Disclaimer: I do not own Avengers or anything else that is recognizable.
A/N: The third and final piece of the Endgame Trilogy, and the last chapter before the Epilogue. I took a bit longer on this chapter. I wanted to try and bring Natasha back to her normal self, or as close to it as possible, everything considered. I had the hardest time with the fight between Loki, Thor and Thanos. I hope it is good enough, or at least meets expectations. Enjoy!
NOTE: There is another Asgardian introduced in this chapter and, like Johann, is NOT AN OC. Johann and this character are going to be major parts of the sequel. Now, enjoy the chapter.
Redemption
by
I Am Atrocity
Chapter XXV: Endgame: Brothers in Arms
'The blood is in the water, the cuts no longer bring me down. Don't you even bother, I've seen enough to take you down. Love, Hate, Pride bottled up inside. Gonna let it go, gonna let it go. I'm feeling superhuman, I'm invincible, I'm bulletproof. I'm on a revolution, I'm invincible, I'm bulletproof. The fight has made me stronger, I can never turn back now. Don't you point the finger, your words no longer bring me down.'
- Bulletproof by 12 Stones
Thor knelt beside Odin, who was still collapsed from when Thanos had thrown him. He placed his hand on his father's shoulder and gave it a light shake. A soft groan escaped the elder man, and his one good eye fluttered open. "Father, are you alright?"
Odin blinked wearily, then slowly pushed himself to a sitting position. "I will be. I just need a moment." He pulled himself to his feet and picked up Gungnir. "Where is he?" Odin looked around, seeing no sign of the Titan.
Thor pointed to the opening behind the throne where Thanos had demolished the wall. "He and Loki went that way. I was about to go after them."
"Loki?" Odin wondered aloud, his one eye a bit clouded from having just awoken from unconsciousness.
"Yes, father, he has returned from Hel. I do not know what answers he found, but he has already fared better against Thanos than either of us," Thor told him.
Odin nodded and started in the direction that Loki and the Titan had gone. "Come, son. We cannot let Loki face this threat alone."
Thor nodded and followed his father as they ran across the room. They cleared the broken wall and into the room behind. It was a simple room, that lead to a set of stairs leading up. The stairway lead up to the royal living quarters, and was used by Odin and his family to reach their rooms quickly without going through the palace halls. It helped after a particularly long day or when they simply didn't wish to deal with others.
Thor ran up the stairs, seeing energy burns on the walls as well as large pieces torn away from Loki and Thanos fighting as they had gone up the stairs. Thor increased his pace, with Odin right behind him.
They came into the living area in time to hear an explosion from the far end of the long hall lined with doors that led to the various rooms of the royal family, some those of those still living, one empty, waiting for its master's return, and one locked shut, its master long-dead and never to return.
A large cloud of dust kicked up, creating a thick haze throughout the entire area, blocking their view of the battle raging ahead of them, the only evidence of this struggle being the sound of bolts of energy exploding and a body crashing through walls.
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"Put him there!" Johann said, pointing to an empty bedroll in the Bifrost. Steve was gently lowered onto it and the Asgardian immediately went to, checking him for injuries. Beside them, another bedroll was laid out and Clint was lowered onto it. Immediately afterward, another Asgardian, this one a woman with flowing blonde hair, came over and began to move her hands over him slowly, her hands glowing a pale blue as she did so.
Natasha had worked the whole way to the Bifrost to set her mask back in place and eliminate all proof of feeling. She had cried more in the last few days than she ever had in her life and she did not want to appear weak. Now, she looked on as the Asgardian woman worked, hoping that Clint was alright. She refrained from biting her lip as the woman checked the archer over and then sighed. The woman looked to Johann. "This one has a few ribs broken and a bit of internal bleeding."
Johann looked over at her for a moment, his own hands working to remove the upper part of Steve's uniform, Bruce was there as well, helping him. "Heal the internal damage first. We don't need him bleeding out before we get him fixed up."
The woman nodded. "Of course."
"Amora," Johann said, lifting Steve up so that Bruce could remove the top of the uniform that the super-soldier was wearing. The woman turn back to him. "Make sure that the ribs did not pierce any of his organs, if they did, and that is what caused the internal damage, we will need to remove the bone from the wound before we can fix it." Amora nodded and turned back to Clint and began to run her hands over him again, the glow brightening.
Natasha waited to hear the verdict, but Johann's working methods caught her eye. Unlike Amora, his hands were not glowing and he was instead gently touching the bruised torso of the unconscious captain. There was something about him that set her on edge, as though there were danger lurking just below the surface and he was doing his best to hide it.
Johann frowned, causing his forehead to wrinkle slightly. He traced each rib and then moved up to the breast-bone and collarbone. He hummed in his throat, then looked at Bruce. "He has three broken ribs, two bruised and three cracked. His collarbone is fractured and he has slight bruising near his sternum. The bruising will heal on its own within a day or so, given his abilities. It's the ribs I'm worried about. We'll need to set them and bandage him so they'll heal properly. He pointed behind them to a supply of medical equipment, Midgardian, had been brought in. "I have everything we'll need over there. S.H.I.E.L.D. was most generous in giving me those. Could gather the required equipment, Doctor Banner?" Bruce hesitated a second. "Come, Doctor, move along, we haven't got all day. I need to set the bones before his accelerated healing kicks in." Bruce nodded and ran over to the supplies while Johann began to use his fingers to move the broken bones back into place within Steve's body. Steve moaned softly in pain, his face contorting slighty. "Bear with me, Captain, it's only a bit of pain."
"Johann, the ribs are clear of the damaged area, We'll just need to move them back into place before I can begin healing him," Amora told him, looking up from her work, her voice drawing Natasha's attention back to Clint. She wondered why Johann was mending Steve the mortal way, when Amora was using her magic.
Bruce seemed to wonder the same thing as he brought a bandage roll over to where Steve was, along with a few other things. "How come you can't just heal Steve like that?"
