Avengers: Destiny Arrives - LuminousAvenger (2024)

Chapter 1: Under Assault

Chapter Text

Dean sat up in bed with a start and his eyes frantically searched the chamber. The bed was empty aside from him. As he stood up, consciousness slowly allowed reality to filter in. It had been a distant crash that had awakened him, but now the ominous sound of metal grinding against metal filled his ears. Then the ship began to tremble as several explosive bursts rocked the vessel.

"This is the Asgardian refugee vessel Statesman. We are under assault, I repeat, we are under assault. The engines are dead, life support failing. Requesting aid from any vessel within range. We are 22 jump points out of Asgard," a voice called out over the speakers.

Dean jumped from the bed and reached for his uniform, tattered as it was. The fear and desperation in the speaker's voice was mounting with each word he spoke

"Our crew is made up of Asgardian families, we have very few soldiers here. This is not a war craft. I repeat, this is not a war craft!"

More explosions rocked the ship and Dean stumbled across the room, smacking his forehead against the wall. He shook off the pain and moved toward the doors. They slid open and he ran down the corridor. As he moved, the sound of screaming and combat could be heard; fear and despair tore at his senses. He entered a large area filled with Asgardians, each of them cramming into what looked to be evacuation pods.

"Dean!" Valkyrie shouted from nearby. She was ushering people into the escape pods, her expression grim.

Lockjaw bounded up to Dean and stood at his side. Dean rested a hand on him and looked at Valkyrie. "What's happened? Where's Thor?"

"We're being attacked by a large war ship. They've crippled us. The king is further in the ship. He's fighting them," Valkyrie tersely explained. "He told me to get you and as many people off of this ship as possible."

Dean's eyes widened at her words. He could sense that she was trying to pull a brave face, but the emotions beneath told a very different story. "Valkyrie, I can't leave him."

She shook her head. "Please, Dean. Don't argue with me. He told me to tell you that he will find you, wherever you are. Now- help me. You and I have to get our people to safety."

Dean straightened up and nodded. Our people. Yes, they were his people now. He swallowed his fear and turned to the hundreds of frightened faces "Alright," he called out in a loud voice. "We need to move to the evacuation pods now. Children get first priority," he said as his eyes fell upon Astrid, who was trembling and clutching the hem of her tunic. Her eyes were on the floor, not meeting Dean's gaze as he moved toward her and swept her up in his arms. "I'm getting you out of here," he promised.

"You said...you said we'd be safe again," she murmured forlornly.

Dean shut his eyes in sorrow and forced a smile. "I know, Astrid. And I'm so sorry I was wrong."

"It's okay," Astrid replied in a grownup voice. "I know it's not your fault. The Bad Lady wasn't the only monster. That's all."

Dean nodded and carried her toward the nearest pod where several more children had already been loaded up. He leaned in and set her down in one of the seats before buckling her in. "Be brave, all of you," he said in a soft voice as he attempted to ignore the fear that was surging throughout the pod.

A terrible scream shattered Dean's composure and he knew that it was Thor. Thor was in pain, in danger.

"Dean! Focus!" Valkyrie commanded.

Together, Valkyrie and Dean moved people into the pods and prayed there would be enough. Once the last people were loaded in, Valkyrie caught Dean looking to the corridor. "Come on," she urged as she reached for his hand. "Thor told me that I have to make sure you leave."

Lockjaw barked at his side, urging him to get into the pod.

He almost did.

But then another scream, this one belonging to Hulk cut through his senses. In that moment he made up his mind. He turned to the others. "Thor...I won't leave him." He stepped up to Valkyrie. "Go with the Asgardians. Make sure they're safe."

"Dean..."

Dean inserted steel in his voice. "I said I'm not leaving him. I won't leave him. You understand me."

Valkyrie smiled bitterly. "Dean, I hope you know what you're doing," Valkyrie muttered.

"I don't," Dean admitted with a wry grin. "But I'm going out there all the same."

Lockjaw walked up to Dean and he shook his head and put his hands on the big dog's face. "You go with Valkyrie. Help her with the people, okay?"

Lockjaw snorted in protest but did as he was asked.

Dean turned away and ran down the corridor, fear rising up within him with every step he took. If Thor and Hulk were in danger then what chance did he stand?

The corpses of Asgardians littered the massive ship interior. Nearly every surface was marred with gore. It was a welcome sight for Thanos and his children as they surveyed the destruction. The entirety of the pitiful Asgardian resistance had been crushed with so much ease.

"Hear me, and rejoice," Ebony Maw spoke in a smooth, elegant voice as he walked among the fallen like she me sort of ghost, stepping over them as if he were traversing the trash-strewn shores of Sakaar. "You have had the privilege of being saved by the Great Titan." He paused at looked at hte crumpled figure of Heimdall as the Watcher reached out as if to grasp him by his ankle. He smiled wickedly before walking away from Heimdall's reach. "You may think this is suffering. But this is salvation. Universal scales tip toward balance because of your sacrifice. Smile, for even in death, you have become Children of Thanos."

Ebony's tall, gaunt figure turned around so that he was facing his cruel siblings. Corvus Glaive, having just finished skewering survivors with his spear, stood in silence beside his wife, Proxima Midnight. She was similarly armed with her own spear. Blood dripped from its sharp points, spilling onto the floor. Cull Obsidian lurked nearby, his massive form poised and ready to wield immense, barbaric strength at his master's will. Fatality Eclipse stood some paces away, his features hidden beneath a black hood; his whip glowed with red energy in his hand, its light shining over the faces of those he'd strangled the life out of.

And standing among them was Loki. The trickster looked from side to side and then straight ahead. Knowing that this was all on him, he could feel the weight of his guilt crushing his soul.

My fault. All my fault.

A deep, terrible voice interrupted his thoughts and he watched as Thanos stood in the distance with Thor in his clutches. He held the king by the neck of his breastplate and looked upon him with no emotion. "I know what it's like to lose," he said. "To feel so desperately that you're right...yet to fail, nonetheless."

Thor struggled as Thanos dragged him across the floor, but it was for nothing. His injuries were not fatal, but they were enough to momentarily stop him from acting. Already battle-weary from his fight with Hela, he'd been very little match for Thanos.

"It's frightening. Turns the legs to jelly," Thanos went on. "I ask you, to what end? Dread it...run from it...destiny arrives all the same. And now, it's here. Or should I say...I am."

A violet glow resonated from the titan's other hand. Thor looked at it through his one good eye, taking in the sight of the golden gauntlet. And resting upon it was an Infinity Stone. The Power Stone. Thanos moved his gloveless hand so that he was holding Thor's head in his palm. Thor gazed from the stone to Thanos and spat blood from his mouth. "You talk too much," he grunted through his pain.

Thanos chuckled lightly, not amused. He looked to Loki and smiled. "I'll tell you my demands just this once: the Tesseract, or your brother's head. I would assume you have a preference, Loki?"

Every member of the Black Order looked to Loki, their weapons raised and ready.

Loki fought his internal struggles, suppressing his fears. He must put on his best performance yet. He straightened up and flashed his most devious smile. "Oh, I certainly do. Kill away!"

Thanos regarded him with brief surprise before slowly moving the power stone to the side of Thor's head. It began to glow brightly against his skin, emitting its terrible power upon him. Thor roared hoarsely as the most exquisite pain warped his senses. As his body was tormented with the agony, he attempted to hold onto one thought, one hope- Dean was safe. Dean was away from the ship by now, he had to be. He smiled through the pain. At least there was this much to hold onto.

Thanos continued the torture. Thor's roars turned into screams and Loki's expression of indifference suddenly broke. His cool demeanor faded away as he watched his brother's suffering, knowing he could end it. "That's enough!" Loki shouted. "Stop!"

Thanos withdrew the stone from Thor's head and the king of Asgard looked up at him. "We...we don't have the Tesseract. It was destroyed on Asgard!"

Loki met Thor's gaze and sighed. He raised a hand into the air, palm up, and the Tesseract slowly revealed itself, the illusion of invisibility fading.

Thor shook his head in disbelief. "You...you really are the worst brother," he muttered.

Loki regarded Thor with a guilty expression and cleared his throat. "I assure you, brother...the sun will shine on us again," he promised as he stepped forward and offered the Tesseract to Thanos.

Thanos smirked. "Your optimism is misplaced, Asgardian. The sun has set upon you for the last time, I'm afraid.

Loki shrugged. "Well, for one thing, I'm not Asgardian. And for another...we have a Hulk!"

At that moment, a flash of green erupted from Thanos's right. Caught off guard by this, Thanos was charged by Hulk. The gamma-powered beast roared angrily, his powerful body colliding with Thanos's. Loki dove for Thor and pulled him away as the Tesseract slid across the floor. He held onto Thor and the two of them watched as Hulk began to deal multiple vicious blows to the titan, his fists pummeling him with a force that shook the ship.

"Master!" Cull Obsidian gasped as he moved forward, prepared to throw himself into the battle as Hulk forced Thanos against a wall and wrapped his hands around his throat.

"Stand down, Cull," Ebony Maw said as he raised his hand, his spindly fingers flexed. "Permit him his fun."

Thanos met Hulk's gaze and smiled as he reached for his hands and slowly pried them away from his throat. Hulk watched in surprise as this happened and Thanos took advantage of his shocked reaction to launch an attack of his own. Thanos drove a fist into Hulk's throat, causing him to stumble. Then he leaped onto him and began to rain blows down onto his face, his fists colliding harshly. Then he picked up a stunned Hulk and threw him across the deck of the ship.

Thor ran from behind, a large chunk of metal debris in hand. He slammed it into Thanos's back. The metal bent from the attack but Thanos remained unshaken. He spun around and kicked Thor in the chest, launching him across the room.

"Enough of your interference," Ebony Maw vexed as he raised his hands. At his telekinetic command, a swarm of debris fell upon Thor, bending and twisting into a prison that bound his entire body, fixing it into place.

Thor growled angrily as he attempted to break free, but his wounds and the strain of battle with Thanos, the exposure to the Power stone- they were all too much. His weakness in this moment enraged him and he could only watch now, thanks to Ebony Maw's telekinetic powers.

"Allfathers," Heimdall spoke out, his voice broken with pain as he clutched the Bifrost Sword. "Let the dark magic flow through me one last...time," he winced.

The Bifrost shot up around the Hulk and his massive figure was instantly carried away from the ship.

Thanos turned on Heimdall, his expression murderous. "That was a mistake. And it was your last," he barked as he took Corvus Glaive's offered spear and drove it down into Heimdall's chest. The blade pierced his heart, then scraped the metal of the floor beneath his body. Heimdall looked at Thor and smiled before the light left his eyes.

Thor cried out in protest, his anger now at a fever pitch. "You're going to die for that!" he spat, blood dripping from his twisted grimace of pain and anger.

Ebony Maw waved his fingers and a piece of metal slapped over Thor's mouth and bent to conform to his face, silencing him. Ebony Maw lifted a single finger to his lips, shushing him playfully before sweeping up the Tesseract and turning to his master. He knelt and gazed upon Thanos with reverence. "My humble personage...bows before your grandeur," he said. "No other being has ever had the might, nay the nobility, to wield not one, but two Infinity Stones.

Thanos accepted the Tesseract and regarded it triumphantly.

"The universe lies within your grasp," Ebony Maw concluded.

Thanos crushed the cube in his hand, then opened it to reveal a perfect blue stone resting in his palm. He blew away the dust fragments of the cube that once housed it and smiled before placing it on his gauntlet. The shock of power rocked Thanos momentarily. Then he lifted the gauntlet and smiled at the stones that rested upon it. "There are two more Stones on Earth," he said. "Find them, my children, and bring them to me on Titan."

Proxima Midnight knelt before him. "We will not fail you, father," she declared.

Thanos turned around and smiled at Thor. "And now, mighty king of Asgard. Your time has come."

A blazing aura of light suddenly washed over the room, momentarily blinding Thanos and his Black Order. Thor's heart began to pound and his helpless panic was compounded by the knowledge that only one person could emit such powerful light. Thor could feel his terror amplifying at the thought of Dean facing Thanos and his children.

Dean, no! Please don't!

Chapter 2: A Dreadful Parting

Chapter Text

Dean launched himself into the room, his palms throwing big bursts of light across the floor. The bursts rose up like walls of light, colliding with the Black Order. Ebony Maw raised his hands and a sheet of metal shot up between himself and the light, protecting him from the attack. Proxima Midnight, who had her back to Dean, was not so fortunate. The attack drilled into her back and she was thrown across the room and sent smacking into the wall. Cull Obsidian and Corvus were blinded by the attack.

You were supposed to be away from here, Thor thought as he watched Dean fight. You were supposed to be safe.

Dean advanced and held out his hands as he stood between them and Thor. The light show persisted, gaining strength and fury with every passing second. Thanos held up his hand in an attempt to shield himself. That was when Dean saw it- the blue stone was now glowing brightly. A strange rippling portal opened up before it and the light Dean was firing off was being rapidly absorbed in what appeared to be a black hole on the other side.

Fatality Eclipse took advantage of the reprieve from Dean's light. He drew his whip and slung it in Dean's direction. It wrapped around Dean's ankle and energy pulsed from the weapon. Dean's entire body was flooded with intense pain. His light was instantly snuffed out.

"Master!" Fatality Eclipse called out as he gave a powerful tug, yanking Dean to the floor. Dean landed with a painful thud and was then dragged with alarming speed toward Thanos and the Black Order.

Thor watched from his bondage, angry beyond words at his inability to act. Tears fell and he thrashed helplessly. This wasn't happening. This couldn't be happening.

As Dean's body rushed to meet him, Thanos lifted his foot and stomped on Dean's throat, halting his movement. "What have we here?" he asked in a playful voice as he leaned down and looked into Dean's eyes.

Thor gave an agonized growl, unable to speak for the strip of metal that covered his mouth. As Dean lay under Thanos's boot and thrashed in pain, it was as if Thor was watching their entire future being set ablaze. Their wedding. Their family. Their hopes and dreams. All of this was currently laying beneath Thanos's cruel boot, just waiting to be utterly crushed.

"The Inhuman prince who gave Loki, Amora and Acrimon so much grief," Thanos spoke smoothly as he looked down into Dean's face while he struggled to breathe. "Killing you right now should be easy enough," he continued as he started to press his boot harder into Dean's throat.

Don't beg, Dean told himself as he held onto Thanos's boot. Don't let him see you're afraid. The whip was still wrapped around his ankle, exuding a painful surge of power that seized his entire body. A continuous spasm of hurt shot through him.

"Pardon my interruption," Loki spoke smoothly as he approached the group. "But I would caution you to spare the Inhuman Prince's life."

"And why would I do a thing like that?"

"The Reality Stone sought him out once. I believe that is one stone you haven't got," Loki pointed out as he looked at the two Stones on Thanos's gauntlet.

Thanos looked down at Dean and smiled. "Is that so, Inhuman? Did the Reality Stone speak to you?"

Loki ventured forward and chose his words with care. It was strange, he thought, that after all this time he would be attempting to save Thor's Fair One rather than see him dead. The irony of the situation wasn't lost on him. "It inhabited him once. He could be useful in finding it again."

Thanos looked down at Dean and smiled before leaning over and grabbing him by the collar. He removed his foot and Dean gasped for breath as he was lifted up from the ground.

"Is that so, little prince? The Reality Stone spoke to you?" Thanos repeated.

Dean couldn't find his voice. He could only stare into those hard, unyielding eyes.

Thor thrashed like a madman against his shackles, but Ebony Maw only tightened them around him more. He glowered at his enemies, burning each of their faces into his brain as he attempted to use his powers. The battle with Thanos, exposure to the Power Stone, and his current predicament were weighing heavily against him.

"Spare the Prince," Loki calmly stated. "And he can be used to track the Reality Stone."

Thor could tell that Loki was trying to save Dean. He watched his brother as he continued to speak to Thanos.

"And what can you offer me, Asgardian?" Thanos asked as he looked over his shoulder at Loki.

"Almighty Thanos, I...Loki...Prince of Asgard..." He paused and glanced at Thor, his eyes conveying his intentions to him. "Odinson...the rightful King of Jotunheim... God of Mischief...do hereby pledge to you...my undying fidelity."

Thor watched with a scowl as he observed a dagger materializing in Loki's hand, just out of view of the others. Thor wanted to scream.

Loki braced himself for what he would do now. He knew he had but one chance at this and that everything- the lives of Thor, Dean and himself- rested upon his ability to do what he did best of all- deceive. He smiled at Thanos before briskly throwing his hand up to his throat, the dagger closing in on his vulnerable flesh.

But his hand suddenly froze, incapable of movement. The tip of the dagger was so close to Thanos's throat. But not close enough. He stared at it in disbelief. It felt as if someone had removed the floor from beneath him.

"Undying?" Thanos asked with amusem*nt as he used the Space Stone to hold Loki's arm in place. "You should choose your words more carefully," he said as he reached for Loki's arm and twisted. The dagger clattered to the floor and he kicked it aside before taking hold of Loki's throat with his other hand. He lifted him off of the floor and stared into his eyes, watching intently as he began to squeeze.

"Loki!" Dean screamed as he rose to his knees, his body gleaming.

Fatality Eclipse spun around and kicked Dean in the face, tossing him onto his back. The whip made contact with his body, striking him hard enough that the crack of the lash echoed in the large chamber. He lay there in agony, tears forming as he watched Loki struggle in Thanos's grasp. Despite everything that had ever passed between them, Loki had used his final moments to try and save his life. Dean sobbed, knowing that their destinies had been written as Loki kicked and fought to loosen Thanos's grip. Finally, resigning himself to his fate, he looked into Thanos's eyes. "You will never be a god," he gasped.

The terrible sound of Loki's neck being crushed filled the room. Thor screamed against the metal restraint and Dean curled into a fetal position, hugging his knees to his chest as he continued to sob uncontrollably. The mix of murderous intent, hopelessness, grief, hatred, pain- it was too much for him to handle. The psychic pain of it was equal to any physical pain he was enduring.

Thanos walked over to Thor and dropped Loki in front of him. "No resurrections this time." Then he turned and set his sights on Dean. "And now, inhuman prince. You're coming with us. You'll help me find the Reality Stone. And then you'll die too."

Thor strained against the metal and could feel it bending and contorting under his renewing strength. Sparks of lightning began to crackle across his skin. But as Thanos advanced upon Dean's prone form, he knew he wouldn't break free in time.

A loud, vicious growl resonated from the shadows, halting Thanos. He looked around, seeking out the source of the noise. Then, in the blink of an eye, Lockjaw himself appeared between Thanos and Dean.

"Another lamb to the slaughter?" Thanos asked as he lifted the gauntlet, aiming it at Lockjaw.

"Lockjaw, no!" Dean gasped.

Lockjaw arched his back and bared every tooth as his snarled and snapped. He backed up toward Dean, now within touching distance. Thanos shook his head and walked forward. Lockjaw looked over his shoulder and barked at Dean. The command from the dog was simple.

Grab on and trust him, Dean thought as he reached for Lockjaw's hind leg. In another blink of an eye, he and the dog were gone.

Bless you, Lockjaw, Thor thought as he watched Dean and the dog disappear.

Thanos suppressed his rage at this development, then smiled. He had weathered other complications before. This was just a minor setback.

"Master?" Corvus Glaive asked.

"The plan remains," he said as he marched toward his children.

"What of Thor?" Ebony Maw asked.

Thanos smiled. "Let him die here with his ship. With only the cold corpse of his brother to keep him company." He then raised his gauntlet and the Power Stone unleashed a pulse of energy. The entirety of the ship was ravaged by its power and began to rapidly deteriorate. Then the Space Stone shone and he and his children were gone.

The metal prison that had encased Thor fell away and he stumbled to the floor. He crawled toward Loki's body and gathered him up into his arms. "No, Loki. No," he cried as he clutched him against his chest.

I've lost everything, he thought as he held onto Loki. But, as the ship cracked and broke up, he sent thanks out to Lockjaw and hoped that wherever he had taken Dean, they were safe. Everything but Dean. Some of our people. He smiled down at Loki's face. If his people and Dean were safe, that was all that mattered now.

My life is a worthy enough payment.

When the ship exploded, a large hunk of debris smashed into his head and he was thrown into blackness.

Chapter 3: Bury The Hatchet

Chapter Text

The ship had disappeared around him so quickly, only to be replaced by a busy street. As Dean stood up and took measure of his surroundings, he knew instantly where he was. Lockjaw had transported them back to Bleecker Street on earth. They were standing before Dr. Strange's townhouse.

"Oh, you did a very good job, boy," Dean said as he ran his fingers through Lockjaw's fur. "Looks like your powers have finally come back."

Lockjaw snorted and rubbed his face against Dean.

Dean sighed. Lockjaw's powers hadn't returned. He'd only been saving them up for one big teleportation. "It's okay," he said as he cradled his head in his arms. "You saved up your strength and used it when it counted. I'm sure your powers will come back as strong as ever with time."

Lockjaw let out a sad little whine and tears immediately filled his eyes. He was worried about Thor, and sorry he couldn't take him with them.

"Don't blame yourself," Dean urged him as he fought to maintain his composure. "Thor is so strong he's probably...he's probably wiping the floor with all of those assholes right now."

Dean was doing his best to try to suppress his true concerns. Thor was still out there being subjected to who knew what. But this wasn't the time to despair. Lockjaw had done well bringing him to Dr. Strange's house. The sorcerer could help him find Thor again.

The sudden appearance of the Bifrost distracted Dean from his thoughts. He watched as it shot down from above, it's multicolored lights crashing through the roof of the townhouse.

"Hulk!" Dean cried out as he ran up the steps and threw the doors open, not bothering with knocking now. As he and Lockjaw spilled into the foyer, they were met with the presence of Dr. Strange and a stout Asian man he'd not met yet. The two of them were standing before a large crater in the staircase, their expression perplexed.

Dr. Strange looked from the crater to Dean and Lockjaw. "Dean?"

Dean ran forward and stood with them. Bruce lay in the crater, his clothes tattered. "Bruce," Dean cried as he jumped into the hole. He leaned over the man as he lay on his back, his eyes glassy and fixed on the sky above them. "Oh, Bruce, please be okay," he winced as he began to check the man for any visible injuries.

Fear resonated from Bruce and he had begun to whisper inaudibly as Dean helped him out of the crater.

"Bruce, it's going to be okay, just look at me," Dean urged. He laid a hand on Bruce's shoulder and channeled his empathic powers, attempting to shift Bruce's fear away from him as much as he could. Bruce began to gradually become more lucid.

"What's happened?" Dr. Strange asked in a stern voice.

"Thanos is coming," Bruce said in a terrified voice. "Thanos is coming."

Dr. Strange scowled. "Who?" he asked, but when Bruce didn't answer and simply repeated the same phrase, Dr. Strange looked to Dean. "Who?"

Dean met his gaze and shook his head. "I'll tell you what I know," he said. "Which isn't much. But we need to get the Avengers because something...terrible...is about to happen."

Dr. Strange watched as tears began to fill Dean's eyes. He reached up and wiped them away as he spoke, telling Dr. Strange and his friend, who Strange introduced as Wong, a very abbreviated and rushed version of what had transpired after Dean had been sent to Sakaar.

Dr. Strange formed a steeple with his fingers beneath his chin and slowly nodded. "Yes, this will require many, many more of us."

"All I'm saying is having Biscuit around is good practice for when we...you know..." Tony said as he walked backwards in front of Pepper, a huge smile plastered to his face. In the aftermath of the Avengers disbanding, he and Pepper had finally gotten engaged. Both of them knew it had been a long time coming. And it was exactly what Tony needed after everything that had happened.

"For when we open a very upscale cat cafe?" Pepper asked with a sly grin.

Tony shook his head. "Look, I had a dream last night. You know how you have a dream that you have to pee and then you wake up and actually have to pee?"

Pepper tilted her head. "You had a dream you had to pee?"

Tony rolled his eyes. "Let me finish! I had a dream that we had a baby!"

Pepper shook her head. "So you had a premonition is what you're telling me?"

"Exactly! And I already have the perfect name for the little nugget. What was that name of that uncle of yours? The eccentric one? Morgan?"

"Morgan," Pepper confirmed.

"Yes! It's perfect, isn't it? Boy or girl, doesn't matter!"

Pepper shook her head and put her arms around Tony's neck. "Always a clever boy. So you woke up from this dream and thought I must be expecting?"

"Yeah?"

Pepper ruffled his hair and sighed. "No."

Tony brightened suddenly. "Maybe we just aren't trying hard enough? Huh?"

Pepper lifted a finger and pointed at the arc reactor on Tony's chest. "Tell me something: if you wanted to have a kid would you have done this?"

Tony smiled and took her hand in both of his and held it against his chest. "I'm glad you brought that up. Gives me a chance to explain myself. This is absolutely nothing. Just a housing unit for nano particles. That's all."

"That's not exactly helping your case, you know? You don't need that thing."

"I know, I know. I had the surgery. Fixed the old ticker. I'm just...I'm trying to protect us, Pep. In case there's a monster in the closet instead of..."

"Shirts."

Tony beamed. "You know me so well. Finish all my sentences. It's likes were soulmates or something."

"Tony," Pepper said as she looked down at their joined hands. "The only thing that belongs in your closet is shirts. I'm serious. We've seen how the Iron Man thing ends."

Tony nodded softly. Yeah, he knew. The collapse of the team was proof enough. "Okay, no more surprises," he promised. "None. Just you, me and a nice dinner tonight. No surprises. Not a one."

Pepper opened her mouth to say something but the sudden appearance of a glowing, golden circle of energy directly behind them, halted her words. Spinning around, he watched as a man clad in a red cape and blue robes stepped out of the circle.

"Tony Stark?" The man asked as he sized him up. "I'm Doctor Stephen Strange. I need you to come with me please." He then smiled briskly at both of them. "Congrats on the engagement, by the way."

Tony scowled. "Who are you? Are you selling tickets or something?"

Strange raised his hands. "Listen to me. We need your help. It wouldn't be overselling it to say the fate of the universe hangs in the balance."

Tony tilted his head. "Who's we?"

At that moment, Bruce and Dean stepped out on either side of Strange. Tony looked at Bruce first, utter shock coloring his features at seeing his friend alive and well after so much time.

"Hey, Tony," Bruce said as he walked up to him.

"Bruce, are you okay?" Tony asked.

Rather than answer, Bruce hugged Tony tightly and shook his head before greeting Pepper. Tony started to make a joke, then noticed the intense fear in Bruce's eyes and felt his body tremble. Something was so wrong.

Tony disengaged from Bruce and looked at Dean. He was dressed in his uniform but there were a few tears in the fabric. He could see an angry cut across Dean's thigh, as well as some scattered bruising. "Goosey," he murmured as he looked into Dean's eyes.

"Hey."

"I've been feeding your cat," Tony said. "Scooping his litter."

"Thank you, Tony," Dean said as he slowly approached him.

Tony cleared the distance between them and shook his head. "You look like hell. What happened to you?"

Dean sighed. "The usual. Traveled across the universe, did some gladiator style fighting, fought the goddess of death."

Tony smiled sadly. "About everything- I'm...I'm sorry."

Dean shook his head and opened his arms. "There's nothing to apologize for, Tony."

"I'm afraid there's a lot to apologize for," Tony said as he gently hugged Dean, mindful of his injuries.

"Later," Dean said. "We can have a nice long talk later. But right now there are much bigger things for us to worry about."

Strange cleared his throat. "Dean is right. We need to go. Now."

Tony looked over at Pepper and flashed an apologetic smile. "Pep?"

Pepper shook her head and smiled at Tony. "They had me at fate of the universe," she said. "Go."

Tony kissed her cheek, then took a deep breath and followed the others through the portal.

Chapter 4: Get Off Of My Planet

Chapter Text

Dean stood in the foyer of Dr. Strange's townhouse, a place he and Wong referred to as the Sanctum Sanctorum. He knew there was a whole world of lore he'd yet to be fully exposed to regarding these men and their home, but at the present his only thoughts were on the Stones and Thor. But mostly Thor.

Thor was an Asgardian. And not just any. He was the God of Thunder and king of his people. Though he knew these things didn't always matter, he hoped with an immense ferocity that Thor was alive. They had endured far too much for it to end like this.

But what if it did? What if Thor was dead? Dean knew he would have to carry on. Thor would want that, of course. He wouldn't want Dean to fall apart.

Wong distracted Dean when he waved his hands and seals of glowing magical energy expanded from them. The space in the middle of the foyer was suddenly dominated by celestial images.

"When the universe began, there was nothing," Wong explained. "Then...boom!"

Dean watched as the images shifted to display the formation of the universe. Had he not been so tightly wound he may have found it beautiful. Instead, he couldn't stop fidgeting. Tony reached over and grabbed his hand, bringing it to stillness. On his opposite side, Lockjaw nuzzled him gently.

"The Big Bang, as we all know it, sent six elemental crystals hurtling across the virgin universe. These Infinity Stones each control an essential aspect of existence. You've met some of them already," he said as he looked over at the three Avengers. "Space, Mind, Power and Reality. But there is also Soul..."

Dr. Strange gestured to the amulet around his neck. The intricate talisman slowly opened as if it were a living thing, and a glowing green gem revealed itself inside. "And Time," he said in a serious voice.

Tony nodded, taking in everything that was being said. "Tell me his name again," he demanded.

Bruce turned to Tony, his expression slightly more calm despite the continued distress. "His name is Thanos, Tony. He's a...he's a plague. He invades worlds. He takes whatever resources he wants and then he kills half of the population and calls it mercy. He's the one who sent Loki to earth. The attack on New York? That was him, Tony."

Tony's eyes widened and he stood up and began to pace. "This is it. This is...this is it. This is what we've been waiting for. What's our timeline?"

Bruce shrugged. "There's no telling. He has the Power and the Space Stones. That already makes him the strongest, most dangerous creature in this entire universe. If he gets all of them, Tony..."

Strange nodded. "He would be able to destroy life on a scale hitherto undreamt of."

Tony sighed and leaned against a relic beside the banister- a large cauldron. "Did you seriously just say 'hitherto undreamt of'?"

Strange rolled his eyes. "Stop leaning on the Cauldron of the Cosmos."

Tony looked at the cauldron and tilted his head. "Is that what this thing is? I thought you kept car keys and loose ends in here."

Strange's cloak suddenly rose up and slapped Tony's hand as he touched the relic. He drew back and scowled. "I'm going to allow that," he said in a dismissive tone before returning to the subject at hand. "If Thanos needs all six, why don't we just stick this one down the garbage disposal?"

Strange shook his head. In a firm voice he said "no can do."

Wong walked to his side, shaking his head in agreement. "We swore an oath to protect the Time Stone. With our lives if necessary."

Tony shrugged. "So what? I swore off dairy a long time ago but then Ben & Jerry's named a flavor after me."

"Stark Raving Hazelnuts," Strange said

"And it's delicious," Tony said with forced humor.

Strange shrugged. "A bit chalky."

Wong smiled. "A Hunka-Hulka Burning Fudge is my favorite. And The Luminous Lemon-Blueberry Cheesecake," he said as he looked from Hulk to Dean.

Bruce raised an eyebrow. "That's a thing?"

"Yup," Dean confirmed. "It's a thing. And they really did name a fruity ice cream after an openly gay superhero."

Tony shook his head. "Whatever. Point is: things change."

"Well, our oath to protect the Time Stone cannot change," Strange said. "This may be the best weapon we have against Thanos."

Tony scowled. "And it could be his best chance against us."

"If we don't do our jobs," Strange fired back.

Tony rolled his eyes. "Okay. And what exactly is your job, Houdini? Besides building balloon animals?"

Strange stepped forward, calmly meeting Tony's gaze. "Protecting your reality, douchebag."

Dean looked at both men and sighed. "Okay, we get it. You're both very sarcastic and snarky and can go toe-to-toe. Let's get back to the main discussion?"

Bruce nodded. "Dean's right. The fact is that we have this Stone. We know where it is. Vision is out there somewhere with the Mind Stone. We need to find him."

Tony sighed. "Well, here's the thing..."

Bruce shook his head. "No, no thing. There's no thing! You know where Vision is. Tell me you know where Vision is."

"Two weeks ago, Vision turned off his transponder. He's offline."

"What? Tony, you lost another super bot?" Bruce sighed.

"I didn't lose him. And he's more than that. He's evolving," Tony explained. "His emotional range is...it's growing."

"It's Wanda," Dean said in a voice barely above a whisper. "He's with Wanda."

Strange folded his arms over his chest. "And where are Wanda and Vision now?"

"Wanda was in Wakanda when I last saw her. But I know she didn't plan on staying there long," Dean explained.

"Okay, is there anyone else who could locate them?" Strange asked.

Tony shook his head and shut his eyes. "sh*t," he muttered before looking to the others. "Probably Steve Rogers."

Bruce sighed with relief. "That's good! Call him!"

"Well, there are some things you've missed since we were last together," Tony said before looking at Dean. "You catch him up by any chance?"

"Between escaping the slave planet and fighting off the goddess of death we didn't really get a chance to talk yet."

"The Avengers broke up. We're toast," Tony explained.

Bruce looked from Tony to Dean for confirmation and found it in Dean's somber expression. "Broke up? Like...like a band?"

"Cap and I fell out hard," Tony went on. "We're not on speaking terms."

Bruce moved forward and grabbed Tony by his arms. "Listen to me, Tony. Thanos is coming here. Thor's gone."

Dean flinched at Bruce's words and felt something inside of him crack. "No!" he snapped, raising a trembling finger to Bruce. "Don't. Say. That. He's..." Dean faltered and tried to collect himself. Failing at that, he let the tears fall. "The last time I saw him, he was alive. He's still alive. And that's all there is to it. He...he wouldn't leave me like that."

The others watched as Dean wiped the tears away from his eyes. Tony drew nearer and pulled Dean into a side hug. "It's going to be okay, Dean. Thor's strong. There's no shortage of ass he'd kick to find you. Plus, he owes me an ass-kicking anyway, right?"

"Look, it doesn't matter who's talking to who," Bruce went on. "We have to put all of that aside. Now. Tony- you have to call Steve. It's not a debate. And it's not about pride right now."

Tony sighed and reached into his pocket for the flip phone Steve had sent him. It was programmed with Steve's number but Tony had yet to call him. Now was as good a time as ever, he supposed as his finger hovered above the call button.

A distant rumbling shook the house and Tony looked up at Strange, noticing that his hair was moving as if an invisible hand were toying with it. "You wouldn't happen to be moving your hair, would you?

"Strange looked up and scowled. "Not at the moment, no."

A shadow suddenly passed over the large hole in the ceiling. All of the men looked to the sky, watching as a dark shape passed over them. Without a word, they rushed out of the house and into the streets as chaos began to unfold around them. Debris was flying about and there were people running frantically. Cars drove erratically and one crashed into a light post near them. Bruce and Wong ran for the crashed car to help the man out while Tony rushed forward and helped a women who had stumbled.

"Tony, they're here," Dean called out. He didn't need to see who had arrived; he could feel it.

Tony nodded and ran off alongside Dean and Strange as Lockjaw trotted behind them. They turned the corner and were faced with a long expanse of street. Dense, litter-filled wind moved about, obscuring their vision with dust.

"You may want to pocket that Time Stone, Doc," Tony called out behind him.

Strange shook his head and conjured bands of spells that lined his forearms. "Might want to use it, Stark."

A loud, mechanical hum gradually grew louder as the four of them approached an intersection. That was when they saw it. Hovering high above them was a massive, circular-shaped ship. Tony shook his head in disbelief. It hardly seemed like it had only been under an hour ago that he and Pepper were discussing the wedding and the fun possibility of children. Now New York was being invaded. Again.

"F.R.I.D.A.Y., evacuate everyone south of 43rd Street and notify first responders," Tony commanded his AI, who got to work right away.

Dr. Strange raised his hands and a powerful vortex of wind rushed out of his palms and struck the thick cloud of dust and debris, scattering it and clearing the road. He looked to Tony and winked cheekily before turning his attention back to what stood several feet away from them.

Dean's pulse quickened when he spotted three of Thanos's Dark Order. The tall, pale stick of a creature; the massive, bulky brute; and the sly and cruel one with the whip. He looked from them to Tony. "Those are three of Thanos's children," he said.

"Hear me, and rejoice," the thin creature spoke in his frightening, elegant tone. "You are about to die at the hands of the Children of Thanos. Cull Obsidian, Fatality Eclipse and I- Ebony Maw. Be thankful, that your meaningless lives are now contributing to the balance of..."

"Excuse me," Tony shouted across the distance at them. "I'm sorry, but Earth is closed today! So you better pack it up and get out of here."

Ebony Maw waved a dismissive hand at Tony and looked to Dr. Strange. "Stonekeeper, does this chattering animal speak for you?"

Strange conjured magical shields at his fists and met Ebony Maw's gaze unflinchingly. "Certainly not. I speak for myself. But you're trespassing in this city and on this planet."

Wong and Bruce joined them and Wong conjured his own shields.

Fatality Eclipse smiled beneath the hood as his eyes moved slowly across the group. They settled upon Dean and his smile broadened. "Ah! The Inhuman Prince. We came for the Time Stone. Taking you will be a boon for our master."

Tony raised a defensive arm in front of Dean. "Goosey's not going anywhere with you, Sith Lord. Get lost!"

Ebony Maw sighed and turned to Cull Obsidian. "He exhausts me. Bring me the Stone and the prince."

Tony looked over at Dean. "You want to give us the lowdown, Goosey?"

Dean nodded. "The tall thin one- Ebony Maw- has telekinetic powers. Strong enough to restrain Thor. The big one- Cull Obsidian- is as strong as he is ugly. And Fatality Eclipse...watch out for his whip. It hurts. I know." His ankle still throbbed from contact with the whip.

Cull Obsidian brandished his massive hammer and began to stalk towards the group.

"You want a piece, Banner?" Tony asked as he looked over at him. "Go green."

Bruce stepped forward and sighed. "No, but when do I ever get what I want?" He attempted to release the Hulk, clinging to the anger that would unlock him. His skin began to turn green, but then it stopped and the transformation didn't happen.

Tony scowled. "Okay, so it's been a while. Good to have you, buddy. Just, uh, sort it out, okay?"

Bruce shook his head. "It's not working!"

