Meanwhile...

Letting my friends and family down wasn't an option.

A part of me thought otherwise. That self-doubt. The negative thoughts creeping in. One wrong move, and we could have losses. It all boiled down to this.

The end of the end.

I was tired of everything. The losses, the fear, the immense struggles, the suffering, the anger, I wanted it to all be over. I wanted to go back to my normal life where I could be happy and not be constantly paranoid. Would I ever make it home? Would I stay in this paranoid mentality that I've had for so long? War...War never changes. Maybe my life wouldn't, either.

Venom took my mind off of things for a short time. He scratched and aimed blows at me, but I dodged to the best of my ability. I had attacked his limbs countless times and broke them off his body using my claws, but the symbiote healed itself almost instantly. The black vein-like substance protected its vessel, Eddie Brock, with so much urgency. Every time it revealed a piece of his skin, it would quickly cover it back up. If only I could get it detached from him, then maybe...

My thoughts shattered when I realized I didn't see Venom. I looked around, seeing the mass destruction around the battlefield. Blood drenched into the snow. The heroes were cold, tired, and hot messes all at once. My hazel eyes glimpsed around the field quickly, only to find nothing.

Venom had completely disappeared.

I spun slowly in a circle for a moment. The wind nipped at my red nose and I sniffled. My skin felt dry and cold against the harsh cold weather. I hated that feature about my sentinel powers. I stole the powers from other people, not the other perks that came with it. I didn't take Blink's other abilities. I didn't develop Magneto's awesome other side powers. Most of these were incredibly unfortunate, but also good for me. If I was overloading on the few powers I had now, I couldn't imagine the distress I'd be in if I had more. My mind wouldn't be able to handle it.

Black, sticky webbing shot out from nowhere and wrapped around my ankles. Something pulled on it, sending me to the ground with a loud crush in the snow. I inhaled sharply and attempted to kick my legs, but the substance coiled tighter. I looked towards the direction the webbing originated from, and Venom appeared out of thin air, as if the symbiote camouflaged itself.

I don't remember Peter telling me about that. I thought worriedly and threw out a portal in front of me. I tried to escape, but the symbiote quickly pounced on me from the side. His claws sank into my shoulders as his white eyes focused on mine. A grin played on its sharp-toothed grin, saliva falling onto my clothing like a soft rain.

A terrifying thought popped into my mind.

What if the alien symbiote bonded to me, and made me its new vessel for a short period of time?

A knot formed in my stomach at the thought of it. If it could take Peter's powers after bonding with him, it would be nearly unstoppable if it bonded to me. An alien symbiote that had sentinel powers, along with the abilities I've obtained? It would no longer be victim to the elements used against it. We wouldn't be able to kill it. It would be one of the most powerful villains in our time.

Snap.

My collar bone snapped in half under Venom's pressure. I cried out as pain soared through my shoulder. The bone moved and grinded against the other half's stub. I cringed and grit my teeth together for a moment. I tried to escape from under his weight, but I couldn't move. "Tony! I need some help over here!"

"What do you have in mind?" Tony asked over communications.

I can do this. I can do this. The Venom symbiote hooked onto my skin, sinking itself into my veins like sharp daggers. I screamed and tried to throw him over to the side, but failed. My stress levels spiked and I felt lost. I had lost all control. "Loud sounds! Anything you can provide!"

Steve called out, worry clear in his tired voice, "Lilly, are you okay?"

Venom's tongue licked my neck, sweeping up some of the blood. The symbiote craved it. It craved my pain, my blood, my fear. It wanted to torture me until I was nothing. Then, it would kill me, or use me as a host. The twisted satisfaction the symbiote got from murder and violence made chills go up my spine.

I wouldn't grant it that satisfaction.

"I'm fine," I called out on comms. I struggled to get my hand close to Venom's face, but found inner strength to do so. His sharp teeth scraped against my skin; I held in a scream and forced a metal beam into its back. Venom screeched a near ear-piercing sound and quickly backed away from me.

I gasped and held my wounded shoulder as it bled. My wound slowly healed, yet not fast enough. I was overloading my powers. Too many at once. My eyesight wavered as I tried to get my breathing under control. I had to keep myself together. Not fall prey to anger or fear.

