The Liberty War || Infinity War & Endgame

Chapter Thirty-Three: Do Not Go Gentle

Picture is Tatiana Maslany as Emma Barnes.

Music is "Infections Of A Different Kind" by AURORA.

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CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE: Do Not Go Gentle

There comes a moment when Steve is speaking when my emotions get the best of me. My breathing labors and my vision blurs. I turn quickly towards the exit, muttering something semi-coherent about needing a moment. My feet take me towards the back exit by memory, and I find myself pacing towards the uniform room in the rain. It's a small building not too far from the main compound, but we keep it separate but close in case of emergencies.

When I get to the entrance, my hair and clothes are soaked through. I can't find it in me to care. I use my fingerprints to get inside. Half of me is surprised that my access codes are still inside.

My eyes burn as the wind and rain kick up the dust from a room that hasn't been touched in years. Half of the Avengers uniforms are missing, some due the fact that they disappeared while wearing them. Others are probably closer, such as inside the members dormitories. There's no need to keep a handful of uniforms in a building as big as this.

In the corner of my eye, I spot two familiar objects. They're my old hover-boots, the ones that Tony made especially for me. They're just as I remember, black and sleek, with a blue stripe down the soles. I fought plenty of battles wearing these, even some against their creator. While I wore a pair to the fight in Wakanda, those were destroyed when I returned. They were nothing but hunks of metal that had to be pried from my feet.

Without thinking too hard about it, I grab the pair of hover-boots and slip them on. They hum to life, and I turn back towards the open door. The rain is heavier now, picking up even in the last few seconds. The torrents blast my dark hair against my face as I step through the doorway, and the hover-boots rev as I leap up into the storm.

I never wanted this. I never wanted to be the only survivor of a war lost on the grandest of scales. Not again. Never again. I hated it when the world looked to me for answers, because I didn't have them. But what's even worse than that? Having the whole world giving up on discovering them. I have learned that a few extra years doesn't give one any further clarity. I'm learning just as fast as anyone else.

Our futures are dependent on what we see in life, not what happens to us in life. The questions we ask determine what we see. The human race has always been a curious one, and I never thought I'd see the day when they rolled over and surrendered. The most spectacular question ever asked to man is "Why?" What becomes of us when we stop looking for the reasons in everything and start letting the future come at us with full force? Have we truly lost what it means to be human?

Up in the storm with the wind batting me around, I've never felt more alive. Wind and rain pummel down on me, but I push back and force the hover-boots to take me higher into the dark clouds. Tony once told me the specs of what they could take, and I know I'm pushing it, but it's hard to find a reason to care. They're gone. Everyone is gone. The whole bloody world has given up and moved on, even the Avengers.

Everyone has moved on except for me.

The hover-boots spark out, flickering into a sudden death. Without their propulsion, gravity has taken hold of my body again. It begins to drag me down, and when I turn and look towards the Earth, I see just how far I've risen. And then my heart sinks. A ten story fall would kill anyone.

Except me.

I close my eyes and prepare for the impact. While I didn't mean to let this happen, what could be so bad about letting my body hit that ground and crush into a thousand pieces? I'll come back. I always do. Less than forty-eight hours have passed since my return to this world, and I'm eager for sleep. Maybe...just maybe...