dahlia dewitt. (toepoints) wrote in dunhavenic, @ 2018-08-30 14:22:00 |
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Entry tags: | * jach, r: ananya amin |
WHO: Natasha Romanoff / The Black Widow.
WHERE: Wakanda.
WHAT: The Battle for the Mind Stone.
WARNING: Spoilers for Infinity War.
STATUS: narrative; complete.
Nat doesn’t say it out loud, but she’s afraid. It doesn’t show much, of course. She’s always been excellent at masking her feelings. But there are small signs. It can be seen in the way she chews at her fingernail as she looks out at the ships crashing beyond Wakanda’s barrier. Or in the way she barks at Vision to get his ass back on Shuri’s table. Clint would have noticed. But he’s not here. She isn’t sure if that makes her grateful or sad. Her head is held high as she walks up to the barrier alongside Steve and T’Challa. Both brave, selfless men that she’s honored to fight alongside of. She flicks her hair out of her eyes and studies Proxima Midnight. ”Where’s your other friend?” “You will pay for his life with yours. Thanos will have that stone.” Nat sends a silent plea to Shuri to work faster as the three retreat from the barrier’s edge to rejoin the army. The Avengers. The Dora Milaje. The Jabari Tribe. The Border Tribe. Together they form an impressive army. Certainly the biggest Natasha has ever fought in. With weapons and protections that even SHIELD could only dream of. But she still worried it won’t be enough. The Outriders spill forth from their ships. Leathery black skin and way too many arms. Wicked claws glint in the sunlight and Natasha watches with trepidation as they begin to hurl themselves at the barrier. The first wave falls to the ground, dead. But as she watches, some of them are able to push through. The rest begin to circle around them. Bruce’s voice rings in her comm, speaking the words she’d just been thinking herself. They can’t let the Outriders get behind them. Everything will be lost if they do. T’Challa orders his people to bring down the barrier in front of them, and Natasha readies herself for what she’s certain is going to be her death. ”Wakanda Forever!” There’s a roar from the army as it runs forward to meet their enemy. Ready to try and save the world. Her hands brush the weapons in her belt. The battle brings out the best in her. Or possibly the worst, depending on how she looks at it. A calmness washes over The Black Widow and she forgets about Thanos and the stones. She sees only the enemies surrounding her. She and Okoye fight side by side. Neither of them with the enhancements or special abilities of the men they serve under. But they’re strong as hell, and even when the enemy begins to overrun them, they do not falter. ”There’s too many of them!” Bruce’s voice in her comm again, and her heart squeezes with worry for him. It was never Bruce who was the fighter. She slices the throat of an Outrider and drops to her knee to avoid the claws of another. Her hair flutters from the near miss. There are too many of them. Her skills won’t be enough to save her here. But Thor’s? That’s another story. The blinding light of the Bifrost radiates across the field and Natasha rolls back to her feet. The Thunder God, with a new haircut she notices, blasts the Outriders back and the sky above them darkens with rolling thunderclouds and lightning. A brief flicker of hope alights in her chest, but it’s quickly snuffed out with the arrival of the Threshers. The giant bladed war machines burrow beneath the ground and begin to assault the Wakandan army. One of them certainly would have killed Natasha and Okoye if Wanda hadn’t picked that moment to drop in and save them. Nat would have hugged the young girl if there had been time. But Proxima Midnight is there and focusing her considerable wrath at Wanda. The Scarlet Witch goes flying backward into a crevasse while the Child of Thanos stands over her with taunts. ”He’ll die alone. As will you.” “She’s not alone.” She’s there, Okoye still at her side, and the two hurl themselves at Proxima to protect Wanda. Black smoke billows through the air and dirt flies up around them from their battle. One of the Thrashers rolls above them, causing a brief distraction. Proxima presses her advantage and throws them both to the ground. She descends on Natasha, spear in hand. Unable to breathe, Natasha’s quick reflexes and her knife are the only thing that stop the spear from driving through her neck. She’s drained, her muscles beginning to tire, and her arm weakens. But she doesn’t need to hold on for long. She just needs to give Wanda time to get back to her feet again. Proxima Midnight is thrown in the air and directly onto the blades of a Thrasher. Her body is ripped in half and Natasha can feel the hot, blue blood spatter across her face. She rolls to her side and breathes heavily for a moment. ”That was really gross.” Wanda disappears to go after Vision, and Okoye and Natasha heave themselves out of the crevasse. A stillness has fallen across the battlefield and a strange breeze whistles through the trees. ”Cap, that’s him.” Steve’s voice, then. “Eyes up, stay sharp.” She watches as Bruce charges forward first and her heart stops. Thanos brushes him aside like a fly and suddenly the Hulkbuster is encased in a stone wall. Steve is thrown to the ground. T’Challa gets caught by the throat and pummelled into the ground. Sam is swatted out of the sky and Rhodey is crushed like an empty soda can. It’s hopeless. Everything they have is barely causing Thanos to break his stride. But still Nat rushes forward. If this is the end, she’s going down with everything she has. She feels a few ribs break as she’s shoved aside. She hits the floor with a groan and watches with horror as stones rise from the ground to entrap her in a cage. She can hear Steve’s yells and Wanda’s cry. Thor appears again with a crack of lightning. Everything surrounding them is confusion and pain. And then it stops. She hears a snap. Silence engulfs them for a beat, and then the yelling begins again. Thor and Steve are shouting, asking where he’s gone. Nat grits her teeth and shoves herself up against the stones until they break enough for her to pull free. ”Steve?” She hears Bucky’s voice sounding confused from somewhere up head. She’s on her feet now and hurrying toward Okoye on the ground. But T’Challa reaches her first, and Natasha watches in horror as the Black Panther disintegrates into dust. She stares at the pain on Okoye’s face, while all around them cries of anguish and confusion spring up. She can hear Rhodey’s voice calling for Sam as she sprints towards Steve. Bruce is still there. And Rhodey and Thor. Steve kneels on the ground over Vision’s lifeless body, and Natasha has to hold in the sob of pain she feels building inside her. The weight of it physically burdens her, and she hunches over, hand clenched over her stomach. It’s over. They lost. Half the universe obliterated in a single snap. Ana awakes with tears rolling down her face. She cries for Natasha, who won’t let herself be so vulnerable. For the lost lives and friends. She cries until there is nothing left in her and a stillness washes over her in the early morning light. Natasha’s need for secrecy had kept Ana from reaching out before now. But she doesn’t care anymore. If the people Natasha cared about were here somehow, Ana would find them. |