Good evening, my charming, incredible, beautiful readers!
Here we go: Jen Lennon, outthere101, jgal747, dragonrain618, Steph the bat 11, Alissiel, donnabella2k7, StepiLady, LauDuJardin and technicolortucan, thank you all so very very much... you don't know how much I love you! MWAH!
And referring to one comment in particular (Steph the bat 11), this story is only halfway through; I'm already writing the last chapters so I can start working on my next project (do I smell a sequel?) as soon as I finish this so, do not fret, my friend... there's still a lot more to come ;) But thank you so much for the interest ;)
Ok, the song of the day is... Fallen by Sarah McLachlan
ENJOY!
CHAPTER TWENTY – HIGHLY DANGEROUS HOSTILE WANTED
Thanos walked around the now empty hall at the top of Stark Tower.
His army of Skrulls had taken those pathetic humans away and he was left alone in the large ballroom.
He made his way over to Fenrir's corpse and stared down at him with disdain "I hold the power to bring you back, beast…" He began "But I hold not the desire to do so" Kicking the wolf's paw dismissively he continued "You were useful… just like he promised you would be… you made them bring the Tesseract to this poignant world and now the Gauntlet is complete… you are of no use to me now, Fenrir"
Extending his arm at the dead animal, Thanos pointed the metallic, gem imbibed glove at it and after shooting an orange ray Fenrir's body turned into dust and disappeared after being dragged away by the wind.
"My lord" One of the agents he had hypnotized called respectfully
"What?"
"Agent Coulson… Colonel Fury's right hand… he… he escaped after we attacked the helicarrier"
Thanos turned to the agent and stared at him with irritation "Where is this… Coulson now?"
"We don't know. He took one of the jets, tricking our agents, making them believe he had also joined your noble cause and then, after getting rid of them, disappeared from the grid. He must've disabled the tracking system in the jet" The agent explained
"Have your friends from the flying fortress joined us yet?" The agent nodded "All of them?"
"Yes, sir. As soon as the Skrulls got there with the shards of the Tesseract your magic convinced them"
"Good" Thanos started walking to the door "I want to see this… helicarrier"
"You mean to say all of them turned against you?" Adrianna repeated what Coulson had just told them while Clint and Natasha piloted the quinjet
They had been up in the air for almost an hour trying to decide what to do next.
Coulson had let them know that right after talking with them, a group of Thanos' creatures, which they now recognized as Skrulls, thanks to Loki, had arrived and with several shards of the Tesseract had done something to everyone in the helicarrier.
"It was as if their souls had been pulled out of their bodies… their eyes turned blue and empty" Coulson narrated
"Just like Pepper's" Tony said with a serious tone
"Just like everybody" Natasha suddenly said from the cockpit
"You're gonna want to watch this" Clint added as he turned the screens on and showed them several videos
The videos were mainly of news shows. At first the anchors and reporters seemed to be broadcasting the chaos that had started to occur after the Avengers had left Stark Tower.
Thousands of Skrulls, Fenrir's demonic wolves and S.H.I.E.L.D. agents wreaked havoc all across the city and then they could see that several of this Skrulls had small shards of the Tesseract and with them, they seemed to be washing the people's brains and turned them into what they had witnessed at the gala.
"They are turning everybody in Thanos' zombie monkeys…" Tony commented
"There's more" Natasha said and they continued to watch the screens
In a matter of minutes, the reporters who had been saying bad things about the Skrulls were now turned into Thanos' zombies and did nothing but exalt Thanos' glory.
"They are using the shards to brain wash everyone in New York?" Bruce asked
"Not only New York… the entire world" Coulson replied as everyone stared at him in panic "There's one more thing" He typed a few things and then S.H.I.E.L.D.'s file photos of the nine members of the team appeared before them but with a small difference
"Highly Dangerous Hostile Wanted?" Steve read out loud
"Hey! I might be highly wanted but I am definitely not dangerous or hostile!" Tony exclaimed outraged
"Stark, this is serious" Steve said
"Don't you think I know that, Starry Pants?"
"Rogers, Stark… a quarrel amongst us is the last thing we need right now" Thor intervened and shut them up
"Thor is right. Every soul in this planet thinks us enemies and considers Thanos as their new God" Adrianna said
"How did you manage to get free, by the way?" Tony asked Coulson
"I pretended to be one of them" Everyone gave him puzzled looks and he continued "They don't seem to notice the difference in the eyes, they just react as machines. Whatever it is that Thanos is doing to them with the shards destroys their perception and their emotions. They don't even see the differences with other people… so, when I realized, I pretended to be like them. I told them where we could find you so I got on the jet with them…"
"Why were you so beat up, then?" Emma inquired
"Because agent Hill, who is under the hex, realized I had gotten into the jet when I shouldn't have to and alerted the team of agents through the radio. They tried to kill me but I fought them off. That was when we landed… you know the rest of the story" Coulson concluded
"Maria too?" Natasha asked and Coulson nodded
"What's the plan?" Adrianna asked
"We need to find somewhere we can hide and prepare" Steve said
"When Thanos released Fenrir he trashed the building but he didn't destroy it. He is not using it. It's abandoned" Coulson told them
"So that's where we go. We will find weapons and equipment there" Steve said
"What happened with Fury?" Bruce suddenly asked
"I don't know. We lost track of him after Fenrir's escape. He was in the Tower"
"Maybe he is still there" Thor suggested
"Maybe he is dead" Loki finally spoke up gaining everyone's attention "Don't look at me like that… if Fenrir and Thanos attacked him, there is no chance he might be alive"
"Until I see his body, I won't believe he's dead" Steve stated adamantly
Loki nodded at him but remained silent.
