➢𝗖𝗛𝗜𝗟𝗗𝗥𝗘𝗡 𝗢𝗙 𝗧𝗛𝗔𝗡𝗢𝗦➢

『 Through hell's gate
The ground shakes
And valor wakes
And so it begins 』
―𝘙𝘶𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘦, 𝘛𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘐𝘵 𝘈𝘭𝘭 

⟶𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒓 2: 𝑨𝒕𝒕𝒂𝒄𝒌 𝑶𝒏 𝑵𝒆𝒘 𝒀𝒐𝒓𝒌⟵

〖 . . . 𝐍𝐎𝐓 𝐀𝐆𝐀𝐈𝐍. . . 〗

-𝙼𝙰𝚈 𝟹𝟶𝚃𝙷, 𝟸𝟶𝟷𝟾-

𝙽𝙴𝚆 𝚈𝙾𝚁𝙺 𝙲𝙸𝚃𝚈, 𝙽𝙴𝚆 𝚈𝙾𝚁𝙺

The surroundings are chaotic.

People scream, run in alarm, and the traffic of New York City suddenly becomes incredibly jammed when a strong undetermined current of wind blows throughout the area—knocking some down in the process.

"You okay?" Tony Stark helps a woman who has helplessly fallen right in front of him, and instead of answering she yelps when fleeing away, brushing past the shoulder of Dani Rockland while doing so.

The thirteen-year-old isn't sure what to perceive of this ominous force that has entered the atmosphere, though a hand tentatively touches her back, and instantly she is aware of the presence her uncle figure conveys.

Sirens wail, implicating that innocents are getting injured, and when a car crashes into a pole behind them, the Ironed Man speaks up, "Help him!"

"Wong! Look alive!"

The Kamar-Taj man rushes to the vehicle, Bruce Banner following who insists, "We got it!"

That same hand from earlier gives a light shove to who it pushes, and the next thing known Tony is assigning Dani, "Civilians!"

"Civilians!" He repeats, and puts his glasses on so his AI can attend, "Friday, what am I looking at?"

"Not sure, I'm working on it."

Everything is unraveling so fast, and with not many Avengers around, Agent Rockland inhales and exhales before dropping her shoulders—she tries to help. 

She accepts the responsibility as the young avenger she still undeniably is. 

Though out of practice.

"Hey!" Tony calls out to the sorcerer behind him, "You might wanna put that Time Stone in your back pocket, Doc!"

Doctor Stephen Strange lifts his arms as a band of spells trickle-down them, "Might wanna use it."

"Caitlyn, go help her."

. . . Dani reaches a couple of children standing right in the middle of a crosswalk, eyes ablaze in disbelief at the large ship hovering high above them, and instantly the thirteen-year-old dashes forward— "Stay back!"

She begins leading them away to a safe spot when the velocity of the wind picks up, eventually whooshing scraps of certain vehicles into the air and one of them flies straight towards them. The teenage girl's eyes widen, and she rolls up her long sleeves and activates the white-colored bracelets settled onto her wrists. 

She is nervous, it has been a long while since she has had to use her abilities... since she's had to fight, though it simply comes along with the life lived. 

And Dani was always prepared to use the gifts given to her nearly after her birth. Use the ForceField.

Blue aura encircles her palms and BOOM! Expels out of her body and puts up a border between the hefty scraps and the civilians she protects, allowing them to get away—both her hands tensing as she physically has to push down on the barrier. She keeps it up as more junk piles on, and thanks to direct communication between the nano-tech devices and the pieces of the Space Stone—Dani is in sync with her abilities. 

For a change.

It's not efficient. She grapples, weak arms bending at the amount of sustainable energy used, and Dani grits her teeth, letting out a mild sound before she is joined by that curly blonde from earlier. Caitlyn Strange has more of a mastery over her skills, both are hard to manage, though her talent and perseverance as a teen of the Mystic Arts naturally flow to help the other girl as Caitlyn slips on a sling ring.

