Si vis pacem, para bellum
CHAPTER FIVE: ENTERING THE ENDGAME
Avengers Facility, 2023
"It worked!" Scott yelled as he looked through the window of the small garden where sun was reflecting on a tree as some flying animals surrounded it. They all smiled happily.
Bruce, who was on the ground, looked up at the window on the ceiling. He saw that something was coming their way. "Guys-" He began but everybody was squished apart. The compound had been destroyed along with all of their memories by God knew what.
Tony's Cabin, 2023
"Who are you?" The innocent voice asked as his head titled on the side and looked at the two men. One he knew, the other he didn't.
"Your father." Tony said as he looked at Steve whose eyes grew three sizes bigger. "I know Nat would want this to be done the proper way. Steve, this is James, your son. James, this is Steve, your father."
The soldier tried to keep together his emotions for the child sake's, he didn't know what happened to his mother. It was hard to understand that Natasha was dead, but it was harder to know she left this world with a child behind, their child. He walked to the child and crouched down to his size. His eyes looked at him and he couldn't help but see himself and Natasha in him, in James.
"You are my father?" The child innocently asked.
"I- I..." He trailed off, what if it wasn't true? What if it the father was somebody else? Oh, hell. As if he could even think that this child wasn't his. "I am."
James had a small smile across his lips as he dropped the toy he had in his hands. He stood up on his small legs and walked towards Steve. The little boy laid his head on Steve's chest and wrapped his arms around the adult. The blonde man couldn't hold his emotions any longer, he let himself fall into his son's hug and cried softly.
Avengers Facility, 2023
Steve woke up on the ground, he was laying there, covered in ashes and dirt. He grunted as he got up and looked around. Everything was a mess, everything was destroyed. "No," He said softly as he spotted something on the ground. He walked closer and saw Natasha's ballet shoes shattered on the ground. He picked them up and anger filled his body at whoever destroyed them and the compound.
"Cap!" He heard Tony call out from behind him. He dropped his hand, but kept the ballet shoes in a tight grip, and turned around. The brown haired man had suited up in his Iron Man suit, only his face wasn't covered by it yet.
Steve rushed to him and quickly checked his body for any sign of wound. "You alright?" He worriedly asked.
"Yeah, yeah." Tony assured him with a nod and held out his shield to him. "You lose this again, I'm keeping it."
He took the shield and attached it on his arm. He looked around quickly. "What happened?"
"We messed with time, it tends to mess back. You'll see." He shrugged. "Come." Tony said and walked with Steve to where Thor stood.
"Would you look at that?" He asked as his head turned to his right.
"What-" The solider started but stopped when he saw what – or mostly who – he was talking about. He noticed that Thanos was there, sitting on some runes a few feet from them.
"What's he been doing?" Tony asked.
"Absolutely nothing." Thor replied as his eyes kept fixing the reason his depression started.
"Where are the stones?" Steve asked, looking at Tony then back to Thanos.
"Somewhere under all this," He said, pointing his finger around the mess that the compound had became. "All I know is he doesn't have them."
Steve raised his arm where his shield was and said. "So we keep it that way."
"You know it's a trap, right?" Thor said in a rugged voice.
"Yeah and I don't much care." Tony replied.
"Good, just as long as we are in agreement." He said and he stretched out both of his hands to summon both Stormbreaker and Mjolnir. As the thunder cracked Thor's casual clothes transformed into his famous armour and cape. "Let's kill him properly this time."
The powerful holy trinity walked ahead to confront Thanos. He looked menacing and offensive at the same time. "You could not live with your own failure." He began talking. "And where did that bring you?" He rhetorically asked. "Back to me. I thought by eliminating half of life, the other half would thrive."
The three heroes looked at Thanos with anger, all of them was on their guards about the things he might do.
"But you've shown me that's impossible and as long as there are those that remember what was, there will always be those that are unable to accept what can be. They will resist." He continued.
"Yep." Tony interrupted his monologue. "We're all kinds of stubborn."
"I'm thankful, because now I know what I must do." Thanos said and stood up. "I will shred this universe down to its last atom." He turned his back on them to put on his helmet that was on on his weapon. "And then... with the stones you've collected for me, create a new one. Teeming with life but knows not what it has lost but only what it has been given. A grateful universe."
Steve clenched his fists in anger. He couldn't wait until the moment they'd finally kill him. "Born out of blood." He said, venous in his voice.
"They'll never know it, because you won't be alive to tell them." Thanos replied and with that simple sentence, the fight began.
The three men fought each of them with Thanos. Tony got knocked out, Thor almost got slaughtered by his own weapon but Steve had managed to pick up Mjolnir and briefly stop Thanos. Steve felt an urge of power course through his veins as he held the magical weapon.
"I knew it!" He heard Thor pant from beside him.
Then, Steve got knocked on the ground, too. However, he didn't give up. Despite the injuries he had, he'd always fight against the bullies. He tightened his shield around his broken arm with a grunt and got back up. He looked at the horizon and saw that Thanos' army had come. He sighed and walked forward, he was ready to stand against a whole army to protect the world, and the universe. "Cap." He heard a voice he hadn't heard for so long. "Cap. We're coming." He heard the voice said.
