Daughter of the Shield: Infinity War
Type: Series
Status: Completed
AN: SPOILER ALERT SPOILER ALERT: THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS MAJOR INFINITY WAR SPOILERS specifically waited to publish it a few weeks after Infinity War had been out to avoid spoiling it for people. Anyways, I saw Infinity War. I cried, a lot. Seriously, I was actually traumatized by that movie. And it inspired me to write this. AGAIN, DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE MOVIE OR SOME OF THIS WILL NOT MAKE SENSE.
"At the dawn of the universe, there was nothing," Wong began "Then, boom!"
A light exploded in the room and an image of the galaxy appeared. Five stones floated in space.
"A big bang and six elemental crystals hurtling across the virgin universe," Wong waved his hand and the stone spun into place. "These infinity stones, each controlled an essential aspect of existence. "
The blue one lit up, "Space," next was red, "Reality," than purple, "Power," orange, "Soul", yellow, "mind, and time." Doctor Strange looked at the eye-shaped necklace that hung around his neck. He crossed his arms over it and made a sign with each hand before waving them in front of the necklace. The necklace opened, revealing a bright green gem inside it.
"Tell me his name again," Tony demanded from his seat on the couch. He watched the men with an intense look, still struggling to grasp the things he was being told.
"Thanos," Banner stated. "He's a plague, Tony. He invades planets, he takes what he wants, he wipes out half the population, he sent Loki! The attack on New York, that's him!"
Tony stood up as Banner talked, walking around the room. "This is it," he whispered. "What's our timeline?"
"No telling!" Banner exclaimed. "He has the power and space stones, that already makes him the strongest creature in the whole universe! If he gets his hands on all six stones, Tony-"
"He could destroy life hitherto undreamt of," Doctor Strange finished.
"Did you seriously just say hitherto undreamt of?" Tony asked. He leaned against a giant cauldron, stretching his leg.
"Did you seriously just lean on the cauldron of Cosmos?" Doctor Strange's cloak slapped Tony's hand causing him to step back from the giant pot.
Tony squinted his eyes at the magician. "I'm going to allow that," He stated before turning back to the problem at hand. "If Thanos needs all six then why don't we just stick this one down the garbage disposal?" Tony asked, pointing to the necklace.
Doctor Strange shook his head, "No can do,"
"We swore an oath to protect the time stone with our lives," Wong insisted.
"And I swore off dairy but then, Ben & Jerrys named a flavor after me, so-"
"Stark Raving Hazelnuts,"
"Not bad,"
"A bit chalky," Strange responded, starring Tony down.
"A Hunk-A-Hulk with Burning Fudge is our favorite," Wong explained.
Bruce looked at the man surprised, "Wait, that's a thing?"
"The point is, things change," said Tony.
"Our oath to protect the time stone cannot change, and this stone may be the best chance we have against them."
"It also might be his best chance against us!" Tony shot back.
"Only if we don't do our jobs," Strange growled.
"What is your job exactly? Besides making balloon animals,"
"Protecting your reality, douchebag," Doctor Strange smirked.
"Okay guys, could we please table this discussion right now?" Banner demanded. "The fact is, that we have this stone! We know where it is! Vision is out there somewhere with the mind stone and we have to find him now!
"Yeah, that's the thing..." Tony grumbled.
"What do you mean?"
"Two weeks ago Vision turned off his transponder, he's offline."
"What!" Banner shouted. "Tony, you lost another superbot?"
Tony walked away from the group, "We didn't lose him! He's more than that! He's evolving!"
"Who could find Vision?" Strange asked.
Tony stopped and hung his head, a thought occurred to him, one he did not like at all. "Probably Steve Rogers,"
"Oh great," Doctor Strange groaned turning away.
"Maybe, but..." Tony trailed off and sighed.
Banner looked at his friend in confusion. "Call him, or Jo! Jo's specialty is finding people!"
"It's not that easy," Tony stated looking at Bruce. "God, we haven't caught up in a spell have we?"
"No..."
"The Avengers broke up, we're toast," Tony explained.
"Broke up? Like a band? Like the Beatles?"
"Cap and I fell out hard, we're not on speaking terms."
Bruce looked down for a moment, not believing what he was hearing. His team was gone? "What about Jo? Or did she take Cap's side?"
Tony bit his lip. It had been two years and he still struggled to say the words out loud. "Jo's dead. She died during our fight."
Bruce's eyes widened. "Jo's dead? But... but how-"
"Actually," Doctor Strange interrupted the two men. "She's not dead."
Tony looked at the wizard, anger rising in his chest. Was this a joke to him? "Yes, she is," Tony breathed, trying to keep himself from lashing out. "I was there. I watched her die. I buried her." Every word he said made it harder to breathe. Tony dealt with his grief like he dealt with all his other problems. He pushed them down and ignored them till he exploded or did something outrageously stupid. Both usually happened at the same time. Jo's death had been no exception.
Strange opened his mouth to argue but closed it. Instead, he took out his phone and dialed a number. It rang three times before someone answered. "It's me, I need you to come to the New York Sanctum right now."
Tony watched Strange, clenching his fists. Who was he calling?
"It's an emergency, like an end of the world emergency," Strange explained. "I know, but you're needed, and trust me, you're going to want to be apart of this one."
A moment later Strange hung up the phone turned to the two men watching him. "Just give them a second."
And just as he said, a second later a portal with sparks flying around the edges opened. A woman stepped through and the portal closed behind her.
Tony didn't believe it. This couldn't be her. This woman was skinner, her hair was down to her waist and it was brown, not blonde. Her face was older, Jo never aged, but it was like time and stress had finally started to take its toll. She wore black jeans and a teal t-shirt. She had on a leather jacket and gloves that left her fingers exposed. The gloves were a hint, but the eyes are what made Tony's jaw drop. Blue eyes. Just like her father's. Eyes Tony saw in his nightmares. Eyes he could never forget.