She pinches her fingers, and with ease opens up an orange portal, "Send it through there!"

Dani turns to look at her, veins nearly popping out of her pale skin at the strain and for once actually wears gratitude for the other teenager.

The thirteen-year-old does her best to concentrate, and then physically uses her strength like before to operate this ForceField—giving the scraps it devours a hard thrust as it travels through the orange circle elsewhere, and her powers cease.

 It takes an amount out of her, still, her tactics are not great—also probably not as effective due to taking a break from practicing them for over a year, and Dani uncontrollably leans over, hands on her thighs as she breathes heavily.

Caitlyn doesn't break a sweat.

She walks freely a few steps until the view of an intersection is available to their gazes, and the humming noise of a ship's engine increases in sound when a big circular one lowers down onto the street right near Bleecker—hatchet opening.

The teen tilts her curly head, hand instinctively lowering to the silvery-holed belt that fastens around her waist, which was inconspicuously a relic. Dani watches as another spell spawns a gold-lined and mostly black hooded cloak onto the body of Caitlyn Elizabeth Strange, and the fifteen-year-old then turns to look at the girl still bent over.

"Well . . . " She acknowledges the ship, as well as the impending silence that overtook her previously, "I assume you knew this was coming."

The thirteen-year-old looks up, not really knowing how to answer, or if she could, and isn't meant to because Caitlyn trudges her on—motioning with a tilt of her head, "Come on. We've got company."

"F.R.I.D.A.Y., evac anyone south of 43rd Street, notify first responders." The new A.I. of Tony Stark replies with obedience, "Will do." 

And the glasses-wearing man squints at the level of debris traveling through the air.

A second later Dani joins him, and Tony finds himself asking instantaneously, "Are you okay?"

The thirteen-year-old dressed in street clothes answers him back with first an unswerving report, "Civilians are safe."

"And yeah . . ." She adds, looking at him with those wide, light green eyes of hers. 

He nods thoughtfully.

Caitlyn approaches her uncle, quirking a brow, "Think you can get rid of this?"

She points out the foggy air quality, which Stephen instantly takes care of when performing yet another spell. Throwing out the Wind of Watoomb onto Bleecker Street, the detritus is drawn upwards toward the ship, giving everyone a better look at what they are dealing with as well as a decrease in the chance of breaking into a coughing fit.

Tony reacts to the dust being cleared by looking over at Stephen. He winks. 

Iron Man is begrudgingly entertained for a short amount of time. So many tricks. 

Then all walk down the street and toward the ship.

. . . Ebony Maw, Cull Obsidian, both from the Black Order—step down and out of the spacecraft.

"Hear me, and rejoice." The being calls out in a similar demeanor, much like the one he had before, "You are about to die at the hands of the Children of Thanos."

The name usage of the Titan causes Dani's skin to crawl, and she treks in between her uncles Tony and Bruce as they make their way closer. Caitlyn is the same, in-between Stephen and Wong.

He continues, "Be thankful, that your meaningless lives now are now contributing to . . . "

A snarky billionaire cuts him off, "I'm sorry, Earth is closed today."

"You better pack it up and get outta here."

The curly blonde raises a brow, that was actually pretty good, Stark.

Ebony Maw draws his gaze to Caitlyn's uncle after gesturing to Tony, "Stonekeeper."

"Does this chattering animal speak for you?"

Stephen answers quickly, "Certainly not. I speak for myself." 

Magical shields are readied with his fists, "But you're trespassing in this city and on this planet."

Wong copies him, getting into a defensive position, and Caitlyn moves her fists to either side of her.

"It means get lost, Squidward!"

The katana-wielding blondie can't hide her genuine approval this time, "That was pretty good."

Dani inhales a sigh.

"He exhausts me." Maw begins, listening to a language not understandable to anyone else but Obsidian, "Bring me the stone."

