"My scanners aren't picking up up anything. No bio-signatures, no heat signatures, no bomb signals, nothing. Somehow, though, this makes me more suspicious than if there were any signals."
Steve nodded at Tony. He felt the same way. Back in the war, the worst traps were the ones that were built to look abandoned. "In that case, you'd better let me go first. I'm a veteran at this kind of thing." He stepped back, before kicking the steel door down. The noise was almost startling in the otherwise deathly quiet ship. Steve rolled inside, Iron Man right behind him with his repulsors at the ready. The room was empty.
"Is kicking doors down, like, a secret superpower you have? Because you seem to do that a lot." Steve just grinned at the good-natured ribbing, but Natasha shoved past the two in exasperation.
"Guys, don't forget why we're here. This isn't the time to joke around, though I know I'm probably talking to thin air where Stark is concerned."
"First, I take offense to that, and second, give me some credit, I remember our mission." After their meeting with Fury, the three Avengers had boarded a Quinjet and headed off to the mysterious ship. Tony, who wasn't an idiot on his worst day, had asked the other Avengers to remain on Earth, on the chance that the alien ship was being used as a distraction to lure all the heroes off planet.
They were just fortunate that the ship was in the upper atmosphere; any further, and the Quinjet may not have been able to make the trip without a few modifications, but Tony wasn't sure if they had that kind of time.
As the room was empty, the trio moved on to the next room, and even without checking his sensors, Tony had a good idea that this room would prove to be more fruitful. The doorway was large and more ornate than the plain metallic doors they had already checked;; it resembled the kind of entrance a throne room would have, or perhaps the control room itself.
"Since you're so fond of this part, I'll let you take the door," Tony invited Steve, who nodded before kicking the doors down. It took a bit more effort this time, but the door wasn't built that could stop Captain American from entering a place he intended to search.
To Tony's disappointment, while the room was indeed the control room, it was completely empty, and none of the monitors were even on. The humming around them did seem to indicate that the computer mainframe was operational, so as Natasha and Steve flanked him, Tony began pressing buttons on the terminal. He half-hoped that the alien computer was just on stand-by, because otherwise, without knowing the alien language, he was flying blind.
Fortunately, it only took a few random buttons to turn one of the screens on. Tony had to rapidly blink against the bright light at first, but once he was able to properly study the screen, it seemed like another dead end. It showed what appeared to be a map of space, or more precisely, a map showing where the ship they were in was.
"This really isn't much help, unless I can find a way to locate the other ships in this fleet. How hard can that be?"
"Don't bother, human. All you would be doing is calling attention to yourself." Tony and Steve whirled around to discover that they weren't so alone after all. A feminine alien calmly stepped out of the shadowy corner of the room.
"Hold it right there, ma'am," Steve warned as Tony charged up his repulsor beams. The blue-skinned alien lifted her arms in a universal "I'm unarmed" gesture.
"I am not here to harm you, and I am not here under order of the Kree Empire. In fact, quite the opposite. I am willing to help you."
Surely she didn't think it would be that easy? "You'll have to excuse us if we don't instantly believe you, but we're not naive. We've dealt with tricksters before, believe me." She shrugged.
"My name is Hala. I am a proud warrior of the Kree race. In terms of loyalty, I am second to no one. However, in recent times, our leader, the Supreme Intelligence, has grown…emotional. Where as he was once a leader ruled by logic, now his judgement is clouded by petty feelings like anger, and the need for revenge. He is on a path that threatens to destroy the Kree. He has already gotten us banned from the Galactic Council." Seeing that Tony and Steve still didn't seem to trust her, she grew physically frustrated. "Why will you Earth creatures not believe my words?"
A small clicking sound alerted her to the fact that a gun was being pointed at her head from behind. Tony couldn't help but grin; leave it to Natasha to sneak up on an alien like that.
"For your sake, you had better be telling us the truth," Natasha murmured from behind Hala. "If I believe that you're leading us on for even a moment, I won't have a reason not to shoot." Tony wasn't sure if she was bluffing or not, but her voice had a frostiness to it that would make anyone who didn't know her instantly believe she was a killer.
Hala remained tight lipped for a few moments, before biting her bottom lip hard enough to draw blood. "This goes against every fiber of my being…but if it will prove I am being truthful, I will show you how to find the Supreme Intelligence's ship is."