Johann frowned as he moved the last rib back into place. "I do not possess the ability to wield magic like Amora can."
"Then how come Amora can't heal both of them?" Natasha asked, curious but with an edge to her voice.
"Amora is one of our strongest magic users, second only to Prince Loki and Lord Odin. In fact, she trained Loki to harness his magic, but he soon surpassed her in skill and power. Healing with magic may be quick and efficient, but it can be especially painful for mortals, particularly when mending bones back together., Mortals have a lower threshold for pain than we do. The Captain has a natural healing ability. It speeds up the process of rejuvenation exponentially. It would be easier to let him heal on his own, rather than with our help." While he explained this, Johann had lifted Steve up again, taking extra care in doing so, and Bruce was tightly wrapping bandages around his ribs and chest.
Natasha listened to this while watching Amora heal Clint. When Johann mentioned that this woman had trained Loki, she couldn't help but study her further, noting her larger breasts and slim waist, her long, blonde, flowing hair that reached down to the middle of her back, as well as her extremely beautiful face. Next to this Asgardian woman, Natasha felt plain and insignificant. Despite knowing that Loki himself had said she was beautiful before, more than once, she couldn't help but wonder if there had ever been anything between him and this woman. She crossed her arms over her chest and frowned, turning her head to watch Johann work on Steve instead of focusing on the other woman. She hated being like this, so 'girly' and jealous, feelings she was not used to at all, not that she wanted to get used to them.
"Oh, no."
Natasha turned back to Amora, hearing the alarm in the woman's voice. The woman was cursing under her breath as she moved both hands to Clint's abdomen. "What? What is it? What's wrong?" she demanded, her voice hard.
Amora ignored her and called to Johann, who came over in a rush, leaving Bruce to tie off the bandages around Steve. "What the problem?" the Asgardian asked, his voice rising slightly, a hint of an accent coming through. Natasha couldn't quite place it, but it sounded somewhat European, though where was unclear.
"One of the ribs punctured a lung!" Amora said, slightly distressed. "I didn't notice it at first, only when I tried to move the rib back into place. His lung began to collapse; the rib was somehow sealing the hole, keeping it from collapsing. I need to remove the bone in order to heal the lung, but I need to heal the lung before it collapses or fills with blood and drowns him, but I can't do both at the same time!"
"Damn!" Johann growled, ripping Clint's shirt open.
Natasha looked from one Asgardian to the other, fear welling up in her. She shoved that annoying emotion down and kept her face and tone calm and controlled. "You can save him, can't you?"
Johann was frustrated, but doing his best to stay in control. "We can try. I'll need to physically remove the rib from his lung so that Amora can immediately heal him. But, to do that, I'll need to cut him open."
` Natasha's eyes grew marginally wider, but she quickly schooled her features into her usual mask. "C-cut him open? But, without all the proper tools, he'll die!" She inwardly cursed at her small stutter at the start of her sentence.
"That is possible," Johann admitted as if he were discussing whether it might rain later.
"You can't let him die!" Natasha growled. She couldn't stand the thought of losing her first real friend. They had just started to repair their friendship, he couldn't die.
Johann sent a glare her way, telling her silently to calm down or go away. Her distress was not helping the situation any. Bruce came over to her, taking her arm and trying to pull her away. She shook him off and she returned Johann's glare. The Asgardian shook his head and turned back to Clint, pulling off his black gloves and taking a small blade from his belt and placing it carefully to Clint's body. "The longer we sit here and argue, the higher the chances of his death grow." Without another word, he began to surgically cut Clint open.
Natasha gasped quietly, seeing the blood begin to flow out of her friend's chest and stomach, her lip twitching when Johann began to open the cut and reach inside of Clint. Amora hovered by his side, her energy-coated hands at the ready to heal as soon as she was given the go-ahead.
A grunt was heard and Clint jerked a bit and a bit of blood spurted from his mouth. Johann cursed quietly and grew even more focused on his work. "Blood is leaking into his lung. We need to hurry."
Another spasm went through Clint, followed by him ejecting more blood from his lips. He was growing extremely pale and he was beginning to move less and less as his color drained. Natasha watched the scene, trying to keep herself calm, but she was barely keeping her mask intact. She had to have faith that Johann and Amora could save Clint. But, as the minutes passed, and Clint lost more and more blood, her hope began to wane.
"Get ready," Johann said, drawing her attention. "One...two...three...Now!" He moved his hand and Amora placed hers on Clint, pouring her power into him.
A few seconds passed. "Done," Amora said, her voice conveying relief.
"Drain the blood from his lung, quickly!" Johann ordered.
Amora nodded and poured more power into Clint. They went on like this, clearing his lung, then fixing his ribs, Amora's eyes gazing at Johann in admiration as he deftly moved each broken bone back into place without use of magic. They finished with the ribs then set about closing the wound that Johann had made, leaving behind the faintest scar on Clint's body as the skin and muscle re-stitiched itself.
Bruce moved over to him. "He's lost a lot of blood. He'll need a transfusion."
Johann nodded. "Indeed." He looked over to the supplies provided by S.H.I.E.L.D. and nodded to them. "See if we have the equipment over there, if not, we'll need to try and summon a healing orb around him to help him replenish faster."
Bruce ran over to the equipment and began going through it.
Johann turned back to Clint. "Amora, check him over one more time. We don't want any more surprises." The woman nodded and got to work. Johann grimaced and began to wipe the thick layer of blood from his hands on a nearby piece of cloth that had been brought over by Bruce earlier with the bandages.
Natasha took a step closer, worry still evident in her eyes, but she had no other outward signs of emotion. "Is he going to be alright?"
Johann gave her a sideways glance but did not answer, merely looked to Amora, waiting for her verdict. She was running her hands over his chest when he jerked and seized up before going limp. "What happened?" Johann demanded, his voice raising and his accent shining through again.
