Author's Note:
Hello, lovelies! I'm terribly sorry for the wait, but it's been positively crazy on my end and I haven't had a single chance to sit down and write. *Sigh*. However, the passing time has given me the opportunity to re-watch Infinity War now that it's out, and I recently edited the first chapter of this story to better fit with the details of the movie so everything works nicely and makes sense. So before you read this chapter, I'd recommend turning back to read the new version of Chapter 1 :)
And once you've read that, enjoy this next bit!
Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel characters, nor any quotes you recognize (of which I will do my best to give the original artist credit, or make it plain where I got it from). I own only my OCs and the work I create. *In Snape's voice* Ob-viously... Lol.
"Not until my signal, understood?"
"Ragh, Hulk listen!"
"Don't look at me like that; it's not as if you're the most cooperative of the Avengers..." A glare from the Beast made Loki raise his hands in a placating gesture and take a slight step back. "Alright, sorry. Just stall him for as long as you can, and I'll do the rest. You should prove as a nice distraction for the Nīðings to keep them oblivious to me." He spoke quickly, not wanting to waste any precious time before the Titan showed up.
...but it seemed his comrade wasn't quite as worried about that as he was... Right as Loki was about to slip through the ruined doors and search for Thor to make sure he was alright, Hulk caught him by the shoulder with a large hand and spun him around, causing the god to let out a slight yelp of surprise. Hulk furrowed his bushy eyebrows and poked a large finger at the Trickster's chest. "What you be doing?" he asked suspiciously.
Loki jerked his shoulder away, jaw clenched and his lips pressed in a thin-lined scowl of irritation. "Just follow the plan and leave the rest to me. I haven't the time nor the patience to explain it all." Before the Beast could object, Loki slipped through the mangled mess of steel that once served as doors, separating the hall from the cockpit, and hurried into the room beyond. His eyes darted from side to side, searching the catastrophic scene around him for any sign of his brother.
As a prince and warrior of Asgard, Loki was no stranger to war, and had done his fair share of killing. However, even he had difficulty looking at the massacre surrounding him. Dozens of bodies lay on the floor in mutilated heaps...most of them bloodied beyond recognition. And these were his people. Just when he'd once again started calling them that, he wasn't sure, but he felt a protectiveness for them that he hadn't since long before his fall. For nearly four years he had been responsible for their wellbeing- he even knew some of them by name, having trained with the warriors most of his adolescence- and now... No, not even the Prince of Lies could convincingly say his tightening chest was completely caused by the acrid smoke and thin oxygen. The Asgardian warriors and shield maidens- plus a few gladiators from Sakaar that had more than proven themselves in the fight against Hela- had been slaughtered like animals, and he was furious for it.
The back wall of the room had been completely blown apart, with pieces of metal and bits of thick glass strewn throughout the room, and large pieces of the ship floating throughout the stars outside. Oddly enough though, nothing was being sucked into space through the gaping hole, and though Loki could tell the air in the ship had become considerably thinner, there was still oxygen. He narrowed his eyes at the opening into space, concentrating on it for a moment until he saw a faint shimmer near the edge of the ripped steel. Thanos must have put a barrier up, then. Though a few beings could survive long durations without air, like Loki himself, and Thor, Thanos' minions were not so lucky. And if the barrier was already up that meant Thanos and his gaggle would be there sooner than Loki had thought.
Loki resumed his search for Thor with renewed purpose, his actions considerably faster with the threat readily approaching. He looked under pieces of debris and in every crevice, his eyes darting over bloody bodies in search of the familiar red cape. He was just looking under a particularly large piece of twisted steel, his heart hammering in his chest, when he heard a faint groan nearby that immediately jerked his attention. Though there was moaning and soft groans all around him, he knew that voice. He'd heard it all his life. Loki jumped to the spot the sound had come from in mere seconds. He let out a heavy sigh of relief when he saw Thor, injured and stuck under a large chunk of debris, but mercifully alive. "Brother," he breathed, his chest shuddering slightly as he dropped to his knees.
"Loki," Thor coughed, his good eye wincing from pain. "I thought I told you to-to go with Valkyrie."
