Once Upon a December

14

WAKANDA

Shuri was working steadily to complete the Mind Stone's removal; Wanda stood by tensely.

---

The Kingsguard, Borderers and Jabari had little success going against Obsidian's chained hammer -- he either sent them flying or punched them into the ground. Black Panther got free of his other sorties, leapt and used all of his collected kinetic energy behind a punch that laid Obsidian flat.

Rocket, having found a clear spot, yelled, "Come and get some, space dogs!" Another wave of Outriders headed right for the raccoon. The Winter Soldier and Nessa, having come up behind Rocket, grabbed him with his arm, held him at arm's length and spun 540 degrees, firing his own M-249 at the same time while Lottie fired her machine gun. "Come on, get some, get some! Come on, get some!" The Winter Soldier dropped Rocket, who looked up at him with an impressed gleam. "How much for the gun?"

Bucky, snapping off another burst, retorted, "Not for sale."

He turned to Nessa. "How much for your gun?"

Nessa frowned. "No."

Rocket turned back to Bucky. "Okay, how much for the arm?" The Winter Soldier gave him a look and moved off. "Oh, I'll get that arm." Nessa followed after her husban.

The tides of the battle caused Thor, using Stormbreaker to great effect, and Captain America together. They took a breather.

Steve, panting, asked, "New haircut?"

Thor grinned and replied, "Notice you've copied my beard."

Captain America nodded, wearily gesturing at his own face with a shield-covered hand. Groot skewered three Outriders with his right arm.

"By the way, this is a friend of mine. Tree." He gestured toward Groot with Stormbreaker.

Groot, in full battle snarl, yelled, "I am Groot!"

(You gonna help me or what?)

Steve, formally, but bemused, replied, "I am Steve Rogers."

In Shuri's lab, a deep rumbling could be heard. Wanda looked down on the battlefield and saw movement through the blazing forest between the troopships and the dome. The twins watched with concern. When the disturbance reached the edge of the trees, it turned into vast moving mounds of earth that easily bypassed the force field and emerge -- Threshers, sets of massive, motorized spiked wheels, intended for nothing more than shredding everything in their paths.

"Fall back!" T'Challa ordered. "Fall back now!"

Wanda watched as at least one set of Threshers separated into individual wheels and started veering all over the battlefield, then looked anxiously back at Vision.

"Focus that fire on the left flank, Sam," Rhodey instructed.

"I'm doing it," Sam said and the two fliers used their firepower to crack a Thresher, but couldn't find a weak spot.

Black Widow, with her escrima sticks and Okoye with her augmented spear, had drifted together when they were suddenly in the path of a Thresher. Both women cringed at their seemingly inevitable shredding when Scarlet Witch landed in front of both of them, eyes glowing red, lifting the whole Thresher well clear of the ground. Looking behind her, the friendly forces had scattered and replaced by a charging mob of Outriders -- the perfect place to throw a Thresher. Black Widow straightened with a pleased smile, Okoye with an amazed look.

Okoye in a slightly indignant tone, asked, "Why was she up there all this time?"

The Children of Thanos helped answer the question.