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eufezco · 3 days ago

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this is just a scenario i've always had in my mind while watching civil war about asking wanda for help to protect bucky

mcu masterlist

you never thought you'd have to sneak in the place you once called home but there you were, setting off an explosion outside the avengers compound, using the chaos to distract vision just long enough to slip inside and get to wanda. much less did you expect to be greeted with a knife inches from your throat, held by her powers.

whatever they'd told her, whatever information they'd kept from her, had her on edge and you knew because the red energy around her fingers pulsed dangerously.

but then she saw you and her expression cracked.

the knife fell to the floor at your feet, her hands trembling as her powers flickered out like a dying flame. you'd been kept apart for so long, her locked away in the compound because of tony's orders, you running from the government with sam and steve. after what happened in lagos you'd not seen each other. they branded wanda as dangerous and locked her away until you all had signed the accords.

she was one of your dearest friends and they'd kept her from you like she was some kind of weapon they were afraid might go off.

before you realized you were in her arms and she was in yours. no words, just the desperate way her fingers curled into your jacket and the way your arms wrapped around her like you could make up for every lost day.

—i'm sorry, i should've come sooner but everything's a mess. steve, sam and i... we were labeled as criminals and-

wanda pulled back just enough to look at you, —what? criminals?

—yeah. outlaws, traitors. depends who you ask.

—but why?

you swallowed.

—we wouldn't sign the accords. tony says they're for protection. but it's not. it's control. plain and simple.

—that's not why they're calling you a criminal, —vision flew through the walls of the compound and stood behind of wanda. his expression was calm but there was a warning in his eyes, —you should not be here, —he said looking directly at you.

—and she shouldn't be held here, —you said, eyes locked on vision.

—what is he talking about? —wanda asked you.

—she is no prisoner, —vision answered to you calmly.

—you're manipulating her, —you said back.

wanda's voice cut through the tension between you and vision, —why are you a criminal? what have you done?

—because we're protecting bucky.

her eyes widened, confusion in her face. —bucky? your bucky?

you nodded.

she was still confused, still trying to piece it all together. she knew who bucky was from the late nights in the compound when it was just you and her awake. you had told her everything about the boy with the most beautiful smile and the sweet eyes, about the love you lost in the snow.

you told her how decades later you found him again and then he tried to kill you after being captured by hydra, which hit really close to her home. after that he vanished and the last thing you knew about him was when that jet was falling apart and he pulled you and steve from the wreckage.

—her bucky bombed the vienna international centre.

—it wasn't him, —you shook your head.

—dozens were killed.

—it wasn't him, —you repeated.

—including king t'chaka of wakanda.

—it wasn't bucky! —you snapped in frustration. this is what vision wanted, to make you look unstable so that it would be difficult to trust you, —someone... someone framed him, used his face, his past, his reputation. i need your help, wanda. i've talked to him. he's confused but he recognized me, —your voice cracked, —he's still in there. he's afraid that they're gonna turn him into a weapon again.

wanda looked at you like she wanted to believe you.

—and you believe this man deserves protection, even after everything he's done?

vision spat out, words sharp, no curiosity in his voice, only judgment.

your jaw clenched, tired of meddling. how many chances of dying did you have if you went against him? vision wasn't just some guard dog tony left behind, he was power, nearly indestructible. but you didn't care. not if it meant protecting bucky.

you opened your mouth to speak but the words never made it out.

—yes, —wanda answered for you.

wanda looked at you and for the tired look on your face, she could tell that you'd found him and that you were doing everything you could to clean his name and keep him safe.

you sighed. it had been so long since anyone believed you this easy, without interrogation, but why wouldn't she? she was your friend. your story seemed coherent to her, and even if it didn't, if it sounded broken and pulled together by desperation, she still believed you.

—i'm leaving with her, —she said to vision.

—i can't let you do that.

your hand was already on your gun. you didn't need to think about it, you knew it wouldn't kill vision but one or two well placed shots maybe it would be enough to get him off balance just long enough for you and wanda to run. and so you did. your hand moved fast. two shots fired in the blink of an eye. one to the shoulder, one to the chest. but they did nothing. the bullets went through him as if he was a ghost without blood, not even a flinch.

vision levitated, his hand swept out and your gun was gone. your fists came up on instinct, throwing punches that met nothing but air. each hit passed through him like he wasn't really there. until his arm wrapped around your throat, pulling you back against him, feet barely touching the floor.

—you can't over power me.

you gasped, clawing at his arm, —i know i can't. but she can.

wanda's hands glowed with red energy, —vision, that's enough. let her go. i'm leaving.

—i can't let you, wanda.

she lifted her hands and her powers struck vision directly in the stone in his forehead. his grip released and you fell to your knees, coughing as air went back into your lungs. vision also fell, behind you, like she deactivated him.

she offered you her hand, —come on.

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nicolejones412 · 29 days ago

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Out of Sync Part 4

Bucky Barnes x fem!reader

Summary: You've found yourself with the 107th fighting Hydra, where you meet a handsome Sergeant. But something just isn't right.

A/N: And this is where everything changes. A bit of a longer chapter today. (tw: mentions of being drugged, imprisonment, experimentation, and torture)

Read Part 1 here. Read Part 2 here. Read Part 3 here.

FIC:

You received countless congratulations over the next two days. Even from the Colonel, in his way.

"Well it's about time."

Those two days were wonderful. Bucky was at base, and you didn't need to worry.

Or at least you kept telling yourself that.

The mounting anxiety just kept growing. It got to the point that even the joy Bucky brought you wasn't really silencing it anymore.

"Are you alright?" Bucky asked. He'd caught you staring off into the distance.

"Who? Me? Of course." He gave you a look that made it very clear he didn't believe you.

"I guess, I don't know, I just can't shake this feeling that something is about to happen. Something bad."

"Well we are fighting in a war."

"It's not just-" You stopped yourself and sighed. "You're probably right."

He held you closer. "We're gonna get through this. And then we're gonna go home, and plan the best wedding ever."

You forced a smile, hoping it looked genuine. Bucky leaned in to kiss you as someone walked up, clearing his throat.

"Didn't mean to interrupt," Steve said, "but the Colonel wants to see both of you. We've got a mission to be briefed on."

"Zola?" you asked, shocked. This was an amazing opportunity. Zola could tell you anything you needed to know about Schmidt and Hydra.

"Yes, Dr. Arnim Zola. We've got the route his gonna take and a perfect intercept point. Any questions?" The room fell silent as you looked at Bucky.

The man who'd tortured and experimented on him. They had a chance to bring him in.

"Good. You leave in the morning."

Suddenly you had a splitting headache, bad and unexpected enough to make you flinch and press your hand to the side of your head. Bucky looked at you, concerned.

"It's just a headache. I'll be fine. I need to review these plans."

"If you're sure?" You nodded, and after giving Peggy a pointed look, he went to prep for the mission.

After a few minutes the pain would not stop. It was bad enough you felt like you might throw up.

"Charlotte, you look pale. I think you should go lie down," Peggy insisted.

"There's no time. I need to..." You groaned.

"The intel is good, and I'll keep reviewing everything." She took you by the arm and pulled you away.

"You're no help to anyone like this. Go lie down. I'll come get you in 2 hours and brief you if I found anything strange."

You didn't have it in you to argue. You got to your tent and laid down, hoping a quick nap would clear this up.

You drifted off, dreams that didn't make sense flooding your mind.

Steve and Bucky, in a lab, but one you'd never seen before. Immaculate and stark white.

A woman with blue skin, transforming into a man in a suit.

A woman with auburn hair, flailing her hands around as cars were flung at a man made of metal.

The images kept flashing until you shot up in bed, sweating, your memories flooding back to you. The dread finally settling in and the pieces falling into place.

"I've got to get him out of here."

You sat at the table with the other Avengers as Secretary Ross pitched the Sokovia Accords to you. Your eyes found Wanda as the destruction of Lagos filled the screen behind him.

You felt so stupid. If you'd been there, you could've helped her. Cap assured you that you couldn't have, but you knew he was wrong.

Wanda saved a street full a civilians and was getting punished for it, when you could've stopped the explosion in the first place. But you were too far away. You'd even tried, turning back a full a minute, but Steve didn't have his comms, and by the time you'd known something was wrong, you were too far away to reach him otherwise.

Add the fact that you almost passed out from the effort, and there was no way you could be of any help, and you just heard the same chaos happen twice. Natasha had to help you up in the street after she found you with blood leaking from your nose.

You zoned back in to the conversation as Ross left the room. The room got loud. The arguing aloud alone was enough to overwhelm you, but everyone's thoughts were racing and loud enough to distract you.

Usually you were able to focus and keep yourself from getting lost in other people's thoughts, but this had been a rough week, and it was all just too much.

Then Steve's phone went off, and you zeroed in on him.

She's gone.

"I gotta go."

After he left Tony sighed. "What could possibly be so important-"

"Enough," you spoke up. Everyone turned to you.

"Just, enough. He says he's gotta go, he's gotta go. Besides, he's made where he stands pretty clear."

"And you, Psychrono." Tony knew you hated that name, but once the internet labels you it's hard to shake it. "You've been quiet. What's your take?"

You shrugged. "There's been a lot of pros and cons laid out here today. I'd like to take some time where I can hear myself think to process it."

"A wise course of action, Y/N," Vision interjected. "This is not a decision one should make lightly."

You nodded, and then turned back to Tony, who sighed before nodding.

"Alright then. We've got 3 days until the UN expects us to have signed. So, we've got some time to come to our conclusions."

You nodded, knowing your mind was already made up. You were with Cap.

There was no way you were gonna hand the government a leash. You technically couldn't see the future, but you knew enough to know that wouldn't go well.

The bombing of the UN certainly didn't help matters. You'd gone with Sam and Steve to London for Peggy Carter's funeral. You didn't go in, but you figured it was best for you all to stick together for now. You'd tried to convince Wanda to go with you, but she refused.

"I'm not sure what I want. I'll stay here with Vision for now. Go ahead."

You'd gone with them to Romania, trying to track down the Winter Soldier before the governments of the world found him. Not that you were able to be much help.

"I don't want you getting arrested," Steve insisted before you could protest. "No buts. You keep an eye out, help warn us, and keep your head low. Figure out where we're headed and catch up when you can."

You'd known it was the smart play then, but now that you were in Berlin at a cafe not far from the facility where they were being held, you had to admit it.

All of you being in custody wasn't the smartest idea at all, and you were likely to have the worst time of the group if they did catch you.

Hydra, or more specifically Strucker, had found you shortly after they'd experimented on Wanda and Pietro. It had been difficult for them to restrain you, but they'd found a way. It involved lots of drugging and shock collars, which was still a terrible memory to have replay in your head.

Steve, Sam, and Wanda were the only ones who really knew the extent of what you'd gone through. The others knew that there was some trauma related to that time, but Wanda had witnessed some of it and told Steve who sent Sam to try to get you to open up in his sneaky group-therapy leader way.

