"The hell happened to this planet?" Quill asked, eyeing the place where they'd landed and incidentally met up with Tony after encountering a very alive Thor who stole Rocket and ran off. "It's eight degrees off its axis. Gravitational pull is all over the place."
Tony, who wasn't thrilled to find no Thanos and a group of morons who'd attacked them. "Yeah, we got one advantage. He's coming to us. We'll use it. All right, I have a plan. Or, at least the beginnings of one. My fiancée is better at plans typically, but I digress. It's pretty simple. We draw him in, pin him down, get what we need. Definitely don't want to dance with this guy. We just want the gauntlet," he said as someone yawned, and he scowled at the man who did. "Are you yawning? In the middle of this while I'm breaking it down? Huh? Did you hear what I said?"
Drax glanced at his companion Mantis, before looking back. "I stopped listening after you said, 'we need a plan.'"
"Okay, Mr. Clean's on his own page," Tony declared, frustrated with the group already.
"See, 'not winging it' isn't really what they do," Quill explained.
Peter raised a hand. "Uh, what exactly is it that they do?"
"Kick names, take ass," Mantis replied as Drax nodded.
"Yeah, that's right."
Tony sighed. What would Jess do? Probably be completely exasperated, but she'd know every person counted. They're aliens. Might be useful in some way. "All right, just get over here, please. Mr. Lord, can you get your folks to circle up?"
Quill nodded. "Mr. Lord. Star-Lord is fine."
The group gathered—sans Strange, who was levitating nearby—and Tony tried again.
"We've gotta coalesce. 'Cause if all we come at him with is a plucky attitude—"
"Dude," Quill interrupted. "Don't call us plucky. We don't know what it means. All right? We're optimistic. Yes, I like your plan. Except, it sucks. So, let me do the plan and that way it might be really good."
"Tell him about the dance-off to save the universe," Drax mentioned.
"What dance-off?"
"It's not a… It's not… It's nothing," Quill stuttered, but Peter shot him a look.
"Like in Footloose, the movie?"
"Exactly like Footloose," Quill agreed, thrilled he wasn't the only one here who knew the reference. "Is it still the greatest movie in history?"
"It never was."
Tony resisted a groan. "Don't encourage this, all right?"
"Okay."
"We're getting no help from Flash Gordon here."
"Flash Gordon? By the way, that's a compliment. Don't forget, I'm half-human," Quill argued. "So that fifty percent of me that's stupid? That's a hundred percent you."
"Your math is blowing my mind," Tony drawled before Mantis called out.
"Excuse me? but does your friend often do that?"
Tony looked to Strange, who's head was a turning blur. "Strange, we all right?"
Strange stopped levitating with a gasp of panic as Tony rushed forward, concerned—not concerned.
"You're back. You're all right," Tony reassured, hoping whatever magic he was doing had a plan involved.
"Hi," Strange breathed out as Peter eyed him.
"Hey, what was that?"
"I went forward in time to view alternate futures," Strange explained, still rattled from the experience. "To see all possible outcomes of the coming conflict."
"How many did you see?" Quill asked.
"14,000,605."
"How many did we win?" Tony asked, suddenly feeling worried about the answer.
"One."
Tony swallowed thickly, but Strange wasn't finished.
"There was one… one problem though."
"Problem? What do you mean? What kind of problem?"
"Jess," Strange said, ensuring he had Tony's full attention. "She wasn't in any of them."
I anxiously ground my teeth, eyes searching through the high-tech binoculars at the assemblage heading for the border of the dome. A part of me wished I was down there fighting with the rest of them, but ever since Tony had left, I'd been dwelling more and more on that dream I'd had and my own shortcomings. I didn't think I'd be of any use down there. Just another person for them to worry about. No. Don't think about that now. You're doing your best and Tony would be thrilled you got all these people together. Now, focus.
"How's the suit, Bruce?" I asked, seeing him lumbering along in one of Tony's suits that I got Friday to send over for his benefit since the Hulk was being stubborn.
