Chapter Twelve
Sam

I feel like we've been fighting the Kree for days even though I know it's only been hours. No matter how many soldiers we kill, how many ships we take down, how long we are able to hold a position or defend a building, the Kree prevail. Our forces were out numbered to begin with, but after all this fighting, our numbers have dwindled to a quarter of what they used to be. The Kree know this, they're attacking with everything they have to wipe us out for good.

Zy has led most of the Wakandan forces to Beijing, all that remains are the Jabari soldiers led by Khari here in D.C.. The Avengers, the Jabari, and the Masters of the Mystic Arts stationed here are what have kept the Capital and White House from being taken. The Guardians are holding England's government buildings for now, but they struggling pretty hard after losing two of their members: Drax and Mantis. The Asgardians are doing what they can in Beijing, but they've taken heavy losses just like the rest of us. As have the Masters of the Mystic Arts, who were spread thin between the cities to begin with, and grow thinner by the minute. All the military forces have been all but wiped out, a lot of the enhanced volunteers have perished. The Kree are picking us off one by one.

Here in D.C., Wanda, Bruce, and Soroya are defending the government buildings while the rest of us are trying to contain the Kree within the city. A lot of soldiers and ships are trying to venture towards populated areas and we're fighting like hell to keep them away from any civilians. We evacuated most of the suburbs outside the city, but we don't want to take any risks, any chances with people's lives. Bucky and I have been fighting soldiers near the Lincoln memorial for some time now, covered head to toe in blue blood, exhaustion causing our bodies to ache with every movement. Bucky ran out of bullets in his many guns a long time ago, he's been fighting with a knife and a fallen Jabari soldier's spear. My left wing was blown off during a fight with a Kree ship, so I've had to rely solely on my guns and fists to keep the Kree at bay. I don't know how much longer we can keep this up.

We keep fighting though. We'll die doing so if that's what it takes.

"Honey, honey can you hear me?"

As I shoot another Kree soldier in the chest, I feel my heart palpitate, feel my eyes dart towards the sky in worry and anticipation.

"Jade?" I ask breathlessly, seeing her ship nowhere. You can't see anything amidst the ash and smoke filled sky. You can't even see the sun anymore, there's no light, no warmth.

"We brought some friends to join the party." Carol's voice says, and that's when I see them. All of them. The sky is no longer dark and grim from the chaos around us, it's lit up from the appearance of hundreds of ships, Skrull ships.

"Sorry it took so long," I hear Naomi's voice say. "We couldn't make the jump for a few hours. I hope we aren't too late."

"You're just in time!" Soroya's voice says, strained and thick from tears. I'm on the verge of crying myself. I look over towards Bucky and let out a laugh, embracing my friend in a victorious hug. We begin cheering and yelling as the Skrull ships join the fight, some chasing after Kree ships while most go down to the ground and let the Skrull forces join the fray on the field.

They did it. They actually did it.

We just might win this fight after all.

-

Naomi

I'm shocked when I see Soroya fighting on the field, with Stormbreaker nonetheless, and I ask her who's been calling the shots from the cloaked ship. She tells me it's been Thor. I decide to relieve him from his duties and let the Asgardian rejoin the fight, I bet he's itching to do so. Carol flies our ship over to the cloaked one and lowers me onto the ramp. As I walk inside the ship I find Thor arguing with the world leaders. They're complaining about the Skrull ships that have just appeared in their skies. I march up towards them and push Thor aside, completely done with their bullshit.

"The Skrulls are what's going to win this war."

"For what side?" The King of England asks.

I don't even acknowledge him. "Talos, their leader, agreed to help us defeat the Kree on the condition that we allow them to make a home here on Earth."

The world leaders erupt, yelling over each other, gasping, giving me appalled and disgusted looks. I glance at Thor and find his face contorting in anger, slamming his fist into the side of the ship, making a loud crack. This gets everyone's attention. I give him a grateful smile.

"Your arrogance and selfishness blinds all of you from doing what's right. The Skrulls have been without a home for decades because of what the Kree did to them. They came here to help us defeat them after we have done absolutely nothing to help them in their years of struggle. All they ask is to have a place to call home. We agreed. If you have a problem with that, then I suggest you tell them to their faces and see how well that goes. When this war ends and we prevail because of the Skrulls, I'm going to tell the people of Earth that we won because of them, and that you lot had nothing to do with their coming to our aid. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to help my people win a war."

I turn away from them and towards Thor, whose giving me an impressed look.

"You are very eloquent, Representative Jackson. I was about ready to threaten to rip off each of their arms and shove them up their asses before you arrived." He says, sending a glare their way that sends the world leaders cowering.

As entertaining as the thought of him doing that is, I'm glad I arrived when I did. I smile at the Asgardian. "Thank you for staying up here and dealing with them, but I think it's time you rejoin the fight. I'll take things over from here."

He grins, already heading towards the ramp. "Earth doesn't deserve you, Representative Jackson."

I grin back, really taking that compliment to heart. He's over a thousand years old and has worked with many leaders. His stamp of approval means a great deal. "Good luck."

He winks. "You, too." And then he soars down from the sky onto the field, his war cry filled with built up energy and excitement.

"Alright," I say into the coms. "Lets win this thing."

-

Sam

The Skrulls are our saving grace. As soon as they stepped onto the battlefield, weapons ready, expressions livid, I knew that the tide would turn in our favor. With a war cry that sounded an awful lot like Chewbacca from Star Wars, the Skrulls attacked, and blue blood has been spilled at a rate we haven't achieved in all these hours of fighting. The Skrulls know exactly how to kill the Kree, they know their weaknesses, their strengths, everything. They are cutting down Kree forces like they're chopping down weeds in the ground. It's spectacular to watch.