So maybe Steve was right about you keeping your distance.

Your head jerked to the side as you heard alarms start going off in the facility.

So much for keeping my head down, you thought as you pushed your way through the civilians running out of the building. You saw as he made his way out the front door and drew a gun and fired.

He easily blocked it and ran up to you, grabbing you by the throat and hold you in the air for a moment before throwing you.

Before you hit the ground, you blinked and you were back standing facing him with a hand on your gun, you thought better and tried to disappear into the crowd, following him to the helipad.

You took a deep breath and held it as you reached out with your thoughts, looking for Steve.

He's headed for a helicopter.

Got it.

You looked for Sam and once you found him, it was easier to get a message to him.

Find us a place to lay low and contain him.

He just nodded and ran off.

You exhaled and headed up the stairs, trying to figure out what you were gonna do if Steve didn't make it up there in time, and as you reached the top, you saw Steve literally hold the helicopter to the pad with his hands.

You ran up to help but scrambled backwards as the helicopter was turned back toward Steve, destroying it, before The Winter Soldier grabbed Steve by the neck and they both tumbled into the water below.

You heard Sam in your head loud enough to get a location, and once you saw Steve surface, you passed it on to him.

Which is how you ended up in a warehouse with the famous Hydra assassin sitting on the floor unconscious with his arm in a vice.

Once he was secure, Steve went over to you.

"You good? That was a little intense."

You nodded, but Steve cocked his head to the side, nodding toward your neck. It must've been starting to bruise.

"What happened there?"

"It didn't." Steve shook his head.

"Alright, what happened to you before you skipped back?"

You sighed. "I tried to stop him, and he didn't like that so he picked me up and threw me." Steve's eyes widened. "I skipped before I hit the ground." He nodded.

"You sure you're up for this?" You nodded.

"I was already in, but now, I don't think I have a choice."

"We always have a choice. Especially you." You shook your head.

"That's where you're wrong."

"Steve!" Sam shouted and Steve turned to go back in the room Barnes was in. You went to follow.

"Hold off for now, ok?" You rolled your eyes. "Let me make sure it's really him first. You crossed your arms and leaned against a wall, continuing to keep a psychic ear out for anyone approaching the building.

You listened as they interrogated, and, against your better judgement, you opened your mind to his ever so slightly. You weren't exactly good at this whole psychic thing, but you were at least good enough to know if someone was lying.

"So just like that we're supposed to be cool?" Sam asked.

"He's telling the truth," you said as you walked in the room.

Steve looked over at you, and you nodded. "I'm sure of it."

Barnes looked up at you, his eyes landing on the bruising on your neck before turning to Steve.

"What did I do?"

"Enough," Steve replied.

"I knew this would happen. Everything Hydra put inside me is still in there. All he had to do was say the words."

You thought over that as Steve grilled him on what the doctor who'd triggered him had wanted.

There had to be a way to help him. The idea of your mind not being your own was terrifying, especially to someone like you. He'd probably hate you once he figured out what you could do.

You tuned back in as he explained that the man had wanted to know where he was kept, and as he told the story of the other winter soldiers from the program who were still there.

As Steve and Sam discussed who to call for help, you picked up on something.

"Guys we need to move. They're not here yet, but we got civilians in the area who will see us and call authorities soon."

Steve nodded before patting Barnes on the shoulder. "Let's get going.

You walked up to the Bug you'd grabbed for your get away car.

"Seriously?" Sam asked.

"It's low profile," you shrugged.

"Alright, you take shotgun-"

"Like you both are gonna fit in the back."

"We'll make it work."

"It's fine. He won't hurt me."

"Again you mean." You rolled your eyes.

"He won't." You went to open the door and locked eyes with Barnes as you both got in, and he definitely heard that whole conversation. Sam was talking to Steve outside.

"I'm sorry," he said after a few seconds of silence.

You sighed. "Don't worry about it. It technically never happened."

He looked confused, his eyes darting to the bruises on your neck before back down at his hands.

"It's complicated. It happened and then it didn't. I erased it essentially. Well, erased it from everyone and everything except me."

"That doesn't make-" He stopped short as Sam got in the car.

Bucky turned to look at you, asleep in the car next to him. He was trying not to stare, but he couldn't shake something. Steve stopped for gas and Sam got out to fill up the car.

"You thinking about Charlie?"

"I mean, it's impossible, but she looks so..."

"I know. Not long after we first met I asked her if she had any relatives named Charlotte Grace. She said it's possible but she's got no clue. Her mother died when she was really young and she doesn't know much about her history. Apparently she was in some kind of witness protection scheme. She's got no idea who her father is." Steve sighed.

"So it's possible, and you gotta admit the resemblance is uncanny. I don't know, maybe that's why I feel so protective of her."

Bucky nodded, looking back over at you again before looking back at his hands.

"So no idea what happened to Charlie?"

"None. According to SHIELD records she disappeared not long after I went in the ice."

Bucky closed his eyes and leaned his head back.

"Well I hope she was happy."

"Yeah. Me too."

You rallied at the airport, ready to face down whatever you found in Siberia, when it became clear you weren't getting there without a fight.

Tony tried to convince you all to stand down, which didn't get very far.

The fight broke out. Wanda throwing cars at Tony. Clint fighting Nat. Some kid in a red suit fighting Cap. Sam flying through the sky with Tony and Rhodes.

It was almost too much to keep up with.

When Sam insisted you couldn't all make it out, you agreed. Scott went big with a distraction, and you, Bucky, and Steve made a run for the quinjet.

Vision blasted the overhang, blocking your path entirely. You looked around for Wanda, who was focused on helping Clint resist a barrage of attacks from T'Challa. You took a breath and were back getting cover next to Bucky and Steve.

"We're not all gonna make it," Sam was saying over the comms.

"Agreed," you said over the comms. "You two need to get there."

And with that your eyes found Wanda, and you made a run for her.

"Cover them," you said as you ran past her, dodging a strike and engaging. He didn't focus on you long before running after Bucky, but that was all the time you needed to buy. Steve and Bucky made it through and to the jet as Wanda held the rubble up to clear the path. Now they just needed to get away.

You watched as Tony and Rhodes chased the jet, Sam close behind.

Vision looked up and fired on Sam, hitting his wings and he plummeted to the ground.

You gasped, panicked, and suddenly Sam was back in the sky. Vision took aim.

"Sam DUCK!" He looked back, tucked in his wings, and let the beam go past him.

And it hit the quinjet.

You groaned and strained yourself, turning back time again to warn Sam to try not to line up with the jet. He adjusted and dodged again.

And this time it hit Rhodey's reactor.

As he fell you kept trying to turn back time again, but you couldn't. All you could manage was a second or two. After Vision had fired.

Clint ran up to you as you collapsed, and Rhodes hit the ground.

You almost forgot how much you hated being caged.

They'd drugged you taking you in. Tony tried to tell them not to, but they wanted to make sure you couldn't skip back far enough to get out.

So now you sat in your cell in a straightjacket and a shock collar on your neck. They didn't put you in a straightjacket in the beginning, but when you tore off the apparatus they'd put on your head to study your brain waves they'd remedied that.

When Tony showed up to visit, you barely looked up, but you could hear him talking to Sam.

He barely looked at you as he left.

The days blurred together as you all hoped Steve and Bucky had succeeded, until one day you heard a crash.

You weren't sure at first, then two figures walked in the room.

Steve and Bucky walked in, and one by one took you all out of your cells. Bucky helped you out of the straight jacket after removing the collar and the device on your head. You took a deep breath as you felt less restricted. Less like you were being watched.

"You good?"

"Not really." Your voice came out weak and coarse. You looked at him. "But better now. Thank you."

You all made your way to the jet they had brought, and you were shocked when you saw who was flying it.

"Welcome," T'Challa said. "Everyone take a seat. We don't have much more time."

You looked to Steve, who nodded.

And so you found yourselves headed to Wakanda.

You walked into the lab with Steve as Bucky was prepping to be put back under.

"You're sure about this?"

"All of that Hydra brainwashing is still in there. This is safer for everyone."

"Speaking of that brainwashing," you spoke up. "I wonder if I can help."

They both looked to you.

"I can stay here for a while, if that's alright." You turned to T'Challa who nodded. "And if Bucky's ok with it, I might be able to help. I don't necessarily have a full handle on these powers, but I might at least be able to help Shuri know where to start."

Bucky nodded. "I mean, it's not like you can make it any worse."

Bucky took a deep breath as he leaned back in the hibernation chamber.

"Don't do anything stupid until I get back."

Steve chuckled. "How can I? You're taking all the stupid with you."

Read Part 5 here.

A/N: Told you it was all about to change. Don't worry, we'll get back to where we left off.

#thunderbolts #bucky barnes #mcu #bucky barnes x reader #marvel #imagine #captain america #xmen #avengers #new avengers #the first avenger #captain america civil war #multiverse saga #the winter soldier

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gunsandspaceships · 4 months ago

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MCU Timeline. Captain America: Civil War

Second half of 1936/First half of 1937 - death of Sarah Rogers, mother of Steven Rogers.

Early 1970s - January 2016 - Thaddeus Ross serves in the US Army.

Why January: The first episode of WHIH Newsfront for CW (where his retirement is mentioned) contains a reference to the Miami Marathon, which in the real world takes place in January.

~December 15, 1991 - Hydra awakens the Winter Soldier from cryosleep.

December 16, 1991:

Tony comes home from university in another country for the Christmas break.

Evening - Howard and Maria say goodbye to Tony and leave for the Bahamas for Christmas.

7:00 pm - the Winter Soldier kills Howard and Maria Stark and steals Howard's super-soldier serum.

Late December 1991 - Hydra uses these 5 bags of serum to create new Winter Soldiers from Hydra's best operatives.

Since 2008 - "the number of known enhanced persons has grown exponentially. The number of potentially world-ending events has risen at a commensurate rate".

Because the MCU was created. We know, Vision.

2011 - General Ross suffers a heart attack and undergoes 13 hours of surgery and a triple bypass.

May 2014 - May 2016 - Rogers and Wilson look for Barnes.

April 12th or 19th, 2015:

The Battle of Sokovia.

Death of Charlie Spencer.

The death of the family of Sokovian Colonel Helmut Zemo.

Note: Tony, as usual, is bad at dates. Could it be summer? Of course not. See the Age of Ultron timeline. To be fair to Tony, summer makes sense in the context of a recent graduate. That's why this whole Charlie story is poorly done and it's the filmmakers' fault for not coordinating with the previous films again.

April 14th or 21th, 2015 - Helmut Zemo finally finds the bodies of his family on the outskirts of the destroyed Sokovian capital.

April 2015 - Late April 2016 - Helmut Zemo plans his revenge, studies the Avengers, and deciphers the S.H.I.E.L.D. data released by Natasha. He learns of the existence of the December 16, 1991 mission report.