"Yeah, I think I'm getting the hang of it. Wow! This is amazing, man! It's like being the Hulk without actually-" He promptly tripped, and I sighed when he crashed into the ground, turning my attention back to the dome.
"Hey, I'm getting two heat signatures coming out from the tree line," I informed them, zooming in. "Two aliens. A bulky guy—the one from New York, Bruce—and a woman?"
"The one who attacked us," Wanda supplied behind me, making me nod as Steve, Natasha and T'Challa went to go meet them.
They were safe within the border, but I knew that we couldn't just stay tucked up in here. They would either find a way through or destroy everything else outside it, which Steve wouldn't allow. I shook my head, pushing away images of people screaming and turning to dust. Focus! If we can deal with his army, then that's one less problem to worry about. Just stay focused.
"Where's your other friend?" Natasha's voice came over the comms, allowing me in on their conversation with the aliens.
"You will pay for his life with yours. Thanos will have that stone."
"That's not going to happen," Steve declared as T'Challa took charge.
"You are in Wakanda now. Thanos will have nothing but dust and blood."
"We… have blood to spare."
There was a grunt and rumble as the ships began to open and my eyes widened, taking another check through the binoculars.
"Guys, these aren't soldiers."
"What the hell?"
"Looks like we pissed her off," Natasha mused as Steve spoke.
"What do you mean, Jess?"
"They're… not people like in any way. No weapons, not even a plan. They literally just ran out and went straight. They're… They're mindless beasts. They're trying to get through the barrier by brute force. They're…"
"They're killing themselves," Okoye said in disgust.
"But they're progressing," I replied, scanning the barrier edge. "One's gotten in. Now five. Bit by bit, they're breaking through."
Gunfire went off, taking the stragglers out as Sam and Rhodey flew overhead and helped as well.
"Careful. Don't fly too low," I warned, seeing Sam dodge one beast that launched itself at them. "I'm going to try and find a pattern, but… I honestly don't think they have one. It's literally like sending a pack of dogs out."
"All right, back up, Sam. You're gonna get your wings singed," Rhodey called out, bombing where the creatures were piled up the most.
"Hold up. You guys have a problem," I announced, seeing the pack splitting off and trying to circle around. "They're looking for other ways in, circling around. We can't let them get behind us. I hate to say it, but your best bet is to funnel them in directly in front of you."
"Are you sure?" T'Challa asked.
"It's the only way I can see. They are literally just trying to find any way possible to get to their target. Give them the opening though, and the other two will slip in the chaos. Maybe more. We can't trust that they're the only ones of Thanos' children here. If they're smart, they won't show off all their cards right away. And my guess is, they aren't exactly stupid if they've defeated entire worlds."
"Then, on my signal, open North-West Section Seventeen."
I took a deep breath and let it out, lowering my binoculars as the group charged in. Wanda squeezed my shoulder, making me eye her as she managed a grimace of a smile. I know she wanted to tell me they'd be fine, but we both knew things weren't going to be that easy. I brought the binoculars back up just as the barrier went down and they began to fight.
"I'll keep an eye on the opening. Let you know when those two have snuck in," I called out as T'Challa called back.
"How much longer, Shuri?"
"I've barely begun, brother," she replied.
"You might want to pick up the pace!"
"Don't you know pressuring people trying to do delicate work really makes things problematic?" I grumbled. "Hold on, those two are through! I can see them on the other side anymore!"
"Thanks for the heads up!" Natasha replied.
"T'Challa, how're the numbers? Too many?"
"We can't close the barrier, or they'll come around!"
"So, don't close it for long," I answered. "Have them open and close it at five-minute intervals. It's not enough time for them to run around the barrier and it will limit the number coming in a little more."
"I can see now why you're the strategist," he commented, passing along the order and the barrier closed for now.
I turned my binoculars through the fights going on, anxiety eating away at me as I saw the carnage, but I was searching for the two more powerful aliens.
"Rhodey, duck!"
He did, dodging the ax thrown by the bulkier alien. "Thanks, Jess!"
