Chapter 22 - The End of the Show Show

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Azara's pov

I collapse as the dark haze of Vormir is replaced by the blinding sunlight of the Avengers Compound.

"Azara? You ok?" Tony asks, jogging over to me. I can't reply so I simply let the tear stream down my face.

Running to me from the other side of the platform, Nat immediately pulls me into her chest, knowing I'd still be crying.

"Shhh, it's going to be ok, it's going to be ok..." she whispers softly. Minutes pass before anyone speaks again, most likely in shock that I have the ability to show so much emotion.

"What... happened?" Steve asks cautiously.

"S-she's g-one... she's gone," I manage to choke out.

"Who's gone, Az?" He asks once more.

"M-mom."

A deadly silence falls over the group as they try, but fail, to understand what happened on Vormir.

"Az, it's ok, you can make it through this," Clint says, "we're here for you this time... " he sort of trails off as he says the last bit, realising what he was referring to wasn't exactly common knowledge.

You know, sometimes, when I feel really detached from the world, I'll unintentionally faze. I remember this one time, in the house with Nat, she came to wake me up and said I was transparent, like a ghost. The dream I'd had was so real - and I became so immersed in it - that I detached.

And I did. I disappeared, feeling the warm and solid arms of Nat slowly ebb away as the cold nip of a frosty, winter breeze, replaces it.

"Daughter, you finally arrive," a thick, German accent wakes me.

"F-father?" I manage to ask, tears still damp on my cold-bitten cheeks.

"Yes, and - as I know you will wish to ask - we are in Russia. Moscow to be specific," his voice is scratchy. Realising my surroundings, I immediately become confused.

"Are we in a hospital?" I ask, looking at the bed and an ECG monitor beeping monotonously away next to me.

"Yes, we are. I have a rare, terminal cancer in my kidneys," he gestures to a large dialysis machine behind me, "and, over these past 5 years - since the blip - I am afraid my days are severely numbered."

I stand - still as a statue - rooted to the spot.

"I have," he glances at his watch with a pained smile of sorts, "they believe that - if I'm lucky - I have a few more hours before my kidneys will finally give out and I go into full, catastrophic organ failure."

"What happened?" I ask cautiously.

"What happened?" He repeats, "I got cancer, daughter."

"No, what happened after the HYDRA base blew up in Germany?"
I press, mildly aggravated that I had to practically spell it out for him.

"Ah, you see, the bunker is strong. And, as expected, HYDRA were even more keen to develop the serum I used on you due to how evidently effective it was: the German base being 'Exhibit eine' (one). You were the golden child of HYDRA, after the Winter Soldat went walkies."

"Why did you do it?"

"What?"

"Any of it?" I demand.

"Your mother must've told you the version you so desperately wish to believe: that power got to my head; being the beloved of a literal goddess - as only a human - made me power crazed?" He asks, knowing he's correct.

"I can't see any other explanation," I counter.

"No, daughter, there is one other: the truth. It is one you don't want to appreciate: that there is no real 'right' and 'wrong' in this world, merely a lack of ambition and foresight, mixed with what they so unwisely label 'humanity'. But, when you look past the righteous people that fight for their version of conformed justice, there is a world, far from fixed."

"So, what? You saw the 'greater good' in the ranks of Neo-Nazis, who tasked you with torturing, and creating a monster out of, your own daughter?!" I slam my hand down on table next to me.

"No, you are no monster, daughter; you are what you were meant to be: an unstoppable machine; living up to your godly title," he says, his voice laced with a disgusting coil of pride.

"No, you made me a monster! And I'm horrified to call you my father! YOU-"

"-are the monster? No, I am not. And never will I be to the people who truly appreciated me," he takes a deep breath as a rapid beeping cuts through the icy room.

"And neither a-re you, d-aughter," he strains, as his cold and merciless eyes flutter shut, one last time.

The heart-monitor's rapid beeps flatline to a singular drone of a note, signalling the death of a man. Of someone I didn't - nor would I ever truly - know.