Late September 2015 - March 21, 2016 - The Avengers track down Crossbones (Brock Rumlow).

Second half of October 2015 - Peter Parker becomes Spider-Man.

October 2015 - May 2016:

Tony watches Spider-Man.

He finds out that it is Peter Parker.

Tony creates a high-tech suit and AI for Peter.

End of January 2016 - President Ellis appoints Thaddeus Ross as Secretary of State.

January-March 2016 - The Ellis administration is working on the Sokovia Accords.

January-May 2016 - the media focus is on whether superheroes should be held accountable for collateral damage and whether they should operate under international oversight.

Source: WHIH Newsfront.

The main events of the film take place from the end of March to the beginning of June 2016.

March 2016 - Crossbones robs police stations in Nigeria.

March 21, 2016:

The Attack in Lagos. Brock Rumlow dies while attempting to blow himself and Rogers up. Wanda redirects the blast but fails to contain it, and the explosion kills 26 people in a nearby building, including 11 Wakandans.

F*ck up time: it's probably the Saturday before March 22nd. The problem is that in our world, March 22nd 2016 was a Tuesday, not a Sunday. So it's either March 21st (according to the newspaper), or March 19th (according to the real calendar and all other movies except IM1, which also had a broken calendar), or literally any other day, because see the note for May 3rd further down the timeline. I'll choose March 21 because the days of the week in this movie are just a filmmakers' f*ck up and "Saturday" and "Sunday March 22" were supposed to tell us the date.

Applause: The big brains of the MCU Fandom Wiki dated the attack to May 3rd, referring to a WHIH News video that doesn't mention any dates. Instead, they used the date the video was posted on YouTube.

The Ellis administration is presenting the Accords to the UN.

April 2016:

Tony establishes the September Foundation Grant with Pepper as its head.

Tony and Pepper take a break from their relationship.

Pepper cancels her scheduled appearance at MIT without notifying the institution.

Tony speaks at MIT, demonstrates BARF technology, and makes all students co-recipients of the September Foundation Grant, automatically approving and funding all their projects.

He meets the mother of Charlie Spencer, who was a collateral casualty of the Battle of Sokovia.

April 28:

Secretary Ross comes to the Avengers Compound to present the Sokovia Accords to the team.

Peggy Carter dies.

Steve Rogers goes to the UK.

Zemo breaks into the home of Vasily Karpov, a former KGB/Hydra officer hiding in Cleveland. He finds the Winter Soldier's code book and kills Karpov.

May 1:

Morning - Peggy's funeral in London. Steve learns that Sharon is Peggy's niece.

Natasha is in London to support Rogers. He refuses to sign the Accords. Natasha flies to Vienna by jet.

Afternoon - special UN conference on the ratification of the Sokovia Accords in Vienna. Natasha meets T'Challa.

The Vienna Bombing - Helmut Zemo, disguised as Bucky Barnes, blows up the UN meeting. Over 70 people are injured and at least 12 are killed, including T'Chaka, the King of Wakanda.

Steve, Sam and Sharon learn of the explosion and that Barnes is a suspect. They immediately head to Vienna.

T'Challa decides to kill Barnes himself.

Natasha asks Rogers not to intervene. He refuses.

Sharon gives him Barnes' presumed location.

May 2:

Morning - Zemo practices Russian pronunciation in a hotel in Berlin. He created an EMP device that he keeps in his room.

Barnes is spotted at a market in Bucharest and learns that he is a suspect in the Vienna bombing.

Noon - Rogers comes to his apartment. GSG 9 storms it when Barnes comes to pick up his backpack.

Rogers, Wilson and Barnes fight GSG 9, the police and T'Challa until they are surrounded by the police and Colonel Rhodes.

The trio and T'Challa are arrested and taken to the Joint Terrorist Task Force headquarters in Berlin.

The JTTF calls in a psychiatrist to assess Barnes. The UN dispatches Dr. Theo Broussard from Geneva within the hour.

Vision attempts to make paprikash for Wanda. She learns that she is under "house arrest" to reduce the risk of another public incident.

Evening - in Berlin, Dr. Broussard is met by Helmut Zemo. Zemo takes the doctor to his hotel room.

May 3:

Morning - Zemo kills Broussard and leaves his body in the hotel bathroom.

~8 am - the convoy with the four arrested reaches JTTF headquarters in Berlin. There, they meet Tony and Natasha, who are on duty. Thanks to Tony's efforts, Rogers, Wilson, and T'Challa are given an office instead of a cell, and Rogers and Wilson escape Ross's prosecution, but the shield and wings are confiscated by the JTTF.

Rhodey is supervising cleanup in Romania.

Tony tries to persuade Rogers to sign the Accords. Rogers refuses.

A delivery van carrying the Zemo's EMP device arrives at a local power substation.

Zemo, posing as Dr. Broussard, begins a "psychological evaluation" of Barnes.

Note: the clock at HQ shows us the wrong time in Berlin. Since Zemo flies to Moscow at 2:10 pm later that day, it can't be 5 pm, but only before noon.

Zemo triggers the EMP and shuts down the power at JTTF headquarters. He reads the codes to Barnes, switching him into the Winter Soldier mode. Winter Soldier tells him where to find the video recording of the December 16, 1991 mission.

10 minutes later - the Winter Soldier goes on a rampage at the HQ.

Zemo escapes.

Tony disarms Barnes. He, Nat, Sharon, and T'Challa try to stop him, but he escapes to the helipad, where he is stopped by Rogers and taken to an abandoned building.

~11 am - Secretary Ross arrives at JTTF headquarters and gives Tony and Nat an ultimatum: deliver Rogers, Wilson, and Barnes within 36 hours or he will send Special Forces after them.

Natasha recruits T'Challa. Tony goes to New York to pick up Peter Parker.

2:10 pm - Zemo departs for Moscow.

Barnes wakes up back in his Bucky mode and tells Steve and Sam about the other Winter Soldiers.

Rogers and Wilson call Barton.

~5 pm in NYC/11 pm in Germany - Tony meets May and Peter Parker. He makes Peter his intern and asks him to go to Germany with him.

Tony makes Peter a passport.

Source: alternative credits for SM:FFH.

F*ck up time: since this passport is from a different movie, its calendar is different from CW's. According to that Nigerian newspaper at the beginning of CW, May 3rd was supposed to be a Sunday, which can't be true since Peter had a test at school that day. According to SMH, May 3rd was supposed to be a Friday, which makes sense for CW because Peter was talking about homework, not going to school, when Tony asked him to go to Germany. Either way, neither the CW's calendar nor our real-life calendar work, and I guess I'll have to make a fix-it MCU calendar someday.

Happy accompanies Peter to Germany on Tony's private jet.

~9 pm in NY - Clint comes to the Compound to pick up Wanda. Vision tries to stop him, but is defeated by Wanda, who makes a hole in the building with his body.

They go to San Francisco to pick up Scott Lang.

May 4:

Morning in Germany/Afternoon in Yakutia - Zemo reaches Oymyakon, the nearest settlement to the Siberian Hydra base, and calls his host in Berlin.

The host finds Dr. Broussard's body in Zemo's hotel room.

Sharon Carter returns to Rogers and Wilson their gear that she stole from the JTTF.

Rogers kisses her.

Barton brings Wanda and Scott to Rogers and Co.

Tony evacuates Leipzig/Halle airport, where a helicopter rented by Barton is waiting for Cap's team.

~11 am - the Battle at Leipzig-Halle Airport.

Tony suffers an injury to his left arm.

Rogers and Barnes, with Natasha's help, steal a quinjet and head to Siberia.

Rhodey is caught in friendly fire and left paralyzed from the waist down.

Tony sends Peter home.

Wilson, Lang, Barton and Maximoff are arrested and sent to Raft Prison.

T'Challa tells Ross that Natasha helped Rogers and Barnes escape.

Tony, Vision and Natasha go to the hospital with Rhodey.

~1 pm - Tony tells Natasha that Ross is coming for her, and she goes on the run.

FRIDAY gives Tony news from the Berlin police - the real Dr. Broussard is found dead.

Tony immediately heads to the Raft in a helicopter. FRIDAY gives him all the information about Zemo and the situation. Tony sends it to Ross.

~7 pm - Tony arrives at the Raft. Secretary Ross refuses to listen to him about Zemo.

Tony asks Sam where Rogers and Barnes went. He tells Ross that he is going back to the Compound and will not pick up the phone if Ross calls. In reality, he is heading to the Hydra bunker to help Rogers and Barnes.

T'Challa secretly follows him.

May 5:

~5 am in Oymyakon/9 pm in Germany (May 4) - Zemo takes a tracked all-terrain vehicle and uses it to get to the Hydra bunker. He finds the video from December 16, 1991 and kills all 5 Winter Soldiers in the bunker.

~8 am - Rogers, Barnes, Tony and T'Challa arrive.

Zemo shows Tony the video of Barnes murdering his parents. Rogers admits that he knew about it and didn't tell Tony.

Tony flies into a rage and attacks Barnes. As a result of the fight Tony vs Rogers and Barnes, Tony is defeated and left alone in the bunker with a disabled suit and the shield.

Zemo attempts to commit suicide, but is stopped by T'Challa.

T'Challa brings Rogers and Barnes to Wakanda, Zemo to the JTTF.

Rhodes is transferred to Columbia Medical Center in NYC.

~May 5:

Tony gets back to the States.

Note: it is not mentioned how or when this happened. He couldn't stay in the bunker for long because he would die from hypothermia. Someone had to come for him that same day. This doesn't necessarily mean that he was brought back to the States right away.

~May 6 - Barnes goes back to cryo in Wakanda.

Why so soon: Barnes and Rogers still have bruises from their fight with Tony. They're supersoldiers, and that kind of damage won't last long. So a couple of days, tops. What Steve says to T'Challa also suggests it hasn't been more than a few days since he took them in to Wakanda.

May:

Tony is recovering from injuries.

He has to take command of the Avengers, which now consists only of him, the paralyzed Rhodes and Vision.

Tony makes Rhodey braces so he can walk again.

Tony repairs the hole Wanda left in the Compound.

Someone watches Tony and reports to Rogers.

Early June:

Tony comes to the empty Avengers Compound.

Note: He has a stress ball in his left hand, and in the letter scene, this hand is shaking. This means he hasn't recovered from his injuries a month later, and it was much worse right after the fight.

He brings Rhodey the braces and helps him get back on his feet.

Stan Lee delivers Tony a letter and flip phone from Rogers.

Note: judging by his words in the letter, Tony is now living in the Compound, and Pepper has not yet returned to him.

