CHAPTER SEVEN; AVENGERS

❝ could never tell you what happened the day I turned seventeen ❞

･ ｡ﾟ☆

❝ Wakanda forest ❞

"WE GOTTA GET BACK TO THE OTHERS," announced Steve looking back at the two teenagers. Placing his hand under her arm, Connor helped guide Alina back up to her feet. Just as they tried to start walking Alina's arm stayed right where she was as he moved forward causing Connor to look back.

Only he was met with the familiar sight of darkening sapphire eyes looking back. Not sure what else to do, Connor gripped Alina by the face shouting, "Alina, we can't do this right now we have to go." Casting his head back toward the android and soldier he screamed at them, "She's in a vision she can't move! Guys, Alina can't move!"

Steve had all but abandoned Vision at the sound of the young boys' cries. Not sure what else to do Steve asked, "Can you carry her?"

"Yeah," replied a skeptic Stacy vigilante his mind coming up with a million possible ways to get her out of there.

"Carry her," Steve demanded before speaking to both men and adding, "I'll take point. We have to rendezvous with the others now."

The blonde Stacy teen without further questions leveraged Alina back scooping up her legs. "It's okay," Connor said over and over, "Do what you need to do I got you covered. You hear me Dranganov, I got you." Proof she was hearing his words was nonexistent, but the desperate pleas were heard.

In her mind Alina could hear the faded and distant echo of Connors voice gently calling her back. But one look around her and Alina knew, whatever had called her there she needed to see. Casting her eyes around her surroundings Alina saw pieces of debris floating untethered to their ground. She was forced to conclude she had been taken out to space again.

Not a single thing about where she'd been felt familiar, and she had been almost everywhere on earth. And nowhere on earth could have this type of chaotic gravity have existed and her not have sensed it. Taking her first few steps Alina's gaze was fixed on the horizon surrounding her. Whatever she was seeing was not the future, at least not now it wasn't. Some of the visions she'd been piecing together were events that came to pass, but others, others it was like she was called to a specific moment happening at that exact second.

And given her last encounter she had to believe once she touched a person, she was revealed to all those who couldn't see her. Trying to save time Alina lifted herself from the planet to begin searching for life from above. There was almost no feeling from anyone or anything, but something in the distance was feeling.

It was an intense freezing sensation around her heart, fear. Wherever people where on this planet, they were petrified. It acted like a beacon calling Alina to it but the closer she became the more she noticed a different emotional connection in the mix of it all. She watched as explosions in the distance sent debris flying in all types of directions. In an instant Alina had flown over to the location only to find Stark who stood to his feet firing blasters of pure burning energy hitting the titan on the side of the back of his head. Thanos grunted turning around using the gauntlet as his deflection. Tony dug his feet in using both his hands, but Thanos kept coming closer.

Not even when Tony made his blasters bigger or created anchors with the feet of his suit did it matter. Thanos grabbed hold of Tony's helmet tearing it from his head only for a new one to grow in its place. Without mercy Thanos swung his giant fist down on Tony knocking him face first into the ground. Swiftly Stark returned to his feet seeing Thanos readying the stones. Before he could be hit with the purple force flying towards him Tony grew a shield allowing it to absorb the blow. His feet dragged against the ground kicking up dirt as he used the expanded anchor on his foot to kick Thanos in his face.

"Peter," Alina said the clarity of what she was seeing being shown. In a split-second Alina had begun calling out, "Peter!! Where are you?"

She opened her mouth to shout again but she realized, she couldn't be heard. The Dranganov was lingering trying to decide what to do next when the unnerving self-controlled voice said, "All that for a drop of blood." As her attention returned to the fight, she'd truly been brought there to witness Alina watched Thanos grin at Tony. With the humans lowers guard Thanos used his hand to smack him the force flipping him onto his back.