He stepped towards the woman. She remained still as Tony reached out and lightly gripped her shoulder as if checking to make sure she wasn't a hologram. "Jo..."
"Hello Tony," Jo Carter greeted. "It's good to see you." She then looked at Banner. "You too Bruce."
Banner slightly waved, still surprised to see his old friend alive after thinking she was dead for less than five minutes.
"But how..."
"It's a long story."
"Well start telling it!" Tony shouted. His shock was now replaced with anger.
"We don't have time!" Strange interjected. "Yes, she's alive, she's been hiding here with me. Tetrodotoxin B was used to make you believe she died before she was brought here to continue her healing and then went into hiding. Now that that's out of the way, we have more pressing matters."
Jo turned to the Doctor. "What did you call me for Steven?"
Steven Strange and Wong then explained to her the dire situation involving Thanos and the Infinity Stones. Banner explained his part, how Thanos had attacked the Asgardian ship and killed everyone on it. Including Thor and Loki.
Tony just continued to look at her. He couldn't understand it. Why? Why had she faked her death? Why leave them? Why leave her family?
"And you want me to find Vision?" Jo asked as they finished telling their tale. The men nodded. Jo sighed and ran a hand through her long hair.
"Do you have any idea of where he might have gone?" Steven asked.
Jo shook her head, "I don't, but I know how to get in contact with someone who does." She looked at Tony, "You need to call him."
"Why?" He asked his voice a bit raspy.
"Because I won't be able to protect Vision on my own, It's better if we have as many people on this as possible."
"Why can't you call him?"
"Because he doesn't know I'm alive," Jo answered quietly. "He won't believe it's me. He'll think it's some kind of trick. It has to come from you."
Tony shook his head, stepping away from her. "You're in no position to be giving orders!"
"You can be mad at me later! Right now, we have a real problem on our hands!"
"No! We do this now!" Tony shouted.
Jo let out a sigh of frustration. "Ten minutes," She glanced at the others before grabbing Tony's arm and pulling him upstairs and into a small study. Tony couldn't help but glance at the different artifacts and weapons as they walked passed them. Jo slammed the door shut and faced her old friend.
"Alright, go ahead, get it all out of your system. Shout, ask questions, just don't break anything. The last thing I need is to piss Steven off again."
Tony stared at her for a moment, trying figure out where he should start. "Why?"
"Why what?"
"Why'd you do it?" Tony growled stepping closer. "Why did you leave? Why did you let us think you were dead?"
Jo tried to look down but Tony grabbed her chin, making her look him in the eye.
"Look at me when you answer! I want you to look at me when you explain why you abandoned your family!"
Jo slapped his hand away. "You tore our family apart!" She shot back. "I was already going to quit, I was so done, Tony! I was so tired of fighting, and, with the accords, I would have either ended up in prison or had to live the rest of my life in hiding. I didn't want that!"
Tony shook his head. "But..."
"I'm sorry okay! I'm sorry I hurt you, but I had to do what was right for me for once. Because if I kept going the way I was, it was going to end badly."
Tony recognized the look in her eyes, he understood the things she had left unspoken. It was something he had experienced personally. "But you're still hiding, you even changed your appearance."
"I've been hiding in plain sight, something I wouldn't have been able to do had I not left," Jo explained. "After the fight, like Steven said, I came here. Since Steven is a doctor, he looked after me till I was healed. He taught me the ways of the Mystic Arts. I'm apart of this team now. I get to travel, and see the world, and pretend to be normal. I hide till my job calls on me. I have friends, I'm a regular at a coffee shop, Steven and I get lunch together every Tuesday. Tony, I get to live a real life. I have a reason to keep going."
Tony felt guilty for being angry with Jo. How could he be? When she was finally happy. He remembered how she used to be before the Accords. Serious. Tired. Never being able to find joy in anything. "I'm sorry I yelled."
Jo shook her head, "You have every right to be angry with me."
"I just..." Tony grabbed Jo's shoulder and pulled her in for a hug. Jo was shocked by the action but did wrap her arms around Tony.
"I missed you kid,"
"Missed you too."
"Your father is going to be so pissed," Tony stated as they pulled away.
Jo smirked, "I think I can handle him."
"Sorry to intrude," Steven stated as he up through the floor causing Tony to jump back. "But we have a situation outside."
They walked out onto the streets to find people screaming and running. They would pull their cars over and rush out.
Tony and Jo walked down the sidewalk. Jo helped a woman up as a car hit a pole.
"Friday, what am I looking at?" Tony asked as he threw on a pair of tech glasses.
"I'm not sure, I'm working on it," the artificial intelligence responded.
"Hey!" Tony shouted pointing to Steven. "You might wanna put that time stone in your back pocket Doc!"
"Might wanna use it," Steve stated. He crossed his arms over his chest and pulled them away, bright orange rings appeared around his forearms.
They walked around the corner out into the middle of the street. Jo stared up at the giant black ring in the sky. It was clearly a spaceship, but not like any Jo had seen before. The inside of the ring was spinning, causing the strong winds to blow over cars and poles.
Doctor Strange waved his hands and shot a blast of energy at the ship. The spinning began to stop and the winds calmed down. Strange looked at Tony to find Tony staring at him. Steven winked and Tony rolled his eyes.
A blue beam shot down from the ship. Once it disappeared two figures stood where it had touched. One was large and muscular, he wore armor Jo did not recognize. The other was short and skinny, he also had no nose. Both were clearly aliens.