"By the way… from where do you know your buddy Thanos?" Tony inquired with a somewhat malicious curiosity
"I do not see how that is any of your business, Stark" Loki spat
"Oh, but it is… it is everyone's business, since he tried to kill us" Tony responded
Loki looked at Thor for a moment and then at Emma who was sitting next to him.
She had her brow furrowed in thought. With a sigh, he proceeded to speak:
"I only met Thanos once" He started "When I fell into the cosmic abyss I traveled through many worlds until I encountered a creature called The Other. He served his lord, Thanos. I was introduced to him and that was when he offered me his help to…"
"Attack Earth?" Clint asked from the cockpit
"Yes" Loki admitted "He offered to put his army of Chitauri under my command in exchange of something very precious and dangerous"
"The Tesseract" Steve deduced and Loki nodded
"After I agreed I was threatened: if I failed to conquer Midgard and obtain the Tesseract, Thanos would have me killed. After that you know what happened"
"Yeah, we kicked your and the Chitauri's asses" Tony said and Clint snorted amused by the comment
"That is the debt Thanos was talking about collecting" Steve pointed out and Loki nodded again
"But the Tesseract was supposed to be safe in Asgard. How could Thanos know you and Thor would use it to come, hence, bringing it here?" Adrianna questioned
"You don't know Thanos. You have never encountered anyone like him; he worships death, manipulates matter, time and space at will… he comes from an old superior race called the Eternals" Loki told them "They descend from the creators of the universe and so do the Skrulls only that they were experimented on until they became the mindless abominations they are today"
"That did not answer my question" The elemental said
"He must have had something to do with Fenrir's escape" Thor said "He knew Odin would send us to Midgard to defeat him and in a way to protect Eira…" He glanced at Emma for a moment before continuing "Fenrir's escape meant having to use the Tesseract to open a portal and come here… bringing the cube here where it would be vulnerable"
"But who could have tipped Thanos about Fenrir?" Coulson asked
Thor and Loki shrugged ignoring the answer to that.
"Well, and what is this pretty feminine glove he wears?" Tony interrogated "JARVIS hasn't been able to find anything on it anywhere"
"No one would… not in your world" Loki said "It is called the Infinity Gauntlet. It is of Thanos' own design and it is part of what makes him so powerful"
"What's with the different ray colors? Do they have anything to do with the gems in it?" Bruce continued
"Yes" Thor replied "A long time ago, father fought against the Dark Souls of Nilfheim, the army of forsaken souls of Hela, goddess of the Underworld. As reneged as Hela was, she had never pursued war against Asgard"
"Something incited her" Bruce said
"Or someone" Loki corrected
"We never knew who this was… until now… it is all making sense…" Thor pinched the bridge of his nose and continued "After Hela and her Dark Souls were defeated, Odin retrieved a piece of armor and kept it as a relic in the palace vault. With time father told us about the Titan who had created a weapon so strong, it could obliterate all life in the universe: the Infinity Gauntlet"
"But even with six slots, the glove only held five gems: the Time Gem, which is orange; with it, its holder manipulates time. The Space Gem, which is purple; its uses are to travel through space at will. The Soul Gem, the green one; it is one of the most devious of all for it can rob or attack any being's soul. The Reality Gem which can bend reality into anything its owner wishes; it is the yellow one and the Power Gem, the red one; it enhances whatever ability its holder has and can even duplicate someone else's skills" Loki explained
"And the sixth one?" Adrianna interrogated
"The Mind Gem" Loki answered
"The blue one, right?" Steve said and Loki nodded
"It controls and wields whatever mind the holder desires. It is the most dangerous gem of all" Loki said
"Wait… isn't that the same blue thingy you had in your spear the last time?" Clint figured out
"No. It held the same purpose but only half the power of the real Mind Gem. Thanos never obtained the true gem because he needed the Tesseract for that" The god of mischief told him
"And now he has it" Tony concluded
Following the long explanation, they made their way back to Manhattan and while the team discussed the course of action to follow, Emma sat next to the window by herself.
She hadn't uttered a word throughout the entire conversation and once it had finished she had stood up and taken a seat far from the team to think for a while.
