END-GAME

Tony found himself placed down as a thunderbolt viciously attacked him. He'd been down that road before, and if he had learned anything from that lesson,this would be one thing: bolts were good for his suit.

“Time to rock”.

He recharged, pushing his hands forward to charge a beam right at Ororo's way, most part of his suit detaching from his body as to support the charge. Her eyes were already completely white, no iris to be seen; Tony's attack,however, managed to take her by surprise as it was shown by her face, before being forced to fall on her back against the wall.

The entirety of the wall of the apartment had broken to pieces, allowing them to both fly and act as they wished, leaving the minimizing of the damage to Peter and Pietro. Emma was sitting on a sofa chair on the corner of the room, her legs crossed as she merely watched as if this was a theater she had been meaning to catch.

“Romanoff darling?”,Tony called, walking backwards as Ororo approached him,floating along with her silver hair. “- Is it me, or is this a level ten kind of thing?”

“You'd- think-”,she struggled as she shouted, trying to suffocate Bolin's throat with her elbow, as she was on top of him, “-they'd-have more numbers-”,she huffed out.

Bolin pulled her ankle, and in matter of seconds he managed to toss her across the room. Natasha hit the wall hard, letting out a painful groan as she felt her spine almost cracking from the hit.

Tony himself was about to get blown down, seeing how as Ororo got higher the skies began darkening even the more; the clouds gathering upon the apartment, heavy rain pouring non stop.

Wanda jumped her way inside, her fists covered in red as she closed Ororo in a crimson sphere, tossing her as far as the eye could see, certainly quite the few miles away from there. The skies grew blue again, the sun slowly coming back into view.

“Got Kenya and Aussie alright?”

“Feye's out- Matthews seems to be fine,I'm sendin' him in Stark”,Pietro managed to huff out,seeing how even in his speed he had grown just a tad sweaty.

Peter managed to save most public properties from the debris falling as an after effect of the constant blasts, while Pietro had ran his ass off only to make sure there would be no civilian in sight. And yet- as he thought to himself, those idiots kept on coming to take a look.

“Yo Gunny, you might wanna keep an eye open. Dagger chick's on your six”,Perez said, looking closely from his position.

People lacking shiny suits and cool colorful rays ought to at least get the big guys- as Marcus had remarked quite early on this fight. Him and Naveen had taken as many of the hitmen as they could- although Antonov was missing, Kira and Bolin were there, along with quite the bunch of Chinese mercenaries- as they seemed to be.

Marcus would recognize paid mercenaries anywhere- although this was a surprise to him, seeing how their group wasn't all about loyalty as they initially predicted. It shouldn't have been such a bafflement, as he then mentally noted; a killer's loyalty only lies on the color green.

Marcus turned around just in time to kick away Callisto's wrist, making sure he wouldn't get a cut. Callisto let out a slight smirk, an arching of an eyebrow.

“This should go all'well,huh?”,he muttered. “Is Bennet takin' a nap or s'methin'? She been awfully quiet- ain't she Perez?”

“She surehas, Gunny”,he let out a prolonged laughter.

Theo had only moved her lips, the rest of her body being completely still, as if by a psychological compultion.

“Au contraire, Gunny”,she said in a low voice. “I got a clear visual on Frost. Want me to shoot down those pretty blue eyes for you,Stark?”

“You got a clear-”

Just then Tony let out a deep groan, as if to answer her. Theo couldn't help but chuckle at that sound coming from him. He'd just been kicked in the face quite fiercely. Possibly had something to do with pissing Ororo after all this time, he figured.

“You're quite the nuisance”,she noted in a calm voice nonetheless.

“Yeah..”,he let out a deep grunt,rubbing his chin as he momentarily opened his helmet. “My wife seems to think so too. Maybe you two should grab a coffee. I hear I'm a great guy to diss,these days”.

Ororo didn't seem all that pleased, nor as if she actually found him all that funny.

“I'm just having trouble believing someone married you in the first place”.

“Ouch”.

Theo pursed her lips; Tony appeared to be too busy to answer her, but this was also a rare shot. Emma was a telepath, as they had clarified by now. Telekinesis was also in, another validated point.

She'd only get one single shot, and she'd have to be smart about it.

“I'm taking this as a yes”,she mumbled.

“If you got a clear one Bennet ,fuckinggo for it”,Natasha completely snapped at her, a seemingly lost and yet clear as the sky Russian accent coming out.

