Hey guys, I know Infinity War is extremely close, but I had this idea for a story. It is based off a Tumblr post by howlingdawn. I hope you like it, and I am fully aware this little story will be completely off from what Infinity War really will be. However, I could not stop thinking about this, so here it is. I do not own Marvel Comics or any of their characters. Thanks for reading and enjoy!
Thor was gone, most likely dead, as were all the other Asgardians. Loki had no idea where Heimdall, Banner, and Valkyrie went after Thanos took him and the Tesseract before blowing up their ship. Loki had no idea if any of them survived. Through the window of Thanos' ship, all he could see were bodies mixed in with shrapnel. He quietly searched for any sign of his brother, or Banner, or Heimdall, or Valkyrie, but he found nothing, nothing but death. He was the last Asgardian, how poetic. Loki closed his eyes, dread and acceptance settling over him. He had to survive this, he had to get to Midgard, he had to help the mortals, he had to kill Thanos, he had to avenge his people, his brother. Him and Thor had just made up, Loki forgave him, forgot his anger. They still had so much time left, and Thanos took it all. Loki opened his eyes, set his face to stone. He turned to Thanos and presented a wicked smile.
"So, what chaos are we causing?" He asked.
Thanos grinned, standing in front of his Black Order.
Thor had no idea where he was. He knew he was in a ship with a team called the Guardians of the Galaxy, but none of them were who he wanted to see. None of them were Loki. He also noted that none of them were Asgardian. Thor was flooded with sorrow. His people gone, Heimdall gone, Valkyrie gone, Banner gone, Loki gone. He had to assume they were dead, all of them. He was the last Asgardian. The Guardians were too busy arguing about what to do to notice Thor's eyes welling up with tears. Mantis, who was off to the side, did notice. She placed a hand on his shoulder and immediately teared up. However, she also recognized the consuming anger and need for vengeance in the Asgardian as it slowly took over.
"-Nova Corps!" Gamora yelled.
"No, we should go to-" Star Lord argued back.
"Midgard." Thor interrupted.
"What?" Rocket asked.
"Midgard, Earth. We need to go there." Thor said firmly.
"For what?" Gamora questioned.
"I have allies there." Thor answered.
"Woah, woah, woah, he can't just make decisions around here!" Star Lord interrupted.
"I am Groot." Groot mumbled.
"I am not getting defensive!" Star Lord argued.
"I am Groot." Groot said.
"He is right, you are indecisive." Drax supported.
Star Lord sputtered for a moment.
"We're going to Earth, decision made. It's not like we really have anywhere to be." Star Lord said.
"I'm still contacting the Nova Corps. They need to know Thanos is on the prowl for the Infinity Stones." Gamora grumbled.
"How do you know that?" Thor questioned.
"There's no other reason he'd be hunting and destroying ships." Gamora answered.
"How do you know about Thanos?" Thor cleared, anger nipping at his tone.
Gamora stayed silent, not sure whether to trust this survivor with her life story.
"Why does that matter?" Gamora fired back.
The silence morphed into a strong tension.
"The Mad Titan just killed all of my people, my guardian, my closest friends, and my brother, who I just made up with. I need to know if I need to kill you now, or when you switch sides, Daughter of Thanos." Thor said steadily.
"Trust me, Asgardian, I will not be joining Thanos." Gamora snarled.
"Good, then we are allies as well. I am Thor Odinson." Thor introduced.
"Peter Quill."
"I am Groot."
"Mantis, hello."
"My name is Drax."
"Wait, Thor, brother of Loki?" Rocket asked.
"Yes." Thor confirmed.
"Isn't that the psycho who attacked Earth with an alien army?" Rocket questioned.
"...Loki was confused and taken advantage of. I also have reason to believe he was...persuaded to do it." Thor defended.
"Persuaded, the Silvertongue." Rocket said skeptically.
"Yes." Thor answered.
"Yeah, okay. Persuaded." Rocket repeated.
"Look, let's just head for Earth. We'll figure this all out there." Star Lord said.
Thor struggled to keep his emotions at bay long enough to excuse himself.
