➢𝗦𝗔𝗖𝗥𝗜𝗙𝗜𝗖𝗘➢

⟶𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒓 31: 𝑶𝒏𝒆 𝑺𝒉𝒐𝒕⟵

https://youtu.be/4Q46xYqUwZQ

-𝐎𝐂𝐓𝐎𝐁𝐄𝐑 𝟏𝟕𝐓𝐇, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟑-

𝐄 𝐀 𝐑 𝐓 𝐇

―𝐃𝐎𝐂𝐓𝐎𝐑 𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐍𝐆𝐄 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐁𝐋𝐎𝐍𝐃𝐄-𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐄𝐃 𝐍𝐈𝐄𝐂𝐄, 𝐂𝐀𝐈𝐓𝐋𝐘𝐍, trap a group of Chitauri in their magic, the uncle striking them down from a floating position while the niece remains grounded.

Both are approached by the abruptly landed Iron Man, and Tony's helmet comes off, "Hey."

"You said one out of 14 million, we win, yeah?" He reminds the sorcerer of their conversation occurring five years ago.

That was right, Caitlyn thinks. Uncle Stephen is aware of how this will all end. The fifteen-year-old looks elsewhere.

"Tell me this is it."

Her pale blue irises focus back on the armor-suited man, when her uncle's deep and solemn voice commits to an oath, "If I tell you what happens... it won't happen."

"You'd better be right," Tony responds, forcefully.

And Stephen just glances back at him.

Caitlyn intakes a big breath before moving onwards, it was what she had to do, and her next destination is alongside the other grounded forces while they try to fend off as many Chatauri army space members. All so that Scott and Hope can get the van started. The battling continues to be ferocious.

Continues to strike triumphalism as a hefty game of hot potato comes into play. Or... when Earth's Mightiest Heroes decide to play pass and catch with the Nano-Infinity Gauntlet.

T'Challa is first.

The Black Panther and King of Wakanda, after receiving the glove from an old foe-turned ally fought in a civil war, carries the gauntlet under his vibranium-suit arm as he athletically dodges several enemies.

A few more kicks as well as expelling some of the kinetic energy his suit had been collecting, and T'Challa is stopped.

He is stopped by his sixteen-year-old daughter.

"Father!"

T'Challa's mask recedes and standing a few feet in front of him is the White Cat herself. Ania has no mask though still wears the same tan jacket and pants, as well as her hair up in a low bun, and the exact same ambition is present on her face. Since infinity war. Since the death of her mentor.

Her request is quiet, yet intense, not timid of any sort, "Now is my time."

"Please give me the Gauntlet."

The father looks his daughter in the eye before eventually nodding, and with little to no hesitation he passes it over to the White Cat who tucks it underneath her arm.

With a big inhale to prepare herself for this important duty, Ania charges forward.

She runs down the line that is open on the battlefield, nimbly and efficiently with a few pants leaving her human and enhanced-less body. But she indeed has the training. She has the fight.

The inexperienced warrior is well on her way to being experienced when Thanos' large double-bladed sword nearly swipes Ania clean, but the girl backbends to just barely dodge it.

The weapon goes back into the hands of the Mad Titan and right across from her is now the demigod responsible for vanishing her. For sending an assault onto the world, attacking her beloved home.

Ania's brow narrows, though is trapped in a compromised position as she is kneeled and recovering from the hyper-extension of her back, temporarily leaving her vulnerable. Not strong enough to take on this villain.

Someone else is.

Wanda Maximoff lands in-between Ania and Thanos.

Her eyes glow red and her hands are encircled with a red misty aura. Angry aura.

There is a rage inside the young woman herself, in a heartbreaking loss for her Vision.

"You... took everything from me." She seethes.

The Thanos from the past shows no recollection, "I don't even know who you are."

The young woman tells him, "You will."

She proceeds to be the only Avenger to both almost kill and terrify the Mad Titan more than ever before.

Ania keeps running.

She runs until she can no longer because the twisting of Ebony Maw's fingertips wraps the teenager up into pieces of the ground and she is stuck, continuously trying to wriggle herself out before she loses the Gauntlet. It nears slipping out of her grasp.

