In a galaxy where Infinity War happened about forty years before it was supposed to, Thanos rules the remaining population with his Infinity Gauntlet. And to celebrate the Balance he has brought to the universe, as well as his defeat over the rebel...
A blue beam of energy strikes a bush beside us and practically blasts it to ash, the leaves burning molten before crumbling out of existence. Veers and I continue to run and I conjure up some illusions, pacing them behind us this time as I conceal us from the robots' sight. As long as they don't have heat sensors, we'll be fine.
You know, until they shoot the illusions to shreds, at least.
We receive more cover in the stand of trees leading up to the slope. Ducking and dodging, I hear that same eerie voice repeating, over and over again, his phrase from earlier, the voice echoing around the arena. "I had strings but now I'm free." A bit of static occurs, followed by the line again. "I had strings but now I'm free."
As we run, I'm wracking my brain, trying to figure out what's going on. We're being attacked by a horde of robots and haunted by a mechanical voice. They're trying to kill us, obviously, and I don't think they'll stop once we reach the Gauntlet, which I'm assuming is still our destination. At least we'll have more reliable cover there from which to fight the robots.
"I had strings but now I'm free." The voice continues to speak, melancholy and eerie. "I had strings but now I'm free."
We're racing up the slope now, toward the ledge, and Veers doesn't even hesitate, just grabs my wrist tightly. "Jump!" she orders as we approach the ledge and I do, propelling myself up into the air as she summons her powers, blasting herself lopsidedly up into the air and dragging me after her up into the field.
We fall onto the ground, gasping for breath, and then I'm shoving myself up onto my feet, yanking Veers up as well. Staggering toward the Gauntlet, I glance back over my shoulder to see the robots continuing toward us as the deep voice utters, "I had strings but now I'm free."
Natasha and Clint break out of the trees across from us, also pursued by the robots, which are firing at them. They're dodging and zigzagging, ducking their heads as they run. I check on my illusions and realize they're gone, so I conjure up another pair, sending them veering in a different direction to buy us more time.
"There!" Veers yells, gesturing to the other two contenders.
"We've got larger problems!" I yell back, throwing a dagger back at one of the robots which had gotten too close. "We'll deal with them later!"
"Later will be sooner," Veers insists. "We're both running for the Gauntlet!"
She's right. Natasha and Clint are both racing for the Gauntlet as well, Clint shooting an arrow back at the drones and taking it out with a fizz of electricity. Veers twists back and fires off a photon blast at the drones, blasting through a couple before we continue on to the Gauntlet.
Reaching the Gauntlet, we skid to a halt and turn, glancing back at the approaching robots. They've landed now and are half walking, half flying toward us, eyes glowing electric blue. I grip my spear tightly, the vibranium weapon lengthening out into full size. Veers' fists are glowing, and I hear Clint and Natasha panting on the other side of the ship.
The robots completely surround us now and I know this is going to be one hell of a fight. We're already split into two teams of two, bitter enemies, and now we're thrown into a fight with another army. Oh, this will be fun.
Turning my head, I see Clint peering around the edge of the Gauntlet to see Veers and I standing by the mouth, ready to duck inside at a moment's notice. I meet his gaze and hold it, waiting to see what he does as I fling my pack inside, getting it out of the way.
He's gripping his bow, an arrow on the string, but he doesn't raise it at me. There's a sword hilt poking up over his shoulder, positioned beside his quiver. Well, that's new. Natasha comes up next to him, blood from a scratch decorating her cheek, and Veers glances at the other two from beside me, her eyes wary. Right – they used to be allies. The robots still haven't moved yet; it's like they're waiting for a signal from someone.
And then, suddenly, it happens. A loud ringing penetrates the arena again, a high-pitched electronic squeal, and we all duck, hunching our shoulders but raising our weapons instead of covering our ears. Veers has her fists clenched, glowing golden and blue, I have my spear ready and my mind touching my magic, prepared to call it forth at a moment's notice, Clint has his bow up, and Natasha has one pistol drawn and her baton staff is in her other hand.
But it is not to each other that we turn.
The robots swarm toward us, blasting beams of energy, and we fight back, standing together at the mouth of the Gauntlet. Clint releases his arrows at the robots, sending those he hits crashing into the ground, and Natasha fires her pistol at them. Veers shoots photon blasts at the robots and I throw my daggers.
Then the robotic army is upon us.
I use my spear, stabbing left and right, often summoning a dagger to my off hand to get in a killing strike when a robot is too close for the spear. Veers is still firing off photon blasts every now and then, but she's also fighting hand-to-hand, twisting off the robots' heads and searing their wiring with her heated fists, punching through them like they were made of paper.
Natasha is using her staff, splitting it in half to wield to greater effect. The batons shock the robots with each strike, disabling them quickly. Clint has transformed his bow into a staff and has drawn his blade, the katana sword glinting in the light as he slashes at the robots, using his staff to deflect blows and his sword to give them.
There's just chaos and robots all around, blue streaks of energy mingling with Veers' golden photon blasts. Without even saying a word, the four of us have become allies, knitted together out of sheer necessity. It is us or them, and right now, it is us, the contenders, against the robots. Even if only one of us survives this attack, at least we tried to end it our way.
Mechanical parts litter the ground by our feet as we continue to fight the robots, shocking, stabbing, slashing, and striking them with our assorted weaponry. Clint and I even end up back to back at one point, my spear taking down a robot as he stabs one with his blade. Natasha and Veers assist each other as well, Veers leaping into the air and taking down a robot that was soaring toward the Black Widow while Natasha fires a taser disk from her wrist gauntlet at the robot on the Kree's tail.
I don't know how long we fight; just that it is a long time. At one point I get blasted by a robot and am thrown backward into the Gauntlet, slamming against the inside of the wall near my pack. I stagger to my feet and hurl a dagger at my attacker before heading back out into the mayhem.
When the last robot is downed by Clint's katana, the four of us just stand there for a moment, examining all the pieces scattered around us. The sun is starting its slow slide into the west, showing the time to be late afternoon, and the field around the Gauntlet is covered with broken robots. I'm sore and sweaty, my hair sticking to the back of my neck, but I keep my spear ready in my hand, although it is lowered. Veers jumps down from the top of the Gauntlet, the side of her face burned from a blast, and when I turn to see Clint and Natasha, they are in similar shape, Clint's bare arm seared by the shoulder and Natasha's leggings burnt, half of her lower left pant leg gone, the flesh sore and red underneath.
For one long moment, the four of us just face each other wearily, still holding our weapons. Then the weapons come up as we assume our fighting stances.
It is time for them to die.
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