Chapter 1- The Beginning of the End

Valkyrie walked back into the front of the ship to the tune of Rubberband Man. Earth had some weird songs. She saw that Peter was sitting in his chair, singing and dancing along to the song. "Sing it Drax!" He bellowed.

Drax's head was tilted back, unmoving and from the snor that emanated from his area, asleep as well. Considering that the alert had awoken everyone in the middle of the night shift, everyone except for her and Gamora, she wasn't surprised.

Rocket yaned briefly, "Why are we doing this again?"

"It's a distress signal, Rocket." Gamora stated, annoyed, "Someone could be dying."

"I get that, but why are we doing it?"

"'Cause we're nice." Peter responded, "And maybe whoever it is will give us a little cheddar cheese for our help."

"Which isn't the point." Gamora pointed out.

Ugg. They were arguing again. Valkyrie thought to herself as she rubbed her head in annoyance.

Peter pointed at Gamora, "Which isn't the point…I mean… If he doesn't pony up…."

Rocket nodded along with what Peter was saying, "We'll take his ship."

"B-b-b-bingo!" Peter laughed.

Mantis, from her chair, adjusted a couple of buttons on the ship, "We are arriving."

"All right, Guardians. Don't forget, this might be dangerous, so let's put on our mean faces." Peter reminded everyone. He looked back at Groot who was playing a video game, "Groot, put that thing away." Groot doesn't move, "Now. I don't wanna tell you again." Still nothing, "Groot."

"I am Groot!" Groot, who is the Groot equivalent of a pissed off teenager, mocked.

Peter's eyes widened and reeled back a bit, "Whoa!"

"Language!" Rocket quipped.

"Hey!" Valkyrie exclaimed, waking Groot softly upside the head. "What have we discussed about manners?"

"Wow." Drax, who was now awake, whistled.

"You got some acorns on you, kid." Peter

Rocket huffed, "Ever since you got your little sap, you're a total d-hole. Keep it up, and I'm gonna smash that thing to pieces!"

Groot rolls his eyes. As Rocket finishes what he is saying, the Milano came out of hyperspace to reveal a graveyard. Valkyrie's eyes widened. They were too late.

People drifted through the vastness of space, cold and lifeless. Debris from the ship littered this sector. What looked like half of the ship was still intact, but barely. If there were any more people inside that ship, they would be dead by now.

"What happened?" Mantis breathed. The entire crew had gone early silent, a stark contrast from the playful arguing before.

"Looks like we're not getting paid." Rocket said, trying to make a joke. No one laughed.

As soon as Rocket stated that, a body slammed onto the hull of the ship.

"Wipers! Wipers! Get it off." Rocket cried, waving his hands to make the form of a windshield wiper. The body's eyes opened and everyone gave a startled yelp.

Valkyrie's eyes widened, "Get him inside." She commanded.

Peter glanced at her, and with one look from Val, he sighed and stood up. "Rocket, you're with me."


The person who had slammed into their windshield, was the equivalent of a bodybuilder on Xandar. It took Gamora, Quill, Groot and Drax to carry him from the air duct to the table in their designated 'living room.' Everyone now sat staring at the hunk of a man, breathing heavily from their task. "How the hell is this dude still alive?" Peter asked.

Drax shook his head, "He is not a dude. You're a dude. This... This is a man. A handsome, muscular man."

Peter, a bit jealousy, stated, "I'm muscular."

Rocket snorted in response, "Who are you kidding, Quill? You're one sandwich away from fat." Rocket pointed to his stomach area.

"Yeah, right." Peter scoffed.

"It's true." Drax motioned to Peter's chin and belly, "You have gained a little weight…."

Peter stared at Drax in disbelief, then turned toward Gamora, his girlfriend, "What? Gamora, do you think I'm…." Gamora bit her lip and hesitated to answer.

Matis interrupted at this point, her fingers on the unconscious man's temples, "He is anxious. Angry. He feels tremendous loss and guilt."

"Probably because of whoever attacked his ship left none alive except him." Valkyrie spoke up, commenting on Mantis's findings.

"It's like a pirate had a baby with an angel." Drax commented.

"Wow." Peter sniffed, "This is a real wake-up call for me. Okay. I'm gonna get a Bowflex. I'm gonna commit. I'm gonna get some dumbbells."

Rocket looked at Peter quizzitively, "You know you can't eat dumbbells, right?"

Gamor made her way over to the table and was now rubbing her hand over the man's huge muscles, "It's like his muscles are made of Cotati metal fibers." Gamora practically purred.

"Stop … massaging his muscles." Peter couldn't believe his girlfriend was sizing up another man. Peter turned toward Mantis and ordered, "Wake him up."

"Wake." Mantis commanded.

The man awakens, frightening Mantis. He scrambled off of the table and put his back to the opposite wall, immediately going into defense position, trying to assess his situation.

"Who the hell are you guys?" His stated, a bit of roughness to his voice.

Valkyrie put her hands up in the universal 'do not attack' position, "It's okay. We're not going to hurt you. We received your distress signal. What's your name?"

"Thor." Thor responded, still breathing hard. "And Thanos happened. He came after one of the infinity stones. And killed whoever stood in his way."

Valkyrie, Peter and Gamora shared a glance, "I'm sorry about your people." Valkyrie stated quietly. "And I'm sorry we couldn't get here sooner."

Thor looked at her with a soft half-smile, "If you had arrived sooner, you would have been killed as well. I doubt your little group has enough firepower to take out Thanos. Though I accept your apologies, My lady-" Thor trailed off, obviously waiting for a name.

Valkyrie pressed her lips together, trying to figure out of that was an apology or an insult, "Valkyrie."

Thor's demeanor changed into that of happiness, "A Valkyrie." He breathed, "Are you, by any chance, an Asgardian?"