She walked over, twisting half her body only to kick Bolin in between the legs as hard as she could. Trails of blood were dripping from the corner of her mouth, but Bolin's groan as he fell on his knees made her smile quite a bit.

Theo clicked her tongue. “Guess it's time for an old one here”,she muttered to herself.

She had to act quickly, and if it wasn't for her training all those years and extensive experience along with necessity to stay alive- it would probably never work. She lacked the privilege of time, and she certainly couldn't afford messing up too many of her bullets for this.

As she knew and mentally repeated: this was an one shot kind of thing. She'd either get her- or she wouldn't. After successfully reloading her riffle she took a mental note of the coordinates;

Theo almost jumped up, grabbing her riffle and supporting it on her back,and moved to the window for a better angle for the gun. Tony had made sure all windows were bulletproof and so Theo had to enforce the bottom of her foot with an energy field as she kicked the glass down.

She quickly placed her riffle in place,one bullet still in between her teeth as she had almost forgot it was there. She unconsciously tightened her arms' muscles. And then- she took the shot.

And she waited for it to work as it should.

Emma's eye seemed to glimmer at the moment the bullet cut the first miles' air in half, traveling in an unrealistically excessive speed.

Perez had heard their convo; he tried as hard as he could to keep track of Theo's bullet, refusing to take another breath until it would land.

“C'me on. C'me on- it must hit”,he chanted to himself, “It's four miles,it's...shit...”

Emma stood up slowly from her chair, and quite elegantly so. As soon as she did, all of them – be it friends or foes, fell down on their stomachs as if by a gravity field's force of some sort.

She clicked her tongue, figuring she'd humor them just this once.

Emma walked towards the wall's big opening from the shattered debris, as if to make herself a much clearer target, showing them that she had no trouble putting herself out just to play them.

“How..futile..”,she whispered.

Theo activated one of Tony's devices, one forming around her right eye only to allow her and see as far as she wanted to- reaching up to five miles. It was good enough for this one. Her hands started surrounding themselves with particles, a dark purple shade overcoming them. She'd have to act really quick, for she had just given Emma her location.

“Shit Bennet!”,Perez cursed as he looked at the bullet more clearly ,now coming near Emma. “It's getting' off course! I told ya it wouldn't happen- four miles is too far,damnit!”

“Hush Perez. It's not there yet”,Theo said firmly.

Emma raised her hand, a light chuckle coming out as she noticed how the bullet was leaning too far on the left. Closing her fist, she stopped the bullet mid-air.

But her chuckle didn't last too long, for she realized – quite late- that as soon as she stopped the bullet, it got separated into two shrapnel fragments. As she looked at it, the time seemingly slowing a little, it was two bullets stuck together, put there for the sole purpose of separating.

Theo reformed the kinetic energy of the second bullet, although the latter only managed to change trajectory into the right location because Emma had stopped the first, until it lodged into her right shoulder's joint.

Emma was pushed back abruptly by the bullet's impetus, blood rushing down her shoulder, dying her all white attire into a crimson red shade. Her eyes widened as she let out a bawled scream.

“Holy..Motherfucker Bennet, what the fuck did you do?”,Perez huffed out,some terror hiding in his tone. “How's that even possible?”

“A little trick I learned in Iraq. DIY at it's finest”,she muttered.

Theo wasn't all too pleased; this wasn't exactly a proven technique, but at least she had hit her. As soon as Emma fell down, everybody was let go of, free to stand back up.

“Keep her down Wanda”,Tony shouted at her, his expression showing only seriousness.

Wanda did as she was told, jumping up only to completely cover Emma in a dark red mist, holding her down,almost pushing her o the ground.

Natasha's eyebrows were knitted together, her eyes going back and forth as she desperately tried to find some logic in all of that.

But, as she quickly realized, this was not the time to ask, nor to think about it.

“No- EMMA-”,Callisto yelled as she run Emma's way,not minding anyone else.

Natasha pushed her arm forward, and elbowed Callisto right in the nose till she fell down.

“Not gonna lie”,she exhaled. “This felt good”.

Ororo however, was far from being kept down. Tony wished Thor could have been there for this one, instead of It all falling on Tony himself. There were only so many times a man should get struck by lightning, he thought.

“Stand back,Storm”,Emma said through grunted teeth.

