The Power of Words

V: choosing sides (or choosing self)

The sound of hundreds of gunshots raining throughout the forest caused Antiope to curl into Druig's side as they stood waiting for the others in the distance. She tried not to show her weakness as soft tears streamed down her face, but she knew she had failed at hiding them when she felt Phastos' hand on her shoulder from behind. Druig pulled her in tighter and placed gentle kisses to her head to help ease her stress and sadness. 

"I'm so sorry, my love. It will all be over soon. I promise." 

"Don't make promises you can't keep, Dru." 

Antiope felt Druig tense at her words, but he remained silent nevertheless. Antiope wrapped her arms around him tighter, knowing that he was just as bothered by the war waging on in front of them as she was. 

"Where are the others?" 

Antiope pulled herself away from Druig as she looked to Makkari and Thena who were the first to return from their own battle with the Deviants. 

"We had to split up." 

"There were more Deviants than you said." 

"Well, I'm sure that was a lot of fun for you." 

"It was." 

"Once the others have killed these last Deviants, we'll have eliminated them all from the planet." 

Forced to continue waiting for the others, Makkari walked over to Antiope to take her from Druig's arms for a moment which Antiope gladly accepted. She felt Makkari gently stroke her hair for a moment before pulling back so she could speak to her in private. 

"Stay strong." 

"I don't know how much more I can take, Mak. We've been with these people for the last 300 years, and we're just supposed to let them be killed? Everything we've helped them build is going to be destroyed." 

"I know. But we can't interfere. Arishem has a higher plan for them. He must." 

"But what if he doesn't, Mak? What if--" 

Antiope paused as she felt a certain pulse of vibrations travel through her. She immediately recognized that they weren't her own, and turned to Druig who stood a ways off, facing the soldiers who were drawing closer and closer as the innocents ran for refuge in the midst of the forest. In being together for nearly 3,000 years, Antiope had come to recognize the feeling of the others when they were about to use their powers, but Druig's frequency was of course more distinct than the rest.

"Don't. We don't interfere in their wars." 

"This isn't war. It's genocide. Genocide of people we know and love. People we've watched grow up for centuries. Farmers and artisans Sersi has worked with. Warriors who Gilgamesh and Thena have trained. Children who Antiope helped raise. But their weapons have grown too deadly. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea in helping them advance, Phastos." 

"Technology is a part of their evolutionary process, Druig. It's not something I can stop." 

"No, but I can." 

"STOP!" 

The force of Antiope's vibration shook the ground beneath their feet and sent the other Eternals into immediate silence. All eyes turned to Antiope as her breathing labored and she no longer tried to hide the sadness seeping from her eyes. 

"It is bad enough that we have to watch the people we love being slaughtered. Are we really going to start fighting amongst ourselves as well?" 

No one seemed to have a good response to Antiope's outburst, but Druig was quick to return to her side and place a firm kiss to her head.