Thanos stood at the broken window of the labs. Looking over the fields, he saw his Outrider army ripping into the army of humans.
However, to his disbelief and disdain, the familiar sight of lightning cutting through his ranks crackled every few moments.
The so-called god of thunder was alive as well? It seemed that he brought some outside aid with him.
Frustration was beginning to brew within Thanos, but he would not let it take root. The titan took a deep breath. Obstacles seemed to be endlessly piling up against him. Why did he have the feeling that this was going wrong? When he closed his eyes, he could visualize the time stone in his gauntlet and ripping the mind stone from a red humanoid creature.
He put a hand to his temple. It almost seemed like a... memory... A memory of something that hadn't happened. There was no better word for it...
No matter. It must have been the universe spurring him on. He needed to fight for his goal, not just dream of it. After all, the more difficult the battle, the sweeter the victory. And the prosperity of the universe would be well-worth all the trouble.
He knew he had to deal with this quickly. Take the mind stone while the earthlings were somewhat preoccupied with his army.
Clenching his fist, he willed the space stone to take him to its sibling once more.
::Shit, he disappeared! :: Sam informed when he circled to keep track of the purple alien that was standing in the labs just a moment ago.
"Wanda," Renny tried when she heard Sam's exclamation, "You have to destroy it. If Thanos gets his hands on it, Vision's sacrifice will-"
"Sacrifice? You killed him!" The Scarlet Witch seethed from her position kneeling beside the inert Vision, glaring at the other magic-user with glassy eyes.
God... Did she?
She just did what she could to keep them safe. Thanos would kill off half the universe if she didn't. The Witch's words still cut deep.
"Wanda," Bruce said as gently as possible, but with urgency in his tone, "We all knew this was a risky procedure. If Renny didn't get you out of there, Thanos-"
Speak of the devil and he shall appear.
The titan caught the doctor off guard with his sudden appearance and swatted the man to the side. Using the reality stone, Thanos embedded the armor into the rocky cliffside.
Renny had no choice, if Wanda wouldn't destroy the stone, she had to send it away. At least somewhere the others could get to it.
Secure the stone.
::Guys! He's here! We need backup! :: Bruce stuttered as he tried to somehow get the armor to break free of its prison.
Thanos turned from the doctor and set his sights on the lone woman in front of him. Her companions were gone.
Renny's eyes widened as she finally got a good look at the purpose of her existence in this universe. Even decades of mental preparation did not truly prepare her for his actual presence. It was overwhelming. Still, she managed to stand firm and raise her hands. Her fingers shook slightly, so she clenched them into fists, grinding her teeth together.
::Get the fuck out of there, Doll!:: Bucky's voice came frantically over the comms.
::Hold on! Renny, hold on!:: Steve.
The titan's steps echoed ominously in her head as he came closer, like the deep tolling of bells. "Stop trying to keep the stone away. Your efforts are admirable but pointless."
"Like hell," Renny growled. There was just no way she'd just stop.
Thanos shook his head at her response and power crackled from his fist as he closed it. Renny stood firm, arms raised defensively in front of her, palms facing forward as she braced herself.
It was like a freight train when it hit, taking the breath from her lungs and turning her vision dark.
But instead of the burning pain that should have come, she was blanketed with a warm presence. The weight on her was protective rather than crushing.
She realized her eyes had scrunched closed, but when she opened them, she was met with baby blues.
"Dammit, Bangles."
Steve had somehow managed to get to her and had tackled her to the ground, the shield he received from T'Challa protecting them from the brunt of Thanos' attack. Vibranium was indeed powerful-
Renny gasped, and with surprising strength, shoved the captain off and to the side while she rolled away from the punch the titan landed in the ground where their heads were.
Or should have landed.
There was a heavy grunt and a growl.
Her gaze snapped up to see Bucky, Thanos' fist caught in his hands. The muscles in the man's arm strained while the metal plates in his other arm seemed to flex and lock.
