The Life of Veronica Stark

Chapter 25

Roni's POV:

Thanos emerges from the portal. Five of the six physical Infinity Stones rest on a gauntlet on his arm. Everyone turns to look at the purple Titan, everyone in a fighting stance. 'That's him.' Dahlia tells me. 'No shit.' I reply snakily. "Cap, that's him." Bruce says.

Steve activates the gauntlets he's been using. "Eyes up, stay sharp." He says. We all rush him. Bruce is the first to reach him, but uses the Space Stone to send him though Thanos himself and into a wall, locking him in place. Cap is next, but he is tossed to the side.

T'Challa is then thrown on the ground and Sam is plucked from the sky. Rhodey is crushed inside his suit and falls, James, Okoye and Nat are all thrown back. That leaves me. "I knew you would show up soon enough Dahlia. Find another weak vessel?" He asks me.

James looks at me with worry and pain in his face. 'It's time.' I tell Dahlia. 'I'm with you.' "I'm not as breakable as you think. I may be weaker, but our will is greater than yours." I sneer up at the giant.

"I think not, but I need the Mind Stone. Give it to me now and no one else has to get hurt. Or better yet, surrender yourself and I will leave the stone is your friend's head." He says. "I can't do that." I say. "Very well." With that he sends the Space Stone's power at me. I easily block it.

"My turn." I lift off the ground, knowing my eyes are glowing white, then, with everything in me I send the power of the stone and my personal power at the Titan. The pain in excruciating, but I continue to give everything I have.

I see all of the stones light up on the gauntlet trying to hold my power back, but, slowly, I start to inch forward, winning the battle. Then, I am knocked back by the Mind Stone exploding, breaking my concentration. I fly back, landing next to James.

When I look up I see Wanda, with an utter look of pain on her face, talking to Thanos. Then the Time Stone lights up and I feel myself going back. Being distracted, I am quickly bat away from Thanos and he takes the Mind Stone from Vision who turns grey and falls the ground.

He then places it in the gauntlet and power lights up his arm. Then he sends the stones' power at something, but Thor's axe breaks through the magic and embeds itself in Thanos chest. "I told you, you would die for that." Thor glares. "You should have gone for the head."

With that Thanos snaps his fingers and everything turns white. When everything clears we all look horrified at the purple Titan. "What did you do? What did you do!?" Thor yells but Thanos then portals away. "Roni? Steve?" I hear James say from beside me.

I turn to him and grab him as he falls, but before the two of us reach the ground he turns to dust. I eyes widen in horror as I kneel there on the ground. Tears well in my eyes. Around me people start to disappear. Sam, T'Challa, the tree, but then I see Wanda start to fade.

"Wanda!" I scream, rushing to her side just as she disappears. I collapse on my butt, tears streaming down my face. Then I feel something inside me and I know I'm not going to be seeing another day. "S-steve." I mutter, clutching my chest, but something doesn't feel right.

"Roni, no." Steve says as him Nat rush to my side. Then, without any warning, the most excruciating pain I have ever felt in my life goes through me. I scream in pain before blacking out. I wake up in the same white area where I met Dahlia. There she is standing in front of me.

"What is going on?" I ask her. "I can only talk to a few seconds so I'm going to make this short. You and I are part of the Universe as one. One of us has to go and you were chosen, but, with my power, I was not able to stop it, but I was able to take your place." She explains.

"No, no. Let me go, I'm useless. You are our only change against Thanos. I was just a vessel, I have nothing left for me." I tell her, tears coming to my eyes. Doesn't she know that I've already made peace with myself?

"Oh Veronica, you are so much more than you think and you are going to do so many great things. You did great things without me. You will continue to do great things. You just have to believe in yourself. You are so much more than your powers." She says. "Please." I sob.

"Goodbye Veronica. I hope to see you again." With that everything goes black. I gasp, sitting bolt upright in the same place I blacked out in. Steve, Nat, Thor, Bruce, Okoye, Rhodey, and the raccoon are standing around me looking worriedly. "What happened?" Steve asks.

"She's gone. She sacrificed herself for me." I sob, pulling Steve into a much needed hug. "Who?" Rhodey asks. "Dahlia." I cry. "Who the hell is Dahlia?" The raccoon asks. "The Cosmic Infinity Stone that found me to help defeat Thanos. One of us had to be dusted so she took my place."

The others look at the ground. Where do we go from here?