[ twenty-five ! ]
❛𝚅𝙸𝚂𝙸𝚃𝙾𝚁𝚂 𝙵𝚁𝙾𝙼 𝙾𝚄𝚃 𝙾𝙵 𝚂𝙿𝙰𝙲𝙴 ❜

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐋𝐀𝐒𝐓 𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐏𝐋𝐄 𝐎𝐅 𝐘𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐒 𝐀𝐍𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐒𝐈𝐉𝐀 𝐇𝐀𝐃 𝐊𝐄𝐏𝐓 𝐀 𝐋𝐎𝐖 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐅𝐈𝐋𝐄, 𝐒𝐇𝐄 𝐇𝐀𝐃 𝐃𝐈𝐒𝐀𝐏𝐏𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐄𝐃 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐀 𝐖𝐇𝐈𝐋𝐄. As a wanted of the US it wasn't easy stay off the rada, but for someone like Anastasija Romanoff it was easy to disappear.

She had lived many lives and learned to handel such things since she was a young girl.

Anastasija didn't had much money, so the russian had to do a couple of different jobs, like stealing to make money. It wasn't a glorious life and definetly not some she wanted to live but eather that, or a high security prison in the middle of the ocan.

She hadn't spoke to Steve, Sam or Natasha since she went under, the last time she saw Steve, he and Sam dropped her of in Prag where she visited old, you could call them friends. She had unfinished buissnis in Prag, which Anastasija wanted to change.

In the late afternoon Anastasija sat on her couch watching the news on her TV as she ate a sandwich. But the piece of bread got stuck in her throat as suddenly the newsman interrupted the ongoing report with another one.

"We're interrupting for important news. These are pictured of New York this afternoon. It seems like a gigantig unknown object has landad in the middle of the city."

Anastasija cought a couple of times as she turned the volumen up and and continued to watch. "We have information that Tony Stark a.k.a Ironman has fought them until they disappeared again, together with the hero."

Anastasija rubbed her hand over her face, "Oh Tony, what are you doing?"
The russian stood up and in that exact moment her clamshell Steve had gave to her when they parted ways, chimmed for the first time in a long time. Anastasija quickly picked the phone up and answered the call.

"Hello"

"It's nice to hear your voice again", Steve spoke up from the other side of the phone making Anastasija smile lightly.

"It's been a while", she said still smiling as she sat down on the couch again. "Yeah, way to long", he sighed from the other side of the phone. "I really hoped it would be under other circumstances."

"I just saw the news", Anastasija sighed looking back at the TV where they showed a picture of the spaceship and Tony.

"What's going on?", she asked him as she leaned forward in her chair.

"Seems like our friends from space payed earth a visit again. And it was not a friendly one", the man answered her.

"What did they want?", the russian asked him curious. "I want to tell you, but it is not safe. I already called Nat and Sam. We're going to meet up. You're in Romanoff?", he asked her which gave Ana a short flashback to when Fury sent her to recruit Steve.

"I'm in. When do you pick me up?", Anastasija asked him as she quickly threw her clothes into a bag.

"We should arrive in an hour. We'll wait on the edge of the city, north", the man answered her shortly.

"I'll be there", she said before she quikly ended the call and threw the phone into the bag as well.

The Russian had stolen a car and quickly haded north through the streets of krakow. As she arrived at the position the two had discussed she already saw the Quinjet, the doors opened and Sam was the first one to come out.

"Heey, Ana. Lookin' good", he smiled as he hugged her tightly.

"You don't look bad yourselfe, Wilson", she smiled at him happyly. The two turned towards the Quinjet were they were greeted by Natasha and Juliet. The women quickly approached Anastasija and hugged her tightly as well.

Anastasija hugged Juliet first, "Great to see you again!" Juliet smiled, "Yeah, great to see you too, Ana."

And them Anastasija hugged Tasha, tears whelming up in her eyes. She had missed her sister, the blonde leaned back and looked at. "New hair, I like it."

Natasha pushed her blonde hair out of her face. "Yeah, I thought I try something new."

The two finally let go of each other and as Natasha stepped aside she revealed Steve who stood infront of the Hellicarrier in his full Capatin America suit.

"Hello, Handsome", Anastasija smiled as she approached the man. "Hey", he smiled at her and hugged the russian. Anatsasija had missed his touch, she had missed his voice, his scent, his laugh. She was so happy so see him and the others again, after all this time.

The two let go as they stared into each others eyes. "As much as I hate to interrupt, we got something to do", Sam spoke up as he walked past them into the jet.

The two smiled widely as Steve grabbed Anastasija bag from her hands. Their fingertips touched for a split second before Ana let go of the bag and followed after Natasha and Juliet.