The titan pulled back his other arm to punch the man in the head. The captain had appeared though, blocking the punch with his shield.
As one, the sergeant and the captain shoved Thanos back hard, though the titan only took two steps back.
"Eat plasma you crazy ass bastard!" Glowing shots followed from Rocket's blaster were aimed for the titan's head. He'd arrived at the clearing with Bucky. Thanos raised his gauntleted hand to protect his face. The resulting sparks were blinding.
The distraction was enough for Steve and Bucky to position themselves again. What came next practically stole the air from Renny's lungs.
The two worked seamlessly, like a deadly graceful dance, almost, weaving around each other to land consecutive hits on the titan. One launching an uppercut on Thanos' chin while the other landed a powerful hook into the alien's ribs.
Then they both ducked, Rocket blasting another round of fire at the monster's face while laughing hysterically.
The beautiful barrage was stopped abruptly when Thanos planted his feet and let out a frustrated yell. He closed the gauntlet on his fist and released a powerful shockwave of energy. The brute force of it knocked the two supersoldiers off their feet and rendered them unconscious.
Rocket, being quite small, was easily thrown back harshly into Renny. She wrapped her arms around him protectively as they tumbled together. When she skid on the ground on her side and came to a stop, her arms came down slowly, fingers twitching. Rocket pushed himself up and nodded in thanks before raising his weapon again quickly.
"Hey, incoming! Incoming!" He yelled when he noticed Thanos lunging towards them. Rocket fired multiple shots at the titan who easily deflected them with his gauntlet.
Renny yelled and brought up a shield of the purple energy when Thanos reached for Rocket. The magic-user then quickly jumped back with the raccoon before the shield shattered and released one more crackle of power.
Her arms were shaking now.
Thanos looked at her strangely.
She directed a smile at him that was more of a grimace.
::Renny! Damn, I'm sorry. I can't- Steve and Bucky are down-::
Suddenly, the air was filled with the squalls of Outriders and she felt the thundering of their approach beneath her feet.
The blood drained from Renny's face at the implication.
It was Thanos' turn to smirk.
Maybe it was panic and desperation, but it was rash and stupid to believe that the titan would ignore her when she tried to dash back towards Bucky and Steve's unconscious forms.
Thanos grabbed her by the arm, his grip tight. What's more, her feet dangled above the ground. Renny gasped, the titan's grasp was so solid and unyielding, it felt like she could easily dislocate her arm if she struggled. Helplessness filled her. Then Thanos spoke. "Foolish girl, you can't stop this."
Snap!
Renny's ears were filled with ringing and the world spun around her.
Everything came back into harsh focus when she hit the ground, the air leaving her lungs and a white-hot pain shooting up her arm. Whimpering, she turned her head to see her right forearm bent slightly at an awkward angle. Between the end of her vambrace and her elbow, there was a bulge poking against the skin where the bone had fractured in half.
"Crap, that looks bad," Rocket was beside her, sparing her a glance and a grimace, then focusing on the forest ahead of him. He cocked his weapon and pat a paw over chest and belt, counting how many explosives he still had.
Her focus then landed on the forms of the two supersoldiers. They were still unconscious.
Oh God.
The trees shuddered from the oncoming onslaught of aliens and desperation hit her hard. With shuddering breaths, she tried to claw her way across the ground.
"Stay low, humie! You got a better chance of surviving this if you stick to where you are!"
She wouldn't reach them.
No.
"Lady!" Rocket yelled, frustrated.
The outriders burst through the trees.
With a gasping cry, she rushed to project a shield up over Bucky and Steve.
Rocket let out a long battle cry while he wildly shot at the creatures.
Their screeches were deafening. They were all around them.
Around.
Not on top of them.
Like water parting around rocks, they streamed around and past them, though a few stray limbs and claws nicked and cut Renny...
But...
Past them.