"Rest where you deserve," I glare coldly at the motionless body, "down, far, far below."

~~~~~~

"Azara! You were gone for an hour," Steve runs into the - otherwise empty - living room.

"Yeah, I was," standing stiffly, I pass him and walk straight out of the door behind him.

"We're going to bring them back soon, Az. I'll send Nat to come and get you," he says calmly, getting the message that I didn't want to talk.

Not bothering to respond, I head straight for my room. Opening the door quietly, I slip inside to see it untouched.

"I'm glad you're safe," Natasha walks out of a shadow before approaching in my direction. Gesturing to my entrance, she adds, "you're too predictable sometimes."

"What do you want?" I snap.

Hesitating slightly, she closes the two meter gap to only a foot, "what happened?"

"What happened? My mother died, Tasha," I say, closing up.

"No, what happened when you disappeared an hour ago in the hanger?"

Deja vú hit me like nothing ever had before.

"What happened?"

"What happened?" He repeats, "I got cancer, daughter."

"No, what happened after the HYDRA base blew up in Germany?"

"Az? Az, what is it?"

"He was right... he..." the feeling of being so dreadfully wrong crushes me.

"Who was right about what?" She asks softly.

"My father: I am him and he is a monster to everyone except for HYDRA," I admit in a lowly, broken voice.

"What? Az, you - never in a million years - would be a monster to me; to any of us here," she finally pulls me into a deep hug and kisses my temple.

~~~~~~

"Alright, the glove's ready," Rocket confirms, "Question is: who's going to snap their freakin' fingers?"

"I'll do it," Thor slurs.

"Excuse me?" Tony interrupts.

"It's ok," the god waves him off.

"Thor, just wait," Steve insists, "We haven't decided who's going to put that on yet."

"I'm sorry. What, we're all just sitting around, waiting for the right opportunity?" He asks sarcastically.

"We should at least discuss it," Scott insists.

"Look, sitting here staring at the thing isn't going to bring everybody back," he counters, gesturing vaguely in the direction of the red gauntlet, "I'm the strongest Avenger, okay? So, this responsibility falls upon me. It's my duty!"

Tony approaches the Asgardian, steering him away from the infinity stones.

Hanging his head a little, Thor stops fighting the arguments to his persistence, "Just let me do it," he pleads, "Just let me do something good; something right," I sympathise with my friend greaty.

"Look, it's not just the fact that that glove is channeling enough energy to light up a continent; I'm telling you, you're in no condition," Tony reasons, trying to convince him that it really isn't a great idea.

"What do you think is coursing through my veins right now?" He asks.

"Cheez Whiz?" Rhodey offers sarcastically.

"Lightning," Thor corrects.

"Yeah," Tony responds in faux agreement.

"Lightning won't help you here, pal," Bruce pipes up, "It's got to be me. You saw what those stones did to Thanos: they almost killed him. None of you could survive."

"How do we know you will?" Nat asks, concerned.

