prise the fake stone from his head before realising the truth.
Wanda was tending to Vision's wounds as Steve gently lowered Hermione onto the floor next to him. His wife waited until Wanda had stopped before pulling Vision into a strong embrace despite their injuries. Vision looked momentarily taken aback but then returned the hug.
"I'm not sure my efforts have made much difference," Vision said in response to Hermione's thanks. "They know you are the link to the Stone now."
"You've bought us time. They'll think the Stone can still be found and while they're searching for it, we'll be readying our defence," she pointed out. "It could make all the difference."
With three people capable of magic in the team, it didn't take long to restore the hotel to its former state, although Harry and Draco insisted that Hermione leave the repairs to them so she could focus on more important matters. Her leg was in a bad way. Normally, her healing abilities and a few splashes of essence of dittany would clear it up without difficulty but, for some reason, the thigh wound and the bites and scratches she'd received in New York were resisting her magic. "It's Thanos's doing," she muttered to Steve as he bandaged up her leg. Wanda had been able to use her own brand of sorcery to repair most of the damage but livid scars crossed her body. "All those experiments he did on me, he's developed resistances to magic, I know it, - you saw how that grenade passed straight through Draco's shield. And those creatures in New York were so difficult to bring down - half of my spells didn't work on them."
It was a worrying possibility. Hermione and Tony had developed a number of magical products that they'd hoped would be applicable in a defence of Earth, but if Thanos had really unlocked the science behind the magic then that would be a massive blow. They were also hoping that the Confederation would fulfil their pledge to come to the planet's aid in such a perilous situation. If their magic was less effective than usual against these enemies, Steve hoped they wouldn't back away from the fight.
As soon as her body was partly healed, Hermione started communicating with her contacts and she didn't stop for the next two hours - only momentarily pausing to create a portal to get everyone back to Salter. Steve immediately went to check on Lucy (who was thankfully sleeping peacefully alongside the other children) and made sure the rest of the team were OK, before returning to his wife to be able to offer any advice or assistance. He sensed that she was a little closed off from him but he understood: she had been living in dread of this day for years and she was going to do whatever it took to make sure her nightmare didn't come true.
At dawn, there was just time to give Lucy breakfast, to act like there was a semblance of normality to the day, before it was time to head out. The parting left Steve feeling raw. He'd opened his mouth to once again promise Lucy that he would return but the words had gotten stuck in his throat. In the end he'd just held her close, whispered his love to her and treasured the moment in his heart.
Ginny would not be put off a second time and so Molly Weasley had been drafted in to help Astoria and the children. Bruce also joined the others when a Hulkbuster suit had been retrieved from storage.
And so, eleven of them stepped through Hermione's portal that morning to take part in the historic talk that would determine the defence of the planet. Finding a suitable location to host such an important, last minute event was one of the many things Hermione had organised, and she had used her contacts within the UN to authorise a small, secure room at their Palace of Nations in Geneva. T'Challa, Shuri and Okoye were already there waiting for them when they stepped into the portal, as were three representatives of the Masters of the Mystic Arts. A small party from the wizarding world included Kingsley Shacklebolt, President Quahog from MACUSA and Babajide Akingbade (the Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards). Key members of the UN's Security Council were there and a couple shook their heads at the party that had arrived from Salter - in particular the rebels that they had been seeking to capture for so many months.
Secretary Ross was not there in person - but a video link had been set up for him to observe the talks. "Are you out of your goddamn mind, Rogers?" he said coldly as soon as he saw the latest arrivals.
Steve opened his mouth to reply but he realised that Ross had directed his comment at Hermione.
"No, sir - Earth is facing its greatest ever threat," Hermione replied coolly. "We need all the help we can get."
"So, you think these criminals can just waltz in and all will be forgiven?" Ross asked in disbelief.
"We're not looking for forgiveness," Steve told him. "And we're way past asking for permission. We're here to fight. And if you're going to stand in our way, we'll fight you too."
Ross stared at Steve for a moment then looked to the three military men sitting at the conference table. "Arrest them," he ordered. The men made to get to their feet but Hermione stepped protectively in front of Steve, magic glowing at her fingertips.
"No," she said forcefully, making the men pause.
"And arrest her while you're at it," Ross commanded calmly, unmoved. "I knew this day would come eventually."
There was a flurry of movement as defensive positions were struck from nearly everyone in the room: wands were drawn, mystic symbols glowed at wrists, strange Wakandan technology readied. Even a couple of the normal UN workers had risen to their feet to object to Ross's order.
"Sir, I think it would be wise if you stood down," Rhodey advised calmly, taking a couple of slow steps forward. "Nobody here wants a fight with you and it's certainly not one you'd win."
Ross gazed at him coldly, noting his position protectively in front of Hermione and the others. "You realise I can have you court-martialed for this, Rhodes?"
"I understand, sir," Rhodey replied calmly. "You do as you see fit but the rest of us have got more important things to discuss." Ross's screen abruptly went blank as Vision disrupted the connection.
"Anyone who wishes to leave, do so now," T'Challa suggested, looking at the military men and members of the Council who had objected to the rebels' presence. "From this moment on we will only be focused on the threat to come - not the mythical one that has been chased for two years." Nobody moved. T'Challa looked to Hermione. "Then let us begin."
Hermione quickly described the battles in New York and Edinburgh to those present. "And when they make their second attempt to capture the Stone, they'll come in far greater numbers because the possibility of failing Thanos is not an option for them," she explained. "They'll be ruthless in their desperation and we will have to be likewise - there's too much at stake." Grim nods met this declaration. "The good news is it will be impossible for them or Thanos to get their hands on the Stone."
Steve frowned at the certainty in her voice and the unwavering gaze she swept over the others that noticeably didn't travel as far as him. His gut clenched with a feeling of dread.
"Impossible?" T'Challa repeated. "How can you be so certain?"
Steve's eyes were boring a hole into the side of her head but she ignored him and stated calmly, "Because I cast a secret spell to hide it and I'm the only one who knows where it is. If I die, that secret dies with me and the Stone will be magically hidden forever."
Steve lurched to his feet, heart pounding. He was vaguely aware of many voices speaking at once but no words could penetrate the stunned agony that was choking his body.
Hermione's posture remained resolute. "To stop Thanos from winning, I just need to die."
A/N Um, surprise?
Take care, everyone! Let me know your thoughts on Hermione's bombshell!