"Tony," Alina shouted her mind clambering for ideas that didn't involve being revealed. Though she did not need to fear death with the knowledge of her possible resurrection, Alina didn't exactly want to die on her birthday. And if she truly didn't resurrect, that would mean her life was only ever pain, death, and war. The titan stood over the human who crossed his arms over his chest attempting to stop the downward punch coming for him.

But it did nothing to slow Thanos who mercilessly struck him over and over until his attempted shield failed. Even then he did not stop, Thanos punched him repeatedly before gripping the human up by his small in comparison neck. Alina's heart raced as she watched Thanos lift the gauntlet accessing the power stone to shoot Tony clean across the battlefield. "Motus," Alina called forth one of the largest pieces of sharp metal her eyes laid sight upon. She grunted swinging it through the air with her entire body's might. Hearing the whizzing of the metal through the air, Thanos ducked out of the way allowing the metal to land off in the unseen distance.

He turned around and Alina's breath caught in her throat. "I know you're there, witch," he screamed out knowing that though he could not see her, she still had to be there. Tony came to his feet confused, Stephen was nowhere near, and the only other witch he knew was...Alina. "When I'm done here, I'm coming for you," Thanos proclaimed. He could not let the girl live when she had dared to stop him on Vormir. And dare he say, she came close to doing exactly that. She had to die.

'I'm coming for you.'

Thanos' words filled Iron Man with purpose, a reminder of what was truly at risk. A world in which the closest thing he'd had to a child, Alina, and her entire world would be in danger. But nothing was working, Thanos struck Tony's helmet and this time no Nanobots were there to replace it. Each blow Tony attempted to deliver was blocked, and Thanos now had one of his hands in his grip.

Tony redirected his bots allowing them to grow forming a sword in his hand. As he attempted to stab the titan, Thanos simply jumped back mere inches grabbing the hand holding the sword. Tony's arms were spread, and he watched helplessly as his blade was shattered and the shard shoved through his own gut. "Tony," Alina wailed flying over to him watching as Thanos forced him to sit.

Mockingly Thanos placed his hand on his head beginning, "You have my respect, Stark. When I am done half of humanity will be alive." Rubbing his head slightly as he pulled away Thanos said, "I hope they remember you."

Alina watched as the titan raised the gauntlet once more, a finale time towards Tony. The billionaire watched helplessly waiting for his story to end. But as quick as he saw the blinding light of blue coming toward him, it stopped. He felt a hand on his shoulder as the blue force was absorbed by the much bigger and stronger force of blue flames made into the same shape as a dragon that ate the blast meant for him. His breath was still shaggy as he felt the burning sensation of his skin cauterizing itself. Tony looked up to see the familiar face of Alina glaring back at the mad titan.

As her illusion vanished Alina was left standing alone against the titan. His face snarled as his lips hatefully grunted, "You."

"It always will be me in your way," Alina warned careful to keep her hand on Tony. On Vormir once she'd let go of people she was dragged back where she came, she couldn't risk that happening now.

"Good, I'd like to finish you myself," he told her raising the stones at her.

Alina inhaled bracing herself to either attempt to absorb or redirect the attack. Her mind hadn't been made up when Stephen Strange called out, "Stop. Spare his life and allow the girl to leave and I will give you the stone."

"Are you out of your mind," Alina shouted at the wizard wishing she knew where the stone was to take it herself. All the while she stood in the presence of the stones, she could hear them like whispers speaking to her, but it was impossible to hear what they were saying.

Hearing the exact words he wanted, Thanos stopped his gaze falling to the wizard, "No tricks," he cautioned pointing the stones at him.

"Don't," Tony grunted his hand gripped onto Alina's still on his shoulder. But Stephen didn't listen, his lifted his hand pinching his thumb and finger together and the stone came forth between them. Thanos held out the gauntlet towards him expectedly, Stephen obliged sending the stone floating through the air to him. Tony and Alina watched as he placed the stone into the second to last gauntlet space.

"Vision," Alina mumbled knowing they hadn't had the time to pull the stone out of him. Thanos was coming for him, and they didn't take out the stone....

