Destiny | Steve Rogers

5

The quinjet lands on the pad of the Avengers HQ in upstate New York. The disassembled heroes enter the base while Rhodey is on call with the Secretary of State.

" Mr.Secretary", Steve says.

" You've got some nerve. I'll give you that", Ross says.

" You could use some of that, right now", Natasha says.

" The world is on fire. And you think all if forgiven?".

" I'm not looking for forgiveness. And I'm way past asking for permission. Earth just lost her best defender. So we're here to fight. And if you wanna stand in our way... we'll fight you too".

" Arrest them".

" All over it".

The hologram disappears, and the computers beep.

" That's a court martial. It's great to see you, Cap", Rhodes says as they shake hands.

" You too".

Natasha leans in for a hug, once they pull back, Rhodes is met with the emotionless face of Lauren, so he clears his throat.

" Wow. You guys... look like shit. Must've been a rough couple years", He says.

" They weren't all bad", Sam says.

" Speak for yourself", Lauren grumbles.

" Uh, I think you look great", Bruce says from the corner of the room, slowly making his way into the light, " Yeah, I'm back".

" Hi, Bruce", Natasha says, not daring to break eye contact.

" Nat".

The silence draws out a little longer than it should.

" This is awkward", Sam whispers.

All bodies move to the living area of the base, projecting holograms of the foe that came across their paths while sharing information.

" So we gotta assume they're coming back, right?", Rhodes asks.

" And they can clearly find us", Wanda says.

" We need all hands on deck. Where's Clint", Bruce asks.

" After the whole Accords situation, he and Scott took a deal. It was too tough on their families. They're on house arrest", Natasha responds.

" Who's Scott?".

" Ant-Man".

" There's an Ant-Man and a Spider-Man? Okay, look. Thanos has the biggest army in the universe. And he is not gonna stop until he-- he gets... Vision's stone".

" Then we have to protect it".

" No, we have to destroy it", Vision says, all eyes now on him, " I've been giving a good deal of thought to this entity in my head. About its nature. But also its composition. I think if it were exposed to a sufficiently powerful energy source something very similar to its own nature, perhaps... its molecular integrity could fail".

" Yeah, and you with it", Wanda says, " We're not having this conversation".

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

" That's too high a price".

" Only you have the power to pay it".

" Let's do it", Lauren says, eyes staring out the window, arms crossed, feet shoulder length apart.

" Are you nuts?", Steve asks.

" No, frankly you are if you can't see the truth. These stones are the most powerful objects in all existence. Back on the helicarrier, this stone messed with my head in ways I still haven't figured out. It messed with all of us. It made us turn on one another, and if the price to pay is our two-year old robot... I'm game".

" Lauren, you can't be seri--".

" Mage is right. Thanos threatens half the universe. One life cannot stand in the way of defeating him", Vision says.

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

" Hun, 70 years ago, you laid down your life to save how many millions? Tell me, why is this any different?", Lauren asks.

" Because he might have a choice", Bruce says, " 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 asks.

" 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 asks.

" Not me, not here".

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

" I know somewhere", Steve says.

Just then, Lauren hisses in pain, the palms of her hands going up to her forehead as she feels her eyes phase. Once she opens them, everyone in the room looks at her in fear.

Her eyes glowing a sparkly red, she tilts her head back, closing her eyes. She breathes in, and out. Her head comes back down, and her eyes open, back to their normal color.

" Wheels up in 10".