★ ★ ★

Marlena burst into the air above the army as soon as Steve uttered those final two words. Thanos's army was massive, as was their own, but Marlena could feel a strong sense of determination bleeding from the minds of those that fought alongside her. Thanos and his army were without a doubt extremely powerful and very well armed, but with each strike to every incoming soldier, Marlena knew they were outmatched. The day had come for the Mad Titan's retribution, and the Avengers were ready to give him hell.

A Leviathan dove for Marlena in the air, but she was quick to counteract the attack. She watched as the bright blue of her energy engulfed the large being, and she began crushing it from the inside out. It dropped to the ground, thankfully avoiding any member of her team. It felt strange to have her powers back, but for someone who'd been without them for five years, she had yet to miss a beat. She also felt safer knowing she had her abilities to rely on apart from her combatant skills; she wasn't sure how things would bode for her physically were she to be without them. Thanos's army was strong, and while Marlena was too, she wasn't the one worth worrying about.

"Good to know you still got it in you, Claire."

The voice in Marlena's ear put a smile on her face. It belonged to Sam, who Marlena believed she'd never see again. Here he was, though, taunting and teasing her on the battlefield the way he used to. "Some of us never lost it, Wilson," Marlena teased back.

"Can you guys please focus?" There was Steve, who never failed to reprimand the two whenever they got started with one another. "Kinda important...that we don't lose...this one."

"No shit, punk." Then Bucky, the one who always shot back at Steve with a sarcastic remark. He had about a hundred years worth of sass left to throw at America's favorite soldier, and as Thanos would have it, now he had even more.

"Y'know, some of us are actually trying to work here," Wanda's voice came through the comms last, her comment only putting a smirk on Marlena's face. Wanda dove down, releasing a burst of energy powerful enough to kill any one of Thanos's troops within 50 feet. She took a deep breath and looked around quickly before shooting back into the sky. She was looking for Thanos, but she definitely wasn't the only one who had unfinished business with the Titan.

Marlena landed on the ground by Steve, Bruce, Bucky, and Rocket, all of whom were working to fight off a massive group of Thanos's troops. It was only now Marlena was able to notice Steve's very battered appearance; she could see the blood stains on his suit and the large wounds in which they belonged to. He was in physical pain, that much Marlena could sense, but his determination to win the fight was stronger. That didn't make her feel any better about his appearance, however.

"What the hell happened to you?" Marlena asked as she and Steve worked to defeat the approaching targets.

Steve glanced over at her, though he turned his attention away quickly to focus on the fight. "What do you think?"

"Who the hell happened you?" Marlena asked a little more firmly.

"Thanos," Steve breathed out. He didn't want to tell her, because he knew she'd do something stupid, and that was the last thing he wanted. From what he could see so far, Marlena was handling herself incredibly well, as well as remaining safe, considering the cosmic blue energy shield she had around her. But when Marlena lost control of her emotions, she essentially lost control of herself, or at least that was the way it used to be. Steve hoped he wasn't underestimating her.

"One can only hope he gets what's coming to him," Marlena muttered to herself as she very angrily finished off an approaching group of troops. She wasn't sure anyone apart from Steve could have heard her, but Rocket had, and the moment he opened his mouth she was ready to take off into the sky again.

"Why don't you find him and give it to him yourself, Four Eyes?" Rocket was over by Bucky shooting at the incoming, though he didn't miss a chance to turn and give Marlena that mocking smirk she'd grown to hate over the course of the years. "Or just let him find you. It can't be that hard. You look like a Christmas ornament...and not the pretty kind, Nutcracker."

Marlena rolled her eyes at the sound of his words, and in seconds a bright blue haze was lighting up the surrounding area. The creatures Rocket and Bucky were shooting at, as well as the ones Steve and Bruce were fighting, simply disintegrated beneath the strength of Marlena's abilities. The men stopped and looked at Marlena with surprised expressions on their faces, but she was too busy looking at Rocket to notice.

"Remember what I said about that jaw of yours?" Marlena threatened him, and although it was an empty threat at that, Rocket was still a bit surprised and only slightly afraid.

"I think I'm just gonna go over here," Rocket responded before running off.

"Can someone maybe tell me what the hell to do with the gauntlet?" Clint exclaimed breathlessly. He struggled to find a way out of the mess he'd gotten himself into. As long as he had the stones, he was the main target and he needed a break from it.

"Get the stones as far away as possible," Steve instructed him, though Bruce was quick to stop him.

"No, we have to get those stones back where they came from!"

"No way to get 'em back because Thanos destroyed the quantum tunnel," Tony reminded the team.

"Hold on," Scott jumped into the conversation. "That wasn't our only time machine."