F*ck up time: the bruises and scratches on Tony and Sam's faces were supposed to tell us that this is taking place a few days after the airport and bunker fights. And it makes no sense. 1) Black Widow gives us a clear idea of how much time has passed between the airport and the escape - at least 3 weeks. More realistically 4 (which matches the book with the Official Timeline, btw). 2) Rhodey needed time to recover before he could be released from the hospital. Not even talking about getting up. A month is the bare minimum (it should have been longer, he had a broken spine). 3) That was enough time for Tony to heal and move to the Compound. Then enough time for someone to tell Rogers, then for Rogers to come up with his letter and send it. All in all, we're getting a month, not a few days. By the way, this makeup fuck-up wasn't introduced in CW, but already happened in AoU with Thor.

Rogers and Romanoff arrange an escape from the Raft for the other Rogues.

Secretary Ross calls Tony to go to the Raft and stop the escape. Tony refuses.

The timeline was mostly fine until the very end. And then I saw the date on the FedEx box and put a palm to my face. Because it can't be April 14th or April in general. 1) We've already passed May 3rd with Peter's passport. 2) The earliest date the main events could start is April 1st. Then we had a week of action. Then a month of Black Widow. Guess what month it is now. Hint: it's not April anymore. 3) The weather, green trees, etc. indicate that the main events did not occur before the end of April. 4) The official timeline places the escape from the Raft in the summer. And they're right about that (see the first 3 points).

MCU Timeline: The Infinity Saga

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nessieart · 8 months ago

Text

The Way Back. I

Summary: These powers were meant to help people. Help The Avengers, your family. It felt like every time you used them, something bad always happened. Maybe someone has the answers, somewhere.

WC: 5.5k

Eventual Stucky x reader. Waaay later.

An: I've been working on this off and on throughout the summer. There'll be multiple parts. I hope you enjoy!

“I know that look,” you tell him, arms crossed over your chest, trying to hold yourself together. You know what Steve is thinking, he’s been your closest friend for years now. You’d like to think you know him better than he knows himself. He spares you a sideways glance, arms bracing him on the desk in front of him, head bowed low between his shoulder blades.

Steve sighs, big and deep, before he straightens back up, “I don’t doubt it,” a small smile on the corner of his lips. He leans back against his desk, facing you, hands tucked under his biceps as he crosses them over his chest. He’s trying to relax, but his shoulders are still too tense. Brows pinched and lips tight in a thin line.

“OK, maybe I don’t know that look,” you push off the door frame and make your way over to him, and stop between his feet that are extended in front of him. “What’s on your mind, Tough Guy?” Steve chuckles at the nickname you’ve called him since you met.

You see him ball his hands into tight fists, head turning away from you when he goes to speak, “Guess I’m just on edge about this meeting with Ross,” Steve shrugs.

You hum, nodding along with his reasoning. After what happened in Lagos, you wouldn't be surprised if Senator Ross demanded your heads on pikes and the disassembly of the Avengers.

“Tony wouldn’t even give me details about it. So you know it can’t be good,” you tilt your head, “and you know how much Tony loves to brag.” Steve’s eyes seem to soften a little, tension slowly lifting from his shoulders as you take his hand and drag him along behind you.

“C’mon, we don’t wanna be the last ones there,” Steve rolls his eyes as you open a portal and pull him through. As you both step through together, Steve visibly shudders, a chill running up his spine as he shakes his arms out.

“I don’t think I’ll ever get used to that,” he shudders again as he takes a seat at the conference table.

You finished packing just as a knock sounded at your door. “Come in,” you called, pulling your suitcase off the bed.”

“Hey, y/n,” Steve leans against the door frame. He can’t seem to look up from his shoes. When you stop in front of him, you place your hand on his cheek.

“I’m here,” your thumb wipes under his eye, catching the tear that threatens to fall. “I’m sorry about Peggy. I know what she meant to you.”

Steve leans into your touch, his eyes close for a moment before he speaks, “I’m - thank you, y/n. I’m heading to London with Sam in the morning,” his voice is hoarse and quiet. He swallows thickly, Adam's apple bobbing as he squeezes his eyes shut for a second.

“Do you want me to go with you? My bags are already packed,” you smile up at him.

When he opens his eyes, he looks over your shoulder at your luggage, “No. It’s okay. Natasha would probably kick my ass if I made you come with me.”

You remove your hand, fingers fidgeting with nothing to hold onto now, “Oh. I’m only a phone call away, remember?” Steve nods.

There’s a butterfly bandage on your cheek. It's bruised and maybe a little puffy. Maybe you shouldn’t have tried to stop the Winter Soldier from attacking Tony. Tony was capable. But you panicked, and instead of Tony taking the metal fist to his chest, your face took the full force of it. You wouldn’t change your decision even if asked. You’d do it again if it meant keeping Tony upright and OK.

After the explosion at the Embassy in Vienna, one head trauma per week was your limit, or so you thought.

“Kid, are you still with me?” Your eyes tried to focus on his face as he helped you sit up. You had passed out for a while after taking the Soldier’s punch, Tony hasn’t left your side since.

“There's two of you. I feel like there would be world domination if there were two Tony Starks..” You rubbed at your head, eyes squinting shut to refocus and stop the world from spinning.

“Double Starks,” you hear the smirk in his voice, “imagine all the things I could accomplish.” You squint at him and shove his shoulder. He just chuckles in response.

Tony helps you to your feet, his arm around your shoulders to steady you, “I had it handled, y’know,” he says quietly. “Did you not think to use your powers?” You just nod absentmindedly.

You could see the hurt and betrayal on Steve from where you stood next to Tony. He's never looked at you like that before. A freezing stare or a melting glare. It made your stomach clench.

You didn't blame Steve's decision. You understood his headstrong reasoning for defending his best friend, even if the evidence was stacked against him.

Steve shouldn't be surprised. He scoffs. He knows you're loyal to the team. To your friends. And most of all Tony. He sees the way you look at Tony, eyes sparkling with something he only wishes he could get for himself.

He's loved you for so long. He just couldn't admit it to himself. He's been in denial for years. You were just best friends, is what he kept telling himself. He grinds his teeth just thinking about it.

And then he found Bucky. He thought maybe, maybe things could go back to what they used to be. Before all this, before the war, and then Bucky was gone just as fast as he returned.

But after Peggy's funeral, he wanted to tell you. God, did he want to tell you how he felt. And then the bomb went off, and he thought he lost you, too. The panic and heart aching fear was almost too much to handle. Then he heard your voice over the phone when he called Natasha. He could breathe again.

But now he's standing across the tarmac from you, and he can't even seem to look you in the eye.

“Stargate, y’mind?” Tony turns to you, and you nod. Stepping back into the cloudy portal behind you.

As you step through to the other side, you come to a stop next to Peter, “Boys,” you call out, they all stop and look at you. “Let's all play nice, OK?”

“Y/N,” Sam nods to you. He tries to be nonchalant and friendly but doesn't drop his defensive stance.

Beside Sam, you see Bucky Barnes. You've only heard stories from Steve about him. Childhood best friends. You haven't met him until now. Just the soldier with his steely glare under dark brows.

You can see the difference. There's a hesitation in Barnes’ eyes, and he shifts his left arm behind him as he peers at you. Eyes clocking the bruise and cut on your cheek from his metal fist.

Barnes moves his eyes away from you when you meet his gaze, mouth in a thin grimace.

“You don't have to do this, Y/N,” Sam tries to reason with you. “Just let us go.”

You understand, you really do. But you signed the Accords. You had to do this by the books. Or else you'd wind up in a super-max prison with people like you, and you'd never see the light of day again.

“I have to do this, Sammy,” eyebrows furrowing into a frown. You turn to wink at Peter and step back into a portal. As your foot lifts through the portal, it steps down behind Sam and Bucky. The two of them jump in surprise and try to scramble away from you.

“Shit!” Sam almost trips over his feet as you reach out to grab Bucky by his arm and drag him back through another portal.

The next step backward, you and Bucky are standing next to Steve. As soon as you let go, Bucky bends over, placing his hands on his knees and groans like he's going to be sick, “Steve…?”

The man in question whips around, shield raised, “Wha- Buck?” He braces his hands on Bucky's shoulders, and then he sees you. “Y/n?”

You shrug, avoiding his eyes, “guess you aren't the only one to not like instant travel,” There's a sad smile on your face that Steve hates to see.

There's commotion in your earpiece, yelling more like. Steve can barely it make out. It causes you to wince, your head turning to find Tony clad in Iron Man armor hovering across the tarmac staring at you.

“Oops, time to go,” the cloudy mist of your portal opens behind you, and you spare Steve and Bucky one final look.

Steve helps Bucky to right himself, giving a pained smile when his best friend sets him with a glare.

Steve sighs, placing his shield on his back, “I know. I don't want to talk about it, Buck.”

Bucky scoffs, “you can't be serious? How is she here, Steve? That was - she looks just like -”

“I know, Bucky,” Steve says with more force. He looks across the airport to find you waving your arms about as you try to talk to Tony. He sighs again, “God, don't I know.”

Bucky knows that look, and it hurts a little. “How long?” He says quietly. He wants to take pity on him, if only for a moment. They both begin to jog.

Steve pretends to think about his answer, his stomach twisting into knots as he looks around the airport turned battlefield. He could see you trying to talk to Tony as he flew away.

Steve exhaled a deep breath through his nose, “The first time I saw her.” He grimaced at Bucky's glare.

“You know I coulda just portalled us here, right?” You say as you follow Tony.

Tony looks over his shoulder at you, “I think I'd rather get punched by a cybernetic metal arm than instant travel through one of your portals, kid.”

You shove his shoulder as he laughs, “Hey it's not that bad!”

As the two of you take the elevator down, you can hear Tony sigh. The tinny grating of his voice is soft as he looks over at you.

“I'm not angry with you, Y/N,” he shakes his head.

“But… but you're disappointed, right?”

The elevator stops, and Tony has to pry the doors open so you both can step out. You follow him down another corridor before he speaks again. There's another set of doors in the way, and he braces his hands on it.

“Look, I get it. Probably better than you, kiddo,” the heavy blast doors groan with the force Iron Man uses to push them open. You step under his arm, and he follows you out. “I know how you feel about him.”

You squeak in surprise, going to protest when you catch sight of Steve and Bucky, defensive and alert when they hear the door.

Tony straightens and walks forward, helmet retracting with a roll of his shoulders. You step up beside him, Steve and Bucky visibly relax, just a bit. You walk towards them with Tony.

“You seem a little defensive,” Tony says. He brings a hand up across your body for you to stop. Tony continues walking, and Steve stands to meet him in the middle.

“It's been a long day,” Steve sounds almost surprised to see you both here.

“At ease, soldier, I'm not currently after you.”

“Then why are you here? Both of you?” Steve looks over Tony's shoulder at you before turning his gaze back to Tony.

You notice Bucky hasn't taken his eyes off you since you entered.

The chamber is massive as the four of you enter. The man who lead you here taunts Steve as you all get closer. Bucky seems tense and on edge, and Tony keeps close to you.

