Whatever It Takes

4.3

We follow the Kingsguard into transport boats, hovering ships raking over the plains and farms toward the border of the shield. The Falcon and Rhodes fly above us, and Banner runs alongside us in one of Stark's huge suits Rhodes took with him from the compound.

Natasha looks over her shoulder, checking in on him. "How we looking, Bruce?"

"Yeah, I think I'm getting the hang of it." He fires a blast that sends him leaping through the air and he shouts, running a little. "Wow! This is amazing, man! It's like being the Hulk without actually-!" He trips on a boulder, face-planting and carving a large scar in the dirt.

Natasha and I sigh, shaking our heads at him.

"He's no better than Stark now. All his toys," I say.

She rolls her eyes. "God, I don't know if I can handle two of him."

"I'm okay, I'm okay," Banner tells, standing and brushing himself off.

"I got two heat signatures breaking through the tree line," Rhodes reports, our eyes in the sky flying far ahead of us.

The boats glide to a stop, leaning over and letting us slide out into the grass. Soldiers fall into uniformed lines, chanting their war cries and preparing themselves for battle. I spot our extraterrestrial enemy in the treeline, watching us assemble.

Natasha, Steve, T'Challa, and I head over to them, meeting them at the wall. The female alien we battled in Scotland stands with the one Banner and Stark fought earlier, and she tests her weapon against the shield, making it crackle.

"Where's your other friend?" Natasha asks innocently.

"You will pay for his life with yours," the alien replies. "Thanos will have that Stone."

"That's not gonna happen," the Captain says.

"You are in Wakanda now," T'Challa tells. "Thanos will have nothing but dust and blood."

"We have blood to spare," she growls, and raises her sword above her head.

The ships begin to rise, their doors opening and the shouts and roars of more aliens scream from inside. The four of us glare at the two beings in front of us, then make our way back to the line of defence.

"They surrender?" Bucky asks his Captain.

"Not exactly," he replies.

T'Challa begins his war cry, his army shouting their response to him and beating their weapons on the ground. The trees begin to shake out past the shield, and soon an entire onslaught of aliens tears out of the branches, hundreds making their way toward us.

"What the hell?" Bucky states, eyes a little wide at the image.

It's then I realize him and I have yet to go up against non-human forces, besides the brief bout I had with the two in Scotland. But this is a whole other can of worms. Or, aliens.

I reach past Natasha and the Captain, nudging his metal arm. "Hey, you and me haven't had our intergalactic enemy cherry popped yet. You aren't the only one."

He gives me an amused smile. "Thank God I'm not the only one. For these guys it's just another nine-to-five." He motions to the two heroes between us.

Natasha sighs next to me, fists clenching. "Looks like we pissed her off."

"People make more mistakes when they're angry," I assure.

"You realize what's wrong with that sentence, right?"

"Let's hope aliens are interchangeable with that first part."

The space army smashes up against the shield, squeezing past each other and clawing at the forcefield. Many of them drop from electrocution, others have limbs chopped off from the power.