Loki laughed shortly, more to keep his emotions in check rather than from actual humor. "And leave you to go on a suicide mission on your own? You know the only reason you've stayed alive this long is from my good sense getting you out of troublesome situations..." he jested, attempting a half grin. Thor chuckled at his younger brother, and Loki's brows furrowed in worry at the effort with which it took the older Prince to do so. "Stay still," the raven-haired Prince ordered, his tone coming off as more soft than commanding. The Trickster slipped his long fingers under the chunk of steel and took a deep breath. "I'll get you out." Loki began to lift the heavy metal, biting his lip as he strained his muscles to get the large portion of wall off of his brother. Once Loki had lifted it high enough, Thor dragged himself out from under it, and collapsed on the floor a few feet away. Loki was at his side in an instant, having dropped the metal once again, and ran his slender hands over Thor's form, his palms alighting with magic as he searched for any major injuries.
"I'm fine..." Thor grunted, pushing his brother's hands away. "Go check the others." The Thunderer was breathing hard and was obviously in pain, but Loki knew how stubborn his brother was, and how very selfless he'd become in regards to other's wellbeing over his own. Always the Noble one... Loki sighed to himself in exasperation before pushing himself to his feet and moving across the room to began checking the many bodies for any survivors.
Loki hadn't moved far before a bright light shot into the room from the monstrous ship beyond, heralding the arrival of the Titan and his Cult. He moved his arms up to shield his eyes from the blinding beam, but just as soon as it had come it was gone again, and he lowered his hands to meet the gaze of his former master. He wanted to run away in fear, and charge at him in anger in equal parts, and it took everything Loki possessed not to do either of those things. Instead, he stood his ground, lifting his chin in defiance as he glared at the five beings who had appeared before him.
"Well, if it isn't the little godling..." Thanos sneered. "Still hiding behind an Aesir mask, I see. Afraid of the heathen within."
Loki's fist clenched, but he merely smiled in reply. "Come to bid me return? Have you really missed me that greatly?" he asked, his emerald eyes alight with their usual amusement.
"Hardly. I've had more helpful dogs than you."
"Ah, I see the prune has developed a sense of humor." A chuckle escaped the Trickster's lips. "So I've gone from an ant to a dog? So nice to be moving up in the world..." He cocked his head just slightly, his mouth curling in a sneer. "But you forget, oh Master...Dogs have teeth."
Thanos tilted his head, mirroring Loki's actions, his gaze calculating on his former pet. "So they do. Until you beat and muzzle them. Or have you forgotten?" Now it was his turn to grin cruelly, and Loki repressed a shudder at the memories that came unbidden to his mind. How could he possibly forget such horrors? The marks on his back and arms tingled, as if they could sense the hand that had put them there was nearby. It was becoming more and more difficult for Loki to keep his façade of indifference up.
Thanos laughed, knowing full well he'd hit a sore spot for the god. After all, he'd spent weeks, months, learning all of Loki's weaknesses and how to press them just right to make him squirm until he would do anything to make the torment stop. Turning his head to face the hideous creatures behind him, Thanos barked, "Take care of the rabble."
The four figures moved to follow his order, two of them impaling any lifeforms they came across as they moved throughout the room. The biggest of the four moved to stand beside Loki with a sneer, as if daring him to try something, and Loki clenched his jaw in an effort to stand still when he saw Thanos moving towards where Thor still lay by the huge hole in the wall. The most hideous of the four- which was quite an accomplishment, Loki thought, since all of them were rather ugly- began walking through the mess of bodies and debris, his fingers clasped together in front of him as he began to speak.
"Hear me, and rejoice. You have had the privilege of being saved by the great Titan." Loki watched the thing as he moved, and his breath caught in his throat when he passed a very familiar dark-skinned form. Heimdal. His eyes shone with triumph for just a moment before he masked his thoughts with a look of anxiety, though his soul leapt with what he could only call joy at seeing the man still alive. If he was alive, then perhaps his plan would play out as he had intended. He need only wait for the opportune moment.