The short one spoke first. "Hear me and rejoice. You are about to die at the hands of the children of Thanos"
The larger one grunted and lifted the large ax he carried.
"Be thankful, that your meaningless lives are now contributed to-"
"I'm sorry! Earth is closed today!" Tony shouted. "You better pack it up and get out of here!"
"Sentinel, does this chattering animal speak for you?" The creature asked Doctor Strange.
"Certainly not, I speak for myself," Steven pounded his fists together and two orange discs appeared on them. "You're trespassing in this city and on this planet."
Wong copied Strange's actions. A bright light appeared in Jo's hands. Once it disappeared a golden sword took its place. Her outfit was replaced with one that was a similar style of Steven's, except her's was black.
"It means get lost Squidward!" Jo shouted.
Tony looked back at Jo, "What's with the sword?"
"This is DragonFang," Was Jo's only response.
The creature sighed before glancing at his companion. "He exhausts me, bring me the stone."
The larger creature grunted in response and began to approach the group of heroes.
Jo, Wong, and Banner ran back to where the fight began. Jo sheathed her sword and it disappeared. Banner looked at where the sword had been confused.
"It's invisible when it's sheathed," Jo explained as she made her way through the rubble. She looked up the sky. The ship was leaving their atmosphere and there was no way she could get up there. "Wong! You go back to the Sanctum, guard it."
"What will you do?" He asked.
Jo looked at Banner, "I'm staying. I'll be back as soon as I can."
Wong nodded. He opened a portal to the Sanctum and stepped through, the portal closed behind him.
Bruce picked a small flip phone off the ground. "This is Tony's, it has Steve's number in it. Should you call him?"
Jo shook her head, "No, you should. Tell him to find Vision."
"Then what? Where do we go?" Banner asked. Jo slightly smirked.
"I've got an idea."
"Still no word from Vision?"
"No, we lost the signal," Rhodey answered. He looked up at the hologram of a conference table with a few men sitting around it. One of those men was The Secretary of State, Thaddeus Ross.
"Yeah, on stolen Quinjet with four of the worlds most wanted criminals," Ross stated.
"You know, they're only criminals because you've chosen to call them that right?"
"God, Rhods, your talent for horse shit rivals mine."
"If it weren't for those Accords, Vision would have been right here."
Ross got out of his seat and walked around the table so he now stood toe to tow with Rhode. "I remember your signature on those papers Curnal."
"That's right," Rhode sighed "And you know, I'm pretty sure I paid for that."
"You having second thoughts?" Ross asked. He looked down at the machine Rhode wore that made it possible for him to walk.
"Not anymore."
The two men looked up at the sound of footsteps.
"Mr. Secretary," Steve Rogers greeted. Natasha Romanoff stood at Steve's side. Sam was helping Vision walk and Wanda Maximoff was beside them.
"You've got some nerve, I'll give you that," Ross growled stepping towards them.
"You could use some of that right now," Natasha shot back.
"The world's on fire, and you think all is forgiven?"
"I'm not looking for forgiveness," Steve answered. "And I'm way passed 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."
Ross turned to Rhode. "Arrest them,"
Rhode nodded, "All over it." He waved his hand, ending the call and Ross and the other men disappeared. Rhode looked at Steve. "That's a court-martial," Rhode smiled. "It's great to see you, Cap,"
"You too Rhode," Steve smiled as the two men shook hands. Natasha walked over and gave Rhode a hug.
"Well, you guys really look like crap," Rhode stated, looking at Sam. "Must have been a rough couple years."
"Yeah, well, the hotels weren't exactly five stars."
"I think you guys look great,"Everyone turned at the sound of Bruce Banner's voice. It may have surprised them to see their old friend, but what really shocked them was the woman who stood behind him.
"Hi," Jo slightly smiled as they all stared at her. Natasha was the first to react. She walked over and pulled Jo in for a tight hug.
"It's good to see you again," Nat stated as she pulled away. Wanda rushed over.
"Hello, Сестра (Russian for sister)" Wanda exclaimed as they hugged.
Jo chuckled, "I missed you too." Once Wanda stepped away Jo looked at Steve who was still staring at her with a cold expression. "Steve,"
"Jo," He greeted coldly.
"This is awkward," Sam whispered.
"So, we gotta assume they're coming back, right?" Rhode asked as they had finished explaining the situation.
"And they can clearly find us," Wanda added.
"We need all hands on deck," Banner stated. "Where's Clint?"
"After the whole Accords situation, he and Scott took a deal. It was too tough on their families. They're on house arrest." Natasha explained.
"Who's Scott,"
"Ant-Man," Jo answered.
"There's an Ant-Man and a Spider-Man?" Bruce exclaimed. "Okay, look, Thanos has the biggest army in the universe and he is not gonna stop until he... he gets Vision's stone."
"Well, then we have to protect it."
"No, we have to destroy it," Vision protested. "I've been giving a good deal of thought to this thing in my head. About its nature, but also it's composition. I think if it were exposed to a sufficiently powerful energy source, something very similar to its own signature, perhaps. Its molecular integrity could fail." Vision walked over to Wanda as he spoke, looking at her in the ey.
"And you with it," Wanda responded. "We're not having this conversation."
"Eliminating the stone is the only way to be certain Thanos can't get it," Vision argued.
"That's too high a price,"
Vision shook his head and placed both hands on Wanda's cheeks. "Only you have the power to pay it."
Wanda walked away from Vision, unable to look at him. Jo took a step to the right, so she was beside her friend. Wanda reached over and Jo took her hand, giving it a light squeeze.
Vision hung his head. "Thanos threatens half the universe, one life cannot stand in the way of defeating him."
"But it should," Cap stated. He shook his head, "We don't trade lives Vision."