"I got it!" Peter Parker swoops in, the web that is extended grabbing the stone-embedded glove from the Princesses' hands, and he now becomes the main target.

The one Outriders attempt to pile onto as he holds what they are hunting for.

He crushes a larger Chitauri before calling out to his suit, "Activate Instant Kill!"

His eyes now turn red. The spider-legs in his Iron Spider Suit pop out from behind him and help him fight off each and every last one.

Wanda strains as her red aura is combated with the heavy pressure Thanos is pushing onto his double-bladed sword. She pants.

Then upon looking into the eyes of the individual who killed The Vision, who (almost) ended Dani's life... her little sister... the man she loved, Wanda seeks vengeance.

Wanda sees red.

She tilts her head, and the sword is knocked out of the Mad Titan's hand as he wears a look of shock, and enrapturing his body in her magic the witch levitates him into the air, ripping off pieces of his indestructible armor one by one. She tries to crush him.

"Rain fire!" Thanos yells out in urgency to his army.

Corvus Glaive contests after stabbing someone, "But sire, our troops!"

"Just do it!" Thanos pleads in desperation, and that is when a blitz from Sanctuary II is initiated.

The battlefield suddenly becomes more dangerous.

Space cannons develop and start to fire endless blasts at the Avengers, and Wanda Maximoff is knocked off balance. Wong, Bexley Nightingale, as well as the other mystic artists stemming from Kamar-Taj summon shields and hold them above as many as they can. Protecting them from the assault.

A cannon hits one of the dams and Pepper Potts is the first one to notice, "Uh, is anyone else seeing this?"

Stephen leaves Caitlyn's side momentarily to deal with it, using his magic and Wind of Watoomb to capture the overflowing water in a tornado-like form. He directs it away from sight.

On sight is Spider-Man who struggles out-running the Outriders, and in due course, he is dog-piled by them, "I got this. I got this!"

"Okay, I don't got this. Help! Somebody help!"

Captain America hears the boy's shouts for aid through comm, "Hey, Queens!" 

"Heads up." Steve spins Mjölnir and thrusts it into the air, flying right past Peter and allowing the boy to attach a web to it. 

He is relieved from his current position.

He is relieved and almost dropped by a blaster that cuts his web in half, though luckily Rescue picks him up, later tossing him right onto the back of the Valkyrie Steed ridden by Brunnhilde... as well as her godson.

Peter's robotic spider-leg fumbles with the Nano-Gauntlet before quick reflexive hands grab hold of it, "Think you dropped this."

"Uh, yeah! Thanks, man!"

Everett of Asgard smiles in admiration of his own doing, "No problem."

"Hey!" the boy from Earth continues to greet the godmother and son while on the Pegasus before breaking into mid-scream, "Nice to meet the both of you―OH, MY GOD!"

The boy from Space―well, no longer―does his best to hold his own in a brief conversation, deciding to test out the American slang he'd been practicing... "'Sup, bro. I'm Everett."

Nailed it.

They continue to fly.

Down below, Ania, Tarik, and Caitlyn manage to swerve to the best of their abilities, out of the way of several incoming blasts, and the fifteen-year-old voices the disruption, "Jesus! Isn't Dani supposed to be taking care of this!?"

The sighting of the Blue Phoenix and her five enhanced-orphaned friends currently goes unknown, but so does the instantaneous hurling of Mjölnir at the trio who duck behind a rock, and Tarik with his sharp eyes spots it first.

"Get down!"

The three are in the direct position of the hammer and don't have time to move out of the way. Ania is in front.

Her almond brown eyes widen.

No!

Mjölnir doesn't pummel through them and they are in bewilderment.

Caitlyn Strange peeks out from behind Tarik Umoya who slowly lifts his hands down from his head, and remaining in front of them is Ania Udaku.

Princess Ania Udaku who indeed finds herself ... worthy.

The teenager holds onto the cold handle of the rippled-with-godlike-metal, Uru, that ignites her fingertips with power.

Power in her own individual morality. Her strength and ethics, as well as genuine kindness towards others truly outmatched any of her peers.

Ania remains the one force able to lift the hammer at the moment. Who is worthy, and it is like her to be so.