"We don't," he responds lowly, "but the radiation is mostly gamma. It's like... I was made for this."

~~~~~~

"Good to go, yeah?" Tony asks as Bruce gets ready to put on the gauntlet.

"Let's do it," he responds defiantly.

"Okay, remember: everyone Thanos snapped away five years ago, you're just bringing them back now, today. Don't change anything from the last 5 years," the billionaire reminds him for the tenth time in as many minutes.

"Got it," the scientist replies, looking down at the gauntlet in his hands warily.

Gearing up, all of us in the room arm ourselves with the best forms of defence we can.

"FRIDAY, do me a favour and active the Barn Door Protocol, will ya?" Tony requests.

"Yes, boss," her voice is muffled by the closing of large shutters and windows.

"Everybody comes home," Bruce confirms.

Moving his large, green hand into the expanding gauntlet, we all set ourselves worriedly. And, as the mechanism finally sets around his wrist, Bruce collapses the floor with a groan, colourful arks of electricity flying up his arm.

"Take it off! Take it off!" Thor insists as his friend becomes even more pained.

"No, wait," Steve interrupts, "Bruce, are you ok?"

"Talk to me, Banner," Tony adds.

"I'm o-kay," Bruce manages to get out. Yelling in pain he raises his hand and strains to snap his fingers.

*Clink*

The room flashes white before the gauntlet falls off Bruce's hand; swiftly being kicked away by Clint.

"Don't move him," Thor says, running over to the - now nearly unconscious -  scientist. Freezing up Bruce's arm, Tony unlocks the window shutters and daylight floods the room.

"Did it work?" Banner asks.

"We're not sure," Thor responds, "it's ok."

Following Natasha outside of the room, a lively chorus of bird song sings outside.

"I-I think it worked, guys," I call back, mesmerised by only the few birds cherping cheerily in front of me.

Suddenly, the building explodes, throwing me and Nat out of the window infront of us. Groaning, I manage to sit up and - among the rubble - locate a beat up and unmoving Natasha.

"Hey, Tasha," I plead, hoping desperately that she is alive.

A strangled and quiet cough echos from her direction as she stirs, "Oh, thank the gods. I'm gonna get you out, darling, just give me a minute!"

Straining against the weight of the metal beam blocking my path, I struggle to lift it away from her battered form.

"Hey, Tasha, stay with me," I scramble over to her as her eyes flutter closed, "no, no, no keep your eyes open, I'm gonna get us out of here."

"A-z," she murmurs.

"Yeah, yeah, it's me, darling," I hold her up a little, clearing the rocks and rubble away from her.

"I-I'm s-orry," she chokes out.

"Fo-for what?" I ask softly, feeling my voice break.

"For n-not saying t-hat I-I," she lets out a ragged cough, her body growing more limp - and her pulse weakening -  by the second, "that I l-love you."

Moments later, her eyes shut and a exhales her last, held breath; everything falls silent as she stops moving.

"I-I love y-ou too, d-darling," I sob out, clutching her torn, slashed and bloodied suit to my chest as I bury my face in her neck, waiting and praying desperately for the slight flutter of a pulse or murmur of a breath.

"I'm s-so sorry," I mutter breathlessly into her neck, pulling us away - and through a shadow - to the small bench on the far side of the lake.

"I'm so s-sorry, darling," I lay her on the densely-packed carpet of bluebells off to the right of the seat.

After folding her arms over her chest and finally pulling my eyes away from her broken body, I collapse back into the shadow we had just come through and arrive out to the desolate, destructed frame of the compound.

Looking up at where Thanos stood, towering over Thor's collapsed body, Miljnor flies back into the hands of Steve Rogers.

"I'm not surprised," I mutter to myself, feeling a great sense of pride towards my friend.

Using his shield and the hammer, Cap manages to equal Thanos and push him back. As thunder and lightning run across the ground and pin the Titan to the ground, Steve runs towards him before being batted away.

As the hammer lands many meters from him, Thanos repeatedly swings at Steve before his blade wedges itself into his shield. Ripping it away, it crumbles away - piece by piece - until it's a broken semi-circle of the strongest metal in the universe.

Straining to get up from the place I was; fighting the pain of only moments before, I charge. Summoning my sword, armour, wings and - to my dislike, but necessity - Vibranium, HYDRA shield, I run at the Titan with no plan; no real aim past killing him; no strength left in my body.

Letting the shadows tightly rap around his limbs and restrain him, I slice at his head. Pulling out of the grip of my dark chains, he counters with his double-ended blade. Flying backward from the sheer impact, I force myself to my knees and look up and the Titan.

"Have you learnt nothing, little one?" he asks, strolling towards me, "Over these past years, you have seen so much good and so much evil. Have you not noticed how much you lose either side you fight on?"

"You-you took her from me!" I yell, my voice hoarse, "You killed her, a-nd now you. Will! PAY!" and at that, I charge once more at him, feeling the cold numbness burn my drained limbs.

"You are spirited, I'll give you that, child," he begins to swing his sword as if he were Darth Maul (which would've being kinda funny if I wasn't considering the scenario).

As my sword clashes with his, I'm prepared. Standing my ground, the sheer force of it makes a few tears well in my eyes, formed from only the exertion of equalling him.

"Well, I mean, if you're going to be like that, I'll leave you on your own."