"Don't thank me yet! You guys need to stick in pairs! There's too many to try and deal with on your own individually! Steve get to T'Challa! Rhodey, Sam, you two need to help cover them from the air if they start getting overwhelmed! Bucky stick with Bruce for now! He's too bulky to move quickly or deal with ones on his back! I'll keep an eye on the duo and warn anyone when they get close!"
Just then, there was a bright pillar of light and a large amount of the beasts were blasted away as I let out a heaving sigh of relief. Thor. Thank God.
"Heads up, guys. There's a new player on the field," I announced. "And someone get him a comm. I need to tell him he's late."
"Haha!" Bruce cheered at the sight of Thor. "You guys are so screwed now!"
The two head aliens actually looked worried, which was good, and Thor charged after them as I blinked at his companions.
"Hold on. Is that a tree and a raccoon?"
"Do I even want to know what is going on down there?" Shuri asked, and I turned to look at her.
"Honestly, I'm not entirely sure myself."
It didn't make sense to him, Thanos' plan. Strange had a hard time understanding how the man could think that genocide would be a solution to things like overpopulation and the rest of a world's problems. He briefly wondered what Jess would think of it. He got the feeling that she might have had a longer talk with Thanos about his plans if she were here, but he was still hung up about something. All those things the Ancient One told him about Jess. What Jess herself had told him. What he'd seen—or not seen—while viewing those visions of the future. Not once had he seen Jess. Not in the millions of battles they'd lost. Not in the one, single battle they'd won. 14,000,605 alternate futures and Jess hadn't existed in a single one.
It bothered him, unnerved him. What did that make her then? An anomaly? An exception to the universe? Was she some all-powerful being that they didn't know of who could change the future just by being there? Or was she simply just an extra cog in the wheel that would go unnoticed? He'd almost thought she'd replaced someone—having seen Pepper Potts in his visions instead. But he was positive that woman was still around running Tony's company. So, was she an extra person in the world? And what did that mean for this situation? The possibilities felt endless, yet as Tony dropped a large building, the thoughts wouldn't leave his mind.
"Piece of cake, Quill," Tony scoffed.
"Yeah, if your goal was to piss him off!"
The building exploded into pieces before turning into bats that knocked Tony away. Peter swooped down and blinded Thanos with some webbing, allowing Drax to cut into the man's calves and help Strange fight him as best they could. Drax was knocked away and Thanos grabbed Strange's mystic sword, peeling the webbing off and kicking Strange back only to get hit in the back by Quill. Strange provided footholds for Quill, allowing him to get close enough to place a bomb on the back of Thanos and knock him down.
"Don't let him close his fist," Strange informed his cape, which flew off to prevent just that as Strange opened portals to allow Peter to jump in and out and attack Thanos. That is until Thanos grabbed a hold of him and pinned him down.
"Insect!"
Peter was thrown into Strange and Thanos ripped the cape off his hand, but Tony was back, firing off missiles and blocking his view. Using the Space Stone, Thanos gathered the blasts and used them back on Tony, knocking him away once more. Peter swung in and grabbed the gauntlet with his webs, trying to pull it off, but was dragged forward and hit—the webbing removed again. A ship crashed into Thanos then, knocking him down and dragging him across the planet as his own daughter jumped out and punched him, bringing a blade.
"Well, well."
"You should have killed me," she told him.
"It would've been a waste of parts!"
She attacked him in her anger, hitting him repeatedly with little effect. "Where's Gamora!"
He knocked her away and Strange flew up, wrapping the gauntlet in his magic to try and pull it off. Drax knocked Thanos to his knees as he struggled and Quill used a device to grab hold of his free arm while Peter wrapped him up in webbing to pull as well. Strange released the gauntlet as Tony went to try and pull it free, before opening a portal to allow Mantis to land on Thanos' shoulders and enter his mind. Thanos wailed as they fought to pull the gauntlet off until Mantis used more power.
"Is he under?" Tony asked, struggling with the gauntlet.
"Be quick. He is very strong," Mantis warned.
"Parker, help! Get over here!" Tony demanded and Peter rushed over. "She can't hold him much longer. Let's go."
