THE COLD HUM OF HOLOGRAPHIC SCREENS bathed the Avengers compound's conference room in an eerie blue glow. Outside, the sky threatened rain, dark clouds swirling over the shattered remnants of a world on the brink. The tension in the air was thick—like the calm before a storm that could swallow them all.

Secretary Ross's sharp voice crackled through the holo-feed, his impatience barely contained. "Still no word from Vision?" His eyes were narrowed, the lines of worry carved deep on his face as he addressed Rhodey, who stood rigid, arms crossed, a flicker of fatigue behind his steely gaze.

Rhodey shrugged, voice clipped, "Satellites lost him somewhere over Edinburgh."

Ross raised his voice a little, his frustration spilling over. "On a stolen quinjet with four of the world's most wanted criminals."

Rhodey's reply was sharp, laced with skepticism. "You know they're only criminals because you've chosen to call them that, right, sir?"

Ross sighed heavily, the weight of command settling like a stone in his gut. "My God, Rhodes, your talent for horseshit rivals my own."

A bitter smile twitched at Rhodey's lips. "If it weren't for those Accords, Vision would've been right here."

Ross fixed him with a glare that could cut steel. "I remember your signature on those papers, Colonel.

Rhodey's jaw clenched. "That's right. And I'm pretty sure I've paid for that."

"You have second thoughts?"

"Not anymore."

Before their standoff could spiral further, a new presence filled the room.

"Mr. Secretary." The voice was calm but carried an iron edge that commanded attention. Steve Rogers stepped forward, his team trailing behind him.

Ross's scowl deepened as he sized up the group—the so-called criminals, defiant and unbroken. "You got some nerve. I'll give you that."

Natasha's lips curled into a sly, defiant smile. "You could use some of that right now."

Ross's gaze locked onto Steve. "The world's on fire. And you think, all is forgiven?"

Steve's blue eyes blazed with conviction. "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."

His words landed like a thunderclap. Ross opened his mouth, closed it, speechless.

Steve had learned long ago: sometimes you had to risk everything to protect what you loved—family, friends, future. No apologies.

Ross turned back to Rhodey, who still stood stoic, arms folded, a proud smile breaking through his exhaustion. "Arrest them."

"All over it." Rhodey exhaled and shut down the hologram. "That's a court martial." He shook his head, then glanced back at Steve. "It's great to see you, Cap."

Steve returned the smile, firm and warm. "You too, Rhodey."

Rhodey laughed quietly. "Well. You guys, really look like crap. Must've been a rough couple of years."

"Yeah, well, the hotels weren't exactly five star," Sam chimed in, steadying the injured Vision as Ariel lent a gentle hand to Wanda.

A lighthearted voice cut through the tension. "Uh, I think you look great," Bruce Banner stepped forward, his presence surprisingly grounded after his mysterious disappearance in space. "Yeah. I'm back."

Natasha's eyes widened, a soft smile appearing on her beautiful face. "Hi, Bruce."

He gave a small nod, nervously rubbing his hands. "Nat."

Ariel's wide eyes sparkled with curiosity as she whispered, "Is he the big green giant?" Sam nodded. Though she had heard the stories, Bruce in his human form seemed almost fragile—far from the towering Hulk of legend. "He doesn't look that big," she murmured, more to herself than anyone else.

Sam chuckled awkwardly, breaking the silence. "Yeah, give him one papercut or a parking ticket and it's Smash O'Clock."

Wanda exchanged a knowing look with Vision, both suppressing grins, while Ariel raised a skeptical (yet gently concerned) eyebrow. "So... is he okay with handshakes? Or should I just wave from a safe distance?"

"This is awkward."

✧˚ · .

Rhodey exhaled heavily, folding his arms as his mechanical leg braces hummed faintly beneath him. "So we gotta assume they're coming back, right? And they can clearly find us."

Bruce paced slowly in the corner, his brow furrowed in concentration. He looked like a man who had just woken from a nightmare and stepped into a worse one. "We need all hands on deck. Where's Clint?"

Natasha sat with her arms on the table, looking both exhausted and razor-sharp. "After the whole Accords situation, he and Scott took a deal. It was too tough on their families."

Bruce blinked. "Wait, who's Scott?"

"Ant-Man," Steve clarified quickly.

Bruce's eyes widened. "There's an Ant-Man... and a Spider-Man? And I'm sorry, who are you again?" Bruce turned and pointed at the petite brunette seated beside Wanda.

The girl looked up. "Marlene. But everyone calls me Ariel."

"Like... like the mermaid?"

She nodded awkwardly as she offered him a playful finger-gun. Jup, that's me.

Bruce blinked. "Nice. Nice to meet you."

Ariel's smile was warm, a little shy, but full of spark. She wasn't trying to impress anyone—just being herself. Trying to help.

Bruce rubbed the back of his neck. "Okay, where were we—oh. Right. Thanos. Massive army. Wiping out half the universe. Fun times."

His tone sobered. "He won't stop until he... he gets Vision's stone."

"Well then, we have to protect it," Nat said, deadly serious.

But Vision, standing still and solemn beside the wall, finally spoke. "No, we have to destroy it," His voice was quiet, but laced with resolve. "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."

The room fell still.

Wanda turned to him, eyes wide. "And you with it. 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," Wanda shook her head.

Vision's face softened. "Only you, have the power to pay it. Thanos threatens half the Universe. One life cannot stand in the way of defeating him."

Wanda shook her head, heartbroken. "Don't ask me to be the one who ends you."

Steve's voice rang through the air like a steel blade. "But it should. We don't trade lives, Vision."

Vision turned to him. "Captain, 70 years ago, you laid down your life to save how many millions of people. Tell me, why is this any different?"

Bruce stepped forward. "Because you might still 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."

Ariel's voice rose softly beside him, eyes lighting with sudden inspiration. "So theoretically... if we isolated the neural patterns—the parts of you that aren't dependent on the Stone—we could reconstruct your consciousness outside of it. Maybe even translate it into something more... human?"

Everyone turned to look at her.

She blinked. "I mean, in theory. But it's not impossible."

Bruce's eyes gleamed. "That's exactly what I was thinking. Wow—she's good."

Ariel gave a shy smile, tucking her hair behind her ear. "I... used to be a scientist. Back in the day."

"Not just any scientist," Rhodey added with a low chuckle. "She helped build Cap."

Steve raised an eyebrow, the corner of his mouth twitching into a knowing smile.

Ariel shrugged modestly. "Only the serum."

Bruce squinted at her, his mind clearly working overtime. "Wait a minute. You... you're—" He took a half-step closer, his voice rising with dawning realization. "You're her. You're Erskine's daughter."

Ariel tilted her head slightly, like a bell responding to the wind. "Marlene, sir," she said softly. "That was a long time ago."

"Right. Okay." Natasha leaned forward, the first spark of hope lighting in her eyes. "If it's possible to do this without killing Vision, we try. Where can we do it?"

Bruce sighed. "Not me. Not here."

"You better find someone," said Rhodey. "And somewhere fast. Ross isn't exactly just gonna let you guys have your old rooms back."

"I know somewhere," Steve said at last, standing straighter.

All eyes turned to him.

"Then what are we waiting for?"