"What do you mean 'it's not working'!?" Tony demanded. "What does that mean?"

"We've sort of been having a thing," Bruce sheepishly explained.

"There's no time for a thing! Where's our guy?" Tony hissed. He pointed at Cull Obsidian as he approached them. "That's the thing! That big asshole right there!"

Bruce tried again but nothing happened. He looked helplessly at Tony. "I'm sorry."

Tony sighed. "You're embarrassing me in front of the wizards, dude." He paused and watched as despair blossomed on Bruce's face. "Okay, just stand down. Wong? Can you keep an eye on him?"

"I have him," Wong said as he approached and ushered Bruce away.

Tony tapped the arc reactor on his chest and his armor began to extend from it in tiny pieces until his entire body was clad in a new, updated suit of armor. A shield was crafted over one of his arms and a series of blasters. A stream of power erupted from them and struck Cull Obsidian, knocking him backward and sending him hurtling toward Ebony Maw and Fatality Eclipse. The telekinetic alien sighed and waved a hand, sweeping Cull Obsidian aside before he could hit him.

"Lumen, Strange, Lockjaw- form up on me," Iron Man ordered.

Lumen's body began to glow and he raised his hands, ready for the fight. These three had taken part in torturing Thor and brutalizing their people. He took all of his pain and despair and used it to bolster himself.

Ebony Maw lifted his hands and a chunk of earth shot up beneath Iron Man, tossing up him up into the air. He then focused on the others and tore up several pieces of earth, concrete, and debris. He hurled the projectiles with ease at them. Wong and Strange deflected the attacks with their shields and Strange conjured a quick portal to send Bruce out of the area before turning his attention back to Ebony Maw.

Fatality Eclipse ran forward and vaulted through the air. He slung the whip and it wrapped around Iron Man's waist. Hoisting himself up, he rushed up into the air and landed on Iron Man's back.

"Okay, this is your stop," Iron Man grunted as he spun around in midair to try and shake him off.

"You aren't standing in our way, you armored fool," Fatality Eclipse hissed as he pulled himself up to Iron Man's back. "The Stone will be ours and you and yours will be-"

A spike of light hit the whip-bearer in his chest and he was flung off of Iron Man, his whip recoiling.

"Good looking out, Goosey," Iron Man said as he returned to the fight and blasted a car, sending it flying toward Ebony Maw. The telekinetic lifted a hand and the car was split in half by his power, tossed to either side of him without touching him.

"Get that Stone out of here!" Iron Man shouted.

Strange shook his head. "It stays with me."

"Yeah, exactly," Iron Man agreed. "So, bye!" He took off toward Ebony Maw, preparing to line up an attack when Cull Obsidian suddenly struck him with the hammer and sent him crashing through a building. He slammed through the walls and was tossed out the other side and sent crashing into the nearby park.

As Cull Obsidian then started to run off in Iron Man's direction, Bruce ran up to the fallen Avenger. "How are we doing? Good? Bad?"

Iron Man sat up and sighed. "Oh, we're great. Would be better if you could help out."

Bruce sighed. "I'm trying! I swear!"

The hammer went flying toward them and Iron Man pushed Bruce aside before firing a beam at Cull Obsidian. He deflected it with ease and the refracted beams tore up earth and trees. Bruce narrowly escaped being flattened by one of the larger trees. He stood to his feet and began to slap himself in the face. "Come on, Hulk. Come on!"

Bruce's body suddenly contorted and his face took on the appearance of Hulk long enough for the beast to shout "no!" before he reverted back to Bruce.

"What do you mean 'no'?" He demanded. "Dammit, Hulk, you're killing me!"

Chapter 5: Backup

Chapter Text

Peter Parker felt the danger well before he even saw it. His senses detected disaster before anyone on the bus could announce it. One moment he was in a daydream. Then the hairs on his forearm shot up and he knew that today was going to amount to so much more than a boring school field trip. He followed his senses and looked out the window and into the distance.

A massive circular ship was hovering over the city. Without giving it a second thought, he turned to his best friend, Ned and tapped his shoulder. "Ned! Hey, I need you to cause a distraction!"

Ned turned around and looked at what Peter was staring at. Seeing the ship for himself, he quickly jumped to his feet and began to shout. "Holy sh*t! We're all going to die! There's a spaceship!" he screamed as he

As Ned and the students scrambled to the back of the bus to get a closer look, Peter raised a hand and unleashed a stream of webbing from the web-shooter Stark had made for him. It struck the emergency lever of the window and yanked it open. Peter jumped across the bus and shot out of the window. Clinging to the side of the bus, he reached into his backpack and pulled his mask out. He quickly donned it, then vaulted off of the bus and shot a line of webbing onto the bridge. He swung across the water, making his way toward the ship.

"Are you sure it's a good idea for us to be back in New York?" Sue asked as she followed Reed, Johnny and Ben into the Baxter Building.

"We won't be here long," Reed assured her as he took her hand in his. "I just want to grab a few things."

Ben leaned against the wall of the laboratory and stared at all the neglected equipment. "Well, it better not be everything in here," he huffed. "Because you know who's going to get stuck carrying most of it."

Reed smiled and patted his friends rocky shoulder. "Just a few things, I promise."

Johnny walked over to Sue and smiled at her. The relationships on the team had been strained since the Sokovia Accords had torn them down the middle, but things were now on the mend. It felt good to be a family again.

"You alright?" Sue asked.

"Yeah. Just happy we're all together," Johnny explained.

Sue pursed her lips. There was something she'd been wanting to talk to Johnny about, something that had been on her mind for some time now. It's his business if he wants to tell, she reminded herself. Besides, what does it matter who he dates? "Me too," she finally settled on saying.

"The sooner we get what we came for and get out of here, the better," Johnny added with a disarming smile. "We're all still wanted criminals, after all."

Reed pointed to a large piece of equipment, his arm stretching out until he was touching the shiny metallic surface. "There it is, Ben."

Ben walked over and hefted the large device from the floor as if it were made of Styrofoam. "Got it. Now can we make trails? I want to get caught up on The Great British Baking Show."

Reed chuckled at the notion of the big, strong being before him enjoying a program like that. But before he could say anything, Sue and Johnny gasped in unison. Reed walked toward the window next to them. Ben set the equipment down and followed. The four of them stood at the window and watched as the shape of a massive, circular ship came into view.

"I think it's time for The Four to come out of retirement," Johnny surmised as he popped his button-down shirt open, revealing the black and blue bodysuit beneath it.

Reed nodded his head. "I'm afraid you may be right, Johnny."

Ben sighed. "Guess I'll have to wait and see who gets Star Baker this week, won't I?"

Cull Obsidian hurled the hammer once again, striking Iron Man in the side and throwing him across the park. Earth was torn up in his wake as he skidded across the ground. He landed in a heap and Cull Obsidian threw the hammer once again, intent on crushing him.

The hammer suddenly met with resistance and Cull Obsidian scowled in confusion.

"Hey, man! What's up, Mr. Stark?" Spider-Man asked as he held the hammer in place, preventing it from colliding with Iron Man.

"Kid, where'd you come from?" Iron Man asked as he got to his feet.

Spider-Man's reply was inaudible as Cull Obsidian suddenly jumped forward, propelled by the retractable handle of the hammer. He grabbed Spider-Man by the arm and threw him aside before returning his focus to Iron Man.

"What's this guy's problem, Mr. Stark?" Spider-Man asked as he stopped his momentum with some webbing and yanked himself back into the fight.

"He's from space. He came here to steal a necklace from a wizard," Iron Man quickly explained.

Faced with Strange, Wong, Lumen and Lockjaw, Ebony Maw appeared completely unbothered. He reached out for a collection of bricks and used his power to whittle their edges down to sharp points before launching them at the heroes. Strange and Wong each fashioned a portal, with one of them pulling the projectiles into it while the other shot them back at Ebony Maw. The sharp projectiles rushed out to him and he mentally lifted a car to defend himself from his redirected attack. One of them shot through the car's window and struck the side of his head, cutting into the pale flesh. Incensed, he looked at the fire hydrant near Wong and forced it to burst. A stream of water shot out and hit Wong, throwing him far off. He collided with a parked car, hitting his head in the process.

Ebony Maw smiled triumphantly. "Fight me all you like, peasants. I will not fail." He looked at a nearby tree and uprooted it before mentally hurling it at them.

Lumen took aim but Lockjaw launched himself into the air, catching the tree trunk between his jaws, preventing it from hitting any of them. He then disappeared and reappeared high above Ebony Maw. He let go of the tree before teleporting back to Strange and Lumen. The big tree fell onto Ebony's head. His legs buckled beneath him and he fell face-first to the pavement.

"Nice one," Lumen complimented.

"Enough!" Ebony vexed. The tree exploded and he floated up to his feet.

Lumen was ready with a blast of light that slammed into the telekinetic's face, causing his head to ring and leaving him open for Strange to attack. The sorcerer threw a magical whip of energy at Ebony Maw's hands to bind them and then gave a yank. But as Ebony Maw flew forward, he corrected his flight and was able to take hold of Strange, forcing him against a nearby building. He looked at the bricks and smiled as he loosened them from the building and used them to pin Strange in place.

Lumen flew up to meet them. "You'll get your turn next, your highness," Fatality Eclipse said as his whip struck Lumen's back and knocked him out of the air.

Once Lumen was on the ground, Fatality Eclipse leaped into the air and moved to bring the whip down upon him. Lumen was quick with a shield, but the energy of the whip made the construct crack. Lumen stared in disbelief as the solid light chipped away, scattering to the wind in fleeting sparks.

"You will come with us, Prince," Fatality Eclipse chuckled as he continued to swing the whip at him, never letting up once. "I can't wait until you've served your purpose so I can choke the life out of-"

Lockjaw teleported behind the enemy and sank his teeth into his whip arm and bit down hard enough to elicit a scream of pain. Fatality Eclipse spun around and dropped the whip, catching it in his other hand before slinging it at Lockjaw, wrapping it around his front paw. The dog yipped in pain as the energy burned into him.

Recovered from the attack, Lumen flew up behind Fatality Eclipse and punched an incandescent fist into his back. As his fist made contact, he unleashed a blast, forcing him away from Lockjaw. The whip recoiled and he swung on Lumen. Lumen ducked and then unleashed an upward blast. It connected with Fatality Eclipse's chin and he was thrown up into the air.

Lockjaw teleported into the air and snatched Fatality Eclipse's leg in his mouth before teleporting as far away as he could. He returned alone and barked enthusiastically.

"Are you alright?" Lumen asked as he quickly patted the big dog.

Ebony Maw kept his focus to Strange. "Your powers are quaint. You must be popular with children," he teased before grasping the amulet in his palm. His flesh was singed and he drew back to see a burn on his hand.

"It's a simple spell, but quite unbreakable," Strange spoke in a calm voice.

Ebony Maw scowled and leaned forward. "Then I'll take it off your corpse!" he remarked before throwing Strange away from the building and onto the ground.

Strange raised his hands to activate the Time Stone but Ebony Maw was quicker with his hands. Utility cables shot out at his telekinetic command and encircled Strange's arms, interrupting his spell and pinning them to his sides. Another cord shot up around his neck, tightening around his throat. "You'll find...removing a dead man's spell...troublesome," he gasped.

Ebony Maw shook his head. "You'll only wish you were dead."

As Strange fells unconscious, Lumen rose up into the air. Ebony Maw moved to collect the sorcerer. A thick beam of light struck the child of Thanos from the side, launching him into a nearby bus stop.

"Ah, my other quarry," Ebony Maw growled as he pulled a shard of glass from his shoulder. "Fatality Eclipse was...untidy, I see."

"You're not taking him or me," Lumen threatened as he hovered above and began to rain bursts of light upon him. The first attack hit his chest and he struck the nearby building with a pained grunt before he reached out and gathered a host of bricks to shield himself. The light shattered the bricks and Ebony Maw quickly reconstituted them into a large spike before sending it into Lumen's path. Lumen moved to conjure a light shield when arms suddenly wrapped around his waist and yanked him out of the spike's path. He spun around to see that Johnny Storm was his savior. Before he could voice his irritation at the unnecessary rescue, Ebony Maw shouted in surprise as he was suddenly thrown up into the sky.

Sue Storm slowly became visible nearby. She looked at Lumen and smiled. "Miss me?"

Lumen tugged himself free of Johnny's grasp and flew back to where Strange lay unconscious. "We need to get Dr. Strange out of here. Now."

"Dr. Who?" Johnny asked as and Sue followed.

"He's a sorcerer. He has the Time Stone and we have to keep it from these alien assholes," Dean impatiently explained. "And don't ask me what the Time Stone is; we don't have time for that, okay?"

At that moment, Ebony Maw broke free of Sue's invisible force bolt and glared down at the heroes as they moved toward Strange and his Time Stone. He greeted his rage like an old friend. "For Thanos," he whispered wickedly, then descended upon them.

Cull Obsidian swung his hammer in a vicious circle and Spider-Man bent backwards to avoid being hit. As it cleared him, he stood back up and jumped onto the giant alien's back. Iron Man had rocketed backward to dodge the attack and was now firing a beam into Cull Obsidian's stomach. The attack was barely staggering him though. He reached back for Spider-Man grabbing him by the leg and throwing him aside.

"Oh sh*t..." Spider-Man shouted as he frantically looked for something to shoot his webbing at and anchor himself.

"I've got you, Mr. Parker!" Reed Richards shouted as he ran forward and reached up. His arms stretched into the sky and his hands formed a large catcher's mitt around Spider-Man, halting his ascent.

Before either Iron Man or Spider-Man could remark on Reed's unexpected appearance, Ben suddenly descended from above, his large and rocky body colliding with Cull Obsidian and flattening him to the ground with a devastating tremor.

"Is this chump giving you trouble?" the rocky hero asked before he started to punch the alien in his hideous face.

"I mean, we kind of had it under control," Iron Man quipped before flying closer.

"Yeah, I noticed that," Ben grunted before palming Cull Obsidian's face and picking him up from the crater their bodies had made. He then drew his fist back and punched the enemy in his stomach, launching him across the park and into the large fountain.

As Lumen and the siblings raced toward Strange, a huge chunk of building crashed down in front of them, cutting them off. Lumen spun around and sighted Ebony Maw as he floated above them. Then, to his horror, Strange's body was yanked up from the ground, bound by the cables to a slab of concrete.

"Don't let him take him!" Lumen screamed before taking flight.

Lockjaw barked angrily and teleported on top of Ebony Maw, but the alien was ready. He swung a hand and a section of the building shot up and struck Lockjaw in his belly, throwing him over the nearby building and sending him skittering across the rooftop.

The piece of pavement containing Strange then sliced through the air toward Ebony Maw, who was now flying back toward the massive space ship that hovered in the sky. His triumph was short-lived, however, when the cloak Strange wore suddenly tore him free of the cables and shot him off into the distance.

"No!" Ebony Maw cried out before flying after him.

Lumen, Sue and Johnny took flight as well and raced to catch him. A barrage of flames, light and invisible force rushed out to him but the alien simply tore up massive hunks of debris that hovered around him, shielding him from the attacks as he pursued Strange and the runaway cloak.

As Strange passed the park, Iron-Man sighted him. "Guys, that's the wizard! We can't let him get taken!"

Spider-Man jumped from the ground and began using his webbing to pursue while Reed used his elastic body to handily traverse alongside him. As they pursued Ebony Maw, they noticed that the others were also in flight behind them.

"Oh, man, this is like a reunion," Spider-Man remarked. "Except we're not all trying to kill each other this time. It's kind of nice. Like a team up!"

"Spider-Man, focus!" Reed shouted as Ebony loosened a big piece of debris and threw it backward.

The debris nearly hit Spider-Man and he twirled gracefully to dodge it. The debris instead collided with Sue. She held up her hands and formed a shield but the impact was still enough to throw her to the ground. More debris followed and the arachnid hero deftly leaped from piece to piece as he pursued. The debris collided with Johnny and would have taken Lumen as well if he hadn't hurriedly teleported.

"Not cool!" Spider-Man grunted as he tugged on his webbing and launched himself closer.

Lumen had covered some distance and was now much closer to Strange. So close. When he was within touching distance, he grabbed onto Strange with one hand and took aim at Ebony Maw with the other. The telekinetic noticed, however, and a spare tire he'd gathered up during his flight side-swiped Lumen, knocking him out of the sky. His body slammed hard against a nearby building and he was sent through the window. His forearm screamed with pain as a shard of glass dragged across it.

As Strange was being carried along the street, Ebony reached out for the utility poles and contorted them around him. The cloak was snagged on one of them, ripping free of Strange. Ebony then snatched the unconscious sorcerer up and began to ascend.

"No!" Lumen cried out from the broken window as he stood up and watched a cone of blue light flash down upon Ebony Maw and Strange. They were too late.

"I got him!" Spider-Man shouted as his webbing connected with Strange. At the same time, Reed's hand shot up and took hold of Strange as well.

The blue light snatched Ebony, Strange, Spider-Man and Reed up, pulling them to the ship.

"Mr. Stark! Reed and I are being beamed up!" Spider-Man cried out.

"Hang on, kid! I'm on my way!" Iron Man shouted. Cull Obsidian had just thrown his hammer at the armored Avenger, pinning him to the ground.

"Oh, I don't think you're going anywhere," Fatality Eclipse muttered as he stalked forward and prepared to attack.

Ben moved between them and the whip wrapped around his fist but was useless against Ben's rocky body. "I've got these guys, Stark!" Ben shouted as he yanked Fatality Eclipse by his whip and slung him into an incoming Cull Obsidian. "Go get the wizard and the kid!"

Cull Obsidian tossed Fatality Eclipse off of him, then lowered himself to the ground and jumped at an approaching Ben, launching him into the air before landing harshly on top of him. The alien decked him hard, then jumped up and took off after Iron Man. He was halted suddenly when a portal opened up in front of him. He stumbled through it and fell to the ground.

"Take your stupid friend with you!" Ben shouted. He grabbed Fatality Eclipse by the ankle and threw him through the portal after Cull Obsidian.

Cull Obsidian side-stepped to avoid his sibling and tried to return through the portal.

"No return trips," Wong grunted as he shut the portal around Cull Obsidian's hand, slicing it cleanly. He turned to Iron Man and Ben and smiled as he wiped the blood from his forehead. "Two asshole aliens down. You're welcome."

"Wong, you're invited to my wedding!" Iron Man shouted before taking flight toward the retreating ship.

Lumen floated to the ground near Johnny and Sue watched as Iron Man ascended, wishing he could go up there too. But the ship was quickly leaving earth's atmosphere. Lumen knew he couldn't survive the vacuum of space like Iron Man could. He stood firmly on the ground and sent all of his hope with him.

"This is bad, right?" Johnny asked as he and Sue converged with Lumen and watched the ship disappear.

Lumen shook his head. "Ebony Maw has Dr. Strange, which means he has the Time Stone. But Tony, Spider-Man and Reed are up there too."

"So there's a chance," Johnny said confidently.

Lumen sighed. "I hope so. I really hope so." He didn't want to say anything about his fears that two of the three pursuing Strange couldn't survive in space.

Sue watched as Wong, Bruce and Ben approached from the nearby park. "What do we do?" she asked.

Wong continued to dab the blood from his forehead. "I must stay here. The Sanctum Sanctorum has to be protected."

Lumen looked at Bruce and smiled as he watched the scientist open up the flip phone Tony had been holding when the invasion started. "Going to make a call?" he asked.

Bruce nodded. "It's time to get the band back together."

Chapter 6: The Guardians of the Galaxy

Chapter Text

The expanse of deep space stretched far and wide, its depths cold and soundless. This far out, there were few travelers, if any at all. But one ship moved through the darkness, its interior a bright contrast to what lay beyond. The Benatar was the ship belonging to a group of people whose exploits had united them, for better or worse. A more colorful and diverse collection of people could not be found easily.

The sounds of rock and roll filled the ship, and Peter Quill, captain of the Benatar and self-dubbed Star-Lord, was fully enjoying himself as he sang along to the music and played the air guitar. Peter was the only human on the ship, having been born on earth and abducted during his childhood. Handsome in a roguish sort of way, he led this patchwork quilt of a team that sat around him.

Gamora, known by many as the Deadliest Woman in the Universe, was currently singing along, a laid back smile gracing her beautiful features. Her long, black and red hair hung loosely and her rich green skin marked her as a Zen-Whoberis. She had been adopted by Thanos shortly after he and his people spread his gospel to her home planet. Growing up in the shadow of his cruelty, she'd been forged into a deadly warrior. But her hatred for Thanos grew the older she got, and she soon outgrew him and sought to use her skills for the good of the universe. She allied herself with Peter Quill and the others on board and had never looked back.

"Sing it, Drax!" Peter shouted over the loud music as he continued to dance around in his chair.

Drax, however, was fast asleep, his mouth hanging open as he snored loud enough to compete with the sound system. Drax, like Gamora, was not human. He was Kylosian and was every bit the warrior his people were known to be. Apart from their warrior ways, the Kylosian people were also known for being quite primitive and naive in the ways of social graces and conversation. As such, Drax was always very concrete in his thought process, taking much of what was said around him quite literal. He was also a brutally honest person, though his words were not usually intended to be hurtful.

In the front of the co*ckpit, Rocket yawned and stretched his arms before looking at the others in the ship. "Why are we doing this again?" he asked before scratching his ear. Rocket, unlike the others in the room, was an animal- a raccoon. Abducted by aliens and subjected to cruel and abusive experiments, Rocket was genetically and cybernetically enhanced, giving him sentient intelligence. But the result of his experiences left him quite troubled. He became an accomplished criminal, forever intrigued with the idea of personal gain. Despite this, there was some goodness deep inside that he protected with snark and sarcasm.

Gamora rolled her eyes and scowled at Rocket. "You heard it yourself. It was a distress signal. The people on that ship are in danger. They could be dying."

Rocket shrugged his little shoulders, his whiskers twitching. "I get that, but why are we doing something about it? I mean, they said the engines and life support were failing. And it sounded like a hell of a big ship." He paused and looked around. "I don't even think we've got the room for the sorry schmucks."

Peter leaned forward and turned the music down. "We're doing it because we're nice people."

"We are?" Rocket asked with a tilt of his head.

"Yes we are," Peter reiterated. "And, being the nice people we are, we're going to go and lend a hand if we can. Besides, whoever it is might give us a little cheddar cheese for our trouble..."

Gamora cut him off with a cold glare. "That isn't the point of doing this."

"Which isn't the point!" Peter said, correcting himself. "But...if they don't pony up..."

Drax, who had awakened, shrugged nonchalantly. "We'll just take his ship."

Peter nodded his head and voiced his agreement while looking over at Gamora and giving her a reassuring shake of the head.

From the rear of the co*ckpit, another member of the crew named Mantis cleared her throat. "We are arriving now," she announced as she looked up from her console. A member of an insectoid race of aliens, Mantis was gifted with empathic abilities. Despite the ability to gain emotional insight, the dark-haired alien was naive, making her a good companion for Drax. She had pale skin, black eyes, and two antennae protruding just below her hairline. Otherwise, her body was humanoid in appearance, and clad in black and green clothes.

Peter cleared his throat and assumed a more authoritative voice as he addressed the crew around him. "All right, Guardians. Don't forget that this could be dangerous..."

"I hope so," Rocket chuckled.

"So let's put on our mean faxes and show them we aren't pushovers," Peter went on.

The crew was silent aside from a distant noise of beeps. Peter looked over at the source. The final remaining crew member was Groot, a human-shaped tree being hailing from Planet X, and he was currently in a handheld video game. He belonged to the species Flora Colossus and possessed immense strength, the ability to regenerate, and the power to manipulate his plant-like body in a number of ways. Having recently sacrificed himself to save his team, Groot was reborn from a seedling his previous incarnation had left behind. He was now a teenager. And everyone on the ship could tell.

"Put the game a way, Groot!" Peter ordered.

Groot didn't look away from his screen as he spoke to Peter in a mocking tone. "I am Groot!" The translation, for those on board who spoke the tree-being's language, was 'shut up, bitch'.

Peter, who understood Groot's speech, raised his eyebrows. "Whoa! What's with the language? You god some acorns on you, kid."

Rocket shook his head. "Ever since you got a little sap, you're a total d-hole. Keep it up, and I'm going to smash that game to pieces!"

Groot simply rolled his eyes before shoving the handheld game into the pocket at his seat.

The Benatar decelerated as it came upon a massive cloud of floating wreckage. The Guardians stared in silence as chunks of the ship and several corpses floated like some awful space graveyard.

"What...happened here?" Gamora asked.

Mantis looked out into the sea of death and destruction and tears began to spill from her eyes. "There is so much pain in this place. So much hurt. It...I can not bare it," she winced.

One of the bodies suddenly slammed into the windshield of the ship, startling the crew.

"Oh, geez, get it off! Get it off!" Rocket shouted in disgust.

"Wait," Mantis cried out, silencing the others. "He is...alive."

At that moment, the man's eye, the only one he appeared to have, suddenly opened.

Chapter 7: Valhalla

Chapter Text

As he floated in the cold sea of space, Thor felt a strange measure of peace washing over him. Though his heart and mind were torn apart with the grief and despair of what he'd seen and experienced, this strange peace was beginning to flood his senses. He opened his single eye to find everything bathed in a strange, golden light. At first it was so bright he could not see and he had to tightly close his eye again. Such radiant light made his heart race because he instantly believed that Dean was with him.

"Dean?" he asked in a raspy voice.

There was no reply, only the hum of the light. He lifted a hand and held it before him, shielding his vision so that he could see where he was. Gradually, all of his senses began to take in what was happening around him. Aside from seeing the intense light, he caught the familiar scent of a feast. Goat and ale mingled in the air and his stomach rumbled. Warmth from distant fires touched his skin and he felt the solid floor beneath his feet. The sound of musicians playing and men and women making merry slowly filtered into his perception.

"My son," a familiar voice called out to him.

Mother.

Tears instantly stung his eye. The light that assailed his sight gradually receded to a warm glow that colored everything gold. He stared at his surroundings and knew exactly where he was. This was Valhalla, the paradise he and his people departed to when their lives ended. The majesty of the enormous hall was more beautiful than any of the tales he'd heard could say, and far larger too. The hall seemed to go on forever, and the massive table seated more warriors than Thor could ever imagine. As he gazed upon the table, he spied the faces of every warrior of Asgard he'd ever fought alongside. Heimdall sat near Fandal, Volstagg and Hogun. All of them raised their mugs into the air, clinking them together. Ale splashed around them as they laughed cheerfully. Further along, Thor spotted a group of women he knew to be the slain Valkyries. And not far from them, Skurge was telling all of those near him of how helped the Asgardians escape from Hela.

Loki, he thought as he scanned the table, searching for his face. A sadness lunged at him like a predator, and he could feel that despair rising up despite his surroundings. His brother, though not by blood, had died. He'd sacrificed himself to save Dean's life and his. And yet he was not given this paradise though these were his people. Was he on another plane? Perhaps the paradise of the Jotun?

"My son," Frigga repeated as she suddenly came into view near him. She was more beautiful than he'd ever seen before. She was dressed in a gown of flowing silk the color of daybreak, her hair spun in braids that rested beneath the crown. She reached out her hands and laid them upon Thor's face. "Oh, how I've missed you."

"Mother," Thor sighed as he leaned into her touch and let himself be enfolded in her arms.

"Where is Loki?" Thor asked. "Why isn't he on Valhalla? Even if he is of Jotunheim he should be here."

Frigga pursed her lips. "You know that there are things I cannot tell you."

Thor fought the urge to beg her. He knew it was a useless endeavor. Frigga knew the future but never told the secrets of it.

"Is that the Odinson?" a deep and unfamiliar voice asked.

Thor turned around to see the figures of two men approaching him. Odin came into view first and stood directly before Thor. He was dressed in his traditional armor, polished to a mirror sheen. "My son, it warms my heart to see you. I am so proud of you for what you've done." He touched Thor's face and smiled lightly. "You've lost the same eye as me," he chuckled.

There was so much Thor wanted to say to his parents. So much he wanted to express. But now that he stood before them, words failed him. He could only stand and bask in their light.

"You saved Asgard," Odin said. "I know it came it a great cost, but only a mighty king could pay it."

The cost was my life.

"Our people will prosper and live thanks to you," Odin continued. "But I sense you are discontent."

Thor looked up at Odin. "This is paradise?"

"It is."

Thor slowly shook his head. "No place could be paradise without Dean. I couldn't be happy here without him."

Odin placed his hands on Thor's shoulders. "Oh, you think you are dead, boy? You think you have come to Valhalla to stay? No."

Thor was confused. "Then why am I here?"

Odin looked over his own shoulder at the mysterious figure behind him. Thor followed his gaze and watched as a bulky man dressed in golden armor gradually came into view. His beard was thick, red, and adorned with braids. His hair was long and similarly braided, and a horned golden helmet rested on his head. Thor knew this person. He'd seen that same stern face in countless paintings and statues.

"Bor," Thor whispered as he stared at one of Asgard's mightiest and most-celebrated kings. His grandfather.

"Thor," Bor said with a hint of a smile on his face. He looked at Thor with what he could only assume to be pride. "Son of Odin and King of Asgard."

Odin released Thor from his grip and stepped aside as Bor advanced and embraced his grandson.

"When the world our people once inhabited was destroyed, we here felt it," Bor explained. "We felt a great tremor in the fabric of reality as the flowing waters and fertile soil became no more. And when that happened, we felt your despair."

At this point, the hall had become silent. The musicians stopped playing and the merriment ceased. Everyone in the infinite hall was watching Thor.

"This despair continued to grow until it transformed into a total lack of hope," Frigga added. "And that is why we knew we had to intervene."

"Thor Odinson," Bor said. "God of Thunder and King of Asgard. All is not lost on this day, though you feel it is. I know your spirit is weary, your heart heavy. But your fight is far from finished."

Thor blinked away his tears. "I don't know what to do."

Bor took Thor's face in his hands and looked into his eyes. "You must go to Nidavellir. There you will find a weapon that rivals Gungnir and Mjolnir. A weapon worthy of the greatest king of Asgard."

Thor looked upon Bor and Odin in disbelief. Both men stared at him with such firm expressions he did not argue despite his lack of agreement with these words.

Frigga touched his hand. "Your grandfather is right," she said. "Though I cannot tell you your future, I can say this much. Your fight is not finished. Dean needs you. The universe needs you."

Thor's heart raced at the mention of Dean. "He's safe then?"

Frigga nodded. "He is."

"The universe is calling for you, boy," Odin said. "You must answer."

With a sense of renewal, Thor nodded his head. "I am ready to fight."

With one last glimpse upon his family and the familiar faces in the hall, Thor retreated from Valhalla, slipping away until darkness blotted out everything. Then, only once all was still and dark once more, a soft female voice said "wake".

Chapter 8: Sometimes You're the Windshield

Chapter Text

The man was thrown onto a table, his unconscious body heavy and slack. He lay on his back and the Guardians surrounded him. They regarded him with varying degrees of suspicion, fear, awe, and in Mantis's case- sorrow.

Peter was the first to speak up. "That's the vacuum of space out there. Tons of dead people. How is this dude still alive?"

Drax shook his head as he continued to gaze at the man. He recognized a powerful warrior, even though the man was unconscious. "He is not a dude. You're a dude, Peter Quill. This...this is a man. A handsome, muscular man."

None of the Guardians could dispute Drax's appraisal. The man was tall, easily over six feet, and his body was indeed very muscular. His handsome face was adorned with a rugged beard, and his features, though marred with distress and covered in soot, were irrepressibly handsome.

Peter looked up at Drax, his expression a mixture of offense and confusion. "Uh, I'm muscular," he spoke defensively.

Rocket and Drax began to detract from Peter's confidence regarding his physical stature in comparison to the sleeping stranger when Mantis signaled for all to be quiet. She walked up to the head of the table and lair her hands upon the man's temples. "He...he feels tremendous loss and guilt. And...he is angry. So very angry." She proved further and sighed sorrowfully. "And he is in love. And he fears for the one he loves. So very much."

There was a pause as everyone took in Mantis's words. Then Drax walked closer to the man and shook his head. "It's like a pirate had a baby with an angel," he said as he looked at the patch over the man's eye.

Peter threw his hands in the air. "Okay, so thanks for that wake-up call guys. You're all great. Guess when Mr. Handsome wakes up he can just replace me or whatever."

"Oh, quit being dramatic," Rocket huffed. "You big baby."

Peter scowled. "You just called me big. I'm triggered. I'm feeling very attacked right now."

Rocket waved a dismissive hand. "Go cry to someone who cares."

"He is very muscular, isn't he?" Drax asked as he looked at Gamora as she lifted the man's arm and ran a hand along his triceps.

"It's like his muscles are made of Cotati metal fibers," she mused.

"Could you stop massaging the man's muscles? Please!" Peter asked. "I'm literally standing right in front of you."

Gamora dropped the are and folded hers over her chest. "Fine. But we need to figure out who he is and what happened here."

Mantis nodded, taking her cue. She leaned over and touched his head again. Her antennae glowed at the tips and she whispered a simple command. "Wake."

The man thrashed violently and the Guardians each drew back and prepared for a fight. He shot up from the table, stumbled against a nearby wall and raised his fists for combat. When he turned to face his rescuers, he saw that there were several weapons being pointed at him.

"Who the hell are you guys?" the man asked in a deep, powerful voice.

After awakening on the strange ship and making peace with its crew, Thor was given a bowl of soup and a blanket, which he draped across his shoulders. He sat alone, slurping the soup. Though it was no feast of Asgard, he was grateful for the warmth it brought him.

Don't think of Asgard, he told himself. Unless Brunhilde was able to evacuate anyone, it's gone. Because of you.

"So, I don't want to be that guy who brings up all your trauma and whatnot," Rocket began as he ambled toward him. "But what the heck happened out here? Why was your ship blown to hell? And how did you survive?"

Thor put the spoon in his bowl and stared at the contents. He could see his reflection on its surface and the hollow, sadness on his face was alarming. "My ship is gone because of Thanos," he murmured.

Gamora looked up, her attention to Thor immediately heightened. "Thanos?" she asked.

Thor nodded. "Yes. Thanos. Big, purple bastard and his ugly followers."

"The Dark Order," Gamora whispered to herself.

"He and his lackeys invaded my ship just after Asgard was destroyed. He decimated us. We were...vulnerable...because of what happened on Asgard."

"You're an Asgardian!" Rocket said. "Makes perfect sense. An Asgardian could survive being adrift in space."

Thor nodded. "I am Thor, son of Odin. Now the King of Asgard. And God of Thunder."

The Guardians looked at him as the weight of what he was saying sank in.

"Well, if you feel the need to brag..." Peter grumbled.

Thor carried on without acknowledging Peter. "We never stood a chance. He and his people boarded the ship, killed as many people as they could, and stole the Space Stone," Thor concluded.

The pain that resonated from Thor was palpable to everyone on the ship as he told his story. Gamora shut her eyes and sighed. Yet another world of people gone because of him. She cleared her throat to get everyone's attention. "I know Thanos. I know him well. And the entire time I knew Thanos, he only ever had one goal: to bring balance to the universe by wiping out half of all life. He used to kill people planet by planet, massacre by massacre."

Drax lowered his head. "Including my own."

"You said he has the Space Stone?" Gamora asked. "If he gets all six Infinity Stones, he can take as much life as he wants with the snap of his fingers. Like this." Gamora snapped her fingers and the sound echoed in the silent room.

Thor regarded her with intrigue. "You didn't lie- it seems you do know a great deal about Thanos."

Drax looked from Thor to Gamora. "Gamora is the daughter of Thanos," he explained.

Thor set the bowl down, spilling soup in the process before standing to his full height. He regarded Gamora with growing anger and stalked toward her with an aggressive stride. "Your father killed my people. My brother. And he tortured my fiance."

Peter hastily stepped between Thor and Gamora, his hands raised. "Hold up, man. He's only her stepfather and she hates him as much as you do, okay?"

Thor looked from Peter back to Gamora, his expression softening. He sighed and laid a hand on Gamora's shoulder when he noticed the distress talking about Thanos had caused her. "Families can be tough," he said. "Believe me, I know. Before my father died, he told me I had a sister that he imprisoned on Nifleheim. She returned after he died. That's how Asgard was destroyed and I lost my eye. I had no choice but to kill her." He smiled. "That's life, isn't it? I feel your pain."

Peter looked at Thor's hand and then back at him. "Hey, you said you have a fiance so paws off!"

Thor tilted his head. "I mean no disrespect to you or your woman," Thor said. "I assure you, I have no attraction to her."

"Peter's just insecure," Rocket pointed out.

Peter shook his head. "Whatever. Look, I feel Gamora's pain, not that it's a competition. I've certainly been through a lot myself. Dad killed mom, I killed dad. That was hard on me. Probably much harder than killing a sister. And I came out of it with both of my eyes, by the way."

Thor, who had lost interest in Peter's grandstanding, returned to his soup bowl and promptly slurped the rest of it down. He picked up the spoon. He stared at it for a moment until Bor's commands reentered his mind. He had to forge a weapon. "I need a hammer," he spoke aloud. "Not a spoon." He put the empty bowl back down and walked over to the pod. He began to tap at the console, attempting to open it up. "How do I open this thing? Is there some sort of four-digit code maybe?" he asked, recalling the process of setting up his checking account on Midgard. "Maybe someone's birthday?"

Peter shook his head and moved closer. "Excuse me. What are you doing?"

"Taking your pod," Thor said in a dismissive voice without looking up at Peter.

Peter could feel his blood beginning to boil. Ever since Thor had crashed onto their windshield, he had done nothing but undermine Peter's confidence. Clearing his throat, he deepened his voice to mimic Thor in hopes of perhaps intimidating him. "You'll not be taking our pod today, sir," he grunted.

Rocket started to laugh and was soon joined by a chorus of laughter from Mantis and Drax. "Wait a minute, Quill. Are you making your voice deeper?" the raccoon asked.

Peter scowled and looked over his shoulder in an attempt to silence Rocket with a glance. "No. I'm not."

Drax shook his head. "Yes you are. You're mimicking the god-man. It's very weird, Quill. Very desperate."

Thor turned away from the console and walked toward Peter, stopping just inches away from him. "Are you mocking me?" he asked in a challenging tone.