With a satisfied smile Thanos remarked, "One more to go." Pointing at Alina he warned, "See you soon little one." Alina screamed sending electricity through the air just as another she did not care to look for began shooting. But both actions were meaningless as a portal opened up behind Thanos and he backed up into it.

"Shit," Alina howled inadvertently pulling her hand up from Tony. Realizing she probably only had seconds she tried, "Tony—" before she could finish Alina was jerked backwards vanishing from sight.

Coming over the hill, Peter removed his mask catching the vanishing glimpse of Alina. "Lina," he screamed sliding down the hill next to Stark, "How was she here? Where did she go? Was she alright," he rushed out not even noticing Tony finishing up the healing Alina attempted.

Groaning through his pain Tony answered, "I don't know how she got here. Once second she wasn't the next, she was; all I know is that she went to finish this." Peters hand found his mouth muffling the worry that wanted to burst out of him.

There was a sickening twisting of her insides and Alina felt herself tugged in all sorts of ways until her body's eyes shot open. Instantly she felt a pair of arms wrapping around her from behind, "You're fine, you're fine everyone's on there way," Connors soothing voice told her.

Turning around rapidly to face him she hurried out, "He's coming! Thanos is coming, he has the time stone!"

Steve who stood guard over her brought his finger to his coms telling anyone who could, "Everyone on my position, we have incoming."

Alina came to her feet repeatedly telling the Stacy boy, "You need to leave. Now, I'll open a portal and you can just go. Go to Gwen."

Her repeated attempts to sway him did nothing, the only way he would even consider leaving was if she was coming with. "No. What? I'm not leaving you behind," Connor insisted stilling her arms that were trying to move him.

"He's after me," Alina shouted desperately trying to force him to leave. "It doesn't matter where I go, he's still coming for me Connor." He tried opening his mouth to speak hardly noticing T'Challa, Nat, and the others arriving. But Alina wouldn't allow him to, "Connor go! Please, I saw him, and I won't have him kill you. I promised Gwen, I keep you safe."

Yelling over her the boy still refused, "If he's coming after you Alina, I'm staying with you are you nuts."

The loud erupting whirring of lightning filled smoke made the two stop their argument if only to look. Alina slowly turned back to Connor who hardened his face. "Run, you need to run," she warned standing in front of him calling her fallen naginata back to her palm. Emerging from the smoke was the mad titan, he and his golden suit of armor protecting the most vital parts of his purple flesh. His eyes were locked on Alina, and hers were just as fixated on his.

"I am not leaving you," Connor swore to her once more having decided in that moment, if his life was forfeit, let it be so for her. He was only seventeen, he didn't want to die but it wasn't just he and Alina at risk. Everyone they knew and love would be in danger and everyone they didn't know would be dead.

Speaking to everyone Steve warned, "Eyes up, stay sharp. Alina, keep you Wanda and Vision covered. Connor, make sure Alina isn't interrupted." Alina immediately found Wanda and Vision building up a wall of ice in front of them. Through the ice she could see Bruce being the first to charge the titan. But as easily as he raised his gauntlet Bruce phased through Thanos and only became solid once partly through the mountain side.

When Thanos turned back around to see Steve heading his way, the mad titan used the power stone to generate a force field that tossed the soldier to the ground. Coming at him from the side, T'Challa shouted jumping down his claws raised. But the second he was in grasp Thanos had his hand squeezing tightly around his neck. Knocking him down Thanos delivered his finale blow leaving the king unconscious. The firing furry of bullets attacking Thanos' backside made him clip the wings of Falcon as he came closer.

Sensing the fear in his heart Alina warned once more, "Do you get it now? You're no match for him Connor so just go! Please, do not make me responsible for you getting killed. Please don't make yourself another name on that list!"