The memory of the hospital, from just as she told me to meet her at the safe house we stayed at, floods my mind. But the near irony of it was striking: I nearly died on her and she said she'd leave - however jokingly it was meant - but she never did, not really. We just parted for an agonising stretch of time, but we find our way back to each other eventually.

But, however much I gave, he overpowered me. Throwing me aside, my head collides with a rock, sending me into an searing daze.

However, as I feel the adrenaline and hope fade from me, circles of light appear - one by one - in the sky, all around us. Obstructed by only the silhouette of Steve, the familiar fields of Wakanda; a planet much like Vormir and so many more, come into focus.

The clear, Xhosa chants of the Wakandans, break through the stunned silence of the battlefield. As I struggle to my feat, I stand by Steve, glancing back in sheer awe at the army gathered behind us.

"AVENGERS!" Cap yells, "Assemble."

The battle cries of everyone - from Azgardians to the Masters of the Mystic Arts - creates a chorus of determination. Coming face to face with the army of demented creatures, I slay three at a time, willing all of my abilities to side with me.

As I turn to my right, Wanda lands five meters away from me. It takes her a moment to see me before she pauses, still as a statue; the scarlet swirls of the mind stone evaporating.

"Hey, Ginger Witch, good to see you back," I smile, walking towards her.

"You were... dead. How-"

"It's a long story and I'll tell you later. But first," I pull her into a tight hug, never wanting to let her go.

"What's the matter?" She asks quietly.

"Can't I just be happy to see you," I reply, trying to deflect, what I know to be a complete lie, on a small smile I attempt to form.

"Don't lie to me, Az. What's the matter?" I pause, knowing that I can't convince her.

"I lost her, Wanda," I gulp, fighting back a fresh wave of tears, "I lost Tasha."

She's quiet for a moment, "When?" She asks softly.

"About... 20 minutes ago," I admit, not knowing how I'll be able to make it even a day without her.

"Oh, god," she pulls me back into a hug, feeling - using her powers - that I just can't bare to lose her either.

"It'll be ok. It'll be ok one day," she reassures. I know that, for her, Vision died no more than an hour ago.

A rabid snarl cuts through our silence before Tony blasts it out of the air.

"Where's the girlfriend?" He asks jokingly.

"Dead," is all I manage to say, before flying off.

Moments later, volleys of blasts fire down from Thanos' ships. As if it couldn't get much worse, out of the corner of my eye, I see the dam break. But, like he were some sort of elemental god, Doctor Strange conjures it into a tornado. The vortex momentarily mesmerises me before the desperate cries of a young boy make me finally notice the coms I'd been successfully ignoring.

"I got this, I got this... I don't got this! Help, somebody help!" He yells.

"Hey, Queens? Heads up!" Steve responds as the whirl of Miljnor flies across the battlefield.

Moments later, the boys - who I recognise from the airport - is thrown in my direction.

"Hey kid, you ok?" I ask, running over to him as he desperately clutches onto the gauntlet. He nods rapidly as I cover him from the continuing blasts.

"Are you the Shadow Soldier?" He asks, his tone slightly nervous. I don't blame the kid, but that name hits a sore spot. But, as the rain of fire stops, the title suddenly starts to fit.

The Shadow Soldier - not the Schatten Soldat - is who I am beginning to be. And, glancing up at the glowing woman who had taken down the main ship, I know being a soldier isn't always necessarily a bad thing.

Not when I finally, truly believe in the cause. Not like Loki; not like HYDRA, but when my friends; my family are on the line.

"Danvers?" Steve says through the coms, as the crash of the ship into the lake subsides, "We need an assist here."

Flying down towards us, Carol land beside me.

"Hi," the Spidey-Kid introduces himself awkwardly, "I'm Peter Parker."

"Hey, Peter Parker," she responds with a smirk, "You got something for me?"

"I don't know how you're going to get through all of that," he says worriedly, referring to the army charging in our direction.

Wanda lands by my side as Okoye runs to Carol's. The strong thrum of wings brings my attention to a stunning Pegasus and its rider; the Valkyrie, Brunnhilde.

"Don't worry," Wanda and I say simultaneously.

"She's got help," the Wakandan general finishes.

As all of the other female heroes begin to join our ranks, Carol nudges me with her elbow, "Where's your scary Russian girl?"

My voice betrays me as I'm unable to tell her. So I charge. I let my subconscious inner-fighter take over as we take down dozens of monsters in our path to Scott's van.

But, just as Carol reaches the vehicle, Thanos launches his sword like a spear, blowing up the van-come-time-machine.

As she's thrown apart from the gauntlet, the Titan charges at it. Barrelled aside by Tony, the infinity stone are mere feet away from his outstretched grasp.

Thor - after Tony is thrown aside - meets Thanos, joined swiftly by Steve, both straining to stop and keep the Titan away with both Miljnor and Stormbreaker. But their slight success is ruined by Thor being head-butted out of the way and Steve being thrown aside like a rag doll.

Just as Thanos gets the gauntlet in his grasp, Carol tackles him. Though her strength is incredibly impressive, even she is quickly defeated. As she is, just like Bruce, Thanos puts on the gauntlet and grunts in pain. Lifting his fingers to snap

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