Peter shrugged. "Are you mocking me?" he asked.

Thor glared. "You did it again. Just now."

Peter smiled. "You're just trying to copy me."

Thor sighed. "Why in Odin's name would I do that?" Thor asked as he opened his arms as if to say 'look at me'. "Now, stop it. Before I crush your head with my bicep."

"He is right," Drax said. "He could do it, Quill. His biceps are quite large."

Having heard enough of the antics, Gamora walked forward. "That's enough. We need to stop Thanos. Which means we need to find out where he's going next. Thor, do you know where he's going?"

"Knowhere," Thor said, recalling the location of the Reality Stone. Thanos and his minions had wanted to use Dean to find it because of the connection and the other Inhumans shared with the stone that had granted them their abilities long ago. Thor knew that the Reality Stone had been taken to Knowhere by Asgard so that two of the Stones would not inhabit the same place. It had been a wise decision, but not one that would elude Thanos for long.

"Wait a minute," Peter said. "Knowhere sucks. We've been there."

Thor sighed and began to ransack a nearby storage area, pulling packages of food out.

"That's our food!" Peter cried out.

"Not anymore," Thor fired back.

"Thor, why would Thanos go there?" Gamora asked.

"Because for some time now, the Reality Stone has been safely stored there with a man we call the Collector."

Peter scoffed. "Oh, it's far from safe with him. Only a total idiot would give him a Stone."

"Or a genius," Thor replied.

"How do you know he's not going for one of the other Stones?" Gamora asked.

Thor smiled. "Your woman is smart, Quill. She asks good questions. You could learn from her. There's six stones out there. Thanos already has the Power Stone."

"That's not possible," Gamora gasped. "We took it to Xandar. It's safe there with the Nova Corps."

Thor shook his head. "I can assure you, Thanos wears it on his gauntlet. He decimated Xandar, like he did many other worlds, and took it. As I said, he stole the Space Stone from me when he destroyed my ship and slaughtered half my people. The Time and Mind Stones are safe on Earth. They're with the Avengers."

"Who are they?" Peter asked.

Thor grinned. "The Avengers are Earth's Mightiest Heroes.

"Like Kevin Bacon?" Mantis asked, having recalled Peter telling the crew about a a story from Earth about a hero who saved a town through dance.

Thor paused, trying to recall where he'd heard that name before. Coming up empty, he shrugged. "Uh, he may be on the team. I don't know. Haven't been there in a while. As for the Soul Stone, well, no one's ever seen that. No one even knows where it is. Therefore, Thanos can't get it. Therefore, he's going to Knowhere. Hence, he'll be getting the Reality Stone. You're welcome."

Gamora sighed. "Then we have to go to Knowhere now."

Thor smiled and shook his head. "No. Wrong. Where we have to go is Nidavellir."

Rocket grinned hugely and approached Thor with an excited skip. "Hold up, Nidavellir is real?

"Indeed," Thor confirmed.

"Seriously?" Rocket asked.

Thor smiled. "Seriously."

"I mean, that place is a legend. They make the most powerful, horrific weapons to ever torment the Universe. I would very much like to go there, please!" Rocket asked as he clasped his hands together.

Thor chuckled. "The rabbit is correct and clearly the smartest among you."

Rocket tilted his head. "Rabbit?"

"Only Eitri, the dwarf king, can make me the weapon I need," Thor explained. "The weapon of a king." He looked down at Rocket. "I assume you're the captain, sir?"

"You're very perceptive," Rocket chuckled.

"You seem like a noble leader. Will you join me on my quest to Nidavellir?" Thor asked with a huge smile.

Rocket shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know, why don't you let me just ask the captain of this ship. Oh, wait a second, it's me. Yeah, I'm in."

Thor nodded in approval. "Wonderful."

Peter laughed irritably. "Except for one detail- I'm the Captain!"

Thor ignored Peter and grabbed a pack to shove the food in before slinging it over his shoulder.

"That's my backpack!" Peter shouted.

Rocket waved a hand at him. "Why don't you go and sit down."

Peter stood his ground. "Look, this is my ship. I'm the captain. And as the captain, I say we aren't going to Nidavellir! Even if it is where these amazing weapons are made. By the way, what kind of weapon are we talking about?"

Thor grinned. "The Thanos-killing kind of weapon."

Peter scoffed and waved his arms around at the rest of the crew. "Okay, selfish, shouldn't we all have a weapon like that?"

Thor regarded Peter with a patronizing smile. "I'm afraid not. You simply lack the strength to wield them. Your bodies would crumble as your minds collapsed into madness."

"And yours wouldn't?" Peter asked.

"Of course not," Thor said in a very matter-of-fact tone. "Because I'm a BAMF. And you are not."

Peter scowled. "A BAMF?"

"A bad ass mother f*cker," Thor explained with a huge grin.

Rocket tugged on Thor's armor. "Hey, is it weird that I want to use one of those god-weapons it even more now?"

Thor shrugged. "A bit, yes."

Gamora spoke up again. "If we don't go to Knowhere and Thanos retrieves another stone, he'll be too powerful to stop."

Thor shook his head. "He already is. Which is why I need a weapon."

Rocket raised a hand. "Alright, alright. I got it figured out. We got two ships, three confirmed BAMFs and a large assortment of morons. So me and Groot will go with the pirate-angel here, and the morons will go to Knowhere to try and stop Thanos. Cool? Cool."

Thor smiled more broadly
Thor smiled more broadly. "So cool," he cheekily agreed.

Peter shook his head. "Unbelievable. You know, Rocket, I know you only want to go with him because it's where Thanos isn't."

Rocket smiled and waved as he stepped into the pod with Thor and Groot. "You know," he said while he was buckling in. "You shouldn't talk that way to your captain, Quill." He then turned to Groot and beckoned him to follow. "Come on, Groot. Put that game down, you'll rot your brain."

Thor buckled in alongside Rocket and Groot and smiled at the others. "I bid you farewell and good luck, morons. Bye." He said the word 'morons' as if it were some foreign concept to him.

As the pod shot out away from the ship, Thor turned to Rocket and Groot and smiled mischievously. "I know what morons are. I was just trolling them," he explained, gaining a riotous laugh from his new friends.

Chapter 9: Where No Spider Has Gone Before

Chapter Text

Earth was a fleeting memory for Iron Man as he engaged his thrusters and shot up out of the atmosphere like a bullet. But he'd played this game before. Flying up into space wasn't something he was a stranger to. But he'd hoped he'd never have to do it again. Not after New York. Not after the missile.

But Ebony Maw had managed to secure Dr. Strange, and with him the Time Stone. And Reed and the kid were with them. Johnny wouldn't be any use without oxygen to feed his flames. And Sue, despite all her power, wouldn't be able to sustain a force field in these conditions. Dean's powers wouldn't be able to withstand them either. And Bruce? Well, Bruce was all thumbs in a fight without Hulk.

It has to be me.

"Give me everything you've got, F.R.I.D.A.Y.," he shouted. "I have a need for speed!"

"Engaging foot thrusters," the A.I reported as Iron Man's feet became fused together, forming a single, massive jet that propelled him forward much faster than he'd ever flown before.

Meanwhile, Ebony Maw had managed to separate Reed from Strange, loosening his grip through telekinetic force. "You will not take the stone-keeper back to earth," he threatened as he stood before Strange's hovering body and faced Reed.

Reed raised his fists, expanding them to massive proportions. "I've been told what I can and can't do all my life," he grunted as he stood his ground. "It hasn't stopped me before. And it isn't going to stop me now."

Ebony Maw smiled and extended his hands. "Then, I'll let you take your best shot, you elastic fool."

"F.R.I.D.A.Y., unlock 17-A," Iron Man called out as he gained on the massive ship as it was leaving earth's atmosphere. "The kid's going to need the new suit if he wants to survive these conditions."

Spider-Man, having managed to avoid getting sucked directly into the ship by webbing himself to its exterior, was now hanging on for dear life. A pod launched from the Avengers Compound and took a direct path to the sky and straight for Spider-Man.

"Pete, you've got to let go. I'm going to catch you," Iron Man called out.

Light-headed and woozy, Spider-Man protested. "You said to save the wizard!" He reached for his mask and yanked it off to try and improve his air quality. "Mr. Stark...I can't breathe."

"You're too high up!" Iron Man shouted to him. "You're running out of air."

"Yeah. That makes sense," Spider-Man sighed as consciousness gradually fled. He passed out and fell from the ship, his body being pulled to earth. It was at this moment that the pod Iron Man had summoned reached him. It burst open and quickly enveloped him. As it did so, his body was covered by a new, upgraded version of his own suit. Though still of the red and blue color scheme, it was metallic and armored. And, perhaps most importantly, it had an oxygen supply.

"You good?" Iron Man asked.

"Mr. Stark, it smells like a new car in here!"

"Good. Happy trails, kid. F.R.I.D.A.Y., send him home."

Before Spider-Man could begin to climb back up the ship's exterior, a parachute shot out from the new suit and pulled him toward earth. "Oh, come on!" Spider-Man cried out as he was yanked back to earth.

"Sorry, kid," Iron Man muttered as he took hold of the ship and began to burn through it. "But this isn't the neighborhood."

The hull was easily cut through. Iron Man moved through the hole he'd created, then sealed it with an adhesive spray from his gauntlet.

"Alright, if I were an alien with a huge forehead, where would I be?"

"Boss, incoming call from Miss Potts," his A.I reported.

"Put her through."

Pepper's worried voice came on over the speaker. "Tony? Oh, my God. Are you all right? What's going on?

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just think we might have to push our 8:30 reservation."

"Why?"

"Just 'cause I'll... probably not make it back for a while."

Pepper let out a sigh of exasperation. "Tell me you're not on that ship."

"I'm not on that ship."

"Tony!"

"Honey, I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I don't know what to say."

"Come back here, Tony. I swear to God. Come back here right now! Come back!"

"Boss," F.R.I.D.A.Y. cut in. "We're losing her. I'm going, too."

Iron Man stood in stillness for a moment and told himself there was no other way.

Meanwhile, Spider-Man had managed to cling to the outside of the ship despite the parachute and was now entering a slowly-closing chamber. As it sealed shut around him, he gazed out at earth one last time, hopeful that he'd see it again.

"I should have stayed on the bus," he gasped.

Reed braced for incoming as Ebony Maw hurled a large piece of machinery at him. He extended his arm and his massive hand swatted it aside. He shot up to a great height and began to punch his fists down into Ebony Maw's direction repeatedly.

"You're embarrassing yourself," Ebony Maw said in a lazy voice as he easily floated out of harm's reach every time a fist nearly made impact with him. "And I grow tired of playing with you."

Reed ducked to avoid another projectile, his entire body flattening to the floor like a pancake before shooting upward. He extended a leg and it sprang out, the boot elongating. This time his blow landed and Ebony Maw was stricken by the kick. It connected with his upper body, throwing him against the wall. Reed's entire body shifted into a coil shape and he sprang forward so fast Ebony Maw couldn't react. Reed compounded on this with a punch that flatted the telekinetic alien against the wall, causing the ship to tremble.

"I'll be damned if you're going to take him," Reed roared as he easily cleared the distance and wrapped his entire hand around the enemy's throat, lifting him up but still keeping him pressed against the wall. He used his other fist to continually rain blow after blow upon his adversary's face. If he could just keep him stun-locked long enough to prevent his use of powers, perhaps he could knock him unconscious.

"Then..." Ebony Maw gasped.

Reed refused to let up, bloodying the alien's face with every punch.

"Prepare...to be..."

Another fist struck Ebony's forehead, splitting the skin.

"DAMNED!" Ebony raged.

A large canister of coolant hovered behind the scientist as he continued to beat Ebony Maw senseless. But there was just enough sense beneath the pain he was inflicting. And Ebony Maw took advantage of it. The canister exploded behind him, releasing the coolant. It enveloped Reed, slowing his movements until he was immobilized, his body encased in a thing layer of frost. Ebony pulled out of his grasp and summoned another canister. One after another, he doused Reed in the coolant until he was completely frozen in place.

Strange awakened with a gasp and Ebony Maw promptly turned away from Reed's frozen, helpless body. "Awake at last, Stone-Keeper?" he asked as he floated over to his hovering body. "Now, then; give us the stone."

Chapter 10: Defending Vision

Chapter Text

Wanda could scarcely recall a time when she'd felt more content. Her childhood had been chaos and tragedy. Her young adult life had been marred with much of this as well. Joining the Avengers and finally feeling that she was at home had eased much of this, but there had always been a lingering part of her that longed for the sort of peace and tranquility she was now experiencing.

The hotel room was more like a bedroom, really. With its quaint decor and comfortable furnishings, it was unlike any hotel room Wanda had ever known. Those had always seemed so impersonal, so sad. She felt very much at ease here, but she knew it had much more to do with the company she kept than the room itself. She could be anywhere in the world as long as she was with him.

Vision.

The synthezoid had used his abilities to grant himself a more human appearance. Across the dimly-lit room, standing in the window, Vision's pale skin and blond hair shone in the moonlight. He turned to face her, his blue eyes looking at her as if she were the only being in existence. It warmed her. It made her feel safe. That was a feeling she'd not felt since the Sokovia Accords.

After the Avengers had been split in half by the conflict, Wanda had the unfortunate experience of having to fight the one she was getting closer to each day. In the aftermath of the clash, Wanda had fully believed that she and Vision would never get the chance to explore what was beginning to blossom between them. But now? Now things were different. Vision had left the Avengers and now he and her were together again. It had started out as sporadic visits. Though he promised to Tony that he would return after each visit, his visits had grown longer and longer each time. Although she was a fugitive due to her refusal to concede to the Accords, along with her escape from the maximum security prison known as The Raft, even these things couldn't blemish the perfect beauty of their time together. They had traveled all over the world, always careful and always in secret. Despite the stress of this, Wanda had loved every moment. She'd cherished this time with Vision. Cherished how they had fallen in love.

She knew that many wouldn't understand how a woman of flesh and blood could fall in love with a being of vibranium and circuitry. But, then again, not many people seemed to understand her. Wanda has long accepted this, and this extended to accepting the views of others. She could accept them and discard them because the love she and Vision had was more real than most people would ever experience.

She felt grateful and humbled each time she looked into his eyes. Each time he said her name, his tone warm and full of love. She gazed into his eyes and she saw his adoration for her as surely as he could see it in her eyes.

Being with Vision had eased the hurt of the breakup of the Avengers. They truly were a family to her. She was still in contact with Natasha, Steve and Sam, of course. They checked in frequently, always sharing any information about the ongoing manhunt for them. But there was one person she'd not spoken to in a while. One she terribly missed.

Dean.

Wanda felt a sudden stab of sadness because Dean had become a brother figure for her. She loved him and it ached to not talk to him. She knew his reasons, of course. She understood them now more than ever, now that she was in love. He'd gone to find Thor, and she knew she'd have done the same if she were in his position. But it still hurt not seeing or hearing from him. And a day didn't pass where she wasn't worried for his safety.

Wherever you are.

"You're thinking about him again, aren't you?" Vision asked as he remained by the window. In the time they'd been together they'd grown quite perceptive of each other.

Wanda stretched and got out of bed, her bare feet sinking into the thick carpet as she walked to the window. "I can't help it. I miss him and I worry."

Vision gathered Wanda in his arms and held her against his chest. "I do too, Wanda." Before he could say anything else, a terrible sensation passed through him. He raised a hand to his forehead and shut his eyes.

"It's the Stone again, isn't it?" Wanda asked. The Mind Stone, which gave Vision life and now rested on his forehead, hidden by his human illusion, had been acting up more frequently.

"It's as if it's trying to speak to me," he sighed. "Trying to...warn me."

"What does it say?" Wanda asked.

"I don't know. I wish I did."

Wanda slowly raised her fingertips to the stone, her power coursing from them and dancing around the Stone in a red aura. Her powers had grown since first appearing, extending beyond telekinesis and mental manipulation. But the Mind Stone had been the apparent source of these powers. She was connected to it. She could feel it if she wanted. But as she attempted to translate what the Mind Stone was saying, she was met with confusion.

"Tell me what you feel," Vision implored as he held Wanda's hand.

Wanda looked from the Mind Stone to Vision and attempted to hide her concern. "I just feel you," she answered softly.

Later, Wanda and Vision strolled along the quiet little streets of the village, hand in hand. The streets were quiet, as most had gone to bed long ago. They walked along the cobblestones, both of them dressed in warm coats.

"There's a 10 AM to Glasgow to give us more time together before you went back," she explained.

Vision smiled. "What if I miss that train?"

Wanda shrugged. "Well, there is an 11."

Vision shook his head and stepped closer, clasping her hands in his. "What if I missed all the trains? What if this time, I didn't go back?"

It sounded too good to be true for Wanda. "You gave Stark your word."

Vision kissed her knuckles and stared at her intently. "I'd rather give it to you."

"There are people who are expecting me too, you know," Wanda explained. "We both made promises."

"But not to each other," Vision explained. "Wanda, for two years we've stolen these moments, trying to see if this could work. And I think..."

"It works," Wanda finished.

Vision smiled. "Then stay. Stay with me, Wanda. My heart is begging you."

Wanda felt a dizzy sensation from the raw honesty in his voice and face. Her heart was begging too. But the televisions in the window behind them drew her attention away. Her expression prompted Vision to turn around and they watched together as news coverage of an invasion in New York was being played, along with one very distressing message.

Tony Stark had disappeared in the invasion.

Wanda stared at the three horrific alien beings as they assaulted New York. She spied the figures of Iron Man and the Four. Her pulse quickened when she saw Dean as well and a sigh of relief escaped her. "What are those aliens?" she asked.

Vision's eyes widened. "What the Stone warmed me about. I believe I have to go."

Wanda turned around. "No, Vision. If...if that's true then maybe going isn't the best idea. If they're after the Stone."

Vision was about to protest when a spear suddenly ripped through his back, stabbing through his chest. He screamed in agony as he was lifted off of the ground and Wanda's eyes took in the sight of a pale, armored alien.

"For Thanos!" the gaunt creature screamed, his sharp, angular features illuminated from beneath his black hood by the streetlights.

Wanda wasted no time in raising her hands to fight. Red energy snaked through her fingertips as she conjured a bolt of power. She took aim and fired but a sudden burst of energy struck her in the back and the shot went wild, blasting chunks of cobblestones instead before she was sent careening into a store window across the street.

"Help me, Proxima," Corvus Glaive asked as he threw Vision to the ground. His human disguise had faded when the blade penetrated him and he was now his usual red, green and gold self. Corvuse Glaive slammed his spear into the Mind Stone, attempting to forcibly prying it loose.

Wanda shook off the pain from crashing through the window and stood to watch as the two spear-wielding aliens held Vision down. Fury filled her immediately and she raised her hands. This time there was nothing to stop her as she hurled two bolts of power across the street and into the aliens. They were blasted away from Vision and she immediately encircled him in her power, levitating him off of the street and through the air as she flew upward in pursuit. They soared over rooftops and Wanda dropped down ahead of Vision. She landed in a forward roll before swiftly spinning around and catching Vision once more before pulling him toward her and into a concealed alleyway.

"The blade. It stopped me from phasing," Vision grunted while Wanda used her power to repair the wound.

"How is that possible?" she asked with concern.

"It isn't supposed to be," Vision replied in a voice that sounded distorted. "My systems are failing, Wanda. I'm beginning to think we should have stayed in bed."

Wanda raised a hand to Vision's mouth to silence him as one of their pursuers landed on the rooftop nearby with a thunk. Vision motioned for her to move behind one of the columns of the walkway while he moved to another.

Corvus Glaive stood on the rooftop and began to pound the blunt end of his spear into the concrete, sending out an echoing boom with every strike. The constant, terrible sound filled the empty space. Wanda stood against the wall, her breath slowly relaxing as she looked over at Vision. He smiled at her, but it was a forced one.

Then a strange glowing light erupted just beyond their hiding space as Proxima Midnight's spear lit up. The sharp tips glowed with power and she began to slowly patrol the area, her light showing her the dark corners. A smile covered her frightful blue face and her red eyes gleamed beneath the horned protrusions above them. They would find the Stone-bearer and his woman. Both would die and Thanos would have what was his.

Wanda shut her eyes and tried to think of all of the training she'd had since becoming an Avenger. Powers alone wouldn't always help her. Natasha and Dean had been right about that. During her time as a fugitive on the run, she'd received additional training from Natasha about hiding and fading into crowds. How to remain under the radar. But would those abilities help her now?

The awful thudding noise continued like some sort of pealing bell and the light moved along, casting shadows as it drew closer to their hiding space. Then it stopped moving, painting the wall just across from Wanda's hiding place in its blue-white light.

The thudding stopped.

Wanda looked over at Vision just as Corvus Glaive shot through the dark corridor and slammed into him, carrying him up into the sky before smashing him against the side of a large cathedral. Wanda moved from her hiding place at that point, intent on pursuing.

"Got you," Proxima Midnight whispered with a smirk before charging forward and bashing her spear in Wanda's position.

Wanda hastily ducked and the spear cracked the wall just behind her before the alien began to move the weapon with deadly speed and accuracy. Each time the sharp blade moved to strike Wanda, the enhanced hero would conjure fields of energy to deflect it from her. The two women moved in a fatal dance out of the alley and into the bit opening nearby.

"You can't protect him from us," Proxima Midnight threatened.

Wanda clenched her jaw in determination and continued to fight back. If she could keep just one of them occupied then maybe Vision could stand some sort of a chance.

But Vision was in grave danger. Despite his strength and powers, he was well and truly helpless after the devastating attack he'd sustained. Corvus Glaive had chosen his target well.

"Give up the Stone and she lives," the cruel alien said as he shoved Vision into the side of the Cathedral's bell tower.

Proxima Midnight grew tired of Wanda's deflection and moved back, firing another blast of energy from the spear's tip. Wanda moved to deflect it but the force threw her across the ground. She landed on her back as Proxima Midnight sailed through the air and attempted to drive the spear into Wanda's head. She raised her hands and captured the weapon in a grip of energy, preventing it from harming her.

Corvus Glaive's cruel assault knocked Vision back against the wall where he immediately unleashed the power of the Mind Stone. A beam of power shot out from its surface but Corvus Glaive raised his weapon to deflect it. The beam refracted, sending out several smaller streams of energy. One of those streams cut through the ground near Wanda and Proxima Midnight.

That was when she heard Vision's pained screams echoing from the cathedral.

That was when she became angry.

Proxima Midnight lunged forward and Wanda snared the weapon once more in a field of energy. She looked up at the cathedral, watching as Corvus attacked again. She then glared at Proxima Midnight and allowed desperation to give her strength. She bent backwards, using her powers to toss Proxima Midnight overhead and into a nearby car. The vehicle exploded upon impact and Wanda was airborne once more.

Vision stared into Corvus Glaive's terrifying and unfeeling eyes as he once again tried to dig the Stone from his head. But then a red light glowed in the alien's eyes and Vision knew Wanda was near.

"Hands off," she commanded as she threw two blasts in their direction. The assault struck Corvus Glaive, throwing him through the wall of the bell tower and directly into the bell itself, which rang loudly from the impact.

Wanda pulled Vision to her and flew off of the cathedral just as Proxima Midnight was recovering from being thrown into the car. She took aim with her spear, blasting both of them out of the sky. They fell through the ceiling of the nearby train station and slid across the concret until they collided with a nearby rail.

Forcing the pain aside, Wanda crawled hurriedly over to Vision. "Come on. Come on. Come on, you gotta get up. You gotta get up. Come on. Hey. Hey. We have to go."

Vision shook his head. "Please, Wanda. You'll die if you try to stay with me. Please leave."

Wanda pulled his hand to her mouth and kissed it. She gripped it right and shook her head. "You we're right earlier: we made promises to others but not each other. This is my promise to you: you asked me to stay. I'm staying."

Vision shook his head and true fear burned in his eyes. "Please, Wanda. They'll kill you to get to me."

At that moment both Proxima Midnight and Corvus Glaive burst through the ceiling and stood several feet away from Wanda and Vision. They raised their spears, ready for further combat.

"They'll have to," Wanda spoke in a menacing tone as she turned to face them.

"You should listen to the Stone-Keeper, witch," Corvus Glaive said as he and Proxima Midnight inched closer.

Red orbs of energy blossomed from Wanda's palms and she met both adversaries with a harsh glare. "Touch him again and you'll see what a witch I can be," she threatened.

The steel in her voice gave both of them pause. They looked to each other and shared a little smile before moving in. A train sped passed them and the displacement of air sent Wanda's hair fluttering.

If I have to die at least it'll be defending someone I love.

But then the two aliens stopped. Wanda noticed an expression on Proxima Midnight's face. Irritation. She raised her spear and threw it behind Wanda, who followed it with her eyes in time to watch a figure hidden in shadow capture it with one hand.

Is that...?

Steve Rogers stepped out of the darkness with the spear in hand. He'd grown his hair longer and a thick beard lent him a rougher, less clean-cut image than most were accustomed to seeing. And on his face was a scowl that should have sent the two spear bearers running.

Wanda and Vision looked at Steve and smiled. Then Sam appeared suddenly, his wings propelling him across the train tracks and toward the aliens. He extended his legs and used his momentum to deliver a forceful kick to Proxima Midnight. It threw her across the train station and sent her crashing through a nearby window. Then, with intense aerial dexterity, he circled around and launched several short-range missiles in Corvus Glaive's direction.

Corvus Glaive successfully deflected them but with his focus on this, he never saw Natasha coming. Steve hurled the spear in Corvus Glaive's direction and it flew passed him and into the ready hands of Natasha. She brandished the spear and slid across the ground on her knees as Corvus Glaive spun around to face her. She blocked his attack, then went for blood. The spear stabbed into his gut and gave it a frightful twist, eliciting a gasp of pain from him. Then she sprang up to her feet and spun mid-air, her extended leg kicking him and throwing him to the ground. She maintained her grip on the spear until a strange force wrested it from her hands.

"You'll die for that!" Proxima Midnight screamed as she leaned across the train station. Her spear returned to her grasp and she aimed to skewer Natasha where she stood.

Steve moved in faster than the alien anticipated and rolled over Corvus Glaive's spear. He popped up between Proxima and Natasha and used the spear to deflect her attack. Outnumbered but the force of Steve and Natasha, Proxima Midnight soon met Sam, who flew in and kicked her hard in the chest, throwing her to the ground beside Corvus Glaive.

"Get up," Proxima Midnight commanded. She was out of breath and clung to her husband as the three newcomers moved in. Wanda hovered nearby with Vision holding onto her for support.

"I can't!" He cried out as the agony of his wound crippled him as badly as he'd crippled Vision.

Karma, Wanda thought as she smirked at him. Her eyes flashed red when he looked at her.

"We don't want to kill you," Natasha said in a cool voice. "But we will."

Proxima Midnight locked eyes with her, burning the image of her mate's attacker into her mind. "You'll never get the chance again!"

A blue column of light shot down on the aliens and pulled them up and away from the train station and into a circular ship that had floated down from above. The spear Steve held quickly snapped from his hand and flew up into the ship with its owner.

Vision accepted help from both Wanda and Sam. He looked to Steve have a pained smile. "Thank you, Captain."

Steve laid a hand on the synthezoid's shoulder and smiled. "Of course. I wouldn't think twice about stepping in. Let's get you into the jet."

The quinjet was a welcome sight for the group. Wanda sat down and held Vision close as Natasha slowly shifted her focus from the closing ramp to her.

"I thought we had a deal. Stay close, check in. Don't take any chances," Natasha said in a scolding voice.

"I'm sorry," Wanda sighed. "We just wanted time." She turned to Steve. "We saw the news. Tony is gone. What about and Dean..."

"Dean is safe. He, Bruce, Sue, Ben and Johnny are at the compound," Steve assured her. "That's where we're going."

Natasha moved up alongside Sam and they shared a tense look.

"This isn't good," Sam whispered.

"No," Natasha murmured. "It's not."

"Everything we've been worried about with those Stones. It's happening now."

"So it would seem."

"How do you feel about seeing Bruce again?"

Natasha sighed and gave him a tight smile. "I'll tell you when I figure that one out."

Chapter 11: Going Knowhere

Chapter Text

Gamora stood in silence and reflected on everything Thor had said - that Thanos had two of the Stones and was now seeking more. His words tugged loose the memories she wished would stay buried. Thanos was many things- a conqueror, a murderer, and a warlord. But he was also a father to her.

Gamora shook her head and smiled bitterly as she remembered the day she met him. Her planet was just one in a long line of Thanos's conquests. Zen-Whoberi was like many planets- overflowing with too many mouths to feed and not enough resources to do it. But Gamora was a child then and knew only a full belly, a warm bed, and the love of family. She never knew the sacrifices they'd endured so that she could thrive. That, she knew, was the burden of parenthood- to take all of the pain, all of the consequences, so that the children didn't have to. Children grew up oblivious to this much of the time. They take it for granted. They reap the benefits of their parents' sacrifices without ever seeing their pain. Gamora had certainly been that way in her youth.

Never again, she thought as she stared into the distance. She would never allow herself to forget how her family had been a shield for her. A shield until the bitter end.

She could still remember the day Thanos and his children arrived on her planet. He'd sent his army to round up everyone. Any who protested or fought back were killed immediately. The survivors were then met with the cruel choice.

"Zehobereians," Ebony Maw had greeted them on that day.

Gamora shut her eyes and could still see it, still hear his awful voice. She hated Ebony Maw, especially when he spoke. Though she hated all of them.

"...Choose a side, or die," Ebony Maw had said as he pointed to one side of the massive courtyard and then the other. "One side is a revelation. The other, an honor known only to a few."

Gamora hadn't understood the words then. To be honest, she'd barely paid attention to them anyway. In her childish fear of the terrifying child of Thanos, she'd sought out the presence of her mother. Every child wants their mother when they are afraid.

But it wasn't her mother who greeted her as she cried out for her.

"What's wrong, little one?" a deep and measured voice had spoken from nearby.

Gamora had spun around to see the tall and imposing figure of a Thanos. Clad in full armor, he'd looked upon her with fatherly admiration.

"My mother," Gamora had said. "Where is my mother."

Thanos ignored her question and knelt in front of her. "What's your name?"

"Gamora."

Thanos smiled. "You're quite the fighter, Gamora. Come. Let me help you."

She remembered being afraid, too afraid to go against the will of this being. She'd taken his offered hand, wrapping her little hand around one of his large fingers before being gently led away from the courtyard and toward a pavilion. He crouched next to her and pulled out a small dagger with a jeweled handle. He pressed a button and blades popped out from both ends.

"Look. Pretty, isn't it? Perfectly balanced. As all things should be. Too much to one side, or the other..."

Gamora had watched as he purposely shifted the daggers weight so that one end started to fall over.

"Here, you try it," he spoke warmly.

Gamora had allowed herself to be distracted by the dagger as Ebony Maw gave the order for half of her people to be slaughtered behind her. The gunfire and screams had momentarily pulled at her focus, but Thanos was ready. He moved so that his large body was blocking her view of the massacre.

"Uh-uh," he said in a gentle voice. "Concentrate.

She restrained the emotions that were welling up inside of her at these memories as she retrieved that same dagger from its sheath and gazed upon it.

Peter watched her from across the room and knew that she was in too deep a thought process to notice him. Although he was outwardly brash and seemed to take nothing seriously, Peter knew that this was his armor. It protected him from pain. And as he watched the tragic look on Gamora's face, he felt that pain.

"Gamora," he said as he walked slowly toward her.

Gamora shook her head and smiled as she turned to face him. "Peter, if I ask you for a favor will you...will you do it?"

Peter put his arms around her and stared into her eyes, searching them. "Of course. Whatever you need."

Gamora smiled. "One way or another, we're going to face Thanos. We can't avoid it now."

Peter reached down and patted his side pack. "That's what these grenades are for."

Gamora gently placed a hand over his mouth. "Peter, if things go wrong and Thanos gets me. Peter, I need you to promise that you'll kill me."

Peter's expression turned from concern to total shock. "What? Gamora, no. I could...I could never do that to you." He backed away from her and felt a wave of emotion rising up. "Gamora, how could you even ask me to do something like that to you?"

Gamora shook her head as her eyes began to flood with tears. "I know this is a painful thing to say. I know that it...it reminds you of..."

"Of how my dad killed my mom? Yeah, it sort of does. Circ*mstances are different but it sort of does, Gamora."

"Peter, I wouldn't ask you if I didn't think it was necessary."

Peter met her gaze with a steely one and shook his head. "No. No. I won't do it. Ask another favor. Ask any favor but that. Okay?"

Gamora gasped as her tears started to spill. "Peter, I know something that he doesn't, okay? No one else in the universe knows what I know. And he can't find out. He can't. Because if he does the entire universe will be a risk."

"Gamora...what do you know?"

Gamora shook her head. "No, I can't tell you. If I did then you'd know it too. And then your life would be in jeopardy."

Peter rolled his eyes in frustration. "Why does every single scenario have to involve death, Gamora?"

"Because life isn't fair!" Gamora fired back. She sighed and softened her voice when she saw the pain in Peter's eyes. "Listen. I need you to please trust me and...possibly kill me, okay?"

"Gamora..."

"Swear to me," Gamora said in a determined tone. "Swear to me on your mother."

Peter felt a catch in his throat at these words. She was serious and he knew it. "Oh, Gamora," he whispered as he pulled her into a tight hug. "I would do anything for you. You know that."

Gamora held Peter close against her. "I'm counting on it," she whispered.

Knowhere, a massive, skull-shaped structure, floated in the midst of space. The Benatar flew into one of the large eye-holes and into a wide cavern. The crew eyed their surroundings with varying degrees of emotion. Gamora had been very quiet during the trip. Every time Peter looked at her and thought to say something he couldn't find words that would sound right. So he'd simply reached for her hand, holding it tight.

"This place looks deserted," he said.

Drax checked the console before him and shook his head. "Not abandoned. There's movement in the third quadrant."

Peter set the ship down in that area and the crew disembarked. Peter, Gamora and Drax knew from previous ventures that they were nearing the Collector's collection room. The place, usually fairly cluttered, was now a complete wreck. The Guardians crept along,m as the distant sounds of a struggle. They hid along the way, listening as the distant voices became more audible.

Gamora's nerves twisted at the sound of Thanos's voice.

"Where is it, Collector?" He asked.

"I don't have it," the Collector gasped.

Thanos had him on his back, his boot pressed against his chest. "Everyone in the Galaxy knows you'd sell your own brother if you thought it would add the slightest trinket to your pathetic collection."

Peter looked at Gamora, noting the growing distress on her face.

"I know you have the Reality Stone, Tivan," Thanos continued. "Giving it to me will spare you a great deal of suffering. You know how I can be when I'm angry."

The Collector gasped and strained under Thanos's heavy boot. "I told you. I sold it. Why would I lie to you? Why would I do something like that?"

Thanos smiled. "Oh, I imagine it's like breathing for you. Don't you think?"

"It would be like suicide!" The Collector cried out.

Thanos smiled and shook his head. "It seems you do understand then. I'm sure not even you would surrender something so precious. And the Reality Stone is, indeed, precious."

The Collector smiled apologetically and shrugged. "I didn't know what it was. I'm just a fool, you know? You probably know how stupid I can be. So stupid!"

"Oh, I knew you were a fool, Tivan. If you don't tell me what I want to know I'll stomp a hole through your chest. This will be your last chance." He leaned in close. "Where. Is. The. Stone?"

Peter looked over at Drax, noticing the intense anger on his face as he reached for his swords. Peter understood his rage. This was the being who'd orchestrated his family's death.

"Drax," Peter whispered.

"Today he pays for the deaths of my wife and daughter," Drax growled beneath his breath.

Peter could see that Drax wasn't in a listening mood. Revenge was his only concern now. He looked to Mantis and tilted his head at her.

Mantis nodded and quickly approached Drax. She placed a hand on his head, commanding him to sleep.

"Catch him!" Gamora hissed.

It was too late. Drax fell with a resounding crash that echoed throughout the corridor. Thanos looked up from the Collector's frightened face to scan to area. The Guardians had hidden behind various pieces of cover in time. Thanos sighed and grabbed the Collector by his collar. He tossed him into a collecting case and slammed the door shut, locking him in before turning to investigate the disturbance.

Peter turned to his remaining crew to give orders but Gamora wasn't listening. Her sword was drawn and her entire focus was on moving forward to ambush Thanos. As Peter watched her move, he felt as if he were in a dream. That frustrating sensation of being unable to react in time took him as Gamora moved to a stack of boxes. Then, after taking a very deep breath, she leaned over the boxes and swung her sword at Thanos. Alarmed, Thanos moved to defend himself. He ducked the attack and reached for the blade, snapping Gamora's sword snapped in half. Unbothered, Gamora adapted as if this had been part of the plan all along. She lunged forward and dug the shard into Thanos's neck, forcing it in before yanking it free.

"Little one..." Thanos gasped as he looked down into Gamora's face.

Without taking a breath, she withdrew the same dagger Thanos had once given her. She popped the blades out and drove the weapon into his chest, twisting it with finality before withdrawing it. A splash of purple blood shot out from both of his wounds.

"Why?" Thanos gasped as he fell to the floor. "Why you?"

Gamora began to sob despite knowing she'd done what was right. Evil though he was, Thanos had been her father. On some level she'd loved him. She knew she'd spend the rest of her life trying to understand how and why.

"You know why," she said through her tears as she took a knee before him. "You know why it had to be done. Because you're genocidal quest has to stop! And if it had to be by my hand... then so be it!"

"Loved...you..." Thanos muttered before the life left him.

Gamora fell to both knees. "I loved you too," she sobbed.

Silence followed. Peter stood nearby, uncertain of how to proceed. He knew she needed this moment and he should let it breathe, but he wanted to scoop her up into his arms and carry her far away from this place. Before he could move, the Collector began to manically clap.

"Magnificent! Magnificent! Magnificent!" the Collector shouted.

Then Thanos's voice cut through his, filling the entire area as if he were everywhere all at once. "Sadness. Is that what I sense in you, daughter? It warms me to see it. In my heart, I knew you still cared."

Gamora stood and watched as the entire room around them began to slowly fade. Fire and destruction had ravaged Knowhere and the Guardians had been none the wiser.