"Captain seventy years ago you laid down your life to save how many millions of people? You gave up everything, including knowing your daughter, to save people you didn't even know. Tell, how is this any different?"
"Because, you might have a choice," Jo interjected.
Bruce nodded in agreement. "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 asked.
Bruce furrowed his eyebrows, trying to decide the best way to explain this. "I'm saying, if we take away the stone, there's still a whole lot of Vision left. Perhaps, the best part."
"Can we do that?"
"Not me, not here," Bruce answered.
"Well, you better find someone and somewhere fast," Rhode ordered. "Ross isn't just gonna let you have your old rooms back."
"I know someone," Steve spoke up.
Jo looked at the two outfits that were in front of her. One was the one she usually wore in the Sanctum. The other, was almost exactly like the one she wore when she used to be an Avenger, except it had a few minor upgrades. Jo sighed, she promised herself she would never move backward, so, she picked the first one.
After getting dressed she made sure she had her knife and sword, but before she could leave the room, the door opened and in stepped Steve who closed the door behind him. He kept his back to her for a moment, neither of them spoke. When Steve did turn around an face her, there was a look in his eyes Jo had never seen.
Jo had imagined this scenario a thousand times. The things she would say or do. That her father would yell and probably break something. She never expected him to hug her.
Jo stood there with Steve's arms wrapped around her, not sure what to do. Finally, she reciprocated the hug. Steve kissed the top of her head and let out a sigh. His beard tickled her forehead.
"I'm sorry," Jo whispered. She meant it. Jo may have loved the new life she had found, but not as much as she loved the days of movie marathons and pizza with her Dad.
Steve pulled away and placed his hands on the side of her face. He wiped away the tear that had rolled down his daughter's cheek. "I have you back now, that's all I care about. "
"This is not how I expected you to react," Jo chuckled.
Steve smiled, "I was mad, but then I thought, I get a second chance to have you in my life. So, why would I waste time being angry about stuff that is said and done?"
Jo let out a laugh and threw her arms around Steve's neck.
"I told you they'd make up!"
Steve and Jo jumped apart to see Sam and an annoyed Rhode standing in the doorway.
"You owe me ten bucks!"
"Come on Steve! You didn't even break anything!" Rhode complained as he pulled out his wallet.
Jo and Steve laughed as the two men continued to bicker. Steve threw his arm around Jo's shoulders and kissed her forehead.
"Missed you Pops,"
"Missed you too weirdo,"
They all sat on the stolen Quinjet, making their way to an unknown location. Well, unknown to everyone except Steve, Natasha, and Jo. The other two didn't know Jo knew, but she was good at predicting what her father would do.
"What's with the new outfit?" Steve asked.
"They her new uniform!" Sam answered before Jo could. "Speaking of, how's that wizard friend of yours doing?"
Jo smirked, "He's fine, I think. Steven's strong, I'm sure he's handling outer space just fine." She finished braiding her hair as she talked.
"Wait, you knew where she was?" Cap spoke up.
"So did Nat!" Sam defended.
"And Wanda!" Natasha shot back.
Steve groaned, "So, did everyone know except for me?"
"Not everyone, I couldn't tell Bucky because he was in cryofreeze," Jo laughed and ducked out of the way as Steve tried to smack her upside the head.
"Get up to 2600 heading 030," Steve instructed Sam.
"I hope you're right about this, or we're gonna land a lot faster than you want to," Sam responded as he increased their speed.
Jo watched as they flew straight to the forest on the mountain, but before they hit the trees the greenery disappeared. They passed through the forcefield and a lake and large city became visible to them.
"What do you think?"
"I'll never get tired of that," Jo answered glancing at Steve.
He narrowed his eyes, "You've been to Wakanda?"
"A few times. We keep in touch. We let them know when we find a bad guy they want, they let us know when they find someone we want."
"So T'Challa knows you're alive?"
"Do you really want the answer to that?" Jo sighed as they landed.
The landing dock opened and they walked out of the ship.
"Should we bow?" Jo heard Banner whisper to Rhodey
"Yeah, he's a king," Rhodey answered.
Jo couldn't help but slightly smirk.
"Seems like I'm always thanking you for something," Steve stated as he shook T'Challa's hand.
Banner cleared his throat and bowed.
"What are you doing?" Rhodey exclaimed.
"We don't do that here," T'Challa clarified. He turned to Jo, "It is good to see you again Jo,"
"Likewise, your highness," Jo greeted.
The group began to walk towards the building's entrance.
"So, how big of an assault should we expect?" T'Challa inquired.
"Uh, sir, sir! I think you expect quite a big assault," Banner spoke up.
"How we looking?" Natasha asked.
"We have my King's guard, the Border tribe, the Dora Milaje, and-"
"A semi-stable hundred-year-old man," James Buchanan Barnes stated as he approached the group. He and Steve hugged.
"How you been Buck?"
"Ah, not bad, for the end of the world." Bucky smiled.
"Hey Bucky," Jo said quietly as she stepped forward.
Bucky returned the smile and the two hugged. "It's good to see you, Jo,"
Steve looked between the two. "Did you know she wasn't dead!"
"T'Challa told me seven hours ago,"
Steve groaned, "I've known for six! So, even you knew before me."
"Do not take it personally, Captain,"
They all turned to see Shuri, princess of Wakanda walking towards them.
"All Fathers are the last to know things about their daughter," Shuri smirked. T'Challa, who stood behind her, rolled his eyes at his sister's dramatics.
Jo chuckled and hugged her friend. "It's good to see you again Shuri,"
"You have been away for too long! Come! I have some new toys for you!" Shuri took Jo's hand pulling her in the direction of her lab before Jo could object.