Steve lowered his shield. "And why would you do that?" Hala gritted her teeth.
"You fool, have you not been listening? He is dangerous, not just for our enemies, but for the Kree race itself. He is on some foolhardy journey to locate the Infinity Gems, but I believe it is just a waste of resources."
"The Infinity Gems? Are there any maniacal aliens who don't want to get their hands on those?" Tony had hoped that once Thanos (seemingly) lost interest in the gems, that he would never have to here about those things again.
Hala ignored him. "This ship that we are standing in was always meant to be a distraction; the Supreme Intelligence didn't want anyone following and possibly intercepting him on his quest. But each of our ships have a beacon, which we can use to locate any ship that gets separated from the rest of the fleet. If you allow me, I can use that to find his ship."
Tony hesitated, but Steve nodded at Natasha, who shrugged before pulling her gun away from Hala's head. The Kree warrior haughtily strode up to the computer console, and began pressing a few buttons in seemingly random order before the on-screen map grew larger. A small red dot could be seen on the outskirts of the map. It was moving.
"There. I have held up my end of the bargain. I trust that this will be enough to let you locate and kill him." She turned to walk out the door, but Natasha beat her to it.
"And who said you could just prance out of here?" Hala growled, before rapidly pulling some small device from her pockets.
"Take cover!" Steve commanded as the small explosive went off. Tony braced himself, confident his armor would protect him, but there was no need. When his body wasn't buffeted by a concussive blast, he opened his eyes and noticed that it had only been a smoke bomb. He didn't normally feel stupid, but this was one of those times.
"Should we follow her?" Tony was slightly hurt that Natasha appeared to be asking Steve, and not him. Steve shook his head.
"No. We have what we came for, info. Tony, you're probably the only one here who will be able to read this map. How far away is that ship?" Mood considerably lifted, Tony intently studied the map for a few minutes before turning back to his teammates.
"Well, the bad news is that the -what was his name?- Supreme Intelligence's ship is, not gonna lie, really far. And he has a head start. The Quinjet won't be enough to catch him before he gets his hand on whichever gem he thinks is out there. And we don't know too many people who just happen to own a space-ready ship. I think we'll need Fury's help with this, much as I hate to admit it."
"You have got to be joshing me!" Hawkeye's outburst was in response to the admittedly outlandish idea Nick Fury had just offered. Even Tony didn't have a witty comeback.
"Clint, don't insult either of us with the implication that I would ever make a joke. I know that you have a personal dislike for the man, but the fact of the matter is, we need Thanos' ship to catch up the Kree leader, and that's all there is to it." He wasn't leaving any room for debate, but Tony knew that they all had questions.
After returning to Avengers HQ, Tony and Steve had informed the other Avengers, along with Fury, about the situation. Tony had been crossing his fingers in the hope that Fury had a spaceship or two secretly stashed away. What he hadn't been expecting was Fury to bring up Thanos, in the context that Thanos had a capable ship of his own. Tony believed it; he had seen the ship with his own two eyes, and it looked admirably high-tech.
Clint scowled, leaning back in his chair. Bruce patted him on the shoulder. "Just because we're using his ship doesn't mean he has to come along as well."
"Doubt it," Tony interrupted. "Alien or not, who just lends their car, or ship in this case, to relative strangers? He won't trust us with it. No, I have a gut feeling that this will be a package deal."
"We don't even know if he'll agree to help in the first place," Steve added. "We don't have a good history, and from what I know of him, he wouldn't be interested in saving the world."
"I think we'll be able to convince him." Fury seemed sure of himself. "He may say that he has no more interest in the Infinity Gems, but I believe that once we mention that the Kree are interested in them, that might be incentive enough for him."
"When the heck is Thor getting back?" Clint asked, frustration lacing his question. "I would feel a lot better if he was here. How long can his family business take?" Tony smirked at him.
"With his family, you have to ask? Those gatherings must be a headache."
"So." Natasha stood up, signaling that the meeting was about to end. "Who volunteers to try and convince Thanos?"
Spending time doing nothing, a concept that Thanos had only recently begun to understand, was slowly becoming more and more appealing. With nothing in particular to accomplish, he and Layla were sitting together on the couch. They weren't watching the television, or anything like that, they were just making small talk.
