Tour Guide | Steve Rogers ✓

Chapter Nineteen

Eventually, the Avengers that had gathered moved into yet another conference room to formulate a plan for the upcoming inevitable confrontation with Thanos and his army. 

"So we gotta assume they're coming back, right?" Rhodey said. 

"And they can clearly find us." Wanda continued.

"We need all hands on deck," Bruce said before his eyes briefly flickering around the room at everyone gathered. "Where's Clint?"

"After the whole Accords situation, he and Scott took a deal. It was too tough on their families, they're on house arrest."

"Who's Scott?" Bruce asked, still slightly confused with everyone that had happened in his absence. 

"Ant-Man," Aquila replied without missing a beat. 

"There's an Ant-Man and a Spider-Man?" Bruce asked in shock before shaking himself out of it and back to the situation at hand. 

"Okay, listen," Keira spoke up getting the room's attention. "Thanos has the biggest army in the universe and he is already the most powerful being in the universe. He's not going to stop until he gets Vision's Stone."

"Well then, we have to protect it."

"No, we have to destroy it. I've been giving a good deal of thought to this entity in my head, about its nature. But also, its composition. I think if it were exposed to a sufficiently powerful energy source, something, very similar to its own signature, perhaps. . . .its molecular integrity could fail."

"And you, with it," Wanda replied, turning to Vision, her face falling. "We're not having this conversation."

"Eliminating the stone is the only way to be certain that Thanos can't get it." Vision continued trying to reason with the situation. 

"That's too high a price," Wanda choked, emotion lacing her tone.  

"Only you have the power to pay it." Vision said to Wanda, cupping her face in his hands. "Thanos threatens half the Universe. One life cannot stand in the way of defeating him."

"But it should," Steve said, looking down to the floor. "We don't trade lives, Vision."

"Captain, 70 years ago, you laid down your life to save how many millions of people." Vision questioned taking a step forward towards Steve. "Tell me, why is this any different?"

Steve took a deep breath about to answer but Bruce spoke up before he had the chance.  

"Because you might have a choice. Your mind is made up of a complex construct of overlays. J. A. R. V. I. S., Ultron, Tony, me and the Stone. All of them mixed together. All of them learning from one another."

"You're saying Vision isn't just the stone?" Wanda clarified with slight hope that it could actually work. 

"He is saying that if we take out the stone, there's still a whole lot of Vision left. Perhaps even the best parts." Aquila interjected.

"Can we even do that?" Quinn chimed in, looking around the room.

"Not me. Not here." Bruce replied.

"You better find someone, and somewhere fast." Rhodey said. "Ross isn't exactly just gonna let you guys have your old rooms back."

Steve's eyes met with Quinn before she nodded her head slightly in response. 

"I know somewhere," Steve informed the team, as another person suddenly arrived in the room.  

"Parker's gone."

Quinn looked up slightly in shock to see a much older Bea Ross than Quinn had talked to on the couch at Clint's farmhouse three long years ago. 

"Yeah, I know. Tony is gone too." Keira replied to her younger sister.

"It's good to see you, Bea. You've grown up a lot." Aquila said to the youngest Ross sister voicing what Quinn was thinking.

"Thanks, Tequila. It's good to see you too." Bea replied as Quinn stifled her laughter. 

"You've been spending too much time with Tony."

"Or even just me in general." Keira teased Aquila. 

"We should all definitely be expecting a fight, so suit up. Five minutes and if you're not on the jet you'll be left behind." Steve interrupted giving the team their orders as they all scattered to suit up. 

Quinn Greene stood next to Steve as the Quinjet took off heading straight towards Wakanda. She stared out of the nearest window, watching as the ground shrunk further and further away. 

"You look like you're deep in thought." Steve said, shuffling to block Quinn's view of the window.

"Yeah, just thinking about how much everything has changed."

"What do you mean?" Steve asked, interlacing his fingers with Quinn's own. 

"Well, when I first met you I was someone who had just watched terrified as a near world-ending event occurred on a television screen and now I'm with those people who saved the world that day on the way to save the day from yet another world-ending event."

"Sounds like your life got a whole lot more interesting," Steve replied with a smile. 

"Well, it has since I met you," Quinn replied pulling the super-soldier into a tight embrace. 

"God, everything's such a mess now."

"It is, but as I've said many times before, we will work it out together, you guys have managed every time and this time I won't leave your side, it will all work out just fine."

"I love you," Steve muttered, his lips pressed against Quinn's hair. 

"I love you too. We are going to get through this." 

Quinn looked up at the Captain as he leaned forward, his eyes filled with love as always, scattering across every inch of her face before capturing her into a kiss, gentle at first, before becoming increasingly firmer as they both lost themselves slightly in the moment. 

Quinn couldn't help the smile crossing her face as their lips parted. "I'll be back," Steve muttered before heading towards the cockpit. 

Suddenly a happy squeal pierced that air causing Quinn to look over to where Aquila and Keira stood close together deep in conversation. At the look of complete joy on Keira's face, Quinn thought that she should go investigate something that Bea seemed to also be doing. 

"You sound happy, what was the squeal about?" Quinn asked, walking over towards them, Bea not too far behind her.

"Oh, nothing." Aquila brushed it off. "You lot ready to save the world again?"