"Those two together..."
"They could end this war by themselves," T'Challa chuckled as he followed the two girls.
They all watched as Shuri used her bracelet to scan Vision's body. Vision currently laid on a table keeping his eyes closed.
Steve watched as Shuri and Jo made quietly made small talk and joke as Shuri worked. He couldn't help but let a small smile appear on his face as he listened to a laugh he thought was gone for good.
Shur opened her palm and a hologram of the infinity stone appeared.
"Woah," Banner whispered.
"The structure is polymorphic," Shuri observed.
"Right, we had to attach each neuron non-sequentially."
"Why didn't you just pre-program the synapses to work connectivity?" Shuri asked.
Vision looked at Banner who was struggling to come up with an answer.
"Because...we didn't... think of it?" Banner finally spoke.
"I'm sure you did your best."
"Can you do it?" Wanda interjected.
"Yes, but there are more than two trillion neurons here," Shuri explained. "One misalignment could cause a cascade of circuit failures. This will take time, brother."
"How long?" Jo asked.
"As long as you can give me."
There was a beep and Okeye tapped one of the spheres on her bracelet. A hologram of the Earther appeared on the palm of her hand. "Something's entered the atmosphere."
"Hey Cap, we have a situation out here," Sam spoke over the coms.
They all looked out the window and up at the sky. Something big was coming towards them, but once it hit the forcefield it exploded leaving the people below unharmed.
"We got more incoming outside the dom!" Rhodey warned them.
"It's too late," Vision spoke, trying to sit up on the table. "We need to destroy the stone now."
"Vision, get your ass back on the table," Natasha ordered walking to him.
"We will hold them off," T'Challa stated.
"Wanda, as soon as that stone's out of his head, you blow it to hell," Steve instructed. Wanda nodded.
"Evacuate the city! Engage your defenses! And get this man a shield!" T'Challa ordered pointing at Steve.
Steve looked at the King of Wakanda and nodded. It was time to go to war.
Talon fighters filled with warriors flew across the fields of Wakanda with ships flying above them. Jo stood on one of the Talon fighters beside Okeye and T'Chala. Bucky and Steve were on the one on their right and Natasha was on their left.
"How we looking Bruce?" Natasha asked over the coms.
"Yeah, I think I'm getting the hang of it!" Bruce used his boosters and flew ahead of them a couple of feet and continued to run in the Hulkbuster suit. "Woah! This is amazing! It's like being the Hulk without actually-" Bruce let out a cry as he tripped on a rock and landed on his face. The Talon fighters continued on, flying above him.
Jo chuckled at Okoye's look of disgust.
"I'm okay! It's okay!" Bruce assured them as he got up and dust off the suit.
"I got two heat signatures breaking through the tree line!" Rhodey reported as he flew overhead beside Sam.
The Talon Fighters came to a stop and the warriors climbed off and rushed forward to assume their positions.
The Jabari tribe chanted as they joined the army. Man-Ape, their leader, shook hands with T'Challa.
"Thank you, for standing with us."
"Of course, brother," Man-Ape answered in Wakanda's native tongue.
Two creatures approached the barrier. One was large and muscular creature Jo recognized from New York. The other was a female who wore gold armor and a helmet with horns. Black paint covered her eyes in the shape of a mask. The female held her sword against the forcefield, creating a light blue glow as the energy came in contact with the metal.
Natasha, Jo, Steve, and T'Challa walked over to meet them.
"Where's your other friend?" Natasha asked.
"You will pay for his life with yours," The female answered.
Jo didn't know when or how, but it was clear Steve and Natasha had met this creature before.
"Thanos will have that stone."
"That's not gonna happen," Jo stated.
"You are in Wakanda now, Thanos will have nothing but dust and blood," T'Challa threatened.
"We, have blood to spare," The female dictated. She let out a grunt and raised her sword high. The ground shook and a horrible screech filled the air.
"They surrender?" Bucky asked as the group returned.
"Not exactly," Steve sighed as he took his spot beside his friend.
Natasha stood on Bucky's right and Jo stood on Steve's right. She looked at her father and they nodded to one another.
"Yibambe!" T'Challa shouted.
"Yibambe!" His man answered.
"Yibambe!"
"Yibambe!"
"Yibambe!"
"Yibambe!" The warriors answered one last time.
The female behind the barrier lowered her sword. Creatures came sprinting out of the trees. The walked on all four legs. The had no eyes but a large mouth that showed their many sharp teeth. They let out the most horrible screech you had ever heard.
"What the Hell..." Bucky whispered.
"Looks like we pissed her off," Natasha grumbled.
The creatures threw themselves at the barrier, the impact killing them one by one. Some managed to get a limb or two through, but the forcefield would cut them clean off.
"They're killing themselves," Jo stated in disgust.
A few creatures managed to make it to the other side.
"Yibambe!" The warriors shouted and took formation, putting up their shields.
T'Challa gave the order and they began to fire their weapons, killing the monsters that had managed to reach them.
Jo crossed her arms over her chest then uncrossed them, just how Strange had taught her. Orange discs appeared on her hands and she threw them at their enemy.
"Where did you learn to do that?"
"From my wizard friend," Jo joked.
"Did you see the teeth on those things!" Sam shouted as he dove out of the way of a creatures bite.
"Alright, back up Sam, you're gonna get your wings singed," Rhodey warned. The compartments on the back of his suit opened and dropped a few explosives on the creatures below him. The explosion burned them to ash.
Jo noticed some of the creatures who were still behind the barrier began to run around it.
"Cap, if these things circle the perimeter and get in behind us there is nothing standing between them and Vision!"
"Then we better keep them in front of us," Steve growled.
"How do we do that?" Okoye asked.