"I like to think I was a pretty good student," Layla was explaining. "I never liked to cause trouble for any of my teachers. In hindsight, maybe I should have tried to contribute more. I was always so quiet. I probably raised my hand only once a week, if that." Her head was leaning on Thanos' shoulder,and he was loathe to move even an inch if it meant she would shift away.
"I'm sure you were the definition of a model student." Thanos wasn't even trying to flatter her. He honestly couldn't imagine the sweet Layla he knew now ever being the kind of person who wasn't endearing to her peers.
Layla blushed. "Well, anyway, I didn't really discover that I wanted to be a teacher until I was in high school. I began tutoring some of my classmates, and most of them would tell me that I was pretty good at it, and so…" She shrugged. "I guess the rest is obvious."
"Finding your purpose in life so early on is fortunate. Not everyone has that luxury or stability." Layla looked like she was about to question him on his statement when one of the computer consoles let out a series of beeps. Thanos immediately stood up to check the computer; the alarm only blared on the rare occasion someone manages to set foot on the island.
"Who is it? Laya asked, walking up beside Thanos.
"It appears to be a SHIELD craft. Perhaps Fury feels the need to badger me once more." He briefly considered donning his armored look, which was the best to way to intimidate anyone. As he hadn't had any plans, he was wearing a far more casual look with a blue shirt and cotton pants. It wasn't an outfit that would impress anyone, and no living being outside of Layla had ever seen him in such attire.
But no, this was his home. He would not force himself to change into something else because of uninvited guests.
"I can go upstairs, if you don't want to be interrupted," Layla offered. Thanos grabbed her arm as she turned to leave.
"Anything Fury has to say to me can be said in front of you. I wouldn't presume to hide anything from you." Layla gave him a grateful smile as he headed towards the front door, opening it just as the quinjet landed softly in front of the house.
When Nick Fury exited the ship, Thanos wasn't surprised. No, that emotion was saved for when two of the Avengers followed the eye-patched man. Specifically, it was Iron Man and Captain America. Thanos tensed, realizing that it was a very real possibility that they were here to attempt to apprehend him.
But no. The more Thanos mulled it over, the more that seemed unlikely. He had proven himself as a formidable adversary. If they wanted to capture him, they would surely send the entire team, at the very least.
Thanos crossed his arms as Fury and his two bodyguards approached his front door. Layla stood by his side. He could sense that she was slightly nervous, but one couldn't tell by looking at her.
"Fury. I seem to recall that you yourself claimed that we would never need to meet again. Or have you already forgotten?"
"I don't want to be here anymore than you want me to be here. But I pride myself on being able to put aside petty differences when the need arises."
"And what would this pressing need be?"
The armored Avenger spoke up with his usual annoying manner. "Oh, just potentially end-of-the-world stuff. But other than that, nothing too bad." Layla stiffened, but Thanos wasn't yet convinced.
"I'm told that you handle such threats frequently enough. Why come to me?" This time, it was the captain who replied.
"It involves that alien ship that was circling the planet." Too late, Thanos remembered the ship, and more importantly, his decision to keep it from Layla.
"I don't think I know what you mean."
"We know you aren't stupid, so don't pretend that you are. If you were able to hack our satellites, then there is no way you wouldn't have noticed that ship." Thanos glanced over at Layla, who's lips had thinned.
"Very well. Yes, I was aware of the ship, but surely you have the means to investigate yourselves."
"We did," Iron Man confirmed. "Unfortunately, no one was home. But, a little birdie told us that the ship was a distraction, while the real action happened elsewhere." He must have seen the disinterest written on Thanos' face, because then he added, "It involves an Infinity Stone."
If that was meant to grab his attention…he had to admit, it worked. After he demanded that they explain the situation, Iron Man described their encounter in the ship, and the knowledge they had learned.
"In short, we need your ship to reach this apparently super smart alien before he can grab the gem. We're in a rush, so just name your price, and we'll be out of your hair. Um. So to speak."
Thanos had barely been listening. "The Supreme Intelligence is a fool if he think he'll be able to exact any sort of revenge against me, though I welcome him to try." Tony didn't miss the comment.