The large alien lets out a grunt, slamming his weapon into the ground before preparing to use it against the humans.

Tony stands on his tip-toes, "Banner, you want a piece?"

Dani's gaze flickers toward her surrogate uncle, not as afraid of the green being known as 'the Hulk' anymore, hence is why she stays close by.

Bruce reaches up to touch his collar, "No, not really. But when do I ever get what I want?"

"That's right," Tony plays off of his intimidation-sounding tone, the same low and dry aggressive one as a few years ago, and patiently—somewhat— he awaits a transformation.

The neck of the shorter man begins to turn green. 

Danielle waits as well, though while doing so notices the immense difficulty Bruce has with channeling the 'other guy'.

It . . . never used to be like that . . .

He continues to struggle, and through the passing time, Tony fills the silence, "Been a while. It's gonna be good to have you, buddy."

Dani bobs her head, "Agreed." 

Though they are both silenced, "Okay. Shh. Let me just . . . I need to concentrate here for a second,"

"Come on, come on, man." Still no signs of improvement.

The alien creature smashes a car and roars.

Others look toward Bruce in confusion.

"God!" He extends himself upwards, however, the green vanquishes from the man's neck and seems to not appear again, leading Tony to intervene.

"Where's your guy?" He questions urgently.

Bruce shrugs after sighing, "I don't know. We've sorta been havin' a thing."

"What thing?" Dani asks, puzzled.

Though the Ironed Man speaks over her, "There's no time for a 'thing'."

"I know." He replies, pitifully.

Tony shows none, he points to the tall alien monster currently charging at them, "That's the thing right there. Let's go."

Banner tries once more, emitting a mangled yell for good measure but alas, no Hulk smashes in this fight.

Doctor Strange looks at Tony in disbelief.

He glances back to Bruce, "Dude, you're embarrassing us in front of the wizards."

Dani winces as her uncle then starts to apologize, clearly still distraught since he arrived here, "I'm sorry. Either I can't or he won't—,"

"Don't worry about it, Uncle Bruce." The thirteen-year-old gently pulls him back, stepping in front as a little excitement teases at her features.

Though Tony overshadows her on purpose, "It's okay. Hey, stand down."

He looks to Wong, "Keep an eye on him. Thank you."

"I have him." The shield-projecting man promises, and Tony steps forward.

As the creature looms closer, Tony Stark inwardly calls for his Iron Man suit, pulling down on the strings of his sweats and tapping his attachable Arc Reactor. The red and gold suit soon cloaks him in three simple steps.

A shield grows on his arm when his glasses mix into the suit, and right after a set of blasters appear around him and he activates them to fire right at the large being.

The Dwarf is thrown back at the Maw, who bends gravity to toss his companion into a bunch of cars effortlessly. Caitlyn takes note of that.

Dani is impressed upon seeing the new outlook of her uncle's suit, and Bruce externalizes it, "Where'd that come from?"

"It's nano-tech. You like it?" Tony asks from within his suit, "A little somethi—"

A spike of the Earth comes up and sends him into the air, ridding of him, and the rest of the team are promptly attacked with trees and other devices—ones that are blocked by the Shield of the Seraphim by Wong.

Stephen then turns to Bruce, "Doctor Banner, if the rest of your green friend won't be joining us . . . " 

A portal summons and the shorter man falls into it.

Dani shifts back on her converse as the three sorcerers now surround her, Stephen wielding a mass of magical power and preparing to use it before Iron Man interferes again—sending the car thrown at them back to Ebony Maw.

He cuts it in half with his levitation abilities.

Tony says through his helmet, "Gotta get that stone outta here, now."

Doctor Strange persists, "It stays with me."

"Exactly. Bye." Iron Man flies through Ebony's obstacles set up, is grabbed by Obsidian's hammer though, and is roughly sent through a building and onto the grass of the next park in New York City.

He plows into the ground and up against a tree.

Agent Rockland's gaze widens, "Uncle Tony!"

