War

Chapter 22

Banner's scream woke her up. Raptor looked down at Pietro and shifted carefully to her feet as he stood up next to her. The three cyborgs chattered nervously, their heads tilting as they stared upward. A bad feeling washed through her and she motioned for Pietro to stay close, unsure if he'd need shielded or help escaping.

Danger. The warning message they sent was simultaneous with a large boom as something fired down at the building.

Several other attacks hit and the building began crumbling down around them. Terror gripped her, telling her to run and escape as fast as she could. However, doing so would mean leaving Pietro to get out on his own. Given his limp, she wasn't sure he'd be able to run fast enough.

The ground under them crumbled as the building was demolished. Raptor shoved Pietro towards the other three as the floor opened up under her feet. Protect him.

The rubble falling sounded like thunder. Pebbles clattered around her and the clouds of dust made her cough and sneeze. Eventually, everything seemed to settle. She shook the dirt off and looked up from the cramped sewer. The way out was blocked.

A cawing crying for help reached her ears and Raptor stiffly made her way in the direction it came from. Omega cried out again, this time sending her a cry through the chip as well. Alpha, help!

She found him pinned to the ground, his tail and a leg stuck under a large chunk of the floor. His robotic eye was no longer glowing but in the dim lighting she decided his normal eye was fine. The other two stopped circling and nudging at their fallen sibling as she approached.

Dig him out. She'd barely given the command before Sigma and Delta got to work, their focus completely turning to Omega.

Raptor would've tried to help them too if it weren't for what Banner had told her. "Doesn't seem like taking it easy is going to happen just yet though... What happened?"

"Are you okay?" Pietro spoke up as he got closer. "I thought you had been buried."

"Oh, I thought I would be." She shifted into her human form and tried to reassure him despite the wave of nausea the change in forms caused. "Wasn't that big of a drop for me, just bruises."

A growl rose from Sigma with Delta quickly following suit as they stared down the tunnel. Raptor tensed as the sound of something coming towards them and Pietro protectively wrapped an arm around her.

"Pietro, no offense, but you're not in any shape to fight."

"Neither are you. You are hurt and sick."

Raptor mentally beratted herself for once again not telling him when she'd had a chance. "I'm not sick I... I'm... Uh, I'm pregnant."

"What?" He'd obviously heard her but, just like when she'd found out, didn't seem to immediately believe it.

The outriders were starting to become distinguishable from the darkness.

Pietro pressed closer, his hands tangling in her hair momentarily before he pulled away. "I will help hold them off-"

"You'll die!"

"If it means keeping you safe, then yes."

He moved out of reach before she could stop him, though his speed was far from the blur he usually was.

Delta, stop him. Raptor couldn't watch him die just to save her. Get him out of here.

The look on Pietro's face as Delta knocked him down and began dragging him away sent a pang of guilt through her chest. However, she didn't change her order. Omega screeched as he finally pulled free and got to his feet, blood dripping down his scales from the sharp rubble.

Kill them. Sigma and Omega turned their focus on the outriders. The grotesque aliens were practically on top of them now.

She wanted to help them fight. Raptor knew the two of them alone couldn't fight all of them for long. But she couldn't. Pietro was right, she couldn't just dive into battle in her condition. Raptor gave the two a saddened look before turning and running after Delta.

Miraculously, the tunnel brightened and she soon found herself outside. On the downside, a full blown war was going on around her between Thanos' legions and... everyone they'd lost in the snap. They'd done it. The victory was short lived given the situation but maybe now they stood a chance in this second shot!

"Pietro?" Her shout was lost in the fighting as she looked around, trying to locate him- or rather the giant raptor with him.

A burst of red magic drew her attention and she relaxed at the sight of him standing next to Wanda as she fought off the alien army. Delta aided nearby before Raptor ordered him to help his siblings, hoping she wasn't dooming all three. Skirting around as best she could, she gradually began making her way over to them.

Pietro turned to face her as she got closer before tensing and putting on a burst of speed. If it hadn't been for his half healed injuries he would've gotten there in time.

Raptor had realized the danger the moment he'd given her that look. She spun around, shifting as she went; too fast. Pain shot through her as she pushed herself to fully shift at her normal speed. It was all she could do to duck away enough to protect her stomach from the attack as she crashed to the ground. Her ribs weren't so lucky. She lashed out at the creature as it came in for another shot. Its blood stained her claws but it was Pietro who finished it off.

"No, no, no..." He knelt down next to her, his breathing harsh from pushing himself to help in the battle. Some of his own injuries had reopened, bleeding through his clothes in places.

A menacing snarl escaped as he laid a hand on the uninjured portion of her side. The aggression wasn't aimed at him, but the pain that fueled it was worsened even at the gentle touch. Her insides felt like they were torn apart; she couldn't even register the pain from the actual wound to her ribcage.

"Wanda!" Pietro called for his sister before looking back down at Raptor.

Blood from the torn stitches above her eye dripped down her face and she shook her head weakly to clear her vision. Her pack was coming to her side. Their calls jumbling in her head as they got closer and tried to form a defensive circle around the two. Raptor shifted uncomfortably and let her head drop to the ground.