Bucky had decided to spend some extra time in New York after the wedding. He'd only spent a day at the compound when he'd come in December and he figured he could use a little time with his friends. So he, Steve and Nat sat at the compound catching up when Steve's phone chimed.
Steve's face went stony as he read the message and Bucky and Nat sat up, immediately taking notice.
"What's up?" Nat asked.
"I'm not sure," Steve slid the phone back in his pocket and stood. "Tony just said we need to get Vision to the compound as soon as possible."
"We taking the jet?" Bucky asked, standing as well.
"I'm driving." Nat brushed past the super soldiers headed for the hangar.
-
Wanda and Vision had been working on their bathroom remodel all day. They'd had a nice break when they went to New York but they had come home the next morning knowing they had a lot more work to do on their home. Which is why their phones went unanswered on the kitchen counter.
A sudden crash filled the small space of the bathroom as Vision dropped the trowel he'd been using to put up tile.
Wanda stood and rushed toward him. "Is it the stone again?"
"Yes," he dropped his hand from the stone as the sharp pounding faded. "It's like it's trying to talk to me."
"What's it saying?" Wanda asked, taking his face in her hands.
"I don't know, but something." He winced as the stone started glowing and the pounding started again and he moved her hand over it. "Tell me what you feel."
Wanda focused for a moment, her power connecting with the stone that gave it to her. "I just feel you."
A humming started in the air and they both turned to look out the small window to see a ship in the sky above Westview.
-
Pietro set Annie down in the main floor of the compound and she felt like she was going to puke. The room was spinning and the ground beneath her feet felt like it was sinking.
"I'm sorry, Солнышко" Pietro held her steady as the nausea rolled over her. "I didn't exactly have time to warn you about that part."
"Oh gods, is it like that for you every time?" Her voice was muffled as she pressed her face into his chest.
"Not anymore," he stepped back. "Call Alex, I'm going to find the others."
A little while later Annie still stood leaning against the island on the phone with Alex, Pietro Bruce and Rhodey each on their own phones trying to contact the others when they saw the quinjet come into view through the wall of windows.
The group came filing out the doors, Annie still on her phone trying to figure out how to get Sam and Alex back to New York, as the jet opened revealing Steve and Nat walking down the runway with Wanda and Bucky behind them supporting an injured vision.
Pietro ran to help his sister as Rhodey spoke. "What the hell happened to you guys?"
"Children of Thanos," Steve replied. "Not entirely sure who that is but they were very chatty for people trying to kill Vision. Does anyone know where Tony is?"
A sparking circle began to form on the yard and everyone but Pietro and Annie readied to fight as Wong and Valkyrie stepped through looking beaten.
"Stark and Strange have been taken, they have the time stone." Valkyrie said, moving swiftly towards them.
"Who the hell are you?" Nat's voice was sharp and Annie could see her reaching for a baton at her hip.
"They're fine!" Annie ran between the two groups, free hand raised. "We got attacked too and they were helping Tony while Piet brought me here and got help."
Steve stepped forward. "I think we all need to get on the same page, is that Sam?" he nodded to Annie's phone still pressed to her ear.
"Alex." She said with a nod.
"Tell them to get ready, we need all hands on deck as fast as possible. You," He jerked his chin to Wong. "Can you make that portal thing work anywhere?"
They all gathered in the compound, Annie biting at her nails between Pietro and Alex, who safely and quickly arrived with Sam thanks to Wong, as everyone told their version of events out loud.
"So we gotta assume they're coming back, right?" Rhodey stood in the middle of the room, arms crossed over his chest.
"And they can clearly find us." Wanda, in a similar stance, stated.
"Look," Valkyrie, sitting with her elbow on her knees, spoke up. "Thanos has the biggest army in the universe and he is not going to stop until he gets all the stones, including the one in your friend's head."
Nat took a few steps toward the center of the room. "Then we have to protect it."
"No," Vision interrupted. "We have to destroy it."
The room fell silent as Vision explained his theory to destroy the stone and tears began to well in Annie's eyes as she understood what he meant, what he was asking Wanda to do.
Wanda, distraught, walked away from Vision. "Thanos threatens half the universe. One life should not stand in the way of defeating him."
Annie nudged Pietro's leg, indicating he should go comfort his sister as Steve, who had been silent until now, spoke.
"But it should," his words were a hard line. One he looked around the room, daring anyone to cross. "We don't trade lives, Vision."
There was more back and forth among the group about morality versus justification as Annie sat silently, fiddling with the silver ring on her left hand that she hadn't even had the time to grow accustomed to wearing, knowing what the people in this room would decide. They would do everything in their power to try and save Vision and that meant there was bound to be another fight.
"Can we do that?" Nat's question snapped Annie's attention back to the present.
Bruce shook his head. "Not me, not here."
"Well we need to find someone and somewhere fast," Rhodey pushed. "Time is of the essence here."
"I know somewhere." Bucky stood from his seat in the corner.