"His heart is giving out!" she said in a panic-filled voice. "I need to set up an orb to keep him stable until we can fix him!" Immediately after saying these words, she let the blue glow disappear from her hands and began to softly mutter to herself with her hands held over Clint. Slowly, a large golden orb of light began to appear around Clint's body. He seemed to relax a bit and his breathing became more even.
"What's that? What is she doing?" Bruce asked, having come running back when he had heard Johann's raised voice.
"Calm yourself, Doctor. It a healing stasis field designed to prevent the body from deteriorating or malfunctioning further while extensive healing is performed. Normally there would be two healers, one to hold the field, the other to do the actual healing. This one is modified to maintain the body, with a small amount of healing. It will keep his heart from failing while slowly replenishing his blood supply." Johann stood and dusted nonexistent dirt from his long, plain black leather coat-like outfit and picked up his gloves from where he had dropped them, returning them to his hands. "We'll have to wait until after the battle to heal him properly."
"But, you will be able to, right?" Natasha asked, a bit anxiously.
Johann looked at Clint, then back to Natasha. "Perhaps. If Amora can hold the field until Thanos is defeated and the battle is won. Only time will tell." Bruce frowned at this, thinking that Johann was not being very understanding of Natasha's feelings. He was viewing things practically, and realistically, not that Bruce blamed him for that, but he could have shown a bit of optimism, even if it was a front.
Natasha bit her lip, not liking that answer. She nodded curtly and turned to walk out of the Bifrost. Outside, she found Heimdall standing alone. His eyes were trained on the palace. "Can you see them?" she asked the guardian.
He nodded. "I can."
Natasha swallowed. "How are they doing?"
Heimdall did not turn to her. "They fight well."
Natasha nodded. It wasn't the answer she wanted to hear, but it gave her hope that Loki and Thor were still fighting. If they were fighting, then they were alive, and that is what mattered.
XXXX
Power charged the air, fueling the fire that burned within the Trickster's belly. He smashed the blunt end of his Spear into Thanos' jaw with skull-crushing force, intent to bludgeon the otherworldly being into nonexistence. Thanos' head snapped back with an audible crack, but the Titan righted himself, looking unfazed. He then backhanded Loki, sending him flying back into a wall. Thanos then raised his hand, the one wearing the Gauntlet, and snapped his fingers.
The section of the palace that Loki had landed in, imploded in on itself, then filled with a blinding white light, before exploding outward. Loki wrapped himself in his magic, pulling from both his magic, his Jotunn blood and the Tesseract's power to cloak him in a layer of protective energy as the blast swallowed all around him.
He leapt away from the collapsing area and back to steady, solid floor and let the cloak dissipate. He then unleashed a blast of energy from the Spear.
Thanos batted the blast from the air and sent one back at the Trickster. He laughed, surprised that upstart that had come to him seeking the power to enslave a single world could survive this long against him. He smiled, thinking that their fight would be interesting indeed, and decided to hold back just enough that he could still crush the Trickster, but not kill him with a single hit; he wanted to have some fun with his foe before destroying him.
Just as he thought this, Loki came flying at him, Spear poised to impale him through the chest. Thanos caught the end of the Spear with his hand and twisted, sending Loki flipping through the air. The Trickster was able to catch himself and jump right back into his assault. He slashed down, then back up, then lunged in with the Spear-head. Thanos evaded the first two strikes, then moved back to avoid the third.
Loki snarled and unleashed yet another bolt of energy from the Spear in his hand, then spun, twirling the Spear around to lash out with the blade at Thanos' throat, his hand letting the long handle of the Spear slid out of its grip, then taking hold again at the very end, giving it more reach. The Titan leaned away, avoiding the attack easily, then countering with a power-infused punch with his Gauntleted fist. Loki leapt back as the ground exploded at his feet. As soon as his feet touched the ground once more, he bent his legs and then launched himself back at his foe.
The two combatants met in a flash of sparks and energy discharge from their weapons as they clashed together. Thanos smirked and raised his other arm, then slammed it down into Loki's chest, sending the Jotunn-born Asgardian flying backwards into the wall behind him. He felt the wall give way as he hit it and continued to fly back, colliding with yet another wall, which managed to stop him, leaving only a large dent in the surface. He climbed back to his feet in a flash and charged back, his Spear ready to strike. He came dashing back out of the breach, Spear poised, and lunged at Thanos with a growl. Thanos sidestepped the Spear, but Loki spun again, bringing the blunt end of the Spear around to smash the Titan across the face, sending him through the wall that was behind him.
Loki was about to follow, but was stopped from pursuing when a large beam of energy came flying out at him. He dodged the attack, but it exploded behind him, kicking up a thick cloud of dust and debris. Loki countered with a blast of his own, then jumped through the hole, another blast ready on the tip of his Spear. He fired and slashed out with the Spear, catching Thanos crossed his shoulder with the blade when he tried to dodge the bolt of power. Loki followed through with a hard knee to the chest, toppling the Titan and sending him out through another wall, this time out into the open air high above the city.
Thanos caught himself and began to hover in the air, giving Loki a taunting smile. "Your power has grown great, Laufeyson. But not great enough." He snapped his fingers and the entire building around Loki exploded in a flash of light, before the section crumbled and fell down the side of the building to crash upon the ground far below.
Thanos laughed, watching the destruction before him. He laughed until the smoke cleared, revealing Loki, his armor damaged and his cape tattered, but his body and skin unharmed. Loki smirked and launched out, the remaining piece of structure that he had been standing on falling away as his weight left it. Thanos smiled and flew up over Loki's head, landing high above on the topmost section of the palace. Loki's eyes grew wide as he tried to catch himself with his magic, but he had never had the nack for flying and, even with the extra power from the Tesseract, he could not quite get it to work. He managed to slow his descent a bit, but still continued to fall.
Thanos laughed again, watching his adversary fall, unable to save himself. Then, out of the ruins of the palace, came a red blur that scooped Loki from the air and carried him to safety on a higher part of the palace. Loki looked at Thor as his brother released him, his eyes still wide. "I didn't expect to see you here," Loki said, curious.