T'Challa, bit his lip, trying to think of a solution. "We open the barrier," he answered looking at his general. T'Challa raised his hand and pressed his com. "On my signal, open northwest section seventeen."
"Requesting confirmation my King, you said open the barrier?" Shuri responded.
"On my signal."
"This will be the end of Wakanda," Man-Ape whispered.
"Then it will be the noblest end in history," Okoye stated firmly.
Steve brought up his arm and metal arrowhead shaped shield took form. The discs on Jo's hands disappeared and she brought out her sword.
"You just carry that in your pocket or something?" Natasha whispered. Jo smirked in response.
T'Challa shouted an order and his men put down their shields and drew their weapons. He walked to the front of the army and stood there for a moment. "Wakanda forever!" T'Challa crossed his arms over his chest and his Black Panther mask appeared on his head.
"Wakanda forever!" They screamed before charging at the enemy.
"Now!" T'Challa shouted as they ran. A section of the barrier opened and the enemy came charging through.
T'Challa, Steve, and Jo easily outran their warriors and reached the monsters first. They jumped into the knee-deep lake and attacked. Jo swung her sword slicing a creatures head clean off. She swung again and shoved it through another's chest. She drew her dagger and killed another with her other hand.
Steve stood beside her, swinging his fists left and right, hitting anything that came his way. The new vibranium shield tearing through the monster's skin like it was butter.
T'Challa fought alongside them, using the kinetic powers of his suit to kill as many enemies as he could.
Their army continued to fight. No monster would make its way into Wakanda, not on their watch.
"Shuri, how much longer!" T'Challa shouted over the madness.
"I've barely begun brother!"
"You might want to pick up the pace!" He suggested before taking out another creature.
Bucky fired his gun, killing as many as he could. One came up behind him and knocked the weapon out of his hands and pinned him to the ground. Bucky grunted as he tried to keep its snapping jaw from biting his face off. Suddenly, the creature went flying and landed dead a few feet away from Bucky, dead with a sword sticking out of its side.
Jo stepped over Bucky as she walked towards it. She kicked it, making sure it wasn't playing dead before pulling the sword out of its flesh. Jo winked at Bucky before rushing back into the fight.
The war raged on. It seemed like as they killed one monster, two more took its place. The aliens outnumbered them. T'Challa was pulled to the ground as two played tug of war with his limbs. Steve was pinned against a rock by four. Jo swung her sword left and right, shooting orange discs as quick as she could. Even Banner, who was in the Hulkbuster was being buried.
"There's too many of them!" Banner shouted.
A beam of bright energy shot out of the sky, burning the aliens to a crisp. Those who were still alive ran from it in terror. When the beam disappeared in its place stood Thor, son of Oiden, with a raccoon on his back a tree man stood beside him. His eyes shined bright like lightning and in his hand, he wielded a mighty ax that electricity ran through.
The heroes were frozen in shock at the sight of their old friend.
The Hulkbuster lowered its helmet revealing Banner's tiny head. "Ah! You guys are so screwed now!" He laughed.
"Bring me, Thanos!" Thor shouted as he charged into battle with the tree man and raccoon following his lead.
Thor jumped into the air and dark clouds formed around him. His body became a conductor of lighting and he fired the energy at the aliens bellow him as Thor stuck the ax onto the ground. the explosion killed thousands.
Jo looked at Steve and the two grinned. They had a chance.
Shuri worked as quickly as she good without causing any damage or making a mistake.
Wanda stood idly by, biting her nails as she looked between Vision, who laid on the table unconscious, and the battle taking place outside.
Jo let out a breath as she killed another alien. Though she loved her new home and the new job, she had missed the battlefield. Nothing made the soldier in her happier than be in the center of the fight.
She looked over at the raccoon who fired his gun like a madman.
"Ah! Come and get some face dogs!" He screamed.
More came charging. Bucky grabbed the raccoon and raised him up and spun around. Together they fired their guns killing anything that dared to approach them.
"Get some! Get some! Get some!" The animal shouted.
Bucky dropped him once they aliens had stopped running their way.
"How much for the gun?" The raccoon asked.
"Not for sale," Bucky answered as he reloaded his gun.
"Okay, how much for the arm?" Bucky just looked at the animal before walking away.
"Oh, I'll get that arm," The raccoon chuckled.
Jo fell into step beside Bucky. "That was so badass."
Bucky just smirked and fired his gun.
Thor swung his ax taking out enemies as he went. Steve fought alongside him. It almost felt like old times.
"New haircut?" Steve asked when they had a moment to take a breath.
"I noticed you've copied my beard," Thor answered motioning to his own facial hair.
Steve nodded and waved his arm. He looked over to see the tree man shoot out his wooden arm and it pierced through three aliens killing them.
"Oh! By the way, this is a friend of mine, Tree," Thor introduced.
"I am Groot!" Groot shouted.
"I am Steve Rogers," Steve responded doing a slight bow.
A creature jumped at Thor from behind but Jo was on it before it ever touched him. She broke its neck and stood up.
"Good to see you, Thor!"
"Always a pleasure Daughter of the Shield!" The god of thunder greeted as he swung his ax.
Shuri vigorously continued her work.
Wanda looked down that the man she loved, trying to suppress the fear she felt. She looked up at the sounds of fighting and walked towards the large windows. Wanda watched as something large traveled beneath the ground. it went under the forcefield. Large spinning wheels that had sharp edges tore up the Earth as it came up.
Wanda watched as her friends and their warrior's fleed from the deathly machine. She couldn't do this. She could not stand there doing nothing while her friends were fighting for their lives.
"Focus all fire on the left flank!" Rhode ordered.
"I'm doing it!" Sam shouted as he fired everything he had at the machine.
