The Liberty War || Infinity War & Endgame

Chapter Twenty: Heroes' Shoulders

Music is "Vagabond" by Tommee Profitt feat. FJORA.

Picture is Tatiana Maslany as Emma Barnes.

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CHAPTER TWENTY: Heroes' Shoulders

Steve answers the phone without hesitation. "Tony?" He pauses, a look of confusion covering his face. "Bruce? What--How are you here?"

"Bruce?" I ask in shock. "Bruce Banner?" No one has seen or heard from Bruce Banner since the events of Ultron, a battle that I was still in an immortality coma for.

Steve gives me a single nod of confirmation. "What's going on--Where's Tony?" Another pause, and all the color drains from his face. "Who the hell is Thanos?"

As he listens, Bucky runs into the Quinjet with an equally concerned look on his face. "What's happened?" I ask, fearing the worst.

Bucky turns on one of the holoscreens in the Quinjet, flipping to any given news channel without a word. What I see unfolding is a disaster zone. New York, primarily Queens and Brooklyn, being destroyed by a circular craft. It's absolutely enormous, stretching far into the sky like a skyscraper on the other side of the river. It spins like a wheel, tearing up the buildings and streets in its path.

I put one hand over my mouth in shock and the other on Bucky's shoulder for stability. "Oh my god," I mutter.

The news reel shifts to recordings of the Iron-Man and Spider-Man fighting with some sort of scarlet-caped magician in the streets of Greenwich Village. They're going up against two distinct aliens: one is thin and has the obvious skills of telekinesis, while the other is large and bulky with a mace-like weapon.

"Thanos was behind New York?"

I turn sharply towards Steve with horror on my face. New York was the first battle we fought with the Avengers, the one against Loki and his space army. Tony always said that someone else was behind Loki, that someone else gave him that army, that someone else owned the base Tony blew up on the other side of that wormhole. If this Thanos is who I think he is, we are all in very big trouble.

"Tony did what?" Steve exclaims, accentuating the last word. He turns from the call to the screen, watching with Bucky and I.

The circular spaceship lifts from the ground, moving to leave the planet. In a very tiny frame from a helicopter news camera, I see the shapes of both Spider-Man and Iron-Man leaving with it.

"By George, Tony's on that bloody thing."

Both Bucky and I turn to Steve. "What do we do?" Bucky whispers.

Steve's gaze hardens, and he starts speaking to Bruce. "Are you at the base, Bruce?" He waits for a response. "Good. Work with Rhodey and track Vision's stone signature. Give me a location. I'm going after him, and I know he'll be with Wanda. We'll secure them both and bring them to you." As Steve waits for Bruce to give him Vision's location, he turns to Bucky and I. "Get Natasha and Sam. We're heading out."

Bucky stands. "I'm coming with you."

I scoff, "No, you're not." I push past him, leaving the Quinjet in a hurry to find Natasha and Sam.

Bucky follows closely behind me. "Emma, someone has to go with Steve. I don't trust him when he's like this and I trust the Avengers even less."

I continue my quick pace, moving towards the palace where I know Natasha and Sam will be. "He has our friends. He'll be safe, Bucky, but we aren't going."

Bucky walks in front of me and paces backwards, looking me in the eye. "Did you not see the giant flying donut that just took out half of Brooklyn and Queens? He might be goin' up against that, and you still want him to have, what, two others as backup?"