Wanda's eyes narrowed as she suddenly seemed to be struggling. Emma's eyes were glued on Wanda's,and as most of them could understand, she was doing something. Wanda began groaning,huffing out air as she slowly got down to her knees.

Theo figured hide and seek was over. She rushed to get her jet pack from a suitcase filled with ammunition. Then, just as she made sure everything was in place and the pack was working as it should, she jumped out the window, only to head towards the apartment, reforming the kinetic energy of herself as to fly there much faster.

She landed just in time to see Natasha holding Wanda down by her shoulders, Theo's jet pack closing as she got her pistol out,reached by her ankle and in stance.

“She..- Just what are you showing me?!”,Wanda screamed at Emma.

The red field holding Emma down slowly came to fade as she stood up. Emma held her shoulder,tried to stop the bleeding a little. Tony's suit let out pieces ready to charge, however Ororo was still not moving.

“I'll have to admit.. this is a first. You truly disappoint me,Wanda.. From Pietro- i'd expect nothing less than him running up and down like a fool, but you..”,she clicked her tongue, “how very frustrating”.

Wanda knitted her eyebrows together, still trying to make something out of the images Emma sent to her mind. Trying to make a sense, or to at least dismiss them.

“I don't know you”,she stated harshly, referring to whatever Emma showed her.

“No..”,she said in a low,faint voice. “But I once knew you”.

They all exchanged the same look.

Soon, Emma's eye fell right on Theo. She motioned her eyebrow, tilting her head all so slightly.

“Quite the stunt. Good for you”,she noted.

Theo's eyes were clear over her confusion on the matter. Emma looked awfully calm for someone who was bleeding out. Ororo took notice as well and she approached her. Most the hitmen, along with Bolin, had chosen to remain in the shadows, far behind Ororo and Emma.

“We need to leave Emma”.

Emma turned her head to the side,as to knowledge Ororo's presence. She pursed her lips and nodded lightly,letting out a “hm”.

“Ah- hella nah”,Tony hummed, his beams gleaming as he warned them to not dare and move.

Emma smiled softly as she turned to them again.

“We have never been the Avengers' enemies”,she stated calmly,though with a certain firmness in her tone.

“Oh,no,sure not. You just go around and bomb the shit out of people. What's so bad about this one, I wonder”.

Emma couldn't retain a short chuckle. Some things,indeed,never changed she thought. And yet, a certain bitterness took over her expression.

“I know it's hard to believe right now- but we are not the bad guys. There's more to see than just the tip of the iceberg, Tony”.

“Emma,enough”,Ororo's voice came out hard and austere.

Emma nodded,motioning her eyebrows. Indeed, she had said too much. But she couldn't help herself. She wanted to at least be able and say she tried to reach something. That her endeavors weren't all so futile.

And, for that reason only, Emma said just one more thing.

“You won't win this war,Avengers. Greater men,and women,have tried. No one has ever managed to take down Sister Dagger and her Rings of Fire”.

Ororo tightened her fists; she'd grown beyond angry, her frustration overtaken only by bitterness at that point.

“I know,Ororo”,Emma mumbled. “Thought i'd give it a shot,that's all”.

Wanda grabbed Natasha's shoulder only to stand back up. She looked at Tony,who then looked at Theo. They were merely standing there,unable to make anything of Emma's words.

“You never mentioned having a sister”,Tony remarked.

But Emma didn't respond any more than she already had. Even she had her limitations, and that bullet wound was beginning to take her far beyond them.

She grabbed Ororo's shoulder, as to help herself stand up while Ororo's eyes turned white. Callisto's body was raised,as if by the wind, only to go back to them.

Theo pulled the trigger, aiming for Ororo's leg,but Emma raised her palm, stopping the bullet mid-air.

“I am done fighting you”,she stated, now far more firm. “You, are done”.

“Last time I checked, you are the one who's bleeding. We have surrounded you, Frost”,Natasha said. “It's over”.

“I wish..”

Emma most certainly hated having to take on to that idea Callisto had implanted on her mind,upon a scenario such as this one. Truth was, they were surrounded. Ororo would be able to handle them, but Emma would soon collapse; she could feel it.

“What about those rings you said? Who's that sister?”

“She'll have all the time in the world to answer to that,red number two,once we bring her in. Time to call daddy”,Tony smiled as a smug line appeared on his lips, referring to Fury while pressing a button on his wrist.