Upon saving her two allies from potential death, the sixteen year old's hands begin to shake when the weapon is summoned elsewhere, into the hands of one of the other two men on the battlefield able to carry the mantle... though there is no denial. The girl from Wakanda is capable of possessing that type of power if inclined to do so.

If she ever chooses to enhance herself someday soon...

―"𝐔𝐆𝐇, 𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐄 𝐎𝐍! 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄'𝐒 𝐆𝐎𝐓𝐓𝐀 𝐁𝐄 𝐒𝐎𝐌𝐄𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐒𝐎𝐌𝐄𝐖𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄!"

Jackson, one of the Efficient, rummages through and past all obstacles aboard Thanos' ship. The others do the same.

Dani Rockland walks with a wince to her left rib which is currently broken, was broken by her Dad's strong force of CPR on her chest. That occurred when she wasn't breathing.

She heavily does now.

Turbulence from a stationed aircraft sends some of the Efficient forward, and the Success surely falls back inside of the ship, specifically towards the side where the blasters are, and after that more occurs.

The cannons, as if self-directed, point upwards at a beaming light in the sky, one that heads straight for Earth.

Dani raises her head, squinting. What are they firing at?

She gets her answer when more rumbling sounds are heard inside the ship, a figure plowing through it effortlessly. Insanely. Intergalactically.

Sensing a presence behind her, the short-haired eighteen-year-old coughs when turning around, on the ground as she had been knocked down by the amazing force of power, and there is the strong-willed stance... of Captain Marvel.

Dani's mouth opens in awe at the glowing, pixie-hair-cut woman, "It's... It's you."

"Taking out the ship..." Carol assesses Danielle's plan, pride etching its way onto her expression, "Smart."

The Blue Phoenix never is not in astonishment for the figure that is Marvel. And hopefully... she will carry that same influence someday.

"Get your friends out of here." The blonde woman instructs, referencing the Sanctuary II ship close to slamming into the ocean, then incites with an implied wink, "I've got this."

Carol Danvers takes down Thanos' ship. All by herself, with her gamma-ray abilities.

Steve is there to catch Dani when the glowing woman lowers her down to him. The father slings an arm around his daughter as she shakes while leaning into his warm side.

Through the action one Captain says to the other, "Danvers, we need an assist here."

And that is just what happens.

―𝐀𝐍𝐓 𝐌𝐀𝐍 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐖𝐀𝐒𝐏 𝐆𝐄𝐓 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐐𝐔𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐔𝐌 𝐓𝐔𝐍𝐍𝐄𝐋 𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆. 𝐂𝐀𝐑𝐎𝐋 𝐋𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐒 𝐈𝐍 𝐅𝐑𝐎𝐍𝐓 𝐎𝐅 𝐀 𝐁𝐀𝐓𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐄𝐃-𝐅𝐀𝐂𝐄𝐃 Peter.

"Hi, I'm Peter Parker."

"Hey, Peter Parker. You got something for me?"

The severely bruised and beaten-up boy passes her the Gauntlet with reluctance, "I don't know how you're going to get it through all that."

A large assault by Thanos' army is in view as his children, Chitauri soldiers, and Levithan make their way toward Captain Marvel and Peter.

"Don't worry." A levitating Wanda Maximoff lands, shortly joined by many other women.

Strong women, General Okoye being one of them who enlists in favor of Carol, "She's got help."

And then more women surround the area of the battlefield. Powerful women, who unite together to demonstrate their purpose in this time. That being... Whatever they choose.

Amongst the crowd of diverse females is some who are forces. Ania, Caitlyn, Bexley, Allison, and Kayla find themselves aligned and ready for battle. To help their superior because they can. Have the willingness to do so.

Two male forces have the privilege to watch all this go down, Tarik crossing his arms, "Wow, amazing."

"No doubt." Everett is proud when watching his godmother ride on her pegasus.

Dani can only look up at the sky in hope that the one woman who paved the way for all of them to be brought here is aware of her good doings. Of her accomplishment.

"Natty." 

Blue Phoenix whispers under her breath. 

Then charges into battle.

Thanos' army charges while the women help Carol Danvers go through the Outriders, Sakaarans, and Chitauri. Gamora takes out a gorilla when it is stabilized by Caitlyn and Bexley, while Okoye starts for Corvus Glaive but is intercepted by Ania.