Loki was struggling to keep the facade. It was a circumstance unknown to him. He was a liar, the liar. Loki, the Silvertongue, was struggling to lie. Every moment in the presence of his brother's killers was torment. He wanted to lash out and kill them all brutally. He knew he was outnumbered and outmatched. That wouldn't end well. What was worse was Loki imagining his brothers' cold, dead body floating out in the middle of space among the salvage of their ship. It made Loki want to cry. He needed to be strong for this, he need to succeed. All he had to do was get to Midgard and escape from Thanos to help the mortals. That was all. That was the end game, revenge. He watched as Thanos destroyed multiple other ships, killing all survivors. No one would know he was coming until it was too late. Loki would fail, again. He would fail, and the entire universe would feel it. Loki was vaguely aware of the conversation going on beside him. They were talking about the locations of the Infinity Stones. They had the Space Stone. They needed the Reality, Mind, Soul, Time, and Power Stones. He knew where four of them were. He had kept track. Time and Mind were on Midgard, Power was with the Nova Corps, Reality was with the Collector. Loki thought Heimdall had the Soul Stone, but he wasn't sure. Maybe the Grandmaster has it, somehow. Loki preferred not to think about the Grandmaster, it was a weird time. The Grandmaster was very interested in Loki in a way Loki was not comfortable with, and Loki did not let the man touch him at all. Loki had led him on though, he needed the power and status after all. He had originally hoped his reluctance would make the Grandmaster forget about his interest in Loki, but it seemed the Grandmaster only thought Loki was playing hard to get. Loki will admit it was quite strange, especially when Thor arrived in the chair.
"The Collector would've been a good start, but last I checked his Museum got destroyed by the Power Stone, now with the Nova Corps after Ronan failed to retrieve it for us." Ebony Maw informed.
Well, scratch that, Loki did not know where the Aether was. He considered that a good thing, one less thing to lie about.
"Could we steal the Power Stone from Nova Corps easily?" Loki questioned. "I am unfamiliar with their forces."
Ebony Maw pondered a moment.
" Originally no, but we didn't account for you, Sorcerer. You can teleport, yes?" Ebony Maw asked.
Loki's stomach sank, his heart jumped. No, I will not do your bidding.
"Yes, as long as it isn't warded." Loki said.
"The Nova Corps are ignorant to seidr, it won't be warded. You could easily get in, take the Power Stone and get out." Ebony Maw said.
"Should we really trust him with such a mission?" Corvus Glaive cautioned.
"He can do something you cannot, Glaive. I suggest you change your attitude." Thanos ordered from his place at head of the table.
He hadn't said much, just let his Order make the small plans. Loki was sure he had a plan for Midgard, for the universe.
"Of course, Lord Thanos." Corvus said.
"Loki, you won't have any back up, so you can't mess up. We're trying to keep the element of surprise for our arrival on Earth. They have two infinity stones on their world. We will need your service and experience." Proxima Midnight said.
"Of course, after all, I live to serve." Loki smirked, giving a small, mocking bow.
He disappeared with a green shimmer and reappeared in the Nova Corps vault on Xandar. He had to do this.
Thor had just finished his tale, beginning with Strange all the way to Ragnarok and Thanos. Everyone had introduced themselves, Tony had made a big deal about a hammerless, eyeless, hairless Thor. Thor didn't need Tony to tell him how much had changed, he already knew. Thor knew well. The wound of his losses wouldn't be going away any time soon. He was aware that the Avengers were skeptical of the Loki portion of his tale, he would address that later. For now, he caught up with Midgard. The Avengers had an internal disagreement, a third world country wasn't one, and Tony had a son. Personally, Thor thought it was childish, to split ways so completely. Thor had heard it called Civil War, he didn't think it fit. It wasn't a war, not even close.
"So, Point Break, what's the plan here?" Tony asked.
"I am going to gather willing allies, supplies, and information. Then I'm taking revenge for my brother and my people. Thanos is wanton for war, he shall have it." Thor said darkly, thunder rolling outside.
Tony, Pepper, and Natasha exchanged a glance.
