Y/N AND BANNER TOOK the time to catch up while the Quinjet was en route to Wakanda. The doctor explained how he'd been stuck in his Hulk form for three years before reuniting with Thor on the planet Sakaar. He finished the story by detailing what happened when Thanos intercepted the Asgardians' ship.

"Jesus Christ." Y/N breathed out. Knowing that Bruce witnessed the killing of half the Asgardians brought shivers to his spine. "I'm sorry."

"It was straight genocide. I tried to kill him...but he was too strong. Hulk was nothing compared to him." Banner replied and dropped his head. "Now Thor's gone."

Y/N sighed, he didn't want to believe that Thor was dead. He didn't even properly say goodbye when he left back in 2015.

"They sent you back to Earth for a reason. Without you, we wouldn't have been prepared for this." The young super-soldier said.

Bruce nodded, his head still down. He looked back up and faced the soldier, wanting to lighten the mood. "Sorry I didn't bring you back any space rocks."

Y/N gave a light chuckle before Banner spoke again. "How has life treated you? Are you doing alright? Tony said the team broke up...like some band."

"After Sokovia, Clint and Tony retired so we formed a new team with the addition of Sam, Rhodes, Wanda, Pietro, and Vision.  Everything went well..."

He suddenly remembered the mission in Lithuania where Dreykov had him captured. He thought about explaining it to Banner...but saved it for another time.

"...until a mission in Lagos. That's when the government tried to get control of the Avengers. Steve and Tony disagreed, and now here we are."

Banner nodded and peered toward Natasha in the cockpit. He looked back at Y/N. "How are things between you and Nat?"

Y/N glanced over at the blonde. "Really great. Nat's the best, and she's...saved me many times. I thank God that I have her."

"I'm happy for you, Y/N. For you both in fact." Banner said with a smile. "I don't know about Hulk though, he had a thing for her."

The soldier chuckled and arched a brow. "Really?"

He nodded. "Luckily he's not wanting to get out. So you're safe...for now.

• • •

THE WAKANDANS STOOD by the landing pad outside of the tower. T'Challa was beside Okoye, who had her Dora Milaje warriors standing in formation behind her.

Once the jet landed, Y/N, Steve, and Natasha walked out of it. Bruce, Rhodey, Wanda, Pietro, Vision, and Sam followed close behind.

"Should we bow?" Bruce asked Rhodey as he fumbled with his coat.

"Yeah, he's a king." He replied.

The main trio walked up to the Wakandan king and greeted him.

"Seems like I'm always thanking you for something." Steve said as he shook T'Challa's hand.

Bruce cleared his throat and bowed in front of the king. Rhodey looked at him with a confused look. "What are you doing?"

T'Challa turned to Banner. "Uh, we don't do that here."

The doctor looked back at Rhodey with a glare, and the colonel chuckled at the minor prank he pulled on him.

"Welcome back, Y/N." T'Challa said to the lieutenant as he shook his hand next. "I hope life is treating you well."

"It's been all right, T'Challa. It's good to see you again."

The king nodded and looked at Steve. "So how big of an assault should we expect?"

The group started walking toward the palace. Banner decided to answer for the captain. "Uh, sir, I think you should expect quite a big assault."

"Banner says this guy has the largest army in the universe." Y/N added. "This is bigger than anything we've ever faced..."

"How we looking?" Natasha asked T'Challa.

"You will have my Kingsguard, the Border Tribe, the Dora Milaje, and..." T'Challa pointed ahead toward a familiar-looking man, sporting a blue vest, green pants, a new vibranium arm.

Bucky Barnes.

"And a semi-stable 100-year-old man." Bucky finished T'Challa's statement.

Steve and Y/N were happy to see him again. Rogers embraced him first before the younger man hugged his uncle figure next.

"How you been, Buck?" Steve asked.

Bucky smiled. "Uh, not bad, for the end of the world."

"Everything all right up here?" Y/N asked as he pointed toward his own head.