On their way Steve explain to her that he and Sam had found Wanda and Vision in Scotland, where they were hiding together.

But as the team arrived there after a few hours, they were greeted by Wanda and Vision already fighting two of Thanos followers.

Wanda had just crashed with Vision into an empty train station as the two aliens followed after them.

Anastasija, Sam, Steve and Natasha were following after the group, waiting for the perfect moment to overcome them.

Red mist started to twirle around Wanda's hands as the two aliens approached her and Vision who laid on the ground grunting. A train went by and after it had disappeared Steve appeared from behind of it.

One of the aliens immediately threw his spear at him but Steve just cought it in the flight as Sam suddenly attacked the two from aside.

He threw one of them into a kiosk as Natasha and Anastasija attacked them together. Steve threw the speer at Anastasija who cought it elegantly as she slid over the floor and hit the alien against his leg. She turned around and stepped him into his stomach as Natasha kicked him aside.

The speer flew out of her hand as the other alien jumped at her with a battle cry. Steve jumped infront of her blocking the attack.

Anastasija and Natasha quikly grabbed their batons from their back and attacked the alien together with Steve. They fought with each other as Sam suddenly jumped in again and kicked her away. The alien fell to the floor and crawled towards her friend as she looked at them with fear.

Sam aimed his guns at them as the other three approched the two as well. "Get up", she told her friend. "I can't."

Natasha looked down at them with a blank expression on her face, "We don't wanna kill you, but we will."

"You'll never get the chance again." The alien looked at her before they were both beamed up to their spaceship, their speer following after them.

Anastasija walked in between Natasha and Steve as they approched Vision and Wanda who still sat on the ground. "Can you stand?", Sam asked Vision as he helped him up onto his feet.

Vision looked at Steve as he nodded his head, "Thank you, Captain." Steve nodded his head at him as well, "Let's get you on the jet."

In the Quintjet Natasha closed the doors and looked at Wanda and Vision. "Now, I thought we had a deal. Stay close, check in, don't take any chances."

"I'm sorry", Wanda apologized to her quietly as she sat next to Vision. "We just wanted time."

Sam who was steering the jet looked out of the windows, "Where to, Cap?"
Steve looked at the floor for a moment before he looked up at Anastasija, "Home."

They walked down the halls of the former Avenger's Headquarter as they saw Rhodes in real life and Ross as a hologram speaking to each other.

"Mr. Secretary", Steve greeted the man friendly as the group walked in.
"You got some nerve. I'll give you that", Ross spoke up as he slowly approched the group.

"You could use some of that right now", Anastasija told him as she stood in between Steve and Natasha raising an eyebrow at the man.

The man gave her a look and then looked at Steve, "The world's on fire and you think all is forgiven?"

Steve looked back at the man seriously, "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."

He walked towards the man in the suit, "And if you want to stand in our way- we fight you too."

Ross turned towards Rhodey angryly, "Arrest them."

"All over it", the man nodded at him as he ended the hologram call. He then looked back at the group, "That's a court-martial. It's great to see you, Cap."

"You too, Rhodey." Steve shook his hand smiling as Natasha and Anastasija approched the man with a big smile as well.

"Hey", the two hugged before Ana took a step back and watched as Natasha hugged him happyly. Rhodey eyed the group for a moment, "Wow. You guys- really look like crap. Must've been a rough couple years."

"Yeah, well, the hotels weren't exactly five star", Sam joked from besides Vision. "Uh- I- I think you look great", a familiar voice suddenly spoke up from behind them.

"Yeah, um- I'm back", Banner approched them chuckling awkwardly as he smiled lightly.

"Hi, Bruce", Natasha greeted him with small smile a bit surprised by the sudden appeareance. "Nat", the man nodded his head at the now blond woman. "This is awkward", Sam whispered to the others quietly.

Anastasija nodded at her old friend smiling as they followed after Rhodey who lead them into another room.

"So we gotta assume, they're coming back, right?", Rhodey asked as they all stood in a room talking about the latest alien attack.

"And they can clearly find us", Wanda added as she crossed her arms over her chest. Bruce walked around the table, "We need all hands on deck. Where's Clint?"

Natasha looked at him and shook her head, "After the whole Accords situation, he and Scott took a deal. It was too tough on their families, they're on house arrest."

Bruce had a very confused expression on his face, "Who's Scott?" Steve spoke up a hand on his hip, "Ant-Man."

"There's an Ant-Man and a Spider-Man?", Bruce asked him before he shook his head. "Okay, look. Thanos has the biggest army in the universe and he is not gonna stop until he gets Vision's stone."

