The Life of Veronica Stark

Chapter 28

Roni's POV:

Upon my brother's collapse Rhodey and I rush forward and carry him into the medical area where we lay him down and Bruce checks him over. "Bruce gave him a pretty strong sedative. He should be out for the rest of the day." Rhodey says.

"You guys take care of him and I'll bring a Missorian elixir when I come back." Carol says. "Where are you going?" Steve asks."To kill Thanos." She says casually, walking away. Steve, Nat, and I exchange looks before following her.

"Hey, you know, we usually work as a team here and between you and I, our moral is a little fragile." Nat says. "We realize up there is more your territory, but this is our fight too." Steve tells her. "You even know where he is?" Rhodey asks. "I know people who might." She tells us.

"Don't bother, I can tell you where Thanos is." The machine girl, Nebula I think, says. "Thanos spent a long time trying to perfect me. While he would work, he would talk about his great plan." I look at her in pity.

"Even disassembled I wanted to please him. I'd ask 'where would we go once his plan was complete. He always had the same answer. The Garden." She says. "That's cute, Thanos has a retirement plan." Rhodey says. "Where is he?" Steve says. Rocket pulls up a hologram planet.

"When Thanos snapped his fingers Earth became ground zero for a power serge of ridiculously powerful cosmic proportions. No one has seen anything like it. Until two days ago, on this planet." He explains, pulling up another planet. "Thanos is there." Nebula confirms.

"He used the stones again." Nat says. "Hey hey hey, we'd be going in short handed, you know." Bruce says. "Look, he still has the stones." Rhodey says. "So let's get him. Use them to bring everyone back." Carol says. "Just like that?" Rhodey asks. "Yeah, just like that." Steve confirms.

"Even if there is a small chance that we can undo this. I mean we owe it to everyone who's not in this room to try." Nat says. "How do we know that this won't end up the same as last time?" Bruce asks. "Because last time you didn't have me." Carol says.

"New girl, everybody in this room is about that superhero life. And if you don' mind my asking, where the hell have you been all this time?" Rhodey asks her. "There are a lot of other planets in the universe and unfortunately they didn't have you guys." She tells him.

Suddenly Thor stands from the table he's been sitting at this whole time and walks to stand in front of Carol. He holds out his arm and his axe flies into his hand, inches from her head. She doesn't flinch. "I like this one." He say. "Let's go get this son of a bitch." Steve says.

With those words we all race off to go get into our suits. I put the armor that Dahlia gave me on and pull my hair back. I stare at myself in the mirror. Bags are evident under my eyes. I'm pale, sickly. I take a shaky breath. This has to work.

I walk out of my room and join the others in boarding the space ship. Once we're strapped in we take off. Once we're in space Rocket turns to look at us. "Ok, who here hasn't been to space?" He asks. All of us except Bruce and Thor raise our hands.

"You better not throw up on my ship." Rocket quips before turning around. "Approaching jump!" Nebula calls out. "In three, two, one." With that we flung back into our seats by the speed of the ship. I keep my eyes straight ahead in hopes of not throwing up my empty stomach.

Then we come to a halt. Thank God for the seat belts. Carol flies out of the ship. "I'm gonna head down for recon." She says, flying to the planet below us. I'm standing with Steve and Nat while we wait for Carol to come back. Steve is looking at his picture of Peggy.

"This is gonna work Steve." Nat tells him. "I know, because I don't know what I'm gonna do if it doesn't." He says. Then Carol appears. "No satellites, no ships, no armies, no ground defenses of any kind. It's just him." Carol informs us. "Then that's enough." Nebula says.

Steve then lays out the plan. Carol will go in first, followed by Bruce in the Hulk Buster armor, then Rhodey. Then Thor will cut off his arm. Then Steve, Nat, Nebula, Rocket, and I will come in together. When all this unfolds we walk into Thanos groaning in pain.

I have the harshest glare on my face at the moment. Then I start to use my pain power on him. He yells out louder. "Roni." Steve says. I reluctantly stop. Rocket flips the unattached arm over to reveal no stones. "Where are they?" I snarl.

"Answer the question." Carol says, tightening her hold on his throat. "The universe required correction. After that, the stones serve no purpose beyond temptation." He snarled. "You murdered trillions!" Bruce yells, shoving him backwards.

I slowly feel my anger fading away into nothing, my whole body becoming numb. My mind going all over the place. "You should be grateful." Thanos snarls. "Where are the stones?" Nat asks. "I used the stones to destroy the stones." Thanos says. "LIAR!" I yell, tears welling in my eyes.

He can't be telling the truth. He just can't. "My father is many things, a liar is not one of them." Nebula says. My heart shatters at her words. "Ah, thank you daughter. Perhaps I treated you too harshly." He says. Then Thor swings his axe, chopping off Thanos' head.

"What did you do?" Rocket asks. "I went for the head." Thor says. Then he walks out of the hut. I follow quickly behind. "Ro-" "No Steve, I need to be alone." I say, opening a portal back to the complex in my room.

I then step through and close it behind me despite Steve and Nat calling out to me. I collapse on my bed, sobbing. They're all gone for good. I hear my door open. Pepper walks in. "Hey, when did you ge- what happened?" She asks.

"Thanos is dead, but he destroyed the stones. There's no hope." I sob. She rushes forward and engulfs me in a hug. "I'm so sorry." She says. "Don't be, you didn't do anything. I failed. I failed everyone. It's all my fault." I say. "Roni, that's not true." She says.

"Yes it is. Thank you Pepper. Is Tony still out?" I ask her. She nods. I sigh. "I'm leaving. I can't be here anymore. Don't try to look for me. "But Ro-." "Don't call me that Pep. I'm not who I used to be Pep. When I got back from Hydra I though I could still be Roni, but I can't. I'm not." I say.

"Veronica, listen. No one here blames you." She says. "I do. And until I can find a way to accept myself, I can't expect to any of you to accept me either. Please Pep, don't follow me and make sure Tony doesn't follow me either. She nods, tears welling up. With one last hug, she's gone.

I grab a duffle and throw some things into it. Clothes, hygiene, my sketch book, my hologram recorder. Everything important to me. I then write Tony a note and leave it on my freshly made bed in my newly empty room. I then open a portal to a random place on earth.

I realize that it's a farmhouse with land. It's vacant. I get to thinking and I realize that I don't even know if Clint or his family are even alive. I march into the house and look around. It's small, but perfect. One bedroom, one bathroom, a kitchen and a living room. There's also a shed out back.

Sighing I make my way to the bedroom and set my stuff on the bed. I feel a vibration from my bag and search through it, taking my phone out of my bag. I see several missed texts and calls from the others. They're all worried. I can't have them finding me.

I walk out of the house, still in my armor, phone in hand. I place it on the ground a couple hundred yards from the house. I then I let out all my pent up anger out. I scream and lighting hits the phone, disintegrating it immediately, but I'm not done.

I continue screaming, kneeling on the ground. The sky blackens, rain starts to fall, fire starts to swirl around me. Rocks and small trees are lifted up and put in tot he hurricane of elements I am making. Lighting is her too.

All my powers are going crazy, ravaging everything within ten feet of me. When I stop I let out a sob, then everything goes black.