"Did you expect me to let you fight this monster alone?" Thor asked chidingly.
Loki shrugged. "Where are Natasha and the others? How is Clint?"
Thor shook his head. "I know not. Last I saw, they were heading back to the Bifrost with Johann. I do not know what the condition of Clint, nor that of Steve." Loki nodded his understanding. Thor looked up at the place where Thanos had landed, seeing his father land in front of the Titan. "Come, brother, we must lend our father a hand."
Loki nodded and felt Thor grab on his his cape, then take them to the air. As they made their descent down onto the roof, Thor released Loki once more, letting him land on the opposite side of Odin than what he had.
The three Asgardians stood facing the towering, nine foot tall Titan, each gripping their weapons tightly, ready to strike at a second's notice. Thanos smirked at them, then raised his hand, drawing in a massive amount of power. The three charged in, intent to keep Thanos from unleashing the attack.
Odin struck first, Gungnir coming down from above while Thor swung Mjolnir in from the side. Loki teleported behind Thanos, lunging at his exposed back with his Spear. Thanos kept building the attack while he countered them. First, he knocked Thor aside with a backhand, then swung back to send Odin backwards, he then spun, deflecting the Spear and unleashed the blast directly into Loki's chest. Loki flew backward, toward the edge of the platform atop the palace that they had been fighting on. The Spear fell from his hands and his helmet flew from around his head as his back hit the floor, sliding backward even further, not slowing.
"BROTHER!" Thor shouted, seeing Loki about to fall. He did not think, simply through Mjolnir to land at the edge of the platform. Loki hit it and latched onto it, his body hanging precariously off the side of the platform, with the ground thousands of feet below. He grit his teeth, pulling himself back up, slowly.
Thor, now unarmed, attacked Thanos with his fist, raining a flurry of blows down on the Titan, who parried or avoided each one, then punched Thor hard across the face, sending him to the floor. Odin picked up where Thor left off, using Gungnir to unleash a great blast of golden energy at Thanos. Thanos raised the Gauntlet and deflected the blast, then returned one of his own, sending Odin off the edge of the platform, with nothing to catch him.
"NO!"
Both Loki and Thor's voices rung out in terrible harmony as their father fell from their sight, his eyes closed and making no move to catch himself with his flight ability. Thanos smiled cruelly at them as Thor charged him again, only to be grabbed around the throat and slammed head-first into the platform, leaving him crumpled in a heap, fighting to retain consciousness.
Thanos turned to where Loki was still hanging, with only Mjolnir's handle to hold him up. Thanos smiled and placed his foot on top of the handle, looking down at Loki disdainfully. "Pathetic," he spat. "You could have joined me, Laufeyson, and I would have spared you. Perhaps I would have even given you Asgard in addition to Earth. But, you chose to fight me, out of some misguided notion. Did you think you were a hero?" He leaned down, looking Loki in the eye. "I'm going to kill you now, along with every last soul on this world, as well as Earth." He raised his hand and prepared to blast Loki from the building to fall to his death. Loki looked passed him to where Thor was. Their eyes met and Loki flicked his to the hammer that was in his hands, and supporting some of Thanos' weight. Thor nodded. "Loki Laufeyson, I offer up your soul as a gift to Death."
Loki growled. "My name, is ODINSON!"
Thor pulled Mjolnir to him, dragging Loki with it, taking Thanos off his feet and onto his back. Loki let go of the hammer as soon as he was safely on the platform, then leapt to his feet and grabbed his Spear. Twirled it until it was tip-down and stabbed it down at Thanos. The Titan was barely able to dodge the attack and rolled until he reached the edge. He then cast himself off, taking flight to a different building-top. Loki cursed and ran at the edge, leaping off and aiming himself for the nearest building. He landed with a grunt and then jumped to the next roof. He did this, chasing after Thanos. The Titan stopped atop a long, wide roof, with plenty of room for maneuvering. Loki landed in front of him and the two stared each other down, a light breeze lifting the ends of Loki's hair.
Thanos glared at Loki, angry that he would not give in to defeat. "I could kill you and half of this universe with a snap of my fingers. It would be the ultimate offering to Death."
"Then why haven't you?" Loki asked, keeping his voice even.
Thanos chuckled. "The same reason you did not destroy those pathetic mortals when you had the chance. Humiliation. I will not destroy the worlds, until every last Asgardian, every last mortal bows at my feet. Then, I will erase them." His smile grew colder. "I think I'll save all of those you care about for last. Watch them break under my rule, then, once their spirits are broken, I will kill them slowly, ending with that woman you seem so protective of."
Loki glared and bared his teeth. "Not if I kill you first."
Thanos laughed loudly, as if this were the most absurd thing he had ever heard. "Impossible. Even with your newfound power, you are no match for me. I am the ultimate being, I am a GOD! Immune to harm, and soon, I will be beyond the reach of death itself!"
Loki shook his head in a pitying manner. "You are no god, Thanos. You are a fool. No one, not even we gods are beyond the reach of Death. You are foolish think yourself truly immortal."
Thanos gave him a condescending look. "We shall see."
He fired a blast of energy at Loki just as the Trickster fired one of his own. The two blasts met in the middle, building and combining into an even larger and more powerful orb, then detonated, demolishing the building beneath them and sending the two fighters backwards away from each other.
Loki crashed through another building, coming out the other side to land on the street, the impact knocking the wind out of him. He crawled slowly to his feet, reaching inward to and letting his magic flow through him, healing the few cuts and bruises he had received and rejuvenating his wearied body. This battle had already taken more out of him than what he had expected. With every strike and block reinforced by magic to match Thanos' power, he was draining his power too quickly. He was down to about three quarters of his full power already; much further down than he had wanted to be.