A need to get over there fast leads Dani to turn and look at Caitlyn, who simply stares back at her in an amount of obscurity, "What am I, a delivery service?"

"Ugh!" The thirteen-year-old groans, going her separate ways from the sorcerer while ultimately setting off down the street—eventually running to get to Greenwich Village.

When Tony leaps in front of Bruce Banner to save him from another launch the Dwarf's hammer throws out, "Hammer." And both are impacted as Iron Man rises to his feet—fending off Obsidian.

His reflection of an imminent blast ultimately slices through a few trees in the process, Bruce being bombarded by them.

"Ahh!" He yells out, falling to the ground when just barely avoiding one, and from there the man shouts to himself, "Come on Hulk. What are you doing to me?

He starts slapping himself multiple times, "Come out! Come out! Come out!"

Then Hulk's face appears in Banners, green form briefly there while managing out a, "NOOOOOO!"

Bruce gets dizzy and falls back, before breathing out, "What do you mean 'no'?!" 

"Uncle Bruce!" Dani hops over a few trees to help her uncle, and then witnesses Iron Man be knocked down by Obsidian again—almost finished off if the harsh blow was not caught.

Caught by a sixteen-year-old kid with enhanced abilities that of a spider.

"Hey, man." Peter Parker announces, then turning to his mentor, "What's up, Mr. Stark?"

Tony is astonished, "Kid, where'd you come from?"

"A field trip . . . " Peter is caught by the Dwarf, "To MOMA—!"

Obsidian takes a few more blasts, Spider-Man gets up, talks with Tony about the people from Space here to take a necklace from a wizard, and Dani protects Bruce. 

Back on Bleecker Street, Ebony lifts parts of the street up, turning them sharp, and then sends them towards the three Mystic Arts members.

Stephen summons a portal to send them in, and Wong spits them out, spawning his own.

Caitlyn returns her hands to her belt when Maw's attempt to protect himself with a car fails, and anger arises in the squid-ward-looking being before he wreaks havoc.

A broken hydrant's water stream knocks Wong backward, him unconscious. Doctor Strange tries to bind his hands, throwing a magic whip forward but Ebony flies toward him instead—pulling Stephen upside down and holding him against a building. He uses the rubble to restrain him.

"Your powers are quaint." Ebony Maw says as he is amused, "You must be popular with the children."

Then his gaze draws down to the Eye of Agamotto, and he tries to reach for it.

He hisses in pain, hand jerking as it is marked with orange embedded flurries.

Stephen explains with intent, "It's a simple spell, but quite unbreakable."

"Then I'll take it off your corpse!"

Vehemently, Maw pulls Strange away from the building and onto the ground, where the sorcerer attempts to unlock the amulet when both of his hands are pinned down by utility cables. Stephen is stuck. 

His niece is loyal, to his aid. 

Caitlyn activates her sword belt and as it's extending out, prepares to use it. Her body is thrown back through the control of Ebony Maw, and the uncle watches as she crashes into a broken car, through the glass.

Stephen's voice rings out, "Lynn!"

Though he's brought to silence when a cable wraps around his throat, tone scratchy when muttering, "You'll find . . . that removing a dead man's spell . . . " He breaks off, "Troublesome."

Maw tightens the fist that controls the cable around Dr. Strange's neck, "You'll only wish you were dead."

Stephen passes out due to a lack of oxygen to the brain.

Caitlyn is just coming back to her senses.

Her pale blue eyes open up to see her uncle's unconscious figure now floating atop a broken-off piece of the street, and instantly she forces herself upright.

"Uncle Stephen!"

The Cloak of Levitation moves around in the ropes, eventually enough to slip out, and POOF! The trusty piece of outerwear gets an unconscious Stephen Strange out of there.

Caitlyn Strange smiles, that damn Cloak.

"No!" Ebony Maw exasperates, and through his lens, he can directly see the blonde child from earlier use her own magic spells to form a path of circles that lead her upwards and follow her uncle.