The video plays, and it brings tears to your eyes. Tony can't seem to catch his breath. A whimper leaves your throat as Bucky- no, the Winter Soldier - chokes the life out of Tony's mother. A hand coming up to your mouth to keep it and any more noise from escaping.

You turn your body into Tony's, and the grip he has on you is bruising, but grounding.

“Did you know?” Tony is shaking. You feel it. Your eyes find Bucky, and he looks just as broken. “Don't bullshit me, Rogers. Did. You. Know?”

“Yes,” Steve is quiet and defeated. Tony lets go of you, and you stagger away, tears falling.

It all happens so fast that you have no time to react. The Fighting. Tony would kill them both. Kill Bucky for what HYDRA did, for what the man who had no control of his life was made to do. And happens to have the face of Tony's parents' killer.

You appear in front of Steve as he staggers to his feet, Tony standing tall a few feet away. You raise your hands to stop him.

“This won't change what happened, Tony, please,” you try to reason.

“I don't care,” you can hear the hurt in his voice, “he killed my mom.”

“Y/n, get outta here!” Steve shoves you away. Tony launches himself at Steve, and you're left on the sidelines as you watch your friends fight.

Bucky has Tony pinned to the wall, metal fingers digging into the Arc Reactor on his chest. The next moment, it fires. Bucky staggers back, his metal arm blown off at the shoulder.

You rush to Bucky, catching him before he falls face first, “Hey, Sarg, you're OK, hey. Look at me,” his eyes are wide and fearful as he leans on you for support. There's blood leaking from a wound somewhere. Your fingers are sticky with it as you try to get him to focus on you.

His hand grips the side of your face as his eyes roam over you, like he's making sure you're really there. He runs his thumb over your cheek.

You hear the whine of the Iron Man gauntlet, the vibranium of Steve's shield singing as it takes the full force of repulsor fire. It deflects, and is redirected at you. An almost slow realization that the pain in your side is there as you and Bucky are thrown apart, and the searing pain is crawling up your side as you scream.

The taste of dirt and blood fill your mouth, you aren't sure how long your brain has been in the fog of pain, but you see Steve hoist Bucky up and place Bucky's flesh arm across his shoulders.

They're both beaten and bloody, and the slow shuffle of their feet causes you to turn your body, seeking out Tony. You can see unshed tears in his eyes as he looks up at Steve and then at you.

There's a large crack across his chest. The Arc Reactor flickers off more than on. The pain in your side is almost blinding, but you crawl towards Tony anyway.

Sometimes, you forget that the reactor in his chest isn't there to keep him alive. The fear still lingering in Tony's eyes tells you he thought so, too.

“T-tony?” Your voice is hoarse. You grit your teeth, sitting up to get a better look at him. You place your hands on his chest plate.

Tony lifts himself up on an elbow. Blood covers most of his face as he brings his other hand, clad in a broken gauntlet, to your face.

“I'm sorry, kid,” he chokes out. You shake your head, grabbing his hand in yours.

There's more shuffling behind you, and you and Tony look to see Steve holding onto a barely conscious Bucky.

“That shield doesn't belong to you,” you grip Tony's hand tighter. “You-you don't deserve it. My father made that shield!”

The shield drops with a deafening clang.

Steve stops, he looks down at you, and Bucky's steel blue eyes stare at you through the fringe of his hair. They are both bloody and beaten. But so is Tony.

“Y/n…” Steve starts, “I-”

“No,” Tony grunts, sitting up more, “leave her, you don't get-ugh!” Tony gasps in pain as he doubles over. You catch his shoulders so he doesn't fall over.

“C'mon, old man, let me get us outta here,” You don't spare Steve or Bucky another glance as you open a portal and take Tony with you.

There's a hand on your shoulder, shaking you awake. You groan in protest, face digging more into the comfort of your arms.

“Hng,” you groan again, the hand shaking your shoulder harder. “Ugh, what?” You lift your head up from your arms, eyes squinting to refocus them.

“You were dreaming again,” his voice wasn't accusing. It was quiet and calm, his hand still on your shoulder.

You wipe off the drool on your mouth. You're sure it slips down your chin, “oh. Sorry, Stephen,” you apologize, “didn't get a lot of sleep last night.” Or the night before that, you think. Come to think of it, there's been a lot of sleepless nights for you as of late.

He straightened back up, a knowing look on his face, like he could read your thoughts.

“it's alright, we all have sleepless nights every once in a while,” Stephen Strange gives you a small smile, hands folding behind his back to stop the tremors.

Stephen clears his throat, “the Ancient One requested to see you,” he moves away so you can get up. “She didn't say why, but you know how she is.”

You chuckle a little, nodding, “Yeah, thanks,” you stretch, the ache of being hunched over in a wooden chair for hours creaking out of your bones.

You glance around the dimly lit library, eyeing the other desks and isles as you and Stephen exit.

“I'm surprised Wong didn't wake me. You know how he hates when people sleep in the library.”

You both laugh, making small talk as Stephen walks with you through the halls of Kamar-taj. The two of you didn't get along at first, but now you could say he was a close friend.

Two lost souls on a journey to be better and find what they lost. At least, that's what the Ancient One had said.

It seems like ages ago since you showed up in a small village near Nepal, the Ancient One likes to tell you it was fate that brought you to their door. But you haven't made up your mind about that yet.

It was late one evening, for a city that never sleeps, it was strangely quiet on your way back to the Tower. Tony may have been in the process of selling it, but he did tell you to stay for as long as it still had his name on the building.

The crosswalk had just turned green when you felt it. A pull so strong it stopped you in the middle of the street.

“what the-” you felt it again. You step through a portal, not knowing where it lets you out. It's sunny here and a lot colder than New York this time of year.

This definitely wasn't New York. Or the States, going by the building structures. You couldn't really see much from your perspective.

You turn down an alley, and the tugging on your chest is stronger here. Almost there, you guess.

There's a man down the alley, you notice. He's a bit scraggly looking if you're honest. But that's not what draws your eye. It's the men with weapons surrounding him. This can’t be good, you think. You edge closer, trying to gauge the situation better as they close in on him. The man in the center raises his hands, pleading quietly.

“Look, guys, I don’t have any money,” he sounds American, at least.

“Your watch,” one of them says, motioning towards the man’s arm.

“It's all I have left.” The three thugs are less than an arms length away now, and the man throws a punch first, yelping in pain when his fist connects.

In a heartbeat, they jump him, forcing him to the ground as they kick and beat him.

“Hey!” You rushed forward, “three against one's hardly fair, boys.” One of the thugs lunges at you, but you dodge out of the way, your knee connects with his stomach, and he drops to the ground. You follow through with stomping your foot on his stomach again. He groans in pain.

As the two remaining thugs come to their senses, they circle you before attacking. One gets a punch across your cheek, you grab his wrist and twist it, making him double over to try and get away. Your free hand jabs at his throat, and you use the momentum to toss him over your shoulder with ease.

The last one standing raises his bat to hit you, but before he can, a man in a hooded robe grabs the end of the bat, and jabs the thugs in the face, causing him to reel and fall to the ground as well. You haven't kept up with your training. You used to spar with Steve all the time. It leaves a bitter taste in your mouth thinking about it. His goodbye note and the burner phone burning a hole into your back pocket at the remembrance.

You're out of breath when you stand back up to your full height, "thanks," you huff at the newcomer. The hooded man nods, regarding you silently.

You to stoop next to the man that was attacked, extending your hand to help him up, "Are you OK, Mr..?"

"Doctor," he responds, looking at your hand for a moment before he places his shaky hand in yours.

You smirk, "Not a doctor, but you're welcome," you see him roll his eyes as you hoist him up and scan his figure to make sure he's alright, other than the tremor of his fingers, he seems unharmed.

The man nods his head to you, a small uptick of his lips, "Stephen Strange."

"Y/N, nice to meet you."

The hooded figure approaches you both, hand extending the watch the thugs stole from Stephen, "You're looking for Kamar-taj," he simply says.

That was months ago. You aren't really sure why you stayed at Kamar-taj. Maybe it felt right that being here was where you were meant to me.

"Well, this is where I leave you," Stephen pulls you from your memory. You should apologize for ignoring him. Before you could open your mouth, the doors open, revealing the Sorcerer Supreme. She offers you a kind, knowing smile, and before Stephen can retreat back to the library, the Ancient One calls for both of you to join her in her study.

You train with Stephen, both of you learning how to master the mystic arts. None of it is easy, Stephen struggles more than you, though, and you try to be supportive. He lashes out a few times, but he always apologizes later - in his own way. A cup of tea placed in front of you while you study in the library or a book you couldn't quite reach before is within your grasp - thanks to Stephen. And when you do finally form the intricate symbols that glow in midair and bend to your will, they are the color of the scar embedded in your chest. Bright blue, but no less beautiful than the orange glow of every other persons power.

You never bother with the sling-ring, you much rather travel via your portals. The Ancient One advised you not to use your native gifts in the Temple or around the others, if you could help it.

While you were staying in Kamar-taj, you met with the Ancient One by yourself once a week. She would help you with your natural powers. As natural as they had been, anyway. She never asked how you had gotten your powers, but there was a sparkle of intrigue in her eye whenever she glimpsed the bright blue crystalline scar on your chest. As long as your palm from your collar bone to sternum and a small matching one between your shoulder blades.

You had asked if she could remove them, she didn't humor you with a response. Instead, she had told you, in all her years on Earth, she had never seen anyone with powers like yours.

There was a book in your hands as you entered Stephen's study. The New York Sanctum recently became your new home after finishing your studies in Nepal, and after the Ancient One had passed. The words were in a language you couldn't decipher, so, naturally, you sought out the one person who could help you. You did enjoy bothering Stephen Strange quite a bit.

Looking down at the jumble of words, symbols, and pictographs, you entered the study, "Hey, Stephen, I can't find a translator on this tome. Could you -" You cut yourself off, looking up the words die on your tongue as you find Stephen not alone.

"Thor?" A smile breaks across your face as you look at your old friend. Thor leaps up from his chair, drink long forgotten as he rushes towards you and engulfs you in a bear hug. It's warm and familiar.

"Little Starlight! What are you doing here?" His voice rumbles through your chest as he sets you down. A heavy, comforting hand on your shoulder as you fidget with the book in your hand.

"I've - uh - been living here for awhile," you peak up at Thor, then look at Stephen. "The Avengers aren't really, um, together anymore."

Thor looks confused, his brows drawn together as he thinks, "Surely you jest? What about Stark? The two of you were attached at the hip! Father and daughter, more like. He would not abandon you." You go to speak, but Thor continues, "or Captain Rogers? Surely not," he scoffs, "he was very fond of you. Followed you around like a lost Hel-pup."

Your head tilts to the side, eyebrows creasing in question, Steve followed you around? Sure, the two of you did a few things together when there was downtime between missions. You introducing him to a lot of current TV shows or movies, cult classics you promised he'd love, but you're sure he never understood.

"What do you mean?" you ask Thor. He gives you a wide grin, and you feel your insides tighten just a little.