He stepped out of the rubble of the building he had flown through, finding Thanos already standing. Loki felt a swell of hopelessness rise within him, seeing his foe already ready to resume their fight, but a flicker of hope remained when he saw that Thanos had suffered damage as well. He had light burns and bruises on his arms and legs, as well as on his neck and chest, particularly where Clint's arrow had struck him and exploded; that wound was bleeding well. It didn't seem like Thanos cared about the wounds, and was making no attempt to heal them, either that or he did not know how to heal them. He figured on the latter when Thanos frowned and growled, seeing that Loki appeared to have suffered no damage so far.
He gathered another ball of energy in his hand and charged at the Trickster. Loki pulled his magic through him and prepared to counter the attack in the simplest, yet best way he knew how. Thanos slammed the ball of energy into Loki, striking all the way to the ground. He met no resistance. The image of Loki flickered and disappeared when the real Loki attacked from behind, using an energy dagger to stab down into the already open wound that Clint had created with his bow and arrows. Thanos let out a cry as the blade of pure green energy entered his body. Loki released the dagger and teleported in front of the Titan, slashing out with his Spear, giving Thanos a fresh cut on his chest. Thanos lashed out, only to meet air, then pitched forward as Loki appeared behind him again, striking him in the back with the blade, then vanishing again.
Thanos roared in frustration and gathered energy into both of his hands. He caught a glimpse of Loki in front of him and slammed down his hands, creating a massive explosion and leaving a great crater at his feet. Loki was nowhere to be seen. He looked around slowly, searching for the Trickster. He turned to look behind him, and found nothing. Then he turned back the way he had been facing and was met with Loki's Spear to the chest, in the exact spot that the arrow and dagger had pierced him. Before he could react, Loki unleashed a powerful bolt of energy from his Spear, sending Thanos flying backward in a spray of blood and a cloud of dust.
Loki sagged slightly, feeling his body drained. He pulled more power through him, allowing him to appear unfazed and unaffected by the usage of power. He did not hesitate and followed after the wounded Titan.
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Thor landed down on the street far below. He cast his eyes about frantically, searching for his father. He spotted him laying unmoving a few dozen yards away. He ran over to him, dropping Mjolnir at his side and going to his knees. He reached out and gently turned his father over to face. He searched for signs of life, trying to remember what the mortals had done to their comrades to check to see if they were still alive. He remembered that it had involved the neck or wrists, but was unsure how. Experimentally, he placed his fingers to the side of his fathers neck, like he remembered, wondering what he was looking for. When he felt a soft beating under his fingers, his eyes lit up. That must surely mean that Odin was still alive.
He shook him lightly. "Father?" He nudged him. "Father?" He nudged him again, a bit harder this time. "Father?!" Odin did not respond. "Damn," Thor cursed under his breath. He scooped Odin up over his shoulder and called Mjolnir to his hand once more. He was about to take flight when an explosion was heard behind him. He turned and looked over his shoulder, seeing a large, thick column of dust and smoke rising into the air. He shifted Odin's weight on his shoulder. "Hang in there, brother."
He took flight, heading toward the Bifrost. He pushed himself as fast as he could, and landed on the Bridge within moments, just outside the entrance to the Bifrost. "JOHANN!" the Asgardian Prince called out loudly.
A second later, an annoyed looking Johann appeared from inside the Bifrost. He saw the Allfather on Thor shoulder and his eyes grew wide. He ushered Thor inside and ordered him to lay Odin down on a bedroll. Immediately, Johann's fingers went to Odin's neck, just as Thor had done, his face contorted in concentration. After a moment of tense waiting, he sighed and removed his fingers. "He has a pulse. It's faint, but he is in no immediate danger at the moment." He looked up at Thor. "What happened?"
"Thanos," Thor answered simply. When Johann raised a brow at his short answer, Thor sighed. "He hit him with an energy blast, then he fell from the top of the palace all the way to the street."
Johann frowned and turned back to Odin, his brow creased. "I see," he whispered, then muttered under his breath, but Thor only caught the words 'what...' and '...take'. He then stood up. "He'll be fine." He turned to where Amora, the Enchantress, was kneeling with her hands up, supporting a healing orb. "Mr. Barton is a different matter." He walked over to peer down at the archer. "This orb is the only thing keeping him alive. We won't be able to sustain it forever. We need someone to heal him properly, but none of our magic-users have returned yet."
Thor looked down at Barton, feeling remorse and guilt pass through him at the sorry state that his friend and teammate was in. He should have protected him better, then he wouldn't be in this mess. Unable to bear the sight any longer, he turned to Bruce, who was kneeling beside Steve, who appeared to be sleeping peacefully. "Will he be alright?" Thor asked the doctor, gesturing to Steve.
Bruce nodded. "Yeah. He came out with only minor injuries, and should be back to normal by the morning."
Thor nodded and looked around. He frowned when he did not find the familiar sight of red hair, nor a man in an iron suit. "Where are Natasha and Tony?"
Bruce frowned. "Tony came back a few minutes ago, he was fine, just a bit dented. He went outside just before you got here. Natasha was outside with Heimdall. Didn't you see her?"
Thor shook his head and turned to go outside and speak to the guardian of the Bifrost. Heimdall was standing with his hands rested on his sword's pommel and looking out toward the city. He did not turn at Thor's approach. "Heimdall, where are Natasha and Tony?" he demanded.
"Don't get your drapes in a twist, Blondie. We're up here." It was not Heimdall, but a voice from behind and above, that answered.
Thor turned to see Tony sitting on top of the Bifrost, his suit keeping him from sliding off the rounded, sloping surface, his helmet removed. Bruce's words had been an understatement. Tony was more than a bit dented, he was dented, scraped and partially cracked in some places. The short battle that they had with Thanos had been a bit chaotic, with all of them that could take a direct hit from him charging in at random intervals and repeatedly being knocked back. Tony had taken a beating.
Higher up, was Natasha, in the strangest form Thor had ever seen her in. She was wearing the helmet to Tony's Iron Man suit, the eyes glowing blue, and looking out toward the city, a long cable connecting the helmet to Tony's suit, one hand on the side of it, as if to steady it, and the other clenched into a fist at her side. Thor cocked his head in wonder, never having seen this feature of the suit before, but he decided not to ask.