Easier said than done.

Tony performed a sudden fly by, breaking the sound barrier as he did. A sonic boom erupted in the air, and Venom screamed out in agonizing pain, scratching at his non-physical ears to make it stop. The symbiote revealed small pieces of skin that belonged to Brock, fluctuating and readjusting to his body as it panicked.

Iron Man flew by again, but this time went in for a low blow. He put more power into his jets and started to break the sound barrier again. Before he could complete the action, Venom grasped onto his legs. Tony flew in a circle for a moment, and looked back at the creature. He employed the repulsor beam in his left palm, shooting Venom in the face with the ray. Venom screeched, but didn't let go. The symbiote grabbed onto Tony's chest armor tightly, digging its sharp claws into the technology.

Jarvis spoke up as Tony cringed and gasped from the pain, "Sir, the armor is fail-"

"I see that, Jay," Tony interrupted him. He amped up the repulsor rays and focused them in on Venom's chest. The beams flew out and hit the symbiote point blank, causing it to scream its high pitched scream.

Cyclops attacked Carnage, shooting a strong beam of ruby light at the creature. Wolverine advanced from the other side, leaping and digging his adamantium claws into him. Carnage shrieked and let go of me to handle the situation at hand.

I frantically jumped up to my feet and jumped onto Venom's back. I put my hands on the symbiote's skin and forced my claws in. Venom writhed and tried to throw me off, but I held on tightly. I wasn't going to let him kill Tony. If only I could make a portal while doing this...

Venom ripped the chest armor off of Tony's body, taking some of the leg armor with it, and dropped him. Tony stumbled to the snowy ground and gasped from the cold that he came in contact with so suddenly.

"Tony, you need to get out of here. You're too vulnerable," I commented loudly. I crinkled my nose from the pain of the immense heat on my skin, but I had to bear it. The symbiote was slowly letting go of its host. Tony nodded and made his way towards Bruce, who was slowly transforming out of his Hulk state on the side of the battlefield.

Scott Summers screamed as he fell. His leg had been hit pretty bad after Carnage attacked. I threw out a portal before Carnage could strike him again, and launched the exit portal near Venom's lower back below me. Carnage's arm collided with the black symbiote, tearing a chunk of it off and allowing blood to run down the wound. The portal closed, cutting Carnage's arm off in the process.

Venom finally launched me into the air, and I came crashing down to the ground close to Scott. A strong pain shot up my ribcage, and I whimpered lightly. My body was on fire, almost as if I couldn't cool down after using my powers. I got this. It'll be okay. I took a breath and glanced up at what was going on around me.

Carnage held his half arm up, and the symbiote quickly regenerated. The thin traces of red and black vein-like skin textures wrapped together in loops and stitches, forming another arm in the end. Cyclops focused the red beam on the alien, pushing his two fingers into his temple a lot harder than usual. The power of the beam was beginning to be too great, yet the symbiote wasn't stopping.

I pushed myself up to go help, until Venom leapt and landed on top of me. I punctured his arm with my claws and aimed to break it off. Venom stopped me by grabbing my arm, and snapped it in half. I cried out. Logan cut the symbiote's back from behind, digging his claws into it and began to shred it into pieces. Venom got off of me and rolled on the ground to get Wolverine to let go, but to no avail.

A scream burst out of someone's throat, causing me to look over at the source. It was Scott. Carnage had transformed his hands into spikes and drove them into Cyclops' side and stomach. I ran towards him, throwing out as much fire and ice as I could with both hands. My heart raced and my breath hitched in my throat. No. No. No!

But it was too late.

Carnage forced his hands to spread apart, tearing Cyclops in half in the process.

Blood splattered onto my skin and clothes, as if a whole paint can was thrown onto me. I stumbled back a second, eyes wide in fear. My heart cracked and felt as if it were collapsing. I wanted to put my hand to my mouth in horror. I wanted to reverse time. I wanted to do so much, and yet I couldn't. All I could do was scream out, tears fresh in my eyes, "Scott!"

Meanwhile...

