PSEUDONYM! PETER PARKER ²

3.04 Mortal Combat

Pin straight back and danger-seeking eyes, Charlie stood beside Bucky Barnes as Natasha, Steve, and T'Challa walked to the edge of the force field that surrounds Wakanda to meet with two aliens that even from far away towered over them.

Warriors in different colors and with different weapons stood in perfectly set up groups awaiting the orders of their king or captain.

Tension and worry coiled thickly around everyone's throats; peace was smoke in their hands and they knew it, but that didn't stop the king's general or the captain's right hand from praying for their slim chance.

At the center of them was a girl born from hard pavement and greedy hands.

Whether it was through diplomatic conversation or knee-deep in alien guts, Charlie'd do whatever it took, even if her trembling fingers said otherwise. Sam and James had gone to patrol the skies leaving her to rub the but of her dagger for some sense of familiarity. Foreign land and strangers all around her, this was war.

"You think they did it?" Bucky asked quietly to Charlie as Natasha, Steve, and T'Challa began walking back.

"I don't know," Charlie replied then felt the leader of the Dora Milaje's sideways glance. It had been no secret Charlie was the odd one out. Even with daggers, whips, and gear up to her neck, she looked like a teenager cosplaying.

"They surrender?" Bucky asked Steve as soon as he reached the rest of the soldiers.

"Not exactly," Steve replied and Charlie's stomach sank.

T'Challa stood firmly, a leader and fighter, then shouted something in Xhosa, and his warriors shouted it back with confidence and duty.

Then from the outside of the force field, breaking through the cloud of trees. Hundreds, thousands even, fast and ferocious alien hounds ran through the field un-afraid of the force field.

"What the hell?" Bucky muttered echoing everyone's thoughts.

"Looks like we pissed her off," Natasha said beside Charlie, watching the new players of the game.

Nearly endless amounts of bodies ran at the force field only to be burned and cut, but they were not deterred. It was a bloodbath. Okoye, the general, watched in horror. "They're killing themselves."

Without any thought, Charlie curled her pinky around Natasha's and gave it a squeeze which the older woman returned.

Slowly, one by one, the aliens broke through. T'Challa shot orders in Xhosa that even made Charlie ready to fight. People shot at the ones that broke through with beams from their spears and bullets from their rifles. And though she didn't like guns, she couldn't help feel useless without one right now.

Still, she kept her eyes moving and restless. The aliens were starting to circle the force fields, trying to break in from any angle. Charlie turned to the Avenger next to her, "Steve, if those things get around," We're all dead, Charlie thought, but said, "it's lights out for Wall-E."

"Then we better keep them in front of us," Steve said.

"How do we do that?" Okoye asked her King.

"Open the barrier," T'Challa said, and Natasha tightened her grip on Charlie's hand. "On my signal open North-west section seventeen." He said into the coms. The air was ominously dry and not even the light blue of the sky could liven up the darkness. "On my signal."

"This will be the end of Wakanda." The towering, fur-wearing, Jabari tribe leader said with sadness.

Determination and duty shined in Okoye's eyes. "Then it will be the noblest ending in history."

Charlie braced herself, then looked at Steve. "Careful, old man."

"Good luck, Queens," Steve replied as he clicked on his shield. It was a different shape than his usual one, but it got the job done.

T'Challa stood tall, a king's sacrifices on his tongue as he stood in front of his people. "Wakanda forever, now. "

And so they charged.

***

It was impossible to not feel small when people were always towering over you, they were older, stronger, maybe even faster. But, Charlie knew that she could use other's expectations against them. She didn't need to be the best; she just needed to be smart. She had to be clever, ruthless, and cunning. Cut a tendon rather than just muscle, kick where others could punch. A scrappy kid from Queens ready to slice a titan's throat for her family.

She played the distance game. Whips and daggers, electrocuting them in dozens then rolling and running away. Cuts and bruises were nothing against her determination, she didn't feel the way one sliced her arm or another threw her across the field. She didn't allow herself to.

Warm black blood coated her hand as she dragged a knife into's one throat as it jumped on her. To her surprise, they were similar anatomy to humans.

Unfortunately, they were a lot heavier.

After a few seconds of struggling to move the body, it lifted itself easily off her. She squinted through the high sun as she saw Bucky throw it with his mechanical arm as if it weighed nothing.

"Thanks." She grumbled, thinking to herself, he could have done it sooner, and noticing he looked kinda like the picture of Jesus Mr. Delmar had next to the salami.

"No problem." He replied helping her up. But forgetting she was of the smaller variety of people, he almost sent her flying. Luckily, she steadied herself on his metal bicep before sending a blast just past his shoulder at an alien that was leaping at them.

Back in battle stance, they both looked to the endless numbers of aliens still around them. A sigh escaped her lips. "Fucking hell."

With endless waves of aliens coming, it felt like they had been fighting for years. It was impossible. They were losing badly.

Charlie lost track of Bucky quickly. She couldn't find a familiar face anywhere, the closest she got was seeing the little dots in the sky she knew were Sam and James.

But then she saw the glint of a shield and ran towards it as she saw another alien about  to pounce. Her whip curled around its neck before it could attack him, but as it struggled she was sent sideways.

Without mercy, an alien tried to bite her, and she managed to kick its nose away. But they were endless, once they had you on your back.

"There's too many of 'em," Bruce said into the coms.

"No shit." She retorted.

Another alien shoved her to the ground, teeth inches from her face, but before she became its lunch, a burst of crackling white sent it flying.

Charlie looked at her hands with confusion, then sat up and noticed a very, very, very handsome man with an ax surging with electricity. Oh, dear Thor, Charlie marveled, it's Thor.