He has the Reality Stone, Gamora thought as Thanos suddenly appeared before her

"One never knows for sure, though. Reality is often so disappointing, isn't it?" He paused and smiled down at her. "That is, it was."

Gamora stared at his gauntlet and her thoughts were confirmed- the Reality Stone glowed red among the Space and Power Stones.

"Now reality can be whatever I want," Thanos said as he drew closer, never taking his eyes off of her.

"You knew I would come," Gamora spoke vacantly. "You knew. And you waited."

"I counted on you being here. There's something we need to discuss, little one."

Gamora locked eyes with him, knowing very well what it was he was speaking of. He knew, or at least suspected, that she had vital knowledge for him. But no, this couldn't happen. She knew what she had to do. Her death would save trillions. The math was simple for her, and if her death could do that, she would welcome it. She reached for her broken sword, aiming to lunge it into her chest when Thanos immediately grabbed her by the back of the neck, disarming her and holding her in place.

At this point, the others had converged. Drax, now conscious once more, was the first to attempt to attack Thanos. Mantis, too, had begun to inch closer. Thanos closed his fist and the Reality Stone pulsed. Both Guardians, under the power of the Stone, were unmade. Drax tumbled to the ground in cubed pieces and Mantis's body took on the appearance of coiled ribbons as it fell to the ground as well.

Peter was the only one left standing. He knew his chances were slim, but with Gamora in Thanos's clutches, he saw no other option but to stand and fight. He pointed his blaster at the giant. "Let her go, Grimace!"

Gamora looked at him with pleading eyes. "Peter."

Thanos looked at Peter and smiled condescendingly. "The boyfriend?"

"I like to think of myself more as a Titan-killing long-term booty call. Let her go before I blow that nut sack of a chin off of your face."

Gamora shook her head. "No, Peter. Not him. Remember what we talked about."

Peter looked at Gamora and she could see the fear in his eyes. "No. Gamora."

"You promised me!" she screamed.

Thanos sighed. "Daughter, you expect too much from him." He looked at Peter and a hardness entered his gaze. "She's asked you. Do it." When Peter didn't fire, he shoved Gamora closer to him. "There. No chance of missing when she's this close, eh? Now do it!"

Gamora ignored the presence of the one she hated most of all, instead giving all of her attention to the man she loved most of all. "I love you, more than anything," she peldged.

Peter blinked back his tears and took aim. "I love you, too," he whimpered before squeezing the trigger.

An innocent stream of bubble poured from the blaster, floating up into the air and popping around them. Peter stared at the gun in disbelief. Gamora shut her eyes and looked down.

"Peter was it?" Thanos asked. "I like you," he said in a sincere voice as the Space Stone began to glow on his gauntlet. Then, like all of the hope that had once been, Thanos and Gamora disappeared.

Chapter 12: Home

Chapter Text

With Reed, Peter, Strange and Tony now out of pocket, the others were hastily led by Sue, Johnny and Ben to the jet that the Fantastic Four had been using. Though it was based on a similar design to the Avengers' quinjet, it had a more compact body.

"Sorry it's not as roomy as your jet," Johnny apologized. "It's kind of a prototype."

"The coordinates for Avengers Compound are programmed in," Ben explained as he took the controls. "Should be there in no time."

Bruce settled into his chair and looked down at his hands. Dean could sense the guilt and powerlessness coming off of him. He reached over a placed a comforting hand on his forearm.

"Really messed things up, didn't I? Or I guess the Hulk did."

Dean shook his head and gave Bruce's arm a gentle squeeze. "You didn't mess anything up, Bruce."

"If I'd been able to turn we might have stopped them."

"We can't know that. And torturing ourselves with what if's isn't productive right now. We have to focus on what's ahead of us."

"They're lost out there in space, dealing with who the hell knows what," Bruce argued. "I can't help but feel like it's on me."

"Don't do that, Bruce. If it's on you then it's on all of us. We were all there," Dean rationalized. "But listen to me- Reed, Tony, Strange and Peter are four of the most brilliant minds the world has ever known. I think they can handle themselves. I know they can."

"You sound so sure," Bruce sighed.

"I have to be," Dean replied.

Bruce's expression softened. "Look, I'm really sorry about earlier. What I said about Thor being gone."

"It's okay. I just can't let go of my hope."

"Maybe hope is what we need right now, though. With everything that's happening. I'm not opposed to a little hope."

"Well I only have a little," Dean admitted.

Bruce rubbed his hands together and looked out the nearby window. "Thor is strong, Dean. You know that. And he loves you. When we were on Sakaar and the Grandmaster announced your public execution, you should have seen how determined Thor was to find you. He'd move heaven and earth for you."

Dean suddenly found himself wanting a change of subject. "Are you nervous about seeing Natasha again?"

"On a scale of chill to blowing her top, how pissed is she with me?"

Dean laughed at Bruce's word choice. "Honestly, I think once she understands what's happened she'll be fine."

"I'll take your word for it," Bruce sighed. "Now, about all this power you've suddenly got. What's up with that? I never got a full explanation."

Dean went into detail about his lineage, the powers he had, and the Uranus-based home world his people came from. The entire time he spoke, Bruce regarded him with increasing awe.

"An entire race of super-powered humans live on Uranus?" he gasped. "Every time I think I know enough, I learn more."

Ben announced that they'd arrived and he swiftly landed the jet in the hangar. "Thank you for flying Fantastic Air," he said in a playful voice. "We hope you had a pleasant flight. Please fly with us again."

Sue playfully shoved his shoulder, grateful for his attempt to inject some humor into the situation.

"He's going to be okay, Susie. Reed's brilliant. And it's like Dean-o said, all those big heads in one place? Ebony Maw doesn't stand a chance."

Sue shrugged her shoulders and looked over at Dean. "I think you and I are feeling a lot of the same things right now."

Dean put an arm around her and they walked down the ramp and toward the compound. "Both of our men lost in space," he sighed.

"You know, Reed's dream was space travel," Sue said with a little hint of a smile. "But both times he's gone into space it's been under the worst of conditions."

The compound was eerily quiet when Dean used his access code to faint entry. He was surprised his code still worked, but his surprise was quickly obliterated by the sound of a tinkling bell. Biscuit, his big orange cat, bounded down the stairs and ran for him. He jumped up into Dean's arms and nuzzled him.

"Biscuit, how you been?" Bruce asked as he reached out and gave his ears a scratch. Biscuit writhed about in Dean's arms, his purring loud enough that everyone else could hear it. Lockjaw eyed the cat with suspicion and kept his distance.

The group moved along the corridor and settled into the large media room where silence quickly settled in, giving everyone ample time to think. Something none of them particularly wanted to do at that point.

Dean stood by the window, watching and waiting for Natasha and the others to arrive. Having Vision and the Mind Stone safe with them would ease him some, though not completely. He looked up at the violent swirl of clouds and imagined Thor would come crashing down from them at any moment. Instead, a quinjet descended.

"They're here," Bruce announced as he stood up and moved toward the doors.

It was at that moment when a call came through. Dean and Bruce stared at each other for a few seconds before Dean answered. A holographic image of Secretary Ross appeared. His expression was at first bored. But when he spotted Dean, he became immediately angry.

"So, the criminal has returned home instead?" He asked.

"What are you talking about?" Bruce asked. "And who are you?"

Ross looked from Dean to Bruce and smiled. "You missed a few things, it seems," he spoke in a brisk manner. "Let me give you the highlights- you're standing in a room with three wanted criminals. Dean, Sue and Ben ignored the will of the people and chose to openly defy the Sokovia Accords, a piece of legislation designed to keep the public safe."

"We're not getting into this right now," Dean cut him off. "There's something more important going on."

"Yes," Ross said. "Which is why I called in the first place. Where is Vision?"

Dean matched his ferocity. "He's on his way back to us right now."

"Yes. On a stolen quinjet with four wanted criminals."

"I don't think any of that matters right now," Johnny explained as he stepped forward.

"Your words don't amount to sh*t," Ross said in a dismissive voice. "Ever since you and Richards jumped ship you've become wanted men too. So much for the great American heroes. You people should be ashamed of yourselves."

"Ross, we're in the middle of handling a crisis right now," Dean spoke impatiently. "We don't have time for any of this."

"Oh, I've got all the time in the world for this, Lumen," Ross said in a haughty voice. "And I've got a Shadow Box with your name on it."

Dean met Ross's gaze evenly. "And I've got a photokinetic blast that says you can f*ck all the way off."

At that moment, Steve, Natasha, Sam, Wanda and Vision stepped into the room.

"Mr. Secretary," Steve coldly greeted him.

Ross smiled irritably. "You've got a lot of nerve, you know that?"

Natasha moved up beside Steve. "I think you could use some of that right about now."

Ross rolled his eyes. "Right. I guess you think you can just waltz back into the hero life because the world's on fire? You think all is forgiven?"

Steve raised a hand, cutting him off. "Listen, I'm not looking for anyone's forgiveness. And I'm way past asking for anyone's permission. You know as well as I do that Tony is gone. I don't know where, but I know one of earth's best defenders isn't here. So we're here to fight. And if you want to get in our way," he said as he looked around at the gathered heroes as they stood with him. "Then we'll fight you too."

Ross was dumbfounded. His eyes swept across the room in search of allies. Vision stood with Wanda and Sam holding onto him.

"Vision," Ross grunted. "I'd ask you to arrest them, but..."

"But I have no intention of doing so," Vision answered. "And you would do well to heed Captain Rogers' words, Secretary. Because a force that none of you can handle is coming. Like it or not, you need us."

Ross looked at each person in the room. "I could just as easily put in a call to Alpha Flight and have them step in. I'm not sure if you've been keeping up with current events, but they've been doing just fine in the absence of the Avengers, operating as a government-sanctioned team."

"Alpha Flight?" Bruce whispered.

"Off-brand Avengers," Sam whispered back. "They filled the void when we broke up."

"Then send them on," Natasha challenged. "We could use some help."

Ross became flustered. "Because Alpha Flight is...off-world."

"Off-world?" Dean asked. "Is that your way of saying you don't know where they are?"

Ross scowled. "They're investigating a supernatural threat. That's all I'm at liberty to speak on."

Steve nodded. "Then I guess you should stay out of our way and try not to piss us off while we handle things."

"Just know that this doesn't change anything," Ross fumed before disconnecting.

Sam looked over at Dean and smiled. "Did you tell Ross to f*ck off?"

Dean cleared the distance and stood in front of Sam, Vision and Wanda and nodded. "I sure did."

"What happened to you?" Wanda asked as she took in the torn state of Dean's uniform and the bandaged wounds.

"Oh, I don't think we have nearly enough time for that story," Dean said as he hugged Wanda close. He gently touched the cut on Wanda's forehead. "Besides, I think we all look a little worse for the wear."

"No kidding," Natasha agreed. She walked over to Dean and hugged him tight as well. "When we get a chance you'll have to tell me about these battle scars of yours.

"Well," Bruce said in a nervous voice as he walked out from behind the others. "I think you look great." He smiled as the newcomers regarded him with surprise. "Yup. I'm back."

Natasha stared at him as she tried to decide how she felt. "Hi, Bruce," she said in a neutral voice."

"Well, you don't sound like you want to kill me so that's good," Bruce said.

Natasha smiled faintly. "I haven't made up my mind yet."

Sam leaned into Dean. "This is awkward," he whispered.

Natasha looked away from Bruce and smiled at Dean. "So, did you find Thor?"

Dean quickly recounted the pertinent details. When he'd finished his story, Wanda had taken hold of one of his hands. Tears were falling from his eyes. He smiled at everyone and accepted the tissues Steve brought to him. "I'm fine. It's fine. Thor is alive. He's fine. Let's just talk strategy, okay?"

The ten of them gathered around the table and caught each other up on everything else that had transpired. Lockjaw stood at attention nearby and did his best to try and ignore Biscuit as he walked back and forth and rubbed his face against him.

"They'll be back," Sam said. "I think that's obvious enough. We've got what they want."

"And they can find us," Wanda added. "Vis and I were so careful in keeping a low profile and they still found us."

"Same in New York," Johnny said. "They knew exactly where to show up."

"And in space," Dean added.

Bruce shook his head. "Then we need all hands on deck. Everyone." He looked around. "Where's Clint?"

Natasha cleared her throat. "After we got everyone out of the Raft, he and Scott took a deal. Being on the run would have been too tough on their families. They're on house arrest now."

Bruce tilted his head. "Scott?"

"Ant-Man," Steve said.

Bruce shook his head. "Right. A Spider-Man and an Ant-Man? Anyone else we're missing?"

"Daredevil?" Dean asked.

"He's committed to Hell's Kitchen," Natasha said.

"Well, he needs to get committed to the rest of world while he's at it," Johnny fired off.

"And Alpha Flight is 'off-world'," Ben said. "Whatever the hell that means."

Bruce was about to ask who that was but decided he'd been assailed with enough details. "Okay, look- Thanos has the biggest army in the universe. And he is not gonna stop until he gets all of the Stones. Including Vision's."

Natasha shrugged. "Okay. Then we'll protect it," she said in a nonchalant voice.

Vision leaned forward and fixed her with his gaze. "We can't protect it. We have to destroy it." Wanda was about to protest and Vision lifted a hand. "Please, just listen to me. I've been giving this matter a lot of thought. This...this entity in my head. I've pondered it's nature but also, its composition. I think if it were exposed to a sufficiently powerful energy source, something very similar to its own signature, perhaps its molecular integrity could fail." He stopped speaking and looked directly to Wanda.

"Yes, and you with it," Wanda said in a terse voice. "No. I'm not even having that conversation. It's not even on the table. Next suggestion? Anyone?"

Vision took her hand in both of his. "Eliminating the Stone is the only way we can keep it out of Thanos's reach. He cannot have all of them, Wanda. Even if we can keep one out of his clutches we'll have done our job."

"Well I'm not killing you. I'll kill Thanos before I kill you."

"Thanos threatens half the life of this universe, Wanda. And one life cannot stand in the way of defeating him."

Steve cut in with a firm tone. "But it should. We don't trade lives, Vision."

Vision met Steve's eyes with his own unwavering gaze. "Captain, 70 years ago, you laid down your life to save how many millions of people. Tell me, why is this any different?"

"Because there could be a choice," Bruce said. "Listen, when Tony and I...created you...we knew that you were a very complex construct of overlays. Think about it. Within you there is J.A.R.V.I.S., Ultron, Tony, Me, and the Mind Stone. All of them converging within one being. All of them thriving together, learning from one another."

"You're saying that the Mind Stone isn't the only part of Vision?" Wanda asked.

Bruce shrugged his shoulders. "I'm saying that I believe taking the Mind Stone out won't kill Vision. I think there is more than enough of him left behind. Maybe even the very best parts of him."

Wanda reached for Vision's hand. "If that's true then we need to find some way to get it out of him. Then I can destroy it. And...no one else has to die."

"I like that plan," Natasha agreed. "But would we be able to do that?"

Bruce shook his head. "That sort of thing would require much more than just my expertise. And it definitely couldn't be done here."

Having remained standing for fear of breaking a chair, Ben shifted his weight and folded his arms across his chest. "Well we better find someone, somewhere. And fast. This Thanos guy doesn't sound like someone we want to mess with."

Steve smiled at the thought that crossed his mind. Wakanda. It made perfect sense. It was the most technologically advanced place on the planet. And it was where Bucky was. Steve had been receiving regular updates on Bucky's progress. Having been awakened from stasis, he'd been receiving heavy reprogramming courtesy of Princess Shuri. And, according to the last update, he was well on his way to a full recovery from Hydra's programming.

"Share with the class, Steve?" Sue asked.

"I know somewhere," he said.

Dean registered the shift in Steve's mood even before his expression changed. He simultaneously felt happy for him and miserable for himself. "I'm just going to step out for a minute," he said as he stood up and walked quickly toward the exit.

"Is he up for this?" Ben asked.

"I'm going to go and talk to him," Steve said as he moved to follow Dean. He looked over at Natasha. "Prep the quinjet. I want everyone ready to go in five."

Dean rested against the window that looked out over the central courtyard. As he stared out into the greenery, he took deep cleansing breaths. There had been too many emotions in the room. And he was far to vulnerable to shield himself like he would have wanted to.

"Is this a private party?" Steve asked from behind him.

"Its far from a party," Dean answered without turning around.

Steve stood beside him and put a hand on his shoulder. "The quinjet is getting prepped for takeoff." He paused and looked at Dean's profile, noting to sorrow. "You know...if you don't think you're up for this no one would pass judgement over you."

Dean chuckled and shook his head. "Oh, I'm up for it. Believe me, I would like to have the luxury of not being up for it. But that isn't how this works. I'm an Avenger."

"Everyone can see you're in pain right now."

Dean turned to face Steve. "Because I can feel all of the hurt and fear in that room. The way Wanda aches at the thought of Vision being in danger. Sue's concerns and fears about Reed. Bruce's feelings of inadequacy. Natasha's feelings about Bruce. Everyone's feelings about Thanos. I feel all of that on top of my own fears. Because as much as I want to believe it- as much as I do believe it- I can't help but feel scared for Thor." Dean's bottom lip began to quiver and he hugged himself tightly to try to restrain the outburst that was coming.

Without a word, Steve pulled Dean into a hug. "It's okay, Dean. You aren't alone. You know that. I know the circ*mstances aren't the same, but I know what it's like to be apart from the one you love. To worry about him. Not a minute goes by where he's not in your thoughts. "

Dean looked into Steve's eyes and knew without even needing his power that he understood. "I can't lose him, Steve," he whispered in a broken but determined voice.

Steve held Dean's shoulders and stared into his eyes. "Dean, you know good and well that Thor Odinson is not surrendering. And you can't either. Now, I'm asking you- are you going with us to Wakanda?"

Dean straightened up. "Yes. I'm going."

Steve nodded appreciatively. "Good. Wheels up in five."

Chapter 13: The White Wolf

Chapter Text

King T'Challa received a message from Steve, who had quickly and succinctly presented the problem before him. Having grown close to Steve and the other Avengers since the aftermath of the Sokovia Accords, T'Challa did not hesitate to offer his services and those of Wakanda.

"We will do whatever we can to help," he promised as he looked up at Steve's face on the screen.

"We appreciate this, T'Challa," Steve said in a solemn voice.

T'Challa waved a hand. "Think nothing of it. Oh, and while I have you- Barnes is ready."

Steve's solemn expression cracked with emotion. "He...he is?"

T'Challa nodded and gave Steve an encouraging smile. "He is free of Hydra's influence. My sister has done very well with him."

"I owe all of you more than I can say," Steve confessed. "Wakanda just keeps coming through for us."

T'Challa shook his head. "Wakanda does the right thing. That is a reward in and of itself."

T'Challa ended the call and quickly sought out Okoye, the general of his armies and head of the Dora Milaje- his fearsome, all-female guards. Steve had told him that war was coming to Earth. If that were the case, and he knew he could trust Steve's word that it was, then Wakanda must be ready.

"You'll have the Kingsguard," Okoye reported as she walked alongside her king. "And the Dora Milaje have been alerted."

"What of the Border Tribe?" T'Challa asked. If Wakanda was to fight this battle, he wanted every available entity on hand.

"Those that are left have answered the call," Okoye confirmed.

T'Challa smiled tightly as they walked out of the palace and onto the stretch of land just beyond. "Send word to the Jabari as well. You know how much M'Baku likes a good fight. And this, for better and worse, will be a good one."

Okoye smiled. Once rivals, T'Challa and M'Baku had become friends, allowing for a more unified Wakanda. She then turned her attention to a modest hut in the distance. A man was standing among the grass. His long dark hair and traditional Wakandan attire flowed freely in the African breeze. He watched them as if he knew their purpose. It was as if he knew and had been waiting for it.

"What about this one?" Okoye asked, nodding to the distant man.

"This one may be tired of war, but the White Wolf has rested long enough." T'Challa spoke sorrowfully, for he knew the toll that war had taken on the man. But this was no time for such things. Not when such a terrible threat approached.

Bucky couldn't remember a time he'd felt better, aside from the stolen moments he and Steve would enjoy during their last days together in the war. Free of Hydra's jaw, he was finally himself again. Though the nightmares persisted and the guilt was a heavy burden that constantly weighed him down, he took solace in knowing that his mind and body were his again; no one could ever use them unless he allowed it. And he could change his mind if he wanted.

Shuri had given him a gift. All of Wakanda had given him a gift. He could never hope to repay it, he knew, but he would try his best. He'd spent his days helping wherever he could. He'd tend the land, play with the children who all seemed to adore him. Though, if they knew what he had done, they may not have felt that way about him. He smiled ruefully, knowing that recovery was still a very long distance away from him. Still, it felt good to help people again. To be Bucky again.

So when King T'Chall and General Okoye approached him, he didn't hesitate. Even though he knew from the grimness of their expressions what they would ask of him. He stood and watched them approach. When they were at their nearest, one of the Kingsguards brought forth a black case. He set it down on a nearby cart and pressed a button on the side, opening the lid. Inside, surrounded by thick black foam, was an arm forged from Vibranium- the precious and unbreakable metal of Wakanda.

Inside, surrounded by thick black foam, was an arm forged from Vibranium- the precious and unbreakable metal of Wakanda
Bucky looked down at the arm as T'Challa and Okoye approached him. He ran his hand up and down the metal and his heart began to race. Looking up at them, he met their gazes with an expression of sad willingness.

"Where's the fight?" Bucky asked.

"It is coming to us," T'Challa confirmed. "We would not ask this of you if we did not feel it were necessary."

Bucky shook his head. "I'd do anything to repay you and your people. And if I can help, I will."

"Steve Rogers and the Avengers are coming to Wakanda," Okoye told him.

A smile broke Bucky's consternation.

Steve.

He had been waiting for the day that would come when he would be himself entirely. Now that it was here, he'd wanted to contact Steve, tell him they could finally be together without the constant fear of Hydra's programming looming overhead. It seemed he wouldn't have to call him now.

"I'll be ready," Bucky said in a voice thick with emotion.

"What do you need?" Okoye asked as she helped outfit Bucky with his new arm. "Our armory is at your disposal."

Bucky clenched his jaw and twisted the new arm about, letting himself grow used to the added weight. "Guns. Knives."

"Then follow me," Okoye said as she turned and lead Bucky to the palace.

As he walked, he looked up into the sky and envisioned the quinjet flying over Wakanda. Despite everything that was soon to come, he knew that seeing Steve again would bring some measure of peace to his soul.

"You know, you could have contacted him anytime?" Okoye pointed out with a knowing smile.

Bucky shrugged his shoulders. "Yeah, I know," he admitted. "I just wanted to make sure that the Bucky who called him was the best-possible Bucky."

Okoye stopped short of the armory and laid a hand on his shoulder. "I believe that Steve would see you that way no matter what."

Bucky smiled and walked into the armory, his eyes immediately taking in the assortment of weaponry. As he selected an assault rifle and gathered ammunition, he let himself daydream about what would happen once everything was behind them.

Chapter 14: A Long Way From Home

Chapter Text

Ebony Maw spared a brief glimpse over his shoulder and smirked. Reed Richards was immobilized by the coolant. Which left only the recently-awakened Dr. Strange. He stalked toward him, stopping just a few feet away. Locking eyes with the sorcerer, he reached out with him mind, lifting up dozens of thin, sharp needles. They floated closer to Strange until each tip was just barely touching his body.

Strange looked about, taking notice of the transparent, glass-like structures as they hovered menacingly close to him. He looked back at Ebony Maw and conveyed no fear. This creature wouldn't break him. He wouldn't allow it. The Time Stone was too precious for that.

"I would like to tell you something, Stone-Keeper," Ebony Maw said as he clasped his hands behind his back and began to pace a short distance in front of Strange. "In all the time I've served Thanos, I've never failed him. I am, I would wager, the best of his children. And though he has never told me so, I know he feels this way too."

Strange ignored Ebony Maw's self-promotion, instead focusing on how he would endure the torture tools that surrounded him.

"If I were to reach our rendezvous on Titan with the Time Stone still attached to your vaguely irritating person, there would be judgement. I'm sure you understand my predicament. The concept isn't too complex for your human mind."

The needles closest to Strange's face slowly being to touch his cheekbone. Then with a terribly slow pace, it started to penetrate the skin, digging into him. The tool did not make an actual physical wound. Instead, the pain was purely psychic. The pain was exquisite.

"Now, I know this hurts you," Ebony Maw coldly spoke. "I know the pain is unbearable. And it will be even more unbearable should I proceed with this. I know you'd rather not feel that pain. So, I ask you now...give me the Stone."

Iron Man watched from a hidden alcove above, his helmet retracted. He looked at Strange and listened as Ebony Maw made his threats.

Good. He doesn't have the Stone. Yet.

Then his eyes took in the presence of Reed Richards. The man was frozen in place. Even from his vantage point, Iron Man could see that some sort of coolant had encased him. He quickly scanned the man from afar, noting that his vital signs were still intact. He could be saved from his situation with a quick application of heat. But that would have to wait until Ebony Maw had been dealt with.

A sudden presence snatched at Iron Man's attention. He spun around, taking aim with his palm when he saw that the presence he'd sensed was Strange's Cloak of Levitation. It had tapped him on the arm to gain his attention and now hovered close to him.

"You are a seriously loyal piece of outerwear, aren't you?" he whispered.

That was when a familiar, but dreaded voice spoke from above him. "Yeah, speaking of loyalty," Spider-Man said as he slowly descended via a strand of webbing. He silently dropped to his feet next to Iron Man and raised his hands. "I know what you're about to say. That I shouldn't be here. But listen to me. I was going to go back home. I really was. But it was such a long way down and I just thought about you on the way and I got stuck to the side of the ship."

Iron Man rolled his eyes. "You're right. You shouldn't be here."

"Listen, this suit is ridiculously intuitive. So if anything, it's kind of your fault that I'm here. Sir."

Iron Man shook his head. "This is my fault? My fault that you decided to stick around on the big circle of doom space ship? This is where I don't want you to be, Peter. This isn't Coney Island or field trip. It's a one-way ticket to...to something awful. Something I wanted to protect you from."

"I thought it through."

"No. There's no way in hell you thought this through. You could not have possibly done that."

Spider-Man's expression quickly shifted from defiance to something raw and emotional. "Listen, Mr. Stark. You can't be a friendly neighborhood Spider-Man if there's no neighborhood."

Iron Man shut his eyes. "I'm going to regret this," he whispered. "Okay. You see what's going on down there? What's your plan for that?"

Spider-Man looked at the scene below and bit his lip. "Have you ever seen this really old movie, Aliens?"

Iron Man narrowed his eyes. "Yes."

"Remember that scene in the end where the Alien Queen is chasing Newt and Ripley is in that suit and is all 'stay away from her you bitch', and the Alien Queen is all 'hisss'..."

Iron Man raised a hand. "Okay, I think I get what you're hinting at. Let's do this."

"The needles are painful, aren't they?" Ebony Maw asked as he watched Strange's pained expression. He was putting up a good fight. He was digging deep to try and resist the torment. But he would break. Ebony Maw was certain of that. "They were originally designed for microsurgery, you know?"

Strange suppressed the urge to chuckle. How fitting that the neurosurgeon should meet his end a the hands of surgical equipment.

"Any one of these needles," Ebony Maw said as the sound of something landing behind him suddenly grated on his nerves. He turned around to come face-to-face with Iron Man. "Any one of these could end your friend's life in an instant."

Iron Man aimed his repulsors at the alien. "Neat, but he's not really my friend. This is what you would consider a professional courtesy."

Ebony Maw lifted several large, solid metal objects into the air. They floated behind him, ready to be hefted at his enemy with a simple mental command. "You've saved nothing, you fool. Your powers are inconsequential to mine."

Iron Man smiled beneath his helmet. "Yeah, but the kids seen more movies."

Ebony Maw's confusion was interrupted when Iron Man fired a rocket at the side of the ship, blasting a hole through the surface. In an instant, the objects Ebony was levitating were ripped from the ship as it depressurized. Ebony Maw, himself, was torn from the ship interior, his spindly body sent careening into the cold grip of space. His spindly body was instantly deprived of oxygen and encased in ice, his last thoughts centered around his first and final failure.

The force yanked Dr. Strange loose of the needles, which had scattered. As his body shot toward the opening, the Cloak of Levitation did its part and quickly wrapped around his body before fighting against the pull and keeping him inside the ship interior. The attempt, thought valiant, was quickly thwarted when Strange was pulled from the Cloak's grasp.

"I got him!" Spider-Man called out as he swung in and shot a thick strand of webbing that gripped Strange and kept him inside. The webbing he was using to keep himself inside the ship while he saved Strange suddenly gave way and both of them went tumbling out of the hole. At the last possible second he grabbed the sides of the hole and four metallic spider legs emerged from his back, gripping the sides of the ship and giving him the leverage to pull himself and Strange back inside.

"What are those!?" Spider-Man asked as he and Strange fell into the ship.

Iron-Man promptly sealed the opening by spraying nanites onto it. He then looked over at Reed, who had been fixed into place by some of Spider-Man's webbing. He rushed over and carefully ran his palm up and down, emitting a stream of thermal energy that melted the coolant away.

Reed fell to his knees and took a deep breath. "I thought we were finished. Nice work," he complimented as Iron Man helped him up to his feet.

"We haven't officially met," Spider-Man pointed out as he offered his hand to the Cloak.

The Cloak ignored him and promptly flew toward Strange as he stood up. It settled onto his shoulders.

Reed and Iron Man approached the others and the four men stood together in front of the ship's controls.

"We have to turn this ship around," Strange decided.

"Yeah, now he wants to run," Iron Man said. "Great plan."

Strange didn't spare him a glance and focused on the ship controls. "No. I want to protect the Time Stone.

"And I want you to thank me now. Go ahead, I'm listening," Iron Man said.

Strange sighed in frustration. "For what? Nearly blasting me into space?"

Who just saved your magical ass? Me," Iron Man declared.

Strange folded his arms over his chest and looked Iron Man up and down. "How do you fit yoru head into that helmet?"

"Just admit it. I tried to bench you. You should have ducked when I said so but you refused and now we're in a flying donut, millions of miles away from earth with no backup."

"I'm backup," Spider-Man said before looking over at Reed. "We're backup."

"Is this your ward?" Strange asked.

Spider-Man shook his head. "No, I'm Peter."

"Dr. Strange."

Spider-Man nodded. "Right, the made-up names. I'm Spider-Man."

Strange raised an eyebrow and then looked at Reed. "And you must be Reed Richards," he said as he approached and held out his hand, showing genuine warmth for the first time. "I'm a massive fan of yours."

Reed smiled. "I'm afraid you have me at quite the disadvantage here. I don't know what the Time Stone is or why these aliens are after it."

"Hey, Magic Show- why don't you fill Reed in while we try and get this thing back to earth." He looked to Spider-Man and shook his head. "It's on a self-correcting course, it looks like. Autopilot.

While Iron Man and Spider-Man attempted to figure out a way to disengage the autopilot, Strange explained the situation with the stones to Reed, who listened intently.

"This Thanos person has two stones already," Reed said. "And you have one on your person. Where are the other three?"

"One of the Avengers has the Mind Stone," Strange explained.

"Which leaves the Reality and Soul Stones's locations unknown." Reed began to pace. "If an entity were to obtain all six Stones, what could happen?"

"In Thanos's hands? Total destruction of the universe as we know it."

Reed stopped walking and looked at the view of space beyond them. Since returning to earth and finding that he, Sue, Ben and Johnny had been ripped from their own time, he'd had random moments where he felt like this was somehow for the best. Now, standing on this spaceship with these other super-powered individuals, he knew that he was meant to be here. Everything he'd endured- the cosmic storm, the time displacement- it was all for a reason. And that reason was for the protection of the universe.

"Do you believe in fate, Dr. Strange?" Reed asked in a distant voice.

"I do."

Reed shook his head and smiled tightly. "I was just thinking that maybe this is why the others and I are here now. Why we survived that cosmic storm and came to this time, with these powers. So that we could help stop this."

Strange smiled warmly and put a hand on Reed's shoulder. "I think you might be correct." He then looked over at the others. "Stark, can you get us home?

Iron Man turned away from the controls to face the other two men. "I don't think we should."

Strange scowled. "Stark, under no circ*mstance can we bring the Time Stone to Thanos. I don't think you quite understand what's at stake here."

Iron Man shook his head and raised his voice. "No. It's you who doesn't understand. Thanos has been inside my head for six years since he sent an army to New York. He's back now and I don't know what to do. So I'm not so sure if it's a better plan to fight him on our turf or his but you saw what they did, what they can do. At least on his turf, he's not expecting it. At least on his turf, he can't destroy ours. So I say we take the fight to him."

Reed walked closer and nodded in approval. "I agree with you, Mr. Stark. I think this is the best course of action."

Strange hesitated before giving in as well. "Alright, Stark. Then we'll go to him. But I need all of you to understand one very important detail in this plan. If it comes to me saving any of you- the kid included- or the Time Stone, I will not hesitate to let you die. I say this because the fate of the universe depends on that."

Iron Man forced a smile. "I'm good with that." He then turned and looked at Spider-Man. "Now, one final order of business." He tapped Spider-Man's shoulders, then Reed's. "You guys are Avengers now."

Spider-Man looked up at Iron Man as he turned back to the controls, then at Reed. The look of pride on his face was inextinguishable, even if they were on a one-way ticket to their possible ends.

Chapter 15: A Bad Liar

Chapter Text

Since her abduction on Knowhere, Gamora hadn't spoken a single word. Despite Thanos's attempts to pull her into a conversation, she'd remained completely silent, her expression stoic. She would not speak to him. She wouldn't give him even the slightest opportunity to betray the secret she kept close to her. A secret no one else could ever know.

In the depths of the ship, Gamora sat near Thanos's throne and stared down at her boots. Just stay quiet, she told herself. Stay quiet and he can't have what he wants. The universe will be safe.

"I thought you might be hungry, little one," Thanos said as he walked up to her, a cup of soup in his hands.

Gamora ignored him and kept her focus on her boots. Thanos leaned down and held the bowl within her line of sight. She stared at her reflection on the surface of the soup, noting the sadness in her face. And Thanos was the cause. In sudden rage, she plucked the bowl from his hand. She stood up and pivoted, throwing the the dish at the throne where it shattered into pieces.

"I always hated that chair," Gamora muttered. Despite her vow to be silent, she couldn't help but confront him. There were things she'd always wanted to say. Things she may never get the chance to say again.

Thanos sat down on the steps that led up to his throne and stared at her. "So I've been told. Despite your hatred, I'd hoped you'd sit on it one day."

Gamora began to pace. "I hated this room, this ship. I hated my life!" she raged as she hatefully gestured at the space around her. "Every time I looked at anything it was a reminder of the trap I was stuck in.

"Yes, you told me that too. Every day, for almost twenty years. Maybe not with words. Your actions, your...demeanor...they were sufficient messengers."

"I was a child when you took me," Gamora said as she turned her back to him, refusing to look into his eyes. "A child."

"I saved you."

Gamora spun around. "No, you didn't save me. We were happy on my home planet.

Thanos sighed and shook his head. "No, Gamora. You know better than that. Your people were hungry and full of want. They lacked so many of the necessary, fundamental elements of survival. You don't remember going to bed hungry because the adults of your planet sacrificed so that you and the other children wouldn't know want and hunger.

"I came to your planet when it was on the brink of collapse. And I stopped that. I did what no one else would do. The hard choice. I killed half of the population so that the rest could live. And now? Now your planet is nothing but full bellies and clear skies. It's a paradise, Gamora. The children play carefree in the streets and their parents don't have to spend their days scrounging for scraps to feed them. They don't have to feel the constant gnaw of worry that they won't be able to provide for their children."

"Because you murdered half of the planet," Gamora grunted. "Was there no other way? No other action that could have been taken?"

Thanos extended his arms. "It was a small price to pay for salvation."

"You're insane."

"Little one, it's a simple calculus. This universe is finite, its resources finite. If life is left unchecked, life will cease to exist. It needs correction-"

Gamora had heard enough. She turned on him and screamed "you don't know that!"

Thanos ignored her words and stood. "I'm the only one who knows that, Gamora. At least, I'm the only one with the will to act on it. You used to feel the same. You fought at my side, daughter. And you believed in the work I do."

"I'm not your daughter," Gamora spat at him. "Everything I hate about myself you taught me."

"Yet, here you stand, the fiercest woman in the galaxy. My doing. That's why I trusted you to find the Soul Stone."

Gamora shrugged her shoulders. "Then I'm sorry to have disappointed you," she said before vowing to say no more, lest she be caught in a lie by his manipulations.

Thanos slowly moved forward until he was very close to her. "I am disappointed. But not because you didn't find it."

Gamora closed her expression off. Don't give anything away.

"I'm disappointed because you did," he whispered as he knelt so that their eyes were level. "And you lied."

Gamora remained completely silent. Meeting his gaze, she offered nothing in her eyes. Nothing but steel.

"Come, little one," Thanos said. "There is something you need to see."

Gamora remained rooted to the spot.

"A reunion of sorts," Thanos said from the doorway. "Unless you want Nebula to die without seeing you one last time."

Gamora's eyes flashed as she turned to him. He beckoned her to follow and she quickly did so. She followed Thanos through the corridors of the ship until the screaming became audible. Even from a distance, she knew who it was.

"Nebula!" she cried out before running the rest of the way and stopping just before a chamber where her sister was suspended in mid-air in the center of he room. Nebula, who was a conglomeration of cybernetic and organic elements. She, like Gamora, was plucked from her home world when Thanos committed genocide on her people. Though she was raised like Gamora, Nebula was subjected to great torment when Thanos would "upgrade" her with cybernetic enhancements. This would happen each time she and Gamora sparred and she was not victorious. Gamora never lost a fight. And so Nebula was now more of a cybernetic being than an organic one.

But she still felt pain. Oh, yes. Pain.

Nebula's body was partially disassembled. Strewn across part of the length of the room She shuddered in pain, gasping for each breath as her fragmented body was twisted and stretched apart.

Seeing such brutality, Gamora's heart was broken. Though theirs had never been an easy relationship, she and Nebula were sisters. Seeing her in such agony crumbled her. "Please don't do this," she gasped.

Thanos walked around so that he was in Gamora's line of sight. "Some time ago, your sister sneaked aboard this ship to kill me."