"Getting pretty dark there, buddy. Why don't you calm down, and we'll talk later." Tony suggested.
"My answer will not change, Man of Iron. War will be waged, I do have other allies than you." Thor growled.
It was true, Thor was confident the remaining realms would rally at his side. They all owed a debt to Asgard, to him. Well, Jotunheim didn't, but maybe they could sympathize with the total loss of Thor's people, maybe.
"I am going to kill Thanos in the most painful way I know. I should think a blood eagle will do, don't you? Or perhaps I will flay him entirely and leave him for animals to devour. As for his allies, a beheading will be enough. Their deaths will be as much justice as I can give my people, and Loki would only wish to see Thanos pay and his allies dead. To do this thing, war must be waged, and I will win." Thor said, calmly, stealy.
"Calm down, brute force isn't going to solve this or win your 'war' or whatever you're going to do. You might not even win. From what we've heard, Thanos has informants, loyalist, followers, power, and many other things we don't know about. To combat something like this you would need-" Stark started.
Thor snapped, this mortal was trying to tell him how to win a war when he couldn't even win one, telling Thor, a god, he doesn't have the resources. Thor didn't need resources, his anger and sorrow would fuel him. Lightning and thunder violently cracked outside.
"Quiet, mortal. You dare tell me how to win wars when I am a seasoned veteran of war. Asgard as won many and I have fought in many. You had your pathetic attempt at a war and failed, Stark. Do not tell me how to win mine." Thor growled.
The three mortals quieted, shock accented by fear evident on their faces. Thor offered no consolation and turned from them, walking out to the room Tony had given him. He sat on the large, soft bed, anger draining from him. He put his head in his hands and wept. He could hear Loki's mocking 'Sentiment'.
Loki stood in front of the Power Stone. It pulsed with energy, beckoned Loki to use it and destroy everything around him. Loki refused, he would destroy only one thing: Thanos. He reached out and took the stone from the orb it was encased in. Loki was sure his eyes turned to the signature purple and black, but he didn't succumb to it's will. He could feel it pushing to influence him completely, but Loki had a gentle calmness towards it that didn't allow it to take control. He wondered if Thanos was the same. With it in hand, he teleported back to Thanos' ship, using Ebony Maw as a reference point. Thanos grinned at Loki's arrival and appearance. The Power Stone's whispers grew louder, and Loki listened. He wasn't sure how he did it, but a wave of destructive power pulsed from him. The appliances of the ship fried, the surrounding Black Order thrown about. Thanos stood solid, approaching Loki. Fear froze him in place, he was going to die. Thanos would kill him, he lashed out at the Titan. Loki would die. Thanos approached, grabbed Loki's hand, forced it open, and took the stone. Loki dropped to the floor, eyes wide in surprise, heart pounding, breathing hard. I'm still alive. Why? He could hear Thanos laughing.
"I know, the Power Stone can take control so quickly and utterly." He placed it in the gauntlet.
"I….I am so sorry, Lord Thanos, my Black Order. I did not realize the Power Stone would be so...persistent." Loki said, trying to sound sincere.
To him it sounded anything but. Apparently, it sounded so pathetically sincere that Ebony Maw placed a thin hand on his shoulder.
"It is alright. It was not intentional. Stand." Ebony Maw said gruffly.
Something about that sounded off to Loki, but he wasn't sure why.
"Anyway, we're almost to Earth. A couple more hours and we can take Earth." Proxima Midnight said, excitement evident.
"No, Earth is not ignorant. We will first ask for the stones with a show of power. Should they not give them to me, then we take them." Thanos planned out.
"And what will our show of power be, Lord Thanos?" Corvus Glaive asked.
"Simple, we kill Loki." Thanos said.
The world went silent and Loki couldn't breathe. No, no I have to help the Midgardians. Instead, he huffed a laugh and gulped.
"Excuse me, My Lord, but what?" Loki asked nervously.
"Secure him and throw him in the cells. He'll rot there until we arrive to Earth. Tell Supergiant and Black Dwarf they can do with him as they please." Thanos ordered.