The White Cat's spear clashes harshly with one of the aliens. The one responsible for ending her mentor―mother's―life.

Ania's breath in her statement to Corvus that is wintery, ice-cold, "Justice will come for what you have done."

He releases from her stronghold on him and attempts to swipe her leg but with quick reflexes―and a sense of familiarity, Ania dodges the attacks.

Corvus inherits a desire to know, "Do you wish to kill me, child?"

The White Cat pauses in her fighting, brown eyes swirling in an endless amount of anger and pain, no doubt, but her response is just as firm, "No."

"But it is your destiny now... to suffer."

She adds with an even chillier tone, if possible, "Kuba Izitena." For Izitena.

Wanda and Valkyrie destroy two leviathans, the redhead concentrating red aura around the ankles of Dani Rockland and she, like with the eighteen year old's adopted father in Lagos, brings her into the air to combat.

Carol Danvers flies towards the van with the Gauntlet, past enemies and going through obstacles that are in her limelight with ease. The Mad Titan notices this, and starts making his way to Carol but is stopped by Pepper, Shuri, and Hope who blast him backward. Experiments #102 & #04 fend off incoming attackers with their purple and red aura.

Thanos watches Marvel fly past him with gritted teeth, and in response throws his double sword at the van which destroys the quantum realm tunnel. It causes a humongous blast, throwing Captain Marvel backward and the woman loses her grip on the Gauntlet.

It falls to the ground in the open and Doctor Strange is occupied steadying the water after the explosion.

Iron Man engages in the final brawl for the Nano-Gauntlet.

Thanos smacks Stark away who tackled him, knocking him out temporarily, and that is when Thor arrives with Stormbreaker and Mjölnir from 2013 in an attempt to pin Thanos' arm down. He does this with assistance from Captain America.

The demigod overpowers and knocks them both out. He tries to pick up the Gauntlet.

Blue Phoenix once again faces off against him, leading with a fierce kick on the calf of Thanos' leg and Captain Marvel accompanies her. From there the two independent women fire at Thanos until he grabs the one no longer protected by a ForceField―in this battle―and Danielle is tossed away and into the ground harshly, her landing headfirst.

She cries weakly at the collision, though another person with wings lands and attempts to soothe her as she gets up.

"Easy, easy, Babydoll." Falcon keeps his hands around the girl and vows to never leave her side.

Something inside the brunette's heart despite all the pain clicks, in relief, "... Uncle Sam?"

Thanos puts on the gauntlet, gamma radiation from the stones eating at him as he tries to snap, but Carol snaps back and halts his action, opening up his hand and taking on a position similar to Steve when he was protecting a weakened Dani.

The demigod smirks and headbutts her, but to his surprise―just as before, with the child who possesses pieces of the Space Stone―it does nothing. 

Carol rises to be standing fully, eventually enough to force Thanos onto his knees, but he yanks the Power Stone out of the Gauntlet and uses his free hand to hit Captain Marvel away. That is the end of that.

Thanos is close to another win. A devastating one... having proven so, and it is when Tony looks in question at Stephen Strange, that he figures it out.

Who simply raises one finger, reminding him of the one win, out of fourteen million.

Fourteen million losses to Thanos he foresaw... This one is at a risk. At the risk of losing. Not winning. Winning... but then losing, evidently. For some.

For some.

For one.

... One-shot, it was all they had.

This was it.

Thanos puts the Power Stone back into the Gauntlet, yelling from the gamma radiation coursing through him until Stark makes one last advance on Thanos. He tugs on the glove before the demigod punches him away.

"I am... inevitable." Thanos prepares for another win.

But it doesn't come.

His fingers come together for a 'snap', but all he gets is the metallic click absent of the six Infinity Stones. 

They had gone elsewhere.

Into the hand of Tony Stark.

The billionaire, playboy, genius... and undeniable hero.

Hero of the city of New York, hero of the world. Hero of this universe.

The gamma radiation is far too much for the human to bear, it cuts Tony up on the inside. It reaches his heart though the man manages to say one last thing before accepting responsibility.