Tony, seeing his confused and bewildered expression, followed his eyes and shook his head. "She demanded that I let her use it to watch the battle. It has a zooming function," he explained. "She was pretty adamant about it, and I prefer my manparts where they are." He grimaced slightly at the thought.
Thor did not smile, merely frowned. "I must return to the battle. I cannot let Loki fight this foe alone."
Tony nodded as if this was obvious, "As you've said before," and waved him off with an armored hand.
Thor turned to leave, preparing to take flight, but was stopped by a voice. "Wait!" He turned back, frowning at the slightly robotic-sounding, female voice. Natasha stood up, taking the helmet off and tossing it back to Tony, who barely caught it, muttering curses and obscenities as he did so. Natasha ignored him and slid down from the Bifrost to land smoothly in front of Thor. "I'm going with you," she told him, her voice conveying that she would not take no for an answer.
Thor's frown deepened. "I do not think that that would be the best idea."
Natasha looked at him with fire in her eyes. "I don't care! I can't just sit here and do nothing while Loki is out there fighting."
Thor shook his head. "I won't allow it. You are mortal. You cannot face this foe and live." He did not mean for the words to sound so harsh, but he had to make her understand that she would do no one any good if she got herself killed.
Natasha's glare darkened, her pride taking offence at Thor's words. "I'm some helpless damsel that can't take care of herself, Thor! I'm not weak!"
Thor sighed. "I did not say that. But, I don't want to face Loki if something happens to you." He softened his gaze. "I know that you want to help, but you are no use to anyone dead. And Thanos will kill you, without hesitation."
Natasha's eyes narrowed up at him, her jaw set firmly and Thor could tell that she was not happy at all. She was a fighter, and this was a battle, she needed to be out there where she could be of use, not cooped up in the Bifrost like a frightened child. Thor held his stance resolutely, his expression practically screaming that he would not budge on this decision. There was a silent battle of wills before Natasha simply turned and to go back inside the Bifrost. Thor watched her go, saddened by the fact that his friends felt so helpless, even Tony and Bruce, they just wouldn't admit it. He sighed again and turned back to the city. He began to twirl Mjolnir and took to the skies.
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Loki caught sight of Thanos struggling to his feet. The Titan swayed, then bent down to pick something up. It took a moment for Loki to realize what it was: his arm. The Mad Titan was standing before him with his dark blood pouring out of him from where Loki's attack had torn his arm and part of his shoulder from his body. Thanos hissed in pain as he placed the burned and bloodied stump to the arm in his hand and the skin began to stitch itself back together. Loki looked on in silent disgust.
Thanos smiled at him. "You see? This is my power. The moment that I put this gauntlet around my wrist, I became the absolute being. Time and Death were undone and set aside. I am above them, beyond them. They are nothing to me, but mere shadows that will never reach me!"
Loki scowled at the arrogance that Thanos was portraying. The power of the Gauntlet has gone to his head. He is now truly mad.
Loki stood silently, waiting for Thanos to make his move. But it was neither Thanos nor Loki that struck first. A rush of air and a dull thud were heard as Thanos was knocked off his feet by a blocky, short-handled hammer. Mjolnir. Loki turned to find Thor hovering above him, his arm extended. Mjolnir came flying back to him in a blur. He landed beside Loki and the two nodded to each other. "Let us end this, brother," Thor said.
Loki cocked his head. "So soon? And I was just starting to have fun." He smirked, seeing Thanos' many wounds slowing him down as he regained his feet. Thor nodded in an impatient manner, letting his lips quirk a bit at Loki's jesting. "Fine, fine. But let's take this to higher ground, shall we?" Loki upward as Thanos took to the air again, flying to the top of a tall building nearby, most likely looking to regroup himself.
"Need a lift?" Thor asked.
Loki looked at his boots, then shrugged. "Why not?" He was acting nonchalant, but he was now nearing half-power and he was wary of using too much.
Thor took hold of Loki's cloak and flew up to where Thanos was waiting. He fired a blast at them, but Loki and Thor avoided it and charged in from the flanks to attack Thanos from different angles. They rained down a ferocious flurry of blows on the massive being, Thor taking advantage of Thanos' injury and pummeling the wounded shoulder with Mjolnir. Thanos tried to fend them off, but found that his strength and speed were draining fast, the damage done to his body taking its toll on him.
Loki slashed out with the Spear, leaving a long gash across Thanos' face. The Titan howled in pain and batted Loki back with the back of his Gauntleted hand. Loki flew back, and used the momentum of his fall to roll back to his feet and leap back into the fray. He attacked low this time, drawing Thanos' attention to him, just as Thor pulled lightning into his hammer and smashed it down into Thanos' injured shoulder with devastating force. Lightning arched out, forcing them all back, away from each other. Once the lightning dissipated, they all stood watching each other.
There was pool of dark blood at the Titan's feet, dripping down from his shoulder wound. He growled and unleashed a blast of energy at them, then turned and flew up toward the top of the palace, which was directly next to the building that they had been on. Loki and Thor dodged it and went after him, Thor flying, and Loki using different balconies of the palace as stepping stones to launch himself higher up.
As they neared the top, Loki unleashed a powerful bolt of energy from his Spear. It flew up and hit the Titan in the back, detonating and blowing apart a section of the platform at the top, causing a bit of the palace below it to crumble away.
Thanos twisted in the air and spun about, unleashing multiple blasts of energy at Loki and Thor, who where able to bat them aside and rush once more into the fray. Thanos grabbed Loki by the throat and threw him, flipping head over heels out into the open air far above the city and Loki felt his stomach clench as he entered free-fall. Thor growled and let out a mighty war cry as he saw his brother thrown aside and ignored by this being, left to die. He lashed out with blinding speed, Mjolnir crashing hard against Thanos' arms as the Titan parried and blocked his onslaught.