"I'm free." He said with a smile, then recalled their conversation two years ago. "I'm unchained, and as you said...it feels good."

Y/N smiled and pat his shoulder. The team then continued toward the palace.

Shuri started running scans on Vision who was laid on a table. The team stood idly by as she conducted her work. She then cast a hologram of the Mind Stone through her kimoyo bead bracelet.

"The structure is polymorphic." Shuri said.

"Right, we had to attach each neuron non-sequentially." Banner replied.

"Why didn't you just reprogram the synapses to work collectively?"

Vision glanced at Banner. The doctor didn't know how to initially respond to the young genius.

"Because...we didn't think of it."

"She got you there." Y/N commented before he and Shuri shot fingers guns at each other.

"I'm sure you did your best." Shuri told Bruce.

"Can you do it?" Wanda asked.

"Yes, but there are more than two trillion neurons here. One misalignment could cause a cascade of circuit failures." She explained before turning to T'Challa. "It will take time, brother."

"How long?" Rogers asked.

She faced the captain. "As long as you can give me."

Suddenly, Okoye's kimoyo beads trilled. The alarm in the tower also sounded and she summoned a projection from her wrist. "Something's entered the atmosphere."

Sam was outside with Bucky. He spoke through the radio. "Hey, Cap, we got a situation here."

They felt a distant rumbling and soon after large projectiles started to crash down onto the dome surrounding Wakanda. Several capsules landed in the forest and the team looked out the window witnessing it.

The Black Order had arrived.

"It's too late. We need to destroy the stone now." Vision said as he started getting up.

Natasha turned to him. "Vision, get your ass back on the table."

"We will hold them off." T'Challa said as he started walking off with his warriors.

Steve turned to Wanda. "Wanda, as soon as that stone's out of his head...you blow it to hell."

"I will." She replied with a nod.

"Evacuate the city. Engage all defenses." T'Challa turned back to Steve and pointed at him. "And get this man a shield."

Y/N kept looking out the window, seeing more of the capsules dropping down from the sky into the tree line. Natasha walked up beside him and looked out the window as well.

"This....this is pretty scary." Y/N admitted. He remembered Banner's explanation of how powerful Thanos was.

"It is...but we'll handle it." She replied with some reluctance. She was also pretty shaken by the extent of this threat.

Y/N didn't respond, simply looking out the window in silence as he occupied himself in his thoughts...thoughts that frightened him. A lot of people could die today. His friends...his family...Natasha. He didn't want to imagine it, but it just filled his mind.

The blonde held his hand and the contact brought him out of the trance. She noticed his mood and tried to offer some solace.

"This may seem extreme, but we can do it." Natasha said. "We're fighting not only for each other but for everything else we care about."

After a slight pause, Y/N nodded. He shouldn't have to worry, because the combined might of the remaining Avengers and the Wakandan army could hold back the Black Order.

Y/N let out an exhale as he looked at Natasha. "Let's go be heroes then."

He turned toward Vision who was on the table with Wanda beside him. Shuri was nearby on her console.

"You three be safe up here." He told them as he started walking off with Natasha.

"Make sure Pietro doesn't do anything stupid while he's down there." Wanda called out.

The soldier laughed. "I can't make any promises."

• • •

THE TRANSPORT CARRIERS holding Wakandan soldiers and the heroes flew toward the edge of the city. Bruce, in the Hulkbuster armor, was running alongside them. Unfortunately, his inexperience with the armor showed when he tripped on a rock. He'd get up eventually and join back with them though.

Falcon and War Machine flew above the transport carriers. Rhodey looked through his HUD and surveyed the barriers ahead. He spotted two Black Order members.

"I've got two heat signatures breaking through the tree line."

The carriers let out the soldiers and they lined up several hundred yards away from the barrier. Steve, T'Challa, and Natasha went to go speak to Cull Obsidian and Proxima Midnight.

Y/N stood beside the Wakandan warriors and Bucky, who held his assault rifle.

