eighteen : bruce is back

ARRIVING AT THE AVENGERS COMPOUND, STEVE AND NAT WALKED IN FRONT OF EVERYONE ELSE. They caught sight of Rhodes and Secretary Ross, who was a hologram. It was obvious Ross was currently needing the Avengers to handle another alien threat, but the Accords tore them apart.

"Mr. Secretary." Steve politely greeted.

Ross stared at them in shock before his hologram stepped forward. "You've got some nerve. I'll give you that."

"You could use some of that right now." Nat smirked, using his words to her advantage.

Ross clicked his tongue before turning to Steve again. "The world's on fire. And you think all's forgiven?"

Steve tilted his head. "I'm not looking for forgiveness. And I'm way past asking for permission. Earth just lost your best defender. So we're here to fight."

Elaine took a step in front of Ross. "And if you want to stand in our way, we'll fight you, too."

Elaine smirked before walking through his hologram, making Ross even angrier as he turned to Rhodes. "Arrest them."

Rhodes gave a small nod. "All over it." He swiped Ross away before facing what was left of Earth's mightiest heroes. "That's a court-martial. It's great to see you, Cap." They shook hands before Nat walked up to him and pulled Rhodes into a long overdue hug.

Elaine looked back at Vision, seeing that he was still standing as she stepped back to them. She felt slightly lost at what to do. Tony Stark was in space, Thor was off-world, Peter Parker was also in space, Bucky was still healing his newly fixed mind, Bruce was somewhere unknown — Elaine only got a phone call from him a few hours ago that told her the new threat —, and here they were with an injured Vision and no way to fix their problem.

Elaine offered a small smile, knowing the last time she and Rhodes saw each other, he caused her brain to feel like it was melting.

"Well, you guys.." Rhodes sighed with a smile. "really look like crap. Must have been a rough couple years."

"Yeah, well, the hotels weren't exactly five star." Sam sassed, still helping keep Vision standing with a small side smile.

"I-I think you look great." An all too familiar voice came from behind Nat and Rhodes, causing them to face the source. Looks like Bruce wasn't in an unknown place after all as he stepped out from the shadows. "Yeah, I'm back."

"Hi, Bruce." Nat greeted, no hostility, and no anger.

Bruce fiddled with his hands and nodded at the blonde. "Nat."

"This is awkward." Sam whispered, causing Elaine, Wanda, and Vision to look at him.

▔▔▔▔▔▔

      Everyone surrounded the table with the paused hologram that was showing what happened when the aliens attacked Wanda and Vision. Bruce was pacing, and Rhodes had his arms crossed in deep thought as Vision leant on a wall to the side.

      "So we gotta assume they're coming back, right?" Rhodes asked, turning back to face Sam, who was playing with a football.

      "And they can clearly find us." Wanda added on, still having a streak of dried blood on her forehead that she didn't clean off.

      "We need all hands on deck." When Bruce said those words, Elaine had to hold in a disappointed sigh. He had been gone too long to know the Avengers were now just solo saviors. "Where's Clint?"

      Elaine decided she would answer. "After the whole Accords situation, he and Scott took a deal. It was too tough on their families. They're on house arrest."

      "Who's Scott?" Bruce asked in confusion.

      "Ant-Man." Steve replied with one hand on his hip and another resting on a chair.

      Bruce turned his head to the super soldier in disbelief and excitement. "There's an Ant-Man and a Spider-Man?" Rhodes nodded, remembering both of them a few years ago. "Okay, look. Thanos has the biggest army in the universe and he is not gonna stop until he.. he gets.." Bruce trailed off and looked to Vision. "Vision's stone."

      "Well, then we have to protect it." Nat stepped forwards.

      With a hand over the glowing gold wound on his abdomen, Vision spoke. "No, we have to destroy it. I've been giving a good deal of though my to this entity in my head. About its nature. But also it's composition." Vision turned to Wanda and Elaine, the sisters standing next to each other. "I think if it were exposed to a sufficiently powerful energy source.. something very similar to its own signature, perhaps.. it's molecular energy could fail."

      Elaine closed her eyes as she and Wanda knew what he was asking them to do.

      "Yeah, and you with it." Wanda added the unfortunate part Vision left out. "We're not having this conversation."

      "Eliminating the stone is the only way to be certain that Thanos can't get it." Vision tried to convince.

      Wanda shook her head as tears built in her eyes. "That's too high a price."

      Vision shook his head, both of his hands going to the sides of Wanda's face. "Only you and Elaine have to power to pay it."

      Wanda walked out of Vision's hold, and that's when he turned to Elaine. "I'm not doing anything to that stone inside of you without Wanda's permission."

      "Thanos threatens half the universe. One life cannot stand in the way of defeating him." Vision argued. To a certain point, he was right. The stone in his head was giving Thanos reason to continue his endless hunt for the stones. But Vision was family. He gave Wanda happiness, and when Wanda was happy, so was Elaine.

      "But it should." Steve spoke again. "We don't trade lives, Vision."

      Vision turned to face Steve. "Captain, 70 years ago, you laid down your life to save how many millions of people? Tell me, why is this any different?"

      "Because you might have a choice." Bruce realized. "Your mind is made up of a complex construct of overlays. JARVIS, Ultron, Tony, me, the stone. All of them mixed together, all of them learning from one another."

      "You're saying Vision isn't just the stone?" Wanda's shaky voice asked, her hands in her back pockets.

      Bruce turned around to face the redhead that once caused him pain, but was now a friend. "I'm saying that if we take out the stone, there's still a whole lot of Vision left. Perhaps the best parts."

      "Can we do that?" Nat asked the question everyone was thinking.

      Bruce thought for a short moment before shaking his head. "Not me, not here."

      Steve and Elaine shared a look, one of uncertainty and desperation.

      "Well, you better find someone and somewhere fast." Rhodes sassed. "Ross isn't just gonna let you guys have your old rooms back."

      Steve looked back at Elaine after keeping his head down, both sharing a small nod.

      "We know somewhere." Elaine revealed.