"Revenge? Are you telling me there's a chance he's going to all this trouble just so that he can get one over you?"
Thanos smirked. "Yes, I recently caused him great embarrassment in front of the Galactic Council. I don't believe he took it well." He chuckled. "It was worth it to see the look on his face."
"Yeah, it would be nice if you could show a bit more concern about an alien leader who wants to take you down, and Earth along with it." The inventor boldly strode up to Thanos. "In fact, seeing as how this is your mess, I think showing some responsibility and letting us use your ship would be a smart idea."
Captain America and Layla both went rigid as Tony and Thanos kept their staring contest. Thanos surprised himself by relenting first.
"If I don't seem especially concerned, it's because I'm not. I don't fear the Supreme Intelligence, no matter what he uses against me. However, perhaps it would be in my best interest to make sure the stone isn't misused." Before Tony could open his mouth again, Thanos held a hand up. "I will let you use my ship, with one caveat." He turned from Tony to give a piercing look at Fury. "I will be piloting the ship. I trust no one else to do so."
Fury didn't even hesitate before responding, "I had a feeling this is how it would go down. That's fine. It doesn't especially matter to me who drives the damn ship as long as it leaves as soon as possible."
"Of course," Thanos responded understandingly. "Just give me half an hour to…finalize preparations." Iron Man and Captain America both glanced at each other as Fury nodded. The three of them strode back inside their jet.
Thanos turned his head, noticing the frosty look Layla was giving him. "So you wouldn't presume to hide anything from me, huh? Like, say, a giant alien ship that was eyeing Earth?"
"I'm sure you heard Stark mention that the ship was essentially a decoy. Completely harmless." Layla looked far from convinced.
"You didn't know that at the time! Did you think it would stress me out? I've been through some crazy stuff recently! It'll take more than some ship in the sky to freak me out." She stopped for a second, and when the next words came out, they were softer.
"Did you think I wouldn't the info well?"
Thanos sighed, realizing once again that his intentions had been misconstrued. "No, that is not what I feared. However, it no longer matters. I have already been roped into this." He gently grabbed her shoulders. "Perhaps it is the wrong time to ask, but I hope you won't keep a grudge. I would prefer it if we were to leave on positive terms."
Layla lowered her eyes as she considered it, before giving him a determined look. "I won't stay mad, if you do me one favor."
"Anything."
"You guys have to take me with you." Thanos was stunned as she continued on. "I don't want to be one of those girlfriends who stay at home, wringing their hands in concern while their boyfriends travel around. I mean, you're heading out to space! I'd feel better about it if we weren't so far apart."
"Layla. This is no joyride. We are in pursuit of a dangerous being who has aims against me. I can't allow you to come with me." That wasn't the answer she wanted to hear, evidently.
"Exactly, it's dangerous. If something were to happen to you, what would I do? I'd have no way to find out what happened. I'd spend the rest of my life never knowing, and it would drive me insane. Trust me, if something bad happens, I'd rather it happen when we're together."
Her logic made sense. If the roles were revered, nothing in this reality could keep him from accompanying her. He understood the frustrations of remaining behind, unable to help in any capacity. And yet…
"I may not be able to guarantee your safety, I need you to understand this," he urged as he pulled her against him. She kissed him, deeply.
When they pulled apart, she responded, "I never asked for that guarantee anyway." Her eyes sparkled. "I feel safe with you anyway." As she pulled away, she added, "Besides, this wouldn't be the first time I've ridden in your ship."
"Hopefully this trip doesn't involve a Kree trying to drill a hole in you," Thanos dryly replied. Layla smacked him on the arm.
As the Supreme Intelligence hurtled through space, his mind absently wondered if he should confront Thanos after acquiring the stone, or if he should put it off until he had collected more of them.
Logic dictate that he wait. The more stones he had, the better his chances at claiming victory.
"And yet, I refuse to wait any longer. My patience wears thin, and my anger grows by the second. No, one stone will be all I require." His rambling caused his two pilots to glance at each other fearfully, but neither dared to utter a word.
Author's Notes:
Thank you for the reviews, everyone. They mean a lot to me. They keep me going.
I'm sorry for the long wait, but I've also been working on a spin-off/side story to this fic. More details on that soon. :)