"Liking the new look." Bucky remarked about Y/N's armor.

"Thanks. I like the new arm." He replied.

"Courtesy of the princess."

"She's good isn't she?"

There was a monetary pause before Y/N spoke once more. "I hope you had time to enjoy some of the free life before this...now that we're fighting again."

Bucky sighed. "There's always a fight when it comes to guys like us."

Suddenly, there was distant rumbling as the Black Order pods that landed started to open. The trio that left earlier returned from speaking with the Black Order.

"They surrender?" Y/N asked Rogers.

"Not exactly."

Black Order hounds started to charge at Wakanda. T'Challa began to chant in Xhosa and his warriors joined in.

Thousands of the Chitauri hounds started to come out of the tree line. Barnes was in awe.

"What the hell?"

"Looks like we pissed her off." Natasha remarked mentioning Proxima.

The space hounds tried to pry their way through the force field, but many were killed in the process. It didn't stop them as more kept on trying.

"They're killing themselves." Okoye said with a disgusted look.

Unfortunately, several alien hounds were able to make it through. The Border Tribe activated their shields and raised their vibranium staffs.

T'Challa shouted in Xhosa and the tribespeople started shooting at the incoming aliens. Bucky joined in and fired his rifle. Y/N took out his bow and started to shoot explosive arrows at the incoming hounds. Sam flew by and shot at them with his guns too.

"You see the teeth on those things?" He asked.

"All right, back up, Sam. You're gonna get your wings singed." Rhodey replied through the comms. He flew over a group of aliens by the barrier and dropped dozens of bombs on them.

Banner noticed a group of outriders around the dome. "Cap, if these things circle the perimeter and get behind us there's nothing between them and Vision."

"Then we better keep 'em in front of us." Steve replied.

"How do we do that?" Okoye asked T'Challa.

He looked at the general. "We open the barrier."

T'Challa looked ahead at the force field and spoke into his comms. "On my signal, open North-West Section Seventeen."

The people at the Dome Control center were appalled at the order. "Requesting confirmation, my king. You said open the barrier?"

"On my signal."

M'Baku looked ahead at the thousands of outriders. "This will be the end of Wakanda."

"Then it will be the noblest ending in history." Okoye replied.

Steve activated the Wakandan arm shields he was given. T'Challa continued to chant in Xhosa before walking ahead of the line.

Y/N stood beside Steve, Natasha, and Bucky. He activated his helmet which covered his face, completing his Taskmaster attire. The man walked up to the Wakandan king and got behind him.

"In battle once again..." Y/N said.

"Yes." He nodded. "It's an honor to fight alongside you once again."

T'Challa then crossed his arms into an "X" and activated his mask.

"Wakanda forever!"

Everybody shouted with the warriors raising their weapons and beginning to charge.

The Battle of Wakanda had begun.

Steve, T'Challa, and Y/N ran at the same speed in front of the rest. They leaped toward the incoming outriders and attacked them. Rogers fought the aliens around him using his vibranium arm shields while T'Challa slashed them with his claws.

Taskmaster took out his sword and engaged the outriders around him, slashing and slicing at them with ease.

"How much longer, Shuri?" Black Panther asked into his radio.

"I've barely begun, brother."

"You might want to pick up the pace."

Banner, in his Hulkbuster armor, leaped onto a group of outriders and attacked them with his fists. A couple of aliens jumped onto him, but Y/N was fortunately nearby and shot them off with arrows.

Rhodey hovered above, shooting rockets out of his arms and firing the machine guns on his shoulders trying to keep them at bay. Cull Obsidian suddenly threw his hammer and hit Rhodey out of the sky.

More of the outriders stormed into Wakanda. They got a hold of T'Challa and threw him aside. Several of them ran at Rogers and pinned him against a boulder.

"There's so many!" Y/N yelled as he slashed away at an incoming hound. "Banner, watch your back!"