A god-awful car horn could be heard, and Marlena turned her head towards the noise. She and Steve took off through the rubble trying to find the van, but they couldn't spot it anywhere.

"Does anyone see an ugly brown van out there?"

"Yes," an accented voice answered. "But you're not gonna like where it's parked."

Marlena took a deep breath and took off into the sky again to see if she could assist Clint with the gauntlet situation. She was also looking for Thanos, as was Wanda, but she couldn't locate him. Not yet, at least.

"What happened to the gauntlet?" Marlena asked Clint after landing on the ground beside him.

"I gave it to the cat," he breathed out heavily. He was winded, but it was understandable. He'd been running around since the compound collapsed. There was no doubt he was exhausted.

"Good," Marlena said, placing a comforting hand on his back. "Are you okay?"

"Gotta be," he answered, though Marlena was quick to recognize the subtlety of his tone. He was referencing more than just the fight they currently fought, and she knew that. She just didn't want to think about the pain associated with it, though it was eventually what would drive her actions. Thanos hadn't killed Natasha with his bare hands, but he was still responsible, and Marlena was ready to make sure he paid for it.

"This is for her," Marlena assured him. "We gotta make it count, Clint."

"We will," Clint took a deep breath and armed his bow. "Be careful, Mar."

"I will."

Marlena gave Clint a soft smile before taking off through the air, her eyes scanning the battlefield for Thanos. She was determined, yet calm, especially given the circumstances, though she found the anger inside her simply would not disappear, and it was because of Thanos. He had an emotional hold on her, as well as the rest of the team, partly due in fact that the last five years had been spent grieving the lives he'd taken so suddenly. Marlena was furious he'd taken her family away, though she wasn't exactly sure how furious until she spotted him on the ground a few feet away from Bucky...who had the gauntlet.

In a single second, Marlena was overcome with the intense pain she endured after Bucky's death and after the death of her children. She remembered the horrid emptiness she felt without them, as well as the years spent wondering who she was without those that loved her most. They had each taken a piece of her when they left, and the pain of that was something Marlena felt Thanos deserved to experience.

Marlena landed on the ground in front of Bucky, her glowing eyes on Thanos's large frame.

"Not him," Marlena spoke firmly to the Mad Titan. He might not have been there to play games, but neither was she. "Not today."

"And who the hell are you?"

"You're about to find out."

Thanos glared and ran towards Marlena, raising his sword into the air. Marlena began throwing blast after blast. The sound of her power striking the metal of his sword was almost deafening, though it didn't last for long. Thanos was working on pinning the brunette down with the remnants of his sword, using his physical strength to overcome the power behind her energy, but he underestimated the Terran's ability and determination. He could see the anger in her glowing eyes, yet he could also sense the courage she held within her, and he found that to be one of humanity's deadliest attributes among their capability for love. As long as they were able to feel so deeply, they could not and would not be defeated.

The expression on Marlena's face challenged Thanos, and he pressed down with more power, but the integrity of his weapon grew weaker as the cosmic assault from the Terran continued. He couldn't believe there was anyone strong enough to bring damage to his indestructible weapon, especially not a Terran. While he admired her power, however, Thanos found himself angry because of it, and it didn't take but a split second for him to figure out how he wanted to handle it.

Marlena barely had the time to think. Thanos broke away from her, taking himself and his sword with him. Marlena refused to stop, though, and Thanos knew this, so he turned back towards her. He was more than ready for another chance to put the brunette in her place, but before he could, he was forced backward by a bright red blast. Thanos looked to see what had happened and was met with another angry, feminine face with glowing red eyes rather than blue. Wanda had finally found her way to Thanos, and while she was shocked, Marlena was also more than thrilled because of it.

"You took everything from me," Wanda spoke angrily, her glowing eyes never leaving Thanos. "I'm not gonna let you take her, too."

Thanos's grip tightened around the cold metal of his cracked sword, and his lip twitched with annoyance. "I don't even know who you are," he responded.

"Oh, but you will."

Without another word, Wanda rose into the air and fell back to the ground, releasing a wave of energy strong enough to throw the Titan off his game. Thanos quickly steadied himself and charged at Wanda. The deafening sound of Wanda's power striking the metal of his sword once again rang in Marlena's ears. The brunette jumped back into action just as Wanda threw away his now-broken sword, and with a smirk, Marlena raised her glowing blue hands.

Thanos barely had the time to visibly display his shock before he was trapped behind a terribly powerful force. He grunted as he tried to move his limbs with no avail. Marlena forced him to his knees on the ground in front of her and Wanda. His arms were spread at his sides, and his face was contorted in pain. She was crushing him from the inside out, which was an accurate depiction of what it felt like after he'd stripped her of her family.