Loki careened through the air, the wind and changing air currents whipping him about, making it difficult to discern which way was up and which was down. His breath was short and his mind was a blur of panic-induced thoughts that he could not make heads or tails of. He growled and first focused on clearing his head. He was having little luck though.
On one of the many flips that he underwent during his fall, he was able to see the rapidly approaching ground. Something inside him twisted and he felt the cold begin to creep through him. Instead of fighting it, as he normally would have, he embraced it and let it fill him, his own magic coiling around it like a snake. Focus...focus...FOCUS! Remember everything you read, come ON! He worked his magic through his body, forcing himself to gain some semblance of balance, righting himself in the air. Once he was facing the correct way up, he refocused his magic, remembering the diagrams that he had studied so extensively during his training. He sent the mist of his magic into his feet, with just enough throughout the rest of him to keep him balanced. He pushed his magic into action, hoping that this time it would work. He could feel himself begin to slow down in the air, this being as far as he had ever managed to get, and tried to push it further. He slowed even further, and further, until he came to a sudden, jarring halt. For a moment, he thought that he had slammed into the ground, but when he looked down, he could see the streets still about twenty feet below him. He breathed a sigh of relief and let himself drop the rest of the way to the ground. He had used too much power in trying to stop himself, and he knew that he would still need that power to enhance his movements as he jumped back up to the top of the palace again.
He set his sights on his destination and leapt into the air, using the surrounding buildings like stepping stones.
Thor called down a bolt of intense lightning, that struck down, tearing away a large section of the platform, but Thanos was able to emerge with little harm done. Thanos struck out with his Gauntlet-clad fist and smashed Thor hard on the side of his face. The Thunderer stumbled, and Thanos struck again, and again, and again, until Thor was kneeling on the platform, his face stained with blood and his breath coming in gasps. He raised his fist again for yet another devastating blow, when He felt a stab of pain in his middle as Loki came vaulting over the edge of the platform and lunged in with his Spear, skewering the Titan on the tip, then unleashing a blast of energy out of it.
Thanos flipped through the air and landed with a pained grunt at the far end of the platform, his arms and head protruding out past the edge. Loki rushed over to him, his magic-enhanced movement a blur to the eye, and stomped is booted heel into Thanos' chest, just above where he had impaled him, winding the Titan and making a small bit of blood gush out of the wound. He then put the tip of the Spear to his still-bleeding wound. The tip began to glow, then a blast tore the weak flesh asunder once more. The severed appendage fell away to land far below. Thanos screamed in pain and tried to rise, but Loki stomped down on his chest again and held it there. "Thor," he called firmly. Thor came up to stand next to him and looked at him in question. Loki tapped his foot on Thanos' chest and Thor's eyes lit up with understanding. Without hesitation, he dropped Mjolnir down on the Titan's chest and Loki removed his foot. He put the tip of his Spear to Thanos' throat, the Titan glaring up at him. Loki shivered as a cold wind blew passed him.
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Thanos felt the cool metal of the Spear's tip touch his throat. He glared defiantly back at the Trickster. He would pay for this. When he got free of this, he would tear both him and his brother apart, piece by wretched piece! If only he could get out from under this blasted hammer! He reached his only remaining arm up to try and shove the offending weapon off of him, but found that it would not budge, no matter how much power he used to try and move it. The Trickster smirked at him, infuriating him even more. He struggled harder.
He felt a cold wind blow over him and froze. A dark figure appeared over him, standing at Loki's side. The Trickster did not seem to notice the figure as it stared down at him. After a moment, the features became clear. A skeletal face smiled down at him, hollow, empty, globeless eyes stared into his eyes, into his soul. The face had a strangely feminine appearance to it.
"Thanos..." a soft, cold, whispery voice spoke, sounding like it was coming from inside his head. "...Your time has come..." His eyes widened as a bony hand reached down and clasped him around the neck. He instantly fell still, his body no longer responding to his commands. "You thought yourself beyond my reach...yet here you are...in my grip...Goodbye...Thanos..."
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Loki saw Thanos go still at his feet. The tip of the Spear began to glow brightly as the cold wind circled them, making his cape billow out behind him and the ends of his hair dance around before his eyes.
He glared down at the Titan with a deadly glare. The tip glew brighter, until it was nearly blinding. He bared his teeth, then flicked his wrist. The bolt of blue energy flashed out, causing a small explosion. Thanos' body shuddered but did not move, thanks to Thor's conveniently place hammer. When the light clear, Loki was met with the sight of Thanos' headless corpse. The neck had been cauterised by the blast and no blood leaked from it. The cold wind stilled and dissipated.
Thor grimaced and cleared his throat, disturbed slightly by what he had just seen; never had he seen Loki look more fearsome than he had in that moment, just before he dealt the deathblow.
He stepped forward, looking at Loki out of the corner of his eye, seeing his brother's shoulders go limp and his fatigue seemed to suddenly catch up with him. Thor placed his hand on Loki's back, steadying him as he swayed on his feet, then bent down and removed the Gauntlet from Thanos' dead arm. He lifted it up and stared down at the gems glowing on the back of the palm. He sighed and shook his head. "So much trouble, for this."
Loki looked at him and shook his head. "Not just for that, I think." He looked down grimly. "It was me he was after, as well. I failed to take Earth, and it lost him his army and flagship. They came to kill me and take our home." He sighed. "Thanos was always power-hungry. He would have come either way, eventually. My mistakes only hastened his invasion. He also wanted the Tesseract, and now I understand why. The power of the Tesseract combined with the Infinity Gauntlet would have made him unstoppable, but even so, alone, what I was given was almost not enough."
Thor clapped his younger brother on the shoulder. "But, we defeated him, together. We saved our home, our friends, our family, everyone. We overcame, dearest brother. We won, and we did it together."
Loki met his eyes, and gave a light smile at Thor's words. "Yes, we did."
Thor smiled and pulled his brother into an embrace. Loki did not hesitate this time, and returned it. After a long moment, Thor stepped back, his hand still on Loki's shoulder. "Come, Loki, let us return to the others. The battle is won, but we still have wounded to attend to."