Ownership, over his own fate.

And it is to the Mad Titan, himself.

"And I... am... Iron Man."

BOOM!

The third and final snap is the one to finally bring balance to the universe. Not in a corrupt way, but in a rightful one.

Rightfully, the Black Order turns to ash.

Rocket is almost swallowed by a Chitauri Leviathan when it fades away, and both teens of the mystic arts are astonished to find the creatures they fight, disintegrating just as both girls did five years ago. Ania and Tarik take a long look at the dusty scenery around them.

T'Challa and Star-Lord do too.

Steve is beyond exhausted, however, looks on in the knowledge that... They did it. The Avengers won. He quickly realizes at what cost.

Thanos is in a state of horror as looks around, seeing his entire army turn into dust. He locks eyes with Steve, the Captain simply staring at him. The Mad Titan takes his time in finding a place to sit and mourn. He mourns his loss rather than his own children. His goal.

... Before he is slowly erased from existence himself.

And that's it.

The power of the raw energy stemming from the Infinity-Nano Gauntlet has left Tony Stark's entire right side fatally injured.

He staggers before his body collapses beside a pile of debris, something to lean against amongst nothing, as all in their path has been destroyed.

Rhodey, college roommate and best friend of Iron Man, lands down and approaches him. He knows the man is fading, and simply places an armored hand on his head, knowing the damage was done.

Peter Parker soon flies in a moment later, as War Machine lets go, and sees Tony collapsed on the ground.

"Mr. Stark?" He is adamant in running up to the fallen man, and upon his minimal attempts to get a response, tears start to formulate in his brown eyes.

Spider-Man's voice cracks, "Hey, Mr. Stark? Can you hear me? It's Peter."

"Hey. We won, Mr. Stark."

He says it almost as if he is pleading, "We won, Mr. Stark. We won. You did it, sir. You did it."

Pleading for his father-figure to be okay. He will not.

Tony almost unresponsive causes Peter to break down and hug him, apologizing as he struggles to intake air, "I'm sorry, Tony."

Sea-foam green eyes glisten as from a few feet away, Dani Rockland comes to terms with the situation at hand here. That yet another one of her family members... is about to join the afterlife. And it was her Uncle Tony.

Her lip trips out, and biting down on it the eighteen-year-old quivers, "No."

The few stutters of hers are gently comforted by Sam Wilson's steady grip on her shoulder, Bucky Barnes not too far away, but Dani has captivated the concept of mental perseverance for the time being. For somebody else.

So, she sucks in the tears that regardless, would have difficulty falling in the already-wounding loss of Natasha Romanoff, and unsteadily makes her way over to where there is grief.

Pepper Potts gently leads the tearful boy away to process his emotions and, fittingly, right into an embrace the Blue Phoenix provides.

Dani gathers Peter in her arms and holds him by the head while he sobs. She lightly cries too.

Tony's wife sits in front of him, Pepper greeting with irrepressible heartbreak, "Hey."

Tony is barely able to move his head, but manages to look Pepper in the eyes, muttering his very last words, "Hey, Pep..."

The woman touches her husband's Arc Reactor, no longer surgically in his chest, and Tony rests his hand on hers.

She kneels and calls for the IA, "F.R.I.D.A.Y.?"

"Life functions critical."

Tony smiles with tears in his red eyes.

"Tony. Look at me." She makes sure he gets a long look at her smiling face, her happy face, although she is in so much agony―an unbelievably strong woman, as she tells him, "We're gonna be okay."

"You can rest now."

With that recognition, is when Tony's arc reactor flickers off for good. Pepper can no longer contain her sadness and pours it out as she starts crying on him.

Iron Man is dead.

Caitlyn finds her uncle's shaking hand and the two experience despair of their own, internally. The fifteen-year-old becomes aware of the deep and personal emotion that threatens to tackle Stephen head-on.

Steve and Thor wear expressions of desolation at the realization that their friend had been the one to fall, heartbreakingly, and the helmeted Captain's eyelids also brim with tears that do not trickle down.

Peter's still there, crying, and Dani just hugs him tight, once again looking up to the sky.

The battle of the Earth officially... comes to an end.

And the forces go home.

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