Connor laughed asking her, "So little faith in me huh, Dranganov?" Alina could feel his defiance coming, his hands found their way to the side of her face. "I know what choice I am making. I can buy you time, even if it is only seconds. I meant what I said, it doesn't matter what you need, doesn't matter if someone has to die, be fought or lied to. I'll do it, be all the darkness, for you, always."

Distracting her with a tender kiss to her forehead, his hand found his way to his grappling hook. While the other snuck off one of Alina's throwable widow bites and placed it on her back. Alina felt as if she'd been kicked by a wild beast in her back and it forced her to her knees. Before she could use her magic to stop him, Connor released his hook grabbing onto the mountain side allowing it to pull him over the wall of ice. "CONNOR NO," she shouted reaching her arm out only for the tensing up of her muscles forced  her to drop it.

As he came down Connor held his blade in his hand vanishing from sight until he was mere inches from Thanos. By then it was too late for even the titan to block the blade slicing a cut across his chest. Before Thanos could grab the boy Connor vanished from sight again. Alina knew she was running out of time and as she looked back to Vision, she could tell he knew the same. He nodded understandingly knowing he had to be the one to convince Wanda.

Looking back Alina watched as Rhodey, Natasha, Bucky, and Okoye advanced the titan. Alina watched helplessly as Connor reappeared before the titan and began using the metal of his suit to bend it in towards his skin. Thanos grunted with each step while Connor held onto him with all his might. The boy began to bleed from his nose as his feet began to dig in trying to hold Thanos at bay. But the boy and all his strength just wasn't enough no matter how hard he tries, Thanos grabbed Connor by his head throwing him into the stone wall behind them.

Know it was now or never Alina placed her hand on the ice, "O págos tis Chione mas kleidónei." She stepped away watching as a new layer of ice came from the earth finding its way to the ice wall already built hardening it. Running back to Wanda she watched as Vision held up Wanda's hand carefully and slowly releasing her.

She said nothing yet, she allowed Vision to finish, "It shouldn't be you, either of you, but it is. It's alright, you can never hurt me, Wanda. I just feel you."

As Vision let her hand go, Alina interlocked her hand with Wanda's to keep it up. Wanda flinched at her touch but when her eyes saw Alina's already tearful eyes she felt as if she wasn't so alone. That she wouldn't be alone after all was said and done. She would always have a sister in Alina. Alina looked back at the android as their powers watched started to build out of their palms as if coming from a cut to the hand.

"I'm sorry for this Vision," Alina said sadly earning a kind and gentle smile from him. The teenager looked down at the ground, another person killed at my hands, except this one is a friend, she thought. When her eyes traveled back up to see that the further the beam of magic was from Alina the more it had begun to mix with Wanda's. Their personal hues had disappeared merging into a deep purple force attacking the stone in Visions head.

Alina looked back at the others watching as Natasha and Bucky were easily struck down and consumed by the magic of the stones. They were no match for them, they were all falling. "We need to keep going," Alina told Wanda as they began to use both their hands to direct more energy his way.

All the while, Vision kept his eyes on Wanda still gracefully making his sacrifice, for her. All Alina could feel was the grief radiating off Wanda like a poison seeping into her. It made Alina cry even harder tears watching Vision shut his eyes in acceptance. Alina glanced back again watching as Steve used every ounce of strength he had to hold Thanos who seemed to tolerate it, if only for the pure shock of a human doing such a thing. But his intrigue was short lived as he struck Steve down with just one punch.

Now the only fear Alina could feel was her own. All that was between them and him, was her wall of ice. She knew it was a strong enough for most but not all five stones. She watched as the titan began to burn away at her ice. Alina looked back to Wanda knowing there was only one option left. "I have to let go," her words forced a sobbing Wanda to look her way, "He's coming Wanda, Steve told me to protect you. Destroy the stone before it's too late."

Before she could be stopped, Alina pulled her magic away from her spell and called her blade to her. She tucked rolling away from Wanda as Thanos shot a beam of the reality stone at her. But the girl was too quick, when she stopped rolling and came to her feet she whipped her blade through the air embedding it in Thanos' shoulder.