Naomi is up in the cloaked ship now calling the shots. I expected as much, if anyone should be up there leading us it should be her. She's mostly directing the Skrulls where to go, trusting the rest of us to tag along to where she sends our new allies. Bucky and I have joined a large group of Skrulls near Union Station. I expect Carol, Jade, and Kieran to make an appearance on the field, but they don't. They're still up in their ship. They haven't moved. But why?

"What's going on?" I ask into the coms, shooting down another Kree soldier.

"We're getting the ship ready to make another jump," Jade explains. "We're going to Hala to destroy the Supreme Intelligence."

"And by 'we' you mean—"

"Carol, Kieran, and me. It was part of our bargain with the Skrulls."

"Then I'm coming with you—"

"No, you're needed here."

"You need me more!"

"No," Jade shouts, her voice wavering. "This is something I have to do on my own. I have to stop the Kree from destroying our planet, our people, and the only way to truly do that is to destroy the Supreme Intelligence. You have to let me go."

My whole body freezes, my eyes glued to that damn ship still in the air. "Why does it sound like you're saying goodbye?"

"We have to do whatever it takes to save everyone."

"Jade—"

"I love you, Sam. Thank you for taking my hand that day in Australia." And then I watch the ship make the jump into space, cutting off the transmission.

No. No, no, no—

"Someone get me a ship! Now! I need to get to her!" I yell, frantically looking around to see if anyone is around to help me, to give me what I need. I don't see anyone, just a mess of Kree, human, and Skrull. Just chaos.

"Sam!" I hear Soroya yell, but it's not in the coms. I look up and see Soroya land down on the ground next to me, Stormbreaker in her hand. She is stained with blue Kree blood, her face and hair drenched in sweat. She looks exhausted. I'm sure I look just about as well as her. "We don't have many ships left and we need all the help we can get. If you want to get to Jade you need to take a Kree ship, it will have the coordinates already punched in and you'll be able to slip in with no trouble."

"I'm grounded, my wings are broken, how will I—"

"You'll take Stormbreaker." She says, extending the axe to me.

I stare at the axe for a long moment then I stare at her. "What?"

She gestures to the axe. "Take it."

"How do you—"

"There is no one more worthy than you. If you can't take it, then the axe is broken." Bucky says, appearing from behind her, giving me an encouraging nod.

I nod back to him, sucking in a deep breath as I wrap my fingers around the hilt. Soroya now lets go. I'm still holding it.

Holy shit.

I let out a disbelieving laugh, not believing what I'm seeing. But there's no time to process it or wrap my mind around it. I need to get to Jade. I need to get to Hala. Without a single word to my friends, I brace my feet on the ground and lift the axe, urging it to lift me up into the air. It does, and with a small smile sent down to them, I soar into the skies towards one of the many Kree ships.

-

Josephine

When Naomi replaced Thor in the hologram and said they were successful in bringing the Skrulls, I let out an audible sigh of relief. She immediately started ordering the Skrulls and Avengers to different positions, and for the first time this whole battle, I felt hope. Maybe we will win. Maybe we'll all be okay.

I was happy for about five glorious minutes before Naomi started speaking to someone in the coms, sounding frantic. "No, no you can't! Sam!"

My feet are instantly moving, my breaths panted, my eyes wide as I approach Naomi's hologram, ignoring the huff of annoyance from the president next to me. "What's going on? Naomi, tell me."

Naomi hesitates for a second before explaining: "Jade, Carol, and Kieran are going to Hala to destroy the Supreme Intelligence. Sam has decided to hijack a Kree ship and go after them. Jade at least has two people with her who know how Hala and the Kree. Sam could get himself killed going up there by himself."

Flashes appear in my mind: me escaping the storage facility in England, the Savage standing over Uncle John's blood soaked body. I can see his stab wound, his broken nose, hear his broken plea for me to leave him behind. I can see myself limping away in terror, leaving him to die, to face the wrath of the Savage. I see a coward who couldn't save a member of her family. I see the tortured faces of my family at Uncle John's funeral, hear the words he left to me in his will, praising me, telling me he loved me. Little did he know I was the reason for his demise. The niece too weak to save her uncle.

I let him die. I failed him.

I won't fail again.

My hands ball up into fists as I say to Naomi: "Tell him I'm on my way."

I turn away from her, from the president, from everyone and make a run for the door. I wish this bunker wasn't so fucking huge, it will take me a few minutes to get out of here, even with using my forcefields to fly. I have to fly down a ridiculously long hallway and endure an even longer elevator ride. Or maybe I could just take the stairs, but where are the stairs?

"Jo!" I hear Daniel's voice call. I halt just as I make it into the hallway, turning around half way to look at him.

"Don't try to stop me, Daniel. I can't let another uncle die. I can't, not when I can do something to save him. I have to do this."

Daniel stares down at me for a long second, before unexpectedly grabbing my shoulders and pulling me in for a hug. I guess we hugged earlier, but that was more of a comforting embrace while I sobbed. This is an actual hug. I feel a little awkward as he holds onto me, his head leaning against the top of mine.

"If either of your fathers ask, you created a force field that prevented me from stopping you." He whispers against my hair.

I nod against his chest, finally wrapping my arms around his waist, returning his hug.

"I know it doesn't mean anything to you...but I'm really proud of you, Jo. I know your fathers are, too." He says to me, pulling away from me, his mouth pressed in a thin line, his eyes a little cloudy.

I find myself smiling up at him. "It does mean something to me."

He smiles a little, too, stepping back from me even more. I extend my hands out and create a forcefield, lifting myself off the ground, glancing down the hall and then back to Daniel. "Where's the stairs?"

"First door to the left of the elevator. Good luck."

I nod, and with that, I propel myself down the hallway, leaving Daniel watching me with concerned eyes and a worried expression.