And on to Thanos, burying him in a mass of writhing bodies.
With the titan incapacitated, for now, Renny managed to reach her friends, cupping their cheeks one after the other and waking them with a small burst of rejuvenating magic.
They both gasped, sucking in air and shooting up, Bucky even rolling to a crouch. They looked wildly at the Outriders around them but immediately noticed that they were being ignored.
"You took everything away from me."
The deadly voice cut through the squalls, coming from the Scarlet Witch, who floated above the chaos, eyes and fingertips glowing more fiery orange than the red she was named after.
Around her neck, on the pendant she usually wore, sat the mind stone. It was apparent that she was controlling the large group of Outriders.
Maybe the shock kept Thanos from fighting back, but with the extra distraction, Bucky picked Renny up and Steve helped Rocket onto his own shoulder. The group run and put what distance they could between them and the titan.
The captain was going to warn Wanda not to get too close to Thanos when the raccoon on his shoulder put a paw to his furry ear, "Quill?!"
After a second, there was the sound of static from the soldier's own comm device, then-
::You didn't think we'd let you have all the fun, did you?- Drax! Wait! ::
An enthusiastic yell and laugh echoed through the connection.
Over the din, Steve could make out the sound of some kind of aircraft, much louder than War machine's thrusters.
::The connection is stable, you've been added to the comm server. :: Shuri's voice announced. A string of others followed.
::Heavens to Betsy, these things look uglier than Loki's army in New York.::
::Lump me in with them again, Stark, I will strangle you when this is over with. ::
Steve's relief at reinforcements was slightly tempered, his hackles rose, "Is that-"
::Maica!::
"Nadia..." Renny's voice cracked, there were a few tears of joy and relief mixed with those of pain.
::Doctor Strange is with us and Loki has the Reality stone.::
Three on three.
"God, Sunshine." Bucky's voice wavered when they stopped running and he set her down, seeing Renny cradle her fractured arm. They couldn't really do anything about it in the middle of a battlefield. She'd always been the medic during their missions back then.
Steve knew this too. "You need to get to safety, Renny. You're injured. And keep a perimeter away from the stones."
At the mention of leaving, Bucky saw the determination slowly overriding the pain in her moist eyes. Cutting her off before she could say anything, he cupped the side of her face with his flesh hand, "Doll, please." His eyes were full of desperation for her to listen, "Please. You've done a lot already. There are more of us now." He put his metal hand on her other cheek, "Go. I need to know you're safe."
Renny gulped, leaning into his hold and closing her eyes, "I... Please..."
Be careful?
Don't die?
She didn't know what to say to him. She turned her head and kissed his flesh palm. Slowly, her form faded away into the air.
"Karen, activate instant-kill!" Peter's vision was tinted red and he shifted his weight as he turned and shot taser-webs while the mechanical arms that sprung from his back pierced aliens that got too close.
Nadia played a more long-distance fighter, targeting a wider range at a further distance with strong shocking spells that had most of the aliens convulsing on the ground. Those outriders that managed to stumble and push through closer, Peter took care of.
::Nice work, juniors!:: Quill crowed. He'd dubbed the youngest two of their group that name when he found out one was named Peter too and the other was the robot man's kid.
Nadia huffed a laugh which blended with her puffs of breath. Peter Parker grinned under his mask and took the time to say, "Thanks, mister Starlord."
::Just Starlord, kid.::
"Looks like the swarm training is paying off," Nadia said, shooting several more streaks of magic.
Peter let out a breathless chuckle. "I don't think mister Stark ever thought we'd be fighting an army though." He reminisced about the days in the facility where they would have swarm training with the other trainees, a good chunk of them versus just him and Nadia.
::Okay you two. Wanda whammied some of these dogs to fight for us and the new guy's ship is a huge bonus too, but there are still too many. We have to end this fast.:: Rhodey flew over them and continued a barrage of fire at the outrider army.
