INFERNO │ Marvel

9.3 ready for war

The reunited Avengers returned to the central space of the compound to come up with a game plan. The ultimate goal was to protect Vision and his stone, but it definitely wouldn't hurt to take Thanos down in the process. Even without the mind stone, he could do unimaginable and irreversible damage.

"So we gotta assume they're coming back, right?" Rhodey questioned, leaning over the table to observe a holographic image of Proxima Midnight and Corvus Glaive.

"And they can clearly find us," Wanda added. She was full of anxiety considering they were coming for the man she loved. It hadn't gone unnoticed by Amelia. The woman put a hand on her shoulder, and Wanda rested her own atop it.

"We need all hands on deck," Bruce said. He had been frantic ever since their return from space. "Where's Clint?"

"After the whole Accords situation, he and Scott took a deal," Nat explained. "It was too tough on their families. They're on house arrest."

"Who's Scott?" he asked.

"Ant-Man."

"His name was Ant-Man?" Amelia laughed. "We had an Ant-Man and a Spider-Man?"

"Okay, look," Bruce sighed. "Thanos has the biggest army in the universe, and he is not gonna stop until he gets... Vision's stone."

"Then we have to protect it," Nat asserted.

"No, we have to destroy it," Vision corrected from his place leaning against the doorway. Everyone turned to him. He began moving towards Wanda. "I've been giving a good deal of thought to this entity in my head. About its nature. But also its composition. I think if it were exposed to a sufficiently powerful energy source, something very similar to its own signature, perhaps... its molecular integrity could fail."

"Yeah, and you with it," Wanda pointed out, her expression full of disbelief and fear. "We're not having this conversation."

"Eliminating the stone is the only way to be certain that Thanos can't get it," Vision told her.

"That's too high a price."

"Only you, and perhaps Amelia, have the power to pay it," Vision said, looking briefly at the Stark woman. She grimaced while Wanda shook her head and walked away from him. "Thanos threatens half the universe. One life cannot stand in the way of defeating him."

"But it should," Steve spoke up. "We don't trade lives, Vision."

"Captain, 70 years ago, you laid down your life to save how many millions of people," Vision pointed out as he moved to the man. "Tell me, why is this any different?"

"Because you might have a choice," Amelia cut in. They all looked at her while she looked at Bruce, who seemed to understand what she was getting at. "Sure, we have to destroy it, and I'll be happy to do that, but we don't have to destroy you in the process."

"Your mind is made up of a complex construct of overlays. JARVIS, Ultron, Tony, Amy, me, the stone," Bruce continued. "All of them mixed together, all of them learning from one another."

"You're saying Vision isn't just the stone?" Wanda asked.

"We're saying that if we take out the stone, there's still a whole lot of Vision left," Bruce explained. "Perhaps the best parts."

"Can we do that?" Nat questioned. Everyone seemed a little more hopeful now.

"Not us, not here," Amelia said. "We need tech more advanced than even I can give you for this."

"Well, you better find someone and somewhere fast," Rhodey spoke up. "Ross isn't just gonna let you guys have your old rooms back."

Steve sighed and looked down at the ground for a moment, his expression thoughtful. It took him a moment to speak up.