Jo took down another alien and looked up in time to see the wheels spinning directly towards her, Okoye, and Natasha. They ducked down and covered their faces, preparing for impact. But it never came. Jamie looked up to see the machine was now in pieces floating in the air.
Wanda Maximoff brought back to the ground destroying it.
"Why was she up there all this time?" Okoye questioned.
Jamie shook her head and laughed before patting Wanda's shoulder. " Come, Сестрa (Russian for sister), the fight isn't over yet."
Shuri turned her head at the sound of fighting coming from the hallway. She worked faster, but it wasn't fast enough. Shuri was shoved aside as another alien jumped through the glass window and onto the lower floor. He looked at the table where Vision was supposed to be only to find it empty.
Vision came up behind the stranger and attacked him. The two struggled and fell out the window and down into the forest below.
"Hey, guys! We have a Vision situation!" Sam spotted their friend fall as he flew by. He was attacked by an alien before he could help Vision.
"Someone get to Vision!" Steve ordered.
"I got it," Wanda answered. But before she could move someone hit her on the side of the head and she fell into a ditch.
The female alien landed on her feet and slipped Wanda onto her back. "He'll die alone, as will you."
"She's not alone."
The female turned to see Natasha standing behind her. She looked to her right to see Okoye who spun her speer into a defensive position. She then looked up, to see Jo standing on the ground above her.
"You're about to get your ass kicked, alien bitch," Jo sneered before jumping down.
The female raised her sword and it collided with Jo's. Okoye struck the female from the side while Natasha came at her from behind. The female spun her sword like a skilled warrior. Turning from the left to the right, defending herself. One of the spinning wheels of death rolled by them.
"See ya," The female sneered. She shoved Okoye to the ground and kicked Natasha in the face. But Jo grabbed her arm when the female went to attack her.
"You're not getting off that easy," Jo grunted as she shoved back. She grabbed her sword off the ground and attacked, but this time, the alien was ready.
She dodged Jo's advances and swung at Jo's left side, slicing through her robes and cutting open her skin. Jo let out a cry and jumped back. The female pushed forward hit Jo square in the chest. Jo fell to the ground and held up her dagger in time to stop the alien from stabbing her in the throat.
The female looked up in surprise at the red energy surrounding her body. She let out a cry as she was thrown up into the air and one of the machines rolled by, turning her body to mush. Blue blood was splattered on Jo's face and Wanda sat on the ground trying to catch her breath.
The four women sat up and looked at one another.
"That was really gross," Jo gasped.
Jo had been right before. The battle was long from over. The Jabari tribe chanted as they continued to fight. Thro flew to one of the enemy shops and ducked inside. A few seconds later it exploded from the inside and came crumbling down and Thor flew to another.
Wanda landed in the forest and rushed to Vision's side. "Are you okay?" She asked as she knelt beside him checking his wounds.
Vision let out a scream as more pain shot through his body.
"What? What is it?"
Vision looked around him, eyes wide and frantic. "He's here."
Wanda's face fell. A chill ran up her spine.
A breeze blew through the air. It was like the world had gone silent.
"Everyone on my position, we got incoming," Steve ordered them. Natasha and Falcon were nearby. Banner was in the Hulkbuster a few feet away. T'Challa and Okoye were in the clearing as well.
Jo landed beside her father who nodded in her direction. Jo got a bad feeling in her gut. She drew her sword and dagger.
A cloud of grey smoke appeared not far from them. Once it disappeared, a large purple man appeared. He wore a golden breastplate and on his left hand was a golden gauntlet that had five crystals embed in it.
"Cap, that's him," Banner stated.
Thanos surveyed the warriors before him.
Captain America raised his shield. "Eyes up, stay sharp," He ordered his comrades before stepping forward.
Banner got there first. Thanos raised his fist and walked straight through the HulkBuster. When he opened his hand, and Banner stopped moving when half his body was stuck in the side of a mountain. Thanos threw Steve to the ground. He grabbed T'Challa by the neck and tossed him aside. Falcon came down from the air firing his guns, but it was only mere seconds before Thanos had defeated him too.
"Wanda..." Vision spoke up. "It's time."
Wanda shook her head, "No."
"They can't stop him, Wanda, but we can." Vision insisted. He grabbed her arm making Wanda face him. "Look at me, you have the power to destroy the stone,"
"Don't!" Wanda growled.
"You must, please," Vision grabbed her hand this time and pressed it against his cheek. "We are out of time."
"I can't..." Wanda whispered. She blinked, trying to stop the tears.
"Yes, you can. You can," Vision encouraged. He brought her hand forward so her finger was pointed at the stone. "If he gets the stone half the universe dies."
Wanda stepped back.
"It's not fair. It shouldn't be you but it is," Vision continued. "It's alright, you could never hurt me," He tried to comfort her.
Her bottom lip trembled and her mouth opened like she was trying to say something but couldn't find the right words.
"I just feel you," Vision whispered.
The red energy that flowed through Wanda's veins shot out of her palm and into the stone. Vision tried not to scream, but the pain was too great. The tears rolled down Wanda's cheeks without protest now.
Behind them, Thanos crushed the Iron Patriot's suit. Purple energy shoved Bucky to his knees. The earth flew up and trapped Natasha on her back. Groot shoved his fists into the ground, tree roots sprung up and wrapped themselves around Thanos. He tore them off like they were made of string.
Wanda raised her other hand and more power shot from it, increasing the pressure on the stone, increasing the amount of pain Vision was experiencing.