Gamora shook her head. "Please don't do this," she repeated over and over, as if it were some sort of mantra.

"She nearly succeeded, you know? So I brought her here. To talk." He raised his gauntlet and curled his fist. The Space and Power Stones were activated by this action and Nebula's already extended parts began to stretch further apart

"Stop it! Please, I swear on my life, I never found the Soul Stone!" Gamora screamed over Nebula's cries of pain.

"Daughter," Thanos spoke in a firm tone. "You are lying to me. I know it."

"I don't know were it is!" Gamora cried.

Thanos looked to the servant in the room, who promptly tapped a few keys on the control panel in front of him. Suddenly, Nebula's memory files were accessed. Gamora watched in horror as holographic footage began to display itself.

"You know what he's about to do, " Nebula's voice said on the recording. "He's finally ready, and he's going for the stones. All of them."

The holograph of Gamora shook her head. "No. He can never get them all."

"He will," Nebula argued.

He can't, Nebula," the holographic Gamora fired back. "Because I found the map to the Soul Stone and I burnt it to ash. I burnt it."

Thanos began to walk around Gamora in a close circle. "You hate everything I gave you, yet these gifts are your strongest attributes. Thanks to me, you're strong and generous. But there's one gift I never gave you- the ability to lie. It's why you're so bad at it. Now. Where is the Soul Stone?"

Gamoa bit her lips and shook her head, the tears spilling down her face.

Thanos sighed and lifted the gauntlet to Nebula's face. Nebula locked eyes with her sister and shook her head, encouraging her further silence. Thanos made a fist and the Power and Space Stones began to ravage Nebula's body all over again.

"You know, Gamora," Thanos said in a taunting voice. "It seems you're always to blame for Nebula's suffering. All of those fights she lost saw her undergoing my painful experiments. And now, thanks to your silence, she suffers greater than before. Because of you."

"Don't tell him ANYTHING!" Nebula screamed.

Thanos shook his head and unleashed the power of the Stones again, reducing Nebula's words to unintelligible cries.

"Vormir!" Gamora screamed above her sister's voice.

Thanos relaxed his grip and the Stones ceased to torture Nebula, who began to gasp for air as her body started to move back into place.

Gamora walked over to Nebula and ran a hand over her face. "I'm so sorry, Nebula." She turned back to Thanos and looked down. "The Soul Stone is on Vormir."

Thanos placed a thumb under her chin, lifting her head so she was staring him in the eyes. "Show me."

Nebula was left to hover in the chamber. Though Thanos had mercifully stopped the torture, Nebula remained trapped in suspension with a single technician watching over her. The technician was putting her body back together in a slow, unhurried manner. He whistled a tune as he worked and Nebula ejected her eyepiece, remained patient, biding her time.

The technician approached her face and pushed the eyepiece back in. Now that he was close enough, she reached for him and promptly snapped his neck. She moved out of the suspension field and approached a nearby console.

With Gamora leading Thanos to Vormir, Nebula knew she had to contact the Guardians and warn them.

Thanos had to be stopped.

Chapter 16: What More Could I Lose?

Chapter Text

The pod was small and cramped, but Thor didn't care. He would soon be in the presence of Eitri, king of the dwarves and the craftsman responsible for Mjolnir, among many other weapons of immense power. All that mattered was obtaining that weapon and killing Thanos before he could do further harm. He sat in solitude near the window and stared out into the cosmos. The light of distant, twinkling stars reminded him of Dean. He was still alive. Frigga had told him so. That knowledge was enough.

He sat in silence, he tried to console himself with cherished memories rather than his fears. He closed his eyes and suddenly he was standing outside with Dean on his arm. The season was winter and the entire Allen family had gathered at Dean's parents' house for Thanksgiving.

"I hope this won't be too overwhelming," Dean had said as they walked up the driveway to the house. Every light was on and the sounds of muffled voices and laughter spilled out onto the lawn.

Thor stopped walking and pulled Dean close to him. He smiled as Dean shivered. He wrapped his arms around him and Dean promptly tucked in against his chest. "Dean, I'm happy to be here with you. Besides, I never turn away from a feast."

"Well, brace yourself because my family always goes way overboard with food. I think even your appetite won't be a match for it."

"A worthy challenge," Thor had chuckled.

"My family loves you, you know that?"

Thor had grinned and leaned down to press his forehead against Dean's. "Of course they do. How could they not?" he'd replied with a playful tone.

"But not as much as I love you," Dean had said.

"And I love you," Thor said before escorting him into the house.

Before the feast was served, Dean's family began the very lengthy process of each member saying what he or she was thankful for. As each member spoke, Thor held Dean's hand under the table.

"Life is not predictable for me," Dean had said when it was his turn to stand and speak. "But I know that no matter where my life takes me, I have this family. And I'm very thankful for that." He looked over at Thor and smiled. "And I'm very thankful for you, Thor. A man who sees and loves me for who I am and doesn't ask me to change."

"I am thankful that you have all welcomed me into your lives," Thor said. "And I'm thankful for Dean, who saw worth in me when I didn't see it. I'm thankful for your courage and strength. I'm thankful for your love."

There had been many turkeys for the family to feast on, and Thor had been given the honor of carving alongside Jack Allen. Though the others in the family didn't necessarily see the significance of this, it had warmed Thor to his core knowing that the patriarch of the family saw him fit to do this.

"I am thankful for you, Jack," Thor said as he stood beside Dean's father and helped serve everyone generous portions of turkey. "For accepting me into your family."

Jack turned to Thor and grinned up at him. "And I'm thankful you're a part of it. A part of my son's life."

Dean looked over at them from his place at the table and smiled as he'd watched Thor. Even though they were in a house full to bursting with people, when their eyes met it was like they were the only ones.

"I am Groot," Groot muttered irritably, rousing Thor from his memories.

Rocket looked over at him. "Then go in the cup. We're not looking. What's there to see? What's a twig? Everybody's seen a twig."

Groot folded his arms over his chest. "I am Groot!"

Thor looked over at the tree-being. "Tree, pour what's in the cup out in space and go in the cup again," he said in a detached voice.

Rocket looked over at Thor with surprise. "You speak Groot?"

"I was taught many languages on Asgard," Thor explained.

"I am Groot," Groot spoke in an impatient huff.

"You'll know when we're there, Tree. Nidavellir's forge harnesses the power of a blazing neutron star." Thor sighed and smiled at nothing in particular. "It's the birth place of my hammer. It's...truly awesome."

Rocket noticed Thor's sadness, which seemed to only grow stronger the further they traveled. He wasn't one for discussing feelings, but if Thor was going on the mission he intended to, and he and Groot were along for the ride, he had to be sure that Thor was firing on all cylinders. "Okay," he murmured to himself. "Time to be the captain."

Thor barely noticed when Rocket moved up to him and sat across from him.

"So...dead brother?" Rocket began in an uncertain voice. "That can be...annoying."

Thor smiled but it was an odd, forced one. "Well, he's been dead before, but this time I think it really might be true."

"And you said your sister and your dad?"

"Both dead," Thor grunted.

"Still got a mom, though?"

"Killed by a dark elf."

"A best friend?"

"Stabbed through the heart."

Rocket smiled. "But you've got that fiance of yours, right?" he asked, grasping for anything at this point. "I bet she's a fox, huh?"

Thor smiled. "Yes...he is."

Rocket shrugged. "Hey, you're in the presence of a talking tree and raccoon. Who are we to judge? Love who you want, I say. So, you want to tell me about him? Maybe it'll help?"

Thor smiled. "Dean is an Inhuman Prince. A gifted warrior. He has the power to harness light. And he can sense the emotions of others, much like your bug woman. He's...the most important person in my life."

"Sounds like a bad ass," Rocket said in a matter-of-fact voice.

"Oh, indeed he is," Thor agreed.

"I would expect nothing less given that he's with you."

Thor chuckled softly. "He doesn't seem that way at first glance. He...surprises me every day. I never knew what it meant to be in love with someone until him."

Rocket could sense that they were drifting into mushy territory, which wasn't exactly his favorite. Still, if it helped Thor, he'd endure it. "He means a lot to you."

"The Fair One is all I have left now. He's my biggest reason for fighting."

Rocket nodded. "Right. So, that's great and all. But are you sure you're up to this particular murder mission? I mean, you've been through some serious crap."

Thor smiled widely and spoke in forcibly nonchalant, upbeat tone in an attempt to convince himself that everything was okay. "Absolutely! Rage, vengeance, anger, loss, regret... they're all tremendous motivators. They really clear the mind. So I'm good to go. Plus I'm fighting for Dean's sake. Love can make you do things you wouldn't think you were capable of. It strengthens you in ways you wouldn't imagine."

"Yeah," Rocket said slowly. "But this Thanos we're talking about- he's the toughest there is. And doesn't give a sh*t about love."

Thor chuckled. "Well, no matter how tough he is, he's never fought me."

Rocket scowled. "Yeah, he has."

Thor shrugged his shoulders as if this were a footnote in a greater tale. "Well, he's never fought me twice. And I'm getting a new hammer, don't forget."

Rocket sighed and leaned back in the seat. "Better be some hammer, that's all I got to say."

Thor leaned forward and rested his forearms on his knees. "You know, I'm 1,500 years old. I've killed twice as many enemies as that, and every one would have rather killed me, but none succeeded. I'm only alive because fate wants me alive. Thanos is the latest in a long line of bastards and he will be the latest to feel my vengeance. Fate wills it so."

Rocket felt the weight of Thor's words. He hated to ask the next question, but he needed to. "And what if you're wrong?"

Thor's expression softened into sadness once again. "If I'm wrong then...aside from Dean, what more could I lose?" A tear began to form in Thor's good eye. He sniffed, hastily wiped it away, and stood up to sit at the front of the pod.

"Well," Rocket whispered."I could lose a lot. Me personally. I could lose a lot." He let out a sigh and reached into his side pack, retrieving an eyeball. "If fate does want you to kill that crap sack, then you're going to need more than one stupid eyeball."

"What's this?" Thor asked as he accepted the eyeball from Rocket's paw.

"What the heck does it look like? Some jerk lost a bet with me on Contraxia."

Thor grinned. "So you took his eye as payment? You are ruthless."

Rocket shook his head and grinned. "He gave me 100 credits. I stole his eye later! Now it's yours. You'll get to see Dean with two eyes instead of one now."

Thor looked down at the gift and smiled. "Thank you, sweet rabbit," he said before placing the new eyeball in his socket.

"Dean is going to love that look, guaranteed." Rocket promised. "You'll have to beat him off with a stick!" He then sighed and shook his head. "Maybe that wasn't the right choice of words. Anyway, enjoy the eye."

As Thor smacked his palm against the side of his head to calibrate the eye, Rocket announced that they had arrived. Thor looked out the window and scowled. "This eye doesn't seem to work, rabbit. Everything is dark.

Rocket's eyes widened at what he was seeing. "It ain't the eye."

Nidavellir loomed before them, a massive circular planetoid structure with several huge rings encircling it. The planet, like the wings around it, sat dark and motionless in the midst of space. Chunks of frost adorned the entire structure.

Chunks of frost adorned the entire structure
"This is wrong," Thor spoke in disbelief. "Nidavellir shouldn't be like this. The star should be blazing. The rings should be spinning."

The pod flew into Nidavellir, past abandoned machinery and set down. The three of them disembarked and walked bout the place, searching for any signs of life. Rocket remarked on the state of the place, noting that it was an absolute wreck.

"Well, the dwarves are master forgers, not cleaners," Thor spoke in an attempt to remain optimistic. Still, the futility of what had greeted them on this world as opposed to what he expected to see was too much. "The forge hasn't gone dark in centuries," he said in disbelief.

Rocket spied a massive glove on a pedastal and his eyes widened. "Hey, Thor. You said Thanos had a gauntlet.

"Yes, why?"

Rocket pointed. "Look anything like that one."

Thor eyed it with mounting concern. He looked to the others. "Go back to the pod. Now."

Before anyone could make a move, a massive figured stormed out of the thick shadows that surrounded them. With a great, heaving grunt he swung his fists at them. The first attack threw Thor across the room and the second, a kick, knocked Rocket and Groot into a wall of nearby equipment.

Thor rose to his feet and brought his fists up, prepared for a fight. That was when he noticed who the attacker was. Eitri, king of the dwarves, stood towering above the three of them, his visage encased in rage, his long, dark hair covering his face.

Thor raised his hands in a show of peace and slowly approached the seething king. "Eitri, wait! Stop."

EItri turned on him, but his expression was less intense now. Instead, a terrible sadness replaced it. "Thor?"

Thor nodded enthusiastically. "Yes. It's me." He looked around them, still not believing the state of Nidavellir. "What happened here, Eirtri?

Tears began to form in EItri's eyes and his voice became angry again, though sadness was the overarching emotion. "You were supposed to protect us. Asgard was supposed to protect us!"

Thor regarded the king with immense guilt
Thor regarded the king with immense guilt. He was supposed to be the defender of the realms. The burden of protecting them was upon his shoulders and he failed. "Asgard is destroyed, Eitri. Odin is dead and has left me as king to a world destroyed," Thor said as he looked over at the glove. "Tell me about the glove, Eitri? What did you do?"

Eitri fell to his knees and cried into his hands. Thor approached and laid a gentle hand on his shoulder. Rocket and Groot maintained some distance and looked on.

"300 dwarves lived on this ring, Odinson. 300 lives that depended on my leadership. I...I thought that if I just did as he asked, then they would all be safe. He demanded a glove that could contain the Infinity Stones. He demanded it and so I made it for him. Then he killed everyone anyway."

"You did what you felt you had to do as king," Thor said in a comforting voice. "You did it to protect your people."

"Well, it failed," Eitri sighed. "He killed everyone. All except me. 'Your life is yours,' he said. 'But your hands are mine alone.'"

Thor stared at the dwarf king's hands for the first time, noting that they'd been encased in metal. Thanos wanted to ensure he could never forge a weapon that could stand against him. He'd gone as far as extinguishing the dying star, too. The futility of the situation was a heavy weight, but Thor refused to give up. He refused to let Eitri give up. "Listen to me, Eitri," he said. "This has nothing to do with your hands, and you know that. Every single weapon you've ever designed, be it an ax, a hammer or a sword- every divine weapon that came from this forge was first inside your brilliant head."

Eitri looked at Thor with a doubtful expression.

"I know what it's like to feel that all hope is lost, believe me. I understand better than you can know. But I know that so long as there's a glimmer of hope, we stand some sort of chance. You are the forge-master. The maker of the weapons that gods wield. You are a legend, Eitri, and that will never change. Hold tight to that, and know that together, you and I- we can kill Thanos."

Eitri smiled bitterly. "You truly believe that, Odinson?"

"Surrender is not in my nature," Thor replied. "We will forge a weapon and I will kill Thanos with it myself. I'll avenge every life he's taken, every world he'd destroyed."

Eitri felt emboldened by Thor's words. He rose to his feet and looked around at the forge equipment that had fallen to disuse. It was still functional though. "Yes," he said in a stronger voice. "Yes, let's reignite the forge and build you a weapon, King Thor."

"

Chapter 17: Clash

Chapter Text

As the massive ship continued its flight through space, Spider-Man stared out the large windshield and noticed that they were approaching the surface of a moon. He recognized the surface from previous science courses. This was Titan, a moon that orbited Saturn. Which meant they were so far from home.

"Mr. Stark, we've got to be at least a billion miles from home," Spider-Man mumbled in disbelief as he pointed at the giant moon.

"We've arrived," Strange said in a fatalistic voice.

Reed stared in disbelief as the moon's surface became more visible by the second. Despite the chance of hostility upon their arrival, as an astronaut he couldn't help but feel some sort of awe.

"Never thought you'd be setting foot on this moon, did you?" Iron Man asked from beside him.

Reed smiled. "No, I can't say I did. I would say I wish Sue and the others were here with me to see this. But, under the circ*mstances, I'm glad their all still on earth."

Iron Man placed a comforting hand on Reed's shoulder before moving to approach the controls. "Alright, this thing probably doesn't have a self-park function. We'll need to steer it."

Spider-Man looked at the steering controls and then back at Iron Man. The control mechanisms were too far apart for one person to maneuver them. "This will take two people to steer," he pointed out.

"Or someone with elastic arms," Reed chuckled as he approached the controls. He allowed his arms to stretch out, grasping both controls simultaneously.

The other three stood nearby, watching as Reed took control of the ship and began to steer it.

"I think we're in for a rough landing no matter what," Reed grunted as the ship dropped down to a massive collection of jagged, rocky structures.

The surface of Titan was cast in a rusty pink color and was littered with debris. The ship continued its descent and Reed pulled on the controls to attempt to correct the giant circular ship, hoping for the gentlest landing possible The ship collided with one of the rock formations and knocked it off balance. Reed held onto the controls for dear life while the other three attempted to maintain some stability.

Iron Man and Spider-Man activated their helmets so that they were entirely armored. Strange moved up between them and moved his hands in precise motions, conjuring a protective shield that encased the three of them. The shield was a collection of golden lines that converged to form obscure markings before them.

"Shield of Seraphim," Strange said as an aside when Spider-Man tilted his head.

"Shield of Seraphim," Strange said as an aside when Spider-Man tilted his head
"Brace for impact!" Reed warned.

The ship collided with Titan's surface and skidded across it in one tremendous rumbling crash. Reed was thrown aside but managed to keep his grip on the controls, his elastic body compensating for this by wrapping itself around the bridge like a snake. The three men encased in the magical shield managed to keep their footing through the impact.

"That was a close one," Iron Man said before looking at Strange. "I owe you one."

Spider-Man suddenly perked up, his eyes narrowing. "Uh, guys? If aliens implant an egg in my chest or something and I eat one of you, I'm sorry."

Iron Man shook his head. "Nope. No more pop culture references out of you for at least an hour."

Spider-Man shook his head. "No, what I'm trying to say is that something is coming!"

"Kid's right," Strange shouted as what appeared to be a grenade rolled across the bridge toward them. He focused on the weapon, attempting to conjure another shield, but the grenade exploded too quickly and the energy pulse it unleashed threw all three men backward.

Reed slid off of the bridge and turned around just as three figures appeared in a nearby doorway.

"Thanos!" the largest of the three roared as he unsheathed his daggers and leaped toward them. He flung one of the daggers in Strange's direction but this time the sorcerer was ready with a magical shield. The blade bounced harmlessly off of the surface. Before the brute could attempt another attack, Reed lunged at him with an over-sized fist. It hit the man and threw him across the bridge. As he was knocked through the air, Strange's Cloak shot out and wrapped around his head and pulled him to the floor.

Star-Lord targeted Iron Man with his dual pistols and fired a barrage of energy blasts his way. Iron Man was able to evade the attack and return fire but Star-Lord was ready with a magnetic disc. The device activated and yanked Iron Man face-first into a console, pinning him in place.

Mantis, meanwhile, was attempting to use a more diplomatic approach. She walked hurriedly toward Spider-Man in hopes of mentally subduing him. Frightened by his earlier thoughts of alien impregnation, Spider-Man quickly fired off multiple webs to pin her arms to her sides.

Having taken Iron Man out of the right, Star-Lord quickly set his sights next on Spider-Man, who he entangled in a retractable cord that surged with electrical current. Spider-Man was dragged toward him and quickly pulled into a hostage scenario. Star-Lord held his pistol at his temple and looked upon Iron Man as he broke free of the magnetic device. He, Strange, Reed.

"Die, blanket of death!" Drax roared as he pulled from of the Cloak and then lunged for Iron Man
"Die, blanket of death!" Drax roared as he pulled from of the Cloak and then lunged for Iron Man. The armored Avenger hit him with a quick repulsor blast and stood over him, ready to blast again.

Star-Lord projected his voice as he addressed the others. "Alright, everybody, stay where you are and chill the F out!" He then looked at Iron Man. "I'm only going to ask this once- where is Gamora?"

Iron Man scowled. "Okay, I'll do you one better. Who's Gamora?"

Drax, who remained on his back beneath Iron Man, looked up at him angrily. "And I'll do you one better! Why is Gamora?"

Iron Man rolled his eyes. "This is...awesome," he muttered.

"Just tell me where she is or, I swear to you, I'm going to French-fry this little freak," he threatened as he pressed the muzzle of the pistol against Spider-Man's head for emphasis.

"Look, if you want to shoot my guy, I can shoot your guy and then my buddies here can help me take out the rest of you. But that's not going to get us anywhere, is it?"

Star-Lord ignored Iron Man entirely. "Don't want to tell me? Cool. I'll just shoot all four of you and then beat it out of Thanos myself."

Strange scowled and took a step closer. "What a minute. Thanos? What master do you serve?"

Star-Lord laughed. "What the heck am I supposed to say to that? Jesus Christ?"

Recognizing Star-Lord's humanity, Iron Man lowered his hand. "You're from Earth, aren't you?"

"I'm not from Earth, I'm from Missouri!" Star-Lord fired back.

Iron Man again rolled his eyes. "Which is on Earth, dip-sh*t. What are you hassling us for?"

Spider-Man found his voice despite the nerves of being held at gunpoint. "You aren't with Thanos?"

Star-Lord scoffed. "With Thanos? Are you kidding me? I'm here to kill him. He took my girl." He paused and looked at the people he had perceived to be enemies. "Who are you?"

Spider-Man sighed. "We're the Avengers, man."

Star-Lord nodded. "Oh."

"You're the ones Thor told us about!" Mantis shouted as she hopped closer to the group, still trapped in the webbing.

Iron Man's eyes widened. Thor was alive. If only Dean were here to hear this, he thought. Aloud he asked "you know Thor?"

Star-Lord shrugged as if the name meant very little to him. "If you're referring to the tall guy who isn't that good-looking, then yeah. By the way, he needed saving too."

Strange lowered his shields. "And where is Thor now?"

The weapon's mold was splendid in Thor's eyes. He gazed upon it with anticipation. This mold would yield a weapon powerful enough for a god to wield. And wield it he would.

"So, we need to do what with this?" Rocket asked. "Hit it with a brick or something?"

Eitri shook his head. "This mold is for a king's weapon and was meant to be the greatest in Asgard. In theory it should even be capable of summoning the Bifrost."

Thor continued to stare in awe. With that sort of power he could return to Dean. "This weapon- does it have a name?" he asked.

Eitri looked upon him and nodded. "It is called Stormbreaker."

Rocket shrugged. "That's a little gratuitous. Even for me."

"How do we make it?" Thor asked, his voice laced with fierce determination. He would have this weapon.

"We must restart the forge," Eitri said a he looked at the massive structure that lay in the center of Nidavellir. "The dying star has to be awakened."

Thor nodded, forming a plan in his mind. He then looked down at Rocket. "Fire up the pod, rabbit."

Chapter 18: Future Glimpses

Chapter Text

"What I want to know," Star-Lord called out as he examined the tilt of Titan, "is what the heck happened to this place? It's eight degrees off its axis. Gravitational pull is here, there and everywhere."

As if to illustrate his point, Mantis and Drax were both jumping up and down just a short distance away, their bodies floating up and down in slow, gentle motions.

Iron man ignored Star-Lord and spun in a very slow circle, taking in the landscape that surrounded their party.

"What should be our plan?" Reed asked from his side as he, too, surveyed the world they were standing on. Suddenly his previous aspirations of space travel and being the first man on the moon were the furthest from his mind. He'd always been intrigued with the notion of space, but now he knew what was out there.

"Well, we know we have one leg up on Thanos," Iron Man pointed out.

"And that is?" Spider-Man asked.

"He's coming here. To us. So we have to use that to our advantage. We need to draw him in, pin him down, get what we need. Because I'm betting the last thing any of us whats to do is tango with this guy. We just want the gauntlet."

Drax approached with a huge yawn. "I am sorry, but I stopped listening after you said 'we need a plan'."

Iron Man sighed and placed his fingers on the bridge of his nose, his eyes closed in frustration. "On your own page, Mr. Clean?"

Star-Lord walked up to the group and folded his arms over his chest. "Not winging it isn't really what we do."

Spider-Man turned to face him. "Okay. Then what exactly is it that you do?"

Mantis bounced over to them and gave what she likely assumed was her angry face. "Kick names, take ass!"

"This is completely hopeless," Iron Man muttered under his breath. "Okay, cool. Mr. Lord, why don't you round up your folks, please? We need to coalesce. Because if all we come at him with is a plucky attitude..."

Star-Lord scowled and lifted an accusatory finger at him. "Dude, don't call us plucky. We don't know what it means. Alright, we're optimistic, yes. I like your plan. Except it sucks, so let me do the plan, and that way it might be really good."

"The dance-off to save the universe!" Drax suggested.

Iron Man threw his head back and shook it. "Do I even want to know?"

Star-Lord smiled. "It's not a... it's not... it's nothing."

"Wait a minute. A dance-off? Like in Footloose, the movie?"

Enthusiasm suddenly washed away Star-Lord's attitude and he turned to Spider-Man with a huge grin. "Yes! Exactly like in Footloose! You've seen it?"

"Uh, yeah," Spider-Man slowly answered.

Star-Lord rubbed his hands together. "You understand then! Hey, is it still the greatest movie of all time?"

"It never was, man," Spider-Man said.

Star-Lord frowned. "Wait. But it's got to be, like, top five, right?"

Spider-Man shook his head.

"Top ten?" Star-Lord asked hopefully.

Iron Man put a hand on Spider-Man's shoulder. "Don't encourage this, alright?

Spider-Man shrugged and looked away.

"Great," Iron Man sighed. "So we've got Flash Gordon over here being no help at all."

Star-Lord laughed loudly. "Flash Gordon? That's a compliment buddy! And I'm only half human, unlike you guys. So that fifty percent of me that's stupid? That's one-hundred percent of you chumps!"

Before Iron Man could say another word, Mantis pointed at Stange with a worried look on her face. "Does your friend do that often?"

Iron Man and the others turned around to see that Strange was hovering above the ground, his legs crossed before him. His hands were held up in strange gestures and the Time Stone was glowing brilliantly as it hung from his neck. The green glow illuminated his face, which was dominated with a concerned and troubled expression. Green energy flowed from the stone and wrapped around his forearms in intricate, magical symbols. He jerked his head from side to side in a blurry movement.

He jerked his head from side to side in a blurry movement
Reed approached him slowly. "He appears to be in some kind of trance."

"Should we...wake him up?" Spider-Man asked as he took a few tentative steps closer.

Iron Man shook his head. "I don't know if that would be a good idea. Could be like waking someone up from sleep-walking or something. Who knows with magic?"

"So he really does practice...uh, magic?" Spider-Man asked.

If he was being truthful, magic made Spider-Man a little ill at ease. It was clear from the expressions on Iron Man and Reed's faces that they shared his sentiments. It wasn't surprising. They were men of science, a domain where everything could be explained. Magic represented the chaotic and uncontrollable.

"Seems that way," Iron Man said.

Strange suddenly awakened from his trance with a start, his body falling forward as a pained wince escaped him. Iron Man reached for his shoulder to steady him and he gave a brief smile of appreciation before standing to his feet and brushing off his robes.

"We alright?" Iron Man asked.

"What was that?" Spider-Man asked.

Strange gave them all a wry grin. "I was venturing forward. Using the Time Stone to view all of the alternate futures to this situation. I wanted to see every possible outcome."

Star-Lord looked over at him from a short distance away. "Oh yeah? How many did you see?"

"14,000,605," Strange said without hesitation.

The group was silent for few seconds until Iron Man asked the question on everyone's minds. "And of those 14,000,605 possible futures, how many did we win?"

A haunted look fell over Strange's face. For that brief moment, Iron Man could see the human being beneath the ego that matched his own. He could see the vulnerability.

"One." Strange said it as if he'd spoken a forbidden word. "Only one."

Spider-Man looked at the others. "Wait, so we stand no chance? Is that what you mean?"

Reed turned to the teenager and laid a hand on his shoulder. "We stand a chance, Peter. And we have to hold onto that."

"A chance?" Peter asked .

"I'm with the kid, Star-Lord said. He turned to Spider-Man and smiled. "My name's Peter, too."

Spider-Man looked down at his feet. "Cool," he said in a small voice. "One in 14,000,605 that we'll win this. And the Footloose guy shares my name."

"Reed's right," Iron Man said in a stern voice. "But even if we stood no chance at all, we're still going to fight. We can't let Thanos just have what he wants without a good one."

Mantis approached Spider-Man and gazed at him. "You are afraid," she spoke in a soft voice.

Spider-Man shook his head. "What? I'm not afraid."

"It is alright to be afraid," Mantis said. "Because you are not alone. There is fear in each of us." She looked around her at the others. "Whether anyone is willing to admit this or not."

"Great," Star-Lord sighed. "Thanos is armed with freakin' Infinity Stones and all we've got is fear? Weak."

Mantis shook her head. "No, it is not a weakness, Peter Quill; it's a strength."

Reed nodded his head. "She's right. Fear is an essential part of survival. When we're faced with awful circ*mstances, our fear motivates us. Our survival instincts kick in. When Ben, Sue, Johnny and I were trapped in that cosmic storm, fear was what motivated us the most. It's what triggered Ben to keep control of the spacecraft. It's what triggered Sue to use her powers to shield us. We have to use fear to our advantage. Allow it to strengthen instead of cripple us."

The group was silent for a time as everything that had transpired up to that point sank in.

"Yeah, I think we're all going to die," Star-Lord scoffed. He then looked down at his feet as he kicked some tiny pebbles around. "I'm never going to see you again, am I Gamora?" he whispered.

Chapter 19: Breaking His Own Heart

Chapter Text

Vormir was probably the saddest and most desolate place Gamora had ever ventured to. Though she'd vowed to never return, in her heart, she always knew she'd come back to it. The barren planet was situated at the heart of celestial existence and its surface was veiled in shadow. As a result of a permanently eclipsed sun, the planet's sand-covered lands were trapped in a perpetual state of night.

The sand dunes that Thanos and Gamora materialized on looked out over the vast stretch of nothingness. Only more sand dunes greeted their vision, broken up by the presence of shallow pools of water. Further in the distance, Thanos spied a mountainous formation jutting out from the sand, its peaks stretching to the depressing sky.

"It's there, isn't it?" he asked, his voice cutting through the howling wind.

Gamora didn't answer him. What was the point? He knew already.

"The Stone had better be up there for your sister's sake," he threatened before beginning to walk toward the mountain.

Gamora hung her head and followed. There was no other choice now. She was trapped on this desolate rock with him.

They reached the paths that led up to the mountain's summit. As they walked, Gamora looked down at the paths, noting their well-worn surface. It seemed there had been many who had made this journey before. Many and yet the Stone remained here. Before she could ponder why, they reached the summit and came face-to-face with a figure who lurked in shadows.

"Welcome, Thanos, son of A'lars. Gamora, daughter of Thanos," the figure greeted them in a ghostly voice.

Gamora and Thanos watched as the figure emerged from the darkness. His presence fit the sound of his voice, for he looked very spectral as he floated above the ground. His black robes flowed around him and his visage was hidden beneath a hood. But, as he floated closer, the restrained light of the sun found his face- red and gaunt.

Thanos regarded the specter with interest. "You know us? How?"

The specter smiled sadly. "I am the keeper of the Soul Stone. It is my curse to know all who journey to this place. And there have been many."

Gamora looked beyond the Keeper, sighting the presence of a cliff.

"The Soul Stone- where is it?" Thanos asked.

The Keeper looked at him unflinchingly. "The Soul Stone is here."

Thanos lifted his glove. "I will have it. And if I have to kill you, I will. I've certainly taken more lives than I can count just to gain these three Stones."

The Keeper laughed and the sound chilled Gamora.

"Oh, I will not stand in the way of your prize," he assured him. "I am not the obstacle you'll face to obtain it. I am merely...a guide."

"Then, by all means, guide me."

"The Stone exacts a terrible price," the Keeper warned.

"I am prepared."

"We all think that at first. And we are all wrong."

"How is it you know this place so well?"

The Keeper smiled as he remembered. "A lifetime ago, I, too, sought the stones. I even held one in my hand. But it cast me out, banished me here. Guiding others to a treasure I cannot possess."

The Keeper led them to the edge of the summit, toward the cliff. Thanos and Gamora looked over the semicircular edge. A sheer drop into the abyss below looked back at them.

"The Stone lies before you. As does what you fear."

Thanos scowled. "What is this?"

"The price. The Soul Stone hold a special place among the Infinity Stones. You might say it has a certain wisdom.

Thanos swept the Keeper's words aside impatiently. "Tell me what it needs."

"In order to ensure that whoever possesses it understands its power, the Stone demands a sacrifice. In order to take the stone, you must lose that which you love. A soul, for a soul. It is a terrible price to pay. The paths to this place are worn bare by the footsteps of those who have come and gone, all of them unwilling to pay it."

Gamora recalled the state of the paths. She had wondered why so many had tread them and yet the Soul Stone had remained in this terrible place. Now she understood.

"If you wish to hold the Soul Stone in your hand, you must sacrifice that which you love."

Gamora looked at the Keeper and then to Thanos. Despite the graveness of the circ*mstances she had been placed in, she couldn't stifle the laughter the bubbled up within her. She unleashed it, not caring that she was laughing in Thanos's face.

"All my life, I dreamed of a day- of a moment- when you would get what you deserved. And I was always so disappointed. You kill and torture, and you call it mercy. The universe has judged you. You asked it for a prize, and it told you no. You failed. And do you wanna know why? Because you love nothing. No one."

A tidal wave of emotion rose up in Thanos and his eyes filled with tears. Because Gamora was wrong. Because he wished that she wasn't. Because, deep down beneath the exterior everyone around him knew, there was love in his heart. He loved that little girl he rescued from a life of want and hunger. He loved her as she grew and was shaped into a fearsome warrior. He loved her as she defied and rejected him. He loved her even as she had killed the construct he'd created of himself created to fool her.

And now he must lose her forever.

Gamora scoffed when she looked into Thanos's face and saw the river of tears. "Really? Tears?"

The Keeper spoke from behind them, reminding them of his presence. "They're not for him."

Gamora looked from Thanos to the Keeper, he smile slowly falling. Realization dawned upon her and she began to back away from Thanos as he turned and looked at her. "No, this isn't love!" she shouted.

Thanos shook his head. "You asked Peter to kill you in the name of love How is this different," he reasoned. "I ignored my destiny once. I cannot do that again. Not even for you."

Gamora clenched her jaw. She knew what she had to do. Withdrawing the same dagger Thanos had given her so long ago, she retracted the blades and thrust the weapon into her stomach. She braced for a pain that never came. And when she looked down at where the blade should have pierced, a handful of bubble sprang up form her hands.

Thanos looked at Gamora's defeated expression and almost rejected what he had to do. Almost. "I'm sorry, little one," he spoke in a voice that conveyed the heartbreak he was feeling. He grabbed her by the forearm and turned back to the edge of the cliff.

Gamora protested and began to pull away, struggling to break free from his grasp. All her life she'd tried to break free of him. All her life she'd pulled away from his grip on her. It seemed that she was cursed to never be able to escape him unless it was in death.

Thanos held onto her arm and didn't bother to restrain his tears. He no longer saw the cliff, the bleak skies or the abyss that waited before him. He only saw a tiny girl he'd wanted to save.

"You're quite the fighter, Gamora," he'd said upon first meeting her. And when the slaughter of half her people took place, he shielded her from seeing it. Not simply because he wanted to deceive her or control what she knew; he wanted to protect this little girl from pain.

And now he was doing the opposite.

"I love you, little one," he spoke in a broken voice as he flung her from the cliff. As she fell, he refused to look away. Don't you dare look away from her, he commanded himself. If you can do this, you will watch.

Gamora's lifeless body was visible from below. He stared at her and knew that any love he had in his heart had just died with her. A brilliant light shot up from the mountain, casting its glow across the landscape.

A brilliant light shot up from the mountain, casting its glow across the landscape
And then darkness.

No, not darkness. There was a light. An orange light in his hand. Thanos looked down in his closed fist and saw the streaks of light escaping from between his fingers. He opened his hand and found the Soul Stone resting in his palm.

He'd lost everything. Now there was truly only the mission.

Chapter 20: Wakandan Welcome

Chapter Text

Dean sat aboard the quinjet between Ben and Sue. The flight from New York to Wakanda seemed to pass him by in a matter of moments. For the duration of the flight, he'd retreated from conversation, though there had been very little to begin with. The others were making attempts at small talk, from what he gathered, before he surrendered entirely to his thoughts.

A new scenario played out in Dean's head each time he contemplated the fate of Thor. His initial staunch belief that Thor was still alive persisted, but it was not without doubt. No matter what he told himself, or what others told him, that doubt had wedged itself within his heart and was slowly growing.

Like a cancer.

Dean immediately tried to switch gears in his thoughts. Anytime he thought of cancer, he was instantly taken back to Samantha's sickbed. His niece had lost her fight to cancer despite every effort to survive it. Fate, it appeared, had different designs. All around him, Dean could see the destruction that, try as they might, they couldn't stop. The Avengers. Asgard. Maybe the destruction of the universe at by Thanos's hand was the fate none of them could escape either.

Lockjaw gave a little whimper and shoved Dean with his nose. Dean smiled at the big dog and scratched his ears.

"I can't believe we're actually going to Wakanda," Johnny said as he looked out the window at the endless jungles below them. He looked over at Dean and smiled. "Have you been before?"

"After we broke out of The Raft, King T'Challa offered us asylum there," he explained. "It's an incredibly city. Nothing you've ever heard about it could do it justice."

Sue smiled but it was marred with sadness. "I wish Reed was here with us to see this," she said as she stared out the window, waiting for her first glimpse of Wakanda.

"Drop to 2600, heading 0-3-0," Steve commanded as he approached the co*ckpit.

Sam made the adjustments and gave Steve a dubious look. Before them was an expanse of forest that rose up on a tall and steep slope. "I hope you're right about this, Cap. Or we're going to land a lot faster than you want to."

Steve smiled down at Sam and nodded his head. "I'm sure, Sam. You know Wakanda is cloaked."

Sam shuddered as the quinjet passed through a field of extremely convincing camouflage. Once on the other side of the holographic imagery, the beautiful splendor of Wakanda sprawled out before them. He let out the breath he was holding and smiled. "Still makes me nervous though."