"We've gotta open his fingers to get it off," Peter explained as Quill landed and headed over.
"I thought you'd be hard to catch. For the record, this was my plan. You're not so strong now, huh?" He mocked Thanos. "Where is Gamora?"
"My Gamora," Thanos grunted out.
"No. Bullshit! Where is she?"
"He is in anguish," Mantis informed them.
"Good."
"He… He mourns."
"What does this monster have to mourn?" Drax bit out, struggling to hold Thanos' legs.
"Gamora," Nebula informed them.
"What?" Quill asked, turning to her.
"He took her to Vormir. He came back with the Soul Stone, but she didn't."
Tony could see this going downhill real fast and dropped his helmet. "Okay, Quill? You gotta cool it right now. You understand? Don't. Don't. Don't engage. We almost got this off!" He shouted, knowing how furious he'd be if it were Jess, but also knowing that the entire universe was going to burn if they didn't end this now.
"Tell me she's lying," Quill demanded to know from Thanos. "Asshole, tell me you didn't do it!"
"I had to," Thanos grunted.
"No, you didn't. No, you didn't." Quill took a step back before yelling and repeatedly hitting Thanos—knocking Mantis's hands off his temples before Tony stopped him.
Peter had just gotten the gauntlet off when the connection was broken and Thanos knocked his head back into Mantis, retrieving his gauntlet and throwing her away. Peter went after her and caught her as Thanos threw everyone else off him and knocked out all of Quill's team and Nebula. Tony did his best, but he was knocked down as well before Thanos grabbed the nearest moon and threw it at him, crushing him into the ground.
Things were looking up in the battle below, but I didn't doubt there were still more tricks. Sure enough, a deep rumble drew my attention to the forest's edge, and I paled, hastily bringing the binoculars back up.
"Uh, guys? Please tell me you were smart enough to make your barrier go underground."
"Not more than a foot. Why?"
"Because things just got a lot more complicated. You better move! They're right on top of you!"
Spinning blade-like drills came up from underground and I grit my teeth, muttering under my breath.
"Come on, come on, think! Do any attacks work?" I asked the group.
"Not on my end!" Sam replied and I bit out a curse, zooming in as much as I could to try and find a weakness.
"T-Try to upturn them? Knock them on their sides?"
"We can't get close enough!"
"S-Stick in the spokes?"
"With what stick!"
"I'm trying, okay!" I finally snapped, fingers tangled in my hair and yanking painfully on the strands.
"I'll go."
I blinked, turning, but Wanda was already heading for the door. "What? Wanda, wait!"
She hurried off and I groaned. Yes, she'd be able to deal with the drills better than the others, but it meant that we were down one more person should trouble show up, and no one would be able to destroy the stone once we got it out. I'm literally going to have to hand-deliver it. I ran a hand over my face and begrudgingly turned back to the window, only to hear a cry from a guard in the hall. Shuri paled and looked to me, but I waved her off, beginning to heat up.
"Keep working. I'll get them out of here so you can finish. Vision, stay put. I mean it."
One of the Kingsguards left with us was putting up a decent fight before she got knocked across the room and I stepped in, throwing on my suit in an instant and catching the alien's spear only to grimace when he put more power behind it, and it began to cut into my suit.
"Oh, that's not good."
The blades spear sliced off my right hand and I spat out a curse as the man chuckled and Shuri gasped.
"Jess!"
"Don't worry. I'm really durable," I growled, hand reforming with a boiling heat as I flexed it. "Especially when I'm pissed off."
Said fist was thrown at the unsuspecting alien, knocking him back away from Shuri and across the room where the Kingsguard took up fighting with him once more until I threw him out the window.
"Keep Shuri safe!" I called back to the guard, flying out. "I'll deal with him."
"Guys, we've got a Vision situation here," Sam called out over the comms.
"I've got it," I cut in, landing solidly where I'd hoped the alien had stayed, except he'd dodged the move. "Shuri's still working and I've moved the problem to another location just below." I ducked under a swing of his blade and swung my foot around, heel kicking him in the side and sending him sliding back. "Besides, he cut off my hand. I think I owe him the same."