Bruce started pummeling them before he was unfortunately overrun. Y/N glanced over at Banner on the ground and was tackled as well. The outsiders started to claw and punch him as he was unable to get free.

"Shit!"

"There's too many of them!" Banner exclaimed as the hounds tried to rip into his armor. "Argh!"

Suddenly, the Bifrost shot down into the field and blasted away many of the outriders. An electrified axe flew out of it and killed many of the aliens which freed Y/N, Banner, Steve, and T'Challa.

The Bifrost deactivated and the axe flew back into the hands of Thor.

He was alive.

Beside the God of Thunder stood Groot and Rocket, the two ready for battle.

Natasha and Steve smiled at the sight. Y/N let out a breathy laugh as he looked on at his old friend.

Banner retracted his faceplate and shouted at the Black Order. "You guys are so screwed now!"

Thor glared at the sight of the alien army and started to charge.

"Bring me Thanos!"

Groot and Rocket bellowed with him as they followed the Asgardian. Thor flew in the air and channeled lightning from above before slamming Stormbreaker down onto the hundreds of outriders.

The fight continued. Cull Obsidian took down several Jabari warriors with his hammer. He was suddenly hit with a barrage of explosive arrows that got his attention.

"Over here you son of a bitch." Taskmaster exclaimed as he drew his bow.

Obsidian swung his large weapon at Y/N, who evaded the attacks by rolling out of the way. He kept shooting explosive arrows but the child of Thanos was able to knock him away. He swung down at Y/N again, but the soldier was carried away in a flash by Pietro before the hammer could crush him.

The Black Order member looked down in confusion. He turned around to see Y/N and the speedster behind him.

"Let's double team this big ugly bastard." Pietro said.

Y/N agreed and Pietro dashed at Cull Obsidian. He tried to hit the running Maximoff twin and it gave Taskmaster the chance to keep shooting him with arrows. Y/N put away his bow and equipped his sword before lunging on top of Obsidian.

He stabbed down at his back as Pietro grabbed a vibranium spear from the ground and pierced him in the foot. Obsidian yelled in pain, quickly grabbing Taskmaster and throwing him off his back. He also kicked Pietro away and was prepared to land another blow.

Before he could, Black Panther leaped in and punched Cull Obsidian. The kinetic energy built up in his suit expelled and launched the alien across the field.

"Thanks." Y/N groaned as he got up with Pietro. "We it had covered, you know?"

"Yes, I'm sure you did." T'Challa replied with a sarcastic tone.

The three split up and continued fighting off the outriders. Thor and Steve were nearby taking down several of the aliens coming after them.

Rogers stabbed into an outrider's chest with his arm shields and Thor slammed Stormbreaker down at another. One alien hound lunged at Thor, but Y/N shot it down with his bow. He ran up to the two heroes and unsheathed his sword.

Thor looked at the soldier in confusion, but after he retracted his mask and showed his face the Asgardian smiled.

"Son of Steve, I see you've acquired a new look." Thor said during a momentary pause in the fight.

Y/N looked at him and nodded back. "I see you've gotten a new haircut."

"I do miss my golden mane." He replied then looked at Steve. "I see Rogers stole my beard."

Steve panted as he looked over at the two. Thor started to introduce Groot. "By the way, this is a friend of mine, Tree."

Groot used his roots to puncture several alien hounds as he spoke. "I am Groot."

Steve put a hand over his chest. "I am Steve Rogers."

Moments later, there was a distant rumbling. The ground shook as several threshers came out of the dirt and entered the battlefield.

"Fall back! Fall back, now!" T'Challa exclaimed as the spinning blades started killing both Wakandan soldiers and outriders.

War Machine and Falcon tried to deal with the threshers. Rhodey shot rockets from his gauntlets while Sam fired his guns at the side of them. They were able to take one down, but there were still several more to go.

Nearby, Natasha and Okoye were fending off the outriders when two threshers started spinning towards them. They lowered their heads, but Wanda dropped in and used her psionic powers to keep the blades away.