Callisto was unconscious, thanks to Natasha's last hit, and Bolin ,Kira and the rest of the group would only last so long. Ororo, despite being damned good at what she did, wouldn't be able to take them down. Not all of them, seeing how Emma was unsure of who they'd call to come yet.

And so, she did what she wished she wouldn't have to.

She turned to Theo, not being able to hold back a faint,bitter smile at how stiff her face looked. Still pointing her gun at Emma, not losing stance, not moving a single muscle. It was almost ironic, Emma thought.

“You don't know me, but I know many things about you, Rosalind”.

Theo flinched upon the mention of that name. She momentarily tightened the grip on her gun, this being the sole sign of agitation by her part.

Emma brushed some blonde strands behind her ear; she'd began feeling a little cold.

“After all, you did marry one of my closest friends. And..my brother in law”.

Tony's lips parted; he abruptly turned over to look at Theo. Her face stone cold by the sudden confusion,mixed with both wonder and fury. Wanda pulled Natasha's shirt's fabric. Some fragments of the images Emma forced her to see where stuck on her mind, and the longer she spoke, the more they pieced together, although the complete image was far from there.

“You knew him as Ian, if I recall correctly. But,to us- he was Gabriel. Vulcan”,Emma explained in a soft,low voice.

Theo felt her entire body getting tight; from her chest and the rhythm her beats kept, rushing the blood out. Emma was messing with her,and she knew so much. It didn't make it any easier,nonetheless.

“I'd expect a little more proficiency from a woman of your caliber,Frost. When it comes to lying,that is”,she stated in a cold tone.

“He had the same powers as you do. This supposed coincidence always struck me weirdly. My only guess here is that he passed his powers down to his children- didn't he? And that explosion.. it must had triggered something,on whatever was left of them at least”.

Theo reloaded her pistol; Natasha grabbed her arm, eyeing her cautiously as if to mentally communicate with her. They couldn't afford killing Emma just yet.

But then, Emma chuckled. She pulled a photograph out her pocket, one she was always carrying with her. With her powers she made it float,just over Theo,but made sure it wouldn't be too close. She did want it back after all.

Theo was about to take the shot, her agitation taking the best of her when she suddenly froze. Her eyes widening, pure and complete shock shown in her face.

The picture portrayed Emma, a much younger version of her,along with a few other people. Ororo was one of them, another woman with a few whites on top of her otherwise brown hair. Emma was sitting in the middle,in the midst of rolling her eyes – although also laughing, and from the other side, there were three men.

One of them with his eyes covered,looking straight at Emma rather affectionately, while next to him was a rather gloom boy,a smug smile on his lips. But,there was one more person there.

The one Theo recognized as Ian;

His build strong, wide shoulders and sharp facial features. Warm brown and short hair, and as Theo could tell, ever there, he looked angry. Always angry, always feeling unjustified. Her eyes turned a tad red,stingy at the images that followed her train of thoughts.

“Quite the day- that one”,Emma commented, fondly reminiscing. “Rogue had been trying to get us to go out- and so we did. A road trip,if you may. Hellion -...Julian, had been on Gabriel's ass all day long”.

Ororo softly grabbed Emma's arm. It was time; perhaps this had all been a tad too much, a little more than she should have done- for there was just one more thing she had to say, only in order to make Theo's team would get a little busy before finding them again.

“He never left,Rosalind”.

“You expect me to believe that crappy, wanna be heartfelt story of yours?”,she snapped at her, her tongue sharp and voice deep.

“I'd never lie to you. Not to the only woman that managed to move Vulcan's cold,rotten heart. It was your people that killed him,Rosalind”.

Theo's gun fell down, dropped from her hands. Tony grunted his teeth and raised his palms at Emma,ready to take the shot. He couldn't allow her to speak anymore than she already had. Natasha was only looking at Tony,not minding Wanda's whispers of confusion.

“He loved you”,she whispered as she turned around,slowly raising her hand. “He told me so himself..”

Theo was about to run to her way as soon as she noticed the mists called by Ororo gathering around Emma and the others. But, before anyone could do anything at all, Emma was gone.

Everyone was gone, along the heavy mist surrounding the apartment.

Theo was left there,feeling the air awfully thin as the seconds passed. So much,she fell on her knees, breathing hard,or hardly breathing.

Wanda rushed to her way,grabbed her by the shoulders. She shook her a little, but Theo couldn't find a way to breathe the air in properly. Even if it was a lie- Theo thought it was a damned good one.