Agent Mikaelson

Chapter 2: One Last Time

Hope's POV:

I stand by an anxious Wanda as Shuri starts to examine the stone in Vision's head. I am continuously sending calming waves of energy towards the girl, but it doesn't appear to be helping. "The structure is polymorphic." She states as she examines a hologram of the stone.

"Right, we had to attach each neuron non-sequentially." Bruce explains. "Why didn't you just reprogram the synopsis to work collectively." The scientist seems to be shocked at her questions. "Because...we didn't think of it?" "I'm sure you did your best?" "Can you do it?" 

Wanda's voice is soft and almost broken sounding as she stares at the girl in front of her. "Yes, but there are more than two trillion neurons here. One misalignment could cause a cascade of circuit failures." She explains. She turns to T'Challa. "It will take time brother." 

"How long?" Steve asks. "As long as you can give me." Okoye's beads start chiming and she pulls up a hologram globe. "Something's entered the atmosphere." Right as she says this, Sam comes on the coms. "Hey Cap, we got a situation here." I glance at Steve and Nat. 

"I'll go down and get a closer look. Meet you on the landing pad." "Hope-" "I won't leave the border and I won't engage. It's just reconnaissance I promise." Steve and Nat exchange a look before nodding. I take off at vamp speed, reaching Sam, Rhodey, and Bucky's side quickly. 

"What are you doing down here?" Bucky asks as I scan the skies. Multiple giant towers break through the atmosphere, one heading for the barrier. It smashes on impact. I flinch at the sound. "God, I love this place." Bucky grins. I give a half hearted one back. I eye the other ships. 

"I'm going to get a closer look at those. Be right back." "HOPE WAIT-" I don't listen to Bucky as I speed off towards the boundaries. I reach them and narrow my eyes. I sniff the air and almost gag. Whatever is on those ships have a putrid smell. I can hear thousands of heartbeats.

They came for a fight. A full army ready to go. I have a feeling their army will have less reservations than our army. Sighing, I turn and speed back to the landing pad. Bucky glares, grabbing me and pulling me into a hug. "Don't ever do that again." I roll my eyes, pulling away. 

"It was just a scouting trip. I stayed within the boundary and I didn't even see a single alien." He continues to glare, but I can tell there's no malice behind his eyes. He was just worried. He doesn't like worrying about me just like I don't like worrying about him. 

Though, I can say, from the amount of heartbeats I heard...we better be ready for a fight. A long one at that. I feel a familiar feeling flood through me. The same one I felt in both New York and Sokovia before the battles. One of dread, knowing everyone might not make it out alive. 

I hate this feeling. It's haunted me for years. It always settles in the back of my mind, but whenever a big fight is coming up, it moves to my heart and stays there, even when all the fighting is done. Bucky must see my spaced out eyes because I feel his human hand grip mine. 

I look up at him. He pulls me off to the side to give us a bit of privacy from Rhodey and Sam. "Hey, what's going on in that head of yours?" He asks, a small smile on his face, his hands on my shoulders. I sigh. "You know what's going on in my head." He nods. 

"Yeah, I do. I'm not gonna tell you not to worry or to think on the bright side. This is probably the biggest battle you've been apart of. These things aren't something I know. These battles never leave you and I know you hold onto each and every one of them. I see it in your eyes everyday."

I sigh, closing my eyes and lean into his touch, placing my head on his chest. "I'm just so tired." His arms wrap securely around me, holding me to his chest as I cling to the front of his suit. "I'm so tired." I mumble again. His grip on me tightens as mine does on him. 

"I know." Is all he can say. I can feel Sam and Rhodey's worried eyes on me, but I don't care. I don't care that I'm supposed to be this force that doesn't feel fear, that charges head first into danger with a brave face for the ones she loves. 

I don't care that everyone is looking to Nat, Steve, and I to lead everyone against the oncoming invasion. I. Don't. Care. Not anymore. I just want to grab my friends and speed out of here, leaving the fight to someone else for once. But I can't leave Wakanda to its own devices. 

I can't let Vision die as collateral. I can piece Wanda back together if they win. I want to leave, but I can't. I can't abandon the people who took me and James in. I can't watch the world fall if I have the power to stop whatever's coming...and I do. I have the power. 

I've always had the power and I always justify my presence in the fight with the power. I remember what I told Wanda in Sokovia. 'I'm going to go out there because I chose a long time ago to use my gifts to fight for those who cannot fight for themselves.' 

I chose this life for myself a long time ago. I knew it back then, and I know it now. If I stand and watch when I can do something, I'll never forgive myself for what happens. Always questioning what could have happened. It's why I became an Avenger. It's why I fought in New York. 

It's why I've continued to fight. We stand there, soaking in each other's presence. Finding our peace in each other as we always have. "Are you ready for this?" His voice breaks me out of my thoughts. I look up at him. "Are you ready for this? Is your head in this?" He asks me. 

I hear the next question. 'Are you here to fight or die?' He would never ask me this out loud, but he knows I understand that this is his full question. If I'm not in this, then I need to be out of it. I don't know if alien weapons are the one thing that can kill me. 

Nature always has a balance, and maybe the reason I don't have one on earth is because it's from another planet. If I don't have my head in this, I could die and that'll distract those who care for me. With these things in mind, I pull myself together. I nod. "One last time Buck?"

He smiles down at me. "One last time Hope."