She lifted the threshers and threw them at the incoming army of hounds. Natasha gave a light smile as Wanda turned around to face them. Okoye was in awe of her abilities.

"Why was she up there all this time?" She asked.

Sam soared in the air and looked toward the tower where Vision was. He witnessed the synthezoid fly out the window in combat with Corvus Glaive.

"Guys, we got a Vision situation here!" He informed through the comms.

"Somebody get to Vision!" Steve exclaimed as he fought outriders.

"I got him!" Banner said before flying away in his Hulkbuster armor.

Wanda spoke into her radio. "On my way." Suddenly, she was hit by Proxima Midnight and fell into a ditch.

Proxima looked down at her. "He will die alone...as will you."

"She's not alone." A voice spoke from behind her.

The Black Order member turned around and saw Natasha with her staff in hand. Okoye arrived soon after and brandished her spear, ready to fight.

Proxima bellowed and began to fight the two women.

Banner was holding off Cull Obsidian in the Wakandan woods. Vision tried to fight off Corvus Glaive, but his weakened state made it hard for him to take down the child of Thanos.

Glaive stabbed Vision again with his staff and he groaned in pain. Corvus leaned closer.

"I thought you were formidable, machine. But you're dying, like any man." He taunted.

Before he could finish off Vision, Captain America ran in and tackled Corvus.

"Get out of here! Go!" Steve exclaimed.

He started to fight Corvus, but the alien got the upper hand and tossed Rogers over a log. He pinned him to the ground and wrapped his hand around the captain's neck, choking him. Steve started losing breath second by second, but a sword suddenly stabbed into Corvus's back and through his chest.

His body went limp as the sword was pulled out. Corvus fell to the floor, dead, as Y/N stood behind him. Dark blue blood stained his blade and the soldier simply wiped it off.

"He was starting to get on my nerves." Y/N remarked and helped Steve up. "You okay?"

His father nodded. The two looked around for Vision and saw him lying against a rock. They went up to him and at the same time, Wanda had arrived. She had just taken down Proxima Midnight.

"Are you all right?" Wanda asked Vision, but before he could answer, a high-pitch ringing emitted in his head. He groaned in discomfort.

"What is it?" Y/N asked.

Vision panted. "He's here."

Everybody in the area noticed the ominous feeling. The breeze got stronger, leaves flew everywhere, and the silence of the forest became almost uncomfortable.

"Everyone, on my position." Rogers spoke into his radio. "We have incoming."

Natasha, T'Challa, Sam, and Okoye stood in the woods, catching the same feeling. Barnes, Pietro, and Rhodey also stood by in confusion.

"What the hell?" Natasha muttered.

Bruce turned around, seeing blue and dark grey clouds forming behind him. A towering man came out of it with a golden gauntlet on his left hand.

Thanos.

"Cap." Banner called out. "That's him."

Wanda channeled energy between her hands. Taskmaster brandished his sword and held it up. Steve activated the shields on his arm.

"Eyes up. Stay sharp." He said as he walked forward. Y/N followed his father.

The heroes charged at Thanos.

Banner ran forward in his Hulkbuster armor and was going to punch him. Thanos simply used the stones to have him phase through himself before burying him into a cliffside.

Steve ran at him too but Thanos used the power stone to hurl him away.

Black Panther activated his claws and lunged at him, but Thanos grabbed T'Challa by the neck. He pummeled the Wakandan into the floor.

Falcon flew at Thanos and shot him with his guns, but the Titan blasted him out of the air with his gauntlet.

Pietro sprinted around Thanos. He circled him and started to surround him in a dust tornado, but the Titan used his gauntlet to slow the speedster. He lifted him using the stones and threw him away.

Rhodey hovered above and fired almost everything he could from his machine guns and launchers. Thanos deflected them and used the stones to tighten the armor around Rhodey's body. He ultimately threw him aside.

