Lost Our Minds |5| The Ascension

Chapter Thirty-Five: The Beginning of the End

"How we looking, Bruce?" Natasha asked as they rode to the front line in Wakandan carriers.

"Yeah, I think I'm getting the hang of it," he replied, running alongside in the Hulkbuster armour. "Wow! It's like being the Hulk without actually—" He tripped on a rock, crashing to the ground. "I'm okay! I'm okay."

"I've got two heat signatures breaking through the tree line," McKenzie reported, scanning the edge of the dome with her visor. "Thanos' underlings."

The carriers turned sharply, tilting to allow their occupants to disembark. The warriors of Wakanda joined with the Jabari and the Avengers in the middle of the battlefield.

"Thank you for standing with us," T'Challa said, clasping M'Baku's wrist.

He nodded. "Of course, brother."

A loud crashing made them turn, seeing dozens of huge circular ships gouging deep into the soil of the Wakandan forest. At the edge of the dome, Proxima Midnight drew her sword across the barrier, testing its strength. Beside her, a huge, hulking figure growled.

"Huh." Zoë glanced across at Steve and T'Challa. "Shall we go and meet the neighbours?" They headed toward the barrier. As they drew close enough to be heard, Zoë arched her eyebrow at Proxima Midnight. "Where's your other friend?"

Proxima Midnight hissed ferociously. "You will pay for his life with yours. Thanos will have that stone."

"That's not gonna happen," Steve told her bluntly.

"You are in Wakanda now," T'Challa agreed. "Thanos will have nothing but dust and blood."

"We have blood to spare." Proxima Midnight raised her sword high, and the ships behind her opened, releasing hundreds of snarling creatures—Thanos' Outriders. As their numbers swelled, the three Avengers returned to the rest of their forces.

"Did they surrender?" the Doctor asked sarcastically.

Steve tilted his head. "Not exactly."

T'Challa led the Wakandans in a war cry as the Outriders swarmed towards the barrier, thousands of them snapping and snarling and clawing at the defences.

Bucky stared, eyes wide at the sheer number of them. "What the hell..."

"Looks like we pissed them off," Natasha joked, eyeing their ferocity with unease. She readied her quarterstaff, sinking into a fighting stance.

Beside her, McKenzie sighed, running a hand through her cropped hair. "I should have napped while I had the chance."

"They're killing themselves," Izaiah realised, his eyes wide. The Outriders were relentlessly straining at the barrier, trying to break through. Most of them only managed to get halfway through before the barrier bisected them, and there was a steadily growing pile of disfigured corpses at the base of the barrier.

As a few Outriders managed to breach the barrier intact, the Border Tribe took a knee, raising their shields. Behind them, the Kingsguard levelled their sonic spears. Bucky joined them, raising his M-249 machine gun, and they fired on T'Challa's command.

Sam swooped overhead, sending multiple Redwings down into the fray as he, too, fired on the Outriders. "You seen the teeth on these things?"

"Alright, back up, Sam," Rhodey called, flying towards the heaviest concentration of Outriders. "You're gonna get your wings singed." He dropped a barrage of mines on them, making a crater.

Pietro's eyes widened as he saw some of the Outriders skirting the edge of the barrier, looking for a second entrance. "If these things circle the perimeter and get in behind us, then Wanda's the only thing standing between them and Vision," he pointed out.