"Well then we have to protect it", Anastasija spoke up as she stood besides Rhodey. "No, we have to destroy it", Vision corrected her immediately. They all looked at him surprised.

"I've been giving a good deal of thought to this entity in my head. About it's nature. But also it's composition. I think if it were exposed to a sufficiently powerful energy source something very similar to it's own signature, perhaps-", he approched Wanda slowly who looked scared of what he was about to suggest. "Its molecular integrity could fail."

"Yeah, and you with it. We're not having this conversation", Wanda spoke up looking at him.

"Eliminating the stone is the only way to be certain that Thanos can't get it."
Wanda shook her head, "That's too high a price." Vision laid both hands on the sides of her head, "Only you have the power to pay it."

Wanda walked away from him as Vision looked at the others, "Thanos threatens half the universe. One life can not stand in the way of defeating him."

"But it should", Steve resoned with him after a moment of scilence. "We don't trade lives, Vision."

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

"Because you might have a choice", Bruce interrupted the two as he approched them. "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 each other."

"You're saying Vision isn't just the stone?", Wanda suddenly asked him from where she was sitting.

"I'm saying, if we take out the stone there's still a whole lot of Vision left. Perhaps the best parts." Anastasija looked at him interested, "Can we do that?"

"Not me. Not here", Bruce told them as he shook his head. "Well you better find someone and somewhere fast. Ross isn't just gonna let you guys have your old rooms back", Rhodey told them as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"I know somewhere", Steve suddenly spoke up again. They bordered the Quinjet the next morning, Steve have had the idea that Wakanda was a good place for them. So Sam and Anastasija steered the jet immediately to Wakanda.

As they reached T'Challa's home Steve leaned on the wall as he looked out of the window, "Drop to 2600, heading 0-3-0", Steve instructed Sam and Anastasija.

"I hope you're right about this. Or we gonna land a lot faster than we want to", Sam told them before he and Ana immediatley sterred the Jet trough the barrier that protected Wakanda from the rest of the world.

They flew over the big and modern city until they landed on the landing strip where the King and the Dora Milaje already awaited them.

Sam quickly opened the Quinjet's doors and Anastasija and Steve walked at the front as the hole group stepped out of the Jet.

"Seems like I'm always thanking you for something", Steve greeted the man as they shook hands. Bruce bowed as he stood next to Rhodey, "What are you doing?", the man asked him smiling.

T'Challa looked at Bruce friendly, "We don't do that here." Banner gave Rhodey a look as the man smiled widely and followed after the others.

"So how big of an assault should we expect?", the King asked them as he led the group over the landing strip.

"Uh- sir, I think we should expect quiet a big assault", Bruce spoke up as he walked behind Steve, Juliet and Anastasija.

"How are we looking?", the russian asked the King curious as she walked behind him. T'Challa continued his way as he spoke up, "You will have my Kingsguard, the border Tribe, The Dora Milaje and-", he pointed at someone who approched them.

"- and a semi-stable 100-year-old man", Bucky joked as he smiled at the group of heroes. Wanda and Vision quickly made their way inside as the others greeted him.

Steve immediatley hugged the long haired man, "How you been, Buck?", he asked as he leaned back.

"Uh not bad for the end of the world", Bucky told him as he smiled at them. Anastasija stepped forward and patted his shoulder as she walked past him, "Good to see you, old man."

The team made their way inside where T'Challa lead them to his little sister Shuri and a pink haired woman who's name was Alisha. They quickly scanned Vison with Shuri's ring which showed them some sort of 3D hologram from the yellow stone.

"The structure is polymorphic", the girl stated faszinated as she looked at the hologram. "Right we had to attach each neuron non-sequentally", Bruce explained to her as he put his glassses on.

"Why didn't you just reprogram the synapses to work collectively?", the young girl asked him curious. Vision turned his head towards Bruce, "Because we didn't think of it", Bruce answered her hesitantly.

Shuri started smirking at the grown man, "I'm sure you did your best."

"I like her", Anastasija whispered to Natasha who stood besides her as they watched them. Natasha smirked and nodded her head at her sister, "She reminds me of you when we were young."

"Can you do it?", Wanda asked her with her accents. The girl looked at the ginger haired woman, making the pink haired woman node at her, "Yes, but there are more than two trillion neurons here. One misalignment could cause a cascade of circuit failures."

"It will take time, brother", Shuri told T'Challa who stood next to Wanda looking at his sister.

"How long?", Steve asked her as he stood on Ana's other side. "As long as you can give me."

❝ He'll die alone. As will you. ❞
❝ She's not alone. ❞