Everything she had heard had made her feel very confused because, while the Avengers, her friends clearly saw all of that as a sign that Loki was the responsible for everything that was happening, Thor tried to justify his brother and her; she didn't know what side to take.
After a while of being alone, she felt someone taking the seat next to her and she didn't need to turn to know who it was.
"I hope you realize you can't sneak up on me either" She told him
"I realize" He replied
Emma turned around and came face to face with Loki. His eyes had an unfathomable expression, just like her own "Is it true?"
"What?"
"The deal you made with Thanos… the Tesseract for the world?"
"Yes"
"Why?"
"You know why"
"No, I don't… I can't understand where in the way you turned so wicked and soulless"
"When I lost Eira"
She looked down for a moment and repeated "Her"
"Yes… her but you have changed me" He said trying to take her hands in his but she pulled them away
"Have you changed?"
"You do not trust me anymore"
"I never said that"
"But you are thinking about it"
"You don't know what I'm thinking… if you knew you would know that I trust you more than anyone else in this plane"
"But…?"
"But that doesn't mean I condone what you did"
"I have paid for it since before it all started, Emma… I was alone, rejected, exiled and dead inside" Loki said sadly "My life had no meaning and I have been trying to find one for as long as I can remember… I have known nothing but death and pain" Emma looked deep into his green eyes knowing he was not lying "I am not asking you to justify my actions; all I am asking if for you to give me a chance to make amends; for you"
"Don't do it for me, Loki… do it for yourself" Emma told him, finally letting him take her hands "And for your family" He couldn't help to exhale annoyed "I know you don't believe it but I am sure they missed and mourned you when they lost you… and to have you back under those circumstances couldn't have been easy for any of them… think about your mother… about your father… about Thor… he is your brother, whether you choose to believe it or not" Seeing him nod, Emma reached out and ran the back of her index finger along his cheek, causing him to close his eyes "Sleep. You are still wounded and you need to rest before we land"
Not saying anything else, he leaned his head against the headrest while intertwining his fingers with Emma's and closed his eyes, prepared to sleep feeling a kind of warmth in his chest he hadn't felt since he was a little boy.
But the peace didn't last long.
Suddenly, the quinjet shook as if turbulence had hit it but the problem wasn't in the outside but in the inside.
"What's going on?" Steve asked getting up from his seat and rushing to the cockpit
"Clint!" Natasha shouted from her place at the co-pilot side
Hawkeye was bent in pain, his hand over the almost-healed wound on his thigh; his eyes shut in pain.
Of course the quinjet would shake; the pilot was going through an agonizing pain.
"What's happening to him?" Adrianna asked kneeling next to him
"Clint, where does it hurt?" Bruce questioned
"The leg… the wound… it's burning… it hurts too bad!" He said behind gritted teeth
"Take him to the back" Tony said "Cap, can you fly one of these things?"
"I think so" Steve doubted
"I'll give you a hand" Natasha told him as Bruce and Tony almost carried Clint to the back part of the quinjet and the Captain took his place as pilot
"Lay him down" Emma instructed Bruce and Tony as she approached to Clint, knelt down next to him and examined his wound "It's as if it was reopening… what did I do wrong?"
"I don't think it has anything to do with what you did, Emma" Bruce told her
"But…" Emma started but then a scream of excruciating pain cut her off. Looking up at the direction whence it came from she saw that Loki was writhing in agony in his seat until he fell to the floor. Rushing to him she saw that, like Clint's, his wound had reopened "Loki"
"It burns!" Loki shouted
"Brother" Thor kneeled by his side
"Why? Why is this happening?" Adrianna questioned placing Clint's head on her lap
"Loki, what does it feel like?" Bruce asked
"It burns…" Loki repeated
"Yes but how… where?" Bruce insisted
"Bruce, what…?" Emma started but Bruce shook his head at her
"Deep… deep inside… as if it was running through my veins… all over me…" Loki managed to say
"Clint?"
"Same" He barely uttered breathing heavily
"Emma, he's bleeding again!" Adrianna exclaimed pointing at Clint's leg
Emma looked down at Loki's side and saw that blood was once again oozing out of the stab.
"No, please… no…" She mumbled trying to stop the bleeding with her hands
"How long until we reach the Tower?" Thor asked Coulson
"Not long. A few minutes" The agent answered
"They don't have a few minutes! They are going to die!" Emma yelled "Don't die, Loki… please…"
While Emma looked after Loki, Adrianna did the same with Clint as Thor, Bruce, Tony and Coulson could do nothing but watch, waiting for Steve and Natasha to take them fast and safely to their destination.
"Don't die…"
That's just too much tension! I hope you have nerves of steel... because it's gonna get even worse... bu-hu LOL.
Once again, thank you so very much for all your kind words and please, don't forget to review :D
Lots of love to all of you!
ASSEMBLE!
Angie.
xoxoxo