"He was in love with you, girl! Everyone could see it plain as the Golden Palaces of Asgard!" His laugh is hearty as he slaps your shoulder, the weight almost crushing now at the realization dawns on you.

Steve was in love with you?

A small squeak leaves your throat. But Steve was - is - your best friend. He even said so on multiple occasions. He has Bucky now, right? There was no way he thought about you anymore.

"Don't be ridiculous, Thor, Steve wasn't in love with me," your protest even sounds weak to your own ears, as your shoulders slump forward and Thor gives you a gentle pat.

Stephen clears his throat. You almost forgot he was even here. And thank the Gods for Dr. Strange, he waves his hand, and the low coffee table and chairs the two men had previously occupied vanished from sight. "Wait, hold on," he starts, fingers going to pinch the bridge of his nose, "you were an Avenger?" he looks at you like you were telling a joke, an amused expression on his face. "You were a lab assistant or something - a secretary maybe - surely," he chuckles. And that kind of stings.

Thor seems to grow larger in the small space between you. A low grumble rolling up his chest as he steps in front of you. The little hairs on your arm stand on end. A crackle of electricity in the air around the room. "Have a care how you speak, wizard. Y/N may look small and unassuming, but she can hold her own with many a great warrior. On Midgard or any realm."

Pride blooms in your chest, small popping bubbles seem to lift your insides at Thor's defense of you. You haven't used your powers since the Ancient One passed. Her and Wong were the only two at the Sanctum to know about what happened to you and your abilities.

So, with a big inhale, you summon a cloudy portal and step through it and then reappear next to Stephen in the blink of an eye. He suppresses a yelp, the Cloak of Levitation running the ends of its tail up your arm in greeting.

"Wh-what was that? How did you do that?"

"It's still a little fuzzy. All the details of how it happened. I really shouldn't be alive," you begin undoing your robes, the top half opening to show your tank top and the very bright blue glow of the crystalline scar on your chest. "The Ancient One knew. She helped a lot with getting a handle on how my powers work. Though I don't really understand most of it. Some of it comes naturally, like I already know what to do."

You fix your robes, Stephen's hand stopping you, his eyes quizzical as he examines your scar with surgeon eyes. "She understood my powers better than I could ever seem to hope," a sad smile pulls at your lips. "I couldn't do half the things I can now if it wasn't for her."

"This should have killed you, Y/N," Stephen finally speaks. He removes his hand from your arm, folding his arms across his chest. Thor hums in agreement as you tie your robes back together.

"The Infinity Stone clearly had bigger plans for her than we could ever imagine," Thor says thoughtfully.

"What? Infinity? No -" You shake your head. "The Tesseract isn't a -" you couldn't find the words. It did make sense, the longer you thought about it.

"The Space Stone, yes," Thor nods.

"Oh."

So there you stood, on the grand staircase of the foyer, with Stephen and Thor. It's a little bittersweet, having to say goodbye to Thor, but he promised you'd see him again.

"Oh, before I take my leave, if you would not mind," Thor motions to Stephen and then the empty foyer. Stephen hums, his hands quickly moving to open a portal a few feet in the air. You hear a loud thud at the bottom of the stairs, a well-dressed, dark-haired man lay prone on the floor.

He flipped his hair back, groaning, "I have been falling for 30 minutes!" As he stood to dust himself off, you launch yourself down the steps and engulf him in a hug.

"Mischief!" You laugh. You haven't seen Loki since after the Battle of New York. "I thought you died!" You punch his arm and look up into his shocked face.

"Hello, Starlight," his hands come to rest on your shoulders, long fingers curling around and squeezing. There was a small smirk on his face as he looked down at you. "I see you've finally left Stark and your doe-eyed Captain."

You groan, "not you too."

"Hold on," Stephen's hand flew to his face as he drug it back down, "How do you know Loki?"

Loki and Thor stood behind you as you faced Stephen, before you could answer, they both put a hand on your shoulders, Thor's voice swelled with pride, "Y/N was the one to notice the effects of the scepter on Loki," you felt your face heat up at his praise.

"If it were not for our dear Starlight testifying in front of the All Father, I would have spent an eternity in prison."

Stephen looks so confused. He's looking at you like he's never met you. His head shakes from side to side as he paces around the foyer, a hand on his hip, the other running through his hair. "Why were you in Nepal last year?"

You stiffen, Thor's hand squeezes your shoulder, Loki steps closer to your side, angeling his front to your side. They are here for you, supporting you in a way they know how. Thor's grounding touch and Loki's magic you can feel crackle along his fingertips.

You gulp down a breath and square your shoulders, "I felt this, this pull, I don't know how else to describe it," your hand comes up to your chest. "i didn't know what it was, but one minute I was in New York, and the next i was rounding a corner, and there you were."

"The thugs," Stephen's hands drop, and his posture slouches. The Cloak clings a little tighter around his shoulders.

"The Ancient One said we were meant to meet. There was a reason my powers brought me to you. At that exact moment."

You bid farewell to Thor and Loki as they step through Stephen's portal that would lead them to Odin.

"Stay out of trouble," you give them a stern look, "the both of you."

Thor gave you a wide grin and a wave as he stepped through the portal. Loki shoves his hands in his suit pockets, giving you a wink as he follows Thor.

And then they were gone.

Stephen turns to you, a thoughtful look on his face, "I have so many questions."

"I probably have the answers."

****

Next>

#The Way Back #mcu fanfiction #mcu imagine #steve rogers #bucky barnes #stephen strange #thor odinson #loki laufeyson #tony stark

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esouliie · 1 year ago

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- TEARS ON THE GRAND PIANO

– pairing: wanda maximoff x fem!reader (mini series)

– synopsis: moving on from the only person you’ve ever loved is proving to be hard… so hard that hiring an escort seems to be the only way forward.

– warnings: a lil angst and comfort to start us off, welcome to the prologue, hope you enjoy!

2ND AUGUST 2016

All is quiet in the compound.

In the middle of the night, you find yourself seated at your piano, bathed in the soft glow of a single lamp. Your fingers move wearily across the keys, trying to breathe life into the notes of a song that has been evolving in your mind since the day you met Wanda.

The melody is your escape, a sanctuary from the weight of the Sokovian Accords and the chaos that seems to envelop your world.

Exhaustion clings to you like a heavy cloak, but the song demands to be finished. Each note is a release, a fragment of emotion woven into the fabric of the music.

Ever since that ill-fated mission in Lagos, the Avengers' world has been turned upside down. The compound, once a haven of camaraderie, now echoes with the tension born of differing opinions on the Accords. It's torn your makeshift family apart, leaving you grappling with your own stance on the matter.

It is expected of you as a super-powered member and also as the reason for Lagos being a failure. The plan had gone awry, and in the chaos, you deviated from the carefully laid out strategy. Overwhelmed by the enemy, your powers were not enough. It was Wanda who came to your rescue, a selfless act that saved your life but led to a devastating consequence.

The explosion in the building, full of innocent people, sat solid on your conscience. And now the weight of responsibility hangs heavy on your shoulders as you try to find solace in the music you create. The piano, an old friend, is both a refuge and a confidant in these trying times.

You're so engrossed in your composition that you fail to notice the subtle creak of the door as Wanda steps into the room, her silhouette framed by the dim light.

She watches you for a moment, concern etched on her face.

“Why are you still awake?" she asks, her voice soft and filled with genuine worry.

You don't immediately respond, caught in the grip of your creative trance.

"Couldn't sleep," you admit, the weariness evident in your voice. "Needed to get this out."

Wanda's gaze softens, understanding the therapeutic power of your music. But her concern doesn't wane.

"And you? Why are you up?" You inquire, curious about the restlessness that brought her into your space.

A hint of sadness crosses her features as she confesses, "I had another nightmare.”

That hasn’t happened in a while, only on a rare occurrence since she started to heal from the events in Sokovia. Her war-torn homeland.

The pain of her brother's death used to haunt her dreams frequently, the agony vivid and raw in her memory. You remember when she first told you how it felt that day, the overwhelming emptiness as she felt her brother’s life slip away as if it were her own.

That was the first time she lost control of her powers.

A surge of empathy washes over you, and you instinctively reach out to touch her hand.

"I'm sorry.” You whisper, your own exhaustion momentarily forgotten.

She manages a small smile, her eyes lighting up.

“Well, I was thinking," she begins, her tone almost conspiratorial, "maybe you could come sleep in my room tonight. You know, like a sleepover?”

You can't resist the charming plea in her eyes, even though you know it’s all fake. Laced with fear of falling asleep just to end up back in another nightmare.

Usually, the sleepover ends with her clinging onto you tightly, whatever movie you both decided on long forgotten, as she sleeps peacefully. The nightmares suddenly gone as soon as you're around.

“Alright." You agree, setting aside your messy sheets. "Lead the way, m’lady."

The piano sits in silent anticipation as you follow Wanda out of the room, leaving the notes hanging in the air.

Later into the night, you both settle into her bed, the warmth of shared dreams replace the chill of nightmares. Wrapped in the comfort of each other's presence, you both drift into a peaceful sleep, leaving the half-finished melody to linger in the stillness of the night and challenges that await with the morning sun.

That was the last time you slept with Wanda.

#my fics! ꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱₊˚⊹#wanda maximoff x reader #wanda maximoff x you #wanda maximoff x y/n #wanda maximoff #cr: @florietas

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bluueejayart · 3 months ago

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I drew some concept -esque art for my would be ca:cw redraw / au

- in this canon, Shaw, Ross, and Mr. Sinister have come together to manipulate, falsify, and overall cause a series of botched / failed missions regarding metas, mutants, and other superpowered individuals in order to push the Registration Act. They are responsible for the incident and deaths in Lagos, as well as several other “publicly botched” missions across several teams- including several teams of Avengers, X-Men, and other meta-human groups.

(Exposition: General Ross is involved in all of this because of his blatant hate and want to control anything meta, superpowered, or mutant. Ross is the immediate push for the creation of the RAFT, which is introduced here. Shaw is involved for the access the act would give him regarding superpowered, meta, and mutant individuals so he may manipulate, trick, and control people into becoming essentially an army for himself. Mr. Sinister is involved for similar reasons to Shaw, except he wants access to all mutants, metas, and superpowered individuals so that he can have access to their DNA, powers, and genes ala his background regarding mutant gene-splicing and gene manipulation. The RAFT exists as both a containment prison, but also as Shaw and Sinister’s labs.)

Lagos happens in my redraw / au very differently. The Nigerian government contacts the Avengers team regarding a series of Hydra agents appearances and attacks. The Avenges arrive in Lagos after getting info that Crossbones is in the area and the lead on these attacks. After a small conflict regarding these agents and Hydra, crossbones is knocked down by Captain America Steve. After a small confrontation, Crossbones activates a bomb vest, intent on killing Steve, himself, and the crowds surrounding them. This detonation is stopped by Wanda, who makes it to the area just in time. Lifting crossbones and his vest into the air, Wanda is able to disperse the energy and weight of the explosion evenly, causing it to burn out in the air above them. After lowering Crossbones’ charred and burnt body, Wanda and Steve share a small moment- which is cut short when the tall building nearby suddenly suffers a series of explosions.