Ebony Maw and Proxima Midnight quickly subdued Loki. Loki had attempted to teleport away, to anywhere, but Ebony Maw had done something. Blocked the passage mid teleport, it made Loki extremely disorientated. When he found his bearings again, Loki was thrown into a small cell.
"Do what you want, just don't kill him." Ebony Maw relaid.
Loki glared up at Black Dwarf and Supergiant as they grinned at him, a promise of pain. Loki would do anything to see Thor, for Thor to somehow burst from nowhere and save him, as he had in their childhood.
When their eyes focused on one another, the world stopped. Their eyes widened, the urge to run to one another. Thor would've done anything to see Loki, just one more time, but not like this. Never like this, hurt and used for a show of power. Look at how pathetic we made Loki, God of Chaos, famed Sorcerer and Warrior. The heroes of Earth had rallied under the threat Thor and the Guardians had warned them about. Thor was currently being held back by almost every single one of them.
"LOKI!" He screamed desperately. "Let me go! That's my brother!"
In the midst of his struggle he made eye contact with his bloodied, injured brother, Loki shook his head slightly, just a tiny movement of his head. Thor's blood ran cold. Loki didn't want Thor to blindly rush in. Why? Why not? Tell me! Loki made a few, small motions with his hands and soft murmurs. Thor stopped his struggling, trying to understand Loki's movements.
"Give us the Infinity Stones." Ebony Maw demanded.
He was met with silence. Loki had a slight frantic look to his eye, almost like he was running out of time, but Thor wasn't understanding. Then it dawned on him, Loki wasn't trying to signal something to Thor, he was casting a spell, trying not to gain to attention of the surrounding Black Order.
"Shall we show you what will happen if you refuse?" Ebony Maw grinned.
He conjured some kind of large, murky white needle. Thor heard Doctor Strange curse behind him. Loki was looking very panicked as Ebony Maw turned.
"What makes you think we are in possession of them?" Thor called across to them.
"We know you have two stones: Time and Mind." Proxima Midnight answered.
Loki had stopped his murmuring and nodded slightly to Thor. Supergiant noticed.
"They're communicating!" She poised herself to kill Loki.
Thor wasn't sure what he was expecting, but a hammer, like Mjolnir, to come crashing into each Black Order member, and to be caught by Thanos wasn't it. Loki was up and armed with his daggers. He tore the hammer from Thanos' grip and threw it to Thor. Thor let out 'for Asgard!', caught the hammer, and it was chaos from there. Thanos has called his army soon after the hammer released Loki. The sudden swarm of Chitauri and Outriders had really thrown things into chaos. It was an all out brawl really. Loki was slashing away, trying to find Thor in the fray. Energy blast from Shuri, Iron Man, and Star Lord punched through three at a time. Doctor Strange was using his disks and fans to fight, aided by his cloak. Ebony Maw was coming for him, striding through the Outriders and Chitauri. Mantis, Hawkeye, and Widow were in the quinjet providing air support. Wakandan forces were in the fight as well. Thor and Loki really weren't sure how to get to one another or what each key player was doing. Loki was getting fed up with the horde of ground troops. He summoned his leathers, armor, and fire whips and cleared a circle around him. Loki could see another clearing, the red clad girl in the center. In his lashes, Loki heard screaming, he turned towards the noise, but saw nothing. There were too many in his way. He heaved a sigh, fine. He'd clear them out another way. He took a deep breath and dropped his glamour. Blue skin replaced his Asgardian shade, green eyes swallowed by red. He summoned a ball of frost in his hands and threw his hands down to the floor. The surrounding soldiers were frozen where they stood. Loki felt his leathers grow stiff and armor frost over. Using ice spires and the temperature of his body, he made his way to the screaming.
"Vision!" The red clad girl screamed.
Loki recognized the Mind Stone, and Corvus Glaive with the scepter prying it from the man. Loki took his hands, near the ground, and quickly brought them towards Glaive. A large ice spire came from the ground and went through Corvus. He dropped the scepter, and the red woman rushed to the Vision. Loki rushed forwards, dagger in hand sliced across his throat. Quickly, he turned to Vision and the red woman. He put his glamour back in place as to not freeze them. The woman was frantically trying to anchor the man.