The quinjet landed at an airfield just outside of the palace. Dean unfastened his seat-belt and walked with the others down the open ramp. As they stepped into the sunlight, King T'Challa approached with Okoye and the Dora Milaje accompanying him.

"When you said we were going to open Wakanda to the rest of the world... this is not what I imagined," Okoye could be heard saying to her king.

T'Challa smiled at the Avengers and the Four as they approached. "And what did you imagine?" he asked.

Okoye shrugged. "The Olympics. Maybe even a Starbucks."

"This would be a great place to host the Olympics," Dean agreed as both parties converged.

Steve reached out and shook T'Challa's hand. "I'm always thanking you for something."

"It is as I told you, Captain," T'Challa said. "Wakanda does the right thing." His smile dissolved into a serious expression. "How big of an assault can we expect?"

Bruce moved up closer and cleared his throat. "Hello, your highness..."

"Please, call me T'Challa."

Bruce smiled awkwardly. "Well, I think you can expect quite a big assault, I'm afraid. Thanos has a massive army."

T'Challa nodded and his expression became somber.

"How are we looking in the way of manpower?" Natasha asked.

"You will have my Kingsguard, the Border Tribe, the Dora Milaje," T'Challa explained. He then looked over his shoulder. "And a familiar face."

Bucky walked forward and smiled. "A semi-stable, 100-year-old man," he quipped.

Steve stopped in his tracks and stared at him. The expression on his face was one he'd not seen in so long. There was an ease to his demeanor. A peace. It warmed him immensely. Then, unable to bear waiting any longer, he moved toward Bucky and embraced him.

"You're a sight for sore eyes," Bucky whispered as he held onto Steve. "If the end of the world is coming, I'm grateful for this."

"Uh, that's a pretty friendly embrace," Johnny whispered to Ben.

Bruce looked at Dean and Natasha in total confusion. "I guess there's still a lot to catch me up on?"

"Steve is gay," Dean said.

"And Bucky is his boyfriend," Natasha added.

Bruce nodded. "Okay, cool." He then turned to Vision. "Let's go and get that Stone out of your head."

"Just wait until you see their lab," Dean said to Bruce. "You're going to lose your mind."

"I'm losing my mind!" Bruce exclaimed as he spun around in a circle to take in his surroundings. "Tony is going to be so jealous when I tell him about this."

Princess Shuri greeted the Avengers and the remaining members of the Four and immediately got down to business. Vision was placed on an examination table where Shuri immediately began to examine him. As she worked, Bruce and the Four had to restrain themselves from asking too many questions.

"Whoa," Shuri exclaimed after a few moments of examination. "The structure is polymorphic."

Bruce cleared his throat. "Right, we had to attach each neuron non-sequentially."

Shuri stared at him and smiled. "Why didn't you just reprogram the synapses to work collectively?"

Dean looked at Natasha and widened his eyes, causing her to smile. "Someone's in trouble with the teacher," he whispered.

"Because...we didn't think of it?" Bruce offered. He was simultaneously embarrassed to be called out by someone so much younger than him but also incredibly impressed.

"I'm sure you did your best," Shuri said with a smile.

Wanda, who had never strayed far from Vision, looked across the table at Shuri
Wanda, who had never strayed far from Vision, looked across the table at Shuri. "Can you do that? Reprogram the synapses?"

Shuri chewed her bottom lip for a moment as she thought. "Yes," she finally said. "But this is delicate work we are talking about. There are more than two trillion neurons here. This isn't going to be a quick fix, I'm afraid. We cannot cut corners. Doing so could result in misalignment. It would only take one to cause a cascade of circuit failures. I will need time to do it correctly."

Steve looked at Vision, then at Wanda. He turned back to Shuri. "How long do you need?"

Shuri shook her head. "As long as you can give me."

A device in Okoye's hand began to emit a chiming alarm. She flicked it open and a small, holographic image of Wakanda appeared. A pulsing beacon was situated very close to the city. Okoye shook her head. "Something's entered the atmosphere. Very close to the city."

Sam, who had remained outside with Bucky, Sue, Ben and Johnny, called in over the Avengers' comm. "We've got a bad situation here, Cap."

The city's defensive shield was hit by an alien vessel as it attempted to breach. The impact destroyed the craft, scattering fiery debris to the winds.

"God, I love this place," Bucky sighed.

Johnny reported in as he observed the activity at a closer vantage point in the sky. "No time to celebrate yet. There's a hell of a lot more where that came from. We've got incoming outside the city's shield. Approaching the perimeter now."

A large ship landed outside of the protective field, demolishing acres of forest in its wake. Those within the lab approached the large window and stared at the perfect view of what was happening. Steve looked to T'Challa and the two of them shared a look of grave concern.

"There are too many of them," Vision sighed. "And they will stop at nothing to breach your city, Your Highness. I...I cannot, in good conscience, allow myself to be the cause of Wakanda's ruin. We must destroy the Stone now."

"Vis," Wanda sighed, her expression conveying her staunch refusal.

Dean looked at Wanda and felt her emotions hitting like torrential rain. Faced with the prospect of potentially having lost Thor, he refused to allow anyone else to feel that way. He looked from Wanda to Vision and shook his head. "Vision, there's a chance that we can save you. We can't let it slip through our fingers. Please."

Natasha placed a hand on Vision's shoulder. "Dean's right. Get back on the table, Vision."

"But my life is not worth-"

"We will hold them off," T'Challa spoke with an air of finality. Then he, Okoye, and his people began to move toward the doors.

Steve put a hand on Wanda's shoulder. "Wanda, you stay here with Vision and Shuri. You keep them safe while they work and blow that Stone to hell as soon as it's out of Vision's head. Got it?"

Wanda nodded. "I will."

"Nat, Dean, Bruce, Lockjaw- come with me," Steve ordered.

"What am I going to do?" Bruce asked. "I told you my Hulk function is broken."

"We've got an old friend for you to use," Natasha explained. "The Hulk-Buster armor."

T'Challa began to issue orders to his people in a powerful and commanding tone. "Evacuate the city, engage all defense procedures." He then turned and pointed at Steve. "And get this man a shield."

Dean could feel his heart pounding. War had come. He stifled any fear he had and focused instead on the task at hand. Shuri would need time to remove the Mind Stone correctly and without harming Vision. That meant they all had to do everything in their power to hold off the enemies and buy her as much time as possible. There was no room for doubt or fear. There was only room for courage.

The time to act was now.

Chapter 21: We Fight

Chapter Text

Before leaving Shuri's lab, Dean had watched as Wanda stood beside Vision's prone body, her hand in his. The expression on her face was one of hope that was at war with dread but the emotions that resonated within her told a more conflicted tale. Dean decided it wasn't dissimilar to his own inner turmoil. He'd made sure to hug her tightly before he left.

"Wanda, be strong," he's whispered into her hair as he embraced her. "I love you."

Together with the others, he'd traveled across the vast field beyond the city on speedy land carriers- rocket-powered platforms that reminded him of something out of a Star Wars film. He looked to the left, watching as Bruce ran alongside them in the gigantic suit of armor that had, ironically, been created to defeat the Hulk if needed.

"How we looking, Bruce?" Natasha asked from beside him.

Bruce leaped along, managing to keep up with the carriers. "I'm getting the hang of it," he reported in. "It's kind of like being the Hulk without all the berserker rage," he said in what could only be described as a blissful tone. Then he made a misstep and stumbled over a large rock. Righting himself, he resumed his flight. "Just takes some getting used to," he called out.

The carriers approached a large collection of warriors and came to a perfect halt. Dean jumped into the air and flew down to join the front line with Natasha and Steve on either side of him. Bucky stood beside Steve, an assault rifle in his hands. One his other side Ben, Sue and Johnny stood ready. Lockjaw trotted over and stood with them, much to the amusem*nt of the gathered troops who'd not yet learned of Lockjaw's abilities.

The Jabari warriors stood among the Wakandans and their leader, who T'Challa had identified as M'Baku, was rallying them with an aggressive war chanty. Dean watched as T'Challa approached the bulky tribe leader and shook his hand.

"There are three heat signatures breaking through the tree line," Okoye reported.

Steve looked at Natasha and Dean who followed him and T'Challa as they broke away from the warriors and ventured toward the barrier. As they moved in, Dean spotted three of the Black Order on the other side. Proxima Midnight flanked by Cull Obsidian and Fatality Eclipse, stared at them with murderous eyes as she nonchalantly dragged her spear across the barrier, testing its strength.

"Where's your other friend?" Natasha asked with a sly smile when she noticed that Corvus Glaive was absent.

"Where's your other friend?" Natasha asked with a sly smile when she noticed that Corvus Glaive was absent
Proxima Midnight gritted her teeth and tilted her head as she fixed a vengeful glare upon her. "You will pay for his life with yours," she threatened.

"If we had a dollar for every time someone threatened our lives, how rich would we be, Dean?" Natasha asked.

"So rich," Dean said with a slight smile.

Fatality Eclipse stepped closer, his whip held at his side. From beneath the hood, he glared at Dean. "Before this day is done, I'll claim your life, your majesty."

"And we will have that Stone," Proxima Midnight promised.

"That's not going to happen," Steve challenged.

"You are in Wakanda now," T'Challa said. "Thanos will have nothing but dust and blood."

Proxima Midnight shrugged her shoulders and regarded the four of them with contempt. "We have blood to spare," she said before raising her spear, signaling the ships behind her to open up.

"I take it they didn't surrender?" Bucky asked when the four of them returned to the front line.

Steve shook his head. "Not exactly.

Dean could feel the intense emotions scattered across the battlefield as everyone poised themselves for war. The battle cry of Wakanda was led by T'Challa and a deafening chorus of warriors joined in. He lifted his hands, which began to glow. In the distance, he spied the passengers of the alien ships began to disembark and rush toward the barrier.

Their numbers were tremendous.

"What the hell?" Bucky spoke in an astonished voice. "There's so many of them."

"We pissed her off," Natasha surmised as she pulled her Escrima sticks free and gave them a twirl.

Dean stared as the creatures drew nearer to the barrier. Their monstrous bodies were terrifyingly monstrous. They were muscular, with multiple limbs and leathery yellow and black skin. They ran like a pack of rabid dogs, their mouths hanging open to reveal rows of sharp, elongated fangs.

The first of these creatures collided with the barrier and forced their bodies through it despite being burned in the process. As they squeezed through, the barrier burned them in half, bisecting hem entirely. Still they clambered forward, apparently oblivious to their fates.

Okoye watched in horror. "They're killing themselves!" she observed.

Several creatures managed to get through, taking advantage of disruptions in the barrier caused by the corpses of their fallen brethren. They raced across the field toward Wakanda and were quickly met by several tribesmen.

"Fliers, take to the skies and snipe them!" Steve shouted.

Dean, Sue, Sam, and Johnny took flight and quickly sliced across the sky to offer aerial coverage. Bruce, who had already bounded toward the incoming creatures, began to fire repulsor blasts in their direction. Sam used dual machine pistols, painting their numbers in lead. Johnny rained fire upon them while Sue dropped several pillars of invisible force onto the battlefield, reducing the creatures to grotesque stains.

Dean flew low and waved a hand. An arc of light followed his movement and multiple photons shot from it, burning holes through a group of them. As the light receded, he watched as several creatures began to run around the barrier and move away from the battlefield proper. "Cap, their circling around," he warned.

"If they circle the perimeter and get in behind us there's nothing between them and Vision," Bruce called out before driving a huge fist into the mouth of an incoming enemy.

Steve looked to T'Challa. "We need to keep them in front of us, which means..."

"We open the barrier," T'Challa finished. He spoke into the comm, addressing the technicians who manned the defensive systems. "On my signal, open North-West Section Seventeen."

M'Baku looked to Okoye. "This will be the end of Wakanda."

Okoye didn't submit to fear. She simply fixed a stoic look upon the incoming enemies. "Then it will be the noblest ending in history," she decided.

Steve lifted the hand guards he'd been given by T'Challa. Forged from Vibarnium and adorned with sharp tips, he could use them for deadly blows as well as defense. T'Challa moved beyond the front line, his helmet now covering his face. In a booming voice, he screamed "WAKANDA FOREVER!" as he crossed his arms over his chest. Then, with a single word, he incited Wakanda's full fury. "Now!"

The barriers he'd specified opened and the monstrous creatures swarmed in like a plague from hell. T'Challa, Steve and Bucky ran at such blinding speed that they quickly outpaced everyone behind them before leaping into battle.

"How much longer, Shuri?" T'Challa asked. He ducked a lunging beast and drove his fist upward, crushing its chest with a cracking uppercut before spinning around and kicking another beast in the jaw.

Shuri sighed in slight irritation. "We've barely begun, brother."

T'Challa shook his head. "I hate to pester you, but you might want to pick up the pace," he replied.

From beside him, a trio of snapping jaws made for him but were quickly smacked down by an invisible force field. Sue hovered above and flicked her hands, forcing the field to move like a shovel, tossing creatures up left and right as it skimmed across the ground. "Johnny, you're up!" she screamed.

Johnny flew in a perfect backward arc and took aim at the creatures his sister had gathered up in her force. Streams of fire washed over them, baking them immediately.

The scent of burned alien flesh greeted Ben's nose once he'd finally managed to catch up to the others. "These things smell like sh*t," he grunted before barreling through a crowd, bashing them aside with his massive fists.

Natasha, who had been hitching a ride on his shoulder, front flipped off of him and smashed her sticks into the face of and approaching enemy. "Plug your nose and keep at it," she snarled. Ducking one of the incoming monstrosities, she popped to her feet and blocked a clawed strike by crossing the sticks before her. Twirling them, she struck the creature once it was thrown off-balance, her weapon shattering its teeth.

"I've already lost count of how many I've killed," Bucky reported as he kept up a steady stream of gunfire. "There are so many of them," he added as he ejected a magazine and slapped a fresh one in. Before he could open fire, one of the enemies moved in on him. He swung his metal fist on the creature, shattering its jaw with a heavy blow before spraying it with gunfire.

"Doesn't matter," Sam said. He had just unleashed multiple small missiles from his wings upon several enemies as they entered the barrier, blowing them to pieces before more of their kind ran across the fallen. "So long as we keep them here."

"Sam's right, we just need to keep them away from Shuri long enough for her to get the Stone," Steve agreed. He bashed a creature of the head with one hand guard before shoving the other one into it's sternum, tearing through skin and snapping he spine in half.

Lockjaw bounded across the field and dug his teeth into the hind leg of an alien. He tightened his jaw and sling the alien into the path of several others. Then, with a massive howl, he descended on them, his muscular body and unrelenting jaw strength quickly overwhelming them.

The fierce determination of his comrades was all around Dean, which drove him to keep fighting on. He flew overhead and spied a collection of beasts closing in on M'Baku and some of his men. Dean crashed to the ground like a comet and the his immediate vicinity was engulfed in burning light.

"Stand back!" M'Baku ordered his men as Dean let loose a radial arc of immense light, singing enemies and throwing them head over heels. A smile graced M'Baku lips and he rushed forward, impaling a creature who was attempting to rush in from Dean's side.

"Thanks!" Dean called over to him before punching another adversary in the face. His palm unleashed a hand blast at the same time and the blow crushed the creature's face.

M'Baku simply nodded his head and, with a ferocious roar, he and his men resumed the fight. They knew what everyone else on the battlefield understood to be true. In the end, all that mattered was keeping the Mind Stone out of Thanos's reach. Even if they died doing it.

Chapter 22: Forging Stormbreaker

Chapter Text

The plan was simple enough, Thor thought as he rode on top of the pod while Rocket piloted it. Get the giant rings moving, ignite the dying star, forge the weapon, and be back on earth in time to claim Thanos's life.

"Look, I admire the self-confidence, but I don't think you're getting the scientifics here," Rocket expressed from the pilot's seat. "Those rings are gigantic. If you want to get them moving, it's going to take something a lot bigger to yank them loose."

Thor smiled at Rocket's words. "Just leave it to me, rabbit."

Rocket put his face in his hands. "Leave it to you? Buddy, you're in space. All you got is a rope and-"

Thor took hold of the cable and began to swing the pod around in circles. With each rotation, the pod's momentum grew tenfold. Rocket braced himself.

"A rope and the strength of a god," Thor shouted before slackening his grip ever so slightly. The pod shot out from Nidavellir with Thor holding onto the rope and trailing behind it. "Now fire the engines!"

Rocket complied and the pod was shooting forward with a combination of rocket power and the force of a god. As the pod moved toward one of the rings, Thor reached down and slammed a hand into the surface of it. His fingers tore into the metallic surface of the ring as he dragged across it, raking up chunks of the ring in the process. He then slammed both feet into the ring and took hold of the rope with both hands. Soon, he was at the edge of the ring. Having gained a foothold, he dug his feet further into the metal, locking his body into place.

The sound of ice cracking was music to Thor's ears. But it wasn't enough. The ice needed to shatter before he'd be happy. "More...power...rabbit!" he roared up at the pod.

"You got it!" Rocket shouted as he accelerated to the max. As he did so, Thor kept his grip and foothold and the ice shattered as he'd wished.

"Well done, boy!" Eitri shouted out to him.

The rings began to spin freely now that they were no longer encased in ice. As they did so, they realigned into the necessary configuration, awakening the star. The iris that encased the celestial body slid open, lighting up Nidavellir.

Thor leaped from the spinning ring and landed on the windshield of the pod. He knocked and smiled at Rocket before pointing to the star. "That's Nidavellir!" he triumphantly announced.

Rocket rubbed his eyes and stared at the core of the home of the dwarves. Awakened and free, the star unleashed a massive ray of stellar heat through each of the rings until it had reached the forge. Reignited, the forge glowed brightly, illuminating Eitri's smile.

But then the star suddenly stopped shining. The mechanism that allowed it to unleash its power upon the forge snapped shut and Nidavellir was once again bathed in darkness.

"Damn it!" Eitri huffed. "The mechanism is crippled! When the iris is closed I can't heat the metal to forge the weapon."

Thor stared at the iris, then followed the path the star's stream of heat would follow to reach the forge. "How long will it take to heat?" he asked as a very clear plan formed in his head.

"A few moments," Eitri answered. "Maybe longer. Why?"

Thor stood up on the hull of the pod and glared at the iris. "Because I'm going to hold it open," he gruffly replied.

Eitri shook his head. "No, Odinson! That would be suicide!"

Thor shrugged his broad shoulders. "So is facing Thanos without that ax," he remarked. Not waiting for EItri's response, he leaped from the pod, directly to the star's iris.

"I can't watch!" Rocket groaned.

Thor stood with his back to the dormant star and the mechanism that would open to unleash its power. Two levers on either side of the iris met his gaze.

EItri stared in the distance and shook his head. "Thor, you understand, don't you? You're about to take the full force of a star. It'll kill you!"

Frigga's voice resounded in his head. Your fight is not finished. Dean needs you. The universe needs you.

"Only if I die," Thor answered Eitri in an unyielding voice.

Eitri frowned. "Yes, that's what 'killing you' means." He looked briefly over at Groot, who was huddled out of the way with his handheld video game. Seeing that Groot was not paying attention, he looked back at Thor.

Thor reached for both levers and took a deep breath. He shut his eyes. "Allfathers, give me strength," he implored before tightening his grip and giving the levers a firm pull down and towards him. The force of the star struck his back and moved along his body as it made its way to the forge.

The force of the star struck his back and moved along his body as it made its way to the forge
The pain was beyond any Thor had ever felt. He kept his grip, unwilling to yield now. He'd come too far to do that. No, he wasn't here to die. He was here to forge a weapon.

A weapon worthy of the greatest king of Asgard, Bor had said.

Yes. The fight was not over. Thor willed it so. He knew it in his bones that he was not finished.

Eitri observed as the stream of starlight beginning to melt the ingots in the forge. His heart raced at the sight, He looked back to Thor and noticed that his body was becoming charred from his exposure to the star.

"Hold it! Hold it, Thor!" Eitri shouted.

Thor's consciousness began to recede. He could feel the life force within him waning under the unending intensity of the star. He was being killed by it, he knew. The pain was relentless as his body was ravaged by the star's power. He could feel his skin charring and opening. His muscles roared in agony as he held on. He shut his eyes and felt his body betraying him as his grip began to loosen.

That was when he remembered something Dean had said to him a long while back. It was during one of the few times in his life when he'd given surrender a thought. He could still remember how Dean had taken his face in his hands and looked upon him with tears in his eyes.

"No. No you don't. You said it yourself- surrender isn't in your nature. You...you're my warrior."

He could hear Dean's voice as if he were right there with him. His eyes snapped opened as Dean's voice continued to speak to him.

"If you...if you give up now...I don't know if I'll be able to believe that we can survive."

Thor's eyes glared intensely as every ounce of strength he had left revealed itself.

I am not giving up today.

"I'm coming, Fair One," he cried out through his pain. Clenching his teeth, he roared in agony as he held on for the weapon, for the universe, for Dean. "I won't...let you down...Dean!"

He held on tighter than ever. The pain was no more bearable, but what he was fighting for was far stronger. In the heat of the star's light, his eyes began to see an assortment of particles that danced across his vision. He was, as mortals often said, seeing stars. But then those stars began to take shape. Dean's face loomed before him. He knew this was an illusion born from a pain-addled mind. But he didn't care. Dean's beautiful face looked upon him, his violet-blue eyes conveying the love he felt. He smiled brightly, igniting Thor's soul. Tears slipped from his eyes.

"Fair One," he gasped. Every action he took was accompanied but a horrific pain. "I...am...your...WARRIOR!" he roared.

The stream of starlight finished melting the ingots. Eitri tipped the cauldron and the melted metal began to fill the mold. It wouldn't be long now.

"We've done it, boy!" Eitri bellowed.

Eitri's confirmation was music to Thor's ears. His grip relaxed and he let go of the levers. Consciousness slipped away as his body was tossed away from the closed iris. Rocket flew the pod in to try and catch him and Thor's limp body bounced off of it and landed on the floor of the forge.

The sound of him hitting the floor pulled Groot away from his game. He beheld Thor's still body with a look of dismay.

Rocket departed from the pod and ran to Thor. He knelt over him and try to rouse him. "Come on. Thor, you okay?" He took in the terrible state Thor was in and shook his head. "Come on, man. You can't give up now. What about Dean?"

"Dean..." Thor's voice croaked.

"That's right!" Rocket urged. "That's right. Dean's waiting for you. He needs you."

"Dean...needs...me," Thor croaked.

"That's right, buddy. He needs you. So you've got to get up for him. Yeah?"

"Have to...have to...Dean..."

Eitri pulled the mold to the floor where it landed with a heavy thud. It was red-hot as Eitri began to punch it with his metal hands, breaking the ax free of it.

"Hey, Dwarf King, I think Thor's dying!" Rocket called out as he watched Thor's struggles to move worsen.

Eitri stared up at Thor grimly before continuing the work of assembling the weapon. "He needs the ax!" he shouted as the ax-blade and hammer piece lay waiting for the handle that would join them into one.

Groot continued to eye Thor, his expression growing increasingly sad.

"Where's the handle?" Eitri lamented as he searched wildly for it. "Tree! Help me find the handle!"

Groot stared at Thor and felt awed by his strength
Groot stared at Thor and felt awed by his strength. He felt moved by his unflinching act of self-sacrifice. Thor was a hero who laid his life down. Groot knew what he had to do. He wiped a tear from his face and, with a burst of determination, he approached the two pieces of the weapon. He extended his arm and his fingers began to grow at alarming speed. He twined them around the two superheated parts of the weapon, slamming them together without hesitation. He cried out in pain, then fought through it. If Thor could make the sacrifices he'd made, then Groot would be strong too. He lifted the weapon high above his head, allowing his arm to lengthen until the weapon had its handle. Then he used his other hand to chop through his arm, severing it.

Stormbreaker was forged. The mighty weapon of a king fell to the ground and lay still. Then, sensing the weapon's nearness, Thor's fingers twitched and lighting crackled between them. The weapon rose from the ground and began to emit lightning as well. Then, like an old friend, it rushed to his hand.

Chapter 23: Reinforcements Arrive

Chapter Text

The combined might of the Avengers, Four and the Wakandans was a formidable force, but Proxima Midnight could tell that their numbers were superior. As powerful as these pathetic enemies to Thanos were, their might would only dwindle with time. They need only exhaust them. This, she knew, would serve two purposes. Not only would it weaken them enough for a defeat, it would also encourage some one of the more powerful of them to enter the battlefield.

"The woman is still with the Stonebearer," Corvus Glaive reported in as he waited stealthily near the laboratory.

Proxima Midnight smiled. Though she harbored intense rage toward the woman who'd harmed her husband, it had provided a perfect setup for their plan. If they thought Corvus Glaive dead, they would not look for him. They wouldn't expect him to attack.

"Stay near them," Proxima Midnight instructed. "When the witch enters the battlefield he'll be vulnerable.

"And what of us?" Fatality Eclipse asked.

Proxima Midnight grinned. "Our time has come."

"Why haven't Thanos's kids joined in on the fun?" Johnny asked from above.

"They're trying to wear us down," Dean called out. He flew down to where Steve, T'Challa and Nat were fighting and joined in, his fists and feet exuding powerful light that enhanced every blow he struck. "Oldest trick in the book."

Bucky started to reply when a creature struck him from the side and tackled him to the ground. It opened its mouth, snapping its fangs in front of Bucky's face as he held him off. With a heavy grunt, he slammed his fist into the beasts' mouth, cracking its teeth into pieces and punching a hole through the back of its head. The corpse had barely fallen off of him when more creatures tackled him and pinned him down.

Steve looked over at T'Challa and watched helplessly as he was overcome by the enemies, his body being tossed about like a rag doll as he attempted to regain control of the situation. A monster slammed into Steve, pinning him against a rock while several more rushed in to help finish him off.

"Sue, we could use some shielding!" Natasha cried out. She ducked an incoming claw and cracked her sticks across the offending beast's knee, breaking it and sending it sprawling to the floor. She jumped onto its back and grabbed it by the head. With one big twist, she snapped its neck.

Sue moved away from her position and hovered over the group. A bubble of invisible force sprang up around them.

Cull Obsidian raced forward and took aim with his hammer.

"Sam, Johnny- cover her!" Dean cried out from beneath a group of monsters.

It was too late. The hammer collided with Sue, striking her in the back and knocking her from the sky. The force field faltered and then dissipated altogether. Johnny sped after her in an attempt to catch her as a host of monsters formed a massive crowd beneath her descending body. Their jaws snapped in anticipation.

Dean exploded with light, shoving the creatures back and away from him before raising his hands. A sphere of radiant light shot up around them and the incoming monsters could only bash ineffectively against it.

"I can't hold them off for long," Dean warned the others as they took advantage of the shield to contend with their enemies.

Cull Obsidian took aim with his hammer once more, but this time Bruce and Ben were ready for him. Both massive figures slammed into him simultaneously and the hammer went flying wildly. It slammed into Dean's shield with a loud uproar and the lights scattered under the combined force of the hammer and the endless supply of monsters.

Dean stumbled backward from the blow and attempted to refocus when a familiar pain shot through his body. He looked down as Fatality Eclipse's whip lashed around his thigh. Pain pulsed within him and he was quickly pulled away from his friends.

"I told you'd I'd claim your life," Fatality Eclipse seethed as he spun around and kicked Dean in the face. He was tossed to the dirt where Fatality Eclipses's whip briefly pulled away from him. He attempted to rise up when the whip suddenly slapped around his throat. A kick to the back of his legs knocked him to his knees where Fatality Eclipse then slammed a boot onto Dean's shoulder, pinning him as the whip began to choke the life from him.

"Hold tight, Dean!" Sam shouted. "I got you!"

Before the flying Avenger could get close enough, Fatality Eclipse reached into his cloak and withdrew a glowing red dagger. He tossed it in Sam's direction and he quickly descended to avoid its sharp point. But as it soared overhead, the dagger split open and fired smaller daggers from its body. They slammed into Sam's wings and unleashed a steady pulse of energy that caused them to short out, sending him plummeting to the ground below.

Bruce and Ben continued to assault Cull Obsidian until the hammer retracted back to the massive child of Thanos's hand. Once he had it back, he ducked a punch from Ben and swung on Bruce. Tossed aside by the blow, Bruce landed in a nearby patch of grass where he was quickly dog-piled by a ravenous horde.

Johnny caught Sue in his arms with relief and noticed that she was breathing. Before he could take heart, one of the creatures got wise and ran up a nearby rock that reached up for the sky. It leaped off of the very top and slammed into Johnny. It rose up and sank its teeth into Johnny's shoulder, sending him and Sue hurtling to the ground.

Lockjaw, overwhelmed by the sheer numbers, was flailing about, barking and snapping a the creatures closed in around him, waiting for the mighty dog to wear down.

Ben grabbed Cull Obsidian by the waist and attempted to tackle him but the big alien simply rolled onto his back and threw Ben overhead, tossing him several feet away.

Bruce ignored the suit's AI as it warned him that the suit integrity was failing beneath the endless assault. "Guys, there's too many of them!" he screamed to anyone who would listen.

A group of monsters formed a tight circle around Dean and Fatality Eclipse, watching and waiting. Dean struggled to remove the whip from his throat, the terrible energy pulsing through his body, threatening to burn out every nerve he had. He looked up at his attacker, staring beyond the face beneath the hood, looking into his heart. He found only malice there. Malice and a deep hatred. Fatality Eclipse was going to kill him. Dean would die in Wakanda if he had his way.

Through vision made hazy from lack of air, Dean could see all of his allies in similar predicaments. At least we tried, he mournfully decided.

But then something spectacular happened.

A pillar of blinding, multicolored light shot down from the heavens. It struck the battlefield, obliterating the creatures beneath it in its magnificent power. Though his body was ravaged with pain, his mind awash with so many emotions that didn't belong to him, Dean knew what he was looking at.

The Bifrost.

From the stream of magnificent light, a large ax flew out and began circling the Bifrost, its path expanding rapidly. It mowed through the monsters with so much ease, reducing them to gore. And as it moved, it resonated lightning that sparked out and struck monsters not touched by the weapon's sharp edge.

Lightning.

It could mean only one thing. And the realization was still fresh on Dean's mind when the ax suddenly deviated from its path and made straight toward them. It sliced through the air above Dean before slinging back toward the Bifrost.

Alien blood sprayed across Dean and the grass around him, painting everything a jarring neon blue. Fatality Eclipse's entire upper body from the waist up had practically exploded from the ax's impact. His detached head fell to the ground and rolled over. Dean could see dead eyes staring back at him from beneath the hood. The whip loosened and the energy it was casting faded. Dean tore it off of him, catching his breath and wincing as he stood.

The Bifrost disappeared, leaving behind the figure of Thor, who caught the giant ax when it returned to him. Flanked by Rocket and Groot, he gripped the ax tightly, his gaze sweeping across the battlefield and settling upon Dean, who quickly noticed that his eye had been replaced with a new, gold-colored one.

Thor took in Dean's appearance- his bruised and bloodied face, the angry streaks of red on his neck, and the network of cuts along his arms. His expression softened ever so slightly, and Dean felt the amalgamation of his emotions. Relief that Dean was alive and intense love for him. Then the softness vanished as anger toward Dean's oppressors flowed from Thor. A furious snarl dominated his face. These unlucky souls had dared to wound his Fair One. And that would not stand.

Dean had never seen Thor so enraged before.

"You guys are so screwed now!" Bruce cried out while he stood up.

In the distance, Proxima Midnight, who had been rejoined by Cull Obsidian, stared in barely-concealed panic.

"BRING ME THANOS!" Thor roared loudly as he took off in the direction of incoming forces. Lightning erupted from the ax as he threw himself up into the air and his body became immersed in it. His eyes glowed white with lightning, his rugged expression conveying nothing but fury. The skies above him mirrored his demeanor and grew ominously dark. Then, with one great roar, he crashed down upon the incoming enemies, decimating them and the ground they stood on. Thunder boomed, deafening to all as lightning flowed and a crater was left behind.

Thunder boomed, deafening to all as lightning flowed and a crater was left behind
Then the battle was on once more. Rallied by Thor's arrival, the others regrouped. Dean floated upward and ignored the knife of pain as he spun around and began raining light blasts down on the incoming creatures. In the heat of battle, Dean spied his friends in various stages of combat, but it was Thor who maintained his attention. As they fought to thin the numbers of the enemy, he could barely keep his eyes off of him. It was as if he'd disappear again if he looked away.

When the enemies' numbers had been reduced significantly, Thor stalked toward Dean, who had just floated back to the ground after hitting a wave with a blazing flash of light. He grabbed Dean's hand and when Dean turned to face him, he slammed his ax into the earth at their feet before gently reaching for Dean's face. He studied the busted lip, the angry cut above his eye, and the bruise on his cheek.

"They hurt you," Thor whispered angrily as he stopped a tear falling down Dean's cheek.

"It doesn't hurt much," Dean assured him in a hoarse voice. "I knew you were still alive. I never...I never lost hope..." Tears flooded his eyes and spilled as he reached out and touched Thor's face as if to confirm that he wasn't a figment of his imagination. No, this wasn't a cruel apparition. He was flesh and blood.

"Fair One," Thor murmured softly as he carefully embraced Dean and held him close. He kissed him, a gentle brush of his lips. Then stood back, his hand reaching for the ax again. He tore it from the earth and held it in both hands, the sharp edge glistening as lightning streaked across its surface. He met Dean's eyes. "They'll pay for your tears. For everything," he promised Dean, his jaw clenched, his body trembling with rage. "I'll kill all of them," he said in a dark voice.

Dean nodded. "Do it," he urged.

Thor's expression lightened and he smiled and winked his new, golden eye before taking flight once more.

Thor's ferocity and protectiveness sent a shiver of desire through Dean's body. Alright, he told himself. Keep your head in the game.

Chapter 24: Get the Gauntlet

Chapter Text

Strange sat at the top of some crumbling steps and looked out on the landscape of Titan. The steps he sat on may have led to a building, perhaps a plaza of some sort. Now they led to nothing. He sat in silence while his new comrades hid in various locations around him. The plan was simple and complicated at the same time- take the most powerful objects in the universe away from Thanos who, due to wielding them, was now the most powerful being in the universe.

I miss the days when a complicated brain surgery was my primary concern, Strange decided.

A cloud of blue energy pulled him back to the present and he watched as towering figure emerged and surveyed his surroundings, no doubt taking in the wreckage of Ebony Maw's ship.

Keep him distracted and off-balance, Strange thought before clearing his throat to speak. "Oh, yeah, you're much more of a 'Thanos'," he said in a cool voice.

Thanos looked at him and nodded slowly. "I take it the Maw is dead, then." He shook his head as if to clear away unpleasant thoughts. "This day extracts a heavy toll."

Thanos paused and Strange could see the hint of sorrow in his eyes. For Ebony Maw, perhaps?

"Still, he accomplished his mission," Thanos went on, gesturing toward Strange.

"Something you're going to regret," Strange fired back. "He brought you face-to-face with the Master of Mystic Arts.

Thanos regarded him with little interest. The amulet hanging from his neck, however- that was interesting. "And where do you suppose he brought you?" he asked the wizard

Strange smiled. "Let me take a guess. Your home?"

Thanos smiled, oblivious to the fact that Star-Lord was crouching behind a nearby hunk of wreckage, his pistols primed and ready.

Spider-Man peeked out from behind Doctor Strange. Catching a glimpse of Thanos, he quickly ducked. He's not little, he thought anxiously.

Thanos smiled at the word 'home' as if he were reminiscing. "It was," he sighed. "And it was beautiful."

Strange watched as Thanos made a fist with the gauntlet. The Reality Stone flashed and their surroundings suddenly transformed into verdant lands, abundant fields, flowing waters, and happy citizens. "Wasn't it?"

Strange nodded his head. "It was beautiful. What happened?"

"Titan was like most planets. Too many mouths, and not enough to go around. And when we faced extinction, I offered a solution."

Strange smiled sarcastically. "Ah, yes. Genocide. A masterful solution. And generous, too."

Thanos shook his head. "Of course you wouldn't understand. Very few do. I ended life at random. Dispassionate. I was fair! Rich, poor, old, young- it didn't matter. But they called me a madman. They told me my way was wrong, that I was 'too cruel'. In the end, I was right. I had predicted that overpopulation would lead to Titan's downfall. And you see the result."

The Reality Stone flashed again and Titan was restored to its true, decrepit state.

"You see what happened to this world," Thanos said. "It will happen to more worlds unless I act."

"Congratulations. You're a prophet."

"I'm a survivor," Thanos replied. "You would be too. If you understood."

Strange shook his head. "There's no way I will ever understand the murder of trillions."

"Murder? Murder is often cruel and painful, wizard. With the Stones in my possession, I need only snap my fingers to do what needs to be done."

"And then what?" Strange asked as he rose to his feet. "What will the Mad Titan do when he's separated the wheat from the chaff?"

Thanos gave his shoulders a shrug. "I'll finally be able to rest, knowing that I rectified a mistake and extended that across the universe. I'll watch the sun rise on a grateful universe and know that I've finally done what needed to be done."

"You say all of this as if it's the easiest choice for you?"

Thanos shook his head. "Far from it. It's the hardest choice. But the hardest choices require the strongest of wills."

Strange's expression became sterner as he raised his hands and conjured sigils of magical energy, preparing himself for what he and the others had planned. "I think you'll find our will equal to yours."

Thanos lifted an eyebrow. "Our?"

At this point a massive chunk of wreckage came flying down from above. Thanos raised his gauntlet to defend himself but the attacks was far too quick to anticipate. The wreckage smashed into him, flattening his body into Titan's surface. He could feel the ground cracking beneath him.

"See, Quill- piece of cake!" Iron Man breezily spoke as he flew back and surveyed the damage.

"Yeah, if your goal was to piss him off!" Star-Lord fired back as a cloud of purple energy exploded from beneath the debris, which was immediately obliterated.

Thanos focused on the debris as it scattered into the air and the Reality Stone flashed brightly. The debris immediatley transfigured into a swarm of bat-like creatures which then turned and collided with Iron Man, forcing him backward and crashing into the nearby ruins. As he moved after Iron Man, Spider-Man swung in and fired webbing directly into Thanos's face, occluding his vision.