Jo slid on her knees and stopped between Wanda and Thanos. She swung her sword and dagger at the beast in front of her. Thanos grabbed her arm and ripped the sword from her hand. Jo jumped up, pressing her feet to his chest and jumping off, freeing her arm. Thanos brought his hand down on her. Jo dropped her dagger and raised both her hands, stopping the gauntlet from grabbing her neck. She screamed and pushed back with all her strength. Thanos turned his arm and swung with the right, punching Jo in the side of her head. Jo fell to the ground unconscious.
Thanos approached Wanda. She turned one hand towards him, using her powers to keep him at bay. Thanos raised the gauntlet and slowly made his way towards her.
Wanda looked back her love to see him whispering one last I love you. He closed his eyes and cracks appeared in his face. Golden light shined through them as the stone exploded. The explosion blew through the trees as a golden light. When the dust had cleared, Wanda could see Vission. He laid on the ground, instead of his vibrant read he was now grey and lifeless.
Wanda, on her knees, looked up as Thanos walked towards her.
"I understand child," Thanos spoke. "Better than anyone."
"You could never..." Wanda growled.
Thanos leaned down and ran his hand over her head as Wanda cried. "Today I lost more than you could know. But now is no time to mourn." Thanos got up and walked towards Vision's body. "Now, is no time at all." Thanos clenched his fist and a green ring appeared around the gauntlet. He opened his fist and a bright light appeared as he turned his hand.
Wanda watched as the damage from the explosion was undone. When the light disappeared she could see Vision, alive, with the stone still in his head. "No!" She screamed stumbling to her feet. Thanos hit her and Wanda went flying back.
He grabbed Vision by the neck and lifted him up. Vision gasped for air. Thanos raised his right hand and grabbed the stone. He ripped it from Vision's head, crushing his skull in the process. Vision's body, once again grey and dead, was dropped to the ground.
Thanos kept his eyes trained on the mind stone as he put it in its place. The center of the gauntlet. Yellow energy coursed through his body and Thanos let out a groan.
Lightning shot from the sky hitting Thanos square in the chest causing him to fall back. He looked up at Thor and shot at him using the gauntlet. Thor threw his ax and it collided with Thanos' power. It spun through the air until it reached Thanos, cutting through his armor and stabbing him in the chest.
Thor landed on the ground in front of his enemy. "I told you," He growled. "You die for that." He put one hand behind Thanos' neck and the other on the ax. Thor pushed it deeper into the alien's flesh causing him to shout in pain.
Thanos gasped for air and mumbled gibberish before being able to form a sentence. "You should have gone for the head," He rasped. Thanos raised his left hand and snapped his fingers. Light filled their vision and when it was gone they could see the now burnt and destroyed gauntlet.
"What did you do?" Thor whispered in shock. "What did you do!" He shouted.
But Thanos didn't respond. He clenched his fist and disappeared into a blue portal that closed behind him. The ax fell to the ground, a part of it covered in dark purple blood.
Steve limped over, holding his side. "Where'd he go?" Steve asked. He looked around, trying to piece together what had happened. "Thor...where'd he go?"
But Thor just stared at him, unable to speak.
"Steve..." Bucky spoke as he walked over. Except.... one of his legs was disappearing and his arm was turning to ash. It was only a mere seconds before the gun hit the ground and Bucky's body been turned completely to ash.
Steve stumbled over and knelt on the ground. He ran his hand through the ashes, that had moments ago been his best friend.
All around the world, people were disappearing right before their loved one's eyes.
"Up, General! Up!" T'Challa urged Okoye. "This is no placed to die!"
Okoye reached for her King's hand, only to find a handful of ash.
"I am Groot," Groot croaked as he disappeared before his friend.
Rocket stumbled towards him, "No, no, no!" he cried out. But there was nothing he could do. "Groot..."
Wanda didn't notice as her body disappeared. Her eyes remained on the man she loved as she joined him in the afterlife.
"Sam!" Rhode called out, trying to find his friend. Not knowing that Sam was now part of the ground he walked upon.
Thousands and thousands of miles away on the planet called Titan, more people fell victim to the power of the stones. Tony Stark watched as Mantis, Drax, Peter Quill, Doctor Strange, and Peter Parker turn to ash before his eyes.
The heroes gathered around Vision's body as Natasha came sprinting to them.
"He did it..." Steve whispered, who was on his knees.
Natasha looked around. "Where's Jo?"
Steve looked up, frantically searching the forest around him. "Jo!" He screamed standing up. "Jo!" He cried out, not able to hide the fear rising in his chest.
"Dad..."
Steve turned to see Jo stumbling towards him. He rushed over and caught her in his arms before she fell. Steve knelt to the ground, holding his daughter close. "You're gonna be okay, you'll be fine!"
"Dad... Dad, please...I don't want to go..." Jo whispered. She could feel it. She could feel her body giving up. It wasn't painful. It was like you were falling asleep. But Jo didn't want to go. She had a new life now. She had friends. She was happy. Jo had finally gotten her father back...
"I'm right here, I'm not going anywhere," Steve assured her. He looked behind him to see the others watching. They looked just as helpless as Steve felt. His grip on Jo tightened.
"I'm sorry... I'm sorry..." Jo gasped. First, it was her hand. Then both her legs and her hips. Her other arm was gone and then her chest began to go too. "I'm sorry..." Jo whispered one last time before she completely disappeared.
Steve stared at his hands, now filled with the remains of his daughter. "Oh, God..." He cried. "Oh, God..."
AN:
That's it, folks! The end of Daughter of the Shield! For real this time. No more extra chapters. There be no sequel. This is the end of the line for Joanne Carter-Rogers. Let me tell you, I have fallen in love with this character and saying goodbye to her is no easy task.
I hope you enjoyed this story. Thank you so much to all my readers for the comments and votes. I hope you all enjoyed this ending and have a lovely day!
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