𝗀 𝗁 𝗈 𝗌 𝗍 | | 𝗌 𝗍 𝖾 𝗏 𝖾 𝗋 𝗈 𝗀 𝖾 𝗋 𝗌

𝗌 𝖾 𝗏 𝖾 𝗇 𝗍 𝗒

𖢻 𝟤𝟢𝟣𝟪, 𝗐𝖺𝗄𝖺𝗇𝖽𝖺 𖢻

"CAP. THAT'S HIM." BRUCE SAID as soon as Thanos entered in a cloud of blue, the portal closing behind him. Marta didn't know what she was picturing, but it wasn't what loomed in front of them.

        Steve engaged the shields on his arms. "Eyes up. Stay sharp." he advised before following Bruce towards Thanos. Marta waited behind, preparing for her attack. She counted the stones on the gauntlet Thanos wore. She saw five, which meant he only needed one more. Just Vision's stone.

        Thanos used the space stone to trap Bruce in a bed of rocks. He used the power stone to send Steve into the ground. Thanos caught T'Challa by the neck mid-leap, punching him into the dirt. He knocked Sam out of the air, and he used the space stone to take Rhodey out of play. It was Marta's turn now.

        Marta used her agility and Thanos's large size to her advantage. Her punches were lasting, her dodges quick. She had made it farther than the others, when Thanos activated the power stone, choking her. "You won't win." Marta coughed out, suspended in the air.

        "Yes, I will." Thanos used his gauntlet to tighten the stone's hold on Marta's neck, slamming her into a tree, the impact instantly breaking some of the bones in her back. Marta laid on the ground, fizzling in and out of consciousness, reaching for anyone.

        Bucky, Okoye, Natasha and Groot all tried and failed to go after Thanos. Marta coughed and coughed, fighting to push herself to her knees feeling pain and numbness everywhere. Steve went after Thanos again, anger fueled by seeing Marta hurt. His shields slammed into Thanos's face, and Thanos tore away Steve's only weapon.

        Marta had never healed faster than that day, watching Steve alone take on Thanos. Of course she wasn't healed, but Steve in danger gave her more to think about than her pain. So she charged, arriving at Steve's side. His hands were pushing against Thanos's gauntlet, so she added the strength of her own, holding his hands and pushing as hard as she could. Thanos looked surprised at their power, and as the pressure he was placing on them increased, so did their strength in response.

        Thanos had another hand that the pair forgot about, and they were both slammed into the dirt, Steve holding Marta. It was up to Wanda now. A blast rippled through the trees, and the mind stone was destroyed. Marta opened her eyes to see that Vision was dead, turned to ash. But when Marta looked again, that had never happened, thanks to the time stone. Vision was alive, until Thanos reached into his head and grabbed the mind stone.

        Marta tried to stand up, but everything in her was screaming in agony. She watched in horror, unable to move as Thanos obtained all six infinity stones, the power coursing through his body. But Thor arrived, and the final battle commenced. "Steve. Steve, you have to get up." Marta said, Thor slamming his axe into Thanos's chest.

        It was too late. They couldn't do anything now. Thor pushed his axe further into Thanos's body, and Marta tried to stand again, but her vision was gone, completely blurry, spinning her in circles. "You should have...You should... You should have gone for the head." Marta heard Thanos say to Thor.

        "No!" Thor screamed as Thanos snapped his fingers.

        He had done it. Marta looked at Steve, her hands on his face, begging him to stay alive, to not be one of the ones snapped away. Steve finally woke up as Thanos pushed himself into a portal, disappearing. Steve stood up, pulling Marta to her feet, holding her as they moved towards Thor. She didn't push him away. She couldn't. "Where'd he go?" Steve asked, panting, holding his side. "Thor. Where'd he go?"

        "Marta? Steve?" a voice asked, and Marta whipped her head to the source, pushing herself away from Steve.

        Marta's eyes widened in absolute terror as she saw Bucky moving towards her, his limbs starting to turn to ash. "Jamie, don't you dare," Marta said once she realized what was happening. "Jamie, please, no,"  Marta was crying now. She walked towards her brother, Steve following her. Marta almost reached him, but when she grabbed his fingers, their gun fell into her extended hands, and her brother was nothing more than a pile of dust. "No!" Marta screamed once he was gone, her fingers shaking.

        On her knees, Marta held the gun both she and Bucky loved so much, crying. Marta had only ever cried this much the first time she lost her brother, and something told her he wouldn't be coming back this time. Steve was at her side, holding her to his chest while she screamed, covered in Bucky's ashes. They had just found each other again. They needed more time, they deserved more time.

        T'Challa turned to ash. Then Groot, and Wanda, and Sam, while Rhodey called his name. Thanos had done it, and half of the universe was dying at this very moment. Marta wasn't one of them, and part of her wished she was. Marta pushed herself to her feet, tears streaming down her face. Bucky was gone, and he was someone she could never replace. He was who she was. His first death was painful enough, but now actually seeing him die, seeing him disappear in front of her eyes, Marta knew there was no going back.

        The road was ending, and she had to say goodbye.

        Marta turned to Steve, and she realized something. She missed him. Her best friend first, her estranged husband second. Marta really wanted to be held by him. Sobbing, Marta fell into Steve's chest, wrapping her arms around him. Taken aback by the sudden movement, Steve centered himself and instantly covered Marta with his limbs, his hand holding the back of her head, feeling the weight of Bucky's death with her. Marta knew she had to be strong, so she forced herself away from Steve.

        They found Vision. He was a dull gray color all over, a hole in his head where his stone used to be. Steve knelt down and rolled him over as Natasha rushed in, taking account of everyone who had made it. Steve collapsed on the dirt as Marta searched Bucky's ashes for his dog tags. But they were gone, never coming back, just like him. "What is this? What the hell is happening?" Rhodey asked, looking around.

        Marta, more silent tears spilling down her cheeks at the loss of everything her brother was, stood up. The silence was thick. "Oh, God." Steve panted breathlessly, realizing the true nature of what Thanos had done.

        "We lost." Marta answered. There was no way around that awful fact. The Avengers had lost, and they really didn't know what to do next. For Marta, breathing was hard, and surviving seemed impossible. But there was only one thing to do, and as Marta held the gun she and her brother adored, she closed her eyes and prayed.

𖢻