Wanda started working on quickly stripping Thanos of his armor. She wanted him defenseless the way he'd left her. She wanted him to suffer the way she had. Wanda hated Thanos, just as Marlena did. She could feel it rolling off the brunette in waves, but it wasn't the only thing she could feel. Apart from the urge to rid the universe of Thanos once and for all, Wanda was also desperate to protect Marlena. All it took was a single glimpse inside her cousin's head to know why.

"This is what retribution looks like."

So far, Marlena and Wanda posed the greatest threat to his life, and there was only one thing he could think to do that would put a stop to them both and prevent another encounter. All he wanted were the stones to fix what they'd undone and rid the universe of their kind once and for all.

"Rain fire!"

The two of them heard Thanos and tried desperately to stop him, but things had already been set into motion. With a grunt, Marlena used her abilities to throw Thanos through a pile of rubble, just in time for his ship to begin its assault from above. Marlena's eyes widened slightly, and she threw her hands out to protect herself. She remained free of physical damage, but the force of the explosion sent her flying. Marlena used her abilities to soften her landing, and she rolled across the ground before coming to a stop. She noticed Wanda a few feet away from her, as well as Peter, Bucky, Rocket, and Bruce in the near distance. Blast after blast displaced the Avengers, leaving them desperate for shelter. All Marlena had to protect herself and those around her was her forcefield, though she wasn't sure how long she could even withstand the power behind the numerous blasts. She hated to admit it, but she was becoming absolutely exhausted. She'd gotten majority of her anger out on Thanos, give or take a few years worth, and she was ready for the fight to be over. She was ready for Thanos and his army to be a pile of ash beneath her feet so she could go back home to the family she had lost, as well as the family she created.

As Marlena struggled to maintain the massive shield above her teammates, the firing stopped. Marlena took a deep breath and looked up at the sky, only allowing her shield to disappear once she knew the coast was clear. Something had entered the clouds and it was glowing brightly. Marlena knew it to be Carol, and the sight of her was relieving.

"Man, I'm so in love with her."

"Did you forget your comms are still active, Claire?" Sam's voice sounded again. He sounded amused, but he always was.

"Did I forget they were active? Maybe just a little bit," Marlena grunted as she situated herself on the ground near Wanda. "Do I care? Not at all. I'm still in love with her."

"I see you've switched teams on us."

Marlena rolled her eyes at Sam's insinuation and shook her head, though she knew he couldn't see her. "Not quite, Sam."

Carol destroyed the ship with ease, and with one call from Steve, she was on the ground with Peter in a single second. Marlena pushed herself off the ground and trudged over to the two of them. Wanda and the remaining women followed suit.

"I dunno how you're gonna get it through all of that," Peter breathed out as he eyed the army advancing toward him and Carol.

"Don't worry," Wanda said and looked over to Marlena, a smile pulling onto her face.

"She's got help," Okoye finished, readying her spear.

The women gathered together and started towards the army, using their might and determination to break their way through. Thanos was relentless, though, no matter how hard they tried to keep the gauntlet away from him. Somehow he managed to always find a way to punch a hole through their plans, but he wasn't the only one willing to die trying to change the fate of the universe.

As Thanos ran for Carol, Marlena, Shuri, Hope, and Pepper each held the Titan back. This allowed Carol to get past Thanos, something of which angered him, and he used what little he had left of his sword to stop her once he found his footing. The shockwave from his actions left everyone blindsided, as well as flying backwards. Marlena barely had the time to think, and she landed a lot rougher than she anticipated.

"Marlena," Tony's voice sounded in her ear. Her bio-monitor had gone off, and he needed to make sure both she and her bundle were okay. "Marlena, I need you to talk to me."

Marlena's ears were ringing and her hands were trembling slightly. She was covered in dust, blood, and sweat, and exhaustion riddled her body. She wanted to get up, but there was something telling her to stay down. She wasn't sure if it was her own mind or Tony himself, but she was done. She had to be.

"Marlena, I need you to talk to me now," Tony's frantic voice sounded again.

"I'm here," she breathed out.

"Good." Tony's voice sounded much closer, and Marlena turned her head just in time to see him land in front of her. She could see the gauntlet laying on the ground, and she looked back at Tony, her hazel eyes meeting his brown ones. "You're done, Claire."

Marlena only let out a breath and squeezed her heavy eyes shut. "But the team—"

"Don't worry, kid," Tony said to her, turning his head to see Thanos approaching the gauntlet. "We're not goin' anywhere."

"But—"

"I love you, kiddo."

Tony took off for Thanos without another word, and Marlena opened her eyes long enough to witness the beginning of their confrontation. Tony fought with everything in him, and while Marlena wished to assist him, as well as the remainder of the team, she finished her fight. She could only hope the remaining Avengers were able to finish theirs.