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CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX The A-Team
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GIVEN THE VASTNESS OF the universe, it didn't take nearly as long as Cecelia expected before they arrived at their destination (which seemed to be a common occurrence, today). In fact, it was only a few hours after Mr. Stark and Doctor Strange had sat her and Peter down and explained everything about Thanos—the one that had truly been behind the attack on New York in 2012—and the Infinity Stones. During that time, Cecelia had been curled up with her back against the wall, trying to breathe through the piercing waves of anxiety that seized her chest. It was truly settling in now just how big of a situation she and Peter had gotten themselves in. This Thanos—an alien set on collecting all six Infinity Stones, one of which Doctor Strange was toting around, and wiping out half of the universe—had more power than Cecelia could ever comprehend. It would take a straight-up miracle for them to ever even get close to beating him.
But they would have to.
So Cecelia sat there, with nothing but the clothes on her back, and forced herself to take deep breaths. Peter had been beside her at first, but then boredom had overtaken him, and he'd settled for walking up and down the walls. Doctor Strange—who Cecelia certainly wasn't a fan of, given his apparent willingness to let her, Peter, and Mr. Stark die, along with his grumpy demeanour that nearly mirrored her own—kept his eyes glued to the window, occasionally muttering to himself, and Mr. Stark paced so much it was a wonder he wasn't wearing a hole into the ground.
But then, abruptly, a planet came into being outside the window, and the ship hurtled its way toward it. When it started dipping, entering the atmosphere, Cecelia got to her feet. Rocky terrain and strange structures she'd never seen before came into view, growing larger and larger as they approached. Peter, rocked by the movement, leaped onto the ground and asked, "Hey, what's going on?"
"I think we're here," Doctor Strange said.
"I don't think this rig has a self-park function," Mr. Stark pointed out. "Get your hand inside the steering gimbal. Close those around it. You got it?"
"Yep, got it," said Peter, copying Mr. Stark's instructions. Cecelia stood behind him, ready to step in if needed, but it appeared that this was a two-person job. Well, a two-person job for people their size.
"This was meant for one big guy, so we gotta move at the same time," Mr. Stark said, confirming her suspicions.
"Okay, okay. Ready?" Peter asked, preparing himself. As the ship approached one of the structures, his eyes widened. "We might, uh, wanna turn. Turn! Turn! Turn!"
Mr. Stark flipped his helmet down and Cecelia latched onto Peter's arm, trying not to let herself be knocked about. "Keep going!" she instructed. "Come on, Peter, this way!"