"He what!"
I rolled my eyes at Bruce's exclamation, grabbing the arm of the spear I'd dodged and twisting it out of the alien's hands before attempting to stab him with it unsuccessfully. "Mind you, I can regenerate limbs."
"Oh. I guess that's okay then."
"It's really not," Steve argued, only for my eyes to widen as I was abruptly knocked further into the forest by a large ax.
I grunted, managing to land on my feet as I shook my head. "Oh, you punks let two through!"
"Someone get to Jess!"
"On my way!" Banner called out as I dodged another hit by the heavy ax, rushing forward and under it to fly up behind his back and kick him upside the head.
Even with power behind it, the bulk of an alien did little more than grunt and slide back a bit. I cursed as the spear from before clipped my right thigh before I could dodge. Thankfully, Bruce landed beside me with his hands raised threateningly in his suit.
"Oh, no. Oh no, you don't. This isn't gonna be like New York, pal. This suit's already kicked the crap outta the Hulk."
The bulky guy swung his ax, warping it around Bruce's wrists as he pulled the alien away, leaving me back with the original spear-wielding one. I rolled my neck, before smirking.
"Back on an even playing field."
Our fight continued with any injuries I received getting easily repaired and making the man more and more frustrated, thus making his attacks more sporadic. There was a blast that drew our attention away for a moment and my grin widened as his bulky companion was shot up into the sky, skimmed along the barrier, and consequently killed in a shower of sparks. Seeing his chance, he began his attack again and I cursed myself for being distracted, especially when his blade pierced right through my abdomen.
He smirked. "I thought you were formidable in your machine, but you'll die like any man."
I grit my teeth, wrapping a hand around his wrist and squeezing it tight enough to make his grip loosen on the spear. "I'm a woman," I hissed, spinning and throwing him over my shoulder before ripping the spear out with a gasp.
Blood splattered on the ground until my body hissed with steam and the wound began to seal. Not giving him a chance to retaliate, I used his own blade as I spun around and lopped off his head.
"Fuck you," I spat, cringing a bit and leaning on the spear as I used it as a cane for a moment. "Piece of shit. Don't you know how much concentration this takes?" I tapped into my comms. "Finished the other guy. I'm making my way back to Vision just in case."
"You okay?" Steve asked over the comms.
"Been better. Not used to healing extensive injuries with my abilities just yet. Hurts like a bitch, but I'll be healed by the time I get back."
"Language," Natasha chided with a chuckle as Steve groaned.
"You know, one day you'll stop making that joke."
"Never."
Tony struggled for breath through the pain of the blade pierced through his side. This was it, he knew. They had no chance of beating Thanos now, even without the man owning the Time Stone. Their whole group had just been completely scattered and devastated by one overgrown grape, and Tony faced the glowing gauntlet facing him with as much pride as he could. He had done his best, even if it wasn't good enough. He could only hope that Jess would steer clear of Thanos when the time came down to it. He didn't want anything to happen to her.
"Stop," Strange called out then, making Thanos pause. "Spare his life, and I will give you the stone."
Thanos eyed him. "No tricks."
Strange shook his head and Thanos held out his gauntlet to Strange as he lifted his hand and made the gem appear.
"Don't," Tony tried to stop him, but Strange let the gem slip away without a fight.
"One to go," Thanos mused as Quill flew over firing shots uselessly at him.
Thanos stepped back into a clouded portal, vanishing from sight as Tony did his best to heal himself.
"Where is he!" Quill demanded before his eyes widened. "Did we just lose?"
Tony looked back to Strange, devastation and worry filling him. "Why would you do that?"
"We're in the endgame now."
I landed back in the main building, holding up my hands to calm the guard who'd raised her spear at the interruption. "It's fine. Just me. Shuri?"
Shuri grinned from her position up above. "I've nearly got it!"
"How nearly is nearly?" I asked, letting out a deep breath as my suit vanished and I lifted my shirt to check the progress of my healing.
All that was left was a slightly aching scar running from the base of my rib cage to my hip on the left side. Good enough. I can't waste any more energy on this when there could be more trouble. Tony won't be pleased about another scar, but… he'll understand.