::Redwing got close enough to their ships to spot some kind of command center.:: Falcon reported. ::If we take it out, these things might fall back.::
"Or we can hijack their controls!" Peter said enthusiastically. "Whammy the whole army!"
::Think you can use your magic to sneak yourselves over there, Sailor Moon? :: Rhodey questioned.
The young woman hummed in thought, "If Falcon's Redwing can make another pass. Can we share visuals?"
::You got it. :: Sam replied in an affirmative as a notification popped up in the corner of her U. I.
Jacks chimed in, ::Visual connection request from a third party, accept? ::
The suggestion was useful and went as speculated. Now, Peter and Nadia were sneaking around an alien ship. The only change was the logical addition of Nebula who was stalking in front of them.
Nadia had them in a cloaking bubble and they reached the top level surprisingly easily.
"Watch the door." Nebula grunted.
"Um... Miss Nebula? We can help." Peter raised his hand and point to Nadia and himself with the other.
Nadia could see the spark in his eyes. Even if this was definitely a dire situation, there was still a part of him that was the teen that wanted to poke around alien tech. Quill wouldn't let him touch anything on his ship's console on their way here.
Nebula rolled her eyes, "This is foreign to you, little boy. I have actually been in one of these ships-"
"Go on you two. I can watch the door." Nadia shrugged, knowing it really would be smart to leave a lookout, "I'm actually not great with tech."
The blue alien stared with dark eyes at the earth woman for a moment before grunting out, "Fine." Nebula punched a panel on the side of the door and it hissed open, revealing a control room filled with what looked like were higher tier chitauri. She and Peter got to work while the door hissed shut behind them.
On her side, Nadia cast a silencing spell on the door to make sure none of the noise from the fight got out and alerted any other aliens.
"They're in." She reported quietly, eyeing a pair of armored chitauri that passed by the end of the hall.
::Good.:: Rhodey. ::The sooner these pests are out of commission, the better. I'm out of explosive ammo. ::
::Same here.:: Sam. ::And these things just keep coming.::
Steve put a hand on Bucky's shoulder and nodded solemnly at him.
The man returned the gesture with a deep breath and a squeeze to his pal's arm.
They'd get through this. And when it was over...
A loud metallic thump sounded and the two soldiers turned to see Ironman, faceplate lifting to reveal Tony's grim but grinning face. "Well, well. Nice seeing the seniors are doing their part."
Bucky tensed slightly. After all, they hadn't exactly parted ways with Howard's son in good terms.
"Tony..." Steve started, a little unsure of what to say.
"There'll be time to be mushy later, Capsicle." The billionaire glanced at Bucky, giving the former Winter Soldier the slightest of nods.
Truce... For now.
"Ready to take down this bastard?" Tony's faceplate snapped shut again just as sparks formed a ring behind the trio. Out stepped a man in blue robes and a red cloak. "Oh yeah, I brought a wizard along."
Said wizard shook his head, "Doctor Strange," He introduced himself, "Introductions later-"
With a burst of bright purple energy from the power stone, Thanos forced away the aliens that were pinning him down.
"-We have a titan to take care of." Strange held his hands up, arcane rings coming to life at his fingertips.
Steve's lips pulled up into his own grim smile as he turned to the Titan who was pushing himself to his feet.
"Let's take down this bastard."
A/N: My longest chapter so far. Just over 3k words.
Bringing everyone to Wakanda was actually really hard. I had to make a list on paper of where everyone was. All of them being in one place makes it kind of chaotic to write. Lol. I hope I'm doing everyone justice. I know it can be difficult to keep everyone in character and battle scenes aren't my forte either. What do you guys think? I'd really like to know. Sadly, no reviews for the last two chapters. A bit discouraging, but... oh well...
Thanks to everyone who read and stuck with this story. We're nearing the end actually. Anything you want to see? Comments? Suggestions?
'Til next time.