"Die!" Drax screamed from nearby. He leaped over a chunk of wreckage and drew both of his swords. Thanos spun in the direction of his voice and attempted to backhand him but Drax dropped to his knees and slid across the ground and slashed his blades at the blinded enemy. The blades sliced across the backs of his legs but Thanos quickly reacted by moving forward.

Strange conjured a portal and leaped through it, transporting himself directly in front of Thanos, who had torn the webs from his face. A sword of golden energy expanded in Strange's hand and he quickly swung on Thanos while Drax rose up and did the same. Thanos pivoted and punched Drax in the side, knocking him across the ground and into some nearby ruins. He then spun on Strange and kicked at him. The golden sword in his hands quickly reconfigured into a magical shield, absorbing the damage entirely as the Cloak kept Strange from falling down by lifting him up.

Star-Lord came in hot from behind and opened fire on Thanos, who spun around and fired a burst of energy from the Power Stone. Star-Lord jetted into the air and quickly made use of some magical platforms Strange conjured for him. He jumped from platform to platform until he was just above Thanos's head. He flipped over him and slapped a mine onto his back before executing a perfect landing several feet away.

"Boom!" Star-Lord shouted as he raised a middle finger before falling backward into one of Strange's portals.

The explosion was enough to stagger Thanos and he stumbled to his knees, leaving him wide open for a surprise attack from Reed, who rolled across the ground, his body contorted into the shape of a ball. Having gained a great deal of momentum, he slammed into Thanos's back with all his might. Before Thanos could reconfigure, he sprang up and his entire body elongated, wrapping itself around the titan's arm. He coiled around the gauntlet and filled Thanos's hand, forcing it to remain open.

Drax took advantage of Thanos's distraction by attempting another attack with his blade. Thanos took a step back, then threw his boot forward, kicking Drax in the chest and knocking him across the ground. He then reached for Reed and tugged, attempting to tear him off. Reed held on for dear life, his elastic body forcing itself to remain firmly around the titan's arm and hand. Annoyed, Thanos reached for one of the stones- the Power Stone- and pressed it roughly against the palm of his hand where Reed was keeping his fist open. The explosion of power weakened Reed and threw a tremendous pain throughout his entire body before Thanos flung his slack form off, then replaced the Power Stone on his gauntlet.

"Don't let him close his fist," Strange commanded the Cloak of Levitation. The magical clothing snapped free of Strange's shoulders and flew toward Thanos, wrapping itself tightly around his armored hand. Thanos, irritated, reached for it with his other hand and began to forcefully attempt to pry it off.

"Spider-Man!" Strange called out as he began conjuring portals.

Spider-Man cracked his knuckles and leaped into action as a portal opened up before him. He leaped through it and punched Thanos in the head before retreating in another portal and reappearing on Thanos's other side. He grabbed the Titan by his face and smashed it into ground before again vanishing. When he returned to the opposite side of Thanos, he kicked him hard in his backside.

"Insect!" Thanos roared as he spun and caught Spider-Man and slammed him into the ground, his fingers tight around his neck. He hefted the boy up and tossed him into Strange's direction. The collision left both of them stunned and granted the Titan a momentary reprieve, which he used to finally rip the Cloak from his hand.

"Not so fast!" Iron Man shouted as he came in from the ruins and let loose a barrage of fiery projectiles. They exploded around Thanos, bombarding him with their overwhelming assault. Thanos called on the Power Stone and the blast his Iron Man right in the chest, throwing him into a large piece of machinery.

As Thanos continued to fire on Iron Man, Spider-Man swung back into action and shot a stream of webbing at the gauntlet. Thanos grunted and took hold of the web, yanking it and pulling Spider-Man toward him for a vicious punch that sent him flying backward. He was just tearing the webs off of the gauntlet when a small spaceship entered the atmosphere and rapidly descended until its nose was colliding with Thanos and forcing him backward. He was dragged beneath the ship and across the debris before the ship came to a halt. Thanos emerged in time for the pilot to emerge and punch him before landing directly in front of him.

Thanos spied his newest attacker and smiled. "Well, well."

Nebula stood before him, her sword drawn and her expression just as sharp. "You made a mistake not killing me!"

"A waste of spare parts!" Thanos spat at her.

Nebula advanced and began to attack in earnest, her sword cutting the air before Thanos as he dodged her.

"Where is Gamora!" Nebula demanded.

Strange floated upward and fired a spell of magical energy directly at the Titan as he punched Nebula aside. The spell resulted in several dense red straps of magical energy that wrapped around Thanos's gauntlet and forced the fingers backward, pinning them into place.

"Their called the Crimson Bands of Cytorrak," Strange explained. "And you'll find they're not easily broken."

The assault continued once more, with Drax and Star-Lord moving back in and executing their own concentrated attacks. Spider-Man joined in, having recovered from the blow. Drax's attack, a kick to the knee, took Thanos down to a kneeling position where Star-Lord was able to restrain his bare hand with the same electrical trap he'd used on Iron Man on the ship. Spider-Man webbed Thanos's chest, wrapping it around him several times before landing a few feet away and using the suit's spider legs to dig into the ground and anchor himself.

"Almost...got it..." Spider-Man groaned.

Reed, having recovered from the attack of the Power Stone, turned his body into an elastic strand. he lunged forward, wrapping several times around Thanos's neck before wrapping himself around a sturdy pillar that stood nearby. He contracted himself, allowing his body to pull Thanos's head back, hyper-extending it.

Strange opened a portal directly above Thanos's head and Mantis descended, landing on his shoulders. She pressed her hands to his temples and forcefully commanded him to sleep. His eyes became cloudy and his body slack. Though not fully asleep, he was quite subdued for the moment. Strange reinforced the magical bands on Thanos's right hand and his Cloak flew in and to help him pull.

"Is he under?" Iron Man asked when he rejoined the others.

Mantis shook her head and began to cry from the strain of keeping the titan under, "Be quick! He's so strong!"

While Iron Man and Spider-Man took hold of the gauntlet and began to tug on it, Star-Lord moved directly in front of Thanos and grinned co*ckily. "You know, I thought you'd be harder to catch. But this was all my plan, after all. Not so strong now, huh? Where is Gamora?"

Thanos spoke as if he were dreaming, his voice heavy with fatigue. "My...Gamora?"

Star-Lord shook his head. "Bull-sh*t. She's not yours! Now, where is she?"

Mantis flinched as a wave of agony hit her. "He is in anguish, he mourns!"

Nebula stood a few feet away and shook he head. "He mourns Gamora," she spoke sadly. When Star-Lord turned and looked at her she continued. "He took her to Vormir. He came back with the Soul Stone. She didn't."

Iron Man spared a glance at Star-Lord, noting the seething rage on his face. The danger of this situation quickly weighed on him and he raised his voice to get Star-Lord's attention. "Listen, Quill, you've got to cool it right now, okay? Do you understand? Tell me you understand!"

Star-Lord looked directly into Thanos's face and tilted his head, his eyes narrowing.

"Quill, don't engage!" Iron Man cried out in desperation. "Look, we've almost got this thing off! You're going to blow it, man!"

Star-Lord ignored Iron Man, too consumed with fear and sadness to hear him. "Tell me she's lying, you asshole! Tell me you didn't do it!"

Thanos spoke in a sorrowful voice as Mantis continued to try and hold him. "I had to...no other way..."

Star-Lord began to scream as he raised his pistol and started bashing it into Thanos's face repeatedly. Iron Man felt like he was watching everything in slow motion. Star-Lord attacking Thanos and the pain of it shooting from Thanos up to Mantis, who then lost her grip. Seeing no other way, he let go of Thanos's arm and grabbed Star-Lord.

"It's coming!" Spider-Man shouted as the gauntlet started to come loose.

"Look, Quill, we've got this, now keep it together!"

Thanos awakened from the trance in a fury. He tossed his head back, striking Mantis, who held on desperately, before ripping the gauntlet away from Spider-Man's grasp and forcing it back onto his hand. He grabbed Mantis by the leg and threw her off of him completely. He then yanked his gauntlet arm, dragging Strange toward him befroe headbutting him with enough force to break his focus. The bands that had bound him vanished and he swatted Spider-Man aside, then backhanded Iron Man. He reached for Mantis next, tearing her off of his shoulders and throwing her. She went flying upward where the gravity suddenly slackened. Thanos reached for his throat and tore Reed off of him, then hit him with a blast from the Reality Stone, transforming his body into a puddle of liquid

"I got her!" Spider-Man called out, knowing that Mantis was in danger of floating off of Titan's surface at this point. He shot up to her and took hold, yanking her back to the ground.

Iron man recovered from the backhand and moved in once more, his arm manifesting into a massive nanite cannon. Before he could fire, Thanos knocked him back to the ground with a vicious headbutt. He then raised the gauntlet and used both the Power and Space Stones to strike Titan's moon. The entire satellite was torn into big chunks, which Thanos drew down to his location and rained upon Iron Man.

"He's throwing a moon at me!" Iron Man gasped in disbelief as a chunk the size of a baseball field made contact and forced him into the ground beneath its tremendous weight. Beneath the rubble, he suddenly felt very small and very ineffective.

We're not losing this. We can't lose this! he thought to himself as he worked to dig himself out. But there was a sensation taking hold of him. The same sensation he'd felt when he'd flown into the abyss with a nuclear missile. The same sensation he'd felt when Wanda had shown him a grim future. A chill took hold of him and didn't leave.

Chapter 25: Threshers

Chapter Text

"How are we doing, Wanda?" Dean asked over the radio as he flew overhead and threw a blast of light into an incoming crowd.

"I don't know," Wanda spoke in a tense voice. "I don't know what's happening and I feel useless right now just standing here."

"You're not useless, Wanda. You're doing exactly what you need to be doing. Guarding Vision and the Mind Stone is the priority."

Wanda looked at Shuri, taking in how laser-focused the princess was as she continued to work. She then looked at Vision, who smiled encouragingly at her. She returned the smile, though hers was shaky. "I'm scared, Dean," she whispered.

The fear in Wanda's voice struck Dean and he immediately wished that he could be next to her, holding her hand through all of this. But he couldn't. Just as sure as she had her job, he also had his role to play in this. He and the others had to keep Thanos's troops at bay, no matter how much blood was shed.

Even knowing this, Dean felt fear too. But then he looked over at Thor, who was swinging the massive ax about, chopping enemies apart in thunderous slices. He saw the man he loved on the battlefield. The man he would spend the rest of his life with. In that instant, he felt no fear. Yet, he understood that he wasn't in the same position as Wanda. He wouldn't be asked to possibly end the life of the man he loved in order to save the universe from Thanos. Should Shuri fail to extract the Mind Stone, Wanda would have no choice but to destroy it herself. With such a a heavy burden looming over his friend, Dean knew there were no words he could say to ease her.

"Wanda," he finally said in a steady voice. "I'm with you. No matter what happens today, I'm with you. You won't go through this alone."

"I know, Dean," Wanda sighed. "I know."

"And listen- Thor is back and he's rocking the most bad ass weapon I've ever seen. We've got this."

Wanda smiled. The thought of Thor being on the battlefield certainly brought her some relief, in addition to making her happy for Dean. "Just be careful," she urged.

While Dean was offering aerial support alongside the other fliers, T'Challa and his several fellow warriors were in the midst contending with Cull Obsidian, who was swinging his retractable hammer about. The king leaped up into the air, his suit having been charged to overflowing with kinetic energy. He drove a fist into Cull Obsidian that staggered the colossal alien, causing him to fall flat to the ground.

Not far from this, Rocket had moved alongside Bucky and both of them were unleashing a barrage of gunfire, easily mowing through the incoming hordes.

"Good thing they're so freaking stupid!" Rocket remarked as he got off several impressive head shots that sent the creature tumbling to the ground.

Bucky was in the middle of responding when several of the incoming creatures began to circle around in hopes of surrounding the two of them. Bucky grinned and snatched Rocket up by the arm before quickly spinning around, firing his gun wildly. Rocket took the hint and began to fire as well and soon they were surrounded by the smoking corpses of their enemies.

"That gun- how much for it?" Rocket asked. Though in the midst of a raging fight, the opportunist in him was always active.

Bucky shook his head and began sniping more creatures in the distance. "It's not for sale."

Rocket then set his sights on the arm. "What about that arm of yours?"

"It's not for sale either."

Rocket shook his head and grinned. "Why not? It's not like you can't function with just one. I'll split the profit with you. 30-70. 40-60?"

Bucky shook his head and walked off, leaving Rocket behind.

"Oh, I'll get that arm," Rocket schemed.

Bucky took off at top speed and vaulted over a nearby fallen tree, his boots connecting with the face of yet another monstrosity. He landed and swept his metal arm, hooking it under the stunned enemy's legs and sending it falling to the ground. There, he took aim and shot it right in its ugly forehead before swiftly pivoting and driving his fist into the awaiting jaws of another, shattering its mouth and ripping through the back of its head.

"Your boyfriend's little raccoon friend wants me to sell him my arm," Bucky chuckled as he withdrew his fist and shook the blood and gore off of it.

"I'll have to talk to him about the company he's keeping," Dean remarked from overhead. He flew down in a quick descent, his body blazing as he raked across the monsters, burning and blasting them out of the fight before landing near Bucky.

"You must be the pirate angel's fiance," Rocket said as he lowered his rifle and approached him. "I heard good things about you."

Dean smiled down at the Rocket. He'd met and fallen in love with a Norse god, fended off an alien invasion, fought a murderous artificial intelligence, and discovered he was descended from the result of alien experimentation on humans. Meeting a talking raccoon was less bizarre when the entire scope was taken into consideration. Weirder things had certainly happened. "I'm Dean. Nice to meet you."

"Name's Rocket," the raccoon introduced himself.

"So, Thor's been bragging about me, has he?" Dean asked with a smile as he returned his focus to the monsters.

"Are you kidding me? He talked about you nonstop. I'm just glad he's found you again. I was getting sick of the moping. You know, for a warrior god king he's pretty soft."

Dean spared a glance at Thor and smiled. "Oh, I don't know if I'd describe him as soft."

Rocket rolled his eyes. "Gah, there I go again with the word choices! I walked right into that one."

Thor chopped several enemies into pieces with one swing and a blast of lightning crashed, ricocheting off of their dismembered bodies and hitting several others, frying them instantly. From nearby, Steve had just finished beating a group of them senseless and both men were able to take a brief breather.

"You got a haircut," Steve pointed out.

"And you've copied my beard," Thor said with a smile. "Dean tells me he had a beard at one time as well."

"Well, it helps with blending in when you're on the run," Steve said with a shrug before taking notice of Groot, who had rushed in to fight next to the two of them.

"This is my friend, by the way. Tree!" Thor introduced.

Groot looked over at Steve as he extended his arm into one long, sharp edged branch and skewered an entire team of creatures. "I am Groot!" he roared.

Steve nodded. "I am Steve Rogers," he replied. "A tree is talking to me," he mumbled under his breath. "Aliens from space, magic stones that control the universe. And now talking trees. Why not?"

A pillar of flames shot down from above and scorched incoming monsters as Johnny flew down to provide assistance.

"Thor," Steve said as he swung is weapons, sending blood splattering as he smashed them into a target's face. "This is Johnny Storm."

Thor, who had just brought the ax down in a violent vertical chop, turned around to face Johnny as his target's body fell in two wet chunks to the ground. "I have heard much of you," Thor said in an aggressive voice as he made sure to brandish the ax so that Johnny could see the blood dripping from it. "From Dean."

Johnny was in the middle of raising a hand in greeting and froze, his eyes widening ever so slightly. "Oh. You're Thor."

"I am," Thor said, continuing to glare at Johnny. "King of Asgard and God of Thunder. And, most importantly, the man who will marry Dean. And I also wield a very, very large ax, as you can see."

"Laying it on a little thick, aren't you?" Dean scoffed as he flew in and joined the group with Bucky and Rocket following.

Thor raised an eyebrow. "I thought you liked how thick I am, Fair One."

Rocket smacked his forehead and Steve and Bucky shared a laugh. Johnny took advantage of the diversion and took to the air, continuing his blitz from a safe distance away from Thor.

"You're misbehaving," Dean sighed before directing his attention to the incoming forces.

"I was merely introducing myself," Thor said in an innocent voice.

Dean fired a beam of light that burned through the chest of an incoming enemy, creating a perfect, sizzling circle in its chest cavity. He then looked over at Steve. "Any truth to that, Steve?"

Steve shook his head and smiled. "Oh, no. I'm not getting in the middle of that."

Suddenly the earth began to tremble as a terrible rumbling sound swept across the battlefield. Before anyone could question what was happening, the earth just beyond the barriers began to shift, like something was moving beneath it. Something large. And there were several of them.

Dean narrowed his eyes and watched in silence as the shapes moved beneath the barrier, the earth splitting open as they rose up to reveal themselves. His eyes widened in panic at the sight. Several gigantic, spiked wheels were now hovering just overhead, their blades spinning like some kind of deadly farming machine. He was betting these weren't intended to deal with crops.

"Fall back!" T'Challa screamed from nearby. "Everyone fall back now!"

Thor raised and arm and looked over at Dean. "Get back! Now!"

Dean steeled himself and looked behind him at the sheer number of people who would be chewed up by this towering weapon of destruction. He shook his head. "No," he spoke in a stern voice before extending his arms and unleashing a massive wall of photons. He focused everything he had, allocating every last ounce of power within him and directing it at the light shield.

Thor watched, dumbstruck by the sheer power that was radiating off of Dean. He stared as Dean's body glowed vibrantly, his eyes now blazing with incandescence as he maintained the shield. Thor swiftly looked back at the threshers as several of them collided with the force field, their motors whining and grinding as they attempted to saw into the wall of light. Photons were being gradually carved away, only to be replenished at Dean's will. Dean winced in pain but didn't allow himself to break. Instead, he pushed back at the threshers with all of his might, forcing them to scrape backward, digging up big hunks of earth as they were slowly shoved away. The threshers were heavy and powerful, though they didn't exact quite the toll on his power the same way Fatality Eclipse's energy whip had. For that he was grateful. He looked at Thor and grinned shakily. "Do your thing, babe!"

Thor grinned and shot up into the sky. Once he'd reached the top of the light shield, he raised Stormbreaker overhead and hurled it down at the giant weapons. It smashed into the center weapon and a terrible eruption of lightning sprang up, competing with Dean's powers to illuminate the sky. The lightning's wrath struck the others on either side of the target and they simultaneously exploded into heaps of useless scrap.

Across the battlefield, Sue was in a similar predicament, her invisible force attempting to hold off the incoming threshers. She held her hands up and kept her eyes trained on the threshers, refusing to blink for fear of losing even a fraction of focus. Behind her, M'Baku and an assortment of the kings guards, Dora Milaje, and Jabari watched in awe as the deadly weapons remained in place, not advancing upon them as they feared they would.

"Guard this woman with your lives!" M'Baku roared as he pointed at Sue as she stood between them and the threshers.

Sam came on from the side and launched multiple rockets into the side of one of the threshers while Bruce targeted the others with the Hulk Buster's weapons system. Their projectiles slammed into the threshers, immersing them in explosive force.

"Work as fast as you can, boys," Sue cried out, the strain murderous.

The motors within the threshers exploded and all three death machines whines as they lost power and fell over with a resounding crash that was rivaled only by the battle cries of those surrounding Sue.

Sue unleashed the breath she'd been holding and her entire body visibly relaxed. M'Baku reached out a hand to steady her and she looked at him gratefully. "Thank you," she murmured.

M'Baku shook his head. "No...thank you."

On the far end of the battlefield, Natasha and Okoye were in the midst of fending off a ring of enemies that had encircled them. But when another set of threshers sprang up from the ground and advanced upon them, the two women froze in panic, both of them acutely aware of the hopelessness of their situation.

"Fighting alongside you has been an honor," Okoye shouted over the grinding motors of the incoming weapon.

Before the blades could touch either woman, Wanda dropped down between them, her body enfolded in a thick aura of scarlet energy
Before the blades could touch either woman, Wanda dropped down between them, her body enfolded in a thick aura of scarlet energy. She extended both hands and orbs of power sprang up from her palms. The threshers were all at once ensnared in the inescapable grip of her power. She raised her hands high above her head, her glowing red eyes looking from the captive threshers to the incoming creatures that sought to dive in and cause as much damage before they, too, were torn apart. With a grunt or exertion, she redirected the threshers and dropped them on top of the creatures, smashing them beneath the heavy, useless machinery.

"And why was she up there all this time?" Okoye asked.

Natasha simply smiled proudly at Wanda. "That was good work, girl."

Observing the action on the battle field from a distance, Proxima Midnight smiled wickedly when Wanda appeared. The plan had worked perfectly. Sending the threshers in had drawn the witch out, just as Proxima Midnight had hoped they would. Now there was only the prize.

"She's on the field," she spoke into her communicator to Corvus Glaive. "Take it!"

Chapter 26: Raging On

Chapter Text

Shuri continued to work with Vision, though Wanda's sudden absence put her immediately on edge. Of course, she'd seen what the troops beyond the palace were facing. Some of those massive death machines would have clawed their way into the city if Wanda hadn't gone to lend a hand. Shaking off the fear, she continued her work, even as the sounds of combat emerged in the chamber beyond the lab. Too much depended on her steady hands and nerves- an entire universe.

Vision's eyes widened and he looked up at Shuri. "Your highness," he said in a somber voice. "I believe we may be at the end of the line. They've orchestrated their strategy perfectly. They knew they needed only to force our hand and we'd have no choice..."

Shuri shook her head. "We are not at the end of the line, Vision," she spoke in a sharp voice. "Your family is fighting for you right now. Refusing to give up on you. I won't either."

Vision felt a powerful stir of emotions. My Family, he thought. The words were so powerful as they rang through his head. He smiled and slowly began to rise from the table. "Princess Shuri," he said in a solemn voice. "You are brilliant. And you are brave. But my family needs me now."

At that moment, Corvus Glaive stormed into the lab, his spear dripping with blood from his assault on the palace security forces. Shuri spared a glance as members of the Dora Milaje engaged before quickly focusing on disconnecting from Vision's systems. She looked over at Vision and nodded.

"Where is the Stone-Bearer?" Corvus Glaive roared as he fought through the women.

Shuri reached for her nearby weapons- two handheld weapons resembling panther paws. She took aim at the menacing alien and fired. Sonic blasts tore across the space between them and struck him in the chest, sending him crashing against a wall. "Get out of here!" Shuri shouted over her shoulder. She turned back to Corvus Glaive and continued to assail him with sonic blasts. She approached him with every attack, hopeful that she could subdue him long enough to cover Vision's escape. The Mind Stone was the key to victory or defeat, and she would lay her life down to protect it.

Corvus Glaive snarled from the continued attacks, but then he felt a powerful force striking him from the side. Vision, now free from Shuri's equipment, charged him instead of running. He gripped Corvus Glaive by the shoulders and flew upward, their ascent sending them crashing through a nearby window as they hurtled toward the nearby mountain.

Shuri took a deep breath and spoke into the communicator. "Brother- we were attacked by the enemy. He and Vision have just flown to Mount Bashenga!"

Sam, who had just spotted the emergence of Vision and Corvus Glaive, relayed this to his team before a creature leaped into the air and snatched him from the sky.

"Someone get to Vision!" Steve shouted.

Bruce spun away from the recently destroyed Threshers. "I'll get him!" he called out before engaging the thrusters and rocketing into the sky.

Wanda, meanwhile, watched as Vision carried Corvus Glaive across the sky with a heavy heart. "I'm on my way!" she assured her team.

Proxima Midnight smiled as she sneaked up on Wanda. The witch had abandoned the Stone-Bearer, just as she'd hoped. She could easily spear the woman where she stood, but that wouldn't do. She wanted to see the despair in her face, knowing that all was truly lost. Only then would Proxima Midnight know that she'd had her revenge for their earlier battle.

Wanda cried out in pain as the butt of Proxima Midnight's spear smacked into her face. She was sent tumbling into a nearby ditch that a thresher had craved into the earth. She attempted to crawl into a standing position when a hand grabbed her shoulder and forcefully threw her onto her back. She stared up into the cruel face of Proxima Midnight, her head awash with pain.

"He'll die alone," Proxima Midnight declared. "As will you."

Widow and Okoye, having crept up on the scene as well, stood on either edge of the ditch, their weapons ready.

"She's not alone," Widow said in a stern voice.

Proxima Midnight looked behind her to see her husband's attacker standing before her. Then she looked forward and watched as Okoye twirled her spear and took on a fighting stance. A roar of fury escaped Proxima Midnight's mouth and the fight was on. All three warriors clashed immediately. Though Proxima Midnight was a force to be reckoned with, Widow and Okoye fought smart, their nimble movements and precise attacks angering Proxima Midnight, who attempted sheer brute force.

"Is your boyfriend still hurting?" Widow asked before deflecting a spear jab with her escrima sticks, an electrical crackle hissing from them upon impact.

"You'll die for that!" Proxima Midnight roared and advanced.

Okoye lunged and Proxima spun around to deflect the attack. Widow struck he alien from behind, the electrical pop causing her to jerk from the attack. She ducked a slash from Okoye's spear and kicked back, hitting her in the chest and sending her rolling backward. She turned back to Widow and their weapons again clashed as both fought for dominance. Okoye flipped to her feet and ran forward. She stabbed her spear into the ground and used it to throw herself through the air. Landing gracefully back in the fight, she flung the end of the spear up, striking Proxima Midnight in her core before spinning around and sweeping the weapon under her feet.

A thresher sped toward them and Okoye and Widow had to duck to avoid being mowed down. Proxima Midnight, who was already down low enough from being tripped, took advantage of this and reached for Okoye, throwing a knee into her chest before tossing her overhead and onto the ground. She then turned back to Widow and began to relentlessly slash her weapon at her. Widow parried and struck at the same time, knocking the weapon from Proxima Midnight's hands. But the alien was not without other tricks. Using her superior strength, she tackled Widow to the ground and extended a secret blade from her right fist. She drove it down to Widow's throat, intent on cutting through the exposed flesh. Widow held her weapons up just in time, but the alien's strength was allowing her to slowly push the blade closer.

Widow held her weapons up just in time, but the alien's strength was allowing her to slowly push the blade closer
Wanda, having recovered from her head injury, sat up and took notice to what was happening. She looked in the distance and watched as yet another thresher bounded toward them. Turning to Okoye, she locked eyes with her as the warrior remained low to the ground. She nodded and smiled before turning her attention to Widow and Proxima Midnight. Reaching out with her hands, red orbs of energy filled her palms and the alien was suddenly torn away from Widow, her body thrown recklessly into the air and directly into the path of the incoming thresher.

Widow sighed, relaxing after having kept her guard up. A splash of Proxima's blood fell upon her and she quickly wiped it off of her face and looked at Wanda. "That was really gross."

Wanda took a few deep breaths and shook her head. "You're welcome," she said with a wry grin.

Natasha moved over to her and smiled. "Thank you. You're really going places, kid."

Wanda looked back to the mountain. "Right now I need to go there."

"Can you make it?"

Wanda stood up and nodded her head, her eyes glowing crimson before she was lifted off of the ground by her power and propelled toward the mountain.

Corvus Glaive continued to assault Vision as they crashed into the jungle. The synthazoid had utilized the element of surprise, but it became very clear that this was his only real strength now. His previous injury at Corvus Glaive's hand had weakened him immensely. Corvus Glaive knew that he could easily dispel the fool on his own, so when Cull Obsidian suddenly leaped into view, he smiled darkly. This was to be the Stone-bearer's end.

Cull Obsidian landed in the dirt and swung his hammer, catching Vision in the back and throwing him across the grass until he landed harshly against the trunk of a distant tree. As he stood to his feet, both aliens began to close in.

"You have eluded us long enough," Corvus Glaive spoke menacingly.

They advanced on Vision but the sudden arrival of Bruce threw them off balance. He landed between them and Vision, his arms raised and ready to utilize the Hulk Buster armor's repulsor technology.

"Oh, no you don't," Bruce grunted as he fired on both of them. "This suit's taken down the Hulk."

Corvus Glaive threw himself aside, taking cover behind some trees while Cull Obsidian ate the blast at close range. The attack staggered him but he quickly recovered and hurled himself at Bruce. The two titanic combatants clashed and Cull Obsidian reached out for Bruce's right arm. In response, he took hold of Cull Obsidian and engaged the suit's jets, rocketing them up to the sky.

"Guys, someone needs to get to Vision now!" Bruce called out. "I got the big one away but that spindly asshole is still on him!"

"I'm in pursuit now!" Steve called out over the radio.

Cull Obsidian headbutt Bruce and the force of the attack knocked them off-center and caused them to land with a resounding crash on the ground.

"Hulk. Hulk, I know you like making your entrance at the last second, well, this is it, man. This is the last, last second," Bruce spoke with urgency.

Cull Obsidian swung his weapon and chopped one of the Hulk Buster's arms off.

"Come on, Hulk!" Bruce shouted in frustration. The Hulk persona emerged briefly enough to defiantly decline Bruce's request before retreating back into his psyche once more. Put out, Bruce resigned himself to the reality of the situation. "Fine then, you bit green prick. I'll just do it myself!"

With that, Bruce charged Cull Obsidian despite the loss of an arm. He used the remaining fist to punch the alien. Cull Obsidian was quick, however, and managed to grab hold of the fist before it could land a blow. He used his other hand to strike him with the hammer. Bruce fell backward and reached for the detached arm as Cull Obsidian advanced upon him. The massive alien advanced once again and brought the hammer down in a vicious vertical arc. Bruce rolled aside and slammed his fist into the enemy's weapon. Cull Obsidian reached for his arm with his free hand and was met with the sound of something locking into place. He looked down at where he'd reached to find that Bruce had attached the detached arm to his fist. The hand of the arm closed around his fist, completely imprisoning it in a vice grip. Then, satisfied that the mechanism was engaged, Bruce activated the repulsor of the arm and it shot off into the sky, carrying Cull Obsidian with it.

"See you later, alligator," Bruce quipped as he caught his breath and watched as Cull Obsidian ascended, rushing up to the protective dome. Cull Obsidian's death cries rang out as his body collided with the energy field and he was dragged across it, the impact and continued pressure of force reducing his body to gore. "Hulk, we got a lot to figure out, pal," he muttered before moving back to Vision's last location.

With Bruce occupied, Corvus Glaive resumed his assault on Vision. Moving in closer, he forced the synthazoid onto the ground at the base of Mount Bashenga. He gazed down into his eyes, marveling at the emotion within the artificial human. He smiled as he dug his spear into his chest. "I though you were formidable, machine. But look at you. You're dying by my hand, like many before you have."

Vision grasped the alien's spear, attempted to shove him away. His strength failed him and he could only watch in fear as the cruel eyes bore into him. He gasped and resisted as much as he could, but he knew the end was near now. "Wanda," he gasped.

A streak of dark blue caught Vision's eye and suddenly Corvus Glaive had been torn off of him. Steve had arrived, managing to get the drop on the alien and tackle him off of Vision. Disarmed but no less dangerous, Corvus Glaive began to throw fists at the super soldier, who expertly deflected them with his arm-shields.

"Captain Rogers," Vision gasped.

"Get out of here! Go!" Steve roared.

Corvus continued to fight the super soldier, keenly aware that the previous battles had warn him down somewhat. He kept up the attack until he saw his opening. Reached for Steve's exposed throat, he lifted him off of the ground and squeezed. "You only delay the inevitable, you fool," the alien whispered irritably into his face. "And for what? A more gruesome death? At Thanos's hands you would have simply disappeared. Now you'll end your time on this planet with your head lodged on my spear."

Steve reached up and dragged the sharp edge of an arm-shield over his enemy's face, slicing through his skin and staggering him somewhat. The alien growled and applied more pressure to his throat, a sad*stic smile soon replacing his irritation only to be replaced by a look of shock and surprise. Steve noticed the slackening of his grip and looked between them, noting the edge of a spear skewering Corvus Glaive's torso.

Vision stood behind them, wielding the alien's weapon. He lifted Corvus Glaive's dying figure off of Steve. He held the alien up in the air for a time before throwing him aside and collapsing with exhaustion.

"I though I told you to go," Steve muttered as he began to help Vision stand.

"It's as you said Captain- we don't trade lives."

Steve regarded Vision with admiration and his expression softened. "You're a good man, Vision."

Vision smiled through his distress. "Hearing you say that...it means more than you can know, Captain."

Steve kept an arm around Vision's waist as they moved away from Corvus Glaive's body. "I've got Vision," he reported. "We're at the foot of the mountain."

Vision wanted to feel hopeful that the tide may have turned in their favor, but an unshakable dread prevented. He couldn't avoid the sense of doom that was settling upon him.

Chapter 27: A Trade

Chapter Text

The unstable gravitational state on Titan that followed Thanos's lunar assault sent the unconscious Guardians flying upward. As Spider-Man, who was better-equipped to handle these conditions, swung between pieces of floating wreckage, he began to target the three helpless people, catching their floating bodies in webbing and yanking them back to Titan's surface.

"I can't remember any of your names but I've got all of you," Spider-Man frantically announced as he managed to maneuver himself among the debris while pulling everyone back.

With Iron Man out of commission and the others in various states of preoccupation, Strange took it upon himself to confront Thanos once again. The Cloak of Levitation billowed out behind him as it propelled him back to the ground before the mad titan. Thanos spun around as the sorcerer began to cast. Streaks of flaming lightning shot up from the ground around Thanos, blasting him off of the surface of the planet and throwing him up into the sky. The gravity's erratic state aided Thanos, and he used it to maintain control of his movement enough that he could take aim with the gauntlet and unleash a blast of energy from the Power Stone.

Strange saw the purple surge of energy as it was rushing toward him. Thinking quickly, he conjured up a vast wall of the Mirror Dimension. The Power Stone's attack was absorbed by this before Strange hurled the wall at Thanos, who easily shattered it with another blast from the Power Stone. Then, using the Space Stone he gathered up the remnants of the magical energy before pulling the magic into a black hole,throwing it back to Strange. Strange raised his hands in a defensive shield and the power struck it only to be quickly transfigured. Thanos stared in confusion as the energy he'd redirected suddenly exploded into a cloud of fluttering butterflies.

Strange maintained his focus, knowing that he couldn't relent. Raising his hands up, he conjured multiple mirror images of himself and cast them out. Thanos watched with barely suppressed awe as hundreds of magical duplicates of the sorcerer floated around him in a tight circle. All at once, each apparition unfurled a glowing strand of red magic before striking out at Thanos from all sides. The threads snared the titan's arms' chest and legs, restraining him with their magic.

"Hold him," Strange whispered to himself. "Hold him so they can get It."

But Thanos's mastery of the Stones he possessed, along with his quick thinking, allowed him to react far faster than Strange anticipated. He simultaneously used the Soul Stone to seek out the actual Strange, then blasted the apparitions away with a pulse from the Power Stone. The Space stone began to glow and Strange was immediately pulled from where he floated, appearing right within Thanos's grasp.

"Your tricks are amusing, and you seem to be full of them, wizard." He reached for the amulet hanging from Strange's neck. "But this is your greatest weapon and you never even though to use it."

"No!" Strange gasped as the amulet was ripped from his neck.

Thanos eyed the relic with an excitement that quickly dissipated. "No need for the theatrics, wizard," he said in a low and menacing voice. "You're wearing a fake." Angered, he threw Strange aside, his head colliding with a nearby stone, knocking the sorcerer unconscious.

Thanos shook his head on irritably. He needed only two stones and, while he was certain his other children would be successful in obtaining the Mind Stone, the Time Stone remained elusive. Each of the Stones was powerful enough on their own, but to do what he wanted, having five of the six meant nothing. He had to know where the Time Stone was. He stalked toward Strange, murder in his eyes.

"I will know where the Time Stone is," he growled. "If I have to beat it out of you, I will. I'll make you beg for death."

Before further words could be spoken, Iron Man shot forward a top speed. He'd fired a device at Thanos's gauntlet. It smacked into his palm and unfolded, forcing the titan's hand to remain open, preventing use of the Stones. The armored Avenger shot forward, his rocketing boots slamming into Thanos's chest and sending him hurtling away from Strange.

"If you throw another moon at me, and I'm going to lose my sh*t. You f*cking California raisin-looking son of a bitch."

Thanos stood and shrugged off the attack before setting his eyes on the last-standing enemy. "Stark," he said with a knowing smile.

"Oh, you've heard of me?" Iron Man asked with thinly-concealed surprise.

"Oh, yes. I know you well. The...haunted, damaged savior who hides behind glib remarks."

"Good to know my sense of humor has some reach to it," Iron Man said in a deadly serious voice.

"You aren't the only one cursed with knowledge."

"My only curse is you," Iron Man declared as his suit's weapons system became engaged once more. A cluster of small rockets popped noisily out of the compartments at Iron Man's back and rocketed toward the titan.

Thanos raced forward and the rockets detonated, leaving behind a dense cloud of black smoke. Before Thanos's visibility could return, Iron Man moved closer and activated the jets of his suit, engaging them to full throttle. He arched backward and the boots struck Thanos hard enough to throw him backward again. Then, having bounced back and landed, Iron Man reconfigured his gloves, transforming them into massive fists. He battered the titan with them. The attack met Thanos's face and chest and he was thrown backward again, this time through a ruined wall.

Thanos jumped up, his expression annoyed. He reached out for Iron Man, quickly snatching at his helmet, which he ripped away from his face, leaving his surprises expression exposed. The suit compensated, attempting to generate a protective layer before his face. Thanos took advantage of this delay and drove a fist into the Avenger, punching him hard and putting some space between the two of them. He then reached for the contraption on his palm and tore it off, freeing himself. He then took aim and the Power Stone unleashed a thick beam of energy.

"f*ck," Iron Man grunted before using his suit's nanotechnology to generate a heavy-duty shield. The force collided with the shield. Though protected from the bulk of the attack, the force was strong enough to force him backward, his boots tearing up the ground beneath him. As the shield was gradually eroding beneath the Power Stone's attack, Iron Man suddenly slid out from behind the shield and swung in a radial arc. He extended his leg, the foot reconfiguring into a ground clamp which he stomped onto Thanos's gauntlet before driving his fist into his face.

"So much trouble for a drop of blood," Thanos remarked as he touched his cheek, catching the blood droplets on his fingertip. He smiled lightly, then punched Iron Man once more, knocking the spent hero to the ground where he proceeded to pound his fists into him, again and again. Iron Man held up his arms in defense, but the Titan's strength was easily overpowering him. His suit, which he already been exhausted, was reaching its limits.