Y/N bolted in and shot explosive arrows at Thanos. He blocked him with a force field from the gauntlet, but the soldier kept charging and unsheathed his sword. He slid under him and slashed his leg, but it only garnered a wince from the Titan. Thanos grabbed Y/N by the neck and slammed him against the floor before lifting him back up and throwing him against a tree.

Bucky advanced, shooting at Thanos with his rifle as Natasha and Okoye follow behind him. He blasted Bucky with the Power Stone and hurled him back.

Okoye threw her spear but Thanos stopped it with his gauntlet. He heaved her back using the stones before also trapping Natasha under many shards of rock.

Groot tried to wrap his roots around Thanos, but he simply ripped them off and continued.

Vision watched as the heroes were dealt with so easily. It was only a matter of time before he confronted him and Wanda.

He looked up at her. "It's time."

"No." She retorted as she shook her head.

"They can't stop him, Wanda. But we can." He grabbed her arm. "Look at me. You have the power to destroy the stone. You must do it, Wanda. Please."

Wanda kept disagreeing. She didn't want to harm the person she loved.

Vision placed her hand on his cheek. "We are out of time."

She began to tear up. "I can't."

"You can. If he gets the stone half the universe dies." He said. "It's not fair. It shouldn't be you, but it is."

Wanda stepped back as she tried to hold back tears. Vision let go of her hand and continued.

"It's all right...you can never hurt me. I just feel you."

Nearby, Steve had recovered and tried to push Thanos back by holding his gauntlet. The Mad Titan proved to be too much and knocked the captain out cold with a single punch. Thanos walked towards the couple afterward.

Wanda started the process of destroying the stone and shot an endless beam at Vision's head. She realized Thanos was coming and extended her other hand to keep him away. The Titan deflected the psionics with his gauntlet and kept pushing forward.

The witch kept the beam directed at the stone as tears ran down her face. Vision muttered I love you before closing his eyes. In time, the stone finally shattered and a large shockwave traveled through the Wakandan woods. The explosion sent both Wanda and Thanos back.

The Titan panted and looked at Wanda on the floor. He got up and walked up to her.

"I understand, my child. Better than anyone."

"You could never." Wanda replied as she clenched her teeth.

Thanos nodded and pet the top of her head. She looked back down in revulsion.

"Today I lost more than you can know." Thanos said and started walking to the spot where Vision exploded. "But now is no time to mourn. Now is no time at all."

He clenched his gauntleted fist and activated the Time Stone. He turned his hand counter-clockwise and started to rewind time to when Vision was alive.

Wanda noticed this, and a look of shock plastered on her face upon seeing Vision alive and breathing like before.

"No!" Wanda yelled but was quickly slapped away by Thanos before she could act.

He grabbed Vision by the neck and looked at the stone in his head, ignoring his grunts. Thanos used three of his fingers to brutally pull the Mind Stone out, making a crater in Vision's head and killing him a second time. He tossed the now greyed and de-powered body aside.

Thanos had the final piece. The years of conquest had led to this. He now had all six stones in his possession.

He placed the stone in the last slot of the gauntlet. Cosmic energy started to course through his veins and he screamed aloud.

Suddenly, lightning shot down at Thanos. Thor came flying down and the Titan shot a beam from his fully-powered gauntlet. The Asgardian threw Stormbreaker, in which the axe deflected the beam on the way down before ultimately stabbing into Thanos's chest.

He dropped to his knees and groaned in pain. Thor landed in front of Thanos, looking into the eyes of the madman who killed his brother, Loki.

"I told you...you'd die for that." Thor said through gritted teeth. He pushed the axe further into his chest and caused Thanos to yell in agony.

"You should have..." Thanos weakly muttered. "You should..."

Thor listened, wanting to hear the Titan's final words before killing him for good.

"...you should have gone for the head."

With a smirk, Thanos raised his left gauntleted hand. Thor looked at it and his eyes widened.

"No!"

Thanos snapped his fingers and for a second everything went white.