Clint Barton fought triumphantly. He had hope they would win this. Hope they would make it home safely. Hope they would restore the American peoples' thoughts about them. The world would be a safer place once this battle was over, and that made Clint's heart soar with exhilaration. So close to freedom, yet so far.

He loved his teammates dearly. Though, he did get annoyed with them at times. That just meant they were like a huge, dysfunctional family. He couldn't wait until they could go back to the tower and hang out. They could play jokes and pranks on each other again, without an awkward, tired silence following it. He could get that pizza Peter promised him. He could watch Peter graduate. Watch Natasha get back into ballet. Watch Steve and Lilly's relationship flourish. Watch Tony go back into his lab and be frightened at the new prank he had set up. Watch Banner go back to his girlfriend, and urge him to take her out on a long needed date. All of that would make him the happiest man in the world.

His mind flickered back to the moment at hand. "Got any more grenades?" Hawkeye questioned Black Widow. Their opponent had danced around their previous attacks as if it took no effort. Saturna's ring blades spun at a fast rate, and she slowly advanced closer. Her short orange hair stayed in place as she moved, and her brown outfit didn't hold her back in her swiftness. Her yellow eyes stuck on Clint, watching him as she advanced.

"No. I'm out." Natasha searched her utility belt for anything useful. She came up with one clip of pistol ammo, and nothing else. The only thing she had left was a switchblade, and even that wouldn't help much.

"I'm down to one arrow after this." Barton held his bow and one sonic arrow drawn back. He waited until Saturna was in position, and shot it at her. It landed in her leg, and when she touched it, it blew up and created a sonic boom. She fell to the ground and clutched her ears in pain.

Natasha glanced over at him. Her green eyes locked onto his light blue ones, and she huffed, "I have one clip. We have to change our tactics." She stretched out her arms and prepped herself for another half hour of battle. Everything ached. She was starting to wish she had powers at this point. Ammunition always ran out way too quickly.

Clint nodded in agreement. They had to get up close and personal, but with Saturna's blades, that would be nearly impossible. "Just like Budapest?"

Natasha's lips formed a brief, ghostly grin. "Just like Budapest."

Both nodded and went darted off in two directions. Saturna got confused when she peered up, and saw them heading towards her. She quickly stood up and got her spinning Saturn's rings ready, holding them in a defensive position over her chest.

Black Widow launched a widow's bite at her, causing her to drop her arms at the electric shocks that surged through her body. Nat shot a few bullets out of her pistol, but only hit Saturna once. The enemy blocked the rest with her blades as much as she could.

Hawkeye slid onto the ground and aimed his last arrow at her. It was an explosive, so it had to be a clean shot. I never miss. He thought confidently. He's done this a million times. He'll do it a million times more. He never got tired of this job.

Saturna threw one of her blades at Natasha. Nat dashed to the side, but the blade hit her leg and carved into it. She screamed loudly as the blade fell down into the snow next to her. She grimaced and grit her teeth to silence her cries, and glared angrily at Saturna.

Upon hearing her cries, Clint turned to look at Nat. His heart dropped and ached at the sound of her pain, causing surges of anxiety to course through his veins. His legs nearly made him run to her, but he held himself back. "Natasha!" If he lost her like this, he would never be able to forgive himself. It would tear him apart.

Saturna blocked the arrow with her remaining blade, causing the arrow to launch back towards Clint. Natasha yelled out to warn him, but the arrow blew up close to him. The debris pierced the side of his body, and scratched up his face. He cried out, but didn't fall. The smoke blocked his view of Saturna once his blue eyes flickered back to her, and failed to see the other spinning blade that headed straight for him. It collided with his chest, digging in place through his rib cage.

Clint's screams echoed through the air and across the battlefield, catching all of our attentions. He fell to the ground and stared up at the sky one last time, the blade slowing down and collapsing next to him. The snow seeped into his clothes and sweat-drenched hair, causing a cold chill to crawl up his spine. Memories of the team flashed before his eyes, and filled his thoughts with sweet times. He choked out, pain emanating from every muscle he could still feel, "I love you guys."

AN: Dedicated to @lovefulniall for leaving wonderful comments and votes! Thank you so much!