We stood, staring at each other for the longest ten seconds of my life. In a flash, Loki and I were in our room.
"(Y/N), I need you to listen very carefully." Loki said, grabbing my sword and tossing it to me. I nodded, strapping my sword on, watching Loki pace back and forth along the floor. I heard an alarm sound throughout the ship, and footsteps running as Asgardians rushed to defend their families.
"Thanos is on that ship. He wants two things." Loki stressed. "He wants me, and he wants the Tesseract. We don't want him having either, but if he gains the Tesseract, it could be devastating for you."
I nodded, gripping the pommel of my sword tightly. "Then let's make sure he doesn't get anything."
"That's my girl." Loki said, smiling for a brief moment. His armour shimmered on, his helm shining in the lights of our cabin. "I promise, I won't leave you again. I'll come back to you. No matter what happens, I'll return to you. Let's go."
As we appirated on the main bridge of the ship, Thor turned to yell at us from the controls as Asgardian civilians screamed and ran for cover..
"Took you guys long enough!" He shouted, trying to pilot our ship away from the Titan's massive vessel. "I've sent a distress signal out, you two go help Val get the people into the esc-"
Thor never finished that sentence. A massive explosion rocked the ship, knocking the three of us up against a wall. I looked up, my vision a swirling, blurry mess of people running and screaming, and others laying on the ground, dead.
"What the hell was that?" Thor said, right as a smaller explosion rocked the ship once more.
"Where's Bruce?" I yelled out, scanning for any sign of the scientist, or his green alter ego.
Loki's helm lay on the ground, blown off of his head by the explosion. As he stood up, he looked at me intensely. "I need you to remember what I said." he said, helping Thor and I to our feet. "I need you to hide. NOW."
I immediately turned invisible, hiding by a wall, convinced by the terror in Loki's voice. Heimdall ran in, calling out for Thor as he brandished the Bifrost sword to defend his King. The entire ship suddenly glowed bright purple, cracks appearing in the floor as the power cut out. Loki glanced to where I stood, fear in his eyes to an extent that I never thought possible. I remembered his interactions with the Chitauri, and shuddered as I awaited what would come next.
Four figures walked onto the bridge from a hallway, dimly lit by the emergency lighting. Three slender figures, taller than most people, followed by a tall, burly alien.
"If you've wondered what was worse than death, Odinson…" the tallest figure said to Loki, pressing his hands together, batting his hand in Heimdall's direction, sending the Asgardian flying head first into a wall. Another explosion rocked the ship, breaking the floor apart and sending the last of the Asgardian refugees sailing to the ground, "Now you know."
"Who are you?" Thor boomed, "What business have you with destroying my people?"
"We have no business with you, Thor." The figure continued, as he held out a hand, preventing the brothers from moving with some form of telekinesis, "I was speaking with the other Odinson. The one that made a deal with the great Titan years ago. His bill comes due."
"Leave my family alone, Maw." Loki breathed, fighting the grip that Maw had on the two of them, as the brothers were lifted up off of the ground.
"Thanos will be here soon." Maw continued, walking around the room. "I hope you have the price that was agreed upon."
Maw dropped them to the ground, a fifth figure coming into view. He was the size of the Hulk, his armor clicking with every step that he took.
"Time to pay, Odinson." Thanos growled, flexing his hand, showing off his large, golden glove. A bright purple stone glowed in its setting, the purple around the ship intensifying.
"He doesn't have anything!" Thor shouted, "We are merely on our way to earth, to seek refuge!"
Thanos stepped over to Thor, picking him up as Maw continued to hold Loki in place. "You have fire, Thor, son of Odin." Thanos said, holding Thor out at arm's length. "It will take time to break you. Watch the other, my children."
The purple stone in Thanos' glove glowed brightly, and Thor cried out as Thanos threw him to the ground. With a few swift punches to Thor's face, his body went limp, dangling from the Titan's hand like a ragdoll.
"Hear me, and rejoice. You have had the privilege of being saved by the great Titan. You may think this is suffering. No. It is salvation." Maw said, stepping over the bodies of dead Asgardians while he approached Loki and the other children of Thanos. "Universal scales tipped toward balance because of your sacrifice. Smile, for even in death, you have become children of Thanos."
"I know what it's like to lose." Thanos mused, walking slowly towards Loki, dragging Thor along the ground. "To feel so desperately that you're right, yet to fail nonetheless. It's frightening. Turns the legs to jelly. 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."
"You talk too much." Thor grunted, too weak to move.
"The Tesseract, or your brother's head." Thanos said, pressing his glove to Thor's temple. "I assume that you have a preference."
"Oh I do." Loki said, his voice faltering ever so slightly, before his face turned stone cold. "Kill away."
Thanos sighed, the purple gem in his gauntlet glowing as the power flowed into Thor's skull. Screaming out, Thor batted helplessly at the Titan, too weak to stop the torture that was playing out.
Loki's face fell, his eyes showing his fear and concern for his brother. "Alright, Stop!" he shouted, voice cracking.
