42. Avengers: Infinity War (2)

        After a moment, we all moved to help stitch up Vision and caught up a bit before getting down to business and discussing the issue.

"So we gotta assume they're coming back, right?" Uncle Rhodey asked.

"And they can clearly find us," Wanda added, and Uncle Bruce stated,

"We need all hands on deck. Where's Clint?"

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

"Who's Scott?"

"Ant-Man," I informed my uncle with my arms crossed in a thinking position.

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

"Well then, we have to protect it," I stated plainly.

"No, we have to destroy it," Vision ordered, and we all turned to 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 signature, perhaps... its molecular integrity could fail." Vision was implying that we could use Wanda's magic to destroy the stone. He walked up to her.

"And you, with it," Wanda knowingly said, "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."

Vision gently took Wanda's face in both his hands before trying to persuade her,

"Only you have the power to pay it."

Wanda walked away, clearly distressed, and I looked to Dad for guidance on what we should do before Vision spoke to all of us, "Thanos threatens half the Universe. One life cannot stand in the way of defeating him."

"But it should," Dad said with his eyes diverted down. Then, he looked Vision in the eye, "We don't trade lives, Vision."

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

Dad sighed, but Uncle Bruce spoke before Dad could answer,

"Because you might have a choice. 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?" I questioned, standing up straight.

"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?" Aunt Nat asked.

"Not me. Not here."

"Well, you better find someone, and somewhere fast," Uncle Rhodey informed us, "Ross isn't exactly just going to let you guys have your old rooms back."

After a moment, I looked at Dad with a knowing expression that he returned.

"We know somewhere," Dad told everyone, and we made a plan before making the call to Wakanda.

While on the Quinjet, we used the time to catch up a bit more. Uncle Rhodey and Uncle Bruce couldn't seem to fathom that I was now almost a full adult.

"I still don't believe it," Uncle Bruce said, "Last time I saw you, you were only fourteen. Now you're a mature young lady."

I giggled, which was joined by an embarrassed blush.

"Where did the time go?" Uncle Rhodey asked.

"Out the window, apparently," I answered with a sad smile, and Uncle Sam flew us to Wakanda. Because of the advanced country's shield, Dad had to guide Uncle Sam,

"Drop to 2600, heading 0-3-0."

I walked over to stand beside Dad behind the pilot's chair.

"I hope you're right about this, Cap," Uncle Sam stated, "Or we're going to land a lot faster than you want to."

I let out a breathy laugh as we flew through the camouflaged force field into Wakanda's Golden City valley. Uncle Sam landed us at the airfield outside the palace. King T'Challa and the Dora Milaje approached to greet us. Dad, Aunt Nat, and I led the others, and Dad then shook hands with T'Challa as he spoke,

"Seems like I'm always thanking you for something."

I shook T'Challa's hand next, smiling at him.

"Good to see you again, young Katie," T'Challa greeted, but he suddenly looked behind me. "Uh, we don't do that here," T'Challa said to Uncle Bruce, who had been bowing. He discouraged Uncle Bruce with a motion of his hand, and I stifled a laugh before T'Challa guided us toward the administrative building. "So, how big of an assault can we expect?"

Uncle Bruce ran up behind me and warned,

"Uh, sir, I think you can expect quite a big assault."

"How we looking?" Aunt Nat questioned on my left, and T'Challa listed what we had,

"You will have my Kingsguard, the Border Tribe, the Dora Milaje, and..."

Dad and I saw Bucky walk toward us with a smile on his face, finishing T'Challa's sentence,

"A semi-stable, 100-year-old man."

Dad hugged him first, and I followed while excitedly saying,

"Uncle Bucky!" I released him, and Dad pat his shoulder before asking,

"How you been, Buck?"

"Uh, not bad, for the end of the world."

We all shared a small laugh before walking to Shuri's lab. When I saw Shuri, I ran to give her a hug.

"It's so good to see you, Katie!" she greeted, returning my hug.

"You as well, Shuri."

"How was life as a fugitive?"

"Oh, great!" I playfully rolled my eyes, then we turned to the task at hand. Vision lay on the examination table, and Shuri scanned him and the Stone with her kimoyo beads. Shuri flipped her hand over to study the hologram projection over her palm.

"The structure is polymorphic," Shuri stated aloud, and Uncle Bruce informed her,

"Right, we had to attach each neuron non-sequentially."

"Why didn't you just reprogram the synapses to work collectively?"

I looked down to hide my smile caused by my friend's genius.

"Because we didn't think of it," Uncle Bruce said with uncertainty, and Shuri gave him a reassuring smile.

"I'm sure you did your best."

"Can you do it?" Wanda worriedly inquired.

"Yes, but there are more than two trillion neurons here. One misalignment could cause a cascade of circuit failures." Shuri looked to T'Challa, "It will take time, brother."

"How long?" Dad asked from beside me.

"As long as you can give me."

Okoye's kimoyo beads chimed an alarm, and she flicked one bead into her palm to project the globe with a pulsing location marker.

"Something's entered the atmosphere," Okoye warned us, and then we heard Uncle Sam over the coms,

"Hey, Cap, we got a situation here."

Dad and I ran over to the window to see the shield destroy one of the alien vessels as it slammed at full attack acceleration.

"God, I love this place," Uncle Bucky announced, but Uncle Rhodey interrupted over coms,

"Yeah, don't start celebrating yet, guys. We got more incoming outside the dome."