Shouts, screams, and general terror is heard from the building and the crowd around the two Avengers. Upon rendering aid to the building and returning home, They find that a video has been released to the internet and news stations everywhere. The video features the incident with Wanda, Steve, and Crossbones- including the section in which Wanda lifts Crossbones’ body up high. However, instead of showing wanda disarm and dissipate the explosion like she had, the video cuts to the building exploding and people shouting. The avengers, specifically Wanda, have been framed for this accident and the deaths involved. Eye-witness statements are mixed, and a growing distrust of super-powered individuals surges- especially after several more “botched” missions come into public speculation.

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lmsintmedia · 20 days ago

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Another Petrol Tanker Fire Shakes Ibadan: Panic as Vehicle Bursts into Flames

Overview of the Incident A petrol tanker explosion in Ibadan has once again caused alarm, highlighting growing safety concerns in the region. On Tuesday afternoon, a tanker transporting Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), commonly known as petrol, caught fire near Muslim Grammar School in the Odinjo area of Ibadan, close to the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway. According to eyewitnesses, the tanker overturned…

#Ibadan news #June 2025 #Lagos-Ibadan Expressway #Lmsint medai 2025 #Oyo State Fire Incident #Petrol tanker explosion

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justinspoliticalcorner · 8 months ago

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Hugh Dougherty at The Daily Beast:

Jeffrey Epstein described himself as Donald Trump’s “closest friend” and claimed intimate knowledge of his proclivity for sex, including cuckolding his best friends, according to recordings obtained exclusively by the Daily Beast. The convicted pedophile even boasted of his closeness to Trump and his now-wife Melania by claiming, “the first time he slept with her was on my plane,” which was dubbed the Lolita Express.

Epstein spoke at length about Trump with the author Michael Wolff in August 2017, two years before being found dead in his jail cell. Wolff was researching his bombshell bestseller Fire and Fury at the time. The recordings cast more light on Trump’s long relationship with Epstein, and will add to debate over the character of the Republican candidate, especially his attitudes and conduct toward women, just days before the election. The tapes tell Epstein’s version of the relationship between two former friends and their very different paths: One toward infamy, prison and suicide; the other toward power, the Oval Office and his own criminal conviction for paying hush money to a porn star. Trump’s camp referred to the tapes’ release as “false smears” and “election interference.” The tapes also offer unusual insight into the friendship of two wealthy, powerful men who frequently went out on the town together, prowling for women in New York and Atlantic City. [...]

Asked by Wolff, “How do you know all this?” Epstein replied, “I was Donald’s closest friend for 10 years.” Wolff shared the tape with the Daily Beast ahead of discussing it on his Fire and Fury podcast on Monday. Last Thursday he caused shockwaves by revealing a few seconds of a separate recording in which Epstein spoke in detail about the inner workings of the Trump administration. Wolff also said Thursday that the pedophile showed off photos of Trump with topless young women sitting in his lap. Wolff, a veteran journalist and author who was also the biographer of Rupert Murdoch, has long attracted praise and bromides. When Fire & Fury was published in January 2018, Trump tried to stop it with a failed cease and desist order, then threatened to sue. No case ever materialized, and it sold 5 million copies worldwide. Wolff, who appears regularly on his Fire and Fury podcast, wrote two more books on Trump after Fire and Fury, and about Epstein in 2021’s Too Famous.

Wolff says he has up to 100 hours of recordings of interviews with Epstein, including from using him as a source for Fire and Fury, and from years of meetings when the disgraced financier appeared to want Wolff to write a biography of him. Wolff said he decided to release parts of the archive after a new accuser, a former Miss Switzerland, alleged last week that Trump had groped her in 1992.

[...] Trump’s long friendship with Epstein, which spanned the late 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s has been well documented. In the 1990s, the two publicly partied at Mar-a-Lago and went to a Victoria’s Secret Angels show together. In 2002, Trump told New York Magazine of Epstein, “I’ve known Jeff for 15 years. Terrific guy. He’s a lot of fun to be with. It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side.” Epstein’s infamous leaked addressbooks had Trump’s own phone number as well as Melania’s, while Trump’s name appeared seven times in the passenger logs of Epstein’s planes. (The books and logs also included princes, politicians and potentates such as Bill Clinton, former British prime minister Tony Blair, former Israeli PM Ehud Barak, Prince Andrew and celebrities and billionaires including Mick Jagger and Les Wexner.)

[...] In 2022 Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s former girlfriend who procured him underage girls, would be sentenced to 20 years in federal prison for the sex trafficking of minors. Upon hearing of her arrest in 2020, Trump, then president, said he wished her well. “Her friend or boyfriend was either killed or committed suicide in jail. Yeah, I wish her well… Good luck.” In 2004, Epstein and Trump fell out when they both tried to buy a Palm Beach estate, Maison de L’Amitié, out of bankruptcy. The next year, the FBI began investigating Epstein for child sex trafficking.

In 2019, on the day after Epstein’s arrest, Trump said in the Oval Office, “I was not a fan of his, that I can tell you,” and that they had not been friends for 15 years. He said it “did not much matter” what the fall-out had been over. This September, asked about Epstein by the tech podcaster Lex Fridman, Trump said: “He was a good salesman. He was a hailing, hearty type of guy. He had some nice assets that he’d throw around like islands, but a lot of big people went to that island. But fortunately, I was not one of them.”

[...]

The Epstein tape includes an allegation—which is impossible to verify—that Trump had an affair with a politician while in the White House. Epstein offered no proof or sourcing for the claim. He also alleged that Trump cheated on both his first wife Ivana and second wife Marla Maples with “a Black girl.” At one section, Epstein used a Yiddish racial slur to refer to Black women and alleged Trump boasted to him, “I’m f---ing all these Black women.” The tape mixes sexual allegations with other aspects of Trump’s life. Early in the recording Epstein is heard to say, “You probably know he had a scalp reduction. He’s getting the same male pattern baldness that we all have. He had his scalp reduced. It’s hysterical.” Trump has long refused to release full medical records while his White House medical reports did not disclose any prior surgeries.

“He’s charming. In a devious way, he’s charming. To some extent it’s a typical tragedy where he believes his own bulls---”

— Epstein on Trump

And Epstein offers his eyewitness account of Trump Tower and Trump’s office where, he said, Trump had “fake honors” on the wall. Trump, he claimed, would yell at his personal assistant Rhona Graff, “who’s a loyal, perfect, secretary,” as well as Matthew Calamari Snr., his bodyguard, and Michael Cohen, his attorney who is now an enemy. Epstein compared Trump to “an emotionally challenged 9-year-old,” and said, “He screams and yells at Rhona more than anybody else. His screaming is how he treats people. He has a tantrum, not a temper. If you don’t understand him, it’s frightening. Once you understand him, it’s sort of silly.” Epstein also told Wolff he had positive things to say about Trump. “He’s charming. In a devious way, he’s charming,” he said. “To some extent it’s a typical tragedy where he believes his own bulls---. He has delusions of grandiosity, then he takes it on board.” He added that he had a “self-deprecating nature” and was “not vulgar.” “He’s funny,” Epstein said. “Self-awareness means you’re self-aware. He’s aware of that person, Donald Trump. He talks about The Trump, The Trumpster. ‘Trump’s getting laid.’”

On the tape Epstein, speaking in a New York accent, also mentioned the rich and powerful. (In a deposition released after his death Epstein admitted under oath that he dropped the names of people he had never met.) The names he mentioned on tape include: Former president Bill Clinton; Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner; then-Defense Secretary James Mattis; and the billionaires Carl Icahn and Tom Barrack, both of whom are friends of Trump. Clinton was a long-standing friend of Epstein but has denied any association after the pedophile’s disgrace in the mid-2000s. Mattis has no known association with him. Ivanka was photographed with him as a child but Kushner has never been known to be linked to him. Barrack appeared in a leaked appointment diary for Epstein from 2016, while Carl Icahn, a corporate raider and long-time Trump friend, was in Epstein’s 1997 address book. Startlingly for a man who became one of the world’s most notorious sex offenders, Epstein on the tapes offers a damning judgment of Trump, telling Wolff, “The moral compass just does not exist.”

The Daily Beast reported that Jeffrey Epstein was Donald Trump's closest friend for about 10 years, according to tapes obtained from the outlet that featured Michael Wolff interviewing the late pedophile.

#Donald Trump #Epstein Tapes #Jeffrey Epstein #Michael Wolff #Lolita Express #Fire and Fury #Ghislaine Maxwell #Jeffrey Epstein Child Sex Abuse Scandal #The Daily Beast

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tomorrowusa · 3 months ago

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Are we more secure than we were three months ago? FUCK NO!

Despite having access to all sorts of state of the art encryption devices, Trump and his senior officials are using a chat app to plan military attacks.

The Trump administration has been accused of a stunning breach of security after the editor of The Atlantic was included in a group chat with top officials and cabinet secretaries outlining plans to strike the Houthis in Yemen. Two days before American warplanes struck targets associated with Iran-backed militants who’d been attacking cargo ships and bottlenecking international trade in key sea lanes, White House National Security adviser Mike Waltz appears to have started a group chat to talk about plans for the airstrikes with key officials. The former Green Beret turned Florida congressman, who resigned in January to serve as President Donald Trump’s top national security aide, used Signal, a common encrypted messaging app, for a group chat with colleagues on the National Security Council’s “Principals Committee.” Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Vice President JD Vance, the Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and CIA Director John Ratcliffe all appeared to be part of the group chat. Others seemingly included were Trump’s Middle East and Ukraine negotiator, Steve Witkoff, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, and Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy Stephen Miller. And somehow, Waltz appears to have added one more person: Jeffrey Goldberg, the veteran journalist who currently serves as Editor-in-Chief of The Atlantic. In an explosive report, Goldberg reveals how he unwittingly got an inside look at how Trump’s team began outlining their plans to bomb the Houthis in Yemen earlier this month on the encrypted app rather than any manner of official communications channels available to top government officials. According to Goldberg, he received a connection request on Signal from a user called Michael Waltz on March 11, presumably the very same Mike Waltz who serves as Trump’s national security adviser. The journalist wrote in a lengthy piece for The Atlantic that he didn’t assume it was the actual Waltz who sent him the connection request. Someone could have been “masquerading” as the senior Trump administration official to “entrap” Goldberg, the journalist writes. Accepting the connection request in case it was genuine, Goldberg received an invitation to a group chat on the app two days later, on Thursday, March 13, entitled “Houthi PC small group.”

It's a good thing it was just Jeffrey Goldberg and not somebody who could have jeopardized US service members.