Thanos took hold of him and unleashed a full blast from the Power Stone and the suit was quickly losing the ability to regenerate itself. Iron Man's dread peaked. In one last, desperate act, he lifted a hand and fired a repulsor beam. Thanos was shoved back and Iron Man raised his other hand, sending twin beams into the Titan. Thanos raised his gauntlet, easily deflecting the blasts off of it before quickly closing the gap between them.

Iron Man desperately formed a short sword from what was left of his suit and made to stab Thanos in the abdomen. Spotting the attack a mile away, Thanos grabbed Iron Man's wrist with one hand before snapping the sharp weapon off with the other. Then, with one quick and decisive movement, he shoved the weapon into Iron Man's unprotected body.

A pained gasp escaped Iron Man's mouth and he looked down at where the offending weapon had entered his stomach.

A pained gasp escaped Iron Man's mouth and he looked down at where the offending weapon had entered his stomach
"This fight is over, Stark," Thanos declared. He walked with the injured man, forcing him to sit down on some debris nearby. Then he laid a patronizing hand on the man's head and leaned down to his level and smiled at him. "You fight well, Stark. You have my respect."

Iron Man attempted to speak, but his body betrayed him. He stared up into Thanos's eyes and felt as if he were being swallowed up in their cruel depths.

"When I'm done, half of humanity will still be alive. I hope they remember you."

He watched as Thanos closes his fist and moved the glowing stones toward his face. His entire life was about to end and all he could think of was how unfair it all was.

Strange, having regained consciousness, sat up and cleared his throat. "Stop!" He implored in a broken voice that conveyed his pain. "Spare his life and I will give you the stone."

"No tricks," Thanos said as he shifted his aim to the sorcerer."

Iron Man looked at Strange with a horrified expression. "Don't!"

Strange ignored him and reached for the Time Stone, hidden within the cosmos. He pulled it into reality and then relinquished it. The green Stone floated toward Thanos, who plucked it from the air and placed it on the thumb setting of his gauntlet.

"One to go," Thanos proclaimed after the initial shock of energy coursed through him.

A loud, incoherent scream of rage snatched at everyone's attention and they turned and watched as Star-Lord came running forward, his blasters unleashing gunfire at Thanos. Rather than engage, Thanos merely activated the Space Stone and left them all behind.

Star-Lord looked at Strange and Iron Man with confused fear. "Where is he?"

Iron Man used what little suit function he had left to spray an adhesive substance over his wound, closing it up instantly. He had no breath for answers, nor did he have the strength.

Star-Lord shook his head. "Wait, did we just lose?"

Reed limped toward the group, discombobulated after suddenly shifting from liquid to solid. "I'm afraid we have," he muttered.

Iron Man turned back to Strange and regarded him with complete sadness. "Why?" He asked, his voice pitchy. "Why would you do that?"

Strange looked away from his pained expression briefly and took a breath. Then he locked eyes with him once more. A haunted expression dominated his features, competing with the pain in his eyes. "You haven't seen what I've seen, Stark. We're in the endgame now."

Chapter 28: At All Costs

Chapter Text

The battle in Wakanda continued, though it was quickly becoming more one-sided. With the demise of Thanos's children and the added strength of Thor, Thanos's army was quickly dwindling.

"Our chances have improved!" M'Baku shouted as he watched Thor fighting several feet away from him.

Thor swung the ax upward, knocking an entire group into the air. As they ascended, he swiftly jumped up and brought the ax crashing down upon them, shattering their bodies in a mighty clap of Thunder. He landed on his feet and moved forward as the enemy retreated. He slammed Stormbreaker into the ground and a pillar of lightning shot up, engulfing the remaining creatures and reducing them to smoking, charred remains.

The sound of approaching ships stole his attention and he watched as all of the ships began to rapidly approach, their weapons firing on the battlefield. In light of their impending doom, they were seeking to use their last opportunities to demolish as much of Wakanda as they could. Thor sneered at their tactics, knowing that they were motivated by the though of defeat. Then, with one mighty roar, he took flight and chased down each of the warships, eager to see all of Thanos's army burn.

"They stand no chance!" One of the Jabari shouted gleefully as he yanked his blade free of a defeated enemy and watched as the heavens unleashed a storm of lightning at Thor's command. It streaked across the sky, slapping into the vessels, completely decimating them. But Thor was not done. He crashed onto the window and drove a fist through it, grasping the pilot by its throat and lifting it up into the air. With a furious glare, Thor compressed the creature's airway and sent a blast of lightning throughout its body before throwing the corpse overhead and moving on to the next ship.

While Thor and Wakanda's forces continued to repel the last of Thanos's army and Wakanda itself cheered for their safety, the rest of the heroes converged on Visik , Cap and Bruce's location.

Vision stared gratefully as Wanda descended from above and placed her arms around him.

"Are you okay?" Wanda asked as she quickly began assessing him for further damage. Though relieved to see him safe, Wanda could feel the dread radiating from him. "What is it?" She asked, both hands holding his face and staring into his pained eyes.

"He's here."

Vision had only spoken two words but they were sufficient enough to disturb everyone present.

Lumen winced as a terrible series of emotion swept over his psyche. He felt grief, rage, and cold determination and knew it could only be resonating from one person. He looked at Vision and nodded. "Vision's right; I can feel him too."

Cap glared off into the distance as Lockjaw Widow, Sue, Johnny, Ben, Panther, Bucky, Falcon, Groot, Rocket and Okoye formed line on either side of him. A strange gust of wind picked up, whistling ghostlike through the trees. "Eyes up, everyone," Cap demanded. "We've got incoming."

Widow stared into the distance. A strange energy was resonating. A burst of blue and black clouds began to gradually open up.

"What the hell?" Widow asked as she gripped her weapons.

As the clouds expanded, the imposing figure of Thanos stepped out and fixed everyone with his cold gaze.

"That's him," Bruce and Lumen spoke in unison.

"Keep him away from Vision," Cap grunted as the team moved into position.

Lumen watched as each of them took off toward Thanos. He loved his teammates. His family. But he could see five glowing Infinity Stones on Thanos's gauntlet. Five. Even one was enough. He felt despair sweeping over him and knew there was very little they could do. But Thor was on earth with them. He could hear the distant thunder crashing as the Asgardian dismantled the army. If they could only hold Thanos off long enough.

Lumen's fists glowed as he prepared to fall in behind the others. But then he stopped. Fighting Thanos would do nothing, he knew that. But there was one thing he could do. He looked to Wanda and Vision and their despair hit him like a truck.

"It's time, Wanda," Vision sighed. "It's time."

Wanda vehemently shook her head before looking back to Thanos. The massive tyrant had just trapped Bruce in a wall of rock before knocking Bucky, Falcon and Okoye aside with bursts of energy from the Power Stone.

"They can't stop him, Wanda, but we can," Vision urged. "Look at me. You have the power to destroy the stone."

Wanda shook her head again. "No. We'll find another way."

"There is no other way. You must do it. Wanda, please. We...are...out of time."

Wanda's eyes brimmed with tears. "I can't, Vision. I can't do it."

Vision smiled at her, but it was void of all joy. "Yes, you can. You can. If he gets the stone, half the universe dies. It's not fair. It shouldn't be you, but it is."

"Vision, please..." Wanda cried. "I can't hurt you."

"It's all right. You could never hurt me. I just feel you."

Those words seared Wanda's heart. I'm what seemed like a lifetime ago, she had said that same thing to him. "I'm not strong enough," she whispered.

"Then I'll help you," Lumen said as he took Wanda's hand. "I'll share your pain with you. So you can be stronger."

Wanda tore her eyes from Vision and stared at Lumen.

"The others are fighting him but they won't win," Lumen explained as he looked over his shoulder and watched as Widow was trapped in a formation of earth Thanos conjured with the Reality Stone. Ben was next up, and Thanos struck him with the Reality Stone as well, causing his entire body to disperse into a loose pile of orange rocks

Wanda nodded her head solemnly and Lumen felt anguish and determination flooding her. She turned back to Vision and lifted a shaking hand. An orb of red energy flashed and then a stream of power shot from it and hit the Stone on Vision's head.

Lumen focused all of his empathic power upon Wanda, pulling as much of her emotional pain into himself as possible. The heartbreak, fear and devastation was insurmountable. He felt as if he were destroying Thor in that moment, so gut-wrenching were to emotions. He took deep breaths, forcing himself to hold onto the knowledge that these weren't his emotions- he was simply sharing Wanda's. While she maintained her assault on the Mind Stone, Lumen looked over his shoulder in time to witness the heartbreaking sight of Cap holding Thanos's hand back, a roar of determined rage escaping him as he stared up into Thanos's face. Then, like the others, Cap was quickly knocked aside, this time with a cracking punch to the head.

Thanos suddenly bumped into a wall of invisible force. He pushed against the barrier, testing it before an assault of invisible energy projectiles struck him from the side. Then Johnny shot up and shot a stream of fire at him. He closed his fist and the Reality Stone transformed the flames into a cloud of flower petals. He then activated the Soul Stone, seeking out Sue's invisible presence. Then, with a satisfied smile, he fired a pulse from the Power Stone directly at her before turning onto Johnny and hitting him as well.

Thanos didn't break his stride after knocking siblings out. He kept walking forward, his gaze now fixed upon Lumen, who stood between him and the others. Lumen took a deep breath. He could certainly make one last stand against the titan and fight. But it wouldn't matter. He was the last defense for Wanda as she continued her terrible mission. He knew he couldn't match Thanos in power. The others had crumbled before his might. His photokinetic powers wouldn't work, of that he was certain. Yet...

"Please, Thanos. I can feel your pain," Lumen spoke in a quivering voice. "I know that you've experienced grief. You lost someone you love," he paused as his empathic abilities allowed him to absorb all of Thanos's emotional state. The titan had lost his home, of that Dean was certain. An entire world of people, gone. Thanos bore the mark of a sole survivor whose shoulders were weighed down with the agony of loss. But even that paled in comparison to a deeper hurt. There was a cluster of pain at his core. And in the center of that tangle of pain there was a name. "Gamora," he whispered.

Thanos stopped walking and tilted his head and stared at him. "Yes. Gamora. My daughter."

Lumen shook his head. "Don't you understand what you're doing, Thanos? If you do this, you're damning a universe of souls to the same pain you're feeling." He stepped forward, holding a hand up as a gesture of peace. "Please. It's not too late to do the right thing."

Thanos's cruel eyes briefly reflected the pain he was harboring. His eyes shone with tears but they didn't fall. He smiled sadly as he drew nearer to Lumen. He reached out with his bare hand and laid it on his shoulder. "I appreciate your empathy, Inhuman Prince. Perhaps in another life you and I could have been friends." He straightened up, locking down the emotions so that his expression was once again cold.

"Thanos, please," Lumen cried as he fell to his knees before the Titan, bowing to him. His body trembled as his tears fell. "Please. These people are good. This world is full of good. There are people who make a difference in each other's lives, every day. There are people who will makes a difference if you'll let them. I'm begging you- please don't let your pain push you to do this. Please don't pass judgement over this universe."

Lumen dissolved into tears as he kept kneeling before the Titan. For a moment, Thanos was still. He contemplated the human who knelt before him with a new sort of pain. He looked from Wanda and Vision in the distance- the Mind Stone- and then knelt and laid a hand on Dean's shoulder. "You say it's not too late to do the right thing. But sometimes the right thing isn't the best. I will remember you, little prince," Thanos said with a tone of finality. "I will remember the one who made me stop and think."

Lumen looked up at Thanos and his eyes widened as he raised the gauntlet and the Time Stone began to pulse with power. But suddenly Lockjaw was there, closing his teeth on Thanos's arm, pulling it away with all his canine might. Thanos swiftly backhanded the large dog with his other hand and Lockjaw went flying across the jungle and into the trunk of a nearby tree. He hit it with a loud crash and let out a high-pitched whimper before falling to the ground and lying very still.

"Lockjaw!" Lumen cried out. As Thanos reared back on him, he unleashed a pulse of light directly into his face. He then balled up his fist, generating a blast of light so radiant it rivaled the sun as it was thrown high into the air- a signal for Thor to hurry.

The titan growled in anger as Lumen followed up with a volley of light blasts that struck Thanos's front in rapid succession. He lifted the gauntlet and closed his fist and Lumen knew it was over for him. The Time Stone gleamed and suddenly his entire body was captured by its power. He found himself frozen in place, unable to move, yet conscious of everything happening around him. He could only watch in despair as Thanos walked passed him and continued to approach Wanda and Vision.

It's up to them now.

Thor had just crushed the final ship, reducing it to a pile of smokey wreckage when a brilliant ray of light suddenly lit up the sky in the distance. He reached out a hand and Stormbreaker dislodged from the hull of the final ship and returned to his hand with a loud crack. He then took flight toward the mountain, his flight heralded by the cheers of the warriors below.

Wanda could feel her heart breaking as she continued to unleash her power upon Vision's forehead. The Mind Stone was strong, but her power seemed to be slowly compromising its composition.

"It's alright, Wanda," Vision gasped.

A whimper in the distance hit Wanda's nerves and she looked over her shoulder as Lockjaw went smacking into a tree. She watched as Lumen blinded Thanos and assaulted him, only to be trapped in the power of the Time Stone. Then Thanos turned his attention upon her.

"Wanda," Vision cried out in fear.

With one hand continued to fire a beam of power into the Mind Stone, Wanda looked back over her shoulder and unleashed another beam upon Thanos. The titan lifted his gauntlet and the beam struck him, knocking him several feet backward. He remained on his feet and activated the Space Stone, opening up a portal into a black hole. It absorbed Wanda's power and he began to walk forward. Despite the Space Stone's power, Thanos could feel that Wanda's power was almost too much for the Stone to compete with. His eyes widened with surprise at this, but he kept moving, knowing it wouldn't be long now.

You go, Wanda, Lumen cheered in his head as he watched the young woman he'd grown to call a sister hold Thanos and five Infinity Stones back with one hand while dealing critical damage to another Infinity Stone.

You go, Wanda, Lumen cheered in his head as he watched the young woman he'd grown to call a sister hold Thanos and five Infinity Stones back with one hand while dealing critical damage to another Infinity Stone
Wanda looked away from Thanos and back into Vision's eyes. The Mind Stone was beginning to crack under her power, and the entirety of Vision's face lit up with some kind of peace. It was happening. She was destroying the Mind Stone and her love.

"It's alright, Wanda," Vision gasped. "It's alright. I love you, Wanda. I love..."

The Mind Stone erupted in a terrifying burst of energy. The sheer force of a cosmic relic meeting its end tore through the jungle, unleashing a radial arc of dying power. Wanda was saved from immense injury by a quickly-fashioned shield of power, but the force still threw her backward.

Thanos stared in complete as the dust settled. The crater where Vision and the Mind Stone had once been was smoking and charred. He tore his eyes away from it and looked at Wanda, who was on her hands and knees, her shoulders shaking with her sobs. He approached and looked down at her. "I understand your pain, my child. Better than anyone could."

Wanda looked up and cast a murderous look upon him. "You could never."

Thanos reached down and laid a comforting hand on her head. "You are a powerful being to do what you've done today. You are not unlike me"

"I don't want your praise," Wanda spoke in a low, menacing voice. "And I'm nothing like you."

Thanos smiled. "Not powerful because you were able to destroy an Infinity Stone, although that deserves praise. No, you're powerful to have made the sacrifice you made. You're like me because I know something of sacrifice, myself. Your friend, the Inhuman Prince, felt what I had to do when he crept around in my mind."

Wanda looked from Thanos to Lumen, who remained frozen in the Time Stone's power.

"Yes, you and I have both lost much. But now is no time to mourn. Now, is no time at all."

Wanda stared in horror as the Time Stone gleamed and a band of green energy rotated around Thanos's gauntlet and wrist. The crater gradually disappeared as Vision and the Mind tone were suddenly reconstituted before her very eyes. Thanos smiled as he stepped closer to reach for Vision.

"No!" Wanda groaned as she lunged forward.

Thanos turned and grabbed Wanda by her hair, dragging her back and away from Vision. He looked briefly into her eyes. "I am truly sorry for what I have to do now, child. For today, unlike me, you will watch the one you love die twice."

If Lumen weren't trapped in time, then tears might fall from his eyes. Instead, he could only watch, all of his pain internalized.

Wanda struggled against Thanos, her mind and body weak from the toll such use of power had taken. Thanos tossed her aside and she could only watch as he grabbed Vision by his throat and lifted him so that they were eye-level. He then reached out and dug his fingers into Vision's forehead, tearing apart the surrounding structure as he plucked the Mind Stone loose.

A choking sob escaped Wanda's throat and she watched with disbelieving eyes as Vision's body shifted to a dead, grey color before Thanos tossed him aside like trash.

Like he means nothing, Wanda thought as she became inconsolable. But he does mean something. He means everything to me, she thought as she crawled over to his body, even as Thanos was placing the Mind Stone into the final setting of his gauntlet. She could hear Thanos roaring from the immense surge of power, but it didn't matter. Nothing mattered as she held Vision's lifeless body against her and sobbed into his chest.

Oblivious to Wanda's agony, Thanos focused on the completed gauntlet and smiled triumphantly. "At long last," he whispered before raising the gauntlet and moving his fingers into a snapping gesture.

"At long last," he whispered before raising the gauntlet and moving his fingers into a snapping gesture
A tremendous bolt of lightning shot down from the skies above before Thanos's fingers could move. The attack hit him with such a fury that he was tossed backward and thrown several feet across the dirt. He righted himself and dug his feet into the ground as he lifted the gauntlet up to shield himself from the blast.

Thor, eyes ablaze and expression set in one of absolute fury, came flying down, Stormbreaker held out before him as it continued to feed an unending bolt of lightning. Thanos shook his head, disbelief flooding him as Thor paused his attack, lifted the ax overhead, and hurled it downward. Thanos's expression shifted to rage and he took aim with the gauntlet, firing with all of his might to stop the weapon as it flipped through the air toward him. The beam met the ax but did not stop its path. Instead, Stormbreaker dissipated the full force of the Infinity Stones, shoving it aside like it wasn't the combined might of six of the most powerful relics in the universe.

Thor watched with a satisfied smile as Stormbreaker broke through the final remnants of Thanos's defense and cleaved into his chest with a resounding crackle. The blow brought Thanos to his knees and he stared down into the deep wound the ax had made, not believing his own eyes.

Lumen fell to his knees, released from the Time Stone's power. He watched as Thor landed right in front of Thanos. He glared at Thanos with satisfaction as he grabbed the titan by his shoulder with one hand and took hold of Stormbreaker's handle with the other. "I told you," he growled as he simultaneously pushed the ax while pulling Thanos. The weapon dug deeper into his chest and the titan gasped in pain. "You'd die for that!" Thor finished.

Lumen rose to his feet and spared a quick glance around him to see that the others were slowly recovering. Lockjaw limped toward him. They had done it after all. A sense of relief hit his system and he felt suddenly very light with it. He reached out and held onto Lockjaw for support.

"You..." Thanos panted. "Should have gone for the head!"

Then, before everyone's eyes, Thanos raised the gauntlet and snapped his fingers and Thor knew that something horrific was about to happen.

Then, before everyone's eyes, Thanos raised the gauntlet and snapped his fingers and Thor knew that something horrific was about to happen

Chapter 29: The Snap

Chapter Text

A brilliant white light washed out over the jungle. As it faded, Lumen stared in total shock as Thanos knelt before Thor, a smug smile on his face.

"What did you do?" Thor demanded.

Thanos chuckled and locked eyes with Thor. "You already know."

"WHAT DID YOU DO?!" Thor roared.

Thanos closed his fist and the Space Stone opened a portal, tugging Thanos out of the jungle before closing. Stormbreaker dislodged from his chest and fell to the ground with a heavy thud. Thor stared at it in total shock.

"Thor, where did he go?" Steve grunted as she shambled over to Thor, his hand guarding his left side.

Thor looked away from the fallen ax and stared at his friend but couldn't find the words. Disbelief had robbed him of his reason.

"Steve," Bucky called out as he stumbled closer to the clearing.

Steve looked over at him and his eyes widened in shock at the sight that met him. Bucky, too, noticed what was happening. He looked down at his hands and stared as his body began to disintegrate. Steve shook his head and ran forward just before Bucky's entire body faded to dust, his machine gun falling to the ground.

"No!" Steve cried out. He stumbled to the ground and grabbed the rifle- the only piece of Bucky that remained as his dust scattered to the wind.

Panther hurried over to Okoye to help her stand. He reached for his general and gave her arm a reassuring squeeze. "Up on your feet, General! This is no place to die."

Okoye stared at her king. Instead of relief, her eyes conveyed horror. Panther's body disintegrated and she fell backward and stared at the air before her, refusing to believe what she was seeing.

Groot propped himself against a fallen tree and reached out to Rocket, his eyes filled with fear. "I am Groot?" he called out fearfully.

Rocket tried to take Groot's hand but could only touch empty air as Groot disappeared. "Oh, no. No, no, no," Rocket cried. He held his hand out as if he was testing the reality of what he'd seen. He fell to his knees and stared at the ground through tear-filled eyes. "You called me...dad," he whispered sadly.

Widow walked closer to the clearing, her eyes taking in the sight of Falcon's disappearing body. Before she could react, Sue suddenly cried out. Widow turned around and stared as Sue held Johnny in her arms, hugging him tightly as his body faded from existence.

"Susie?" Ben cried out as he stumbled toward his friends, his face conveying nothing but pain and shock at the sight of Johnny disappearing.

"Ben," Sue screamed after Johnny was completely gone.

Ben looked down at his hands and began to openly sob as he watched them shift to dust.

"This isn't happening," Widow whispered in shock.

Sue fell to her knees and looked up at Widow. "Where...where?!" she cried out before collapsing in unintelligible sobs.

Widow knelt and pulled Sue close and hugged the screaming woman tight against her.

The snap's influence spread far and wide, reaching every corner of the universe. On Titan, Tony and the others convened and a sense of great defeat gripped each of them. Tony, who was beside himself with despair, barely noticed the others until Mantis suddenly broke the silence.

"Something is happening," she whispered before her entire body faded to dust.

Before anyone could react, Drax faded as well before calling out to Peter Quill.

Horror took Quill's face, competing with his grief. He looked at Tony and began to shake his head as he slowly joined his comerades.

"Steady, Quill!" Tony urged.

"Oh, man," Quill sighed before completely fading away.

Tony looked away from the empty space the Guardians had occupied. He looked accusingly at Strange.

"Tony, there was no other way. Listen to me," he said in a voice filled with desperation. "Dean Allen...he's the key. He's the key."

"Dean?" Tony asked with confusion.

Strange looked down at his hands and his entire body shifted into a cloud of dust.

"Tony," Reed said as he sat down on the ground and looked up at Stark.

"Reed," Tony said in a small voice. "Reed, not you too."

Reed smiled sadly. "Would you tell Sue that I loved her?" Reed asked. He looked at Tony one last time, gave him a wistful smile, and then was gone.

"Mr. Stark? I don't feel so good." Parker cried out, tearing Tony's focus from where Reed had been sitting just seconds ago. He looked over at the teenager and watched as he stumbled over to him.

"You're alright, Parker," Tony gasped. "You're alright. You're not...you're not going anywhere!"

Peter looked down at his hands and stared as they started to fade. "I don't know what's happening to me, Mr. Stark," he cried out. He fell forward and wrapped his arms around Tony, holding on for dear life. "I don't want to go, I don't want to go. Mr. Stark, please. I don't want to go."

Tony's eyes flooded with tears and he helped Peter lay down on the ground. He stared at his fear-stricken face and felt nothing but guilt. The kid looked up to him. Saw him as a hero. But heroes weren't supposed to fail. He was supposed to stop this. He was supposed to save everyone.

"I'm sorry," Peter sighed as he accepted his fate.

"I'm sorry," Peter sighed as he accepted his fate
"No!" Tony grunted, shaking his head rapidly. "No, I'm the one that's sorry! This is...this is all my fault."

Nebula stood nearby and shook her head as she surveyed her surroundings. "He did it," she said in a dark, sorrowful voice.

Lumen took a deep, shaky breath. He could feel the cosmic shifting in the air. Thanos had collected every Infinity Stone despite their best efforts to stop him. Even Wanda and Vision's sacrifice hadn't been enough to stop the titan from achieving his goal. When Thor had rushed down from the sky and hurled his ax at Thanos, a spark of hope filled Dean. But now? Now there was only dread.

Lockjaw whined fearfully next to Lumen, who turned and watched as the dog started to fade to dust.

"Oh, Lockjaw!" Lumen cried out while Lockjaw nuzzled him frantically. He looked into the terrified eyes and began to cry. "I love you too, Lockjaw," he muttered as he gave the large bulldog a kiss on his snout. "I love you too!" And then he was gone.

"It's over now," Wanda whispered in a solemn tone from nearby. A strange look of acceptance fell upon her face and Lumen felt her emotion. With Vision dead, she was embracing her fate. Welcoming it. She wanted to be gone.

Half of the universe will die
Half of the universe will die. He recalled a recent memory. He had been flying to Vienna for the ratification of the Sokovia Accords. It seemed like a lifetime ago now, but he remembered the song lyrics that had so profoundly affected him then.

'A storm is coming soon, to blow us all away, like dust on the moon.'

He had thought the civil war was the storm that threatened to blow them away, but he'd been so mistaken. No, this was the storm. And, like dust on the moon, some of them would be blown away. Tears began to well in his eyes and he looked at Thor with a helpless expression.

"Fair One!" Thor cried out as he cleared the distance between them and wrapped his arms around his waist.

He smiled and touched Thor's beard. "Thor, I love you," he spoke in a serious voice. "Don't forget that."

"Fair One." Thor began to cry. "I can't lose you. You can't leave me." His words were punctuated by sobbing. "Please...don't leave me."

Lumen held onto Thor's face and looked into his tear-filled eyes to see that his reflection was starting to turn to dust like the others. "Do you think I'll see Samantha?" He asked in a small, tearful voice as he looked up into Thor's eyes.

Thor sensed Lumen's fear and his need for reassurance. He swallowed the lump in his throat and nodded vigorously. "Yes, Fair One. Yes. She's waiting for you...you'll see her. Maybe Loki is keeping her company while she waits for you."

"She'd love that." Dean smiled through his tears. He shut his eyes and the strangest sensation came over him. It was something like peace. A void was waiting to pull him into its embrace of silence and nothingness. "I hope-".

Thor dropped his arms to his sides and watched as the breeze pulled Dean's dust up into the air. He lifted a hand and the dust brushed against his fingertips in its departure. Then the thunder god fell to his knees and wept as the survivors slowly moved in around him.

Chapter 30: What We've Lost

Chapter Text

Jack Allen reached for the ringing telephone, his focus shifting away from his book. "Hello?" he asked after looking at the caller ID, seeing that it was his son, Nolan, calling.

"Grandpa!" his grandson, Jacob cried out fearfully before quickly going into a rapid-fire panic.

"Hold on, Jacob," Jack said. "Slow down and start from the beginning. You said your mom and dad disappeared?"

Rosie walked into the room, alarmed by what she was hearing and stared quizzically at her husband. Before she could interject, her body began to shift into a cloud of dust. Jack stopped talking as Jacob went on to explain that his parents were there one minute and then gone the next. Jack reached out for his wife and his hand penetrated the cloud of dust.

"Oh, God," Jack gasped.

"Grandpa!?"

Jack composed himself, just barely. "Jacob, you stay put. I'm coming to pick you up. Just stay where you are."

Jack hung up the phone and raced toward the front door just as it was opening. His youngest daughter, Grace, stood before him with a look of absolute terror on her face. "Dad," she gasped as she fell into his arms. "I was nearly in a wreck on the way here. Someone ran off of the road but when I went to try and help, they were gone. Like they..."

"Disappeared," Jack quickly cut in.

"Dad?"

"Your mother," Jack said in a voice that bordered on hysteria. "She disappeared. And Nolan and Emma. I was just going to get Jacob."

Grace took her father's arm and led him to her car. As they drove to Jacob, Jack began calling all of his children. One by one, he tried to reach them but no one answered. He turned on the radio and the car was suddenly filled with news that people all over the globe were mysteriously vanishing altogether.

Grace spared a glance at her father as they drove slowly through the city streets, dodging cars that were left running, their passengers gone. At one point they could get no further due to a massive pileup. They got out of the car and took off on foot. As they passed a sedan, the sound of a baby crying alerted them. Grace peaked inside the car to find that the baby was the only occupant in the car. Removing his jacket, Jack wrapped it around his fist and drove it into the window so that he could retrieve the screaming child, even as first response workers rushed toward them to provide aid.

When they finally reached Jacob, he ran out of the house and jumped frantically into Jack's arms. "They're all gone!" he sobbed.

Jack held the boy close and looked at Grace, who was also openly crying.

Daredevil grabbed the criminal by the collar and slammed him onto the ground, glaring menacingly into his frightened eyes. "I know you've been doing the Kingpin's dirty business," he spoke angrily. "Now, talk!"

The criminal started to babble when he suddenly turned into dust. Daredevil scowled in confusion as he watched the dust float off into the air. Then the sound of crashing cars and screams drew him away from where he knelt to the edge of the roof. He looked down on Hell's Kitchen and watched as the entire city was thrown into horrific chaos.

He looked down on Hell's Kitchen and watched as the entire city was thrown into horrific chaos.

Medusa, greeted the page who had entered the throne room without announcing himself.

"I apologize, your highnesses, but there is something wrong on Atillan! People are disappearing!" the young page gasped.

Medusa rushed to the nearest window and threw it open in time to watch as countless Inhumans faded to dust on the streets below. "What is happening?" she cried out. She spun around to face the others and was met only with a cloud of dust where Blackagar- her husband- had once stood. She looked to the page in alarm.

"Queen!" Triton shouted as he followed the page into the throne room. "Karnak, Gorgon, and Princess Crystal are among the vanished."

Medusa looked down at pregnant belly and clutched it fearfully. She could feel something happening within her. She looked up, wide-eyed. "Fetch the royal physician!" she demanded.

"Highness?" the page asked.

Medusa began to cry and fell to her knees. "I've lost the baby!" she screamed. "The baby is gone!"

Sonja Boucher, Director of Department H- Canada's top-secret organization dedicated to overseeing and supporting its superhuman team, Alpha Flight- watched the news footage with mounting concern. She looked to one of her agents. "Are Alpha Flight responding?" she asked frantically.

"No, ma'am. We haven't received word from them since they entered the other dimension."

Sonja rested her head in her hands, silently praying that the team wasn't among those who had suddenly vanished.

"It could simply be that they're out of range in the other dimension," a technician calmly offered. "Maybe they aren't...gone."

Sonja shut her eyes. "I hope so," she muttered.

"What the hell is going on?" Maria Hill cried out as she brought the SUV to a halt and she and Nick Fury departed.

Standing in the middle of the street, Fury watched as hundreds of people around him started to disappear. Shaking his head, he looked back to Maria. "The Avengers are compromised. We need to call for backup!" he shouted.

Maria shook her head. "But who else is there? Those kids in the school?"

Fury reached into his coat pocket, retrieving an old pager. "No, Xavier's kids are way too young for this. We need Her."

"Fury?" Maria gasped.

Fury looked up from the pager and stared as Maria joined countless others in disappearance. He hastily began to activate the pager, even as his own body was starting to turn to dust. In one last, frantic motion, he sent the intended message before succumbing.

The sun had scarcely risen in Upstate New York, its young light just barely illuminating a large, remote mansion and its immaculately kept grounds. Professor Charles Xavier's wheelchair moved purposefully through the subbasem*nt of the private school. A horrific psychic shock had been what spurred him into action.

"Professor? What's wrong?" one of his students asked as she fell in behind him.

Xavier looked over his shoulder and gave the girl a strained smile. "I felt something just now, Jean," he explained.

Jean continued to walk beside him, her expression grim. "I felt it too, Professor," she said.

They approached a large, circular door at the end of the corridor and it slid open to reveal a large, egg-shaped chamber. A single walkway occupied the room, leading to the very center where a large console and chair were. On top of the console, connected by a few thick cables, was a helmet.

"It woke me up," Jean explained as she helped Xavier place the helmet on his head and began activating the device. "It was like a premonition," she said as she struggled to explain her feelings. "I woke up and knew that something awful was about to happen."

"As did I, Jean."

"Do you think Cerebro will be able to tell us what's happened?" Jean asked as she pointed at the console.

Xavier smiled. "I'm not sure, Jean. But what we felt seemed to indicate tragedy on a massive scale. I suppose I just want to check in."

Jean nodded solemnly and went quiet as Xavier placed the helmet over his head. Cerebro was a device of his own making, capable of augmenting the powers of a telepath. He used it most often to locate people like Jean- people with gifts. But Cerebro could be calibrated to find both specific people as well as large groups depending on the settings. Though Jean herself, was a telepath, use of Cerebro was reserved for more developed telepathic minds; hers was still very much in training at this stage of her life.

Jean could still remember the first time she'd used her telepathic abilities. She'd been a small child when her friend, Annie, had been killed in a car accident. It was at that exact moment, as the girl lay dying on the pavement, that Jean's psychic abilities awakened. She'd telepathically connected to Annie's mind, feeling every sensation of the dying girl.

After that, Jean found that she was unable to turn her telepathy off. Overwhelmed, she became profoundly depressed. Unable to explain what had happened, she'd fallen into a place of depressed solitude. She isolated herself from others, fearful of the pain of hearing the thoughts of others.

But then Xavier had appeared on her doorstep. He'd provided a gentle kindness and understanding because, like her, he was also a psychic. With the blessing of her parents, he took her to his school where others like her learned how to use their powers. He'd helped establish psychic blockades within her mind, restricting her telepathic powers so that she could gradually learn about them and how to use them rather than have them be uninhibited.

"Oh," Xavier muttered, pulling Jean from her thoughts.

"Professor?" she asked.

Xavier pulled the helmet free and rubbed his temples, a pained expression occupying his face. He looked quickly to Jean and shook his head. "It's not good, Jean. Minds all over the planet...they're disappearing."

"What do you mean 'disappearing'?" Jean asked

Before Xavier could explain, his body began to unravel into a cloud of dust before Jean's eyes. Jean grabbed his arms and shook her head in disbelief. "Professor!"

"Jean," Xavier said in a calm voice. "You need to look after the others."

Desperate to hold onto her mentor, Jean reached out with what telepathic power she had, clinging to him. As he vanished from reality, she felt his mind go. Just like Annie. She fell to floor, crippled by the psychic pain and hugged her knees to her chest as she rocked back and forth in a futile attempt to console herself.

Finally, after several moments of deep breathing, she pulled herself up and sat down at the console. Though she knew Cerebro was intended for use by powerful telepaths, she had to know what Xavier had seen. She placed the helmet on her head. Switching it on, she shut her eyes and focused her telepathic powers.

In the midst of searching out the minds on earth, she barely noticed when Scott and Hank entered the room and stood very close. Several tense seconds passed by before Jean winced painfully and tore the helmet from her head. She panted for a long time and Scott and Hank stood by, waiting patiently as she regrouped.

"Jean, people are disappearing," Scott said in a serious tone.

"I tried to find the others," Jean explained in a fatigued voice. "But there's only maybe a fourth of the student body left."

Hank's eyes widened. "A fourth?"

Jean nodded. "Then I tried to find other people." She paused and looked at both boys for a long while. "Guys. The earth's population has been cut in half."

After returning to Avengers Compound, Sue retreated to the bathroom and stayed there for a long while. She needed to be alone. She sat huddled in the corner of the bathroom, hugging her knees to her chest and sobbing uncontrollably as she looked down at the object that lay on the floor beside her.

A positive pregnancy test.

"Oh, Reed," she sighed. "Reed, Reed, Reed," she repeated as if saying his repeating his name would somehow conjure him up. She put her face in her hands and cried so hard she feared she'd never stop.

She supposed she should see this as some kind of beautiful miracle. Life being created in the face of death. But all she felt was an overwhelming and unshakable sorrow.

"Reed," she whispered when she'd gained some shred of composure. "How am I going to raise our baby without you?"

"Thor hasn't left his and Dean's room since we got back," Bruce said as he walked into the room and stood near Steve and Natasha, who were watching as reports were being generated to display just how many people had disappeared after the snap.

"He's heartbroken," Steve muttered. "I know the feeling," he added softly before returning his full focus to the reports. He had to focus on something other than Bucky or he'd lose it, he knew.

"What do you make of that pager we picked up at Fury's last known location?" Bruce asked as he took a seat next to Natasha.

Natasha shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know, Bruce. It's still sending a message. Just not sure what the message is or who it's going to."

"Where's Sue?" Bruce asked.

Natasha rubbed her eyes, attempting to stave off her exhaustion. "She was taking a nap," she explained.

The room was silent for some time, then Bruce, feeling useless simply sitting there, got up and walked off to check on the pager.

"This is a nightmare, Nat," Steve muttered.

Natasha stared at the screen and watched as the numbers of the disappeared continued to tally up. "I've had better nightmares," she said in a broken voice.

No sooner had Bruce left them did he call out for them to join him. Steve and Natasha got up and hurried in just as Bruce was turning away from the device.

"What's wrong, Bruce?" Steve asked in a fatigued voice.

Bruce pointed behind him. "It's stopped transmitting. Whatever signal it was sending, it's stopped now."

"We bypassed the battery," Steve reasoned.

"Yeah," Bruce agreed. "It's still plugged in, it's just stopped."

"Reboot it," Steve ordered. "Send the signal again."

Bruce looked at him with concern. "We don't even know what this is about."

Natasha lifted a hand. "Fury knew. That's enough for me. Tell me as soon as we get a signal. I want to know who's on the other end of that thing."

Bruce nodded in agreement and moved to send the transmission again as Steve watched. Natasha turned to walk out and check on the others and was met with the sudden appearance of a stranger standing behind her.

It was a woman of similar height to her, with long blond hair and features that were both beautiful and stern all at once. She was dressed in blue bodysuit with red accents and a gold starburst emblem.

"Where's Fury?" the woman asked in a steady voice.

The Avengers will return in Avengers: Whatever It Takes.