MARVEL:When Heroes collide

Steve Rogers braced himself, shield raised as Vision hovered before him, his expression as serene as always. But there was no calm in his words.

"Steve," Vision said, his voice steady but tinged with regret, "you must understand. If you destroy the neural core, you're condemning countless lives. This path leads to chaos."

Steve tightened his grip on his shield. "And this path leads to control. You don't get to decide what's right for the world, Vision. None of us do."

Vision didn't move, but the yellow glow of the Mind Stone on his forehead grew brighter. "I won't hurt you, Captain, but I can't let you pass."

"Then you're gonna have to stop me," Steve said, lunging forward.

The clang of vibranium against Vision's energy blast echoed through the room. Vision moved swiftly, phasing through Steve's attack and countering with a beam aimed at his shield. Sparks flew as the two clashed, the room around them shaking with every blow.

Across the room, Tony Stark was locked in combat with Bucky. The Winter Soldier moved with precision, his metal arm striking out in a flurry of punches that forced Tony to stay on the defensive.

"Bucky," Tony grunted, deflecting a blow with his gauntlet, "you really don't want to do this."

"You started it," Bucky shot back, swinging his arm in a wide arc.

Tony sidestepped and fired a repulsor blast that sent Bucky skidding back. "This isn't about me, Barnes. This is about saving lives!"

"And what about the lives you're taking away by doing this?" Bucky growled, charging again. "You're no better than the people we fight!"

In the corner of the room, Wanda Maximoff hesitated as she watched the chaos unfold. Her hands glowed red with power, but she couldn't bring herself to join the fight. Not yet.

"Wanda," Natasha's voice cut through the noise, pulling her attention. The Black Widow was crouched behind a console, her gaze fixed on the neural core. "I need you to cover me. We can shut this down before anyone gets hurt."

Wanda's heart pounded. She wanted to help, but whose side was she even on? Tony's argument made sense—too much sense. But Steve...Steve was right about one thing: controlling people wasn't the answer.

Before she could decide, Doctor Strange appeared in a flash of sparks, his cloak billowing as he stepped into the room. His eyes scanned the scene, taking in the chaos with a grim expression.

"This ends now," he said, raising his hands. The air shimmered as golden runes formed around him, a portal opening to block Sam Wilson's approach to the core.

"Strange, don't do this," Sam called, his wings retracting as he stood his ground.

"I don't want to, but you leave me no choice," Strange replied. His voice was calm, but his movements were anything but. He unleashed a spell that sent Sam flying backward, crashing into a nearby wall.

"Enough!" Steve's voice boomed, cutting through the noise. He stood in the center of the room, his shield glowing faintly from Vision's last attack. "Look at what we're doing! We're supposed to be a team!"

Tony landed beside him, his armor gleaming under the harsh lights. "We stopped being a team the second you decided your way was the only way, Cap."

Steve glared at him. "You're the one who went behind our backs, Tony. You're the one who made this personal."

Tony's helmet retracted, revealing his face. His expression was hard, but there was something else there—something raw. "This was never personal. This was about fixing the mess we've made. If we don't do this, who will?"

Steve shook his head, his voice softer now. "It's not our job to play god, Tony. It never was."

The tension hung heavy in the air, but it was shattered by the sound of Caleb Graves' voice echoing through the room.

"Enough of this!" Caleb stood near the control panel, his eyes wild as he typed furiously. "You're wasting time while the world falls apart. I'll activate the system myself if I have to!"

"No, you won't," Natasha said, emerging from the shadows. She moved with deadly precision, her Widow's Bite in hand as she approached Caleb.

Before she could strike, Vision appeared beside her, phasing through the floor to block her path. "Stand down, Natasha."

"I don't think so," she replied, tossing a Widow's Bite directly at Caleb's console. The device sparked and sputtered, sending Caleb into a frenzy.

"Do you have any idea what you've done?" Caleb shouted, scrambling to fix the damage.

"I stopped you from doing something you'll regret," Natasha said, her voice ice-cold.

But the damage was done. The console flickered, and a low hum filled the room as the neural core began to power up.

"Caleb!" Tony shouted, turning toward the scientist. "What the hell is happening?"

"I told you," Caleb replied, his voice shaking. "The system was ready. All it needed was a spark."

The room descended into chaos once more as the core's energy began to surge. Red lights flashed, and an automated voice announced, "Neural network activation: 10%...20%..."

"We need to shut it down!" Steve shouted, running toward the core.

"You're not touching it," Tony said, firing a blast that forced Steve to duck.

Wanda finally stepped forward, her powers surging as she created a barrier between the two factions. "Stop fighting!" she cried, her voice cracking. "We don't have time for this!"

"Then make a choice, Wanda," Tony said, his voice harsh. "Are you with us or against us?"

She hesitated, her heart pounding. She looked at Steve, then at Tony, then at the core that was now glowing with an almost blinding light.

"I'm with the world," she whispered, raising her hands.

Her power enveloped the core, but the energy pushed back, sending her stumbling. Strange stepped in, adding his own magic to the mix, but even their combined strength wasn't enough.

"50%...60%..." the automated voice droned.

Steve turned to Natasha. "There's gotta be a manual override."

She nodded. "I'll find it."

As Natasha worked, the others continued their desperate struggle. Bucky and Sam held off Vision, their teamwork seamless despite the chaos. Tony and Steve circled each other, neither willing to back down.

"You're making a mistake," Tony said, his voice low.

"Maybe," Steve replied. "But at least I can live with it."

Before Tony could respond, the core emitted a high-pitched whine.

"70%...80%..."

Natasha's voice cut through the noise. "I've got it! Just need a few more seconds!"

"We don't have a few seconds!" Tony shouted.

Steve turned to Wanda and Strange. "Give her cover!"

The two nodded, combining their powers to create a barrier around Natasha.

"90%...100%..."

The room went silent.

The core's energy dissipated, and the lights flickered before going dark. For a moment, it seemed like they'd succeeded.

Then Caleb laughed. It was a hollow, bitter sound. "You think you've won? The system is online. You can't stop it now."

Steve stared at him, his expression grim. "We'll see about that."

But as the team looked around the room, the reality sank in. They'd stopped the core, but at what cost?

The cracks in their unity were deeper than ever, and Caleb's words lingered in the air like a shadow.