The Dark Antihero | Avengers: Endgame [6]

Chapter 20

Thor used Stormbreaker and Mjolnir to hold Thanos back, Steve jumping on Thanos' back and grabbing his neck, but Thanos threw them both off. Bright light took a shot at him and fared pretty well until Thanos used the power stone to send her flying back. The black figure charged at Thanos, grabbing the gauntlet before Thanos could snap his fingers again. Thanos shoved her off and raised his hand again. "I am inevitable," He sneered and snapped his fingers.

But nothing happened. In shock, he looked at the gauntlet, to see that the stones were missing. The stones made their way into the glove of the girl's suit, settling into place. Bright colors flooded her veins, and I could see her face. It was bloodied, her hair was messy and tangled, but her eyes glinted with determination. She raised her hand, struggling to hold back the power of the stones.

"You're right. Snakebite can't stop you. But I can," Her fingers snapped. Bright light flooded from the glove, the army turning to dust as we had but a few hours ago. I stared at the spectacle, watching as Thanos sat down on a rock before fading to dust. In the corner of my eye, I saw the girl staggering over to a piece of wreckage and leaning against it. A woman ran to her side, crouching next to her.

Even though she was far away, I could still hear everything. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "No. No. Don't be," she said. The girl in green and gray approached next. Her mask faded away, revealing tears in her eyes. She looked heartbroken. 

"Miss Barton? Hey, Miss Barton? Can you hear me?" the woman, Ellie, nodded slightly. "It's Misha. We won. We won, Miss Barton. We won, Miss Barton. We won, you did it, ma'am, you did it. I'm sorry. Ellie," Ellie reached out, taking her hand gently. "It's alright, Misha. Everything is going to be okay," tears streamed down the girl's face, the woman pulling her back as a man with a bow approached. "Hey, dad," she whispered. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

"No, no, no. Y-You're gonna be alright," he said, and she smiled slightly. "It's okay. It's okay," she looked like she was in immense pain, like her very veins were burning. "I'll tell her we won," she whispered.

Softly, Ellie smiled and closed her eyes, going limp. I took a soft, shaky breath as he brushed her hair to the side and softly kissed her cheek. Sobbing quietly, he laid his head on her shoulder. My mind was spinning with words. She just gave up her life for the rest of us.

I remembered an old Asgardian tradition I had read about. It was tradition to kneel for a fallen warrior as a sign of respect. I took a knee, bowing my head in respect. T'Challa glanced back at me, before repeating my movement. Danvers did the same.

Star-Lord, Yanvi, Nebula, Val, Kyrie, Scott, Steve, Thor, Wanda, Sam, Bucky, Shuri, Okoye, Drax, Mantis, Hope, Wong, Aya, Ch'tasi, M'Baku, M'ahni, Misha, Strange. Gods and Kings knelt for the hero. The young and the old, the strong and the weak, the friends and the strangers. They all knelt for the young life sacrificed. Danvers was the first to rise, and we all followed suit.

Gently, Clint picked Ellie up, carrying her like she would break if he dropped her. I couldn't imagine what was going through his head right now. Silently, as to not disturb everyone's grief, I made my way over to my father's body. When I reached him, my mask broke. Fat tears poured down my face, one after the other.

He was still alive. "Dad?" I croaked, my voice broken. "Tanya. I'm sorry," He breathed. The light in his chest, the one connected to his heart, faded to black. I dropped to my knees, pain, and grief tearing at my heart.

"Tanya? What's going--" Steve asked from behind me, as a few people looked over. I buried my face in my hands, my shoulders shaking violently. He didn't have anything to say, he could only stare in shock. I gentled picked my father's body up, moving back towards the others. "We need to colle--" T'Challa started, cutting himself off as I approached.

"Colle? What does that mean?" Misha asked, not having caught on. Pepper looked over, before freezing in shock. "Oh my god," She whispered, everyone looking in my direction. I couldn't talk, my throat was closed from crying, but the tears were still coming. "Tony?" Pepper asked, distraught.

I could only nod.