Always and Forever || BUCKY BARNES [3]

[13]: The Battle

2023 ― Upstate New York

HOLLAND STARK WAS KNOCKED UNCONSCIOUS BY THE BLAST, but she was still near Steve and Tony. Tony was closest to Steve, and he had the shield too because Steve got separated from it in the blast. "Come on, buddy, wake up!" Tony said. Steve woke with a loud gasp as his eyes widened. "That's my man. You lose this again. I'm keeping it." Tony said.

"What happened? Where's Holland?" Steve asked.

"You mess with time; it tends to mess back. And as for my Aunt, I've been searching the rubble for her, but I can't find her." Tony said as he helped Steve off of the ground and handed him his shield.

"Holly!" Steve called out for her. From where she was. Holland's eyes opened, and the first thing she did was cough which Steve heard, and he immediately started walking in her direction. "Holly!" He called out again.

"Steve!" She yelled as she picked herself up off of the ground. Steve found her and wrapped his arms around her, and let out a deep breath. "I'm okay. I'm good." She said. When they pulled away, she dusted herself off and smiled at Tony before they walked through the rubble until they found Thor, who was standing there and looking out ahead. Then Holland looked up ahead to see what he was looking at.

Thanos.

"What's he been doing?" Tony asked.

"Absolutely nothing," Thor said.

"Where are the stones?" Steve asked.

"Somewhere under all of this," Holland said as she gestured to what was the rubble of their Avengers Facility.

"All I know is, he doesn't have them," Tony said.

"So, we keep it that way," Steve said.

"You know it's a trap, right?" Thor asked.

"Yeah, but I don't care," Holland said as she felt her power surging within her. Now that she could control when her eyes glow blue and control how to make her fire hotter, she was ready for war. "He's the reason I lost Bucky, and I want his head."

"Good. Just as long as we're all in agreement." Thor said. The clouds got even darker as lightning coursed through them while Thor summoned his weapons. Holland let herself concentrate, and soon her eyes were glowing blue, and blue fire was wrapped around the gloved hands of her suit. "Let's kill him properly this time."

The four of them slowly approached Thanos, who was sitting there and waiting for them. "You could not live with your own failure, and where did that bring you? Back to me." Thanos said as they approached in flanks. Thor broke off on one side, Tony to the other side, Steve and Holland stayed straight in the middle. "I thought by eliminating half of life... the other half would thrive. But you've shown me... that's impossible. And as long as there are those that remember what was... there will always be those that are unable to accept what can be. They will resist." He said.

"Yup, we're all kinds of stubborn," Tony said.

"I'm thankful. Because now... I know what I must do. I will shred this universe down to its last atom. And then... with the stones you've collected for me... create a new one, teeming with life that knows not what it has lost, but only what it has been given. A grateful universe." Thanos had since then stood up and put his helmet on while grabbing his weapon. Thor's eyes were glowing, Holland's eyes were glowing, and they were ready to strike.

"Born out of blood," Steve said.

"They'll never know it. Because you won't be alive to tell them." Thanos said.