Loki nodded and held out his hand. Thor grasped his forearm and Loki teleported them back to the Bifrost.
The moment they arrived, Loki was nearly tackled in a massive hug from a bullet wearing red hair and black Kevlar. Natasha clung to him, her arms around his neck and her head rested against the crook of his neck. "You made it! You made it!" she said softly into him. Loki's arms came up around her and held her closer to him as she continued to whisper softly into his neck. He did not mind, he simply held her and whispered soothing words in her ear. A sort moment later, she calmed and pulled back, looking up at him. No words passed their lips as he bent down and captured hers in a soft, tender kiss.
A shout drew them apart. "PRINCE LOKI!"
They turned to find Johann looking at them impatiently. He motioned Loki inside the Bifrost urgently. Natasha gasped and a hand flew to her mouth. "Oh my god! Clint!"
Loki appeared confused, but Natasha did not wait to explain and simply pulled him along behind her as she hurried into the Bifrost.
Loki was shocked at what her found. Clint Barton was laying on a bedroll, with a golden healing orb around him. Loki dropped to his knees at the archer's side. "What happened? What is wrong with him?" he demanded of Johann, who looked annoyed at Loki's tone.
"He has lost a lot of blood and had a punctured lung. We fixed his lung and ribs, but his heart is giving out," the short-haired Asgardian informed him. "We need you to heal him while Amora keeps him stable.
Loki nodded and set his Spear aside, then raised his hands, coating them in soft blue energy. As he lowered his hands into the golden orb, Clint's eyes snapped open. He looked strangely peaceful, staring past them at something only he could see. Loki cursed under his breath and began to pour his energy into Clint, his magic working to strengthen his heart and heal any damage that Amora may had missed. After few minutes of this, his eyes slipped closed again with a sigh. Loki lowered his hands and slumped, the fell onto his back.
Natasha almost yelped but was able to catch the sound before it escaped her lips. She frowned and dropped to his side, immediately checking his pulse while hiding her worry. Loki could easily see it and chuckled and reached up to brush her hand aside. "I'm fine, just a bit tired is all."
Natasha nodded in relief. "And Clint?"
Loki smiled comfortingly. "He'll be fine. More than fine actually. I was scared that I was going to lose him for a moment there, but I was able to save him."
Bruce frowned. "You almost lost him? When? He seemed fine to me."
Loki sighed. "When he opened his eyes, he looked too peaceful." He hesitated a moment. "He was seeing the Valkyries."
Bruce tilted his head in confusion, and Tony, whom Loki had not realized had entered the room, spoke up. "What the hell is a Vlaky-whatever?"
Loki furrowed his brow humorless at Tony. "The Valkyrie," he stressed the word, "are the handmaidens of Valhalla. They come to collect the souls of warriors felled in battle. Only the dying can see them, and Clint saw them. They had come for him, but I was able to heal him before they could collect his soul. He is sleeping now, peacefully." He felt glad, saying that last part.
Amora let the orb drop and slumped forward in weariness. Loki paid her not a single glance and turned his gaze back up to Natasha, who did not miss this fact. She smiled brightly down at him and then laid herself next to him, her head resting on his armored chest. It wasn't very comfortable. Loki seemed to read her mind and his clothing changed to simple Asgardian, consisting of a loose green tunic over black leather pants. Natasha sighed in contentment and closed her eyes, Loki wrapping his arm around her. Loki didn't care that they were laying on the hard floor of the Bifrost, and just laid there with Natasha as everyone went about their own business in the Bifrost, not missing the subtle, but longing glance that Amora cast at Johann as she made her way across the room. He shook his head, deciding that he didn't want to know what was going through her head.
They laid there, Natasha dozing off and Loki thinking with his eyes closed. Loki felt someone lift his head from the ground and his eyes snapped open. Something soft was placed under his head as he caught sight of Thor. His brother then laid a soft blanket over them, gave his brother a smile then walked away, more pillows and blankets in his arms. Where did he get those? he wondered, but then decided that it didn't matter. He breathed a soft laugh, then let his eyes slip closed again. It wasn't long before he slipped from the waking world.
Natasha nuzzled closer to Loki as she too began to fall into sleep. She thought back over the events of that day, and realized with some frustration that she had not been of much use at all. She sighed and pushed that thought from her mind. It had been a long, hard day, and she felt that they deserved a long, uninterrupted nap; Loki and Thor in particular; they had done the most out of all of them, with Loki having done the most. He had ridden to Hel in the middle of the night, then come back to fight and defeat Thanos.
She opened her eyes and looked up at him lazily, yet admiringly. His face was relaxed and peaceful, a stark contrast to his usual mischievous smirk. She liked seeing him like this, so relaxed and open. It showed the real man underneath the mask that he presented. In this moment, her own mask was let down, though no one noticed, as she preferred it.
She gave a contented sigh and closed her eyes once more, letting herself fall asleep in Loki's arms again. The last thought that crossed her mind was that she was happy, and so grateful that she had been given a chance at happiness with this man, and that she wished that she could stay like that forever.
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A/N: Another chapter down. Hope you enjoyed it. Only one more to go: the Epilogue. I hope you all enjoyed this. Review but don't flame.
This chapter was really difficult to write in a way that I was happy with, but I feel that I put forth my best effort to make it as great a chapter as I could possible manage. First of all, I wanted this chapter to feel like it was the biggest, not just in length but in content. Writing Loki's fight with Thanos was probably the hardest part of this. I had to make it believable that Loki, after having received power from the Tesseract, could be a match for a being that, in the comics, pretty much erased half of the universe from existence with a snap of his fingers, and come up with a believable reason why he hadn't done that already. To get an idea for this, I watched the Cloud vs Sephiroth fight from Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, and the Frank Castle vs The Russian fight from the Punisher (2004). I'm not sure how well I accomplished this, but I hope my efforts were not in vain.
Until next time.
- Atrocity.