Loki snapped himself back to the present, realizing that the inferior man- if he could even be called one- had finally ceased his droning, and he turned his attention back to where the Titan now stood over Thor. His fingers clenched and unclenched at his side as he bided his time, his heart racing with barely contained adrenaline at what he knew was coming next. 'Next, Thanos would demand the cube, and I'll offer it to him after he threatens Thor. And then comes the tricky part...' He ran through the scenario over and over in his mind, recalling all he'd seen in the Tesseract earlier that day; everything he had not told anyone. He couldn't. Being raised by a woman of Vanir birth had taught him enough about visions that he knew better than to share them with others, for fear they'd turn out for the worse. No, he had not told Thor, nor Heimdal or the Valkyrie. This was his burden to bear- his task, given to him by the Tesseract. He alone knew what would happen in the coming days, and he alone could stop it from transpiring. If he survived.
"I know what it's like to lose," Thanos began to speak, turning away from the gaping hole in the ship's outer wall to look at Loki. "To feel so desperately that you're right, yet to fail nonetheless." He stooped down to grab Thor by the front of his armor, carrying him as he moved closer and closer to the Trickster. "It's frightening. Turns the legs to jelly. But I ask to 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." He raised his right fist and Loki saw with resignation that not only was it clad with his favored bronze gauntlet, but the damned thing already bore one of the Infinity stones: the power stone.
"You talk too much..." Thor choked out, struggling against the Titan's grip.
"The Tesseract, or...your brother's head. I assume you have a preference?"
Loki clenched his jaw, steeling himself against his foe. "Oh, I do. Kill away."
Even though the Fallen Prince knew what was coming, that did nothing to ease the pain that shot through him when Thanos pressed the purple gem on his knuckle to Thor's head and watched Loki with amusement dancing in his dark eyes. Still, the young god held the Titan's gaze, his heart clenching unbearably at the anguishing cries coming from his brother. His eyes began to fill with tears as he glanced down at Thor, and after a few short moments he finally he could take no more and his head jerked back towards Thanos as he shouted, "Alright, stop!"
"We don't have the Tesseract," Thor spoke up, breathing heavily. "It was destroyed on Asgard!"
Loki looked at his brother, a sense of guilt creeping up on him as he lowered his gaze away from Thor in the closest he could feel to shame, and raised his hand, summoning the powerful object to himself.
Thor looked at him with a mixture of disappointment and anger, though there was no surprise in his eyes, which only broke Loki's heart more, and his next words were like a dagger of ice to his damaged soul. "You-you really are the worst, brother."
The younger brother looked at Thor breathlessly, hoping he would understand one day. Understand that Loki wasn't all just tricks and betrayal, and that much of what he'd done, he'd done to protect their people; to make his family proud, to keep them all safe. Perhaps he hadn't always gone about it the right way, but he'd tried. "I assure you, brother; the sun will shine on us again," Loki vowed, gazing into his brother's eye with determination and willing him to understand. It'll all be alright. I'm doing this for you.
Thanos let out a short chuckle of amusement at the words. "Your optimism is misplaced, Asgardian."
This was it. This was where it got complicated, and either saved them or doomed them all. "Well for one thing, I'm not Asgardian. And for another...we have the Hulk."
Thank the gods, Banner took his cue, and Thanos turned towards the Beast as he charged at him with a roar. Loki dropped the glowing stone as he dove for Thor, tackling him out of the way as Hulk rammed into the Titan with all his weight. With the four goons' attention on their master, Loki dragged his brother away from the fight and knelt beside him, pressing his palms on either side of the Thunderer's head. He closed his eyes and murmured a healing incantation under his breath, green energy flowing from his palms and seeping into Thor's temples, making him groan in pain for but a moment before Loki's spell began to ease the discomfort and heal the worst of his wounds.
Thor looked up at his brother and grasped his wrist, worry and gratitude warring in his sea-blue eye. "Loki-"
The Fallen Prince pressed his hand over Thor's, understanding in his own eyes. "I know." 'Do not thank me. Not yet...' Loki released himself from Thor's grip and pushed himself to his feet. "I haven't much time. Stay here." Even as he ran off, he knew his brother would not heed his orders, but so far things were going as planned. If all continued on this path, Thor would live.
Loki ran over to where Heimdal laid against a chunk of steel wall. Skidding to a stop and falling to his knees beside him, Loki gave the Watcher a sly grin as he raised a pale hand. "You're needed elsewhere, my friend." Heimdal's eyes widened as Loki's hand glowed a bright blue, and seconds later the real Tesseract was sitting in his palm.