"Calm down, tell me your name." Loki said.
"Wand-da M-Maximoff, um, S-Scarlet Witch." She stuttered.
"Okay, Wanda, I'm going to teleport Vision to there." Loki pointed at the hovering jet. "Hold my shoulder and I'll take you with me."
She slammed her hand down on his shoulder and Loki put his hands on Visions torso. They reappeared inside the jet.
"I don't know what that guy did!" Wanda yelled at Hawkeye.
Hawkeye cautiously approached, but stopped.
"Be calm, I am on your side." Loki said.
When Hawkeye didn't move, Loki sighed, rolled his eyes and teleported out, back to the ground. One stone out of reach for now. Loki saw the remains of the Black Order on the ground, alive. He'd have to remedy that. He went around and froze them, slowly, painfully. He saved Ebony Maw for later, but still pinned him to the ground with ice.
"Now!" Loki heard the Captain yelled.
Off to his right, missiles, bullets, energy, lightning, and every weapon in the mortal's arsenal was launched to one spot, miles away. How did it get so spread out? Loki wondered if they could kill Thanos. He only had two stones. The resulting silence was enough, but they were all launched back by a pulse of energy. Power stone. It must have been aggravated or destroyed, really unlikely, because that was the only pulse. Loki stood, his signature horns gone. He knew how he looked, bloodied, pale, exhausted. His body hurt from his time in the cells, but he forgot all of that.
"Thor!" He called.
Nothing answered.
"Thor!" He yelled louder.
"Loki?" A voice said to the left.
Loki turned and saw a young man in a red, black, gold, and blue suit.
"You are?" Loki asked.
"Pe-Spiderman." The young man replied.
"Are you alright?" Loki motion to his side.
His suit was ripped and Loki saw a large gash, bloodied.
"Oh, um, no, but you look worse, so...I'm fine." Spiderman answered.
"Nonsense, you are young. Come." Loki said, and approached.
Loki gently, slowly placed his hand on the wound. A green shimmer ran down his hand, the gash healed.
"Woooooah, how'd you do that?" Spiderman asked, amazed.
"Seidr." Loki responded.
"Like magic?" Spiderman asked excitedly.
"I suppose." Loki replied.
"You know, you're not nearly as bad as everyone says you are." Spiderman said.
Loki opened his mouth to answer, but behind Spiderman, a head of blonde caught his attention. Spiderman turned.
"Oh, hey Cap." Spiderman greeted.
"Peter, step away from him." Captain America ordered.
A man with a metal arm and another in an all black suit with cat eats looked between the three of them.
"What? Why? He helped us." Spiderman defended.
"I'm only looking for Thor, Captain. Nothing more." Loki said.
"To kill him?" the Captain asked.
"No. We've lost everything. We've lost our home, our people, and almost each other. Thor is the only thing I have left. I will protect him at all cost." Loki swore.
"I don't believe you." Captain America said roughly.
"I do…" Loki trailed.
A person caught his eye, directly behind the trio. A group had formed, Loki saw Valkyrie, Heimdall, Banner, and finally Thor. Thor's back was to him, but his head was swiveling, looking for Loki.
"Thor!" Loki exclaimed, catching his attention.
Thor and Loki froze a moment before breaking into a full on sprint. They crashed into each other, swaying with the weight. The hug was crushing, Loki buried his face in Thor's neck and Thor did the same, eyes squeezing shut, tears when they opened them.
"I thought you were gone." Loki said brokenly.
"I thought you were gone." Thor replied.
They separated just enough to check over each other.
"You're not hurt are you?" Loki asked.
"No, but the same cannot be said of you, brother." Thor murmured, looking at the state his brother was in.
"Nothing I can't handle. I'm content with you being fine." Loki murmured back.
Thor laughed.
"Sentiment." He echoed.
Loki huffed a laugh and Thor placed a hand on the back of Loki's neck, guiding him around to their audience.
Banner was the first to break the silence.
"So where are you at nowadays?" Bruce echoed.
Loki grinned.
"It varies moment to moment, but I'm currently very content."