Your Spirit Never Dies • Bucky Barnes

• Chapter Eighteen •

The team gathered into a room and surrounded the new finished gauntlet.

"Alright, the glove's ready." Rocket announced before looking up to the heroes who were all in their suits. "Question is, who's gonna snap their freaking fingers?"

"I'll do it." Thor said with a raised hand as he walked over to the gauntlet, Azar turning her head to look at him increduously.

"Excuse me?" She asked.

"It's okay." The god replied before everyone held him back to stop him from reaching for the glove.

"Wait, Thor, just wait." Steve said. "We haven't decided who's gonna put that on yet."

"I'm sorry." Thor responded as he looked at the super soldier. "What, we're just sitting around waiting for the right opportunity?"

"No." Azar said. "But we should at least discuss it before we do anything crazy."

Thor shook his head, waving her off. "No, sitting here and staring at that thing is not going to bring everybody back." He said. "I'm the strongest Avenger, okay? So this responsibility falls upon me. Its my duty."

"It's not about that-" "This is not your responsibility, Thor. It wasn't your fault." Tony and Azar spoke over each other before Thor silenced them.

"It's not about that." He said as tears welled up in his eyes. "Just let me do it. Just let me do something good.. Something right." He begged.

"Look, it's not just the fact that, that glove is channeling enough energy to light up a continent, I'm telling you that you are in no condition." Tony said.

"He's right, Thor." The halfling nodded with a frown as she looked at the god. "You're way too emotional."

"What do you think is coursing through my veins right now?" The God of Thunder asked.

"Cheez Whiz?" Rhodey responded which earned him a look from the brunette woman.

"Lightning." Thor answered.

"Except lightning won't help you, pal." Bruce spoke up after remaining silent for most of the time. "It's gotta be me."

Thor shook his head as he took a step back from Tony and Azar. "You saw what those stones did to Thanos." The scientist continued as he walked over to them. "It almost killed him. None of you could survive."

"How do we know you will?" Steve asked.

Bruce stared at the gauntlet. "We don't." He replied. "But the radiation's most likely gamma. It's like.. I was made for this."

The team remained silent as he reached for the gauntlet and stared at it in his hands with an unreadable expression.

Tony sighed heavily before he looked towards Bruce. "Good to go?" He asked hesitantly.

"Let's do it." The scientist replied.

"I don't like this." Azar muttered.

"You remember, everyone Thanos snapped away five years ago, we're just bringing them back to now, today." Tony explained. "Don't change anything from the last five years."

"Got it." Bruce nodded.

Everyone stood suited and ready. Tony activated his Iron Man armour and threw up a shield to protect himself, Azar and Clint.

"F.R.I.D.A.Y, do me a favour and activate Barn Door Protocol, will you?" He asked.

"Yes, boss." The AI system replied as the facility went on complete lockdown.

"Everybody comes home." Bruce said as he put on the gauntlet which had nanobotically expanded to fit his hand.

The team watched as he became overwhelmed with the power surge, making him grunt in pain.

"Take it off!" Thor yelled. "Take it off!"

"No, wait." Steve stopped him and looked at the scientist who was on his knee. "Bruce, are you okay?" He asked in concern.

"Talk to me, Banner." Tony said, frowning beneath his helmet.

"I'm okay.." Bruce replied, his face beaded with sweat. "I'm okay." He repeated.

He screamed as he fought through the intense amount of pain that coursed through his body before he finally managed to snap his fingers.

All of a sudden, his eyes rolled to the back of his head before he collapsed onto the floor with the gauntlet sliding off his arm.

"Bruce!" Azar yelled as she moved forward to help her teammate.

"Don't move him." Tony said before raising his glove to release a cooling gel to soothe the scientist's severely burnt arm.

"Did it work?" Bruce asked as he gripped onto Steve's arm.

"We're not sure." Thor replied. "It's over. It's okay."

The barricades lifted which made Azar shift her gaze, from Bruce, towards the windows.

The sounds of birds chirping filled her ears as she stared at the garden area.

Tears welled up in her eyes, a watery smile forming across her lips. "Guys.." Her voice cracked. "I think it worked.."

She narrowed her eyes slightly, as an eerie feeling washed over her, before she shifted her gaze once more to see a spaceship and a single missile heading towards the base.

Before she could react, the missile had made impact, which blew Scott away from the window before a continuous array of missiles followed, completely destroying the compound and burying the heroes under debris.