Valkyrie frowned, "I'm sorry. I don't know. My father was a celestial but I'm not sure about my mother. It's probably not possible. Anyway, what's a Valkyrie?"

Thor deflated upon the news, "The Valkyries were a group of fierce women who served and protected Asgard, led by my father, King Odin. At first they were just a myth, but then events happened and I found out that they were all, except one, killed trying to defeat my sister, Hella. If another survived…" He trailed off, "But you said that's unlikely."

Valkyrie was mind blown about the family drama he was explaining, " I never said that." She stated quickly. She saw how much his tone had changed once he thought she was part of his race. "I said probably not possible."

Peter stepped in between them, making a 'T' out of his arms to signal a time out. "Hold your horses." Peter leaned in to Valkyrie, "Your sure you want to give this guy your whole life story?"

Valkyrie sighed, "He was just attacked by Thanos, Peter. I doubt he has any intention to lie to us."

Gamor came over to the huddle, "We should also find out if he knows anymore about Thanos."

At that Valkyrie glanced to Gamora, "Hey, you okay?"

"Fine." She snapped. Valkyrie sighed, Gamora was obviously uncomfortable with talk about her step-father.

"We should let him rest and feed him first before continuing the interrogation, don't you think?" Valkyrie asked, "A little nicety goes a long way."


Half an hour later, Thor was sitting on a stool with a grey blanket draped over his shoulders that went only down to his waist. Thor had explained what had happened to his home planet and had gotten to the point where Thanos had arrived before he was interrupted by Gamora.

"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…."

"Including my own." Drax chimed in.

Gamora continued, as if Drax didn't say anything. "If he gets all six Infinity Stones, he can do it with the snap of his fingers, like this." Gamora snapped her fingers to demonstrate.

"You seem to know a great deal about Thanos." Thor observed.

"Gamora…" Drax contributed, "Is the daughter of Thanos."

Thor stood up with a dark glare at Gamora, "Your father killed my brother."

Valkyrie saw Peter's eyes widened and stepped forward, trying to defuse the situation, "Oh, boy. Stepfather. Technically, she hates him as much as you do." He said in a fast tone, hoping that Thor believed him.

At that admission, Thor softened a bit, "Families can be tough. Look. Before my father died, he told me I had a half-sister...that he imprisoned in Hel. Then she returned home, and stabbed me in the eye, so... I had to kill her. It's life, isn't it, I guess. Goes round and round and... I feel your pain."

~Flashback~

"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. 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!" Loki's voice cut through the Asgardian radio transmission in a desperate plea for help. Normally Loki was loath to ask for help, especially of someone unknown, but this… this was an exception. He wasn't ready to face Thanos again.

Then again, the universe never did give him what he wanted.


Inside the ship, Ebony Maw walked among the bodies of dead Asgardians. He stepped over them as he speaks with no mind, as if they were scattered pieces of dirty clothing on a bedroom floor. "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. Universal scales tip toward balance because of your sacrifice. Smile...For even in death, you have become Children of Thanos."

Loki was surrounded by three the three members of the Black Order. He stared defiantly at Thanos.

Thanos was standing at army 'rest' position, staring out of the huge window of the Statesman. "I know what it's like to lose." Thanos started his speech and turned around to Thor, who was forced to kneel, "To feel so desperately that you're right... yet to fail, nonetheless." He grabbed Thor by the head and squeezed. Thor, against his will, let out a cry of pain. "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." Thanos holds up his hand to reveal the Infinity Gauntlet, which already hosts the Power Stone.

Thor spit blood from his mouth, breathing hard, "You talk too much."

"The Tesseract," Thanos turned his gaze to Loki, "Or your brother's head. I assume you have a preference."

"Oh, I do. Kill away!" Loki stated in the most posh and annoying manner he could muster in the moment.

Thanos set the gauntlet on Thor's temple. The power stone glowed brightly and Thor roared in pain.

Loki cringed at his brother's screams and looked away from his brother's pain. "ALRIGHT, STOP!" He shouted, unable to bare the screams any longer.

"We don't have the Tesseract." Thor breathed, "It was destroyed on Asgard." He stated in a defeated tone.

Loki glanced at Thor. Oh how he wished that was the case. Right now, he cursed his sticky fingers as he lifted his right hand into the air and the Tesseract faded into view.

"You really are the worst, brother." Thor breathed, glaring at him.

Loki held out the Tesseract to Thanos and advanced forward, "I assure you, brother, the Sun will shine on us again."

"Your optimism is misplaced, Asgardian." Thanos stated.

"Well, for one thing: I'm not Asgardian. And for another... We have a Hulk." Loki dived out of the way as the Hulk emerged and fought with Thanos. Punches are exchanged and Thanos is forced into the wall of the ship.

Maw stops the Black Dwarf from interfering by putting her hand in front of him, "Let him have his fun."

In about a minuet of fighting, Thanos defeats Hulk and dumps him to the ground. Thor tries to interfere but Ebony Maw binds him to the ground.

"Allfathers…" Heimdall croaked, "Let the dark magic flow through me one last... time." He whispered, extending his hand out to summon the Bifrost which gathers the unconscious form of the Hulk out of the Statesman,

Thanos walked over to where Heimdall was lying and growled, "That was a mistake." He took a spear and stabbed Heimdall through the heart.

Thors grief stricken scream could be heard echoing around the ship as Heimdall took his last breath.


Reviews:

Thunderstrike16: Thanks, glad you liked it! :)

Favorites: Thunderstrike16, Ironknight3307, and Anti Gambling Lootboxes.

Followers: Thunderstrike16, and Ironknight3307.


Posted: February 9th, 2019.

Next Update: March 9th, 2019.