Trump has always had a slipshod attitude towards national security. We remember how he stored nuclear secrets in insecure cardboard boxes in a guest bathroom at Mar-a-Lago.

The bizarre security breach is not the first time Trump administration officials have had trouble with national defense information. Trump himself was famously indicted for allegedly unlawfully retaining national defense information after federal investigators found hundreds of classified documents at his Florida home during the period in which he was out of government as a former president.

Remember how Hillary Clinton was lambasted by Trump for having a private email server? That was like a convicted felon fulminating against somebody for jaywalking.

Hillary responded to this Trump administration breech in military security.

Hillary Clinton Responds To Trump's Admin Using Signal To Discuss War Plans

Perhaps everybody in Greenland should get Signal accounts so they can learn of a Trump invasion well in advance.

#donald trump #maga #republicans #trump maladministration #houthis #yemen #pete hegseth #j.d. vance #michael waltz #tulsi gabbard #marco rubio #jeffrey goldberg #the atlantic #signal #national security #military planning #top secret information #hillary clinton

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critical-skeptic · 8 months ago

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Director of the FEDERAL UNIFIED CONSERVATIVE KINDRED FAITHFUL AND CULTURAL ENRICHMENT – Joshua Feuerstein *

Joshua Feuerstein, renowned for his explosive online sermons and unmatched ability to trigger mass unfollowing sprees, has been appointed by the Trump-Musk administration to lead the newly established initiative aimed at “reinvigorating traditional values and decibel levels across the nation.” Feuerstein promised to “bring faith and culture back to their righteous roots” using a combination of loud proclamations, viral tirades, and his signature front-facing camera selfies.

"Look, I'm not here to pick sides, but let's be real," said Dr. Phil, "Joshua’s passion and volume are unparalleled. When you're trying to lead a cultural and moral renaissance, sometimes you need someone willing to shout louder than the noise. Is he polarizing? Sure. But sometimes polarizing figures move the needle—and if you don't like the needle, well, maybe it needs moving."

Announcing his appointment from a golden-plated room in Mar-a-Lago, Feuerstein declared, “I am here to lead this nation’s moral awakening with maximum volume and minimum fact-checking.” President Trump praised him as “the loudest, proudest warrior” for the cause, while Musk teased plans to integrate voice amplification technology to ensure every rant reaches beyond Earth’s atmosphere. Critics remain wary, stocking up on ear protection and aspirin in preparation.

*Believe it or not, this is totally satirical.

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marvelskies1969 · 1 month ago

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Infinity

Bucky Barnes x Fem!Reader / Loki x Fem!Reader

Premise: Y/N Rogers was sent away as a child, her powers deemed dangerous. After years of brief summers with Steve and Bucky, she returns for good when their mother dies—just as war begins.

As her abilities awaken, she draws the attention of Loki, the trickster god, and faces growing fear from those around her. Caught between destiny, war, and forbidden ties, Y/N must decide who she truly is—and who she’s willing to fight for.

Warnings/content: slight angst, brief mention of death/dying, jealousy, fluff, swearing, unstable parental relationships, follows the plot of the MCU timeline, with small changes.

[Masterlist]

[Part 4]

Chapter 97

The Weight of Our Choices

It had been a month since she left him. A month since she walked away from Loki standing on Asgard��s throne, his face twisted in shock as she vanished before his eyes. A month since her heart had broken into pieces.

But the world didn’t stop for heartbreak.

Y/N had forced herself to move on. She buried herself in her work, training her team, throwing herself into every mission until exhaustion took over. She refused to acknowledge the way her body ached for his touch, the way she still saw flashes of him when she closed her eyes. She had no choice.

Yet, despite her best efforts, he was always there. In the quiet moments, she heard his voice, the whisper of his laughter. When she looked at the stars, she thought of the way he had pointed them out to her, telling her of Asgard’s constellations.

But she could not afford to grieve. Not now.

Not when she had a mission.

The streets of Lagos were hot and crowded, the air thick with tension. Y/N moved through the marketplace, her fingers gripping the hilt of her weapon tightly as she scanned the crowd. Sam was above them, circling in the sky, while Wanda and Clint moved ahead, searching for their target—Brock Rumlow.

Disfigured and desperate, Rumlow had been hiding in the shadows since HYDRA had been revealed to the world, but now, he was a cornered animal. He had no intention of being taken alive.

They found him standing outside a bank, his body encased in heavy armor, wires crisscrossing over his chest, the telltale bulge of explosives strapped tightly around his torso. But it wasn’t the sight of the weapons that made the hairs on the back of Y/N's neck stand up—it was the calm, twisted smile that played on his lips.

Then, as if savoring the moment, he let out a dark chuckle.

"You know," he began, his voice low and unsettling, eyes flicking between Steve and Y/N, "he knew you."

Y/N’s heart stopped, her breath catching in her throat, and Steve’s jaw tightened. For a moment, the world seemed to slow down as the words sank in. Steve’s expression hardened, but his eyes betrayed a flicker of something deeper, something old.

“What did you say?” Steve asked, his voice low, almost a growl of disbelief.

The man smiled wider, as if enjoying the chaos he had just unleashed. “Bucky. He remembered you," he said, his gaze now turning toward Y/N. "Though… remembered one more than the other."

Y/N felt a wave of vertigo hit her, the ground beneath her suddenly feeling unsteady, as though her world was tilting on its axis. The weight of his words crashed into her, and for a moment, her thoughts scattered in every direction. She could barely make sense of what was happening.

Steve stood frozen, his entire posture rigid, a mixture of shock and something else—something darker. His gaze never left the man, but his hand reached instinctively for the sidearm at his waist.

Y/N barely had time to react before the man’s hand moved with chilling speed. He yanked the pin from a grenade with a sharp twist, the metal casing clinking ominously as it hung in the air for a second too long.

Time seemed to stretch as Y/N’s heart raced, panic rising in her chest. Everything inside her screamed to move, to do something, anything, but her body felt like it was locked in place, unable to act fast enough. It was the first time since her creation, she felt out of tune with her powers.

"NO!" she shouted, lunging forward, but Wanda was already there.

The grenade exploded, and Wanda acted fast, her powers surging as she contained the blast, pushing it upward, away from the civilians.

For a moment, Y/N thought they had done it.

Then the explosion hit the side of a nearby building.

Time slowed as the structure groaned and crumbled. People screamed. Glass shattered.

The building collapsed.

Y/N didn’t remember moving, but suddenly she was running—toward the destruction, toward the screams. Her powers flared, and she tried to pull the rubble away, to find survivors, but it was too late. The dust settled, revealing the horror of what had just happened.

Bodies.

She heard Wanda’s ragged breathing before she saw her. The young woman stood frozen, her hands trembling, her eyes wide with horror as she took in the devastation.

"Wanda," Y/N whispered, stepping forward.

Wanda let out a shuddering breath, her hands covering her mouth. "I—I didn’t mean to—I was trying to help."

Y/N placed her hands on Wanda’s shoulders, steadying her. "I know," she said softly. "I know you didn’t mean for this to happen."

But it had happened, and for whatever reason, the mention of Bucky, her heartbreak for Loki, she was out of sync, and she couldn’t stop it.

The world wouldn’t care about Wanda’s intentions. They would only see the destruction.

A week later, they sat in a cold, sterile room as government officials laid out the Sokovia Accords. The world had taken notice. Lagos had been the final straw.

Y/N sat beside Steve and Tony, her arms crossed, her jaw clenched as they listened to Secretary Ross list the casualties, the property damage, the consequences of their actions.

"And Sokovia," Ross continued. "Let’s not forget the thousands who died there."

Steve’s face was grim. "We didn’t have a choice," he muttered.

Ross scoffed. "That’s easy for you to say. Try telling that to the people who lost their families."

The silence that followed was suffocating.

Then Tony pulled something from his pocket. A photograph.

"This is Charles Spencer," he said quietly. "A boy who was in Sokovia. He died because of us."

Y/N’s stomach twisted. A sudden nausea overtook her, but she stayed still.

"You know what I realized?" Tony’s voice was almost hollow. "We don’t get to decide who lives and dies. We tell ourselves we do, but we don’t. And every time we try, we lose more than we save."

Y/N swallowed hard. She felt it again—that awful, crushing weight inside her.

The dead.

The ones they had left behind.

The civilians caught in the crossfire.

She had felt them. In Sokovia. In Lagos. The echoes of their pain, the moment of their deaths. She had shoved it down, ignored it, pretended it wasn’t there.

But now, with Tony looking her in the eye, the weight was unbearable.

She shot up from her seat, stumbling away from the table. The walls felt like they were closing in.

She barely made it to the hallway before she collapsed against the wall, conveniently next to a trashcan, pressing a hand to her mouth as bile rose in her throat.

Then, she was vomiting.

Everything inside her clawed its way out, the memories, the grief, the horror. Her entire body shook as she gasped for air.

Then, a soft voice: "Y/N?"

She squeezed her eyes shut. “Not now, Wanda." Y/N said, attempting not to sound snappy in her embarrassment.

A hesitant hand touched her back. "I’m not leaving you like this."

Y/N let out a bitter laugh, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. "You shouldn’t see me like this."

Wanda crouched beside her, her eyes searching Y/N’s face. "You feel it, don’t you?"

Y/N exhaled shakily, leaning her head back against the wall. "Every single one of them," she admitted. "I felt them die. I feel all of them."

Wanda’s hand tightened on hers. "So do I."

For a moment, neither of them spoke.

Then Wanda whispered, "It wasn’t for nothing. We saved more than we lost."

Y/N turned her head to look at her. Wanda’s eyes were filled with guilt, but also something else—determination.

"That doesn’t make it easier," Y/N muttered.

Wanda gave a sad smile. "No. It doesn’t."

They sat there for a long time, side by side, two women who had lost too much.

"It was Steve and I’s fault in Lagos," she said quietly, her voice heavy with the weight of the memory. "Anyone mentions Bucky, and we both go stiff."

She didn’t respond immediately, and for a moment, the air between them felt thick with unspoken truths.

She sighed softly, breaking the silence. "No, let's not go there," she added, her tone pleading, as if she could already feel the tension building.

They fell silent again. Y/N couldn't help but feel how the space between them seemed to stretch with every passing second. The quiet was deafening, but sometimes, the feelings swirling in both their minds were too much to put into words. In moments like this, speaking just felt... pointless. There was a depth to what they shared that words could never capture, a weight of unspoken understanding that neither of them knew how to unravel.

Finally, Y/N let out a long breath. "We should get back before they think we ran away."

Wanda nodded, standing up and offering her hand. Y/N hesitated before taking it, letting Wanda pull her to her feet.

Together, they walked back into the meeting.

Because no matter how heavy the burden, they had no choice but to carry it.

She barely noticed Steve until he brushed past her, phone in hand. Without a word, he caught her wrist with a firm but gentle grip and tugged her back. “We have to go,” he said.

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