CHAPTER FIVE; AVENGERS

❝ she had seen death, she had seen carnage. but she had never felt the bitter tragedy of war, until today ❞

･ ｡ﾟ☆

❝ shur's lab ❞

"HE'LL BE OKAY. VISION, HE'LL BE OKAY," Alina promised Wanda who was staring out the window to avoid hovering over Shuri as she worked.

The older woman didn't turn around as she told her, "You don't know that."

"No, I suppose I don't, but you don't know that I am wrong," countered Alina joining her at her side. Glancing back at the young girl still working she said, "Plus, Shuri seems to be more capable of doing this than Tony so that's gotta count for something."

Wanda found her mouth tugging into a small smile, "It's so sweet of you to be concerned about me," she said finally looking at Alina. "Especially when your mind is plagued with worry for that boy, Peter," returned Wanda. She didn't mean to read Alina's thoughts, but sometimes people protected things so powerfully that she couldn't ignore it. She often assumed it was what Alina felt with everyone's emotions. She wasn't trying to intrude; it was just in her nature to know.

Knowing she may not get another chance to talk to anyone about this for a while, Alina admitted, "It's not just worry. It's mostly worry, but it's a little bit of regret and guilt too."

Wanda's expression opened up allowing for her to continue grateful for the distraction. Unable to help herself, Alina's eyes looked out to the glowing barrier that flexed between blues, pinks, and purples. She knew that had to be Connor working on enhancing the barrier as he was told to do.

"It's not just about the boy you left behind, but also the boy who followed you," Wanda deduced from her glance and the shift of dynamic between the two teens since they got back on the quinjet.

Looking back to her as the lights from the barrier cast a glow across their faces Alina said, "Yes." The brunette assassin inhaled deeply before she went on, "Connor followed me because he likes me, and he wanted to make sure I was taken care of. Yet the entire time he was with me, I only cared about solving this so Peter would come back."

"That doesn't make you a bad person, Alina," the red headed woman told her gently.

Alina scoffed pointing out sarcastically amused, "No there's a whole other list of reasons for that. Point is, if something happens to either of them it's on me. I left Peter and I dragged Connor with me."

Shaking her head Wanda reasoned, "You did not drag him, Alina. He was warned, he was given an out and he chose not to leave here. Yes, he came for you, but it is not just you that boy is fighting for. You said he has a sister, a twin?" Wanda swallowed hard before adding, "I know, if Pietro was his age, there's nothing that would've stopped him from protecting me. Don't bear the responsibility for something that isn't yours."

Alina wanted to believe her; she knew her words had logic, but her own emotions were going a little haywire at the moment. So, she resulted to the same old trick she always did, she traced her middle and pointer fingers down her palm. Almost like she was tracing an imaginary cut and with it she subdued her emotions as much as possible. She was never capable of completely shutting it down, she'd gotten close, but there was always something there.

Looking back at the window she repeated, "I just don't want either of them to die."

Taking her by the hand Wanda promised, "And they won't."

.·:*¨༺ ༻¨*:· 

❝ wakanda open boarder field ❞

Once he had finished with the boarders Connor returned to the frontlines landing between Bucky and Natasha. Taking one look at the armies gathered against them her muttered in amzement, "Woah."

Bucky looked the boy up and down questing, "Have you every done anything like this before?"

Connor swallowed hard as the rest of the forces continued to gather around them. "Yeah, technically. But Alina did most the heavy lifting there too," he remarked.

Bucky looked behind him to lock eyes with Natasha who simply said, "At least he's honest." Seeing Steve and T'Challa waving her over the Romanoff ordered, "Karma, you're with me."

"What? Me," Connor confirmed skeptically as his feet already began moving.

Not looking back Natasha replied, "Did you think I was joking when I said stay close to one of us for as long as you can?" Connor was too stunned to continue saying anything as the four of them made their way down the hill to the barrier.

The closer they got the clearer the image of the woman from the station and the beast from the park became to Connor. So did the image of her dragging her sword across it fighting to tear through the barrier. But it was too weak, even before enhanced it, she wasn't getting through. "Where's your other friend," Natasha asked in a mocking tone already believing to know the answer.