The titan stumbled and Alina used the chance to lift herself up stepping on his chest to yank the blade out. As she flipped backwards off him the teenager made certain to drag her blade across his face.  Alina landed safely on her feet, "You're quick little one," Thanos said his hand tracing the blood that dripped from his chest.

Alina leveled her naginata at him replying, "Not quick enough if we're still talking." Using the naginata as her guide Alina summoned the dirt up swirling it up into a small tornado suffocating Thanos. In his attempts to breath, he couldn't stop the sudden fire inside his throat spreading to every ounce of his blood. 

"Tenebris anima vestra contundito mortem et conteret spiritum," Alina shouted the wind lifting her slowly up from the ground. "Wanda! You need to hurry I'm not going to be to hold this," the witch warned feeling her spells grip on the titan loosening. With the advantage of her head turned towards Wanda; Thanos reached for Gamora's dagger he placed back on his belt and tossed it through the wind cutting her hip open and breaking her concentration on both spells. 

Glancing down at the wound she could see her body attempted to heal the painful poison on the blade. Alina wept looking up just in time to see Thanos using all five infinity stones in an attack. In an instant she created an electric blue shield sobbing as she dug her feet trying to hold back all the stones. But from the poison and pure power of the stones it was getting to be too much for her.

Wanda starred back attempting to use her free hand to protect the young Dranganov witch. Watching as the girl Wanda had a horrible realization, that at the end it all, when the mad titan Thanos came, all that was left in his path was Alina. Who in the moment of his attack was no longer an assassin, no longer hex, she was just a 17-year-old girl who should've been celebrating her birthday at that very moment. Instead, she was the last defense Wanda and Vision had and she was losing her grip on control.

Her eyes were glowing as Alina warned, "You don't have much time! Destroy the stone, don't save me." The second the words left her mouth Thanos had gotten close enough to grab the witch by her throat.

Wanda was trying everything to destroy the stone and attack Thanos but the desperate look on Alina's eyes made her wail as she turned her full attention to Vision. I have to let her go, Wanda told herself knowing that if she didn't do this, so many others would be dead too. None of them had the same chance at resurrection that Alina had. "A powerful young girl," remarked Thanos and for a moment he considered sparing the girl the same way he had Gamora.

 But he recognized that defiant glare in her eyes, she would never break. Kicking up Alina's naginata blade he lifted her up dropping her on top of its blade cutting open her lungs and slicing near her heart, "What a waste," he said distastefully throwing her and her blade to the ground. The second he had cast her aside, the mind stone shattered. Wanda had destroyed the mind stone Alina had given her life to assure the destruction of.

.·:*¨༺ ༻¨*:·

❝ titan ❞

She's okay, Alina is okay. Alina is a survivor, she is okay, Peter repeated like a mantra in his mind. The Parker boy was frozen holding his pendant waiting for Alina to light it up and let him know, she was okay. She's always okay, Alina always checks in, he told himself, but his heart suddenly sank. The familiar blue glow came, but unlike all the times before, the light burned extremely bright before slowly dying out to nothing.

The Parker boy jumped to his feet, "Mr. Stark! MR. STARK," he shouted running around looking for him. Once he found him resting against the broken ship he said, "I have to get back. I have to get back right now, it's Alina."

"We can't kid we're stranded until someone comes for us. What's wrong with her," Stark coughed out weakly.

"We have to. I think she's hurt," Peter said fighting the lump in this throat. When he saw the pitied look in Stark's eyes Peter knew they couldn't go back. 

The Parker boy clasped his hand over his mouth choking back his emotions. His knees could no longer support his weight and his knees buckled out from under him. Peter's hands found their way to his hair, and he gripped at it repeating over and over, "God why did I leave her? I shouldn't have left her. How could I have been so stupid? Oh God, she's dead...I let her die. I wasn't there for her I let her die."