Ebony dismantles the highest one.

The Troubled Youth lets out a gasp, but she's caught.

"I got ya!"  Peter Parker has a web slung around her waist, tugging her close until she is holding onto him for dear life.

Caitlyn lifts her head, brow-raising as she casually compliments in recognizing the boy, "Nice catch, Spider-Man!"

"Thanks—Ahh!"

A street sign hits them both. One that is fired by Ebony Maw who chases after the Cloak of Levitation.

Peter recovers quickly, muttering, "Not cool." 

Meanwhile, Caitlyn regrets ever admiring the spider-boy in the first place, for that was really dumb . . .

More chasing occurs and Stephen's body is eventually caught by a strong web shot of Spider-Man's, who says again, "Got ya."

But then a blue transit from the ship opens up, beaming out of the sky and taking Doctor Strange with it.

And also Peter, as well.

"Uhh, Mr. Stark . . ." the ones in the park direct their attention to the hovering circular craft, "I'm being beamed up!"

"Hang on, Kid!"

Agent Rockland stumbles back, "Where are they taking him?"

"I don't know," Bruce Banner answers, though suddenly the blasting fight between Iron Man and Cull Obsidian becomes dangerously close to the two.

The non-Hulked-out uncle pretty much left defenseless, desperately grabs onto the shoulders of his thirteen-year-old surrogate niece, proceeding to hide behind her, "Uh, they're coming this way!"

"Do something, Dani!" 

A bewildered expression overcomes the child's face, in the fact that the man was now using her as a literal shield, relying on her for protection.

Dani does her best. 

She raises her hands once more to signal a blast into the Dwarf, and it works, it's just not coordinated well enough.

"Shoot!"

Obsidian's hammer smacks the enhanced girl in the face and her powers cease.

"Ah-OW!" She whines more than cries, as regeneration is to take place.

With Tony subdued momentarily though, that left the Dwarf an open opportunity to strike again, this time at Bruce and Dani—and if it wasn't for the sudden appearance of Wong opening a portal that the monster falls through, they would've indeed been toast.

Iron Man thanks him, "Wong, you're invited to my wedding."

Then he presumably starts to fly up, but somebody stops him.

"Uncle Tony!"

"Dan-o, stay here."

"Wait!" She protests.

Tony's suit rolls down to reveal his goat-teed face, and he tells his niece with a suddenly more gentle tone, softly, "Hon, it's too dangerous. Go back to the compound and find Rhodey, okay?"

Dani's grip is tight as she takes hold of his red metal arm, "What about you? What about Pepper?"

"Just . . . " He is contorted, not about this decision, however—he knows what 'they' would have to say if they were here right now.

And even though they aren't, well, that just makes it up to him. 

For him to say, sincerely, "Take care of yourself, okay? And Pep. I'll see you—"

He flies up, given more juice in his boots to reach the aircraft where Spider-Man has also crawled up to.

And that's just it. The large ship makes its way out of New York and the planet Earth in order to fulfill its duties to Thanos. In search of the Infinity Stones. 

The Vision was still here on Earth with the Mind Stone, the only question was where was he? And that Dani didn't know, for he's been gone a while. 

That unsettles her, unravels her, and with her legal guardian gone too, Tony Stark gone, too . . . It overwhelms her.

Because just what were they going to do now?

Who could they call? Bruce does call.

Caitlyn Elizabeth Strange watches the Q-Ship get smaller, and fade away as it rises into the sky.

With her uncle.

. . . With her uncle.

Her mind replays an image of Ebony Maw, of his hands clenching around the throat of Doctor Strange. 

The blondie grates her teeth, that squid-looking bastard. 

She looks back up at the ship, then back in front of her, all while she conjures up a spell that leads right onto it. 

Caitlyn throws her hood over her head and simply walks through and onto Thanos' Q-Ship.