"I got it!"
"Seriously?" I questioned, looking up in shock to find the gem now hovering over Vision's forehead safely. "And Vision?"
"I-I'm… I'm okay, I think," he replied as Shuri moved the gem away and I reached out to take it.
I winced when it landed in my palm, very not happy about being in my hands over… well, anyone else's. "Yeah, well, I'm not happy about it either, you know."
"Are you talking to it?" Shuri asked, coming down from her perch.
"Long story. Look, Vision, stay here with Shuri. I honestly don't know how crazy powerful you might be without the stone and you'll need to recover. That, and I promise T'Challa I'd keep her safe. I'll get the stone to Wanda."
He sat up carefully with a nod, eyeing me. "Thank you, Jess."
I cracked a smirk as my suit came back on. "What? No 'Miss' this time."
He simply smiled in return as I took off out the window and spoke over my comms.
"Wanda? I've got the gem. I need your location."
"And Vision?"
"With Shuri. Alive."
"Thank God."
Something changed then, making me suddenly feel uneasy and the gem in my palm going unnaturally quiet.
"Steve, I'm going to need cover. Like, yesterday," I said quietly. "He's here."
"Everyone, on my position. We have incoming."
I landed behind the gathered group just as Thanos himself stepped through a portal, adding to the uneasiness in my gut. I could feel them. All of them.
"No," I breathed, knowing what that meant. "No, no. Tony and, and Strange were supposed to…"
"Calm down, Jess," Steve warned, making me swallow back the lump in my throat. "Focus."
Right. Focus. Saving the universe. Tony and Strange are smart. They could still be out there alive and well. I tightened my grip on the gem as Bruce confirmed it.
"Cap, that's him."
"Eyes up. Stay sharp," Steve said seriously, preparing himself as they moved in.
"H-He's got all the gems. He can manipulate space," I muttered, watching Bruce just phase right through him and get trapped in the rock wall behind. "Power."
Steve was flipped head-over-heals into the dirt as T'Challa was grabbed and punched down as well. Everyone was trying their best, but it was like fighting a brick wall. They didn't stand a chance. I took a step back, coming up beside Wanda.
"Wanda, we need to destroy it. They're buying us time and it's not much." I held up the gem in my hand. "Please. Quickly."
She nodded, taking a step back and focusing her powers on destroying it as best she could. I winced, hearing the gem scream and wail that it wasn't going to work. That I was nothing and couldn't stop this. Everyone was down now, and I eyed the approaching Thanos in concern as Wanda freed a hand to try and hold him back even longer. The gem began to crack and just as Thanos was only a step away, it finally shattered, knocking us down. Thanos stepped forward, not even bothered and I hastily moved between him and Wanda, prepared to do anything to keep her safe at the moment with her being the only person I knew capable of destroying the stones.
Thanos eyed me with a frown. "I know many people here, but not you. Why is that?"
I swallowed thickly, forcing myself to speak despite the stones' chattering in my head and the feeling of authority and power Thanos gave off, reminding me of another man who made me feel just as small and insignificant.
"T-That's me. Unassuming."
Strong, Tony's voice rang in my mind.
"Insignificant."
Intelligent.
"Boring."
Beautiful.
"J-Jess Norris, by the way. I'd say nice to meet you, but… you know. Supervillain."
His brows remained furrowed. "You must have stayed around Tony Stark for a while. You have his poor sense of humor."
I stiffened, getting confirmation that Tony had encountered Thanos, but as much as I'd like to demand where he was—if he was even alive—I couldn't risk Thanos using that against me. If Tony were dead, I'd be furious and wouldn't be able to fight without my anger taking over. If Tony were alive, it would be easy for Thanos to threaten him and cause me to falter all the same.
"You're right though," Thanos continued. "You're insignificant. So is time."
Oh, no. I feared what those words meant, having an idea, but not wanting to believe it even as it happened right before my eyes. All our hard work was pointless as he recreated the gem with a twist of his hand.
