CHAPTER 251

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The voting battle continues! Give me them stones, and I will give you them chaps!

With love, Corn.

This means, if I wasn't clear, you guys could get a triple release again, so… that's that.

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[Alex Walker POV]

Just as Jarvis had predicted, the very moment Thanos had retrieved his adoptive daughter, Gamora, from where she was hiding, a notification appeared in my system, like clockwork.

[New Quest Created = The Six Infinity Stones!

Dancing under your machinations like a clueless puppet, Thanos it's on his way to collect the soul stone, and it's your mission to take the stone from his tear-soaked hands once he does so, taking from him not only the stone, he had to sacrifice the only person he had truly loved, his daughter, but the other in his possession. 

Objective = Take the stones from Thanos.

Side Objectives = Let Thanos know you it was you all along before killing him.

Rewards = Soul Stone, Mind Stone, ????.

S-Rewards = ????, ????.]

A rather evil side quest if you ask me, but who cared, fuck Thanos, I wanted those ???? whatever they were.

Meaning all I had to do now was wait.

And the stones would be mine.

It was all a matter of time.

Which according to Jarvis's calculations would take exactly an hour and fifteen seconds.

"Well, I guess I could eat something," I muttered, feeling my stomach growl. Now that I think about it, I don't quite remember the last time I ate something, I mean, sure if I wanted to, I could simply not eat anymore, I didn't really need food after the Tiamut incident, but to that thought, I said fuck no, I loved eating. "I could go for a sandwich, I mean, Asgard has really good ham and cheese. The bread is meh, but the rest is top quality, besides I can always get some bread from Fury's fridge."

Well, it has been decided, it's time to make some sandwiches!

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[Bucky Barnes POV]

I wasn't sure what my role in this upcoming war was.

In general, I wasn't sure what my role was anymore.

I used to be a soldier.

Someone on par with Alex, someone able to help him.

That was buried in the past now.

Leaving me with no real role, as I was far outclassed by everyone I knew now, with all of them filling a clear role in our group, except for me. It was funny really, I used to think that all I wanted was the fighting to end, and I still do, I still seek peace, it's just that now I also wanted to be useful to those I cared about.

I needed power to be able to protect those I loved.

Even that moron of Thor.

Not that he will ever hear that from me.

"I miss the days being a super soldier was all it took," I chuckled with a sigh, my shoulders tensing, as I looked at my hands for a brief moment, thinking of nothing. How pathetic, here I was pitying myself, instead of taking action.

When has crying ever solved shit?

Hadn't I told Alex not to do the same shit before? 

"Grow up a fucking pair James, are you even listening to yourself?!!" I growled in disgust, slapping my own face with enough strength to draw some blood from it, nothing serious, "You are weak, big deal, ask Alex for help instead of bitching about it!"

"Ask me for what?" Alex's voice caught my attention, making me turn in the direction it had come from in a startled fashion.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, trying to wipe the blood I had drawn earlier before Alex noticed...

"Making a sandwich…" Alex replied.

Right, I was in the Kitchen.

Fucking great.

I couldn't have had my moment in my room.

"By the way, is there anything I should avoid in the fridge? I mean, whatever you ate sucker punched you," Alex said with a frown, pointing at my hand.

"I punched myself," I replied.

"Why?" Alex asked, pressing the subject.

"I was being a moron," I answered with a small shrug, deciding to give him a short version of what had happened, "I had to punch the stupid out of me before I grew acccustomed to it."

Alex blinked, his face turning into one of surprise as he froze in place for a brief moment, before simply starting to laugh, with the laugh evolving to a point he was gasping for air, "That sounds like something Thor would do."

I…

No….

"You tell him anything and I will end you!" I barked at him, knowing very well that the threats I was throwing at him were impossible to achieve. Not only because I cared about him, but because there wasn't much of a difference between me and a Q-tip in terms of damage potential when it came to hurting Alex.

Then again, he could hurt his ears using a Q-tip, so… I guess the Q-tip stands as the superior fighter in this scenario.

"Ok, ok, I won't tell him," Alex chuckled, raising his hands above his head, "But seriously, what did you want to ask me though?"

Right, he had heard that part.

I sighed, "Well, the truth is… I'm weak, agonizingly weak. I can't protect anyone anymore, not you, not the girls, not our friends, hell, not even myself in what's about to come. I miss the days when being a super soldier was enough, but I have to accept those days are long gone. So what I want to ask of you is…" I paused, struggling to find the words, "I want you to make me the super soldier of now."

"Ok," Alex nodded, turning to the fridge to grab some hand and cheese for his sandwich.

"Just like… that?" I asked, taken back by how fast he had answered. Sure, I expected him to help, but I also expected more of a back and forth with the subject.

"Bucky, my daughters call you Uncle Bucky…" Alex answered, as he continued to grab more ingredients for his sandwich from the fridge, "I love you as a brother, I mean, by now you should know there's very little I wouldn't do for you."

I smiled, feeling like a massive weight had been lifted from my shoulders. To think a simple comment like that would blow away all the emotions I was feeling a few moments ago.

"So, what do you want?" Alex asked.

"For a sandwich or for my power up?" I asked with a chuckle.

"Both," Alex replied, turning around to face me, while opening a small portal with his left hand, pulling a loaf of bread out of it, one from a brand from Earth.