"You will pay for his life with yours. Thanos will have that stone," she told her coldly.

Steve quietly told her not flinching an inch, "That's not gonna happen."

In full agreement T'Challa warned her, "You are in Wakanda now. Thanos will have nothing but dust and blood."

"We...Have blood to spare," she remarked with a cry as she lifted her sword and on her command the doors to their ships all opened.

Seeing there was no point for them to stay, Connor and the others returned back to the front line. As soon as his friend was close Bucky inquired, "Did they surrender?"

"Not exactly," informed Steve as he stood next to him.

Connor could head T'Challa leading the Wakandans in the war cry, "Yibambe," while also telling them to hold fast as the beast she unleashed bound toward the barrier.

"They're not stopping," Connor remarked knowing how much he had made the barrier burn anyone who had tried to enter.

Seeing all the beast coming towards them Bucky said in awe, "What the hell?"

Glancing up at Steve, Natasha said, "Looks like we pissed her off."

T'Challa commanded his soldiers to engage their shields. By his side Okoye was fixed on the beast who chose to bombard the dome only a few getting through as the rest perished. "They're killing themselves," she said puzzled into how even alien creatures would put themselves through such pain.

As soon as everyone noticed how many were breaking through, they began firing at will. Connor was using the bullets they fired to ensure as many as possible hit the creatures they were targeting. Not only that but he was using the metal on the creatures' armors to crush them inward.

Flying above their head, Flacon sent Redwings into the fight while he asked the others, "You see the teeth on those things?"

No one had a chance to reply as Rhodes warned the flyer, "Alright, back up, Sam. You're gonna get your wings singed." The falcon pulled up and away from the area closest to the barrier just in time for War Machine to drop a barrage of mines over the breached section.

As the dust cleared Bruce noticed the beast circling towards the back of the dome. "Cap, if these things circle the perimeter and get in behind us...There's nothing between them and Vision. And the girls," he warned them all.

Connor reached into his beat pulling out his biggest swords gripping them tightly. "Then we better keep 'em in front of us," informed Steve/

Okoye looked to her King asking him, "How do we do that?"

"We open the barrier," he answered putting his hand to his ear telling his officer, "On my signal, open North-West Section Seventeen."

They could all hear the officer's confusion as they repeated back, "Requesting confirmation, My King. You said open the barrier?"

"On my signal," he confirmed.

M'Baku leaned down to Okoye telling her, "This will be the end of Wakanda."

Okoye inhaled deeply gripping her spear tightly preparing for the battle ahead, "Then it will be the noblest ending in history."

The section of the barrier opened and T'Challa cried out, "Wakanda Forever!" He crossed his hands over his chest as his Black Panther helmet covered his face, leading the army as they all sprinted toward the barrier. With each step Connor thought of the people he could be dying for. His mother, his father, Gwen, the sister who saw the best in him. Malik, Sabrina, Ned, Peter, MJ, and Flash all being the friends he wanted to live. And most of all, Alina, the girl he knew fought too hard to lose now.

As soon as Connor was close to one of the beasts, he vanished from its sight causing it to fall face forward. It it's off-guard moment Connor reappeared stabbing his blade through it becoming covered in black gooey blood.

Over their coms Alina could hear T'Challa asking, "How much longer, Shuri?"

Shuri didn't bother to take her eyes off her work as she answered, "We've barely begun, brother."

"You might want to pick up the pace," he warned her slashing his claws across the aliens face.

"Shuri, do you think my magic by be able to help you," wondered Alina, "If I could help disconnect him from the stone faster."

Shuri seemed to weigh the consequences before saying, "Make sure whatever you do doesn't do anything I am not. You must move carefully, or the stone could level the entire continent."

Alina nodded understanding her warning, inhaling she brought her hands together focusing on the building force between them. Wanda watched with bated breath as the intense blue hue seemed to start spilling like fog around her hands. Once she felt she had enough of her energy to start she brought her hands to the area around Visions head and chest. When Alina's eyes opened again they were completely sapphire.