"No!" Wanda shouted, getting knocked away easily as I rushed in after her.
I grabbed the gauntlet, superheating myself as quickly as possible in the hopes of melting the gems out of their slots.
Not now.
Bad timing.
Stupid child.
Run away! Run away!
Can't stop it yet.
Inevitable.
I was pried off and Thanos scowled, baring his teeth even as my skin burnt his hand before he threw me aside as well and my back snapped against a tree trunk. I dropped to the ground, eyes clenched shut as the final gem was put into place and the gems' voices practically screamed in my head. It was overwhelming as my heat tried to immediately heal whatever spinal-like injuries had occurred to my throbbing back, and before Thanos could do anything more, he was thrust back by lightning from Thor and his new ax. Thor threw it as Thanos tried to stop it and even I was amazed to find the ax pierced right through the beam of power and landed solidly in the center of Thanos' chest.
Did he do it? I wondered in amazement, hoping beyond hope that he had as he approached Thanos and pressed the ax further into him. I could hear it though, the stones. Cackling, sighing, waiting. Something was wrong.
"T-Thor…" I coughed, clearing my throat as I pushed myself weakly up, trying to warn him. "Thor, s-something's not right! He's not going to die from that!"
Thor turned towards me in shock, looking back just as Thanos lifted his gauntlet and snapped his fingers.
"No!"
It was weird, to feel all the stones' power at once. My entire body throbbed as though I'd been struck, and I fell back against the tree as Thanos eyed his burnt arm and gauntlet.
"What did you do?" Thor demanded. "What'd you do!"
Thanos took one brief look around before vanishing through a portal, leaving Thor's ax behind. Steve stumbled over, looking around.
"Where'd he go? Thor. Where'd he go?"
"N-Not good," I breathed, drawing their attention to me. "No, no, no. V-Very not good."
"Jess? Jess, hey." Steve came over to me as I leaned heavily against the tree, sweat dripping off my face and onto the ground as I doubled over with wide, panicked eyes. "Hey, what is it? Do you know what happened? Where he went? Jess!"
"A-Ashes," I murmured, looking up at him with tearful eyes. "T-They're all going to turn to ash."
"What?"
"Steve?" Bucky called out, making him turn and straighten as he saw Bucky's arm begin to disintegrate.
The Winter Soldier collapsed, vanishing into nothing but ash as Steve abandoned me and went over in disbelief. I heard Okoye crying out in the distance as Steve rushed over to me and hauled me up by my shirt—suit having vanished not long after the snap.
"What happened? What just happened to Bucky! Jess! Answer me!"
I didn't know what to say. I could have prevented this? How? In what way? Did I do it wrong? The stones had called me foolish. Was it a trick? They said it was inevitable. Was everything it said about prevention a lie? Bad timing, not now. Was I too early? Too late?
"Jess!" Steve shouted again, drawing my gaze back up to him.
"I-I… I'm sorry," I murmured, not knowing what else to do and he growled dangerously, rearing back a fist only to slam it into the tree beside me, making me cringe.
He dropped me back to the ground, as thunder rumbled, and more cries of anguish rang out from the forest from others who'd realized that they had just lost those they were fighting with. Friends, family, loved ones, strangers. Half the universe was vanishing right before everyone's eyes, leaving the few of us remaining to begin to gather in the small patch of forest we'd been fighting in.
"What is this? What the hell is happening?" Rhodey asked first and Steve jabbed a finger my way.
"Ask her," he spat, dragging a hand through his hair as he paced near Bucky's ashes.
"Jess?" Natasha questioned.
"It's my fault," I murmured, eyes stuck on the ground. "They said I could do something. They said I could stop it!" I slammed a fist into my thigh angrily as tears spilled down my face. "Goddammit. Why? Why couldn't I stop this?"
"Stop what, Jess?" Natasha asked, grabbing my shaking fist to prevent me from continuing to hurt myself. "Jess, please. Tell us what's going on."
My arm soon relaxed as I sagged, unable to face them as I explained as simply as I could.
"Half of all living things in the universe are gone, and I could have prevented it."