Shock passed through his whole face, it had really worked. "On your left." Sam's voice spoke again and Steve turned around on his left. He saw a magical portal open and three figures stepped from it. It was T'challa, Shuri and Okoye. He smiled sadly as he saw everybody come out from different portals. They were all back – almost.
Everyone joined on the battlefield and the fight between the two armies began after Steve finally pronounced those two amazing words. "Avengers... Assemble!"
Then, they ran and fought the fight of their lives. Some of the people reunited with the ones they had missed like Tony and Peter but what was more important was to get to the mini van to get the stones back in the right times so Thanos wouldn't get them.
But Thanos had managed to get the stones and Tony fought with him to get them back. Thanos raised his right hand looked at the few Avengers that were standing before him. Tony was on the ground, grunting, Steve was on his side out of breath. Captain Marvel stood before him and faced Thanos, Valkyrie flew to them and stood on the other side of Tony.
He watched as the rest of the Avengers joined them, he smirked seeing the people around, falling on the battlefield. "I told you. I Am Inevitable." He snapped his finger smiling like the madman he was.
"Ahhh!" Peter Quill screamed, falling on the ground. "Noo! Thanos got us again!" He said, rolling on his side. The avengers watched the guardians of the galaxy, aside from Gamora and Nebula, fall on the ground.
What. The. Hell. Steve thought.
Then they all started laughing lightly when Thanos didn't understand what had happened. Actually, nothing happened. He looked at the Infinity Gauntlet and saw that the stones were gone. His eyes landed on the Avengers who were now smiling.
Tony smiled softly as the stones took place on his gauntlet. He grunted, Carol took one of his hand while Valkyrie put a hand on his shoulder. "And... we are... The Avengers." He said and snapped his finger.
Fear appeared on Thanos' face as all of the Avengers took on the power of the stones and his army began to disappear.
Nebula ran to Thanos as he sat down. "My daughter..."
"Father... You deserved this!" She screamed and took his own weapon. "You're a monster, a madman, Thanos. Today is the day you finally fall." She raised up the weapon and plugged it through Thanos' neck, cutting off his head. His head fell on the floor, his mouth agape as it turned into dust as well as his body. She released the weapon and turned to the Avengers, all of them were on their knees as they let go of their hands. Everybody was sweating, covered in ashes and were grunting.
Tony released the stones and collapsed on the ground. Rhodey rushed to his side worriedly, the stones were supposed to be too powerful for them all. "You all right, Stank?" He asked.
He chuckled and nodded slightly. "Of course. Just need a minute to breath."
Peter ran to him. "We won, Mr Stark! We did it!" He hugged him tightly, raising him up from the ground. "We won."
Tony hugged him back and smiled. "Yes, kid. We won." He said, smiling into the hug.
Steve smiled sadly as he looked at them from afar. He had removed his helmet and held his broken Shield on his arm and Mjolnir in his other hand. They looked like a happy family. Pepper had joined them and kissed Tony then held him tightly. Tony looked at Steve and smiled. "How about a Shawarma?"
He chuckled and looked around, letting out a soft sigh. "There's something I gotta do, first. Do me a favour, take care of James while I'm away."
"I don't need to be taken care of." Bucky's voice came from behind Steve.
Steve turned around, a relieved smile forming on his lips. "But James Rogers does." He chuckled softly and walked to his friend, instantly pulling him into a hug. "I'm happy to have you back, Bucky." He said. "Nice bun, by the way."
Bucky chuckled and pulled away. "Thank you, punk." He smiled.
Everyone around the field greeted their loved ones. They cried, hugged, kissed and laughed. The sun made its way through the fog of dirt and the dark clouds Thanos' army had brought. This had been one of the scenarios that Doctor Strange had seen and they had won.
Tony's Cabin, 2023
A few hours later, Banner created another time machine so Steve could bring the stones back to where they belonged. Sam and Bucky were there as well, mostly has support.
"Remember.. you have to return the stones at the exact moment you got them. Or you're gonna open up a bunch of nasty alternative realities."
"Don't worry Bruce. Clip all the branches." Steve reassured. And closed the case with all of the stones inside.
"You know I tried... when I had the gauntlet, the stones. I really tried to bring her back." Bruce said softly and looked at Steve. "I miss her, man."
Steve looked back at him and inhaled. "Me, too. More than I ever thought I would." He said, turning around and Sam stepped up to him.
"You know, if you want, I can come with you." Sam offered.
Steve smiled at him and shook his head, looking around then back at him. "You're a good man, Sam. This one's on me, though."
He goes over to Bucky and smiled. "Don't do anything stupid 'till I get back."
Bucky sighed happily and looked around, thinking for a moment. "How can I? You're taking all the stupid with you." He said, smiling softly and they hugged each other again.
Steve pulled away and went over to the Quantum portal and donned the Quantum suit.
"How long is this gonna take?" Sam asked as he looked at Steve.
"For him? As long as he needs. For us? Five seconds."
Steve held the case in one hand and picked up Mjolnir in the other.
"Ready, Cap? Alright. We'll meet you back here. Okay?"
"You bet." Steve confidently replied.
"Going quantum. Three, two, one..." Banner said as he tapped on his machines and Steve disappeared into the quantum portal.
If you want peace, prepare for war