T'Challa, Natasha, Steve, Tony, and Loki were fleeing after having infiltrated one of Ultron's facilities.
Unlike last time, they hadn't stormed in with force. This time, they moved like shadows. Invisible. Silent.
"Come on… we did it" Steve whispered.
Each of them raised their left hand and pressed it against the right. On their ring finger, they wore a plain black ring. A slight mental impulse was all it took to activate it.
A portal opened instantly in front of them. It wasn't magic, but neither was it ordinary technology. The rings were linked to Strange's central portal—once they sent the signal, he would locate them and open a direct return route to their base.
But just before they could cross… footsteps echoed.
Then, the alarm.
"We've been discovered," said Natasha, quickly turning around.
"Go! Now!"
The portal's hum grew sharper. Steve, Tony, and T'Challa stepped forward, Loki remaining vigilant, covering them.
And then, the shot.
A single bullet. Precise. Lethal.
It hit Natasha square in the chest. She collapsed without a sound, as if life had vanished in an instant.
"Natasha!" Loki shouted, crossing toward her before her body could fully hit the ground.
He held her in his arms, desperate.
"You'll be alright… it's going to be alright…" he whispered, though his voice was already cracking. But Natasha didn't respond. The light in her eyes was already fading.
Loki stared at her in silence. Then, in a final act of farewell, he kissed her. A brief moment, a silent promise. When he pulled away, her eyes were closed forever.
Metallic footsteps approached. Dozens of robots. Loki clenched his jaw. For a second, he considered launching a final attack, burning them all along with himself. But he didn't.
Someone needed him. Someone still alive.
Fueled by repressed grief, he covered the retreat and crossed through the portal at the last second, just before it closed.
---
Back at the base, Strange and Thor were waiting. No words were needed.
Loki's face said it all.
Thor clenched his fists and looked away. Strange lowered his head with a contained sigh.
"Are you alright?" Thor asked, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"I'm fine" Loki lied.
But his eyes betrayed him.
Loki walked away without another word. He moved in silence to a nearby room and knocked on the door.
Seconds later, it opened. A red-haired girl of about seven looked up at him with a bright smile.
"Daddy! You're back!" she exclaimed, hugging him tightly.
"Of course I am," he said, holding back tears as he wrapped his arms around her.
"Where's Mommy?"
The question hit him like a dagger.
"Jean… about Mommy… she…"
He didn't need to finish. Jean lowered her gaze. She had grown up in a hostile world, with parents who often left without a guarantee of returning. She was more mature than her age suggested. She didn't cry like a child. She cried like someone who understood the cost of war.
Loki held her close. He felt energy surge from her. It was warm like the sun, but so overwhelming it stirred the very air. Loki held her gently, channeling the energy until it faded.
"I'm here… it's okay," he murmured.
He spent the rest of the afternoon with her, telling old stories of Asgard, until Jean fell asleep. He tucked her in carefully and left the room in silence.
Outside, Thor was waiting.
"How is she?"
"She's fine… for now. That energy burst was just an emotional reaction."
Thor nodded, though his eyes darkened with concern.
"If this were Asgard, perhaps we could have studied that power. Maybe she could have become a great warrior."
Loki looked at him sharply.
"I'm not sending my daughter to Asgard. Father abandoned us. He left Earth first. Then us. He doesn't deserve to be called a father… or a grandfather."
"But she'd be safe there."
"Jean will be safe with me."
Thor sighed with resignation.
"I know. Just… take care of her."
"I will."
They exchanged one last look before parting ways.
---
Later, in the common room, the last Avengers gathered. Steve Rogers. Tony Stark. Thor. Stephen Strange. Loki. T'Challa.
Only six.
The rest were rescued civilians. A handful of soldiers. Magicians barely able to conjure. Broken lives clinging to a final hope.
The purges had become less frequent. But more precise. And Ultron had already learned to block Strange's portals. They barely managed to rescue a dozen people each time.
"Did you get the intel?" Strange asked.
"Yes," Steve replied. "All the produced tech is going to one place: Wakanda."
T'Challa tensed.
"I should've known. A country with such advanced technology… of course he'd want to use it as a base."
"Are we sure this time?" he asked.
"Completely. We've been investigating for months. Everything points there."
"And do we know what he's building?"
"No," Tony said. "But if we find out too late, it might be irreversible."
"Then what's the plan?" Loki asked. "There's only six of us. There's no way we win like this."
Silence fell like a weight.
Then, the door opened.
"Let us help."
Everyone turned.
It was Harley Keener.
"What are you doing here?" Tony asked.
"We all talked. We want to help. Not just me… all of us."
"Harley, you're not trained. You wouldn't be useful."
"We can be. You've got dozens of old suits, spare parts, materials that could be used. Some of us have skills… others just have will. But we want to fight. Just this once."
Tony opened his mouth, but Harley didn't let him speak.
"You were my hero when I was a kid. I dreamed of being like you. I believed in you. And when I needed you most, you showed up and saved me. Now there are hundreds who feel the same way. You've protected us for years. Let us do the same for you."
Silence returned, but this time it was different.
Tony stared at him… then spoke.
"How long do you need to get them ready?"
Harley smiled.
"Four months… maybe one, if you help me."
Tony narrowed his eyes.
"You don't need a month to adapt tech. How long have you been working on this?"
Harley scratched the back of his neck, embarrassed. Then he walked out.
From the hallway, cheers erupted. The rest already knew. Tony Stark had said yes.
"Are you sure about this?" T'Challa asked.
Tony nodded.
"We don't have another choice. We go all in. One last time."
"That didn't go well last time," Strange said darkly.
"I know," Stark replied, not smiling this time.
But this time… they would give everything. No one would watch from the shadows again.
______________________________________
Hey, until the Age of Ultron arc is over, there's a 30% discount on my Patreon using the code "ULTRON"!
+20 chapters in advance on Patreon.
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80 power stones = 1 extra chapter (cumulative)