"An illusion?" Heimdal asked, his golden eyes darting over to the first Tesseract, that still lay on the floor where Loki had dropped it.
The Trickster scoffed. "Never reveal a trade secret, my friend," he replied, and Heimdal couldn't help feeling slightly uneasy about how talented Loki was getting with his illusions. Not even he had seen through that one... With a poorly suppressed grin, Loki twisted the Tesseract in his grip, twirling it between his fingers. "I'm terribly sorry- actually, you know what, I'm not sorry at all; I've been waiting years to do this. Goodbye." Heimdal didn't even have time to cry out, before a bright blue light enveloped him and the last thing he saw was Loki's impish emerald eyes before the Asgardian disappeared in a shower of blue sparks.
Moving behind some debris to conceal himself, Loki turned his attention to the Hulk as he was pounded down by Thanos. He called upon his deep reserves of seidr to cast an illusion of Heimdal, lying where the real man had been previous, and before Thanos could finish off Loki's new comrade, the Prince used his illusions and the blue stone in his hand to send Banner away, beaming him to Midgard to warn the mortals of the coming threat. And he knew just where to send him, after his little run in with the sorcerers of that realm. Though it was done begrudgingly, Loki did respect the mortal man who had managed to get the jump on him, and he hadn't failed to notice his possession of one of the Stones. Stephen Strange was the perfect person to warn first. And now all that was left was to get Thanos away before Thor was killed.
Loki turned his attention back to the Titan and couldn't help snickering to himself at Ebony's grand words as he presented Thanos with the stone.
"No being as ever had the might- nay, the nobility- to wield not one, but two Infinity Stones."
'No one but me.' Loki thought to himself with a smirk. He watched the scene before him with curiosity for a few moments, before stepping out from his hiding place with his usual impish swagger. "If I might interject; if you're going to Earth, you might want a guide. I do have a bit of experience in that arena."
"Well, if you consider failure experience."
"I consider experience experience." And now came the unpleasant part. 'Dear Norns, please let this work...' Loki began moving closer to the Titan, his every move measured and planned. "Almighty Thanos, I, Loki; prince of Asgard...Odinson..." He trailed off for a moment, looking to Thor in silent communication. 'You can trust me this time, brother.' He conjured a dagger in his left hand, hidden to all but Thor, and continued with his speech as he turned his gaze back to Thanos, "the rightful King of Jotunheim, God of Mischief- do hereby pledge to you my undying fidelity." He bowed before the Titan, and then in one quick movement he thrust the knife upwards in a killing stroke-
and froze.
" 'Undying'. You should choose your words more carefully..." Thanos reached down and grabbed Loki by the throat, lifting him off his feet in a strangling grip with ease, while Loki clawed at his gauntleted fist, choking as he struggled against his tight grasp.
'No...no, no, no, no, no, no! I don't want to go this way... Not by him... Please, anything but this!' half of his mind screamed in terror.
'But you knew this would happen,' the other half reasoned, 'You wanted it this way, did you not? To save him?'
Thor.
Yes... Yes, that was true. He had to save Thor. At all costs. Even the ultimate one.
With his last breath, Loki glared defiantly up at Thanos, refusing to give him the pleasure of seeing him die in fear. He was a prince, after all, of two realms- and even in death he had his pride. "You...will never be...a God..." he choked out, and watched in satisfaction as the Titan's eyes filled with anger. He heard a snap, then, and felt his body go slack as his vision clouded with red.
It was the worst thing Loki had ever felt in his life: the feeling of being trapped inside himself, unable to move, to feel, to speak. All with the torture of still being able to hear his brother's muffled screams of anguish as Thor watched Loki die for a third time. It seemed to last forever, a never ending torture of blankness filled with his brother's cries. Yet, just like that it was gone, and his life winked out in a suffocating rush of darkness that dragged him down until he could think no more. And the only thing left for him was to surrender to the drowning depths...
and let go.
Well, there it is!
Hopefully I can get another chapter up within a week or so, if nothing comes up. Don't want you to dangle from that nasty cliff-hanger too long! Lol.
I can't tell you how happy I've been with all the favorites, follows, and reviews I've gotten so far on this. They mean a lot to me, and you're all amazing :)
Have a wonderful day, my lovelies!
Until next time,
- M. B.