"We don't have the Tesseract." Thor breathed, "It was destroyed with Asgard."
Loki sighed, waving his hand to reveal the Cube.
"You really are the worst, brother." Thor moaned.
"I assure you, brother." Loki said calmly, "The sun will shine on us again."
"Your optimism is misplaced, Asgardian." Thanos said, setting Thor down.
"Well, for one thing, I'm not Asgardian." Loki said, withdrawing the Tesseract. "And for another, we have a Hulk."
The Hulk emerged from a hallway, leaping straight into Thanos. Loki dove to protect Thor, the Tesseract left to fall to the ground. The large, burly creature moved to help Thanos, but Maw held a hand up, stopping the alien from interfering.
"Let him have his fun." Ebony said, smiling grimly.
Thanos and the Hulk continued to fight, Hulk having the upper hand for a moment. It was turned on its head, as Thanos used the power stone in his gauntlet, overpowering the Hulk with ease. Thanos lifted the unconscious Banner high above his head, slamming the Hulk into the ground.
Loki nodded to Heimdall, who reached out for his sword weakly. "Allfathers, let the dark magic flow through me one last time." he breathed, calling the Bifrost to take the Hulk away.
"That was a mistake." Thanos said, nodding to one of the other figures.
She nodded back, using her spear to stab Heimdall clean through the heart, ending his life.
"No!" Thor roared, "You're going to die for that"
Maw gestured, tying Thor down with scraps of metal, placing one over Thor's mouth to prevent him from yelling any more.
"My humble personage, bows before your grandeur." Maw said, picking up the Tesseract. "No other being has ever had the might, nay, the nobility, to wield not one, but two, Infinity Stones." Maw handed the Tesseract to Thanos, kneeling before the Titan. "The universe lies within your grasp."
"No!" I shouted, becoming visible and running out besite Thor. "I will not let you take that. I cannot."
"Dear child, is that the Space Stone I see coursing through you?" Thanos mused, Loki's face falling at the sight of me. "I need that back."
He shattered the Tesseract in his hand, revealing a small, smooth, blue stone. He placed it in the gauntlet, a flash of power radiating out of the glove as the stone sank into place. He held out his hand, lifting me off the ground. My blood boiled, my body unable to move as flaming blue energy slowly seeped out of my skin. I screamed, the pain the only thing my brain was capable of thinking about. My head pounded, and my heart raced. As the last bit of energy was drawn out, I was dropped to the ground, my body shaking in shock.
"I'm sorry, little one." Thanos sighed, turning to his children.
"There are two more stones on Earth." he said, commanding. "Find them, my children, and bring them to me on Titan."
"Father, we will not fail you." the female said, kneeling slightly as she swore.
Loki moved over to me, kneeling. His eyes filled with sorrow, "I'm so sorry, my love." his breathed apology repeated. Now, battle worn and defeated, Loki held my face in his grasp, my tears sliding down his hands and wrists. Forcing me to look at him, he smiled a sad, longing smile.
"I want your face to be the last thing I see." He whispered. " I want to remember every detail, I want to remember your eyes, your lips…"
"Don't don't please don't." I begged. "Don't do this."
"I love you." he whispered once more, pressing a quick kiss to my forehead as he stood up.
"If I might, interject…" Loki's voice called, drawing everyone's attention. "If you're going to Earth, you might want a guide. I do have a bit of experience in that arena."
"If you consider failure, experience." Thanos countered, his tone condescending.
"I consider experience, experience." Loki insisted. "Almighty Thanos. I, Loki, Prince of Asgard…" Loki looked to Thor and I, his eyes pleading, almost begging something which I couldn't understand. A knife shimmered into existence in his hand, hidden behind him as he bowed slightly. "Odinson, the rightful King of Jotunheim, God of Mischief, do hereby pledge to you, my… undying... fidelity."
Loki jabbed his knife upwards, aiming for the Titan's head. But the Titan simply flexed his gloved hand, Loki frozen in place by the stone's power.
"Undying." Thanos scoffed, "You should choose your words more carefully."
Thanos picked Loki up by his neck, slowly squeezing. I screamed, my body refusing to allow me to stand and run to his defense, my energy depleted thoroughly. I didn't even notice the slight green glow my skin now had, my mind too busy trying to figure out how to save my fiance.
"You… will never be… a God." Loki spat out, his face turning purple from lack of air. Thanos squeezed tighter, and the snap of Loki's neck sent my stomach straight down to the pits of Hel. My throat let out a guttural scream, Thor fighting against his restraints as Thanos walked over, still dangling Loki from his neck.
"No resurrections this time." Thanos said, dropping Loki in front of me. The space stone glowed in his glove, a portal opening for the group to leave through. Thor's restraints fell as soon as Maw had left, and we both sobbed. I reached over to grab Loki's helm, intending to place it on his head. Once I had grabbed it, the green glow from my skin intensified, and became so bright I couldn't see. I yelled out, my voice hoarse and torn in grief. I gripped the horns of Loki's helm, my world swallowed in bright white light before I passed out.
